HEADLINES

B.J. Cunningham

East Notes: Richardson, Dareus, Cowboys

May 22nd, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

When PFR’s Zach Links passed along word earlier this week that Sheldon Richardson was absent from the Jets‘ practices, he noted that the defensive lineman probably wasn’t seeking a new contract, since he’s not even eligible to negotiate a new deal until after the season. That still appears to the case, and Richardson took to Twitter today to respond to critics, writing that he has “a life outside of football” and simply wanted to spend a little more time with his family.

Here’s more from across the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • While Richardson isn’t eligible for a new contract with the Jets, his fellow defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is, and the addition of Leonard Williams in the draft has made that situation murky. Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at Wilkerson’s contract, concluding that the standout defender would probably be able to earn a bigger contract outside of New York, and may end up being the odd man out with the Jets.
  • Marcell Dareus of the Bills is another AFC East defensive lineman seeking a contract extension, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Buffalo still wants to lock up Dareus to a long-term deal, preferably before training camp gets underway. Rapoport echoes something I wrote yesterday, suggesting that Dareus’ one-game suspension won’t have an adverse effect on extension talks.
  • We heard yesterday that the Cowboys worked out a number of free agent running backs, including Ben Tate, Felix Jones, and Daniel Thomas. According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the club also auditioned wide receivers B.J. Cunningham, Kris Durham, and Tommy Streeter.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

November 12th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, plenty of practice squad players are on the move again this week, being signed, cut, or promoted as teams prepare for Week 11 games. Here are Wednesday’s latest practice squad additions and subtractions:

  • Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter), linebacker D.J. Smith has joined the Browns‘ practice squad, replacing fellow linebacker Allen Bradford, who was signed by the Seahawks’ active roster today.
  • A day after being cut by the Jaguars, cornerback Peyton Thompson has cleared waivers and re-signed with the team’s practice squad, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • The Ravens have replaced tight end Phillip Supernaw, who signed with the Chiefs earlier this week, with tight end Konrad Reuland, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Seahawks have added fullback Stanley Havili to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
  • After promoting linebacker Max Bullough to their active roster, the Texans got their practice squad back up to the maximum 10 players by signing former Central Florida tackle Chris Martin, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers have filled the two openings on their practice squad by signing linebacker Jeremy Grable and offensive lineman Jeremiah Warren, both of whom have previously been with the team, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
  • Another club with two openings on its taxi squad has also filled them — the Bears announced today (via Twitter) that wide receiver B.J. Cunningham and guard Antoine McClain have signed with the team.
  • The Cardinals have swapped out an offensive player for a defender, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, who tweets that the team has signed cornerback Darren Woodard to its practice squad to replace running back Zach Bauman.
  • After seeing tight end Rashaun Allen signed off their practice squad by the Seahawks, the Vikings have filled the newly-created vacancy by re-adding tight end Ryan Otten, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

North Notes: Cutler, Browns, Peppers

September 25th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Kirk Cousins will be under center for the Redskins tonight as they host the Giants in Washington, but if things had played out differently five years ago, it could be Bears quarterback Jay Cutler wearing burgundy and gold tonight. As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com details, Cutler was very interested in being dealt to Washington when he asked the Broncos to trade him back in 2009.

“[He] wanted to come,” said Vinny Cerrato, Washington’s VP of football operations at the time. “He figured [Mike] Shanahan was coming anyhow, and so he wanted to come, too. And for the agent and everybody, it would have been a very smooth transition.”

Although Washington was willing to deal multiple top picks and a veteran quarterback (Jason Campbell) for Cutler, the Broncos ultimately preferred the Bears’ offer of two first-rounders, a third-rounder, and Kyle Orton. Still, it was a close race — one Bears source tells La Canfora that “there was a period” during negotiations where he thought Washington would ultimately land the young signal-caller.

As we contemplate how the Redskins’ fate over the last several seasons may have changed if they’d traded for the current Bears quarterback, let’s round up a few Thursday items out of the NFL’s two North divisions….

  • Once Adrian Peterson‘s $10MM+ per year deal comes off the Vikings‘ books – one way or another – it could be quite some time before there’s another running back making eight figures annually, writes Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The former agent takes a look at the extinction of the high-priced running back, and which players might have a shot at signing big contracts within the next few years.
  • As they count down the weeks until Josh Gordon‘s return, the Browns continue to work out wide receivers. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that B.J. Cunningham and Rashad Lawrence auditioned for the club this week.
  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke to former Bear Julius Peppers about how he has made the transition from one NFC North mainstay to another after signing with the Packers this offseason.

Giants Work Out Devlin, Boyd, Six Others

September 13th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals, the Giants brought in eight players for auditions, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger. New York might just be updating its emergency list at certain positions, but there were some notable names among those whom the team worked out:

Devlin, 26, was released by the Dolphins a month ago after Miami added fellow QB Brady Quinn. After playing college ball at Delaware, Devlin joined the Dolphins in 2011 after going undrafted. He has yet to appear in an NFL game. Boyd, a former Clemson star, was once viewed as a potential first-round pick, but was ultimately selected in the sixth round by the Jets in May. He was cut as the Jets moved to a 53-man roster in late August. As Raanan notes, the Giants have only two quarterbacks on their roster (Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib), so it’s possible one of Devlin or Boyd is added to the club if they feel they need a No. 3.

New York is a tad thin at receiver, where 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham Jr. is currently out with a hamstring injury, so perhaps one of the WR group listed above might stick on the Giants’ roster. Only Cone has caught a pass (one) in the NFL, doing so last year for the Falcons. Cunningham, a sixth-round choice of the Dolphins in 2012, was waived by the Eagles last month after being active for two Philadelphia games in 2013. Harrison, an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2013, is well-traveled — he’s spent time with the Bears, Patriots, and Chiefs.

Bears Notes: Tryouts, Clemons, Long Snapper

August 31st, 2014 at 7:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears have reportedly added five players to their practice squad, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the team also worked out 11 additional players today (all via Twitter):

There’s a chance that a couple of those players could ultimately catch on with the squad, and we’ll likely learn more once the team releases an official announcement. In the meantime, let’s check out some more notes from the Windy City…

  • The Bears didn’t have any interest in safety Chris Clemons this past spring, and the Biggs tweets that it’s “uncertain” if the team would reconsider bringing in the recently-release veteran.
  • The Bears let go of long snapper Brandon Hartson earlier today, and the team is now in the market for a replacement. Biggs suggests on Twitter that former 49ers long snapper Kevin McDermott could be of interest.
  • Furthermore, ESPNChicago.com’s Jeff Dickerson tweets that the team worked out three long snappers today, including Jeremy Cain. Biggs adds on Twitter that the team also hosted Luke Ingram and Casey Kreiter.

Eagles Cut 14

August 23rd, 2014 at 11:48am CST by Matt Feminis

The Eagles have announced their first wave of roster cuts:

    • Blake Annen, TE
    • Michael Bamiro, OL
    • Karim Barton, OL
    • Kadron Boone, WR
    • B.J. Cunningham, WR
    • Donald Hawkins, OL
    • Emil Igwenagu, TE
    • Jake Knott, LB
    • Joe Kruger, DE
    • Daytawion Lowe, S
    • Frances Mays, DE
    • Davon Morgan, S
    • Carey Spear, K
    • Alejandro Villanueva, DE

Knott is somewhat of a surprise given his special-teams contributions last season, but he dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp and faces a four-game suspension.