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Clifton Geathers News & Rumors

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/15

August 7th, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Luke Adams

We rounded up several minor transactions from around the league earlier today, but teams have been busy since then, so we’ve got many more moves to recap. Here’s the latest:

  • The Cowboys have signed offensive tackle Cody Clay after a workout, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The team waive/injured linebacker Will Smith, who was unavailable due to a groin injury.
  • Isaiah Pead and the Rams have agreed a new deal for the final year of his contract on July 30th, reports Howard Balzer of FoxSportsMidwest.com (via Twitter). His base salary was reduced from $940,650 to $585,000 for 2015 (via Twitter).
  • Veteran tight end Alex Smith – not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name – has signed with the Saints, who waived rookie tight end Jack Tabb with an injury designation, tweets Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
  • The Steelers have placed defensive end Clifton Geathers on their injured reserve list, signing free agent defensive tackle Joe Okafor to take his place, the team announced today (via Twitter). As a veteran player, Geathers didn’t have to pass through waivers before landing on IR.
  • In addition to confirming the previously-reported signing of running back Michael Ford, the Falcons also made a few more moves. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter), the club signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, waived wide receiver Freddie Martino, and waived/injured tight Beau Gardner, who injured his knee.
  • Safety Robert Smith, waived yesterday by the Colts, has been claimed by the Seahawks, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Seattle cut safety Ty Zimmerman to clear room on the roster.
  • The Titans have made a change at the fullback position, signing Zach Boren and waiving undrafted rookie Connor Neighbors with an injury designation, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online (Twitter link).
  • The Giants have signed rookie safety Justin Halley, waiving receiver Chris Harper with an injured designation to create an opening on the roster, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots have reached an injury settlement with defensive lineman Vince Taylor, removing him from their injured reserve list, tweets Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

April 1st, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL have been busy today, making minor roster additions and subtractions as they continue to survey the remaining free agent landscape and prepare for this month’s draft. Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the league:

  • According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have signed defensive end Efe Obada, who played last year with the London Warriors in England.
  • Meanwhile, a former Cowboys defender, Caesar Rayford, announced today on Facebook that he has signed a new contract with the Vikings.
  • The Jets have re-signed backup tackle Ben Ijalana, the team announced today in a press release. During his two seasons in New York, Ijalana has been inactive on game days more often than not.

Earlier updates:

  • Seahawks fullback and defensive lineman Will Tukuafu posted an Instagram photo today that showed him signing a new contract with the Seahawks, and the NFL’s official transactions wire confirms the deal, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Per Condotta (via Twitter), Seattle’s new deal with defensive lineman Jesse Williams, who was cut earlier in the offseason for procedural reasons, also showed up on the transactions wire.
  • Cornerback and special-teamer Sherrick McManis has returned to the Bears on a one-year deal, according to the club (Twitter link). Although he played just 46 defensive snaps for Chicago in 2014, McManis was a key contributor on kick and punt coverage, recording 11 special teams tackles.
  • The Steelers have re-signed defensive lineman Clifton Geathers to a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release. Geathers, 27, joined the Steelers in December of last year after the club placed Brett Keisel on injured reserve, but didn’t see any game action.
  • Agent Mike McCartney published a tweet this afternoon congratulating his client Mike Kafka on the quarterback’s new deal with the Vikings. A participant in last month’s veterans combine, Kafka spent time in 2014 on the Buccaneers’ practice squad and active roster.
  • Running back Dan “Boom” Herron has officially signed his exclusive rights free agent tender with the Colts, ensuring that he’ll be back with the team in 2015. The move was a formality, since Herron couldn’t negotiate with other clubs.
  • The Panthers have waived guard Derek Dennis and linebacker Horace Miller, two players who signed futures contracts with the team at season’s end, the club announced today (via Twitter).

Steelers Place Brett Keisel On IR

December 1st, 2014 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have placed Brett Keisel on injured reserve, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com (via Twitter). To fill Keisel’s spot on the roster, the Steelers have signed fellow defensive end Clifton Geathers.

Keisel suffered a triceps injury during Sunday’s game against the Saints, ending his season prematurely. It’s an unfortunate outcome for Keisel and it could mean that he has played the final game of his career. Before re-signing with the Steelers in August, Keisel strongly considered retirement. In fact, Pittsburgh showed little to no interest in Keisel for much of the offseason and only gave him a call when Darnell Dockett went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked him as just the 36th-best 3-4 end out of 45 qualifiers in 2013 and he’s ranked 30th out of 48 eligible 3-4 bookends in 2014.

Geathers, who turns 27 later this month, signed with Washington in March after a 2013 season where he was rarely used as a traditional defensive end for the Eagles. Washington dropped Geathers on November 1st and he worked out for the rival Giants soon after. He did not get a contract offer from Big Blue but he has found an opportunity in Pittsburgh.

