Month: October 2024

Cowboys To Sign Mark Sanchez

The Cowboys will sign free agent quarterback Mark Sanchez, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal with a base value of $2MM and a max value of $5.375MM, with incentives based on playtime and team performance incentives, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Mark Sanchez (vertical)

Dallas has been looking for a veteran backup to play behind rookie Dak Prescott since it was announced that Tony Romo will be sidelined for awhile with a back injury. The Cowboys talked to the Browns about Josh McCown, but found their asking price to be too high, and also had discussions with Nick Foles earlier this offseason. Dallas’ other option at No. 2 QB would be 2015 UDFA Jameil Showers.

The Broncos traded for Sanchez this spring as a Plan B in case they were unable to re-sign Brock Osweiler or bring in an established veteran at QB. Denver did not retain Osweiler or land a vet, but Sanchez was unable to win the starting job or even secure the No. 2 role.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Workout Notes: Pats, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets

Now that cutdowns are completed, teams have begun auditioning players that are still on the free agent market, either in an effort to upgrade their current roster or to update their emergency free agent lists. Let’s take a look at the workouts that have been reported today:

Reactions To Sam Bradford Trade

Eagles GM Howie Roseman says that his plan wasn’t to trade Sam Bradford this offseason, but, “circumstances change” (Twitter link via Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com). It’s true, plans can change pretty rapidly when a team offers a massive haul for your quarterback and you have two more waiting in the wings.

On Saturday, the Vikings made Roseman & Co. an offer they could not refuse, sending first- and fourth-round picks to Philly in exchange for the former No. 1 overall pick. Here’s a look at some of today’s reactions to the surprising deal:

  • Roseman says the Eagles didn’t call any teams about Bradford and teams called them (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com). I’m inclined to believe Roseman. At this stage of the offseason, just about every team has their quarterback situation settled. When Teddy Bridgewater went down with his gruesome leg injury, Roseman surely knew that a Vikings call was just around the corner. By waiting for Minnesota’s inquiry instead of taking an active role, Roseman maintained his leverage.
  • Vikings general manager Rick Spielman indicated that having the option of keeping Bradford in 2017 played a role in acquiring him from the Eagles, tweets Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Presumably, that’s because the nature of Bridgewater’s injury means he might not be back to start next season.
  • Spielman was also adamant that Minnesota did not “mortgage the future” with this trade (Twitter link per Tomasson), and reiterated that the Vikings still have eight picks in next year’s draft, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Raiders Trim Roster To 53

The Raiders have moved their roster to 53 players by making the following moves:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Additionally, the Raiders also traded safety Dewey McDonald to the Seahawks earlier today.

Bears’ Roster At 53

The Bears have officially reduced their roster to 53 players, and in doing so, placed LB Pernell McPhee and WR Marquess Wilson on PUP. As such, each player will be forced to miss at leas the first six games of the season.

Cut:

Waived/Injured:

PUP:

  • LB Pernell McPhee
  • WR Marquess Wilson

Braverman was the club’s seventh-round pick this year after posting a whopping 109 receptions for Western Michigan in 2015.

Moeaki has bounced around a bit since leaving the Chiefs in 2012. The 29-year-old played in 11 games for the Falcons last season, but he only hauled in three catches for 58 yards. Following a 2012 campaign where he caught 33 passes for 453 yards and a score, Moeaki has only compiled 11 catches for 192 yards over the past three seasons.

Saints Move Roster To 53

The Saints have now announced their full list of transactions that bring them down to 53 players.

Cut:

Placed on IR:

Barnes signed with the Saints last Sunday, meaning his stay in New Orleans lasted less than a week. In 11 NFL seasons, the 34-year-old has seen action in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Barnes lost his starting job in Oakland last season, but still appeared in 14 games.

Packers Bring Roster Down To 53

The Packers have announced the cuts that will bring their roster down to 53. The club has made the following moves:

Cut:

Placed On IR:

  • Kyle Steuck
  • DT Tyler Kuder

Reserve/Suspended:

Cardinals’ Roster Now At 53

The Cardinals will release defensive lineman Red Bryant, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN (on Twitter). The 32-year-old Bryant, who was previously a starter in Seattle and Jacksonville, played sparingly in six games with the Cardinals last season. The club brought him back on a one-year deal in March, but he wasn’t able to crack its roster.

Arizona will also cut receiver Brittan Golden, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and waive/injured pass rusher Tristan Okpalaugo, according to his agent, Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

The club’s full list of cuts is as follows:

Seahawks’ Roster Now At 53

The Seahawks haven’t officially released their moves today, but as Curtis Crabtree of KJR noted (Twitter link), the club has listed their transactions on their official team depth chart.

Cut:

Waived/injured:

Waived From IR:

The Seahawks also announced that they’ve acquired defensive back Dewey McDonald (for a conditional 2017 pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com) from the Raiders, and, as we previously noted, acquired safety L.J. McCray from the 49ers.

Josh Sitton Drawing Widespread Interest

There are already upwards of ten teams with interest in talking to Josh Sitton, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. Sitton was released by the Packers on Saturday as they worked their way down to a 53-man roster. Josh Sitton (vertical)

The Packers reportedly shopped Sitton to other teams but he was released on Saturday after the Packers could not find a trade for him. Prior to his release, Sitton was scheduled to earn $6.15MM in base salary for the coming season. Apparently, teams were reluctant to take him on at that price but still had interest in him as a football player. Sitton told Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter) that there was no showdown over his contract with the Packers.

I was prepared to play the season,” he said.

Last year, Sitton graded out as the sixth-best guard in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He received a strong 91.1 pass blocking grade (tied for fourth-best in the NFL) with a still respectable 81.2 mark against the run.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.