HEADLINES

Austin Calitro

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/1/18

January 1st, 2018 at 7:17pm CST by Micah Powell

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 Workout Updates: 9/29/17

September 29th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • P Brock Miller (link via Howard Balzer)

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

  • WR Rashard Davis (link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post)

NFL Workout Updates: 9/27/17

September 27th, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • LSs Andrew East and Anthony Kukwa (link)

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 9/22/17

September 22nd, 2017 at 7:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Friday’s workout updates (Twitter links via Howard Balzer):

Cleveland Browns

  • LB Austin Calitro

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/17

September 4th, 2017 at 8:21pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL teams began forming their practice squads on Sunday, but they’re tinkering with them today as they will throughout the season. We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

49ers Slash Roster To 53

September 2nd, 2017 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers completed their wave of cuts and have reduced their roster to the regular-season limit. Here are the final cuts that moved the 49ers down to 53 players.

Released:

Waived:

Malcolm Smith Out For Season

August 7th, 2017 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The MRI Malcolm Smith underwent after a chest injury Saturday revealed the worst for the seventh-year linebacker. He tore a pectoral muscle and is expected to miss the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The team formally announced that he will be placed on IR. To take his place, former Villanova linebacker Austin Calitro was signed to a two-year deal.

The 49ers signed Smith to a five-year, $26.5MM deal but will now move on to other options at weakside linebacker. Reuben Foster, who has been working with the second-team defense at Smith’s spot, stands to be the highest-profile talent of those vying for next-in-line status in San Francisco.

Both Rapoport and Matt Maiocco from CSNBayArea.com (Twitter links) expect the Alabama linebacker, a player the new-look 49ers brass said they considered at No. 3 overall, to move into that spot alongside NaVorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks.

Smith, who missed just one game during his two-year Oakland stint, led the Raiders in tackles in 2015 and ’16 but was given mediocre grades from Pro Football Focus. The 49ers, who hired former Smith position coach Robert Saleh as DC, nonetheless submitted a lucrative contract offer to the 28-year-old off-ball ‘backer.

Smith is set to make $3.7MM this season and carry a cap number of $4.7MM in 2018. It would cost the 49ers $8.1MM in dead money to release Smith in 2018, so the objective for the team and Smith will be a recovery that puts him on course to contribute next season.

The 49ers also have former Raider Ray-Ray Armstrong and ex-Bronco Dekoda Watson in the fold. Former Seahawks backup Brock Coyle resides behind Bowman at middle linebacker.

West Rumors: Maclin, Chiefs, 49ers, Cards

June 3rd, 2017 at 7:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The news of Jeremy Maclin‘s release on Friday surprised much of the NFL world, and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was among those blindsided by the decision, as he tells Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. “Shocked,” Smith said of Maclin’s departure. “Jeremy is a really good friend, an amazing teammate, so still kind of just processing that he’s not going to be in there with us, a guy that’s done a lot for us the last two years, a guy I’ve grown really close to.” Maclin, 29, averaged 66 receptions, 812 yards, and five touchdowns in two seasons catching passes from Smith.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • Now that Maclin is a free agent, he could be a consideration for the 49ers, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes. San Francisco invested in one experienced wideout (Pierre Garcon) this offseason, but the rest of their receiving corps is relatively uninspiring. Marquise Goodwin, Jeremy Kerley, Bruce Ellington, Aldrick Robinson, and rookie Trent Taylor are among the 49ers’ other options at receiver. From a talent standpoint, Maclin would represent a clear upgrade, but it’s unclear if he prefers to sign on with a contending team. In the midst of a rebuild, San Francisco doesn’t figure to be overly competitive in 2017, meaning Maclin could look to latch on with a club closer to earning a postseason berth.
  • Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley underwent core muscle surgery three weeks ago, and while he figures to miss organized team activities, Shipley will be ready for training camp, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. The 31-year-old Shipley, who re-signed with Arizona on a two-year, $3.5MM deal in March, graded as the league’s No. 14 center in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Reserve interior lineman Cole Toner is currently working as the Cardinals’ center in Shipley’s absence, per Somers.
  • Former Villanova linebacker Austin Calitro worked out for the Falcons and Chiefs this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Calitro, who went undrafted earlier this year, signed with the Jets in May but lasted only 10 days on their roster. During his senior collegiate season, Calitro registered 85 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defensed.

