Alex Balducci

NFL Workout Updates: 1/3/19

Today’s workout updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • WR Jordan Williams-Lambert

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jets Officially Cut 18 Players

The Jets’ roster is now at 71 players after the club announced 18 cuts today. Like all NFL teams, New York will need to reduce to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. Several of the following transactions were reported earlier today, but we’ll list them here as well:

Waived:

Released:

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/18

Today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks 

Redskins Sign LB/DE Dadi Nicolas

The Redskins have signed linebacker/defensive end Dadi Nicolas, according to a team announcement. To make room, the team has waived offensive lineman Alex Balducci

Nicolas, 26 in September, joined the Chiefs as a sixth-round pick in 2016, and the Chiefs soon announced their intention to move him from defensive end to linebacker. The position switch never quite off the ground, however, as Nicolas appeared sparingly in eleven games during his rookie campaign before a ruptured patellar ended his season. He hasn’t seen the field since.

The Chiefs actually completed a trade involving Nicolas earlier this year, sending him to the Browns in exchange for tight end Randall Telfer. That deal was later voided, however, and though no specific reason was given, failed physicals are known to regularly cancel transactions. Kansas City subsequently waived him, leading him to the Seahawks in May. However, he was released one month later.

At 6″3, 225 pounds, Nicolas could see time at either linebacker or defensive end for the Redskins, if he makes the roster. The Redskins edge rushing crew is headlined by Matthew Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, and Preston Smith. Nicolas will fight for a spot in reserve, alongside new outside linebacker Pernell McPhee.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/1/18

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:

Baltimore Ravens

  • QB Josh Woodrum
  • RB John Crockett
  • FB Ricky Ortiz
  • OT Steven Moore

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • LB Carl Bradford
  • K Jon Brown
  • LB Connor Harris
  • OT Javarius Leamon
  • OG Oni Omoile
  • TE Scott Orndoff
  • CB Sojourn Shelton
  • SS Robenson Therezie
  • WR Kermit Whitfield

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

  • TE Mo Alie-Cox
  • WR Dres Anderson
  • DT Johnathan Calvin
  • WR Kolby Listenbee
  • LB Arthur Miley
  • LB Josh Perry
  • QB Phillip Walker
  • G Isaiah Williams

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/17

Monday’s practice squad moves…

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: DT Daniel Ross

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Jets Make 23 Moves, Reach 53-Man Limit

The Jets waived 17 players, released three, placed two on the suspended list, and waived/injured one player in order to reach the 53-man maximum. Here’s the complete breakdown:

Waived:

Reserve/Suspended:

Waived/Injured:

Released:

Purdum was the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, but he wasn’t performing up to standards this offseason. When the Jets acquired long snapper Thomas Hennessy in a trade with the Colts in late August, it was clear that Purdum’s time with the organization was coming to a close.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/3/17

Today’s minor moves:

  • The 49ers are the first team to sign a 2017 draft pick, as they’ve agreed to terms with fourth-round running back Joe Williams, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Williams, a Utah product, will compete for playing time behind Carlos Hyde during his rookie season. He should be in line for a four-year deal worth roughly $3.029MM and a signing bonus of about $329K.
  • The Jets have claimed offensive lineman Alex Balducci off waivers from San Francisco, per the league’s transaction wire. Balducci, 23, played defensive line at Oregon, but shifted to offense under his collegiate head coach Chip Kelly with the 49ers. In 2016, Balducci appeared in two games, but played on only six total snaps (three on offense, three on special teams).
  • Defensive lineman Zach Moore was the third former 49er (joining Balducci and Mike Purcell, who landed with the Rams) to land with a new club today, as the Panthers claimed the 26-year-old off waivers today. Moore is a former sixth-round pick of the Patriots who’s bounced around during three seasons in the NFL, as he’s also spent time with the Vikings and Cowboys. He’ll add depth in Carolina, but seems unlikely to make a roster that is relatively deep at defensive end.
  • The Chiefs have signed free agent cornerback De’Vante Bausby, the club announced today. Bausby, 23, was waived by Chicago on Monday. The former undrafted free agent bounced on and off the Bears’ active roster in 2016, ultimately starting four games for Chicago and posting 11 tackles while playing on roughly 10% of the team’s defensive snaps. Kansas City currently has seven cornerbacks on its roster, but didn’t select one in last week’s draft, so Bausby may have a shot to make the squad. He’ll likely need to pick up special teams duty, something he didn’t do last season.
  • The Colts announced today that they’ve waived guard Isiah Cage. Cage, 23, signed with Indianapolis last spring after going undrafted out of Division III Wisconsin Eau-Claire. Less than a month after inking a deal with the Colts, Cage suffered was waived/injured and reverted to the club’s injured reserve list, where he spent the entirety of his rookie campaign. This time around, Cage will become a free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
  • The Seahawks have re-signed fullback/tight end Brandon Cottom, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Cottom, 24, originally signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He’s spent time on the Seahawks’ active roster and practice squad, but landed on injured reserve in 2016 after tearing his Achilles.
  • The Rams announced that they’ve waived defensive back Jerome Couplin, long snapper Andrew East, running back Brandon Wegher, and tight end Bryce Williams. Couplin and Wegher both have NFL experience, but neither has appeared in a game since 2015.
  • The Vikings have waived safety Cedric Thompson, tweets Courtney Fallon NFL.com. Thompson, a fifth-round pick in 2015, has bounced between Miami, New England, and Minnesota, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.

49ers Cut 13 Players

The 49ers have released 13 players, including linebacker Jayson DiManche and wide receiver Eric Rogers. Here’s the full list:

DiManche was just signed on April 7th, so his stint in San Francisco lasted less than one month. We haven’t seen DiManche in live action since 2015 when he appeared in one game for the Browns. Prior to that, he spent two seasons with the Bengals.

Rogers, a former CFL standout, was a practice field favorite of Chip Kelly last offseason until an unfortunate injury shut him down for the season. This week, the 49ers signed undrafted Baylor wide receiver K.D. Cannon and that only further crowded the wide receiver position in SF. With Rogers and Harper out of the picture, the team still has nine receivers under contract.

49ers Place Center Daniel Kilgore On IR

The 49ers announced today that they’ve placed starting center Daniel Kilgore on injured reserve with a knee injury and promoted offensive lineman Alex Balducci from the practice squad.Daniel Kilgore (Vertical)

[RELATED: 49ers Place Vance McDonald On IR]

Kilgore, who turns 29 years old this week, had been in the midst of his first season as a full-time starter along the San Francisco offensive line, and though he’d played more than 90% of the club’s offensive snaps, he hadn’t been all that effective, grading as just the league’s No. 30 center, according to Pro Football Focus. Under the terms of extension signed in 2014, Kilgore is signed through the 2017 season, and is set to count for just over $1.5MM on the Niners’ cap next year.

Balducci, meanwhile, will join Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner as fellow Oregon defensive linemen (that’s right, defensive linemen) on the San Francisco roster under former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly. After playing on the defensive side of the ball during his collegiate days, who has been transitioning to offense while on the Niners’ practice squad this year, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee details.