HEADLINES

Branden Bowen

Cardinals Place DL Jack Crawford On IR

August 24th, 2021 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals parted ways with some defensive line experience Tuesday. In cutting their roster down to 80 players, the Cardinals placed Jack Crawford on IR and released David Parry.

Crawford did not end up spending much time on Arizona’s active roster, arriving two weeks into training camp. Tuesday’s transaction means he cannot play for the Cards this season. Parry signed a reserve/futures contract with the Cardinals in January, but the former starter was attempting to craft a comeback after two seasons away.

A nine-year veteran who has been a frequent starter over the past five seasons, Crawford has now been with five teams in his career. That said, the seasoned D-lineman enjoyed multiyear stops in Oakland, Dallas and Atlanta before signing with Tennessee and landing an opportunity in Arizona this year. Crawford, 32, started nine games with the Titans last year and recorded six sacks with the Falcons in 2018.

Parry received a longer look, being with the Cards for nearly eight months. The former Colts starter had been out of football since 2019, when the Patriots cut him just before the regular season. Parry, 29, also spent time with the Saints and Vikings but has only played four games in the past four seasons. The 2015 fifth-round pick is running short on time to continue his career.

The Cards also waived offensive lineman Branden Bowen and waived linebacker Jamell Garcia-Williams with an injury designation.

Cardinals Sign OL Branden Bowen

February 17th, 2021 at 5:10pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s a bit of uncertainty on the Cardinals offensive line, so the team has decided to bring in some additional depth. The team announced today that they’ve signed Branden Bowen.

The Ohio State product showed versatility during his collegiate career, playing both offensive guard and offensive tackle. However, he also dealt with a broken fibula (and three subsequent surgeries) that forced him to miss half of the 2017 campaign and all of the 2018 season. He managed to return to the lineup in 2019, and he was picked up by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent last summer. He was ultimately cut by the team at the end of camp.

With an actual preseason and more years removed from his injury, Bowen may have an opportunity to stick around Arizona. Right tackle Kelvin Beachum could leave via free agency, leaving the organization with 2020 opt-out Marcus Gilbert and 2020 third-rounder Josh Jones as their only fallback options. Guards Max Garcia and J.R. Sweezy are also set to hit free agency, meaning Bowen could have options to compete at multiple spots.

As Darren Urban of the team website points out, this signing gives the Cardinals 56 players on their 90-man offseason roster.

Panthers Reduce Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 12:52pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers are the first team of the day to officially get down to 53 players. The team’s moves are below:

Waived:

Released:

One of the most notable names on the list is Bonnafon, who has been with the organization since 2018. The running back appeared in 16 games last season, rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries. He also hauled in six receptions for 57 yards.

Of course, considering that the NFL was expanded practice squads to 16 players for the 2020 campaign, there’s a good chance that Bonnafon (along with several other players on this list) end up being retained by the organization.

Panthers Agree To Terms With 17 UDFAs

April 28th, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have been busy adding undrafted free agents, as the organization announced that they’ve agreed to terms with 17 rookies:

As the press release notes, three of those free agents (Mack, Sutton, Thompson) officially signed with the Panthers on Monday.

The front office was clearly looking to plug a hole at linebacker, as the organization added five undrafted rookies at the position. While the front office used each of their seven draft picks on defensive players, all those rookies are either defensive backs or defensive linemen.

The Panthers are also making a relatively large investment in Bayless. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the wideout will earn $100K in guaranteed money. The Arkansas State product finished last season with 93 receptions for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns.