HEADLINES

Alex Bazzie

Cardinals Down To 53

September 2nd, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals announced their full slate of cuts to get to 53:

Wright was a standout at the University of Arizona. As a sophomore for the Wildcats, Wright was an absolute monster as he tallied 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and he wound up as a seventh-round pick of the Browns. The Cardinals were happy to scoop him up in December, but he has been pushed out in favor of veteran Josh Bynes and others.

Also of note – fourth-round guard Dorian Johnson has been cut. Johnson struggled in camp and the Cardinals were not willing to use a roster spot on him. I would speculate that he could be a taxi squad candidate.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/17

June 6th, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:

  • The Bills have added wide receiver Rashad Ross and cut fellow wideout Kolby Listenbee with a waived/non-football injury designation. Buffalo is already the seventh team for Ross, who went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2013. A veteran of 22 regular-season games, Ross has never caught a pass, though he has returned 34 kicks and run one back for a touchdown. Listenbee went to the Bills last year as a sixth-round pick, but the ex-TCU target didn’t participate in any of their games.
  • The Saints have waived linebacker Travis Feeney with an injury designation, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate. New Orleans plucked Feeney off the Steelers’ practice squad last December, but the then-rookie sixth-rounder from Washington didn’t see action with either team.
  • The Cardinals have announced three signings – linebacker Alex Bazzie, cornerback Daniel Gray and Chris Hubert – and the waiving of linebacker Mikey Bart. Bazzie is now on his third team dating back May 1, as both the Colts and Panthers cut the ex-Canadian Football League player last month. Gray went undrafted from Utah State and tried out for the Cardinals afterward, but he wasn’t able to earn a roster spot then. He’s a cousin of Cardinals quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich, notes Brandon Judd of the Deseret News. Hubert has had multiple go-arounds with Arizona since it first signed him undrafted out of Fayetteville State last year. And Bart lasted just over two weeks with the Cardinals, who signed the UDFA from North Carolina on May 17.
  • The Ravens announced that they’ve signed tight end Ryan Malleck and cut cornerback Carlos Davis. Malleck, undrafted from Virginia Tech in 2016, previously spent time with the Giants and Steelers. Davis hooked on with the Ravens last month as an undrafted free agent, but he suffered an injury early in OTAs.
  • The Titans have waived/injured cornerback John Green and signed free agent receiver Mekale McKay. Green had a short stay with the Titans, who signed the undrafted ex-UConn defender in May. McKay, undrafted from Cincinnati a year ago, was previously with the Colts, Jaguars and Broncos.
  • The Broncos have signed guard Christopher Muller, who’s joining his second team since going undrafted last month. Muller, formerly with Rutgers, had a brief stint with the Colts.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/30/17

May 30th, 2017 at 8:16pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Lions announced today that they have signed offensive guard Connor Bozick. The lineman didn’t catch on with a team following the conclusion of his four-year career at Delaware. The two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association recipient made 46 career appearance during his collegiate career. To make room on the roster, the team has waived-injured Brandon Chubb. The former Wake Forest standout has also had stints with the Rams and 49ers, although he’s yet to make an NFL appearance.
  • The Panthers announced that they swapped linebackers today, signing Zeek Bigger and waiving Alex Bazzie. Bigger, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of East Carolina, participated in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Bazzie joined the organization earlier this month following a brief stint with the Colts. The former undrafted free agent out of Marshall previously spent three seasons playing for the BC Lions of the CFL.
  • The Jets signed wideout Chris Harper today. The former Cal star appeared in nine games (two starts) for the 49ers last season, hauling in 13 receptions for 133 yards. He also spent time with the Patriots, spending time on their active roster and practice squad. To make room, tight end Braedon Bowman has been waived. The 23-year-old appeared in three games for the Jets last season. He was originally claimed off waivers by the organization in September.
  • The Bears have released wide receiver Jhajuan Seales, reports Alex Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The Oklahoma State product finished his senior season with 37 receptions for 615 yards and four touchdowns. He signed as an undrafted free agent earlier this month.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/7/17

May 7th, 2017 at 7:10pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

  • The Raiders saw enough from two tryout defenders over the weekend to extend offers. Former Tennessee defensive lineman LaTroy Lewis and ex-Wagner College linebacker Najee Harris will sign with the team, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (Twitter links). Both agreed to three-year deals, although they will obviously have uphill battles due to the circumstances of their respective signings. Lewis played both defensive end and tackle with the Volunteers.
  • The Jets announced that they’ve signed tryout offensive linemen Benjamin Braden and Chris Bordelon. In order to create roster space, New York has waived offensive lineman Donald Hawkins and long snapper Zach Triner. Braden appeared in 38 games during his career at Michigan, while Bordelon was a 12-game starter for Nicholls State in 2016. Hawkins, meanwhile, played in seven contests for Carolina last season, but finished out the year with Gang Green.

