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Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

September 3rd, 2014 at 9:03pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s hard to imagine any practice squad updates today will be more notable than the news that Michael Sam has joined the Cowboys’ unit, but there figure to be plenty other teams tweaking their squads. We’ll round up all those items right here:

  • Undrafted rookie center Josh Allen, who was cut by the Bucs, has signed to the Packers‘ practice squad, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).
  • The Saints re-signed quarterback Ryan Griffin to their practice squad, a source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Bengals have filled out their practice squad by adding ex-Chargers wideout Tevin Reese, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • Safety Matt Daniels has been replaced on the Rams’ practice squad by tight end Brad Smelley, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Vikings have confirmed the previously-reported signing of Ahmad Dixon to their practice squad, announcing that tackle Mike Remmers has been cut to make room (Twitter link).
  • When they added Sam to their practice squad, the Cowboys dropped seventh-round linebacker Will Smith, according to a team release.
  • As first reported by Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter), linebacker Colton Underwood has signed with the Eagles‘ practice squad, filling the 10th and final opening.
  • The Patriots made a few changes to their practice squad, bringing in guard Chris Barker, running back Marcus Thigpen, and tight end Allen Reisner, according to Kyed (via Twitter). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, safety Kanorris Davis and defensive back Daxton Swanson appear to no longer be on the squad, writes Lee Schechter of ESPNBoston.com.
  • After working out several players yesterday, the Giants signed one of those players – defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton – to their practice squad today, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
  • The Ravens brought in former third-round cornerback Jamell Fleming for a visit and added him to their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson’s Sun colleague Jeff Zrebiec adds (via Twitter) that cornerback Deji Olatoye has been cut to make room.
  • Safety Ahmad Dixon, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the seventh round this year, is expected to sign with the Vikings‘ practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Minnesota currently has 10 players on board, so a corresponding move will be required.

West Notes: Miller, Seahawks, Broncos, Rams

September 3rd, 2014 at 8:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos star Von Miller became the latest player to weigh in on J.J. Watt‘s megadeal and he thinks the Texans got away light. “He’s underpaid in my opinion. What he does for the Texans, no one else does that for their organization,” Miller said, according to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. “None of the big-time quarterbacks that are getting the big-time deals do. J.J. Watt deserves a similar deal. He does everything on the field, everything off the field. It was well deserved. I think he should have gotten more.” Of course, given Miller’s off-the-field troubles, it’s hard to say what Watt’s deal means for the Denver standout. More out of the AFC and NFC West..

  • On the eve of their season opener, the Seahawks haven’t given up hope of working out contract extensions with Cliff Avril and/or K.J. Wright, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). La Canfora writes that they’re “exploring options” with both, so agreements aren’t necessarily imminent.
  • The Broncos tried out long snappers Danny Aiken and Luke Ingram before picking up Kevin McDermott, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).
  • Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter) wonders if the Rams would have claimed Ryan Griffin if he were available instead of Case Keenum. St. Louis signed Keenum on Monday. Griffin, meanwhile, is back with the Saints on a practice squad deal.
  • Allen Bradford, Drew Nowak and David Arkin visited with the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

Latest On Raiders Stadium, Oakland

September 3rd, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Zachary Links

A new stadium offer has been pitched by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s development people that would give free land to the Raiders with area taxpayers picking up the tab for $120MM the team owes from the 1990s remodeling of the Coliseum, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross. The Coliseum, in turn, would be torn down.

Zach Wasserman, an attorney representing backers of a planned sports, housing and retail complex called Coliseum City, says the “basic terms” of a financial deal have been worked out amongst all of the involved parties. At this stage, the plan is awaiting final approval from Raiders owner Mark Davis. On the surface, it sounds like a very advantageous deal for the silver and black. Anything is possible, it sounds like the odds of the team staying put in Oakland, despite recent flirtations with the cities of Los Angeles and San Antonio, have just improved drastically.

Seahawks Re-Sign Bates, Jeanpierre To IR

September 3rd, 2014 at 5:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have re-signed wide receiver Phil Bates while putting center Lemuel Jeanpierre on injured reserve, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). Moving Jeanpierre to IR gives Seattle an additional roster spot to work with and Bates will join the 53-man roster (link).

Jeanpierre suffered a serious neck injury and is not designated to return, meaning he is done for the season. Bates, meanwhile, had been released earlier in the week.

In related moves, Seattle also released wide receiver Chris Matthews, offensive lineman Nate Isles, and defensive back Terrance Parks off the practice squad (link). In their place, the Seahawks will welcome linebacker Allen Bradford along with offensive linemen David Arkin and Drew Nowak (link).

Patriots Cut Bruce Gaston, Kelcy Quarles

September 3rd, 2014 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have parted ways with two players they claimed off waivers over the weekend, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, who tweets that defensive tackles Bruce Gaston and Kelcy Quarles have been cut by the team. The moves should leave New England with a pair of open roster spots, so I’d expect corresponding signings to be announced soon.

