HEADLINES

Antonio Hamilton

Tender Updates: Broncos, Giants, Jets

March 3rd, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams have until March 13th to place tenders on their impending restricted free agents, but we’ve already seen some teams make their decisions. We’ve compiled some of the players who will not be tendered by their current teams, making them unrestricted free agents:

  • The Broncos aren’t expected to tender wideout Jordan Taylor, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The former undrafted free agent out of Rice spent four seasons with the organization, and he hauled in 29 receptions, 351 yards, and two scores between 2016 and 2017. The 27-year-old sat out all of last season as he recovered from offseason hip surgery.
  • ProFootballTalk.com reports (via Twitter) that the Giants won’t be tendering cornerback Antonio Hamilton. The 2016 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State spent the first two seasons of his career with the Raiders, and he was claimed by New York prior to the 2018 season. He proceeded to appear in 13 games as a special teamer for the Giants, compiling six tackles. He was placed on the injured reserve in mid-December after suffering a quad injury.
  • ProFootballTalk.com also reports (via Twitter) that Jets tight end Clive Walford won’t be tendered. The 27-year-old has 70 career receptions, although 61 of those catches came during his first two seasons in the league with the Raiders. His final season in Oakland saw him catch only nine passes, and he was released by the organization last offseason. Walford had two stints with the Jets and one stint with the Colts in 2018, appearing in only a single game.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/18

December 18th, 2018 at 8:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: T Eric Smith

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Workout Notes: Giants, Jets, Raiders, Colts

September 3rd, 2018 at 9:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Week 1 practices are underway, here’s the latest from the workout circuit:

  • The Giants appear to envy the Raiders’ roster depth. After adding Mario Edwards and cornerback Antonio Hamilton, Big Blue will work out Raiders 2017 fourth-round tackle David Sharpe, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets. Sharpe’s shed 30 pounds this offseason, per Gehlken. He played in five games and started two as a rookie. The Giants will also audition former Broncos cornerback Michael Hunter, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). These workouts will take place Tuesday.
  • Hunter was part of a four-cornerback contingent that auditioned for the Texans on Labor Day, with veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweeting Hunter, Breon Borders, Chris Campbell and Jalen Myrick took part in the Monday showcase. Of this quartet, only Myrick has NFL experience. He played five games as a Texan last season.
  • Dan Bailey appears to have a good chance to be the Jets‘ next kicker, but in the event the team doesn’t sign him, an insurance option is coming to the Big Apple for a workout. Matt McCrane will kick for Jets brass on Wednesday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. The Cardinals cut McCrane last week. Jason Myers currently sits as Gang Green’s kicker, but he may not have a good grip on the job.
  • Prior to the Raiders signing Brandon LaFell, they worked out one of their former wideouts. Brice Butler trekked back to Oakland for a Monday workout, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets. Although most of Reggie McKenzie‘s draft picks aren’t too popular with Jon Gruden right now, Butler joined the Raiders as a 2013 seventh-round and played sparingly in 2013 and ’14. The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys prior to the 2015 season. Butler did not impress the Cardinals in camp, despite signing a two-year deal this spring.
  • The Patriots worked out tight end Stephen Anderson, tackle Eric Smith and wide receiver Jace Billingsley on Monday, Balzer tweets. New England will sign Smith to its practice squad.
  • Thinner at wide receiver after losing Marqise Lee, the Jaguars will work out former Giants wideout Kalif Raymond on Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com tweets. The former UDFA mostly served as a Giants return man last season.
  • Multiyear Steelers backup Fitzgerald Toussaint visited the Colts on Monday, per Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Steelers cut the 28-year-old running back last week after what ended up being a three-year stay.
  • Linebacker Jonathan Celestin will work out for the Browns on Tuesday, per NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). The Falcons axed Celestin after the preseason.
  • Lastly, the Chiefs auditioned tackle Pace Murphy on Monday, per Balzer.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East

September 2nd, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

New York Giants

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Washington Redskins

Practice squad:

Giants Claim Mario Edwards

September 2nd, 2018 at 11:59am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants have claimed DE Mario Edwards off waivers from the Raiders, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). The Raiders had been shopping Edwards, whom they selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, but they could not find any takers. Edwards has not lived up to his draft status yet, but he will get a fresh start in the Big Apple.

Edwards entered the league very young as a 21-year-old rookie and missed most of his second season with a hip injury. Edwards bounced back a bit last year, as he started in each of his 14 appearances and set a new career high with 3.5 sacks. However, he never impressed new Oakland head coach Jon Gruden, and the team was reportedly frustrated with him.

In New York, Edwards will certainly have a chance to show off the pass rushing ability that made him a second-round draft choice, as rookie B.J. Hill and second-year player Dalvin Tomlinson are currently penciled in as the team’s starting defensive ends.

