HEADLINES

Brock Jensen

Extra Points: Rice, Bills Ownership, Injuries

September 8th, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Matt Feminis

The NFL has informed teams that any contract with Ray Rice will not be approved until further direction is provided from Roger Goodell, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Additionally, Rice will not be eligible to play north of the border, either, as the CFL will honor the NFL’s suspension, according to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani (via Twitter).

Here’s some more miscellaneous news and notes:

  • Bids to buy the Bills are in from Terry Pegula, Donald Trump and Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto-based group, reports the Buffalo News’ Tim Graham (via Twitter). He adds multiple sources believe the process could be wrapped up as soon as Wednesday. As of yesterday, Pegula, who also owns the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, appears to be the favorite to land the winning bid.
  • Titans linebacker Zach Brown will miss the rest of the season because of a torn pectoral, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Zaviar Gooden, another athletic linebacker, is expected to replace Brown in the starting lineup.
  • Bears center Roberto Garza sustained a high ankle sprain yesterday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). With Garza sidelined for an undetermined period of time, the Bears will turn to free-agent acquisition Brian De La Puente at center.
  • Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield will also be sidelined by a high ankle sprain, says Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • The Patriots worked out running back Daniel Thomas, quarterback Brock Jensen and tight ends Evan Wilson and Brian Wozniak, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
  • Yates also reports a couple more running back tryouts: Chris Rainey (Cardinals) and Lache Seastrunk (Packers).
  • Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com identifies players entering crucial stages of their contract who helped or hurt their stock on Sunday. Fitzgerald highlights Broncos tight end Julian Thomas, who recorded 7-103-3 in a win over the Colts, noting Thomas or teammate and free agent-to-be Demaryius Thomas “should be able to jump into a new offer” since the team can only franchise one of their pass-catching stars. At the other end of the spectrum, Fitzgerald says Redskins pass rusher Brian Orakpo was “non-existent “on Sunday. Furthermore, Orakpo’s reputation as someone who disappears in games could prevent him from getting the type of mega deal he seeks in free agency.

Minor Moves: Monday

August 11th, 2014 at 9:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • In addition to releasing Andre Brown, the Texans have also cut running backs Dennis Johnson (via tweet from ESPN’s Tania Ganguli) and Tim Cornett (via tweet from Fox Houston’s Mark Berman).
  • The Texans have added a running back, as ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that the team has added William Powell on a two-year deal.
  • Former Redskins cornerback Peyton Thompson has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times.

Earlier updates:

  • According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), tight end Richard Quinn has been placed on the Saints‘ reserve-retired list, so it appears the former second-round pick has elected to end his playing career.
  • Wide receiver Quintin Payton was cut by the Lions today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The move clears a spot for new wideout Conner Vernon, who Detroit claimed off waivers from the Bengals, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.
  • The Chiefs have signed safety Jonathon Amaya, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Per a series of tweets from Wilson and ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson, the following players have cleared waivers and been placed on their respective teams’ IR lists: Ben Malena (Cowboys), Daniel Adongo (Colts), Jeris Pendleton (Colts), Dezman Moses (Chiefs), Alvin Scioneaux (Chargers), Mike Taylor (Seahawks), and Chuck Jacobs (49ers).
  • Less than a week after signing him, the Browns have waived tight end Kyle Auffray, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.
  • Tight end Brad Smelley, who was on the Rams‘ roster briefly at the end of last season, has been re-signed to take the place of Mason Brodine, who sustained a fractured ankle (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner).
  • As the Dolphins explore the free agent market for quarterbacks, they parted ways with one of their undrafted rookies, former North Dakota State signal-caller Brock Jensen (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). With the open roster spot, the club re-added running back Cameron Marshall.
  • The Colts have signed defensive end Gannon Conway, cutting offensive lineman Eric Pike to make room on the roster, tweets assistant director of communications Matt Conti.
  • Running back Jawan Jamison has been waived by the Steelers, according to the team’s PR man Burt Lauten (on Twitter).
  • With the empty 90th spot on the roster, the Cowboys will sign Australian punter Tom Hornsey, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Incumbent punter Chris Jones ranked in the league’s top ten last season according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and has had a solid camp, so Hornsey seems unlikely to make the team.

