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Month: November 2024

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/22/15

September 22nd, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Damiere Byrd (Twitter link via David Newton of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: LB Brian Blechen

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: RB Gus Johnson (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: T Tyrus Thompson (Twitter link via agent Ken Sarnoff)

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Cut: WR Rannell Hall (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of Sports Talk Florida)

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/15

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, plenty of teams around the NFL are shaking up their rosters a little on the Tuesday following a full slate of games. Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Cowboys defensive tackle Terrell McClain is done for the season with a badly sprained big toe, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that the team has placed McClain on injured reserve.
  • The Cardinals have cut running back Kerwynn Williams in order to make room for offensive tackle Bobby Massie, who is returning from a two-game suspension, says Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). We’ll see if Arizona re-adds Williams or another running back to the roster before the club’s Week 3 game, with Andre Ellington likely to be sidelined again. The Cardinals also cut Travis Harvey from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
  • With Jay Cutler injured, the Bears activated quarterback David Fales from the taxi squad to the active roster, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, the Bears waived Bryce Callahan, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Washington linebacker Martrell Spaight, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, has been placed on injured reserve due to a concussion, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The move opens up a roster spot for reinstated cornerback Chris Culliver.
  • Besides Massie, Culliver, and Vikings cornerback Jabari Price, whose reinstatement we noted yesterday, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell and Chargers offensive lineman Craig Watts are returning from suspensions this week, per Wilson (Twitter link). Pittsburgh and San Diego will have roster exemptions until tomorrow afternoon for those players.
  • The Colts have made a change at the cornerback spot, signing veteran free agent Josh Thomas and waiving Eric Patterson, owner Jim Irsay announced today (via Twitter). Perhaps more notably, the team an injury settlement with running back Vick Ballard, officially removing him from the roster. Ballard, who hasn’t played a game since the 2013 season, will become a free agent if and when he clears waivers.
  • The Dolphins are signing linebacker and special-teamer Terrell Manning, according to Wilson. The 25-year-old has already appeared in regular season games for five different NFL teams since entering the league in 2012.
  • With Austin Seferian-Jenkins set to miss some games, the Buccaneers are signing tight end Cameron Brate off the Saints‘ practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Brate started the season on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad before he landed on New Orleans’ unit last week.
  • The Buccaneers have also have also signed free agent defensive end Josh Martin and waived defensive end Kourtnei Brown, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets.
  • The Ravens waived running back Terrence Magee to open up spot for newly-acquired cornerback Will Davis, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Raiders cut Tevin McDonald, Wilson tweets.

Cowboys Acquire Matt Cassel From Bills

September 22nd, 2015 at 5:52pm CST by Zachary Links

5:52pm: The Cowboys will send their 2017 fifth-round pick to the Bills in exchange for Buffalo’s 2017 seventh-round choice, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News tweets.

5:30pm: The Cowboys have acquired quarterback Matt Cassel from the Bills, according to a source who spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Bills will receive a 2017 pick, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears that there will actually be a swap of picks.

Cassel, 33, was cut loose by the Bills on September 5th but his unemployment lasted less than 72 hours as he re-signed with Buffalo just days later. The veteran was first acquired by the Bills back in March in a trade with the Vikings, but didn’t initially survive the cutdown to 53 players over the weekend. The Bills kept Cassel around as veteran insurance for Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel, but they apparently feel comfortable enough to part with him at this point.

Of course, the Cowboys were motivated to acquire a veteran QB due to Tony Romo‘s injury, which will sideline him for at least seven games. Dallas will turn to Brandon Weeden as their starter in Week 3, but if he falters, Cassel could jump in and take the job. Prior to this trade, the Cowboys auditioned a number of quarterbacks including Christian Ponder, Matt Flynn, and Josh Johnson. Apparently, none of those options were satisfactory for them.

He had initially been slated to make a base salary of $4.15MM in 2015, which likely contributed to his release from Buffalo. His new deal is probably be closer to the veteran’s minimum, perhaps with some playing-time and performance bonuses attached.

In a related move, the Cowboys have also promoted quarterback Kellen Moore from the practice squad, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Moore’s promotion coupled with the Cassel acquisition gives Dallas three QBs on the depth chart.

Community Tailgate: Which 0-2 Teams Will Make The Playoffs?

September 22nd, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

With the NFL season underway, we have a whole new series of topics to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those topics. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Two weeks into the season, we have many teams who have yet to grace the win column. Of course, it’s very early, and those clubs have another 14 regular season games to right the ship. We want to know which of the following 0-2 teams you think are going to wind up making the playoffs:

  • Bears
  • Colts
  • Eagles
  • Giants
  • Lions
  • Ravens
  • Saints
  • Seahawks
  • Texans

When the Pro Football Rumors writing team made predictions for the 2015 season a couple weeks ago, all of us picked the Colts to win the AFC South. However, after losses to the Bills and Jets to start the season, many of us would probably like a re-do. On Monday night the Colts’ offense line was rather porous and reliable veteran Frank Gore coughed up a costly fumble near the goal line. Quarterback Andrew Luck stands as one of the brightest young signal callers in the game, but it won’t mean much if the rest of his offense is slumping.

