Month: September 2024

Chiefs Reach 53-Man Limit

The two-time defending AFC champions pared their roster to 53 players Tuesday. Following some early cuts Monday, here are the rest of the moves the Chiefs made to get there:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Long will miss the Chiefs’ first six games. The recently unretired offensive lineman suffered a knee injury in June. While Long was part of the Chiefs’ extensive offseason offensive line puzzle, the team made several moves to create O-line depth after its Super Bowl LV blocking debacle. Kansas City traded for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., signed guard Joe Thuney and center Austin Blythe, and drafted center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. Long and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out last year and came up in trade calls this week, are not expected to start but would stand to provide high-end depth on Kansas City’s retooled line.

 

The Chiefs took Powell in the fifth round. The Clemson alum would make sense as a practice squad candidate, but the Chiefs will run the risk of anther team claiming the rookie wideout and preventing such a scenario. Kansas City lost Sammy Watkins but returns the likes of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson as supporting-cast receivers.

Ravens Reduce Roster To 53

The Ravens cut down their roster to 53 players today, with the team making the following transactions:

Released

Waived/Injured

Placed on Reserve/NFI

The team also announced a handful of previously reported transactions, which you can find here.

Obviously Pernell and Levine are the two major names on this list, but there’s a chance the veterans land back in Baltimore once the team places a handful of players on IR.

Pernell spent the past two seasons in Baltimore, starting 20 of his 22 appearances. In those 22 games, the 32-year-old collected 53 tackles and six sacks. The veteran also started his career with the Ravens before bouncing between the Bears and Washington. Levine, meanwhile, isn’t a stranger to bouncing on and off the Ravens roster, but he’s still managed to miss only one regular season game for the organization since 2013. That missed game actually came in 2020, when the special teams ace finished with only seven tackles.

Titans Reduce Roster To 53

The Titans have officially trimmed their roster to 53 players. Tennessee made the following moves:

Waived

A pair of wideouts headline this list of waived players. Fitzpatrick was a fourth-round pick by the organization in this past year’s draft. The 6-foot-2 receiver was a standout during his stint at Louisville, leading to the Titans trading three picks to move up and select him. The rookie could end up falling through to the practice squad, but considering his draft stock, there’s a chance another team will claim him.

Meanwhile, Kinsey was an unheralded acquisition, but he made a name for himself following a strong preseason. The wideout finished August with 14 receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown.

Broncos Trim Roster To 53

The Broncos joined the fray Tuesday in moving their roster down to 53 players, after cutting ties with several players Monday. Here is how new GM George Paton constructed his initial 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

The Broncos are expected to bring back both Fleming and Stephen, Paton said (via Denver7’s Troy Renck, on Twitter), with running back Mike Boone and cornerback Michael Ojemudia bound for the regular-season IR list. Both backups are set to miss time to start the season, but the Broncos carried each onto the 53-man roster and will plan for their in-season returns.

Because Fleming and Stephen are vested veterans, they do not need to clear waivers in order to re-sign with the Broncos. Denver signed both Fleming and Stephen this offseason. While Fleming competed with fellow addition Bobby Massie, the latter won the Broncos’ right tackle job. Bassey and Dawson can return after six weeks, though the Broncos’ cornerback contingent is much deeper than last season — to the point the roster may not have room for both. Ojemudia would stand to be Denver’s No. 5 corner upon returning.

Cowboys Get Down To 53

More roster cuts to pass along! The Cowboys have now gotten their roster down to 53 as well, making a slew of cuts in the process. Here are the latest cutdown day casualties out of Dallas:

Released:

Waived:

Thompson played in 15 games with the Cowboys last year and started seven, but wasn’t able to crack the 53-man roster this time around. The safety started four games for Dallas the year before in 2019. Sprinkle flashed some potential with Washington in 2019 when he had 241 yards, but he was a non-factor in the passing game last year.

Hamilton also started a couple of games for the Cowboys last year, and the release of several significant contributors shows Mike McCarthy was serious about overhauling that side of the ball. Hardy is the undrafted rookie who has been featured on this year’s season of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’ He’s expected to be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Eagles Cut 20+ Players, Down To 53

The Eagles are ready to fly into Week 1. On Tuesday, they made a series of moves to get down to the 53-man roster max. Here’s the full rundown:

Released

Waived

Placed on IR

Placed on Reserve/COVID List

The Birds also freed up a spot earlier today by trading offensive lineman Matt Pryor (and a 2022 seventh-round pick) to the Colts for a sixth-round choice.

