HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Broncos Cut Henry Melton

September 2nd, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Many of the Broncos’ early cuts today were expected, but Denver has added a big name to the pile. Defensive lineman Henry Melton has been released, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter). Henry Melton (vertical)

[RELATED: Click Here For A Complete List Of All The Broncos’ Cuts Today]

Melton was signed less than two weeks ago to bring depth to a unit that lost Malik Jackson to free agency and Vance Walker to injury. With Derek Wolfe and free agent addition Jared Crick at each end, Melton was expected to offer support on both the outside and interior of the D-Line. That will not be the case, however, and the 29-year-old (30 in October) will look for his next opportunity elsewhere.

Melton was a dominant interior presence during his early career with the Bears, but he has been unable to replicate that play in recent years. The veteran appeared in all 16 games for Tampa Bay last season, playing on roughly half of the Bucs’ defensive snaps. In that time, Melton picked up two sacks, 18 tackles, and recovered two fumbles, but only graded as the league’s No. 101 interior defender among 123 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cardinals Acquire Marcus Cooper From Chiefs

September 2nd, 2016 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs announced that they’ve dealt cornerback Marcus Cooper to the Cardinals for a pick. In exchange for Cooper, the Cardinals are sending a 2018 seventh-round pick to KC. Marcus Cooper (vertical)

Cooper had fallen down the depth chart in Kansas City and this offseason the Chiefs were planning to move him to safety. Cooper had three interceptions as a rookie but saw his playing time dwindle in each of the last two seasons.

The Cardinals recently lost Mike Jenkins for the season with a torn ACL and Justin Bethel is dealing with a foot issue. On top of that, Brandon Williams and Cariel Brooks both had rough outings in the team’s last preseason game against Denver. The Cardinals have now added a new name to the cornerback mix to help support star Patrick Peterson.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Broncos, Hillman, Solomon, Jets

September 2nd, 2016 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

When asked about Ronnie Hillman‘s trade value, two NFL GMs told Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he doesn’t have much because he doesn’t play special teams. The Broncos running back is said to be on the bubble as the 53-man deadline approaches.

Denver has already handed Hillman $600K through a signing bonus and workout bonuses, but his $1.4MM base salary is non-guaranteed. By most accounts, Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs have leapfrogged the one-time Broncos starter.

Here’s more from around the NFL on this busy day:

  • Former Cleveland outside linebacker Scott Solomon recently worked out for the Chiefs, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Solomon appeared in just two games last season before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was a restricted free agent this offseason and Cleveland initially picked up his $1.671MM tender. Less than one month later, however, he was cut.
  • Jonathan Freeny‘s two-year extension with the Patriots is worth $4.1MM, including a $1.3MM signing bonus, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. He’ll bring cap hits of $1.74MM in ’16, $1.87MM in ’17, and $2.03MM in ’18.
  • The Jets worked out former Harvard center Anthony Fabiano on Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Long snapper John DePalma is working out for the Seahawks today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). DePalma was previously in Philly.

Falcons Release Shayne Graham

September 2nd, 2016 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Shayne Graham‘s stay in Atlanta was short lived. The Falcons have released the veteran kicker, as independent NFL reporter Dov Kleiman tweets. Shayne Graham (vertical)

Atlanta signed Graham in late August as Matt Bryant struggled with muscle tightness. Graham, 38, has had stints with several NFL teams and this two week stay marked his second trip with the Falcons. Last year, caught on with the Falcons in late November and played in six games, making 11-of-13 field goal tries and all eight of the extra points he attempted. Graham spent the bulk of his career with the Bengals, having played there from 2003-09. He earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2005.

Graham’s release could signal that Bryant is getting ready to return to action. The Falcons also released former Clemson defensive end Malliciah Goodman, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chiefs To Cut QB Aaron Murray

September 2nd, 2016 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are carrying six safeties, but the Chiefs aren’t crazy enough to carry five quarterbacks. The Chiefs will release quarterback Aaron Murray in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline, Mike Florio of PFT tweets. Aaron Murray (vertical)

The Chiefs have been trying to trade Murray in recent days but they were unable to find a taker for him. After Nick Foles earlier this offseason to serve as Alex Smith‘s primary backup, many expected either Murray or Tyler Bray to get cut. Instead, the Chiefs held on to five quarterbacks through August. With Murray gone, the Chiefs QB depth chart now includes Smith, Foles, fifth-round rookie Kevin Hogan, and Bray.