Minor AFC Transactions: 5/15/17

May 15th, 2017 at 6:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams are doing lots of spring cleaning today, so we’ll split the moves into two separate posts for each conference. First up, the AFC:

  • The Raiders announced the signing of safety Marcus McWilson. A Kentucky product, McWilson played in 13 games for the Wildcats in 2016, racking up 108 tackles (4.5 for loss) and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown.
  • Following suit on a busy transaction day for fringe roster cogs, the Ravens added four UDFAs to their offseason roster. Baltimore added linebacker Randy Allen (South Alabama), wide receiver Aaron Bailey (Northern Iowa), defensive back Jaylen Hill (Jacksonville State) and tackle Roubbens Joseph (Buffalo), Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
  • The Browns signed defensive backs Donte Carey and Najee Murray. Both players participated in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Josh Boutte.
  • The Titans signed defensive lineman Jimmy Staten, a fifth-round draft pick by Seattle in 2014. In addition to Staten, they inked defensive lineman Cameron Robbins (Northwestern), linebacker Johnny Ragin (Oregon), cornerback Trevon Hartfield (Southwestern Oklahoma State), and kicker Jordan Gay (Centre). Staten, Robbins, Ragin and Hartfield all took part in the team’s rookie minicamp. To make space, the Titans waived defensive lineman Roderick Henderson and linebacker Reshard Cliett.
  • The Jets announced the signing of linebacker Jevaris Jones and released fellow linebacker Austin Calitro.
  • The Colts signed free agent guard Blake Muir and four undrafted free agents: cornerback Dante Blackmon, safety Tyson Graham, wide receiver Al-Damion Riles, and offensive tackle Andrew Wylie. To make room for the new players, the team parted ways with center/guard Austin Blythe (a 2016 seventh-round pick) and cornerback Frankie Williams. The Colts also waived three 2017 UDFAs: wide receiver Jerome Lane, cornerback Chris Lyles, and guard Chris Muller.
  • The Bills have signed linebackers Abner Logan and Anthony Harrell while waiving safety Jeremy Tyler and linebacker Junior Sylvestre.

Jets Sign 8 Undrafted Free Agents

May 5th, 2017 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have signed eight undrafted free agents, according to a team announcement:

  • Austin Calitro, LB (Villanova)
  • Xavier Coleman, CB (Portland State)
  • Brisly Estime, WR/PR (Syracuse)
  • Anthony Firkser, FB/TE (Harvard)
  • Patrick Gamble, DL (Georgia Tech)
  • Connor Harris, LB (Lindenwood)
  • Javarius Leamon, OT (South Carolina State)
  • Gabe Marks, WR (Washington State)

Marks left Washington State as the Pac-12’s record holder for career receptions, but still didn’t hear his name called after 250+ selections on draft weekend. Some believe that Marks went undrafted because of the perception that his stats were inflated by the Cougars’ pass-heavy offense. For his part, Marks rejects that notion.

“Guys are trying to call us ‘system receivers’ like that’s a thing,’’ Marks told the Seattle Times in February. “It’s not a thing. You’ve still got to do it. It doesn’t matter the system that you are in. You’ve still got to catch the ball. Somebody has to catch the ball and score the touchdowns. If you just put some guy out there that couldn’t play, it wouldn’t work. I just get an opportunity to catch more passes — I can understand that. But I’m still getting open. So the whole ‘system receiver’ thing kind of bothers me a little bit.”

Estime probably had interest from at least one other team since he received an above-average $15K package ($5K bonus, $10K base) to sign with the Jets (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).