HEADLINES

Alejandro Villanueva

Sunday Transactions: AFC North

August 31st, 2014 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens:

Cincinnati Bengals:

Cleveland Browns:

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Steelers Notes: Villanueva, Jones, Moore

August 27th, 2014 at 7:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Will the Steelers snap out of their funk in 2014? Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review looks at it from both sides. The Steelers have done well in their last two drafts and they’ve gotten younger in an effort to catch up to the rest of the league. Conversely, Robinson is worried about the receiving core beyond Antonio Brown. Here’s more on the Steelers..

  • The Steelers worked out defensive end Alejandro Villanueva earlier today, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former U.S. Army Ranger was recently waived by the Eagles.
  • Steelers quarterback Landry Jones will be playing to secure a roster spot when Pittsburgh takes the field on Thursday night, writes Steve Reed of The Associated Press. Coach Mike Tomlin says he needs to see consistent play out of Jones before deciding on whether the team will carry a third quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger and Bruce Gradkowski. On the other sideline, Joe Webb will be starting for the Panthers. His job is believed to be more secure, however.
  • The Steelers have lots of new faces at wide receiver that Roethlisberger will have to get used to, writes Ralph Paulk Jr. of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Second-year receiver Markus Wheaton will be lined up opposite incumbent star Brown while free agent signees Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey, and rookie Martavis Bryant will be there in support.

Eagles Cut 14

August 23rd, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Matt Feminis

The Eagles have announced their first wave of roster cuts:

    • Blake Annen, TE
    • Michael Bamiro, OL
    • Karim Barton, OL
    • Kadron Boone, WR
    • B.J. Cunningham, WR
    • Donald Hawkins, OL
    • Emil Igwenagu, TE
    • Jake Knott, LB
    • Joe Kruger, DE
    • Daytawion Lowe, S
    • Frances Mays, DE
    • Davon Morgan, S
    • Carey Spear, K
    • Alejandro Villanueva, DE

Knott is somewhat of a surprise given his special-teams contributions last season, but he dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp and faces a four-game suspension.

Eagles Notes: Kelly, Matthews, Carroll, Long, Barkley, Villanueva

June 21st, 2014 at 11:56am CST by Matt Feminis

Eagles second-rounder Jordan Matthews “caught everything thrown his way and lined up both inside and outside,” according to Phillymag.com’s Sheil Kapadia, who took stock of the team’s draft picks now that spring work has concluded. Kapadia expects Matthews to emerge as the team’s No. 1 slot receiver.

Other Eagles tidbits:

  • Head coach Chip Kelly held a press this week and was again asked about the unceremonious divorce from DeSean Jackson, but Kelly made it clear that he’s not in the message sending business. Bob Grotz of the Delaware County Daily Times relayed that bit of information as well as a related quote from center Jason Kelce which indicates that, while the Jackson release resonated, it has not affected the team’s stability: “As opposed to the way a lot of the media portrays it I don’t think that the release was solely on character things and a lot of other things, I think that might be something that’s been played out way too far. I think there are a lot of different factors. His release has not changed in my mind anything about the way this organization runs, the culture of it or anything.”
  • Free agent acquisition Nolan Carroll and 2013 undrafted free agent Travis Long were among a handful of under-the-radar players highlighted by Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. Now two years removed from a reconstructed ACL, Long is pushing for a roster spot and has drawn praise from Kelly.
  • Long would help his chances of making the roster by proving himself valuable on special teams, an area the Eagles have made a concerted effort to improve, notes ESPN’s Phil Sheridan: “The Eagles added Bryan Braman, a linebacker who excelled on special teams in Houston, and cornerback Nolan Carroll, an excellent gunner on coverage teams. Safety Chris Maragos was a special teams regular for Seattle last year. Darren Sproles, who will see plenty of time on offense, is a first-rate return man.”
  • Is Matt Barkley‘s arm strength a major concern? Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com thinks so.
  • Army product Alejandro Villanueva, an undrafted free agent, is a long shot, but his work ethic is noteworthy and worth reading about. Kelly told team website writer Bo Wulf he’s “amazed at everything that Alejandro does.”

Minor Moves: Villanueva, Tanard Jackson

May 5th, 2014 at 1:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

This time of year, NFL teams are engaged in a flurry of transactions, signing and releasing players with little or no game experience. We’ll keep track of said minor moves in this post, and any updates will be added to the top of the list:

  • The NFL has reinstated Redskins safety Tanard Jackson, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Jackson was suspended indefinitely in 2012 for violations of the league’s substance abuse program, and hasn’t seen game action since 2011.
  • The Eagles announced they have signed defensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva to a rookie free agent contract. Villanueva is a veteran of the the U.S. Army who has risen to the rank of captain, and has served three tours in Afghanistan. He last played football as a receiver for Army in 2009. The Eagles watched the 6’9″, 277 pound Villanueva work out at the Super Regional Combine in April.