New York Notes: Workouts, Coughlin, Harvin

November 11th, 2014 at 5:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Cornerback Derek Cox was among the free agents to work out for the Giants today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), but Cox was far from the only veteran in for an audition. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the Giants looked at 13 players in total. Here’s the full list, along with a few other notes on the NFL’s two New York teams:

  • The full list of players who tried out for the Giants today, in addition to Cox, via Raanan: Defensive backs Jalil Brown, Kanorris Davis, Thomas Gordon, Robert Steeples, Brandon Taylor, and Josh Victorian; quarterback Dominique Davis; wideouts Lee Doss and Chris Matthews; defensive tackle Clifton Geathers; linebacker Uani Unga, and tight end Evan Wilson.
  • As the Giants stumble toward the finish line in another disappointing season, head coach Tom Coughlin should make this his last year, announcing his retirement at season’s end before the team has a chance to ask him to “retire,” argues Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Of course, we’ve seen Coughlin’s Giants squads make surprising late-season runs before, but it’s unlikely that this year’s team gets back into playoff contention.
  • Many players wouldn’t be happy making the move from the defending champions to a 2-8 club, but wideout Percy Harvin is “at peace” with the Jets, as he tells Danny Knobler of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • After watching Mark Sanchez light up the Panthers in Philadelphia last night, Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes that the only way the Sanchez saga could get stranger is if he somehow made his way back to the Jets. Of course, as Hubbuch points out, the Jets figure to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and Sanchez will be eligible for free agency. A reunion seems awfully unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
  • George Willis of the New York Post outlines a handful of reasons why the Jets shouldn’t tank in the hopes of landing the No. 1 pick and quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Minor Moves: Saturday

November 1st, 2014 at 5:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s minor transactions, with the most recent updates added to the top of the list…

  • Wideout Bryan Walters has been cut by the Seahawks, who have promoted practice squad safety Terrance Parks to take his place on the roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. As Condotta observes (Twitter links), the move adds depth at safety with a couple players ailing, and leaves Seattle with five active receivers.
  • The Lions have released safety Jerome Couplin and tight end Jordan Thompson, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). One of those roster spots would likely go to Kyle Van Noy who is set to return to action next week. The other could go to a defensive tackle, with Nick Fairley set to miss this Sunday’s game.
  • The Chargers have released running back Shaun Draughn, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). The team signed safety Adrian Phillips into that roster spot.

Earlier updates:

  • The 49ers have promoted cornerback Leon McFadden to their active roster, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Cardinals have promoted running back Kerwynn Williams to the active roster, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. To make room on the roster, the team parted ways with defensive tackle Bruce Gaston. Urban notes that Gaston could return to the team next week.
  • The Jets have promoted quarterback Matt Simms and cut wideout Chris Owusu, tweets Aaron Wilson. Simms, the son of former Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, is likely insurance for the Jets in case Geno Smith is unable to suit up.
  • The Chiefs have promoted safety Daniel Sorensen from their practice squad, tweets Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. To make room on the roster, the team released defensive lineman Damion Square.
  • Washington will release defensive end Clifton Geathers and will activate former fourth round pick Phillip Thomas to the active roster, reports ESPN 980 Radio (confirmed by ESPN’s John Keim). Geathers has been with seven different squads since entering the league in 2010. He signed with Washington this past offseason. Thomas still hasn’t made an NFL appearance since being selected by Washington in last year’s draft.

Redskins Sign Clifton Geathers

March 13th, 2014 at 2:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins announced via Twitter that they have signed defensive end Clifton Geathers.

Geathers, 26, was a sparingly-used reserve for the Eagles last season. In a full 16-game season, Geathers registered just nine tackles in total. Late last month, it was reported that a reunion for Clifton and Philadelphia was unlikely to take place. Over the course of his four year career, Geathers has also had stops in Dallas, Miami, and Indianapolis.

Eagles Rumors: Ryans, Mathis, Brown, FAs

February 25th, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

DeMeco Ryans finished the 2013 season as the 54th-ranked inside linebacker of the 55 that qualified, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). But despite the subpar grades from PFF and a $6.9MM cap number in 2014, the Eagles linebacker isn’t going anywhere, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Even asking Ryans to take a pay cut is unlikely, according to McLane, who says that the veteran commands more respect than virtually any other player in the locker room, and that “forcing” him to accept a reduced salary wouldn’t go over well with his teammates.

McLane also provided several other Eagles-related tidbits from the combine in Indianapolis, so let’s round them up….

  • All-Pro guard Evan Mathis figures to barely crack the top 15 highest-paid guards in the NFL next season, but don’t expect Philadelphia to increase his salary, says McLane, adding that a holdout from Mathis isn’t likely either.
  • Head coach Chip Kelly may prefer running back Chris Polk to Bryce Brown as LeSean McCoy‘s primary backup. That makes Brown a trade candidate this offseason, and there’s a “healthy market” for him, according to McLane. However, reaching a deal won’t be easy, due to the increasing salary cap.
  • According to McLane, several agents asked him at the combine if there was any chance of cornerback Brandon Boykin and linebacker Mychal Kendricks leaving their current reps. In other words, both players, who will enter their third seasons in 2014, are viewed as hot commodities. Boykin and Kendricks will be eligible for contract extensions after the ’14 season.
  • McLane can’t see the Eagles going into the 2014 season with Matt Barkley as the primary backup behind starting quarterback Nick Foles. Multiple scouts at the combine told McLane that they’ve seen enough to declare the former fourth-round pick a backup at best.
  • Cornerback Cary Williams is expected to remain on Philadelphia’s roster beyond the fifth day of the new league year, which would ensure that his $4.75MM base salary for 2014 becomes guaranteed.
  • “All signs” point to punter Donnie Jones re-signing with the Eagles, though other free agents like safety Kurt Coleman, defensive end Clifton Geathers, and linebacker Phillip Hunt look like good bets to hit the open market.