Murray, 25, has yet to appear in a regular season game. He played his college football at Georgia and was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Cut Players To Get To 53

September 2nd, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are making their way to 53. Here’s the list of cuts: "<strong

Thompson, an undrafted free agent, clawed his way on to the 53-man roster in each of the last two season. Unfortunately, he was not able to make the final cut this year thanks to the numbers crunch in the backfield and his lingering injuries. In 2014, the Duke product ran for 272 yards off of 54 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He also added four catches for 25 yards. Last season, Thompson appeared in 15 regular season games but carried the ball only 18 times for 48 yards while adding six catches for 51 yards. Andy Janovich will likely serve as Denver’s fullback with Thompson gone.

Peko got the highest bonus of any undrafted rookie free agent this year so it is a mild surprise to see him cut. The defensive tackle and other players on today’s cut list should find their way to Denver’s taxi squad.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bengals Release Jimmy Wilson

September 2nd, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals released safety Jimmy Wilson, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. The team has since confirmed the move via press release. Jimmy Wilson (vertical)

Wilson, 30, appeared in 13 games with San Diego last season before the team released him in December. This offseason, he hooked on with Kansas City and Cincinnati, but both stints were short lived. Since entering the league as a seventh-rounder in 2011, Wilson has played in 73 regular-season games, logged 28 starts, and amassed five interceptions.

With Wilson out of the picture, seventh-round pick Clayton Fedejelem appears poised to take the final safety spot on the Bengals’ roster. The team still has 20+ cuts to make by tomorrow afternoon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots DL Rob Ninkovich Suspended Four Games

September 2nd, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

More bad news for Patriots standout Rob Ninkovich as he has been suspended four games for a violation of the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

“Few things are more important to me than my name and reputation. This might call that into question for some, which has me heartbroken,” the linebacker/defensive end told Reiss. “I don’t want to cut any corners. I want to do things the right way, with high integrity, and that’s what I have always wanted to stand for.”

Ninkovich was already slated to miss several weeks to start the season after suffering a torn triceps injury. Because of that, he is not necessarily missing any additional time. He will, however, be docked roughly 25% of his base salary.

The 32-year-old insists that he would never knowingly take an illegal substance. It is not immediately clear whether he plans to appeal.

“Any supplement I’ve ever used was bought at a store. I was unaware something I bought had a substance in it that would give me a positive test because it wasn’t listed [as an ingredient],” he told ESPN.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ravens Work Out Devin Hester

September 2nd, 2016 at 12:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens worked out veteran wide receiver/return man Devin Hester today, reports Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Hester has been on the open market since July when he was released by the Falcons, but is now almost back to full health."<strong

Baltimore has decent depth at wide receiver, with Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Mike Wallace, Chris Moore, and Jeremy Butler representing the club’s top options, so Hester would likely act strictly as a returner if signed. With Kaelin Clay — the Ravens’ primary return man in 2015 — on injured reserve, Hester would compete with Butler and Michael Campanaro for duty on special teams.

Hester joined the Falcons prior to the 2014 season and enjoyed his fourth Pro Bowl berth – his first since 2010. Hester returned 45 kicks for 1,128 yards and 18 punts for 240 yards, showing that he was still dangerous in the return game. It remains to be seen whether Hester will continue his NFL journey and build on his NFL record in return touchdowns (20) and punt return touchdowns (14).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Texans Make Cuts, Close To 53

September 2nd, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

No one can accuse the Texans of procrastinating. Today, Houston dropped a number of players from the roster in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. Here’s the full list of reported moves thus far: Texans Helmet (Featured)

Mitchell, a former member of the Cowboys, hooked on with the Texans after he was waived in June. Jason Garrett spoke highly of Mitchell in the spring, but Dallas bounced him in the summer.

Allen, 27, is a former Jet, having spent the past three seasons in New York, where he appeared in 38 games and started 18. He signed a one-year deal that included $80K guaranteed this spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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