2016 August - Pro Football Rumors

Colts’ Roster Sits At 81 Following 10 Cuts

August 28th, 2016 at 4:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts announced that they’ve moved a bit closer to the 75-man deadline, as they’ve cut 10 players today. Indianapolis will still need to release/waive six more players before 3pm CT Tuesday.

[RELATED: Colts Sign Stevan Ridley]

The Colts have cut the following players:

Justin Berger, WR
Alden Darby, S
Eric Herman, G
Ricky Lumpkin, DL
Mike Miller, TE
Chase Price, RB
Winston Rose, CB
Delvon Simmons, DE
Josh Stangby, WR
Junior Sylvestre, LB

Lumpkin, 28 next week, is the only member of this group with any NFL experience. In three season, he’s appeared in seven games with the Cardinals and Raiders, though he was out of the league in 2015.

Jets Place Devin Smith On PUP, Cut 11

August 28th, 2016 at 4:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets have announced a series of roster moves that moves their roster to 78 players, three over the 75-man limit. New York will need to make three more cuts before Tuesday at 3pm CT.

The Jets have announced the following transactions:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Devin Smith, WR

Cut:

Deion Barnes, LB
Ross Martin, K
Jesse Davis, OL
Kyle Friend, C
Shelby Harris, LB
Jarvis Harrison, LB
Helva Matungulu, DE
Lache Seastrunk, RB
Jason Vander Laan, TE
Kyle Williams, WR
Terry Williams, RB

Smith, a 2015 second-round pick, is still recovering from a torn ACL, and won’t be eligible to play during the first six weeks of the season. The Jets will then have a three-week window during which they can activate Smith. In 10 games last year, Smith posted nine receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Bears Cut 10, Including FB Darrel Young

August 28th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have trimmed their roster to 80 by cutting 10 players, the club announced today. Chicago will need need to waive or release five more players before Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.

The Bears cut the following 10 players:

Keith Browner, DL
Kieren Duncan, WR
Derek Keaton, WR
John Kling, OL
Senorise Perry, RB
Darrin Peterson, WR
Joel Ross, DB
Gannon Sinclair, TE
Martin Wallace OL
Darrel Young, FB

Young, 29, is the most experienced of the bunch, as he’s appeared in 90 games during his six-year career (all with the Redskins). Young was just signed earlier this month, but it appears that 2015 UDFA Paul Lasike has won Chicago’s fullback job.

49ers Release OT Erik Pears

August 28th, 2016 at 3:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have released offensive tackle Erik Pears and waived tight end Rory Anderson, the club announced today. As such, San Francisco’s roster now sits at 77 players, meaning it will need to cut two more players to be in roster compliance by Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.

Pears, 34, started all 16 games for the 49ers last season after agreeing to a two-year $4.7MM deal that included $1MM in guarantees. While his availability is to be lauded, Pears graded among the league’s worst offensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus, struggling in both the run and pass game in his more than 1,000 snaps. San Francisco will incur $250K in dead money as a result of Pears’ release.

With Pears out of the picture, the 49ers are looking for a swing tackle, a role that the recently un-retired Anthony Davis could fill, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets. While Davis is expected to start at guard, he could potentially move out to tackle if the Niners were to suffer an injury on the outside. In addition to starters Joe Staley and Trent Brown, San Francisco also has Alex Balducci, Colin Kelly, Fahn Cooper, Norman Price, and Josh Theus capable of playing tackle.

Anderson, 23, was selected in the seventh round out of South Carolina in the 2015 draft. He never played a snap during his rookie season, as he spent the entire year on injured reserve.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers RB Branden Oliver Tears Achilles

August 28th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

3:25pm: Chargers head coach Mike McCoy confimed to reporters, including Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links), that Oliver does have a torn Achilles and will miss the year.

2:59pm: The Chargers announced that running back Branden Oliver left today’s preseason game with an Achilles injury, and following initial tests, it appears that Oliver did indeed tear his Achilles, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While Rapoport cautions that Oliver will undergo more tests, Oliver would clearly miss the 2016 season if the Achilles is torn.

Oliver, who also ended the 2015 campaign on injured reserve, was set to return as San Diego’s third running back behind Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead. Serving in that role last season, Oliver rushed 31 times for 108 yards, and added 112 yards via 13 receptions. Additionally, Oliver was once again scheduled to act as the Chargers’ primary kick returner — he averaged 24.6 yards per return last year.

Oliver’s injury would seem to solidify a roster spot for 2015 undrafted free agent Dreamius Smith, who spent most of last season on the Chargers’ practice squad but did see one game of regular season action. Kenneth Farrow, the only other running back on San Diego’s squad, could now see an opening to make the club, while the Chargers also boast two fullbacks — Derek Watt and Chris Swain.

San Diego could look to claim a back off waivers in the coming days as other clubs trim their rosters, or it could venture into the free agent market. Joique Bell, Ahmad Bradshaw, Zac Stacy, Pierre Thomas, and former Charger Donald Brown are all available, as is Karlos Williams, whom I recently listed as a fit for the Chargers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buccaneers Trim Roster To 77

August 28th, 2016 at 3:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers have announced a series of roster cuts in advance of Tuesday’s cutdown deadline, and they now have 77 players on their rosters. Two more players must be waived or released by 3pm CT on August 30.

