HEADLINES

Ben Hartsock

Workout Notes: Tuesday Night

October 14th, 2014 at 9:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Luke Adams rounded up the latest auditions earlier today and we’ll keep track of the newest ones right here..

Minor Moves: Thursday

August 14th, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll use this post to round up Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, adding the latest moves to the top of the page throughout the day as they’re reported or announced….

  • The Steelers have signed long snapper Luke Ingram, the team announced (Twitter link via Scott Brown of ESPN.com). Ingram was a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Hawaii, and spent time in Pittsburgh’s camp last summer.

Earlier updates:

  • The Cowboys have officially added tight end Asa Watson, and in order to clear a roster spot, waived tight end Dallas Walker, whom Dallas added just under a month ago, per Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.
  • The following players were released from their respective teams’ injured reserve lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links): running back Ben Malena (Cowboys), defensive end Shelton Johnson (Raiders), and linebacker Marshall McFadden (Raiders).
  • Raiders cornerback Jansen Watson is back on Oakland’s 90-man roster, as his exempt-left squad designation period expired, tweets Wilson.
  • The Browns have filled an open roster spot, announcing today that they’ve signed linebacker Caleb McSurdy (Twitter link). A former seventh-round pick, McSurdy has yet to appear in a regular season game since being selected by the Cowboys 222nd overall in 2012.
  • The Patriots‘ tight end carousel continues, with the team announcing in a press release that Ben Hartsock has been released. Hartsock was one of three tight ends signed by New England on Sunday, and of the three, only Steve Maneri remains on the roster.
  • Free agent tight end Matt Veldman has signed with the Redskins, according to the team (Twitter link). Defensive end Doug Worthington is the roster casualty, having been waived to clear a spot for the newcomer.
  • The Cowboys have signed defensive tackle Zach Minter and cut cornerback Korey Lindsey, per Wilson (via Twitter). Wilson adds that the team is still expected to sign tight end Asa Watson, as we heard yesterday, though a corresponding roster move will be required.

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 10th, 2014 at 4:50pm CST by Rory Parks

We’ll round up Sunday’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Vikings have signed TE Kory Sperry, the team announced on Twitter. VikingUpdate.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that Sperry was on the Minnesota practice field. Sperry, entering his sixth season, has spent time with the Dolphins, Chargers, and, most recently, the Cardinals.
  • The following players have been removed from their respective team’s injured reserve list with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter): FS Dion Bailey (Seahawks), LB Jeremy Grable (Buccaneers), and WR David Gettis (Buccaneers).

Earlier Updates

  • The Buccaneers have waived safety Mark Joyce, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
  • The Seahawks have re-signed DB Trey Wolfe and have waived LB Mike Taylor (Twitter links).
  • In addition to releasing Watson, the Patriots have also released tight end Justin Jones, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Volin adds that New England has signed TE Ben Hartsock. ESPN Insider Field Yates tweets that the team has also waived running back Stephen Houston and has signed tight ends Steve Maneri and Terrence Miller.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets that the Bills have signed CB Sam Miller and have waived CB Michael Carter.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots have released tight end Asa Watson. In a separate tweet, Volin notes that the Pats are clearly unhappy with their tight end depth and it appears as though they will be bringing in some “new blood” behind Rob Gronkowski and Michael Hoomanawanui.

Sunday Roundup: Pats, Jags, Browns

May 25th, 2014 at 8:53am CST by Rory Parks

With the increasing importance of tight ends in today’s game–the current average for tight ends on a roster is 5.5–it is not surprising that the Patriots have brought in veteran free agent TEs Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock, and Nate Byham for tryouts over the past couple of weeks, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The team has two open spots on its 90-man roster, and would like to add more depth to the tight end position with Rob Gronkowski currently unavailable to practice. If the Patriots do decide to pull the trigger on any of those players, Reiss expects it will be after June 1, so they can protect their compensatory picks.

Now for some more notes around the league on this Sunday morning:

  • In the same piece, Reiss says that if the Patriots are looking to add a veteran linebacker, James Anderson might be their guy. He was in for a tryout last week, and he offers solid coverage abilities. Again, if New England were to sign him, it would be after June 1.
  • Finally, Reiss takes a look at the players the Dolphins drafted with the picks they received in the Brandon Marshall trade and comes to an obvious conclusion: the Bears got the better end of the deal.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union examines UDFA Allen Hurns‘ path to the Jaguars‘ roster and what attracted the team to Toby Gerhart, who currently tops the Jacksonville’s depth chart at running back.
  • Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com offers his early projections as to how the Bears‘ final roster might shake out, with the caveat that injuries and veteran additions will inevitably happen.
  • Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com looks at a number of Browns-related topics in his weekly mailbag, including several clarifications on the Josh Gordon saga and an early look at the right tackle position battle.
  • Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee offers an early take on the 49ers‘ roster battle at inside linebacker.

Pats Work Out Ronnie Brown, Three Others

May 21st, 2014 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

While most NFL teams are taking an extended look at undrafted free agents and other young players, the Patriots have an eye on a handful of veterans. According to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter), New England recently worked out runnings backs Ronnie Brown and Brian Leonard, as well as tight ends Ben Hartsock and Nate Byham.

The Patriots haven’t carried many big-play receivers on their roster in recent years, but the club’s variety of options at running back and tight end give Tom Brady a number of weapons with which to work. Although New England didn’t select a tight end in this month’s draft, the team added Wisconsin running back James White to join Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen in the backfield.

Brown will turn 33 later this year, but contributed in a reserve role last season, accumulating 45 carries for 157 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers. Leonard also continues to earn touches, having totaled 47 rushes and 29 receptions for the Buccaneers in 2013. As for Hartsock and Byham, the two tight ends are primarily blockers — between them, they’ve hauled in just 42 passes in 160 combined games during their careers.

For now, it seems the Patriots have opted not to sign any of the players they auditioned, though that could change. It’s also possible that the club is keeping its eye on veteran free agents in the event of injuries later this summer.