The Colts aren’t the only contender stumbling to start the season. Chip Kelly‘s Eagles were a sexy pick to win the division but there are issues on either side of the ball and Kiko Alonso‘s injury won’t help matters. The defending NFC Champion Seahawks have also been a disappointment and their defensive struggles have only strengthened the case for Kam Chancellor as he continues his holdout.

Of course, plenty of teams have gone 0-2 to start the year and wound up with a playoff birth. Of the teams that are winless so far, which ones do you think are headed to the postseason? Let us know in the comment section below!

Raiders Claim David Amerson Off Waivers

September 22nd, 2015 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders have made a change in their secondary, claiming cornerback David Amerson off waivers and adding him to their 53-man roster, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Amerson was cut yesterday by Washington.

Amerson, a second-round pick in 2013, started 23 of the 31 regular season contests he played for Washington during his first two NFL seasons, taking over as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks last season. However, he didn’t play well in 2014, ranking dead last among 108 qualified cornerbacks in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required). Per PFF, quarterbacks had a 140.2 rating and 10 touchdowns on 91 throws into Amerson’s coverage.

With Scot McCloughan now running the show in Washington, and some offseason tweaks to the roster, Amerson slid down the depth chart and wasn’t playing a crucial role for the club in the first two games of this season. Chris Culliver is also returning this week from a two-game suspension, making the 23-year-old Amerson even more expendable.

Amerson will get a shot to earn playing time in Oakland, where no cornerback has logged a positive grade so far this season, according to PFF.

AFC Notes: Colts, Decker, Raiders, McCown

September 22nd, 2015 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Prior to the season, we heard some reports about potential tension and unease between Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano, and rumors of that possible rift have only intensified with the team off to a disappointing 0-2 start.

As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk observes, a comment made by Pagano about the team’s offensive line struggles was viewed as the head coach coming down hard on Andrew Luck, but it could also interpreted as a shot at Grigson. Mike Wells of ESPN.com notes that it was Grigson who decided not to completely address the offensive line in the offseason, leaving the unit as one of the biggest question marks on the team heading into the regular season.

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link) hears from several sources that the Grigson/Pagano rift is a result of the two men having different agendas, with the GM focused on player development and the head coach looking to win now.

As we wait to see if the Colts can bounce back from their slow start, let’s check in on a few other teams from across the AFC….

  • Jets wide receiver Eric Decker suffered a knee injury in last night’s game vs. the Colts, but he was told that he won’t require surgery on it, and that it may be a PCL issue, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Decker, who is having an MRI today, said he’ll be smart about it and won’t rush back, so the Jets could add another receiver if they expect the veteran to miss some time. The club auditioned wideout Corey Washington today, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link), but Washington said he isn’t saying with the Jets at this time (Twitter link).
  • Former Rams draft pick Daryl Richardson will try out for the Raiders, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Jaguars have a workout on their schedule for ex-Bengals linebacker Jayson DiManche this week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Since being waived off Cincinnati’s injured reserve list earlier in the month, DiManche has also tried out for the Browns.
  • Speaking of those Browns, their veteran quarterback, Josh McCown, remains in the concussion protocol for now, but he could be as cleared as soon as Wednesday. If he is, he’ll receive strong consideration for the club’s starting role, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
  • Even if new acquisition Will Davis doesn’t help Baltimore immediately, the move sends a message to the Ravens‘ cornerbacks that Sunday’s performance was unacceptable, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. On Monday, Baltimore sent a seventh-round pick to the Dolphins for the former third-round choice. As Brown notes, Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, and Kyle Arrington all had bad moments Sunday despite playing very well Week 1 against the Broncos.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jags Re-Sign Walters, Put Greene On IR-DTR

September 22nd, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars have made a pair of related roster moves today, re-signing wide receiver Bryan Walters to their 53-man roster and placing WR/KR Rashad Greene on injured reserve with the designation to return, according to the team (Twitter link).

Greene, who had been dealing with a back issue earlier in the season, sustained a thumb injury in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins, and the banged-up rookie will now be sidelined for six weeks from practice and eight weeks from game action. The former Florida State wideout was the Jaguars’ fifth-round pick this past May, coming off the board 139th overall.

As for Walters, he initially signed with Jacksonville back in March, but was cut last week by the team. Having served as the Seahawks’ primary punt returner in 2014, Walters figures to contribute in the return game for the Jaguars as long as he remains on the roster. He also may fill in as a slot receiver on offense.

Jacksonville becomes the 15th NFL team to use its IR-DTR slot this season, as our complete list shows.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Brees, Pryor, Hampton

September 22nd, 2015 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, former NFL receiver Terrell Owens said he and his agent had contacted the Cowboys to let them know that the former Pro Bowler would be an option if the team was interested in his services. Of course, at age 41, Owens knows he probably won’t get a call from Jerry Jones, but the former Cowboy says he’d love the chance to play for the team again, after things didn’t go totally smoothly the last time.

“We all know what happened when I was there, and there were some things said where it kind of maybe fractured the relationship between myself and [Jason] Witten and [Tony] Romo,” Owens said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “Time has passed, and hopefully, they know that I’ve moved on beyond that. Maybe, hopefully, they have. But for me, it’s all about giving myself an opportunity. That’s all I ever really wanted.”

As Owens waits on that opportunity that almost certainly isn’t coming, let’s round up some more odds and ends from around the NFL…

  • Dr. James Andrews confirmed today that Saints quarterback Drew Brees doesn’t have a tear in the rotator cuff of his throwing shoulder, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brees’ official status is still up in the air, but he’ll make a push to try to play in Week 3 for New Orleans.
  • Last night, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweeted that quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Terrelle Pryor was set to visit the Seahawks on Tuesday. However, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post says (via Twitter) that the Jets are working out the former Brown today. While Pryor’s schedule isn’t exactly clear, it appears he’ll audition for both the Seahawks and Jets this week.
  • Free agent cornerback Victor Hampton, who last played for the Ravens, has been suspended for two weeks by the NFL, stemming from a DUI arrest, tweets Wilson. Hampton, who also spent time with the Giants last year, has yet to play in a regular season game, and likely won’t do so anytime soon now that he has run into off-field trouble.
  • Wilson also passes along updates on a couple workouts, reporting (via Twitter) that the Jets are auditioning former Ravens quarterback Bryn Renner, while the Broncos are taking a look at ex-Falcons tackle Matt Huffer.
  • After playing without representation for some time, Washington running back Alfred Morris, who is in a contract year, has hired agent Sean Stellato of SES Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a look at a few players who improved their stocks with their performances over the weekend, as well as those whose play had a negative impact on their value. Unsurprisingly, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford is among the players who saw his stock drop a little in Week 2, according to Fitzgerald.

Josh Freeman To Play In FXFL

September 22nd, 2015 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

After being let go by the Dolphins during the team’s end-of-preseason cutdown to 53 players, Josh Freeman will throw his next professional pass in a non-NFL league. The Fall Experimental Football League, a professional football minor league, announced today (via Twitter) that Freeman will suit up for the FXFL’s Brooklyn Bolts this season.

Freeman, 27, was Tampa Bay’s full-time starting quarterback from 2009 to 2012, but saw the wheels come off in 2013 and was cut by the Buccaneers. In his first four seasons, the former 17th overall pick completed 58.8% of his passes and tossed 78 touchdowns to go with 63 interceptions, as well as throwing for more than 4,000 yards in 2012. Over the last couple years, he has bounced around from team to team, unable to find a permanent NFL home.

With Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore ahead of him on the depth chart in Miami this summer, Freeman was never considered a good bet to make the Dolphins’ regular season roster, barring an injury to one of the top guys, or an unexpectedly productive preseason by Freeman. The former Bucs starter completed 13 of 22 passes against his former team in Miami’s preseason finale, throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions, sealing his fate.

The Bolts’ season gets underway on October 2, so Freeman will be back in action soon. The terms of his FXFL contract aren’t known, but I expect he’ll have the freedom to work out for NFL clubs later this season, if there are any teams interested.

Cowboys To Place Tony Romo On IR-DTR

September 22nd, 2015 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 11:08am: The Cowboys will place Romo on IR with the designation to return today, according to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Romo will miss at least seven games, plus Dallas’ bye, and would be eligible to return on November 22 against the Dolphins.

MONDAY, 8:48am: After fracturing his clavicle yesterday, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is expected to miss a good chunk of the 2015 season, with many reports estimating his recovery timetable at about eight weeks. As Adam Schefter tweets, ESPN’s Dr. Mark Adickes is the latest to indicate that he expects Romo to undergo surgery and to be sidelined for about eight weeks.

Given that projected timeline, the Cowboys will likely place Romo on injured reserve with the designation to return, assuming a CT scan confirms the team’s initial diagnosis, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Using the IR-DTR spot on the Pro Bowl quarterback would mean he’d be unable to practice for six weeks and unable to play in a game for eight weeks.

Nearly half the teams in the NFL have already used their IR-DTR slot for the season, as each club only gets to use it on a single player. However, it remains unused for the Cowboys, as the team has opted not to put Dez Bryant on IR-DTR, despite indications that he could be out for at least eight weeks himself.

With Romo out, Brandon Weeden appears likely to start for the Cowboys over the next month or two, but the team will have to add at least one more signal-caller to the mix. Dallas is currently carrying two QBs – Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers – on its practice squad, and one of them could be promoted. However, the club may also want to look for outside help, perhaps targeting a more established veteran in case Weeden struggles or is injured himself.

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