2019 August - Pro Football Rumors

Chargers Slash Roster To 53

August 31st, 2019 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the Chargers’ Russell Okung announcement, they finalized their 53-man roster.

Cardale Jones did not make the team, with Los Angeles going with Tyrod Taylor and rookie Easton Stick behind Philip Rivers. The XFL has openly mentioned Jones on multiple occasions, so the former Bills and Ohio State passer could be a high-profile candidate for the upstart league.

Here are the Bolts’ Saturday cuts:

Patrick Afriyie, DE
Larry Allen, G
Chris Brown, G
Blake Camper, T
Thomas Costigan, DE
Jeremy Cox, RB
Spencer Drango, G
Malachi Dupre, WR
Derrick Gore, RB
Kemon Hall, CB
Reggie Howard, DT
Ben Johnson, TE
Cardale Jones , QB
Anthony Lanier, DE
Bradford Lemmons, CB
Justice Liggins, WR
Dee Liner, DT
Vince Mayle, TE
T.Y. McGill, DT
Jamar McGloster, T
Jason Moore, WR
Detrez Newsome, RB
Tyler Newsome, P
Andre Patton, WR
Adarius Pickett, S
Rodney Randle, CB
Jeff Richards, CB
Artavis Scott, WR
Jordan Smallwood, WR
Matt Sokol, TE
Arrion Springs, CB
Tanner Volson, C
Jaylen Watkins, S
Brant Weiss, T
Kyle Wilson, LB
Elijah Zeise, LB

Saints Reach 53-Man Max

August 31st, 2019 at 3:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Saints fans, and fans of lists in general. The Saints have reached the 53-man max – here’s the full rundown.

Released:

Chris Banjo, S
Michael Burton, FB
Michael Ola, OT

Waived:

Dan Arnold, TE
Emmanuel Butler, WR
T.J. Green, DB
Porter Gustin, LB
Marcus Henry, C
Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR
Derrick Kelly, OL
Alize Mack, TE
Devine Ozigbo, DL
Terrell Williams Jr., DB

Placed on IR:

Marshall Newhouse, OL
Marcus Sherels, CB
Cameron Tom, C/G

Browns Reach 53-Man Limit

August 31st, 2019 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

After making a couple of trades, the Browns have made a boatload of cuts to reach the 53-man max. Here’s the breakdown:

Contract Terminated:
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
P Britton Colquitt
DT Carl Davis
T Bryan Witzmann

Waived:
WR Dorian Baker
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Stephen Carlson
TE Seth DeValve
T Brian Fineanganofo
RB Trayone Gray
LB Willie Harvey
S J.T. Hassell
WR Ishmael Hyman
CB Robert Jackson
K Greg Joseph
CB Donnie Lewis Jr.
S Montrel Meander
WR Braxton Miller
RB A.J. Ouellette
DE Jarrell Owens
CB Lenzy Pipkins
DT Brian Price
DE Wyatt Ray
S Tigie Sankoh
T Brad Seaton
WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
LB Anthony Stubbs
T Travis Vornkahl
LB Dedrick Young II
WR Derrick Willies
G Willie Wright
DE Anthony Zettel

Waived/Injured:
G Kyle Kalis (concussion)
FB Joe Kerridge (concussion)

IR:

CB Phillip Gaines (concussion)

Packers Trade Justin McCray To Browns

August 31st, 2019 at 3:22pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns and Packers completed a trade just before the 53-man deadline. The Browns will acquire guard Justin McCray in exchange for a 2020 draft pick.

McCray has started in 13 of his career 25 regular season games. That includes five starts last year out of 12 appearances for the Packers.

McCray, 27, will help support the starting interior line, which is still not quite finalized. The Browns will start either incumbent Eric Kush or newcomer Wyatt Teller at the right guard spot. This week, head coach Freddie Kitchens indicated that competition is open.

“Eric is our right guard as we speak, but we haven’t even had Wyatt on the field yet,” Kitchens explained. “My first inkling would be to say yes, but we haven’t seen [Teller] on the field yet. We still have four practices to get through. We will see where it all goes. Even though training camp has ended, there is always competition. There is always going to be competition while I am here. I think you get the most out of everybody when you run it that way.”

49ers To Place Jerick McKinnon On IR

August 31st, 2019 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers will place Jerick McKinnon on injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). At this moment, it’s unclear as to whether McKinnon could conceivably return during the season as an IR-DTR player.

San Francisco will, in fact, be without McKinnon for a second straight season. The 49ers are placing the running back on season-ending IR, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets.

McKinnon’s surgically-repaired knee flared up in recent days, setting him back significantly. It’s an unfortunate chain of events for the former Vikings rusher, who was unable to suit up for the Niners last year to break in his lucrative free agent contract.

The 49ers inked McKinnon to a four-year $30MM contract in 2018, but a torn ACL wiped out his first would-be season in SF. It was a huge disappointment for the team and player alike – McKinnon flashed serious potential in Minnesota and many expected him to bust out big plays in the 49ers’ offense.

