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Ben Gottschalk

South Rumors: Colts, Texans, Falcons

February 23rd, 2018 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The quarterback situations on the Colts, Jaguars and Saints represent key news as the eight South-division teams venture to the Combine. But plenty of other news came out of some South teams’ headquarters on Friday. Here’s the latest:

  • Bobby Johnson interviewed for the Raiders’ HC job, although it might not have been the most on-the-level meeting since a Jon Gruden deal was reportedly already agreed upon. But the former Raiders tight ends coach now has a gig elsewhere. The Colts hired Johnson as their assistant offensive line coach, Alex Marvez of Sporting News reports. Johnson spent the past three seasons on Jack Del Rio‘s staff as Oakland’s TEs coach and spent time on the Jags’ and Bills’ staffs prior to that. Johnson will be working under Dave DeGuglielmo, who was caught in a tough spot when he agreed to terms with Indianapolis when Josh McDaniels was still set to become head coach. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter) Johnson also interviewed to be the Cowboys‘ O-line coach.
  • The Texans also made a move to fortify their staff by agreeing to an extension with defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets Weaver’s deal will now have two additional years tacked onto it, so it will run through the 2020 season. Weaver’s been Houston’s D-line coach since 2016. Previously, he served in the same position for the Bills (2013) and Browns (2014-15).
  • Although the Texans are expected to re-sign Shane Lechler, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports they worked out punter Taylor Symmank. The specialist has kept busy over the past several months with workouts, also auditioning for the Jaguars, Vikings, Chiefs, Titans and Bills since September 2017. A Texas Tech product, Symmank went to camp with the Vikings last summer.
  • The Falcons worked out former Buccaneers center Ben Gottschalk, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). Gottschalk started a game for the 2016 Bucs but has only played in two contests. The Bucs cut the former UDFA out of SMU just after the 2017 draft.
  • The Jaguars enjoyed a busy Friday, cutting Chris Ivory and extending their power structure.

Buccaneers Sign 14 UDFAs, Cut Two Players

May 1st, 2017 at 5:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Buccaneers have announced agreements with 14 undrafted free agents. Here’s the group:

To clear room on their 90-man roster for those players, the Buccaneers cut offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk and tight end Kivon Cartwright on Monday, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Both Gottschalk (2014) and Cartwright (2016) went unpicked in their respective draft years. Gottschalk is the only of the two who has seen NFL action, having appeared in two of the Bucs’ games last season.

Buccaneers CB Jude Adjei-Barimah Suspended Four Games

November 22nd, 2016 at 6:11pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy day for the Buccaneers, as the team lost a player on both sides of the ball. The organization announced that cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah has been suspended four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers have also placed offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk on the injured reserve. Cornerback Javien Elliot and offensive lineman Josh Allen have been promoted from the practice squad to take the open roster spots.

Jude Adjei-BarimahAdjei-Barimah, an undrafted free agent in 2015, has been relatively productive during his one-plus season in the league. Following a solid rookie campaign, the cornerback has compiled 22 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended in 10 games (one start) this season. The second-year pro released a statement regarding the suspension:

“I take a lot of pride in the hard work and dedication that I put in all year in preparation for each season and that is why this situation is so difficult for me personally. As a member of this team, it is very disappointing to have to miss the next four games and not be out there battling with my teammates as we go down the stretch. I apologize to my family, the Bucs organization, my teammates, as well as the fans for this situation. I promise to stay focused and be ready for the last two games of the regular season.”

With Adjei-Barimah out until at least December 19th, the team will likely rely on Alterraun Verner and Josh Robinson to spell starters Vernon Hargreaves and Brent Grimes.

Gottschalk, a former undrafted rookie out of SMU, made his NFL debut earlier this month. The lineman started this past weekend’s contest against the Chiefs while his fellow lineman recovered from injury. The Buccaneers should see the return of three lineman this week in Kevin Pamphile, Evan Dietrich-Smith, and Leonard Wester.

The additions of Elliot and Allen will briefly fill the holes caused by Adjei-Barimah’s suspension and Gottschalk’s injury. Allen played three games for the Buccaneers back in 2014, while Elliot is a former walk-on for the FSU football team. The duo have spent the entire season on the Buccaneers’ practice squad.

Buccaneers Promote OL Ben Gottschalk

November 12th, 2016 at 11:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers offensive line could be without two key pieces this weekend, so the team has added some reinforcement from the practice squad. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter) that the Bucs have promoted guard/center Ben Gottschalk from the practice squad.

Ben GottschalkGottschalk, an undrafted rookie out of SMU in 2014, could make his NFL debut this weekend. Left guard Kevin Pamphile (concussion) and center Joe Hawley (knee) are not expected to play, forcing backups Evan Dietrich-Smith and Caleb Benenoch into the starting lineup. As a result of the lineup changes, the Buccaneers would only have two lineman, Leonard Wester and Gosder Cherilus, on the bench. Gottschalk’s ability to play both guard and center should allow him to see some snaps against the Bears.

The 24-year-old has been on the Buccaneers practice squad all season. The lineman previously spent time with the Chiefs and 49ers.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

September 4th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South 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 Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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 South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Down To 53 Man Roster

September 2nd, 2016 at 11:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have trimmed down to 53 with more than 24 hours to go before the deadline. According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, the following players have been dropped from the roster: "<strong

Among the cuts, Vitale’s is one of the most surprising. The Bucs are planning on carrying five tight ends, yet the sixth-round pick out of Northwestern apparently did not show enough to make the cut. The Bucs will have Cameron Brate, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Luke Stocker, Brandon Myers, and UDFA Alan Cross on the roster to open up the season instead. Myers and Cross were both considered to be on the bubble somewhat, but they have impressed Dirk Koetter & Co. to the point where they are going to carry five tight ends and bounce a sixth-round pick in order to keep both of them. Myers was inactive for the Bucs’ final five games of 2015 as a healthy scratch.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16

January 4th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that the 2015 regular season is in the books, teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts, adding those players to their 90-man offseason rosters. Generally, these players finished the season on a team’s practice squad, though some were free agents at season’s end.