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 3rd, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Rory Parks

We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:

  • The Redskins have filled the roster spot previously held by Jerry Rice Jr. with defensive end Jeremy Towns, tweets Mike Jones of The Washington Post. Towns is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Redskins have waived injured wideout Jerry Rice Jr., tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. The player tore the labrum in his left shoulder and will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
  • The Colts have signed undrafted wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The embattled rookie attended three colleges and was charged with armed robbery.
  • The Colts have also cut wide receiver Greg Moore and waived cornerback Brandon Burton, tweets Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post.
  • To make room for Brock Jensen, the Dolphins have waived wide receiver Rantavious Wooten, reports the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley (via Twitter).
  • Five players cleared waivers and will be placed on their respective team’s injured reserve (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): Cowboys offensive lineman Darius Morris, Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller and Jets safety Brandon Hardin.
  • The Texans have claimed center Sam Longo from the Dolphins, tweets Brian McIntyre. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive lineman Brice Schwab.
  • Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller have all cleared waivers and will go on the team’s injured reserve, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves, signing defensive lineman Jairus Campbell and waiving fullback James Baker and cornerback David Van Dyke, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • The Patriots have re-signed linebacker James Morris, according to Pat Harty of the Iowa Press-Citizen (h/t: Christopher Price of WEEI.com). Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was waived by New England in May with a failed physical designation, but is apparently healthy now.
  • The Dolphins re-signed quarterback Brock Jensen on Saturday night, just four days after cutting him, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Fellow signal-callers Matt Moore and Pat Devlin are both hurt at the moment, so Miami needed additional depth at the position as they prepare for Friday’s preseason opener. If Moore is healthy, he will of course serve as the team’s primary backup in 2014, and his injured shoulder is currently not a major concern for the club.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

July 29th, 2014 at 8:46pm CST by Luke Adams

As August approaches, teams continue to shuffle around their 90-man rosters, making minor signings and cuts. We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Bears signed wide receiver Dale Moss to fill out their roster, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Moss spent part of 2012 on the Bears’ practice squad and the early part of the 2013 offseason on Chicago’s roster.
  • Brian McIntyre (Twitter links) passes along word of a pair of waiver claims, reporting that the 49ers claimed offensive tackle Michael Philipp from the Dolphins, while the Lions were awarded wideout Quintin Payton from the Bucs. Detroit had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary to claim Payton — San Francisco has waived quarterback Kory Faulkner to make room for Philipp.
  • The Steelers have waived-injured offensive lineman David Snow, replacing him on the roster with running back Josh Harris, the team announced today (Twitter link via PR man Burt Lauten).

Earlier updates:

  • After suffering a couple injuries in the secondary recently, the Ravens have brought in a free agent defensive back, signing former Arena Leaguer Marrio Norman to a contract, the team announced today. To make room on the roster, Baltimore has cut wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard, who spent most of last season on the club’s practice squad.
  • In order to make room for the newly-signed Alfonso Smith, the 49ers have waived-injured rookie guard Fouimalo Fonoti, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins have made a series of moves this morning, signing tight end Brett Brackett, quarterback Seth Lobato and defensive end D’Aundre Reed, and waiving quarterback Brock Jensen and linebacker Derrell Johnson. Miami also waived-injured guard Davonte Wallace, according to the team (TwitLonger link). Of the six players, only Reed has seen regular-season NFL action, and his experience is limited to six active games in 2012. The release of Jensen is also notable, since he was one of the club’s more highly-touted undrafted free agents this spring.
  • Former Jets linebacker Ricky Sapp has been cut by the Texans, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the team signed running back Tim Cornett and offensive tackle Mike Farrell. Sapp, a former fifth-round pick who was active in 10 total games last year for the Jets and Texans, will have to clear waivers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Extra Points: Dalton, Housler, Dolphins

May 25th, 2014 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Following his subpar performances in the last three playoffs, there was some doubt whether Andy Dalton was part of the Bengals future. Furthermore, the quarterback may be seeking an extension with the squad. New offensive coordinator Hue Jackman stated his support for the 26-year-old following the team’s first voluntary on-field practice.

Via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

“He has all the characteristics I like in a quarterback. He’s smart, he comes to work prepared and ready to go, and he comes to the practice field ready to compete. He can make all the necessary throws. I haven’t see any throw he can’t make. That being said, he knows there are things that we talk about that he needs to get better at.”

Of course, Jackman added that it’s time for Dalton and star receiver A.J. Green to prove their talents:

“They’ve been good, now it’s time to be great.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Cardinals tight end Rob Housler is a “definite (if not likely) trade candidate”, according to ESPN’s. Josh Weinfuss (via Twitter).
  • Dolphins quarterback Brock Jensen made a couple of good throws in minicamp, but his arm strength was not impressive, opines ESPN’s James Walker (via Twitter). The writer says that he isn’t ready to declare the undrafted free agent as a challenger to Pat Devlin for the third quarterback spot (via Twitter).
  • Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lists defensive end, inside linebacker and wide receiver as the biggest position battles for the Steelers.