The release of wide receiver Travis Fulgham was one of today’s more notable moves. Fulgham played a big role for the Eagles last year as the team was decimated by WR injuries. However, they didn’t see enough this summer to keep him on the 53-man roster. With Fulgham gone, the Eagles are left with J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Jalen ReagorDeVonta SmithGreg Ward, and Quez Watkins as their Week 1 receivers.

Raiders Release WR John Brown

John Brown is back in free agency. The veteran wide receiver requested his release from the Raiders, who honored that request, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Although Brown played well for the Bills, he was not trending toward having a surefire role with the Raiders. Las Vegas signed the 31-year-old speedster earlier this year and guaranteed him more than $3MM, making this a disadvantageous financial move for the Jon Gruden-led regime. Though, offset language — should Brown land another gig this season — could come into play.

The Raiders have 2020 draftees Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards in place for key roles, with Hunter Renfrow and veterans Willie Snead and Zay Jones on their roster as well. Darren Waller also serves as Vegas’ de facto No. 1 receiver, creating a different dynamic for the team’s wideouts.

Brown battled injury issues in 2020 but topped 1,000 yards in ’19, helping Josh Allen progress in his second season. Brown has two 1,000-yard slates on his resume, getting there with the Cardinals in 2015, and figures to catch on elsewhere soon.

Colts Down To 53

The Colts have reached the 53-man limit. On Tuesday, Indy formally:

Waived

Released

Waived/Injured

Placed on Reserve/NFI

  • DE Dayo Odeyingbo

Hundley’s release signals that the Colts aren’t all that concernedabout Carson Wentz‘s foot, or his vaccination status. The move comes even after sixth-round rookie Sam Ehlinger suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for a good chunk of time. The real takeaway is that they’re comfortable with 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason, — he’s now the only other healthy quarterback behind Wentz on the initial roster.

Steelers Cut Down To 53

The Steelers became the latest team to officially get their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday. More shuffling can be expected in the days to come, but the initial 53 is set. Here’s who didn’t make the cut:

Waived:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Some of these names will certainly be familiar, including Samuels. The 2018 fifth-round pick from N.C. State received a lot of run in his first two years as a hybrid player, and got 113 touches in 2019. He fell out of favor last year, playing sparingly and only getting 18 touches. With the team drafting Najee Harris in the first-round, there was no longer any need for him.

Finney was with the Steelers from 2015-19, and started at least two games in four straight years from 2016-19. But he wasn’t able to crack the 53-man roster in his return after spending last year with the Seahawks and Bengals. Notably, former first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins has made the initial 53-man roster behind Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph. Dobbs will spend the whole year on IR after getting hurt in the preseason finale.

Eagles Name Jalen Hurts Starting QB

While there did not seem to be much doubt about the Eagles’ starting quarterback job, Nick Sirianni finally removed all doubt Tuesday. Jalen Hurts will start for the team in Week 1.

The Eagles were in position to select Justin Fields or Mac Jones this year, even after trading down from their No. 6 overall spot, but owner Jeffrey Lurie was believed to be behind giving Hurts an opportunity this season. Philadelphia went with Hurts down the stretch last season, as their Carson Wentz era plunged toward a sobering conclusion, and the team will continue on that path to start this season.

Philly, however, has two first-round picks in the 2022 draft. If Wentz plays 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps, the Eagles will have a third first-rounder. Hurts may have to play very well to keep the Eagles out of the quarterback conversation next year. But he will have that chance, with Joe Flacco and now Gardner Minshew on the Eagles’ roster behind him.

A second-round pick out of Oklahoma, Hurts began his career at Alabama and joined Eagles 2021 first-rounder DeVonta Smith as Crimson Tide freshmen in 2017. After Tua Tagovailoa beat out Hurts for the 2018 Alabama starting job, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and followed Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray by putting up big numbers with the Sooners. His NFL trajectory remains uncertain, but the Eagles will give the 23-year-old passer a try after trading Wentz.