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons signed four players (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Baltimore Ravens signed seven players (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun):

  • Brennen Beyer, LB
  • Leon Brown, G
  • Nordly Capi, DE
  • Blaine Clausell, T
  • Chuck Jacobs, WR
  • Nick Perry, S
  • Harold Spears, TE

Buffalo Bills signed seven players (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)

Chicago Bears signed nine players (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune):

Cleveland Browns signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Dallas Cowboys signed eight players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Denver Broncos signed four players (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)

Detroit Lions signed five players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Jacksonville Jaguars signed nine players (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union):

Miami Dolphins signed one player (link)

  • Tyler Davis, WR

New Orleans Saints signed five players (link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune):

New York Giants signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Philadelphia Eagles signed seven players (Twitter link via team):

San Diego Chargers signed six players (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks signed three players (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Andrew East, LS
  • Ronnie Shields, TE
  • Phillip Sims, QB

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed nine players (link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times):

  • Josh Allen, G
  • Andre Davis, WR
  • Antoine Everett, G
  • Ben Gottschalk, C
  • Gerod Holliman, S
  • Martin Ifedi, DE
  • Derrick Lott, DT
  • C.J. Roberts, CB
  • Joel Ross, CB

Tennessee Titans signed five players (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com):

  • David Fluellen, RB
  • Kevin Greene, TE
  • Nick Harwell, WR
  • Josue Matias, G
  • Will Poehls, T

Washington signs three players (link via team):

Workout Notes: Giants, Dolphins, Chiefs

October 27th, 2015 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Giants are working out a handful of kickers today, including Kyle Brindza, Zach Hocker, Corey Acosta, and Tom Obarski, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Josh Brown has been a little inconsistent on kickoffs, putting one out of bounds on Sunday, but it’s hard to imagine the team making a change, considering he’s perfect on field goals and has missed just one extra point. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, the Giants are likely just kicking the tires on free agents.

Let’s round up a few more workout updates from around the NFL…

  • Defensive linemen Jerel Worthy, Derrick Lott, Glenn Foster, and Davon Coleman worked out for the Dolphins today, says Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Worthy and Foster are the most notable names of the group, having each logged a full season’s worth of regular season contests with the Packers and Saints, respectively.
  • Lott was also among the players who tried out recently for the Chiefs, per Wilson (Twitter links). Running back Gus Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Okoye, and linebacker Alex Singleton also got a look from Kansas City.
  • According to Wilson (via Twitter), before signing wideout Corey Washington to the practice squad, Washington also worked out receiver Marcus Lucas and tight end Connor Hamlett.
  • Offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, who spent time in the summer on the Niners’ roster, auditioned for the Buccaneers today, tweets Wilson.
  • Former USC outside linebacker J.R. Tavai had a tryout with the Packers today, according to Wilson (via Twitter). Tavai signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in May, but was cut by the team prior to the regular season.
  • The Cardinals auditioned cornerback Keith Lewis, who was cut by the Jets back in August, tweets Wilson.
  • On the heels of Jason Myers missing his third PAT of the season, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley noted that Myers’ kickoffs were also a little short, and mentioned the possibility of bringing in kickers for workouts, per Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com. According to Bradley, GM Dave Caldwell will make that call.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/15

August 13th, 2015 at 7:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..

  • The Buccaneers announced today that they’ve waived punter Spencer Lanning, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com tweets. In 2014, only two punters had more attempts than the 93 punts Lanning made for the Browns. However, Lanning’s performance wasn’t great, so Cleveland cut him after trading for Andy Lee in June, at which point he was claimed by the Bucs. Today’s move leaves Tampa Bay with two punters still on the roster.
  • The Falcons announced that they’ve waived rookie safety Damian Parms, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Defensive back Ryan White has re-signed with the Packers, as Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets. White was in camp with Green Bay last summer.
  • The Bills removed Justin Brown from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that the Titans did the same thing with safety Cody Prewitt, removing him from their roster.
  • The 49ers have also waived a player with an injury settlement, cutting offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk from their IR, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
  • The following players landed on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists after clearing waivers, per Wilson (Twitter link): DT Ricky Havili-Heimuli (Falcons), TE Clay Burton (Bills), WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DT Chris Whaley (Cowboys), CB Jason Wilson (Cowboys), and RB Tyler Gaffney (Patriots).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/16

August 6th, 2015 at 7:22pm CST by Zachary Links

We rounded up some of the minor signings and moves in the NFL earlier today. Below, we’ll round up the very latest..

  • The Bills are signing former Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hill should provide Buffalo with more depth as they get set to install a run-heavy offense. To make room, the Bills cut defensive end Erik Williams, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Colts were awarded cornerback Tevin Mitchel off waivers from Washington and waived safety Robert Smith to make room for him, Wilson tweets.
  • The Steelers waived-injured Rob Blanchflower and claimed tight end Ray Hamilton off waivers from the Cowboys, Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots announced today that they have signed offensive lineman Mark Asper and tight end Mason Brodine. To make room, offensive lineman Harland Gunn has been let go. Asper, 29, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2012.
  • The Cardinals waived/injured guard John Fullington (knee) and released tight end Ted Bolser, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The 49ers have waived/injured offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
  • The Saints waived defensive end Glenn Foster with a failed physical designation, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. To fill his spot, New Orleans inked undrafted rookie cornerback Travis Manning.
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