The Patriots announced several roster moves to get down to the 75-man limit today, including one addition to the roster. Here’s the full list:
Claimed off waivers:
Waived:
Placed on IR:
PUP list:
5:20pm: The Pats will send the Saints a conditional 2018 seventh-round choice, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
8:22am: Bill Belichick and the Patriots have pulled off another trade, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is acquiring wide receiver and return specialist Jalen Saunders from the Saints for a conditional draft pick. It’ll be the fourth trade New England has made since August 10.
Saunders, who turns 23 later this month, was selected by the Jets in the fourth round (104th overall) in the 2014 draft. The Oklahoma product was cut in September by New York, then spent time on the Cardinals’ and Seahawks’ practice squads before catching on with the Saints. However, he became expendable this summer, when seventh-round rookie Marcus Murphy beat him out for New Orleans’ return job.
The exact details on the conditional pick going to the Saints in the swap aren’t known, but I wouldn’t be surprised if New Orleans only gets the pick if Saunders makes the Patriots’ roster, or plays in a certain number of games for New England.
The Patriots have also made small deals for offensive lineman Ryan Groy, tight end Asante Cleveland, and OL/TE Michael Williams over the last month.
TUESDAY, 5:19pm: The Panthers are sending the Seahawks a conditional 2017 seventh-round choice for Norwood, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
MONDAY, 3:32pm: The draft pick the Panthers are giving up for Norwood is a 2017 selection, per a team release.
2:50pm: After initially deciding to cut wide receiver Kevin Norwood, the Seahawks have found a trade partner, sending the former fourth-round pick to the Panthers, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The exact compensation for Seattle isn’t yet known, but Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) it’ll be a draft pick.
Norwood, who turns 26 next month, joined the Seahawks last season out of Alabama, but saw limited action. For the season, he caught nine balls for 102 yards, with no touchdowns. Norwood may have an easier path to playing time on offense in Carolina, where the Panthers will be without their No. 1 receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, who tore his ACL earlier this month.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera had said earlier today that there could be a veteran available after this week’s cuts that might fit in the team’s scheme, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Earlier in the offseason, Rivera seemed determine to roll with the receivers that Carolina already had on the roster. However, with Jerricho Cotchery and Devin Funchess sidelined, and other wide receivers underperforming this preseason, that stance may have changed.
I would expect the Panthers to still keep an eye on the waiver wire and the free agent market for potential upgrades, even after acquiring Norwood.
The Bills announced that they have claimed center Dalton Freeman and linebacker Kevin Reddick off waivers as a part of today’s moves. Here’s the full rundown:
Claimed Off Waivers:
Released:
Waived/Injured:
Freeman was released on August 30th by the Jets and Rex Ryan wasted little time in orchestrating a reunion. The 6-5, 291 pound Clemson product originally entered the NFL as an UDFA in 2013 with the Gang Green. Freeman played in all 16 games last season for the Jets, starting one.
Reddick originally entered the NFL as an UDFA in 2013 with the Saints before having stints with the Panthers and Chargers.
4:44pm: The Bears announced that running back Senorise Perry is headed to the IR, as Jahns tweets.
The Bears also claimed tight end Gannon Sinclair off waivers from the Cardinals and released guard Lucas Nix, per Jahns (link).
With that, the Bears are at the 75-man limit.
3:47pm: The Bears have claimed Zac Dysert, who was waived Monday by the Broncos, team sources tell Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune. Dysert is expected to play Thursday night in the Bears’ final preseason game against the Browns.
Dysert was a seventh-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2013 and Jahns hears that Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is very high on him. Dysert spent the 2014 season on the Broncos’ practice squad, so he’s plenty familiar with the signal caller.
The Bears may need a viable backup for Week 1 against the Packers after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion in preseason. As it stands, David Fales and Shane Carden are the Bears’ other two quarterbacks, but the UDFA Carden will be released, according to Jahns. Fales has missed most of training camp with an illness.
The Packers announced that they are down to a 75-man roster. The full list of moves is presented below:
Placed On IR:
Waived/Injured:
Released:
Of course, we’ve known for a while that Nelson would be placed on IR. The loss of Nelson, 30, is a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro.
The Raiders announced a ton of moves on Tuesday to get down to the 75-man roster maximum. Some of the moves, like the release of running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, were previously announced. The full list is below:
Waived:
Released:
Waived/Injured:
Placed on IR:
Holliday, 29, was a dynamic return man for Denver in 2012 and 2013, bringing back a total of four kicks and punts for touchdowns over the course of those two regular seasons. As a member of the Broncos in the 2012 postseason, Holliday became the first player to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the same playoff game. The Broncos decided not to tender a contract to Holliday when he was eligible for restricted free agency a year ago, leading to a 2014 campaign in which the former sixth-round pick bounced around from team to team and battled injuries along the way. Holliday had stints with the Giants, Buccaneers, and 49ers in 2014, and was ultimately cut by San Francisco in April. In June, he landed with Oakland, but his time there has ended as well.
5:35pm: After trading Jalen Saunders to the Patriots, the Saints had 14 players to shed prior to today’s deadline. They got the job done and we have the full list of moves, courtesy of The Times-Picayune’s Evan Woodbery.
Claimed Off Waivers:
Released:
Waived:
Waived/Injured:
Placed on IR:
3:32pm: The Saints have waived defensive tackle David Hunter and linebacker Chris Young, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links). In addition to those moves, New Orleans has waived wide receiver Nick Toon, undrafted rookie receiver R.J. Harris, cornerback Terrence Frederick, (via Twitter links).
Hunter and Young were brought in as a camp fill-ins after the Saints suffered multiple injuries in their first preseason game. Weeks later, it’s not a huge surprise to see both players let go.
The Browns have made the surprising decision to release Phil Taylor as a part of today’s moves, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. Taylor, a former first-round draft pick, is coming off of two knee surgeries.
Taylor was set to enter his option year and his $5.477MM salary is fully guaranteed. Even if he’s not worth that kind of money to Cleveland, it seems likely that he will be able to find another NFL home. The Browns are set to install 2015 first-rounder Danny Shelton in the starting role and they’re hoping that another club will pick up a good portion of Taylor’s tab. Taylor was the Browns’ last remaining player from the Julio Jones trade with the Falcons four years ago. Now, the Browns have nothing to show for that deal.
In addition to Taylor, the Browns have waived nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, fullback Luke Lundy, and kicker Carey Spear, Ulrich tweets.
The Giants made a score of moves at the 3pm CT deadline for 75-man rosters. The Giants’ cuts include Brandon Mosley, Eric Herman, Robert Malone, and Jordan Stanton, as Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets. The Giants also released running back Akeem Hunt, offensive lineman Michael Bamiro, wide receiver Juron Criner, fullback Justin Halley, offensive lineman Derrick Johnson, defensive tackle Jummy Staten, and tight end Will Tye, as James Kratch of NJ Advance Media tweets.
Bennett Jackson and Josh Gordy have also been placed on season-ending IR, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets.
The release of Malone means that Steve Weatherford has won the battle for the punter job. Safety Nat Berhe is noticeably absent from the IR list and that means his status for 2015 is still up in the air.