Month: November 2024

Eagles Cut Down To 53

The Eagles’ receiving corps became a bit younger on Saturday. Two veterans brought in as possible depth pieces — Markus Wheaton and Kamar Aiken — were informed they will be released.

So was potential secondary cog De’Vante Bausby and rookie UDFA running back Josh Adams, given one of this year’s largest guarantees among the undrafted contingent. Philadelphia also placed safety Chris Maragos on its Reserve/PUP list, shelving him for at least six weeks.

Here are the players the Eagles will not be including on their initial 2018 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived with an injury designation:

Placed on Reserve/NFI list:

Placed on Reserve/PUP list

Browns Make Minor Trade With Saints

The Browns have reached the 53-man roster maximum by making a whole lot of cuts and acquiring one player just before the bell.

On Saturday, the Browns announced that they acquired defensive lineman Devaroe Lawrence from the Saints in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick. Lawrence, 26 in October, overcame legal trouble as a youngster to achieve his dream of making it to the NFL. Injuries have held him back in the pros, but the Saints stuck by him even after ACL surgery in December of 2016.

We felt he was athletic, explosive and we felt like he could recover,” said Saints coach Sean Payton (via Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune). “In other words, he was battling an injury and we saw traits that are hard to find sometimes for defensive tackles, and it’s hard to find that position, especially after the draft.”

So, with Lawrence in the fold, the Browns waived the following 19 players to get down to the limit:

Dolphins Cut Roster To 53

The Miami Dolphins are the latest team to cut their roster all the way down to the required 53 players. Here are their latest moves:

Waived:

Waived/Injured

Terminated vested veteran

Overall, not too many surprises. It looks like the Dolphins will be keeping three quarterbacks, with both Brock Osweiler and David Fales making the team.

Rams Announce Roster Cuts

The Rams have become the latest team to trim their roster to 53 by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on PUP:

Placed on suspended list:

Giants Lock In 53-Man Roster

The Giants will head into the 2018 season without one of their longest-tenured players and one of their 2017 starting safeties, with both Mark Herzlich and Darian Thompson failing to make the team.

A 2017 fifth-round pick, edge defender Avery Moss missed out as well. As did Roger Lewis, a wideout who became needed when the Giants became decimated at receiver last season.

The Giants also released recently signed cornerback Leonard Johnson, who was trying to make a fifth NFL franchise’s 53-man roster. The former Buccaneer, Patriot, Panther and Bill started seven games with Buffalo last season.

Here’s the full list of Giants cuts:

Released:

Waived:

Waived with an injury designation

Placed on IR:

Placed on Reserve/NFI list:

  • DL R.J. McIntosh

Suspended:

Vikings CB Terence Newman To Retire

Vikings cornerback Terence Newman has announced his retirement, the club announced today. Newman will join Minnesota’s coaching staff.

A 15-year veteran, Newman agreed to terms with the Vikings earlier this year on a one-year deal that would allow him to play an age-40 season. He will turn 40 in three days. Prior to this announcement, he was the NFL’s oldest defensive player.

Mike Zimmer coached Newman for most of his career, so it stands to reason the former first-round pick would be a quality addition to Minnesota’s staff. A 2003 Cowboys first-round pick, Newman played nine seasons in Dallas before latching in with Zimmer — his original DC with the Cowboys — with the Bengals in 2012. Newman caught on the with the Vikings in 2015, Zimmer’s second HC season, and served as first a starter then a nickel defender.

Newman’s 42 receptions represent the most among active players. The Kansas State product started 205 of the 221 career games he played and made two Pro Bowls — both for Cowboys playoff teams in the late 2000s.

One of four first-round picks among Minnesota’s cornerback contingent going into the preseason, Newman will step aside and let the younger highly valued cogs lead the Vikes’ coverage effort. Mike Hughes joins the Xavier RhodesTrae Waynes starting duo this year, and former second-rounder Mackensie Alexander is also still with the team.

Newman presumably will provide additional instruction to this group, only doing so in Vikings coaching gear rather than in shoulder pads.

49ers Cut 21 Players, Reach 53-Man Max

The 49ers have reached the 53-man roster maximum after releasing 21 players on Saturday afternoon. Here’s the full rundown:

The following players have been released:

In addition to those cuts, the Niners also have a few extra spots on their initial 53-man roster thanks to suspensions for wide receiver Victor Bolden and linebacker Reuben Foster. They’ll also be without defensive lineman Kentavius Street as he sits on the NFI list.

Cowboys Cut K Dan Bailey

The Cowboys have released kicker Dan Bailey, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Bailey has been the Cowboys’ kicker for the last seven years, so the move is a stunner.

With Bailey out of the picture, the Cowboys will move forward with Nebraska product Brett Maher as their place kicker. Maher nailed a 57-yard field goal against the Texans the other night, and that moment may have influenced the Cowboys’ final decision.

Bailey, 30, nailed just 75% of his field goal tries last year, a career low. On the whole, however, he’s been outstanding for Dallas. In 2015, he led the league with a 93.8% field goal completion percentage. He’s also nailed 276 of 278 career extra point tries.

As a vested veteran, Bailey will hit the open market immediately without having to go through waivers.

Raiders To Acquire QB A.J. McCarron

The Raiders will acquire quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bills, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Buffalo will receive a fifth-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Bills signed McCarron to compete for their starting job this spring, but he quickly fell behind both Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden made clear that the team was in the market for a veteran backup quarterback and that they weren’t happy with the performances of returning players Connor Cook and E.J. Manuel. It’s unclear what the compensation is at this point, but it’s likely nothing more than a late round pick.

The Raiders haven’t announced all their cuts yet, but this means that at least one of Cook or Manuel will be sent packing, if not both. McCarron developed a reputation as one of the league’s better backups while holding Andy Dalton’s clipboard the past few seasons.

He was expected to have opportunities to start this offseason, but he was greeted with a quiet market in free agency. He didn’t draw much interest outside of Buffalo, and ended up signing a two-year deal there. The Bills will now move forward with Allen and Peterman, although they haven’t announced who will start between the two.

Cowboys Cut WR Deonte Thompson

The Cowboys have released Deonte Thompson, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). With limited options at wide receiver this year, Thompson seemed likely to make the cut.

Thompson inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Dallas in March. The pact included a $1MM signing bonus, so he walks away with a decent chunk of change despite never playing in a meaningful game for the Cowboys.

Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in the late bloomer before he hooked on with Jerry Jones & Co.