In 2017, his final year with the Vikes, McKinnon enjoyed career highs in receptions (51) and receiving yards (421). With capable hands and the athleticism to break out of early tackles, McKinnon offered the ability to go for long-distance runs and serve as a security blanket for Jimmy Garoppolo. Both players were knocked out by injuries in 2018, and McKinnon’s sideline stint will extend into at least part of 2019.

Falcons Reach 53 Man Limit

August 31st, 2019 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons reached the 53-man limit by dropping a total of 35 players and placing quarterback Matt Simms on injured reserve. Along the way, the Falcons also cut some notable veterans.

Here’s the full rundown of the team’s cuts, including some previously reported moves:

S Parker Baldwin
LB Yurik Bethune
WR Christian Blake
RB Tony Brooks-James
LB Richie Brown (Waived/injured)
CB Taveze Calhoun (Waived/injured)
LB Bruce Carter (Released)
DT Stefan Charles (Released)
S Chris Cooper
LB Tre Crawford
TE Thomas Duarte
QB Danny Etling
OL Adam Gettis (Released)
TE Alex Gray (Waived/injured)
WR Devin Gray
WR Marcus Green
OL Sean Harlow
DE Austin Larkin
S Ronald Martin (Released)
LB Chase Middleton
DE Durrant Miles
C Chandler Miller
CB Jalen Myrick
CB Ryan Neal
DE Chris Odom
TE Logan Paulsen (Released)
LB Del’Shawn Phillips (Waived/injury settlement)
OT Jaelin Robinson
CB Jayson Stanley (Waived/injury settlement)
K Giorgio Tavecchio
DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
K Blair Walsh (Released)
OL John Wetzel (Released)
WR C.J. Worton
DT Justin Zimmer

Chargers Place Russell Okung On Reserve/NFI List

August 31st, 2019 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Russell Okung‘s Chargers season cannot begin until at least Week 7. The Bolts placed their starting left tackle on the reserve/NFI list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Okung has been dealing with blood clots. A Chargers line that struggled down the stretch last season will now not have one of its anchors. This has obviously become a rather serious situation for Okung, a 2010 first-round pick, and it’s now conceivable he will not play this season.

Los Angeles has third-round rookie Trey Pipkins and second-year UDFA Trent Scott as backup options and could look to waivers for additional help.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old edge blocker made the 2017 Pro Bowl and has started 31 games with the Bolts since signing a lucrative contract in 2017. Okung’s four-year, $53MM deal has two years remaining. He is on the Los Angeles cap sheet at $15.9MM in 2019.

Chargers Give Melvin Gordon Permission To Seek Trade

August 31st, 2019 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

With contract talks between the Chargers and Melvin Gordon not progressing, the team will give the fifth-year running back permission to seek a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Gordon has not ruled out returning to the Bolts on his current contract, per RapSheet, but the Pro Bowl back will now explore his options elsewhere.

The running back has balked at the Bolts’ proposal to this point and has been training in Florida. Gordon can’t sit out the entire season — or at least, he can’t sit out the entire season if he wants to become a free agent next spring (which he does). If Gordon doesn’t report by November 29, he won’t be eligible to play during the 2019 campaign. At that point, his contract would toll: his $5.605MM salary would simply carry over to 2020, and he’d remain under the Chargers’ control.

The Chargers saw Austin Ekeler average north of five yards per carry last season, and the team drafted Justin Jackson in last year’s second round. This duo would be likely set for a timeshare if Gordon heads elsewhere. The next few days will give the former Wisconsin star a chance to determine his value. That process may well lead him out of Los Angeles, but it could also end his holdout — if the money from other teams is not to Gordon’s liking.

Jets Deal CB Parry Nickerson To Seahawks

August 31st, 2019 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks will make another Saturday trade. They will acquire cornerback Parry Nickerson from the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

New York will receive a 2021 conditional seventh-rounder for Nickerson, a 2018 sixth-round pick. Nickerson played in 16 Jets games last season, making two starts.

This marks another quick jettisoning of a Mike Maccagnan draft pick. The Jets cut third-round pick Jachai Polite earlier today, with Joe Douglas making moves to rid the roster of some young players his predecessor acquired.

Douglas said recently he will seek cornerback help off the waiver wire. With a corner being moved off the roster, that is now a near-certainty to occur.

Jaguars Reach 53-Man Limit

August 31st, 2019 at 3:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars got down to 53. Here’s how:

Waived or released:

OL Ka’John Armstrong
WR Tyre Brady
TE Donnie Ernsberger
CB Tae Hayes
WR Quadree Henderson
RB Elijah Hood
DL Mike Hughes
DL Lyndon Johnson
TE Charles Jones
WR Raphael Leonard
WR Tre McBride
QB Alex McGough
CB Quenton Meeks
TE Carson Meier
S Joshua Moon
CB Picasso Nelson
S C.J. Reavis
CB Saivion Smith
OL Bunchy Stallings
LB Connor Strachan
DL Kalani Vakameilalo
WR Michael Walker
CB Brandon Watson
DL Andrew Williams
TE Ethan Wolf

Waived/injured:

OL Donnell Greene
RB Devante Mays
OL KC McDermott
OL Leonard Wester

Placed on IR:

OL Ben Ijalana
WR Terrelle Pryor

NFI:
LB Jake Ryan