The following Tampa Bay players have been cut:

Travis Britz, DT
Daniel Davie, CB
Andre Davis, WR
Taylor Fallin, T
Jeremiah George, LB
Martin Ifedi, DE
Storm Johnson, RB
Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, DT
Kimario McFadden, S
Jacob Schum, P
Tevin Westbrook, TE
Major Wright, S

As a vested veteran, Wright will not have to pass through waivers (as the rest of the players listed will). As such, he is now a free agent and is free to sign with any team.

Panthers’ Roster Now At 79

August 28th, 2016 at 2:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have begun the process of trimming their roster down to 75 players, an undertaking that must be completed by 3pm CT Tuesday. Carolina has cut the following 11 players, the club announced:

Jared Barber, LB
Avius Capers, WR
Braxton Deaver, TE
Reese Dismukes, G
Ray Drew, DT
David Foucault, T
Stephen Hill, WR
Tom Lally, DE
Matt Masifilo, C
Miles Shuler, WR
Willie Smith, T

Hill, a former second-round pick of the Jets, is the most notable name among those released/waived. The 25-year-old, who spent the 2014 campaign on the Panthers’ practice squad, looked poised to claim a roster spot last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Smith, for his part, also has significant NFL experience, as he’s appeared 29 career games.

Eric Berry Signs Franchise Tender

August 28th, 2016 at 2:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL’s final franchise tag player is now under officially under contract, as the Chiefs announced that safety Eric Berry has signed his franchise tender. Berry has now reported to the Kansas City facility.

Berry, 27, will now earn a fully guaranteed $10.806MM base salary for the 2016 campaign, although he can’t negotiate a new deal with the Chiefs until next spring. Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, the veteran safety was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs.

Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties, and the standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.

Heading into the offseason, many viewed a long-term accord between Berry and the Chiefs as a foregone conclusion. However, the two sides did not see eye-to-eye on terms and the July 15th deadline did not spur action as expected. Now, Berry is slated to play out his one-year tender and he’s reportedly not thrilled about it.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Colts’ Jack Mewhort

August 28th, 2016 at 2:04pm CST by Rory Parks

2:04pm: Great news for the Colts, as owner Jim Irsay tweets that Mewhort will only be sidelined for two-to-four weeks, and will not require surgery, according to initial test results.

9:58am: Colts left guard Jack Mewhort is believed to have suffered a torn ACL during Saturday night’s preseason contest against Philadelphia, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star tweets that Mewhort will have an MRI today to confirm. If it is, in fact, a torn ACL, Mewhort’s season would likely be over.

This comes as a crushing blow to an offensive line that was already a major cause of concern, especially since Mewhort was the most reliable member of that unit. The third-year pro started all 16 games for the Colts last season, grading out as the ninth-best guard in the league out of 81 eligible players, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Even head coach Chuck Pagano was at a loss for words Saturday, as Holder observed that Pagano “looked like he [had] seen a ghost”during last night’s press conference and admitted that he did not have a “clear picture” of his team because of the rampant injuries it has faced (Twitter links). Mewhort joins Vontae Davis, Kendall Langford, Clayton Geathers, and Henry Anderson as players who, at the very least, may not be ready for the start of the regular season. Pagano could not give a definite answer on when his injured players will return to the practice field full-time.

ESPN’s Mike Wells observes that rookie Joe Haeg would likely be in line to start at left guard if Mewhort’s season is over, but Haeg is out with an ankle injury. That means Jonotthan Harrison, who is also the backup center, could end up starting at left guard. As Wells writes, “The Colts have to ride the right arm of Andrew Luck to have any chance this season. That’ll be hard to do if the offensive line can’t protect the franchise player.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Lions, 49ers To Swap WR Jeremy Kerley, OL Brandon Thomas

August 28th, 2016 at 1:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions are trading wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to the 49ers in exchange for offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is pending physicals.

Kerley, 27, agreed to a one-year deal with Detroit this offseason after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Jets. Largely written out of New York’s offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards, and was subsequently released.Still, Kerley has enjoyed some productive seasons in the past, most notably in 2012, when he hauled in 56 passes for 827 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Lions will absorb $90K in dead money as a result of the trade, meaning the Niners will only be responsible for Kerley’s minimum base salary. In San Francisco, Kerley will slot into a wide receiver corps that has little veteran experience behind Torrey Smith, as Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Smelter, and Aaron Burbridge are a few of the other options available to head coach Chip Kelly. Ellington, notably, has dealt with ankle and hamstring injuries in recent weeks, so Kerley could be insurance against a lengthy Ellington absence.

Thomas, meanwhile, is a former third-round pick, but has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard, so he’ll head to Detroit and act as depth behind starting interior lineman Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson, though he can also moonlight at tackle.

Thomas, 25, is signed through the 2017 season. San Francisco will take on a roughly $250K in dead money as his prorated bonus accelerates onto its cap, while the Lions will be responsible for minimum salaries over the next two years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.