Here are Friday’s minor moves.
Carolina Panthers
- Suspended for four games (PEDs): TE Kent Taylor
Chicago Bears
- Waived WR Mekale McKay
- Signed: DE Nicholas Williams
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Reggie Porter
- Waived: S Corey White
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cleveland Browns
- DL Ricky Ali’ifua
- OL Joseph Cheek
- DL Jeremy Faulk
- DB Corey White
The Texans worked out free agent linebacker Jonathan Freeny on Tuesday, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Freeny, a five-year NFL veteran, started his career as a special teams player in Miami, but his most notable time came with the Patriots from 2015-16. During that time, Freeny appeared in 18 games and started 11 contests before going down with a shoulder injury last October.
Despite agreeing to a two-year extension prior to last season, Freeny was released during final cutdowns earlier this month. He’s generated interest around the NFL, however, as the Giants and Bears have also worked out Freeny over the past several weeks.
On the hunt for linebacker depth following Brian Cushing‘s 10-game PED suspension, the Texans also auditioned former Vikings linebacker Audie Cole today. Houston is currently starting Benardrick McKinney and second-round rookie Zach Cunningham at inside linebacker, while Brian Peters and undrafted rookie Dylan Cole are the club’s backups.
The Texans also took at look at linebacker Josh Mauga and cornerbacks Johnthan Banks, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Josh Thornton, Corey White, and B.W. Webb, as Wilson writes in a separate piece.
The Colts made major news on Saturday when they shipped wide receiver Phillip Dorsett to the Patriots in exchange for quarterback Jacoby Brissett. After that, they had the daunting task of bringing their bloated preseason roster down to the 53-man max in time for the deadline. Here’s the complete rundown.
Waived:
- CB Dante Blackmon
- DT Josh Boyd
- WR Marvin Bracy
- WR Fred Brown
- T Fahn Cooper
- S Tyson Graham Jr.
- S Lee Hightower
- WR Bug Howard
- TE Henry Krieger-Coble
- WR Justice Liggins
- RB De’Mard Llorens
- DT T.Y. McGill
- WR JoJo Natson
- DT David Parry
- RB Troymaine Pope
- G Adam Redmond
- WR Brian Riley
- ILB Darnell Sankey
- WR Valdez Showers
- OLB Garrett Sickels
- DE Jhaustin Thomas
- T Arturo Uzdavinis
- G Terran Vaughn
- QB Phillip Walker
- S Andrew Williamson
- T Andrew Wylie
Waived/Injured:
Released:
- OLB Akeem Ayers (story)
- OLB Lavar Edwards
- RB Daryl Richardson
- ILB Sean Spence (story)
- CB Corey White
Placed On IR:
- CB Chris Culliver
- ILB Edwin Jackson
- S Earl Wolff
PUP List:
Richardson, who once had a prominent role with the Rams, joined the Colts on Aug. 29 and was viewed as a longshot to make the final cut.
Chris Culliver isn’t the only cornerback the Colts signed today. Indianapolis also inked corner Corey White, placed corner Darryl Morris on injured reserve, and waived/injured guard Blake Muir, the club announced.
The Colts are clearly on the hunt for defensive back depth, and White will give them just that. A four-game starter for the Bills in 2015, White appeared in 15 total contests and played on a roughly a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. During that time, White posted 28 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed. Additionally, White saw action on more than half of the Bills’ special teams plays.
White, 27, signed with the Jets in May, but was subsequently released from injured reserve earlier this month after suffering a back injury. Like Culliver, then, White’s health may be an important factor in just how much he can contribute early in the season. If available from a medical standpoint, White certainly boasts more experience than any Colts corner not named Vontae Davis.
Morris, meanwhile, was a rotational defensive back who appeared on 33.4% of Indianapolis’ plays in 2016. The 26-year-old started two games and earned a respectable No. 53 ranking among 110 qualified corners, per Pro Football Focus. It’s possible Morris will be released from injured reserve in the near future if he returns to full strength.
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: C Derrick Nelson
- Waived: C Brandon Kublanow
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: DT Montori Hughes
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived-injured: C Dillon DeBoer
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR KD Cannon (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OT Kwayde Miller (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, on Twitter)
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Jeremy Faulk
- Waived-injured: DL Brandin Bryant, TE Brian Parker
- Placed on injured reserve: DB Corey White
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: DE Chris Casher
The Jets have signed defensive back Corey White and waived/injured wide receiver/kick returner Brisly Estime, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter).
A 27-year-old journeyman, White has combined for 66 appearances, 24 starts and six interceptions with the Saints, Cowboys, Cardinals and Bills since going in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He totaled two picks last year during his lone season in Buffalo, where he started in four of 15 appearances and ranked 81st in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified corners. White’s now the 11th corner-capable defender on the Jets’ 90-man roster, though he can also play safety.
Estime joined the Jets on May 5 as an undrafted free agent from Syracuse, where he caught 103 passes and seven touchdowns in four years. Estime would’ve had a chance to make the Jets as a returner, tweets ESPN’s Rich Cimini, but he suffered a torn Achilles during practice Wednesday and will head to injured reserve.
Here are several specific details on some recently agreed-upon and signed contracts from around the NFL:
- Clay Harbor, TE (Patriots): Two years, $3MM. $400K signing bonus. Roster bonuses of $200K (2016) and $400K (2017). $200K option bonus for 2017. Up to $500K annually in playing-time incentives (all Twitter links via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
- Aldon Smith, OLB (Raiders): Contract features $250K for each game Smith is on the Raiders’ 53-man roster in 2016 and 2017. Those per-game roster bonuses could max out at $4MM in 2017, but not in 2016 due to suspension (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
- Zach Brown, LB (Bills): One year, $1.25MM. $450K signing bonus. (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).
- Corey White, CB (Bills): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link via Buscaglia).
The Bills announced the signing of defensive back Corey White. White visited Buffalo earlier today along with linebacker Zach Brown, who has also officially inked his deal with the Bills. In related news, the Bills have also officially signed wide receiver Leonard Hankerson. 
From 2012 through 2014, White started 19 games with New Orleans, including 9 in 2014. The former fifth-round pick of the Saints started off the 2015 season with the Cowboys but was released in November. There were conflicting reports surrounding White’s exit from the team – one report indicted that White was cut for locker room reasons while another report asserted that he was released solely for football reasons. White, 26 in May, hooked on with the Cardinals in December of last year, taking the roster spot of Robert Nelson Jr.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Dolphins haven’t been linked to cornerback Leon Hall since the league year opened, despite the fact that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph coached Hall in Cincinnati. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald explains that Hall’s asking price has precluded the Dolphins from getting involved so far, but if that price tag eventually comes down, the veteran corner should see his market heat up, and Miami could get involved.
Here are a few more free agency updates from around the NFL:
- The Broncos have reached out and expressed interest in bringing back free agent running back Ronnie Hillman, writes Mike Klis of 9NEWS. However, according to Klis, Denver is one of a few teams showing interest, and Hillman’s other suitors have more cap room than the Broncos.
- The Bills continue to weigh their options on defense, bringing in a pair of defensive free agents for visits today. The club announced (via Twitter) that linebacker Zach Brown and defensive back Corey White arrived at One Bills Drive on Monday morning to meet with the team. Brown, who started 33 games for the Titans over the last four years and had 77 tackles in 2015, is one of the more intriguing free agents still available.
- Tim Lelito, who received a low-end RFA tender from the Saints, garnered some interest from the Cowboys but opted not to sign an offer sheet with Dallas and sounds prepared to return to New Orleans for 2016, as Lyons Yellin of WWL outlines. Lelito technically remains a free agent until he formally signs his one-year, $1.671MM RFA tender.
- Veteran guard Chris Chester, who underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, likely won’t be ready to go until sometime in June, which is why he remains unsigned, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The free agent lineman, who spent last season in Atlanta, has a decent chance to start somewhere once he eventually gets healthy and signs.
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune provides the details on a handful of recently-signed Bears contracts, reporting that offensive lineman Manny Ramirez, linebacker Sam Acho, wide receiver Deonte Thompson, and safety Chris Prosinski all received one-year, minimum salary benefit deals, with $80K signing bonuses.