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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 35 – James Casey on Rice Football and the NFL

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The Roost Podcast can’t go too long without returning to our Rice Football roots. James Casey stops by to reminisce and update us on his journey through the NFL.

After spending the last two shows on the NBA with former Rice Basketball guard Tamir Jackson and Star Wars with cross country runner Adolfo Carvalho, The Roost Podcast returns to Rice football talk this week with James Casey.

The former Rice standout has been busy since he last played ball at South Main. He gave us the rundown on his adventures since Rice and what life is like working in the NFL during a pandemic.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with James Casey on Episode 35.


Episode 35 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you James Casey on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • James Casey joins the show — The first active coach to join the podcast, Casey recounts his career up to this point and some of his favorite moments along the way including:
    • His Rice experience joining the football team after playing minor league baseball
    • His favorite non-athletic Rice memories and the squirrels on campus
    • The trajectory of Rice football now under coach Mike Bloomgren
    • The decision to become a coach and his path to the Cincinnati Bengals
    • Joe Burrow and the impact great quarterbacks can have on a team

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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BREAKING: Christian Covington signs with Denver Broncos

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Former Rice football defensive lineman Christian Covington has a new NFL home, signing with the Denver Broncos in the days following the NFL Draft.

Christian Covington is on the move. Initially drafted by the Houston Texans after a standout Rice football career, Covington played four seasons in Houston. He tallied 7.5 sacks and 39 tackles, playing in the trenches alongside JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.

From there, he signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games with Dallas last year, setting career highs in tackles (20) and starts (six).

In mid-April, Covington joined The Roost Podcast and briefly discussed his free agency and future plans. He mentioned the current global climate was impacting how he and his agent went about normal business, but hoped to have a solution worked out soon.


Less than a week after the NFL Draft was finished, teams had answers to their depth chart questions and Covington had his next NFL home. Per Adam Caplan, Covington is joining the Broncos on a 1-year, $1.75 million contract with $625,000 guaranteed. Originally from Canada, this will be his first football season outside of Texas since coming to Rice in 2011.

Denver is a popular destination for former Owls in the NFL. Covington’s former college teammate corner Bryce Callahan is also with the team as is offensive lineman Calvin Anderson. Jordan Taylor, also a teammate of Covington’s, was with the Broncos through the 2018 season, just missing a reunion.

Find the latest updates on all former Rice football players in the NFL on our NFL Owls Tracker. The list has been updated to include the next wave of pro Owls. Three players from the 2019 squad have signed as undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft: Myles Adams (Carolina), Justin Gooseberry (Falcons) and Nick Leverett (Buccaneers).

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 29 – Christian Covington and Rice memories

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Christian Convington joins The Roost Podcast this week in the next installment of our longest offseason interview series.

The Roost Podcast is doing chugging along. In our newfound world without sports on the field, we’ve found time to sit down and interview current and former Rice Athletes across several sports. If you haven’t caught recent episodes, you’ll want to check out visits with Erica Ogwumike, JP Heath, Taylor McHargue and more.

This week former Rice football defensive lineman Christian Covington joined the show. We talked about his recruitment from Canada, his rude awakening to the Texas heat and what’s been going on in his life during the recent shutdown. From favorite JJ Watt stories to his free agency updates, you won’t want to miss it.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 29.

Episode 29 Notes

  • Housekeeping — If you’re on Twitter, please give the show a follow. Get a sneak peak when episodes are inbound and the latest happening by turning on notifications. We promise not to spam you and you’ll be the first to know when new shows drop. It’s a win-win.
  • Christian Covington joins the show — After interviewing his Rice football teammate Taylor McHargue on a previous episode, Covington was kind enough to join us this week. We discussed:
    • What free agency looks like during a pandemic
    • His journey from Canada to Rice to the NFL
    • His impressions on the Rice football program today
    • Favorite memories on and off the field at Rice
    • JJ Watt’s generosity and laser tag prowess … and more.

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL Divisional Round Update

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The last remaining Rice football alums have been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs. Here’s a rundown of all the NFL Owls who played in the Divisional Round.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Divisional Round Results

49ers 27 – Vikings 26 (Sendejo)
Titans 28 – Ravens 12
Chiefs 51 – Texans 31 (Gaines)
Packers 28 – Seahawks 23 (Ellerbee, Willson)

Andrew Sendejo, Saf, Vikings

Sendejo was active in a Vikings secondary that didn’t have many opportunities to shine. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo attempted just 19 passes on Saturday, the longest going for 22 yards. San Francisco had four times as many rushing attempts (47) as completions (11). Sendejo had three tackles in the loss.

Emmanuel Ellerbee, LB, Seahawks

Ellerbee was placed injured reserve prior to the start of the season. He did not appear in any games with the Seahawks this year and wasn’t on the field for Seattle’s playoff run which ended in the Divisional Round.

Luke Willson, TE, Seahawks

Willson’s season came to an end on Sunday night in a close loss the Packers. He caught the only ball thrown his way, an eight-yard reception. More notably, he registered the first carry of his six-year NFL career, gaining one yard.

Phillip Gaines, CB, Texans

Gaines was placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered during the Texans’ Week 8 game against the Colts. He wasn’t available for the Texans playoff run. Instead, he had to watch a gut-wrenching come-from-behind victory by the Chiefs. After falling behind 24-0, Kansas City went on to score 41 unanswered points and win.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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Detroit Lions sign punter Jack Fox to futures contract

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Following the end of the regular season, former Rice football punter Jack Fox has signed a futures contract with the NFL’s Detroit Lions

Former Rice football punter Jack Fox has been swept up into the churn of NFL life. After going undrafted, Fox signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and was cut prior to the regular season. He was on and off the Chiefs’ practice squad during the season, eventually being signed to the practice squad by the Detroit Lions.

It looks like Fox will be in Detroit for at least a little while longer. At the end of the regular season, Fox agreed to a futures contract with the Lions.

What is a futures contract?

NFL teams don’t practice between the end of the season and training camp, thus eliminating the need for practice squad players. Even though they weren’t on the official roster, teams still want to make sure they can keep many of those players in the fold for the upcoming season when the rosters expand from 55 players to 90. And thus futures contracts were born.

Essentially a futures contract is a low-cost commitment between the player and the team to keep a player from signing elsewhere during the offseason. Futures contracts take effect at the start of the new league year (Mar. 18, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. ET).

What’s next for Fox?

It’s unlikely Detroit would have brought Fox in if they didn’t intend to give him a shot to compete for a spot on the active roster next season. The Lions’ current punter Sam Martin is eligible for free agency, leaving a potential opening at the position. Detroit also signed free agent Matt Wile who appeared briefly for the Falcons this season and was the full-time punter for the Vikings in 2018, averaging 45.2 yards per punt.

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