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Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 6th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC 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 for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Vikings Reduce Roster To 53 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 5:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Having acquired offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles from the Chargers earlier today, the Vikings needed to remove 23 players from their active roster, as the league moved from 75-man rosters down to 53-man squads. Minnesota announced all of its moves in one go, issuing a press release that features 22 cuts, along with cornerback Jabari Price heading to the reserve/suspended list.

Here are the players cut today by the Vikings:

  • T Babatunde Aiyegbusi
  • DT Chigbo Anunoby
  • DE B.J. Dubose
  • G Isame Faciane
  • C Tom Farniok
  • WR Donte Foster
  • WR Isaac Fruechte
  • S Anthony Harris
  • RB DuJuan Harris
  • DT Greg Hickman
  • DE Leon Mackey
  • LB Michael Mauti
  • LB Brian Peters
  • CB Shaun Prater
  • FB Blake Renaud
  • CB Josh Thomas
  • T Tyrus Thompson
  • C Bobby Vardaro
  • LB Brandon Watts
  • WR Ryan Whalen
  • RB Dominique Williams
  • OL David Yankey

Vikings To Sign 10 Undrafted Free Agents

May 5th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings are the latest team to announce their 2015 undrafted free agent class, having come to terms with 10 rookies. Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link) has the full list, which we’ll pass along right here, accompanied by bonus info from Ben Goessling of ESPN.com:

  • Justin Coleman, CB, Tennessee
  • DaVaris Daniels, WR, Notre Dame ($10K bonus)
  • Tom Farniok, C, Iowa State
  • Anthony Harris, S, Virginia ($10K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary)
  • Taylor Heinicke, QB, Old Dominion ($10K bonus, plus $10K guaranteed salary)
  • Jordan Leslie, WR, BYU
  • Gavin Lutman, WR, Pittsburg State ($7.5K bonus)
  • Blake Renaud, FB, Boise State
  • Jesse Somsel, G, Saginaw Valley State
  • Bobby Vardaro, G, Boston College ($2K bonus)

Draft Visits: Perriman, DGB, Clemmings, Jones

April 21st, 2015 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest updates on a few draft prospects taking some visits and working out for teams this week:

  • Breshad Perriman, WR (UCF): Visiting the Titans today, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Second overall is too high for Perriman, but 33rd overall is likely too late to nab him, so Tennessee could be doing its due diligence in the event of a trade.
  • Dorial Green-Beckham, WR (Missouri): Visiting the Chiefs today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • T.J. Clemmings, OT (Pittsburgh): Visiting the Saints, Falcons, and Rams this week, and has met with 19 teams since his Pro Day, per Rapoport (Twitter link).
  • Byron Jones, CB (UConn): Visiting the Dolphins, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Jones was previously identified as a player on Miami’s radar.
  • Anthony Harris, S (Virginia); Marcus Rush, DE (Michigan State): Both players are visiting the Lions today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
  • Kyle Emanuel, DE (North Dakota); Eric Rowe, CB (Utah); Doran Grant, CB (Ohio State): All three players visited the Steelers today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
  • Daryl Williams, OL (Oklahoma); Tyrus Thompson, OL (Oklahoma); Adam Shead, OL (Oklahoma): All three players worked out for Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko today, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Williams and Thompson previously worked out for Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack.
  • Jesse Davis, OL (Idaho): Has a private workout with the Seahawks later this week, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

East Notes: Dez, JPP, Giants, Mathis, Jets

April 20th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

Most teams around the NFL begin their voluntary offseason programs today, and a handful of players in the NFC East won’t be in attendance at their respective teams’ workouts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys will be without franchise player Dez Bryant and underpaid cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports that another franchise player, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, will be absent for the Giants.

Meanwhile, Eagles guard Evan Mathis, who attended the team’s voluntary workouts last spring amid trade rumors, won’t do the same this year, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Mathis is staying away for now. Asked about his absence, the veteran offensive lineman jokingly replied, “I’m in Antarctica looking for frozen dinosaurs to extract their DNA and splice them with my chihuahuasaur” (Twitter link via McLane).

While we wish Mathis the best of luck on his Antarctic expedition, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • The Jets likely won’t select Breshad Perriman with the sixth overall pick, when one or both of Kevin White and Amari Cooper could still be on the board, but New York is doing its homework anyway, hosting the UCF wideout for a visit today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
  • There’s a good chance that the Giants will re-sign safety Stevie Brown soon, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. According to Schwartz, Brown would like to return to New York, but wanted to see if he could do better than the one-year deal the Giants offered him. However, it doesn’t appear that any other potential suitors are willing to do a longer-term contract.
  • As the Giants continue to consider options at safety, Raanan tweets that Virginia defensive back Anthony Harris – who is capable of playing the free safety position – visited the team this weekend.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has details on another Giants pre-draft meeting, reporting that Purdue running back Akeem Hunt is visiting the club today.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Vikings, 49ers, Draft

April 8th, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest mailbag at TheMMQB.com, Peter King examines a potential trade for Adrian Peterson, suggesting that the Cardinals and Cowboys remain “the leaders in the clubhouse.” However, King doesn’t think either team will do anything rash to acquire the former MVP from the Vikings, pointing out that with the second-round pick it might take to trade for Peterson, potential suitors might be better off simply drafting a much younger, cheaper back.

Let’s check out a few more notes from around the NFC, with a focus on pre-draft visits:

  • The Vikings are taking a closer look at a ton of draft prospects this week, and we can add at least a couple more new names to the list today. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets that Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith is in Minnesota to meet with the team, while Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune says (via Twitter) that Virginia safety Anthony Harris is also in town.
  • Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who grew up in Sacramento, is making a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The Niners added Darnell Dockett in free agency but could be in the market for more defensive line help if and when Justin Smith decides to retire.
  • Utah cornerback Eric Rowe, who is viewed as a first- or second-day pick, is visiting the Lions today, says Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Rowe, a four-year starter at Utah, is a versatile defensive back, with experience at safety as well.
  • Tight end Nick O’Leary was among the players to have a private workout with the Buccaneers, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Packers are hosting Pittsburgh offensive lineman Matt Rotheram for a visit today, tweets agent Jeff Jankovich.