Minor Moves: Browns, Jets, Raiders

May 19th, 2014 at 4:37pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve already taken a look today at some minor moves from around the NFL. Let’s take a look at some more transactions from the AFC…

  • The Browns have signed receiver Anthony Armstrong, reports ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter). The 31-year-old has 54 catches for 986 yards and five touchdowns over 34 career games.
  • Running back Jourdan Brooks has signed with the Browns, announced agent Scott Bergman (via Twitter). Brooks spent last season with the Bengals.
  • The Browns also announced the signings (on Twitter) of receiver Taylor Gabriel, offensive lineman Randall Harris, defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel, defensive back Robert Nelson and tight end James Oboh.
  • The Browns announced that they have waived running back Jamaine Cook, receivers Josh Cooper and Tori Gurley, offensive lineman Anthony Dima, fullback Chris Pressley, tight end Andre Smith and defensive lineman Elhadji Ndiaye.
  • The Jets have signed linebacker A.J. Edds and offensive lineman Markus Zusevics, reports Randy Lange on NewYorkJets.com. To make room on the roster, the team cut receiver Dwight Jones and offensive lineman Jacolby Ashworth.
  • The Raiders have signed linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu and cornerback Jansen Watson, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. The team added wideout Greg Little earlier today.
  • The Raiders also waived receiver D.J. Coles and cornerbacks Johnny Adams and Frank Beltre, reports Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune (via Twitter).
  • The Texans made an assortment of moves (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): they added receiver Lacoltan Bester and defensive tackle Julius Warmsley, cut defensive lineman Tyrone Ezell and receivers Nathan Slaughter and Andy Cruse, and waived injured offensive tackle Chris Martin.
  • The Dolphins added former North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen, the team announced on Twitter. Miami also inked linebacker Chris McCain.

Extra Points: Clausen, Quinn, Ponder

April 18th, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Former second-round pick Jimmy Clausen hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since his rookie year in 2010, but having undergone shoulder surgery last September, the 26-year-old feels like he’s healthy and ready to contribute somewhere. Clausen tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he’s looking for an opportunity to compete for a No. 2 job, then hopes to work his way up from there.

“I’m still really young,” Clausen said. “I’m going into my fifth year in the league. I feel great. This is probably right now the healthiest I’ve been since my junior year in college, to be honest with you.”

As the former Notre Dame signal-caller continues to look for NFL work, let’s check out a few other Good Friday updates from around the league….

  • Although the team has yet to do so, the Rams will exercise Robert Quinn‘s fifth-year option by next month’s deadline, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Quinn, like fellow defense end Muhammad Wilkerson, should be in line for a 2015 salary of $6.969MM.
  • Meanwhile, Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune takes a look at Christian Ponder‘s potential fifth-year option, which seems unlikely to be picked up by the Vikings.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp said newly-signed receiver Chad Johnson simply “wanted to be part of a team again,” and isn’t angling to make an NFL comeback (Twitter link).
  • North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen worked out for the Packers and could be a fit for the club, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Five NFL teams have visited Wyoming to work out quarterback Brett Smith, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who says (via Twitter) that Smith is a likely late-round pick if he’s drafted at all.

AFC Pre-Draft Visits: Bills, Patriots, Titans

April 4th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Bills are hosting a few pre-draft visits today, writes Chris Brown of BufalloBills.com. North Carolina’s star tight end Eric Ebron could be in play for the team in the first round. The Bills are also meeting with defensive end Scott Crichton of Oregon State and LSU’s bruising running back Jeremy Hill. Brown writes that Crichton is projected as a second-round pick and Hill as a mid-round selection.

Here are some other players visiting with AFC teams:

  • The Patriots are bringing in Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig for their local pro day, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. The team already hosted the top quarterback talents, who they are unlikely to draft, but Retig would more likely be a late-round pick. Retig will be able to workout with the team, because he is part of a local visit.
  • Another late-round quarterback, Brock Jensen of North Dakota State, has visits scheduled with both the Browns and the Bengals, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers will be hosting visits from Minnesota safety Brock Vereen, and South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Wilson also reports that Titans hosted Florida State defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and Colorado State linebacker Shaquil Barrett. Jernigan is expected to be a first-round pick.
  • Wide receiver Eric Thomas of Troy University has a visit with the Colts, according to Wilson (via Twitter).