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Bear Pascoe

Saints Audition QBs Charlie Whitehurst, Ricky Stanzi, Others

August 29th, 2016 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints tried out a handful of players today, as Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter) reports. Among the players trying out were quarterbacks Ricky Stanzi and Charlie Whitehurst. Guard Todd Herremans, tight end Bear Pascoe, tight end Jack Tabb, and tackle Khalif Barnes also auditioned for New Orleans. Charlie Whitehurst

Currently, the Saints have Luke McCown and Garrett Grayson on the roster behind starter Drew Brees. Grayson gave up two bad interceptions against the Steelers on Friday night and coach Sean Payton expressed frustration with him after the game.

“He struggled tonight. I was disappointed with a couple of those plays,” Payton said (via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). “The interception to the running back is poor; and obviously, he gets blinded on the linebacker throw and forces it. So that was troubling. He had a good play early on with the touchdown pass, but I would like to see him further along at this point than he is.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Release TE Bear Pascoe

August 22nd, 2016 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have released tight end Bear Pascoe, a source tells Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal (on Twitter). New England signed the blocking tight end late last month. Bear Pascoe (vertical)

[RELATED: Why The Patriots Could Try To Claim RB Karlos Williams]

Pascoe, 30, spent five seasons with the Giants before joining the Falcons in 2014. Last year, Pascoe was out of the NFL until he hooked on with the Lions in December on 2015. A sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2009, Pascoe has totaled 40 receptions and two touchdowns in the NFL.

The Patriots already seem to have a full group at tight end with Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, A.J. Derby, and Clay Harbor. In recent weeks, Derby seems to have leapfrogged Harbor and he may join Pascoe in free agency soon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/16

July 27th, 2016 at 5:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Eagles announced that they have waived linebacker Travis Long. The 25-year-old tore his right ACL in college and suffered two left ACL tears in the NFL They’ve also signed receiver David Watford, bringing them to capacity on the 90-man roster, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
  • The Broncos have waived running back Cyrus Gray to make room for newly signed receiver Marlon Brown, per Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • The Bengals signed former Nebraska defensive end Jack Gangwish to his first rookie deal, as Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals now have 87 players on the roster.
  • The Buccaneers have cut cornerback Joel Ross, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). They’ve also been awarded corner Daniel Davie off waivers from the Colts, per Wilson.
  • The Vikings announced the signings of tackle Sean Hickey and linebacker Jason Whittingham.
  • The Patriots signed blocking tight end Bear Pascoe and guard Jon Halapio, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Redskins announced the signing of two receivers: Utah’s Kendal Thompson and Virginia’s T.J. Thorpe. With Thompson and Thorpe now in the mix, the Redskins are currently up to 13 wide receivers on the roster
  • The Ravens have waived-injured cornerback Jumal Rolle and linebacker Cavellis Luckett, tweets Wilson. They’ve also signed receiver Dobson Collins, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lions Waive RT LaAdrian Waddle

December 15th, 2015 at 5:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions released former starting right tackle LaAdrian Waddle on Tuesday, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. In a related move, the Lions have claimed center Gabe Ikard off waivers from the Browns.

Waddle, signed as a UDFA in 2013, found his way into the Lions’ starting lineup thanks to his own solid play and injuries around him. However, he has struggled with injuries the last two years, including a season-ending ACL injury in 2014. This year, he was bumped from the starting lineup in favor of Michael Ola.

Ikard will add some competition to the center position just after the team’s comeback bid against the Rams was blown on a botched snap. Travis Swanson has started 12 of 13 games at center for the Lions this year with mixed results, so he has now been put on notice.

Meanwhile, Lions have formally placed Brandon Pettigrew on injured reserve while signing a tight end to take his place on the 53-man roster, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes. The Lions signed veteran tight end Bear Pascoe after a recent workout in Allen Park. Pascoe, 29, spent five seasons with the Giants and was most recently with the Falcons in 2014. Pascoe has played in 82 career games with 34 starts and his blocking will be needed in Detroit for the remainder of the season. When it comes to pass catching tight ends, the Lions have that well covered between Tim Wright and youngster Eric Ebron.

Patriots Rumors: Trades, Deflategate, Workouts

October 31st, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Nov. 3 trade deadline nears, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin examines some veterans floundering teams should be looking to deal.

Mentioning Steve Smith, Haloti Ngata, Anquan Boldin and Chad Henne among those who would generate value, Volin focused on some players who’d further strengthen the Patriots.

Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith‘s in a contract year and one of several of the team’s defensive stalwarts, such as Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry, under that circumstance.

Volin insists the Pats should “do whatever they can” to acquire Smith from Kansas City, pointing to the former Dolphin’s talent, the Pats’ penchant for coaxing strong play out of players deemed character risks and the Chiefs saving $2.25MM by moving Smith early. The 28-year-old corner missed three games this season due to a DUI-induced suspension.

The Buccaneers would also make a convenient trading partner for the Pats, and Volin notes Logan Mankins — who the team traded away for since-jettisoned Tim Wright last year — has only $3.5MM remaining on his deal for the rest of this season and would help repair the team’s injury-plagued offensive front.