Gaston was dropped by the Cardinals as part of final roster cutdowns on Saturday, while Quarles was let go by the Giants. Both players will return to waivers today, and if they go unclaimed this time around, they’ll be free to sign with any club or practice squad. It wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both players ended up returning to the teams with whom they spent training camp, though both Arizona and New York have full practice squads at the moment.

As for the Patriots’ own practice squad, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets that the team has removed long snapper Charley Hughlett. According to Reiss (via Twitter), former Pats long snapper Danny Aiken is back in Massachusetts after visiting the Broncos, and there’s a strong possibility he rejoins New England.

South Notes: Titans, Watt, Jags, Bucs

September 3rd, 2014 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Wednesday items from out of the NFL’s two South divisions….

Packers Promote Garth Gerhart To Roster

September 3rd, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have made a pair of transactions involving centers, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has placed J.C. Tretter on injured reserve with the designation to return. In his place, Green Bay has promoted Garth Gerhart from the practice squad to the active roster.

Tretter, who missed his rookie season last year, with leg and ankle injuries, was sidelined during the preseason with a knee injury, and had been viewed for the last week or so as the top candidate for Green Bay’s IR-DTR spot. In his absence, rookie Corey Linsley is expected to start for the Packers at center.

The Packers now have an opening on their practice squad, which they’ll likely fill in the near future. Additionally, Green Bay becomes the 10th NFL team to use its IR-DTR spot.

Josh Brent Reinstated, Can Return Week 11

September 3rd, 2014 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 3:45pm: Brent has filed an appeal on the decision to delay his reinstatement, though it’s not clear what the procedure for resolving that appeal is, tweets Florio.

TUESDAY, 7:32pm: Brent’s agent, Peter Schaffer, tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) that Brent will appeal the decision.

5:05pm: Josh Brent will be reinstated to the Cowboys but won’t be eligible to return until at least Week 11, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). The reinstatement is conditional, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter), so it will presumably be contingent on good behavior. Brent has five days to appeal the decision, as Ed Werder of ESPN (on Twitter) notes. Any prohibited alcohol-related conduct will likely result in immediate suspension for the defensive tackle and, potentially, NFL banishment.

Dallas was said to be bracing for a four-game suspension just days ago, but Brent has been hit with a heavier punishment than that. Still, given the circumstances surrounding Brent’s case, it would be a surprise to see him put up a major battle to get back on the field sooner. Brent, who was charged with intoxication manslaughter, served a six-month jail sentence and already voluntarily taken a full season off, so he might have a case to make for himself. By the same token, the league has come under fire for its discipline as of late. Ravens running back Ray Rice was given a two-game suspension, viewed as far too lenient by the public, for his domestic abuse incident. Meanwhile, Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended for all of 2014 for a positive marijuana test.

Brent played in 39 games for the Cowboys between 2010 and 2012, recording 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Saints, Junior Galette Agree On Extension

September 3rd, 2014 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints and Junior Galette have reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension which will keep the standout edge defender under team control through the 2019 season, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Rapoport (via Twitter), the new deal is worth $41.5MM, with $23.5MM in guarantees. We’ll have to wait for further details to find out if that’s all new money, and how much is actually fully guaranteed.

Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports first reported yesterday that Galette and the Saints had reached an agreement, but the 26-year-old and his agent quickly shot that down. While the two sides may still have been putting the finishing touches on the agreement, it’s clear that, as we suspected, Getlin was right about the talks becoming serious.

Galette, who inked a three-year deal with the team in March of 2013, technically still had two years remaining on that contract, but New Orleans decided to reward him for a breakout season in which he became a full-time player and recorded 12 sacks. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked Galette as the 12th-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL last season, out of 42 qualified players.

As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap details, Galette’s previous deal could have voided after the 2014 season if he recorded 24 total sacks in 2013 and 2014, which further explains why the Saints were interested in getting something done now. If Galette had matched his 2013 production this season, he’d have been eligible to hit the open market in March.

Saints Re-Sign Robert Meachem

September 3rd, 2014 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

After releasing several notable players during their cutdown to 53 players, the Saints have now brought a couple of those veterans back into the fold. According to head coach Sean Payton (Twitter link), in addition to re-signing kicker Shayne Graham, the club has also inked wideout Robert Meachem to a new deal. In a corresponding roster move, linebacker Khairi Fortt has been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return.

Meachem, 29, was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2007 draft and spent five seasons with the team before playing in San Diego during the 2012 season. The Tennessee product returned to the Saints last season in a reduced role — after averaging 43 catches per season in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011, Meachem hauled in just 16 passes last season for 324 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The departure of veterans Darren Sproles and Lance Moore could mean a few more balls to go around for the team’s receivers this season, but second-year wideout Kenny Stills and rookie Brandin Cooks will likely grab a good chunk of those targets, so I’d expect Meachem to see limited action once again in 2014.

Fortt, a fourth-round pick this year, will be eligible to return to practice after Week 6 and can play in games after Week 8.

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