HEADLINES

Caesar Rayford

Vikings Trim Roster To 75 Players

September 1st, 2015 at 9:10am CST by Rob DiRe

TUESDAY, 9:10am: The Vikings are now down to 75 players, having waived/injured quarterback Mike Kafka, according to the team (Twitter link). He’ll land on the team’s injured reserve list if he clears waivers.

MONDAY, 2:13pm: The Vikings have announced two more moves today, removing another two players from their active roster. According to a team release, Minnesota has waived/injured tackle Carter Bykowski, who will be out for the year with a pectoral injury, and placed cornerback Josh Robinson on the reserve/PUP list, meaning he’ll miss at least the first six weeks of the season.

SUNDAY, 6:30pm: The Vikings have moved closer to securing their 75-man roster, announcing that they’ve cut 11 players:

  • Joe Banyard, RB
  • Brandon Bostick, TE
  • Jalil Carter, CB
  • Justin Coleman, CB
  • DaVaris Daniels, WR
  • Stephen Goodin, OT
  • Josh Kaddu, LB
  • Jordan Leslie, WR
  • Caesar Rayford, DE
  • Chrishon Rose, DT
  • DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB

They currently have 78 men on the roster, and will need to cut an additional three players in time for the Tuesday deadline.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

April 1st, 2015 at 4:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL have been busy today, making minor roster additions and subtractions as they continue to survey the remaining free agent landscape and prepare for this month’s draft. Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the league:

  • According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have signed defensive end Efe Obada, who played last year with the London Warriors in England.
  • Meanwhile, a former Cowboys defender, Caesar Rayford, announced today on Facebook that he has signed a new contract with the Vikings.
  • The Jets have re-signed backup tackle Ben Ijalana, the team announced today in a press release. During his two seasons in New York, Ijalana has been inactive on game days more often than not.

Earlier updates:

  • Seahawks fullback and defensive lineman Will Tukuafu posted an Instagram photo today that showed him signing a new contract with the Seahawks, and the NFL’s official transactions wire confirms the deal, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Per Condotta (via Twitter), Seattle’s new deal with defensive lineman Jesse Williams, who was cut earlier in the offseason for procedural reasons, also showed up on the transactions wire.
  • Cornerback and special-teamer Sherrick McManis has returned to the Bears on a one-year deal, according to the club (Twitter link). Although he played just 46 defensive snaps for Chicago in 2014, McManis was a key contributor on kick and punt coverage, recording 11 special teams tackles.
  • The Steelers have re-signed defensive lineman Clifton Geathers to a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release. Geathers, 27, joined the Steelers in December of last year after the club placed Brett Keisel on injured reserve, but didn’t see any game action.
  • Agent Mike McCartney published a tweet this afternoon congratulating his client Mike Kafka on the quarterback’s new deal with the Vikings. A participant in last month’s veterans combine, Kafka spent time in 2014 on the Buccaneers’ practice squad and active roster.
  • Running back Dan “Boom” Herron has officially signed his exclusive rights free agent tender with the Colts, ensuring that he’ll be back with the team in 2015. The move was a formality, since Herron couldn’t negotiate with other clubs.
  • The Panthers have waived guard Derek Dennis and linebacker Horace Miller, two players who signed futures contracts with the team at season’s end, the club announced today (via Twitter).

North Notes: Peterson, Rice, Lions, Browns

October 8th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Adrian Peterson‘s trial date was set today for December 1, and could happen even sooner than that if Peterson’s camp can expedite the process. With the case likely to be resolved during the season, it could create a predicament for the Vikings and the NFL, whether or not Peterson is found guilty, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Since the use of the exempt/commissioner’s permission spot for players facing charges is a new development, there’s no blueprint for how to proceed once the legal proceedings wrap up.

If Peterson is acquitted, will the Vikings reactivate him immediately? If Peterson is found guilty, will he face an immediate suspension from the league, and will the time he missed count toward that ban? It’s new territory for the league, and as Florio points out, it will be interesting to see how cases like Peterson’s and Greg Hardy‘s play out, and when we’ll see those players back on the field.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • Having already appealed the indefinite suspension handed down by the NFL, Ray Rice also may pursue a grievance against the Ravens for terminating his contract after the public release of the elevator video, sources tell Florio. As Florio explains, Rice’s camp would make a similar argument to the one being made in the appeal of the suspension, pointing out that the running back had already been punished for the incident, and that the league and team should have already known all the relevant facts.
  • While the Lions were the only team reported to have Matt Prater in for a workout, the veteran kicker tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) that “five or six” clubs had some interest after he was released by the Broncos.
  • Former Raiders linebacker Kaelin Burnett worked out for the Browns this week, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Wilson also has the details on the free agents who tried out for the Lions and have yet to be reported. We already heard about a few kickers and defensive backs to audition for the club, but Wilson adds the following names to the list of participants (via Twitter): DB Bryan McCann, DT Kheeston Randall, LB Caesar Rayford, CB R.J. Stanford, and CB Trevin Wade.
  • In addition to their workouts reported yesterday, the Bengals also took a look at guard Antoine McClain and linebacker Troy Davis, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Former Packers safety Jerron McMillian auditioned for another NFC North team this week, visiting the Vikings, tweets Wilson.

Giants Work Out Devlin, Boyd, Six Others

September 13th, 2014 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In advance of tomorrow’s game against the Cardinals, the Giants brought in eight players for auditions, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger. New York might just be updating its emergency list at certain positions, but there were some notable names among those whom the team worked out:

Devlin, 26, was released by the Dolphins a month ago after Miami added fellow QB Brady Quinn. After playing college ball at Delaware, Devlin joined the Dolphins in 2011 after going undrafted. He has yet to appear in an NFL game. Boyd, a former Clemson star, was once viewed as a potential first-round pick, but was ultimately selected in the sixth round by the Jets in May. He was cut as the Jets moved to a 53-man roster in late August. As Raanan notes, the Giants have only two quarterbacks on their roster (Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib), so it’s possible one of Devlin or Boyd is added to the club if they feel they need a No. 3.

New York is a tad thin at receiver, where 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham Jr. is currently out with a hamstring injury, so perhaps one of the WR group listed above might stick on the Giants’ roster. Only Cone has caught a pass (one) in the NFL, doing so last year for the Falcons. Cunningham, a sixth-round choice of the Dolphins in 2012, was waived by the Eagles last month after being active for two Philadelphia games in 2013. Harrison, an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2013, is well-traveled — he’s spent time with the Bears, Patriots, and Chiefs.

Cowboys Make Cuts, Reduce Roster To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Only two Cowboys’ cuts surfaced yesterday, and the team added Lavar Edwards in a trade with the Titans earlier today, meaning 21 players had to be removed from the team’s active roster today. Among those roster casualties were a few notable names, including veteran guard Uche Nwaneri and running backs Phillip Tanner and Ryan Williams. Here’s the complete list of Cowboys roster moves, via a press release:

Released:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Placed on reserve-suspended list: