HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Latest On Nate Allen, Charles Woodson

September 14th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Zachary Links

9:34pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has updates on both Allen and Woodson, and it’s mostly positive news for the Raiders. According to Rapoport (Twitter links), Allen’s MRI showed a torn MCL and lots of swelling, meaning he’ll likely miss several weeks, but he may have avoided a torn ACL.

As for Woodson, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) first reported, he has sustained a dislocated shoulder. However, per Rapoport, while the veteran safety may be forced to sit a week or more, he’s already campaigning to play in Week 2.

11:59am: The Raiders fear that safety Nate Allen has torn his ACL, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. That would be awful news for the Raiders, who also saw Charles Woodson suffer a shoulder injury. Woodson is undergoing an MRI today to assess the damage, Schefter adds.

Allen, 27, started 15 games for the Eagles last season at safety, racking up 62 tackles, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries, five pass deflections, and a sack. Allen had a pretty solid year in 2014, finishing out with a 3.9 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), good for 28th out of 87 qualified safeties.

This offseason, Allen inked a four-year deal with Oakland with a $23MM base value and $6.9MM fully guaranteed.

Chris Culliver Suspended One Game

September 14th, 2015 at 9:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Washington cornerback Chris Culliver has been suspended one game by the NFL for a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy that occurred long before he was a member of the team, the club announced today (via Twitter). Culliver will miss Week 2’s game against the Rams as a result of the penalty.

Culliver, who signed with Washington in free agency this past March, reportedly hit a bicyclist, fled the scene, and threatened a citizen with brass knuckles back in March of 2014. The 27-year-old was originally charged with misdemeanor hit and run and felony possession of brass knuckles. However, his attorneys got the felony charge reduced a misdemeanor and Culliver pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges earlier this year.

The four-year, $32MM deal that Culliver signed with Washington earlier this year calls for base salaries of $8MM in the final three years, but only a $3MM salary this year. That means the former 49ers cornerback will only lose about $176K in salary as a result of his one-game ban.

While Culliver goes on the reserve/suspended list for the week, fellow Washington cornerback Bashaud Breeland comes off of it. Breeland served his own one-game suspension this past weekend, and will be eligible to return to the field for the club’s Week 2 contest.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/15

September 14th, 2015 at 8:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves…

  • The Packers have removed wide receiver Larry Pinkard from their IR with an injury settlement, and the Chiefs have done the same with tight end Richard Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Bears, the Cowboys have cut offensive tackle Jordan Mills, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), taking Mills’ spot on the roster is another offensive tackle, Charles Brown, who worked out for Dallas last week.
  • The Bears have made a change on defense, re-signing outside linebacker Sam Acho and placing defensive end Cornelius Washington on injured reserve, according to Caplan (Twitter links). Acho was cut by Chicago on Saturday with a non-football illness designation, but it didn’t take him long to make his way back to the roster.
  • The Saints are signing safety Kenny Phillips, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Phillips was with New Orleans all summer before being released last week as a late cut. After free safety Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury on Sunday, Phillips will help provide New Orleans with additional depth.
  • The Saints have also re-signed two players they cut on Saturday, adding running back Tim Hightower and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn back to their roster, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans waived fullback Toben Opurum and wide receiver Seantavius Jones to accommodate the returning players.
  • In a reversal of the team’s weekend transactions, Washington signed defensive end Frank Kearse and cut linebacker Houston Bates, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Jets have officially activated backup offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their reserve/suspended list after he missed Week 1 due to a substance abuse violation, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. For now, the Jets have a roster exemption for Aboushi, but they’ll have to decide this week whether to cut him or to move him to their 53-man roster, removing someone else.
  • According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders have released safety Brandian Ross off their injured reserve list, and the Lions have done the same with wide receiver Greg Salas, giving him an injury settlement.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/15

September 14th, 2015 at 8:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Raiders To Re-Sign Taylor Mays

September 14th, 2015 at 7:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Safety Taylor Mays continues to bounce around from one NFL team to another, and this time, he’s going to a familiar club. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Mays is re-signing with the Raiders, after also considering the Seahawks.

In five NFL seasons with the 49ers and Bengals, Mays has made 84 tackles, recorded one sack, and recovered a pair of fumbles. While his numbers aren’t exceptional, the former second-round pick is a solid contributor on special teams, and drew interest from multiple teams when he hit the market this offseason.

Since he became a free agent in the winter, Mays has signed with the Vikings, Lions, and Raiders, but was cut by all three times. Most recently, Oakland parted ways with Mays during the cutdown to 53 players.

Now, with Charles Woodson ailing and Nate Allen having suffered an injury that could potentially put his season in jeopardy, it makes sense that the Raiders would bring back a familiar face and a veteran to provide some depth at safety.

NFC Notes: Ellington, Cowboys, Eagles

September 14th, 2015 at 5:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington suffered a PCL sprain in Sunday’s game, as first reported by Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and confirmed by head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). While Anderson suggested a recovery timetable of two to three weeks for Ellington, Arians indicated his running back could just miss one week, and the team hasn’t ruled him out for its Week 2 game yet.

If Ellington isn’t able to practice by Friday, it will likely lead to a flurry of roster moves for the Cardinals, according to Arians. As ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss tweets, the team could promote running back Kerwynn Williams to its roster for next Sunday’s game against the Bears.

  • With Dez Bryant expected to miss at least a month, the Cowboys will sign a wide receiver for depth purposes, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link), on the other hand, hears that the team is still undecided on whether to sign a receiver. If Dallas signs a wideout, I wouldn’t expect him to play a major role in the offense in Bryant’s absence.
  • Sam Bradford‘s start in tonight’s game eliminates the possibility of the Eagles getting the Rams‘ 2016 third-round pick, as Adam Schefter of ESPN notes. Philadelphia would have received that pick if Bradford hadn’t been able to play a game this season due to injury. Now, it’s worth watching whether or not the former first overall pick will play 50% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps — if he doesn’t, Philadelphia will get St. Louis’ 2016 fourth-rounder.
  • Former Eastern Washington offensive tackle Jake Rodgers, cut earlier this month by the Falcons, has a tryout with the Saints on Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
  • Three defensive backs – former Rams cornerback Montell Garner, ex-Seahawks safety Ryan Murphy, and former Bengals safety Floyd Raven – worked out for the Packers, tweets Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. Green Bay also auditioned defensive end Martin Ifedi, a 2015 seventh-round pick who was cut by St. Louis.
  • Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News examines 49ers CEO Jed York‘s legacy in San Francisco.
  • If St. Louis wants to keep the Rams, one critical issue to work through is who will pay cost overruns, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Dez Bryant Out At Least Four Weeks

September 14th, 2015 at 5:16pm CST by Zachary Links

5:16pm: According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link), Bryant actually underwent his procedure today, getting a screw inserted in his foot. The wideout’s recovery time is fluid, and could range from four weeks to eight weeks, says Mortensen.

3:44pm: The team does not plan on using the IR-DTR designation on Bryant, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). With rehab, the team is hoping that his timetable will be closer to four weeks than six.

9:14am: Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his right foot, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bryant will have surgery on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Bryant was off to a solid start in 2015 as he caught five passes for 48 yards in the Sunday night win over the Giants. However, he’ll have to wait until October to resume play under his lucrative new five-year, $70MM deal. With Bryant sidelined, the Cowboys will be relying even more heavily on tight end Jason Witten as well as receivers like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.

Bryant, 26, has established himself as an elite, durable wideout during the first five seasons of his career. The former first-round pick has racked up 381 catches and 56 touchdowns while appearing in 75 of a possible 80 regular-season games since Dallas selected him 24th overall out of Oklahoma State in 2010. Bryant hasn’t missed a game since 2011 and is coming off his third straight season with at least 88 catches and 12 TDs.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder set a new career high for touchdowns in 2014 by reaching the end zone 16 times, and he also tied his previous best yards-per-catch mark (15.0). As a result, Bryant earned First-Team All-Pro honors and his second consecutive Pro Bowl invitation.

In addition to Bryant, Cowboys rookie defensive end Randy Gregory suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s game and will miss four to six weeks, according to Clarence Hill of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).

Buccaneers Sign Joe Hawley

September 14th, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Zachary Links

4:53pm: Hawley did well on his new two-year deal, getting a fully guaranteed $1.25MM base salary for 2015, per Caplan (Twitter link). The ex-Falcon can earn up to $5.75MM if he plays out the contract.

4:06pm: The Buccaneers have officially announced the signing of Hawley, cutting center Eric Kush to make room on the roster for the veteran.

12:03pm: It’ll be a two-year deal for Hawley, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

10:50am: The Buccaneers are expected to sign center Joe Hawley today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Hawley was a former starter for Atlanta but he was released by the team this offseason.

Hawley, 27 in October, was on his way to returning from the ACL surgery that ended his 2014 season prematurely. However, the Falcons jumped at the chance to add center Gino Gradkowski when he was waived by the Broncos, and Hawley was quickly displaced.

Hawley wasn’t playing exceptionally well in the early going last season, but he appeared in 16 games with seven starts in 2013 and the team was counting on him to start in ’14. This year, Hawley started the first two preseason games for Atlanta but he was moved to the bench for the final two contests.

Raiders Reached Out To Christian Ponder

September 14th, 2015 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

3:50pm: The Raiders got positive news on Carr’s thumb and he could conceivably play on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If Carr is good to go, that could put plans for signing Ponder on hold.

2:55pm: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will have an MRI on his injured hand today and the team doesn’t expect him to play Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. With Carr potentially sidelined, the Raiders have reached out to quarterback Christian Ponder to express their interest.

Ponder was in camp with the Raiders this summer but he was a roster casualty when Oakland reduced its roster to 53. The Eagles were quick to express their interest in the former No. 12 overall pick, but he declined to work out for them, citing family reasons, according to Mortensen.

Ponder, 27, started 36 games during his four years with the Vikings, though he was essentially the team’s No. 3 signal-caller in 2014, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel on the depth chart. With a career 59.8% completion rate and 75.9 passer rating, Ponder didn’t find a very active market when he hit free agency this offseason. His best season came in 2012, when he threw 18 TDs and 12 picks for a playoff-bound team.

Dolphins Cut Jonas Gray, Add Mostert

September 14th, 2015 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins announced a number of moves today (Twitter links), headlined by the release of running back Jonas Gray, who was a member of their taxi squad. Miami has also waived center Sam Brenner while re-signing center/guard Jacques McClendon. Meanwhile, the club has also signed running back/kick returner Raheem Mostert off of the Eagles’ taxi squad and on to their own 53-man roster, per agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter).

It was a quick trip through South Beach for Gray. The tailback was waived by the Patriots on September 5th and three days later, he found a home on the Dolphins’ practice squad. On Friday, he was promoted by the club to the 53-man roster. Days later, he’s in limbo once again. Gray emerged as a potential starter during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts during the 2014 season, but was leapfrogged on the Pats depth chart by LeGarrette Blount and others down the stretch.

The Eagles tried to trade Mostert to Dolphins and other clubs before he was initially waived by the team, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Mostert, a UDFA out of Purdue, led the NFL in yards from the line of scrimmage in the preseason with 351 all-purpose yards.

In addition to the moves above, the Dolphins also confirmed the previously reported release of LaMike James and the 53-man roster addition of tight end Jake Stoneburner, who was previously on their practice squad.

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