In addition to Edwards, the Giants have also claimed the following players, per Albert Breer of TheMMQB (via Twitter):

Raiders Announce Roster Cuts

September 1st, 2018 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Trading Khalil Mack wasn’t the Raiders’ only order of business Saturday. They’ve also moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP list:

Raiders Place DB Obi Melifonwu On IR

December 15th, 2017 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders have activated cornerback Antonio Hamilton from injured reserve and placed safety Obi Melifonwu on IR, the club announced today.Obi Melifonwu (vertical)

Melifonwu, whom Oakland selected earlier this year with the 56th overall pick, will now see his lost rookie campaign come to an end. The former UConn Huskie underwent knee surgery in August and missed eight weeks, and has now had an operation on his hip, as head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters, including Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).

While the Raiders had hoped Melifonwu would aid a pass defense which ranks dead last in DVOA, he ended up playing only 34 defensive snaps over five games. Oakland will need Melifonwu at full health in 2018, as the club is likely counting on him to step into the starting lineup given that veteran safety Reggie Nelson will hit free agency.

Hamilton, who went undrafted out of South Carolina State in 2016, has appeared in eight total games during his two-year NFL career. The 24-year-old will likely see most of his action on special teams as the season comes to a close, but he’ll also serve as a reserve cornerback behind T.J. Carrie, Sean Smith, and David Amerson.

Raiders To Bring Antonio Hamilton Off IR

November 28th, 2017 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have designated cornerback Antonio Hamilton to return from injured reserve, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The move will trigger a three-week window for Hamilton to return to the 53-man roster. If he is not activated within that timeframe, he will not be eligible to play for the remainder of the season. Antonio Hamilton (vertical)

The move officially means that will will not see kicker Sebastian Janikowski or offensive lineman Denver Kirkland take the field again in 2017. Each team has only two IR-DTR spots to use and one has already been burned to activate safety Obi Melifonwu.

Hamilton underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus back in October. Before that, the second-year player appeared in four games, primarily as a special-teamer. Last year, he made ten appearances. Per league rules, Hamilton will be eligible to play against the Cowboys on Dec. 17.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/17

October 14th, 2017 at 5:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Jack Mewhort‘s IR trip prompted the Colts to look outside the organization for help. They signed guard Isaiah Williams off the Chiefs‘ practice squad. Williams failed to make the Redskins’ roster out of camp in each of the past two summers but caught on with the Chiefs earlier this season. He’s yet to play in a regular-season game.
  • Chris Conley‘s nationally televised Achilles’ tendon rupture sent the third-year wide receiver to IR, and the Chiefs replaced him on the roster with practice squad wideout Marcus Kemp. The Chiefs signed Kemp as a UDFA out of Hawaii in May and stashed him on their practice squad after the preseason.
  • The Raiders will bring their 2016 third-round pick back to the active roster, re-signing linebacker Shilique Calhoun and placing cornerback Antonio Hamilton on IR, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Hamilton underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The second-year player played in four games this season for the Raiders, primarily as a special-teamer. Calhoun played in 10 Oakland games last season but landed on the team’s practice squad to start this campaign.
  • The 49ers promoted tight end Cole Hikutini to their active roster from the practice squad. A rookie UDFA out of Louisville, Hikutini’s resided in San Francisco’s practice squad since the preseason concluded. Hikutini will take NaVorro Bowman‘s roster spot.
  • The Texans cut safety Marcus Cromartie and replaced him with practice squad safety Kurtis Drummond, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. Cromartie played the past three seasons as 49ers depth piece. Although Drummond played in four Houston games this season, the team cut him to make room for waiver claim Ben Heeney last week.

Raiders Sign 13 Undrafted Free Agents

May 10th, 2016 at 5:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders announced that they have signed a baker’s dozen of undrafted free agents. The group, of course, is made up of mostly unheralded prospects, but there are a few notable names in the bunch, including Duke wide receiver Max McCaffrey. McCaffrey, the son of former Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, posted a 4.46 second 40-yard dash at his pro day last month.

Here’s the full list of Oakland’s UDFAs:

  • WR K.J. Brent (Wake Forest)
  • C Ross Burbank (Virginia)
  • LB/DE James Cowser (Southern Utah)
  • DB Kenneth Durden (Youngstown State)
  • DB Antonio Hamilton (South Carolina State)
  • WR Johnny Holton (Cincinnati)
  • DL Drew Iddings (South Dakota)
  • DT Darius Latham (Indiana)
  • WR Max McCaffrey (Duke)
  • DB Tony McRae (North Carolina A&T)
  • TE Ryan O’Malley (Pennsylvania)
  • G Oni Omoile (Iowa State)
  • LB Kyrie Wilson (Fresno State) ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)