Earlier updates:

  • The Ravens have released RB Stephen Houston, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • The Panthers signed their entire draft class several days ago, and now they are working on filling out their 90-man roster. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reports, Carolina has signed LB Kyle Kragen (whose father, Greg Kragen, was a member of the Panthers’ 1995 expansion team), LB Alex Bazzie, and DT Gabriel Mass.

Colts Cut 10 Players

May 1st, 2017 at 7:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was a house cleaning Monday in Indianapolis, which rid itself of 10 players. In addition to releasing long snapper Matt Overton, safety Duke Williams and cornerback Charles James, the Colts waived linebackers Alex Bazzie and Deon King, punter Devon Bell, long snapper Joe Fortunato, safety Stefan McClure, cornerback Larry Scott and wide receiver Devin Street.

Matt Overton

Overton was the longest-tenured and most successful Colt of the group, as he became their long snapper in 2012, made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and posted five straight 16-game seasons. After his release, the 31-year-old took to Twitter to express his gratitude toward the Colts and a desire to continue his career.

Williams and James only played one game apiece with the Colts last year, but they previously logged extensive action with other teams. Williams appeared in all 48 of the Bills’ games from 2013-15 and another nine last year, accumulating 10 starts during that span. James took the field for 12 of the Giants’ contests as a rookie in 2013 and another 21 with the Texans from 2015-16, including 12 last season.

Like Overton, Williams and James, King and Street have also accrued NFL experience. King, undrafted from Norfolk State last year, suited up for six games as a rookie – four with the Chargers, two with the Colts – though he managed only one tackle. Street was also involved in six contests last season, all with Indy, and caught one pass on six targets. He hauled in nine throws with the Cowboys from 2014-15.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/17

January 9th, 2017 at 8:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Extra Points: Giants, JPP, Raiders, McGloin

January 3rd, 2017 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Let’s go coast-to-coast for some news from around the NFL:

  • Despite a report that Jason Pierre-Paul could return for the divisional round and possibly even Wild Card weekend, the timeline has not changed for the Giants star, a source tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. That means JPP is still looking at a conference round return as his best-case scenario. The defensive end is still just one month removed from sports hernia/groin surgery.
  • The Raiders are going forward with the expectation that quarterback Connor Cook starts against the Texans, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Matt McGloin is not believed to be ready for this weekend’s playoff game. If McGloin cannot go, it sounds like Oakland will have quarterback Garrett Gilbert on the active roster as the backup.
  • The Raiders worked out seven players Monday including running back LaMichael James, but no quarterbacks (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). defensive end Alex Bazzie, linebacker Brandon Hepburn, safety Dion Bailey, and cornerback Greg Ducre also auditioned, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/20/16

December 20th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tuesday is typically a busy workout day for NFL teams, and the level of activity only increases near the end of the season, when clubs are looking at players who might be candidates for reserve/futures contracts. Here are today’s tryout notes:

  • The Buccaneers worked out quarterback Sean Renfree, defensive end Alex Bazzie, linebacker Deon Lacey, and Spanish rugby star Inaki Villanueva (as a tight end), reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Renfree, 26, spent last season as Matt Ryan‘s backup in Atlanta, and has auditioned for a number of clubs this year without being offered a deal.
  • The Lions worked out a pair of free agent tight ends — David Ausberry and Gabe Hughes — at the end of last week, tweets Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. PFR reported earlier this year that Ausberry tore his Achilles during a November 2015 tryout with New York, and has presumably been rehabbing ever since.
  • Former Chicago linebacker Khaseem Greene tried out for the Chiefs, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Greene started six games for the Bears from 2012-14, and has spent time on a few other NFL rosters, but hasn’t appeared in the NFL in two years.
  • The Jets met with quarterback Mike Bercovici; tight ends M.J. McFarland, Gannon Sinclair, and Jason Vander Laan; and wide receiver Dez Stewart, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bercovici, a 2016 favorite of some NFL draftniks, went to camp with San Diego but didn’t make the final cut.
  • The Titans worked out former Oakland/New York defensive end Shelby Harris today, tweets Caplan. Harris, 25, played in eight games over the past two seasons with the Raiders.
  • The Texans met with cornerback Mitchell White, who has spent the past three years in the Canadian Football League, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots auditioned defensive tackle Jeoffrey Pagan, reports Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link).