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Brad Sorensen

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/15

December 16th, 2015 at 7:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up Wednesday’s minor 53-man roster moves from around the NFL:

  • To make room for Mostert (see below), the Browns waived wideout Darius Jennings, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The writer expects Jennings to return to the team’s practice squad.
  • After having claimed Davis (see below), the Colts released linebacker Edwin Jackson, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • Following a busy day of transactions, the Patriots signed defensive lineman Ishmaa’ily Kitchen (via Wilson on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Colts have filled the 53rd spot on their roster by claiming safety and special-teamer Akeem Davis off waivers from the Seahawks (Twitter link via Kevin Bowen of Colts.com).
  • The Dolphins have elevated quarterback Logan Thomas from their practice squad to their active roster, cutting veteran offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach to accommodate the move, the team announced today (via Twitter). Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the move was motivated by a desire to protect Thomas from the Bengals, who attempted to sign him off Miami’s practice squad.
  • The Bengals have officially announced a move that was reported yesterday, confirming (via Twitter) that they’ve promoted quarterback Keith Wenning from their practice squad. Wenning will provide some insurance at the position while Andy Dalton remains on the shelf.
  • Former Colts cornerback Tony Carter is signing with the Saints, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Meanwhile, Kristian Garic of WWL 870AM reports (via Twitter) that running back and kick returner Marcus Murphy will be placed on IR by New Orleans due to an ankle injury, so that may be the corresponding move for Carter’s signing.
  • A day after he was cut by the Ravens, RB/KR Raheem Mostert has been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Browns, according to agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). It’s been an eventful season for Mostert, who was signed by the Dolphins off the Eagles’ practice squad, then claimed off waivers from Miami by Baltimore.
  • The Titans have officially placed injured running back Dexter McCluster on IR, using the open roster spot to sign safety Josh Aubrey from their practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com.
  • The Chargers have filled their two open roster spots by bringing back a pair of familiar faces, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and quarterback Brad Sorensen, according to a team release.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/15

December 14th, 2015 at 8:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

  • The Buccaneers will sign free agent defensive tackle Da’Quan Bowers on Tuesday and waive D-lineman Josh Shirley, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter). Bowers spent 2011-14 in Tampa and totaled seven sacks after it used a second-round pick on him. Shirley, a rookie, joined the Bucs in October. He subsequently appeared in five games.
  • The Dolphins signed defensive tackle Deandre Coleman and placed tight end Brandon Williams on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Coleman, undrafted out of Cal in 2014, appeared in one game as a rookie. Williams suited up four times for the Dolphins this year before breaking his left foot.
  • The Vikings signed defensive end Justin Trattou and waived safety Shaun Prater, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Trattou has had multiple stints with the Vikings since entering the league in 2011. He appeared in two games with them earlier this season and intercepted a pass. Prater, who had been with the Vikings since 2013, garnered one appearance this year.
  • The Browns cut center Gabe Ikard, per Wilson (on Twitter). Ikard, a 25-year-old snapper, joined the Browns earlier this month.
  • The Chiefs removed safety Sanders Commings from injured reserve and reached a settlement with him, Wilson tweets. Commings’ last appearance with the Chiefs was in 2013.
  • The Chargers waived quarterback Brad Sorensen, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN (Twitter link). Sorensen, whom the Chargers chose in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, has never attempted a regular-season pass.

Chargers Put Brandon Flowers, Corey Liuget On IR

December 12th, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

A season that’s going to send the Chargers to their first top-10 draft pick since 2004 won’t feature Brandon Flowers or Corey Liuget for the home stretch, with the team opting to place both defensive starters on injured reserve, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter).

San Diego activated rookie defensive lineman Darius Philon from IR-DTR in one of its two corresponding moves.

The team also promoted quarterback Brad Sorensen off the practice squad as an insurance policy against Philip Rivers‘ illness, one that’s not expected to force him to miss Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, Gehlken reports.

