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Brandian Ross

Sunday/Monday Transactions: AFC East

September 1st, 2014 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East 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 are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Buffalo Bills:

Miami Dolphins:

New England Patriots:

New York Jets:

AFC West Links: Broncos, Dysert, Raiders

August 30th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Ben Levine

There were a lot of changes in the AFC West today, as Vincent Brown, Duke Ihenacho, Ryan Succop and Greg Little are now all seeking employment. Not much has changed in the AFC West front offices, however, as the general managers are actively trying to improve their squads.

Let’s take a look at some of the rumblings from the division…

  • The Broncos auditioned young kickers this afternoon, reports the Denver Post’s Mike Klis (via Twitter). The writer adds that Andrew Furney was among the group trying out.
  • Broncos general manager John Elway told reporters that the team wants to bring back Zac Dysert for their practice squad, tweets Lindsay Jones of USA Today.
  • The Raiders will remain active, as Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets that general manager Reggie McKenzie will be seeking help at tight end, linebacker and in the secondary.
  • ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson writes that safety Brandian Ross was the Raiders “surprise cut.”

Raiders Release Greg Little, 21 Others

August 30th, 2014 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Two (now) former Raiders, defensive end Jack Crawford and tight end Jake Murphy, revealed last night that they didn’t make the 53-man roster. It took up until now to discover the rest of the team’s moves, as the Raiders officially announced their transactions in a press release this evening.

Perhaps the most surprising move was the release of wide receiver Greg Little. The 25-year-old was claimed from the Browns, where he spent his first three seasons, in May. The former second-rounder has seen at least 90 targets per season since entering the league, but has never finished with more than 61 receptions.

The rest of the team’s moves are below:

Released:

Minor Moves: Lions, Chiefs, Raiders, Colts

April 21st, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Our posts on minor transactions typically focus on smaller-name players and under-the-radar moves. There are plenty of those today, as players accept contract tenders and teams bolster their rosters with camp bodies in time for 2014’s offseason workouts. Let’s round up today’s transactions…

  • Defensive end George Johnson has signed with the Lions, according to agent Brian Levy of Goal Line Football (Twitter link). Johnson has spent time with the Vikings and Buccaneers since 2011, though his regular-season playing time has been extremely limited.

Earlier updates:

  • Free agent wide receiver Kyle Williams has re-signed with the Chiefs, as he announced today on Twitter. Williams, a former 49er, was claimed by Kansas City off waivers last fall, but tore his ACL in late November. He’ll likely continue to rehab and recover throughout the summer, so he’s not expected to have a major role for the Chiefs in 2014.
  • The Lions have added a pair of cornerbacks to their roster, signing Aaron Hester and Nate Ness, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Hester was on the Broncos’ roster during the 2013 preseason, while Ness has bounced around among a handful of teams since going undrafted in 2009.
  • Raiders safety Brandian Ross and tackle Matt McCants have accepted and signed their exclusive rights free agent tenders from the club, the team announced via Twitter.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports a number of RFA and ERFA tender signings, via Twitter, as follows: Colts cornerback Josh Gordy has signed his $1.431MM tender; 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite has signed his ERFA tender; Giants center Dallas Reynolds has accepted his ERFA tender; and linebacker Adrian Hamilton and safety Anthony Levine have accepted their ERFA offers from the Ravens.

Ross, Greenwood Accept Contract Tenders

March 7th, 2014 at 11:37pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Chris Cabott clients have signed on for the 2014 season with their respective teams, the agent tweeted tonight. Cabott confirmed that cornerbacks Brandian Ross and Chris Greenwood have extended their contracts with the Raiders and Lions respectively.

We heard earlier this week that Oakland had tendered a contract offer to Ross, while Detroit extended a tender to Greenwood. Both players had been exclusive rights free agents. Unless Cabott negotiated a longer-term deal for either client, Ross and Greenwood are likely now on those one-year contracts for 2014.

While Greenwood has yet to see much NFL playing time, Ross assumed the starting strong safety job for the Raiders in 2013. The 24-year-old notched a pair of sacks and 75 tackles, but ranked 85th among 86 qualified safeties, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

FA Rumors: Monroe, Ward, Dolphins, Hester

March 4th, 2014 at 7:38pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve already passed along one round of free agent rumors this afternoon, but with the 2014 FA period just a few days away from officially getting underway, there will be plenty more items to track in the near future. In fact, we’ve already got another handful of updates to run through:

  • Left tackle Eugene Monroe and the Ravens remain far apart in talks on a new contract, reports Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times. It’s still possible that the two sides could work out an agreement, but it appears unlikely to happen before Monroe becomes eligible to hit the open market and negotiate with other clubs, says Zenitz. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) also hears that the sides are still far apart, though he says there were no new negotiations today, meaning things haven’t gotten any worse.
  • The agent of Browns safety T.J. Ward has released a statement about his free agent client to the Akron Beacon Journal, as Nate Ulrich details. It reads, in part: “With the passing of the franchise/transition tag deadline, we remain open to further discussions with the Browns in working towards a long-term deal and look forward to that possibility. However, if things don’t work out in Cleveland, we likewise look forward to the opportunity that can coincide with becoming an unrestricted free agent.”
  • To the surprise of the players’ agents, the Dolphins have yet to make contract offers to free-agent-to-be defensive tackles Randy Starks and Paul Soliai, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • It looks like Ernie Sims won’t return to the Cowboys, according to ESPN.com’s Calvin Watkins, who says the team wants to get younger at its backup linebacker spots (Twitter link).
  • The Raiders have tendered contracts to five of their exclusive rights free agents, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Offensive linemen Matt McCants is eligible for the minimum salary for players with one year of NFL experience ($495K), while linebacker Kaelin Burnett, running backs Jamize Olawale and Jeremy Stewart, and cornerback Brandian Ross are eligible for the two-year minimum ($570K). All five players have to accept the tenders if they want to play in the NFL next season.
  • The Buccaneers aren’t expected to tender a contract to restricted free agent tight end Kyle Adams, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The team would still have the option of trying to re-sign Adams for less than the RFA tender amount.
  • The Bears are making no attempts to sign Devin Hester, meaning the return specialist appears likely to leave Chicago this offseason, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • When the Redskins released Adam Carriker today, I wrote that the defensive end would likely have to sign with another team if he hopes to return to the field in 2014, and John Keim of ESPN.com confirms as much (via Twitter). A source tells Keim that Washington won’t re-sign Carriker at a lower price.
  • The Giants have tendered contracts to Spencer Paysinger ($1.431M) and Dallas Reynolds ($570K) while the Browns tendered Craig Robertson ($570K), according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).