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Bryan Braman

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/17

December 12th, 2017 at 6:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated to return from injured reserve: QB Jeff Driskel

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

  • Signed off Chiefs‘ practice squad: OL Damien Mama

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Promoted to active roster: LB Riley Bullough
  • Waived: CB Deji Olatoye

NFL Workout Updates: 10/17/17

October 17th, 2017 at 9:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions 

Houston Texans

  • QB Taylor Heinicke (link via Caplan)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

NFL Workout Updates: 9/29/17

September 29th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • P Brock Miller (link via Howard Balzer)

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

  • WR Rashard Davis (link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post)

Seahawks Considering LB/ST Bryan Braman

September 27th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After losing ace special teamer Dewey McDonald to a torn ACL, the Seahawks are considering signing linebacker Bryan Braman, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).Bryan Braman (Vertical)

[RELATED: Seahawks Audition Akeem Ayers]

Braman, 30, has appeared in 94 career games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M in 2011, but has never started a contest. His core responsibilities have come on special teams with both the Texans (2011-14) and the Eagles (2014-16). Last year, for example, Braman played only three defensive snaps for Philadelphia, but saw action on 82.3% of the club’s special teams plays.

Through three games, Seattle ranks just 22nd in special teams DVOA. Specifically, the Seahawks are below-average in every area of special teams aside from kick returns. On punts, the club has sacrificed 1.4 points of field position.

Braman has already landed one NFL contract this year, as he enjoyed a week-plus stint with the Saints before being released at final cutdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/17

September 9th, 2017 at 6:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the today’s minor moves.

  • With a ruptured Achilles’ tendon set to end Eric Berry‘s season, the Chiefs officially placed the eighth-year safety on IR Saturday. The team also signed offensive lineman Jordan Devey and safety Steven Terrell. Both Devey and Terrell went to training camp with Kansas City. The Chiefs cut both last weekend. Terrell started in five games as Earl Thomas‘ replacement with the Seahawks last season.
  • The Colts cut safety Earl Wolff with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. A 2013 fifth-round Eagles pick, Wolff hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2014. The Redskins signed Wolff to a reserve/futures deal in January but waived him earlier this month.
  • To fill Matt Jones‘ roster spot, the Colts promoted guard Adam Redmond from their practice squad. Redmond signed with the Colts as a UDFA in 2016. He’ll join Deyshawn Bond as a center option for the team, which will be without starter Ryan Kelly to start the season.
  • For now, the Broncos won’t go with a two-Peko setup on their defensive line. They waived defensive tackle Kyle Peko, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. The Broncos signed Domata Peko to be their starting nose tackle and have until Sunday afternoon to replace his cousin on the roster in advance of their Monday-night game. Kyle Peko missed time this summer because of an injury.
  • The Lions signed offensive lineman Storm Norton off their practice squad and waived linebacker Nick Bellore, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Rothstein adds this news could mean tackle Corey Robinson — brought off the PUP list last week — may not be ready to play in Week 1. Robinson missed the preseason with an injury.
  • The Saints released outside linebacker Bryan Braman off IR with an injury settlement, Caplan reports (on Twitter).

Saints Reach 53-Man Roster Limit

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Every team had to get under the 53-man limit by Saturday’s deadline, but the Saints were the last to publicly announce their cuts. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:

Waived:

Released:

IR:

The Saints re-signed Cadet this offseason only to put him on the trade block in June. They didn’t find any takers then and they apparently couldn’t find any now. The Jets, who pursued him in free agency, could have interest in signing him.

Saints Sign Zach Line, Bryan Braman

August 23rd, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints made a series of moves Wednesday, bringing in three new players – fullback Zach Line, linebacker Bryan Braman and undrafted rookie defensive back Elijah Mitchell – and parting with offensive lineman Jack Allen, whom they waived/injured.

Zach Line (vertical)

The most notable addition may be Line, who spent the first four years of his career with the Vikings and is coming off back-to-back 16-game seasons. Line totaled 339 snaps in Minnesota last year (210 on offense, 129 on special teams), but offseason hip surgery and a lack of demand for fullbacks likely combined to make it difficult for him to find employment. Before joining the Saints, who deployed fullback John Kuhn on 397 snaps last year (278 on offense, 119 via special teams), Line’s only known interest came from the Jets. It’s unclear whether Kuhn is now on the hot seat as a result of the Line signing.

