Ben Koyack

Jaguars Trim Roster To 53

The Jaguars were the latest team to announce their full slate of roster cuts, getting down to the required 53 players. Here are the moves:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Jaguars RB Corey Grant Signs RFA Tender

Jaguars running back Corey Grant has signed his second-round restricted free agent tender, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Exclusive rights free agent tight end Ben Koyack has also inked his tender, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

Grant was one of 14 NFL restricted free agents to be tender at the second-round level, and he’s the second — following Falcons guard Ben Garland — to officially sign his tender. There was no rush for Grant to ink his tender, as RFAs have until April 20 to work out offer sheets with other clubs. However, it was always unlikely that any NFL team would have been willing to sacrifice a second-round pick in order to land Grant.

Grant, 26, has never been a focal point of Jacksonville’s offense, but he’s contributed when on the field. Over the past two years, Grant has averaged a whopping 6.6 yards per carry on 62 rushes while scoring three touchdowns. He also served as the Jaguars’ primary kick returner in 2017, and has seen at least 45% special teams playtime in each of his three NFL campaigns.

The Jaguars released veteran running back Chris Ivory earlier this offseason, so Grant could conceivably see more of a role on offense. However, Jacksonville’s running game will clearly be centered around starter Leonard Fournette, with backup T.J. Yeldon chipping in on passing downs.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/12/18

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day.

RFAs

Tendered at second-round level:

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-Tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16

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):

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC 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 Texans, Colts, Jaguars, and Titans are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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 AFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad (via press release)

    • OLB Daniel Adongo
    • G David Arkin
    • WR Quan Bray
    • WR Duron Carter
    • T Ulrick John
    • S Dewey McDonald
    • ILB Josh McNary
    • CB Eric Patterson
    • DT Jeris Pendleton
    • TE Erik Swoope

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed to practice squad (via press release):

    • DL Richard Ash
    • TE Ben Koyack
    • S Craig Loston
    • OL Chris Reed
    • WR Neal Sterling
    • LB Todd Thomas
    • DB Peyton Thompson
    • WR Tony Washington

Tennessee Titans

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Acquired via trade:
    • RB Terrance West, from Browns (link)
  • Cut:
    • TE Chase Coffman (link)
    • LB Jonathan Massaquoi (link)
    • LB Justin Staples (link)
  • Signed to practice squad (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt):

    • S Josh Aubrey
    • RB David Fluellen
    • G Josue Matias
    • WR Tre McBride
    • G Will Poehls
    • WR Rico Richardson
    • TE Tevin Westbrook

Jaguars Finalize Active Roster

Sen’Derrick Marks avoided the physically unable to perform list to start the season when the Jaguars moved him to their active roster. The team also cut its roster down to 53 players, writes John Oehser of Jaguars.com.

The Jags’ leading sacker last season, Marks spent the preseason on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in Week 17 of last season.

Accompanying Jacksonville’s cuts, the team placed Ziggy Hood on injured reserve.

The Jaguars’ cuts are as follows:

  • Richard Ash, DT
  • Nordly Capi, DE
  • Kasey Closs, WR
  • Will Corbin, OL
  • Jeremiah George, LB
  • Connor Hamlett, TE
  • Jeremy Harris, CB
  • Ikponmwosa Igbinosun, DE
  • Storm Johnson, RB
  • Ben Koyack, TE
  • Erik Lora, WR
  • Craig Loston, S
  • Stephen Morris, QB
  • Austin Pasztor, OL
  • Chris Reed, G
  • Rashaad Reynolds, CB
  • Neal Sterling, WR
  • Todd Thomas, LB
  • Peyton Thompson, CB
  • Tony Washington, WR

Draft Signings: Eagles, Steelers, Bengals, Jags

Coming into today, fewer than 90 players selected in the 2015 NFL draft remained unsigned, with well over half of this year’s 256 draftees having reached agreements with their respective teams. A few more rookie have struck deals with their clubs today, so let’s round up the latest news, with all contract info coming from Over the Cap:

  • The Eagles have finished deals with all six of their draftees, agreeing to terms today with third-round linebacker Jordan Hicks, according to the team (Twitter link). Hicks’ four-year deal will be worth a little under $3MM, including a signing bonus of about $653K.
  • The Steelers have signed fifth-round tight end Jesse James to his rookie contract, leaving the team with three unsigned picks, including first-rounder Bud Dupree (Twitter link via the club’s official account).
  • The Bengals have signed tight end C.J. Uzomah, their fifth-round pick out of Auburn, the team announced today (via Twitter). The second tight end selected by Cincinnati in the draft, Uzomah will count against the Bengals’ cap for just over $488K in 2015, assuming he makes the regular season roster.
  • The Jaguars have now locked up half their draft picks, signing seventh-round tight end Ben Koyack to his contract today, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link). Koyack will receive a signing bonus worth approximately $69K on his first NFL deal.

Pauline On Gurley, Bengals, McKinney, RBs

After his citation for marijuana possession, the expectation is that Missouri linebacker Shane Ray could fall out of the first round and that’s an opinion shared by many in his camp, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes. Earlier today, we learned that teams that wouldn’t have had a chance to land Ray before are now inquiring on him, with both GMs and owners doing their homework. Here’s Pauline’s latest:

  • The Dolphins are hoping that Todd Gurley doesn’t get selected in the top 10. If the running back is still on the board, Miami will happily snag him at No. 14, per Pauline.
  • As of now, there’s a very good chance the Bengals take an offensive tackle in round one and they’re said to be looking at Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi, among others.
  • Linebacker Benardrick McKinney spent an extensive amount of time the past few days talking with the Broncos and Cowboys. If Kevin Johnson is unavailable when the Cowboys are on the clock in round one, they will strongly consider either McKinney or Eric Kendricks, Pauline hears.
  • There’s a good possibility that Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is still available when the third round begins. While teams like his film and cover skills, his knee injury from last December has some clubs concerned. Recently, PFR’s Rob DiRe wrote that he expected Ekpre-Olomu to experience a dropoff in draft stock from last year to this year, but not this severe. Had he gone pro last season, the Oregon notable may have had a chance to be a first-round pick.
  • There are a number of running back-needy teams who might wait until the fourth round before drafting at the position, due to the quality and depth available this year. David Cobb and Buck Allen have been brought to Pauline’s attention as fourth round types that can contribute off the bat and Miami junior Duke Johnson is also getting buzz.
  • Alonzo Highsmith, senior personnel director for the Packers, is pushing hard for Denzel Perryman at the bottom of round one. If Green Bay takes the Miami notable, the team would then push Clay Matthews to the outside. The belief is Green Bay still values a cornerback with that first pick and Eric Rowe continues to be in the mix, but Perryman is also a possibility.
  • Don’t be surprised if tight end Wes Saxton is drafted much earlier than presently predicted, as teams are high on his speed and athleticism. Saxton, a South Alabama product, could go as high as the fourth round. Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack is also getting additional attention.