Both Flowers and Liuget signed lucrative contracts with the Chargers prior to this season.

A fifth-year veteran who signed a five-year, $51.25MM extension, Liuget struggled with a foot injury. Flowers, who joined the Chargers last season as a free agent, left last week’s game against the Broncos with a knee malady.

Liuget totaled 60 straight starts before missing Week 9 against the Bears before resuming his role as a starting end in the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme. He notched three sacks and led Chargers defensive linemen with 35 tackles but rated as Pro Football Focus’ 76th-best interior defensive lineman.

Also mirroring the Chargers’ freefall, Flowers did not live up to the form he displayed when he relocated from Kansas City on a one-year deal last season. PFF ranked him as its fifth-worst regular cornerback. The 11th-highest-paid corner in the league after signing a four-year deal in March that pays him $9MM+ AAV, Flowers is under contract through the 2018 season.

The Chargers placed Philon, a sixth-round pick this year, on IR-DTR after Week 5. The rookie figures to get a long look after missing so much time and Liuget’s sudden shelving further thinning out an injury-plagued team.

San Diego’s already lost Keenan Allen and experienced rampant offensive line issues in its woeful season. These latest moves will increase the Chargers’ chances of procuring a potential top-5 pick. They’d pick at No. 3 in the first round if the season ended today.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/24/15

October 24th, 2015 at 4:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts and other moves:

  • The Chargers added quarterback Brad Sorensen to their practice squad and jettisoned center/guard Michael Huey from the 10-man outfit to make room, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). The 27-year-old Sorensen’s spent time with the Chargers and Titans since 2013.
  • To help their thinning cornerback depth, the Saints signed corners Akeem Davis and Sammy Seamster from their practice squad and cut receivers Joe Morgan and T.J. Graham to make room, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. No. 1 Keenan Lewis will miss another game due to a hip injury, along with an illness, and Damian Swann is also out. In parts of five seasons with the Saints, Morgan has 471 career receiving yards and three TDs. The 2011 undrafted free agent made five starts for the Saints in 2012. Active for two games for New Orleans this season, starting one, Morgan’s been cut three times this year, but Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com notes he or Graham could be brought back next week. The 25-year-old Davis played in 13 games for Washington last season, and the 24-year-old Seamster participated in two for the Dolphins in 2014. Both are set for special teams duty Sunday, Woodberry reports.
  • The Raiders brought up Shelby Harris from their practice squad to bolster defensive line depth, waiving safety Tevin McDonald in a corresponding maneuver, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports. A 2014 seventh-round pick of the Raiders’, Harris has experience at defensive tackle and end and played in one game last season. Oakland defensive fronters Denico Autry and Justin Ellis are out and doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Chargers, respectively, creating the opportunity for Harris. A frequent inhabitant of this space, McDonald will likely return to the Raiders’ practice squad if he clears waivers, Bair reports.
  • Ben Roethlisberger‘s status for Week 7 is leaning more toward out than questionable, with the Steelers promoting quarterback Tyler Murphy from their practice squad, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Roethlisberger’s missed three straight games after going down in Week 3 with a knee injury and enters Sunday’s game against the Chiefs with a questionable designation. Murphy, a 23-year-old undrafted quarterback/wide receiver hybrid out of Boston College who’s been active in two games in 2015, took the scout-team snaps on offense for the Steelers this week and has one catch for 16 yards this season. In the event Roethlisbeger is held out again, Landry Jones will start, per La Canfora, with Michael Vick and Murphy backing him up.
  • In a corresponding move to make room for Murphy, the Steelers placed cornerback Cortez Allen on injured reserve, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Allen’s been inactive for the Steelers since Week 2 with a knee injury. The 27-year-old ex-fourth-round pick started seven games for Pittsburgh last season and has six career interceptions for the team that drafted him.
  • Brandon LaFell looks set to make his 2015 debut with the Patriots; the team plans to activate the wideout from the PUP list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). LaFell missed the Pats’ first five games with a lingering foot injury. LaFell recorded 953 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions in his New England debut last season.
  • The Titans promoted wide receiver Rico Richardson from their practice squad and released veteran backup tight end Chase Coffman to make room, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online reports (on Twitter). Richardson represents the Titans’ fifth wideout, while the team previously was carrying more tight ends — Coffman, Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, Phillip Supernaw and Craig Stevens — than receivers. With Harry Douglas out for Week 7 with sore ribs, Tennessee had a need for a healthy receiver, tweets Wyatt. A former Bengals third-round pick, Coffman’s caught just 14 passes in six seasons. The 24-year-old Richardson’s played in just one game — in 2014 with Tennessee.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/15