Braman, meanwhile, has posted five 16-game seasons during his six-year career. His only missed time (two games) came as a member of the Texans in 2012, his second NFL season. Braman spent his first three years in Houston and the previous three in Philadelphia, where he functioned as a leading special teamer. The 30-year-old posted upward of 1,100 special teams snaps during his tenure with the Eagles and paced the unit in playing time in each of the previous two seasons. Thanks in part to Braman, the Eagles’ ST unit ranked as the NFL’s No. 2 group in 2016, per Football Outsiders. The Saints finished just 27th, on the other hand, so picking up Line and Braman could be the latest moves that improve the unit under new coordinator Bradford Banta.

Saints Working Out LB Bryan Braman

July 25th, 2017 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Special-teams maven Bryan Braman recently worked out for the Saints, as his agent Sean Stellato tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.Bryan Braman (Vertical)

Braman, 30, has appeared in 94 career games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M in 2011, but has never started a contest. His core responsibilities have come on special teams with both the Texans (2011-14) and the Eagles (2014-16). Last year, for example, Braman played only three defensive snaps for Philadelphia, but saw action on 82.3% of the club’s special teams plays.

The Saints were extremely poor on special teams in 2016 (27th in DVOA), and have since replaced their special teams coordinator, hiring Brad Banta to replace Greg McMahon. Per Football Outsiders, New Orleans’ was particularly lacking on kick returns, as the club lost eight points of field position on such plays (30th in the NFL).

New Deals For Kraig Urbik, Bryan Braman

March 17th, 2015 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills and Eagles have made minor cap adjustments, modifying the contracts for Kraig Urbik and Bryan Braman, respectively, according to reports. Urbik’s new deal involves him accepting a pay cut, while Braman receives a one-year extension as part of his reworked contract.

According to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (all Twitter links), the Bills have reduced the 2015 base salary for Urbik – the team’s starting left guard for most of 2014 – by $1.5MM, and sliced his 2016 base salary by $1.7MM. Urbik had been set to receive a $300K roster bonus this month, and likely would have been cut if he hadn’t agreed to the pay cut — instead, he’ll get that $300K in the form of a new signing bonus, and will receive another $150K roster bonus if he spends at least one game on the 53-man roster this fall.

The move reflects Urbik’s new status on the roster, as he appears poised to head into the 2015 season as a backup rather than a starter. The Bills’ addition of Richie Incognito earlier this offseason ensures that Urbik will likely slide down the depth chart at least one spot.

As for Braman, he’ll also take a pay cut for 2015, with the Eagles reducing his salary from $1.2MM to $745K, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The team added an extra year to the linebacker’s contract as part of the agreement, and he’ll have a $900K base salary for 2016, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Braman, who contributes almost exclusively on special teams, likely received some modest bonus or guarantee as part of the move.

Eagles Notes: Kelly, Matthews, Carroll, Long, Barkley, Villanueva

June 21st, 2014 at 11:56am CST by Matt Feminis

Eagles second-rounder Jordan Matthews “caught everything thrown his way and lined up both inside and outside,” according to Phillymag.com’s Sheil Kapadia, who took stock of the team’s draft picks now that spring work has concluded. Kapadia expects Matthews to emerge as the team’s No. 1 slot receiver.

Other Eagles tidbits:

  • Head coach Chip Kelly held a press this week and was again asked about the unceremonious divorce from DeSean Jackson, but Kelly made it clear that he’s not in the message sending business. Bob Grotz of the Delaware County Daily Times relayed that bit of information as well as a related quote from center Jason Kelce which indicates that, while the Jackson release resonated, it has not affected the team’s stability: “As opposed to the way a lot of the media portrays it I don’t think that the release was solely on character things and a lot of other things, I think that might be something that’s been played out way too far. I think there are a lot of different factors. His release has not changed in my mind anything about the way this organization runs, the culture of it or anything.”
  • Free agent acquisition Nolan Carroll and 2013 undrafted free agent Travis Long were among a handful of under-the-radar players highlighted by Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. Now two years removed from a reconstructed ACL, Long is pushing for a roster spot and has drawn praise from Kelly.
  • Long would help his chances of making the roster by proving himself valuable on special teams, an area the Eagles have made a concerted effort to improve, notes ESPN’s Phil Sheridan: “The Eagles added Bryan Braman, a linebacker who excelled on special teams in Houston, and cornerback Nolan Carroll, an excellent gunner on coverage teams. Safety Chris Maragos was a special teams regular for Seattle last year. Darren Sproles, who will see plenty of time on offense, is a first-rate return man.”
  • Is Matt Barkley‘s arm strength a major concern? Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com thinks so.
  • Army product Alejandro Villanueva, an undrafted free agent, is a long shot, but his work ethic is noteworthy and worth reading about. Kelly told team website writer Bo Wulf he’s “amazed at everything that Alejandro does.”
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