Here are some more items from New England:

  • The NFL hired former United States solicitor general Paul Clement to aid in its appeal of Judge Richard Berman’s Deflategate ruling, and it indicates an enhanced effort to win the latest saga that’s pitted the league against the NFLPA, Volin writes. Per the New York Times, Clement will be a likely supreme court nominee if a republican wins the White House in 2016, so it represents another expensive example of the lengths both sides will go to win this case. “Stripped of all of the surrounding stuff, this case is still about the commissioner’s authority, not about deflated footballs. It certainly explains why they called in the heavy artillery,” Suffolk University law professor and arbitrator Mark Greenbaum told Volin.
  • The Patriots worked out tight ends Bear Pascoe and Steve Maneri, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The duo has a combined 10 years of experience, with Pascoe, a 29-year-old blocking tight end/fullback, having started 34 games for the Giants and Falcons from 2009-14. The 27-year-old Maneri’s started 10 games since 2011 and made a single-game appearance for the Patriots last season.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Patriots, James, Jackson

October 30th, 2015 at 8:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets–Patriots rivalry may have hit a new high (or perhaps, low) as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that NFL officials swept New York’s locker room and questioned three New England employees during Sunday’s game — all at the behest of the Jets. A source tells Howe that the Jets were concerned that Gillette Stadium’s operations and radio frequencies were not up to par (for the record, the Jets have denied making any such requests).

Nevertheless, per Howe, the three Pats employees were interrogated throughout the third quarter, forced to hand over their phones and radios, and required to submit to a photograph. According to Howe, the Patriots were informed that none of the checks revealed anything improper, and that the club had done nothing wrong.

Let’s take a look at more out the AFC East, including fallout from last night’s contest…

  • The Dolphins‘ offensive line took a hit on Thursday night when Ja’Wuan James left the game with a toe injury, and it appears the team will have to get by without its starting right tackle for a few games. Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link) hears from a source that James is expected to miss four to six weeks.
  • During Thursday night’s game, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) noted that the Patriots are coming “dangerously close” to running out of offensive lineman, and wondered if that could be a position they target before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
  • One Patriots offensive lineman who did go down in last night’s game — guard Tre’ Jackson — should be able to return at some point in the near future, as a source tells Howe in a separate piece that the MRI on Jackson’s left knee came back negative. He’s considered day-to-day, and though he does have 10 days to get healthy, Jackson’s history of knee issues is a concern, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com details.
  • The Patriots, always on the lookout for useful tight ends, brought in veteran free agents Steve Maneri and Bear Pascoe for workouts this week, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Per Reiss, the team is keeping its emergency lists fresh, so it doesn’t sound like either tight end will be signed by New England anytime soon.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon

October 21st, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.

Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..

Workout Notes: Eagles, Giants, Jets, Saints

September 8th, 2015 at 5:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles, who parted ways with the polarizing Tim Tebow last week, auditioned a pair of quarterbacks on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Josh Johnson and Thad Lewis, who were both let go by their respective teams on September 5th, both worked out for Chip Kelly & Co. Johnson, 29, made an appearance during the Jets’ final preseason game, passing for 82 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground. Lewis, a 27-year-old signal caller recently released by the Browns, didn’t appear in a game with the Texans in 2014, but he did start in five games for the Bills in 2013.

Here are the latest auditions from around the NFL..

  • The Giants worked out former Eagles quarterback/wide receiver/running back G.J. Kinne on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. The Giants also worked out punters Brandon Fields and Kasey Redfern.
  • The Jets had former Giants safety Stevie Brown in for a tryout today, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that the Saints worked out tight ends Bear Pascoe and Gerell Robinson and wide receiver Austin Pettis (via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune on Twitter).
  • Ross Scheuerman worked out for Buccaneers today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots auditioned two players today: defensive back Floyd Raven (formerly of Texas A&M and the Bengals) and linebacker Alex Singleton (formerly of Montana State and the Seahawks), according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter).

Bears Release Dante Rosario, Bear Pascoe

September 4th, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bears are moving on from tight end Dante Rosario after two seasons, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Briggs, who reports they’ll terminate his contract (via Twitter). They’re also parting with fellow tight end Bear Pascoe, Briggs writes.

Rosario, 30, was the second tight end on Chicago’s depth chart last season, behind Martellus Bennett. The former fifth-round pick caught 16 balls for 116 yards, but primarily served as a blocker during his 323 offensive snaps. Although his Pro Football Focus grades weren’t spectacular in 2014, Rosario has traditionally been a very solid run blocker.

The eight-year veteran has appeared in 120 games for four different teams, hauling in 116 passes and eight touchdowns.

Pascoe signed a one-year contract with the Bears this past offseason after spending 2014 in Atlanta, where he caught just two passes (one TD) in a blocking role for the Falcons. Prior to that, the 29-year-old was a Giant for five seasons. He was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2009 and has totaled 40 receptions and two touchdowns in the NFL.

Bears Sign Bear Pascoe

April 23rd, 2015 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

Bear is officially a Bear — according to the Chicago Bears (via Twitter), the team has signed free agent tight end Bear Pascoe to a one-year contract.

Pascoe, who turned 29 earlier in the offseason, spent five seasons with the Giants to start his NFL career before playing for the Falcons in 2014. Although he primarily serves as a blocker, Pascoe has totaled 40 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns in his career. He caught just two passes last year in 148 offensive snaps for Atlanta, though one went for a TD.

In Chicago, Pascoe figures to provide some more veteran presence on a tight end depth chart that also features Martellus Bennett, Zach Miller, and Dante Rosario, among others. He’ll likely receive a minimum salary contract, and won’t necessarily be assured a regular season roster spot.

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