October 21st, 2015 at 8:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Diego Chargers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: OLB Markus Pierce-Brewster (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com)

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/15

October 2nd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

San Diego Chargers

St. Louis Rams

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/15

October 1st, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL for the first day of October:

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New York Jets

  • Signed: DL Deon Simon (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News)

San Diego Chargers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West

September 6th, 2015 at 5:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West 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 Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers 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 West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed:
    • OL Jah Reid (link)
  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad:

Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed to practice squad (press release):
    • TE Alex Bayer (Twitter link via Jim Thomas)
    • CB Greg Ducre
    • WR Javontee Herndon
    • G Michael Huey
    • LB Ryan Mueller
    • S Adrian Phillips
    • QB Brad Sorensen (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken)
    • RB Dreamius Smith
    • DT Damion Square

Chargers Announce Cuts, Trim Roster To 53

September 5th, 2015 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers are the latest team to officially announce the roster moves that will get them down to 53 players. The team confirmed a couple of previously-reported veteran cuts, kicker Nick Novak and wideout Austin Pettis, and also announced the trade that sent Jeremiah Sirles to Minnesota for sixth-round selection in the 2016 draft.

Here are the rest of the club’s moves, via a press release:

Waived:

  • CB Richard Crawford
  • CB Greg Ducre
  • WR Javontee Herndon
  • G Michael Huey
  • S Johnny Lowdermilk
  • CB Jordan Mabin
  • LB Ryan Mueller
  • TE Brian Parker
  • S Adrian Phillips
  • CB Lowell Rose
  • RB Dreamius Smith
  • QB Brad Sorensen
  • DT Damion Square
  • G Kenny Wiggins

Waived/injured:

  • LB Chi Chi Ariguzo
  • LB Colton Underwood

Released:

  • TE John Phillips

Reserve/suspended:

  • TE Antonio Gates
  • G Craig Watts

Chargers Place Donald Butler On IR

December 15th, 2014 at 5:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers announced that they have placed Donald Butler on the injured reserve with a dislocated elbow. With the inside linebacker out for the year, the Bolts promoted cornerback Greg Ducre off the practice squad to the active roster and signed quarterback Brad Sorensen to the practice squad.

Butler, 26, re-signed with the Chargers in March rather than hitting the open market. While we don’t know what other clubs might have offered him, Butler was paid hansomely to forego free agency. Butler’s deal covers seven years with a total potential value of $51.8MM with $11.15MM guaranteed at signing. It’s yet another season dragged down by injuries for Butler, who ranked 45th among 55 qualified inside linebackers in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). This season, he ranks an abysmal 59th out of 60 qualified inside linebackers.

Ducre was signed to San Diego’s taxi squad last week just days after being let go by Washington. The 22-year-old (23 in January) was a superstar in camp with the Chargers this past season, so it’s not a huge surprise to see him get the promotion.

Sorensen, 26, was drafted 221st overall in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chargers. The Southern Utah product was cut loose this past August but the Bolts have obviously kept his number handy. Sorensen spent some time on the Titans’ taxi squad this season and auditioned for the Texans, Panthers, Seahawks, Vikings, Bills, and Patriots once he was let go in late September.

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