Carter Bykowski

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/30/17

Thursday’s minor moves:

  • The Vikings have signed three participants from last week’s veteran combine – tight end Nick Truesdell, wide receiver Mitch Mathews and Terrell Sinkfield. Truesdell was most recently in the Arena Football League, but he did spend time on the Colts’ practice squad last season. Mathews, who went undrafted out of BYU last year, was on the Chiefs’ and Browns’ practice squads for multiple-month stints in 2016. Sinkfield is the only one of three with previous experience as a Viking, having logged some practice squad time with them last year. He bounced around four other NFL organizations from 2013-15 and has three years’ experience in the Canadian Football League.
  • Falcons offensive tackle Carter Bykowski has retired, reports Vaughn McClure of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bykowski, whom the 49ers chose in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, joined the Falcons in 2016 after a stint in Minnesota. He didn’t appear in any regular-season games during his career.

Falcons Sign Six To Reserve/Futures Deals

Following a devastating Super Bowl loss, the Falcons have begun their offseason by inking six players to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced. The following players were inked to futures deals, which will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective club’s offseason 90-man rosters:

Atlanta had previously inked center Trevor Robinson (link) and wide receiver Anthony Dable (link) to futures contracts, bringing the club’s total to eight.

Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/16

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OT Carter Bykowski, LB Davis Tull
  • Cut: DE Nordly Capi, CB Devonte Johnson

Chicago Bears

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
  • Cut: G Darrell Greene

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: LB Curtis Grant (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: OL Ronald Patrick (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post)

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/16

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: RB Blake Sims (link via Matt Zenitz of AL.com)
  • Cut: RB Gus Johnson (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: WR Marquis Bundy (via team announcement)
  • Cut: WR Chris Hubert (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts:

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Cut: WR Shaq Evans (Twitter link via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com)

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: OT Takoby Cofield (Twitter link via reps at Precision Sports)
  • Cut: LB Jason Fanaika (Twitter link via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com)

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: QB Alex Tanney (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: OL Ronald Patrick

Washington Redskins

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/16

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: QB Aaron Murray, QB Zac Dysert (team announcement)

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: WR Nick Williams (Twitter link via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), DL Joe Vellano (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: DT Joey Mbu (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: QB David Fales (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com), G Jarell Broxton (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun)

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: LB Carlos Fields, DB Damian Parms (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: T Carter Bykowski (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press)
  • Cut: CB Tre Roberson

New England Patriots

New York Jets

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: OL Takoby Cofield

Tennessee Titans:

  • Signed: WR Tre McBride (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com)
  • Cut: WR Ben Roberts

Vikings’ Roster Stands At 53

The Vikings have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:

Placed on IR:

Placed On NFI:

  • QB Taylor Heinicke

Moore, who turns 26 next week, appeared in eight games for the Pats in 2014 after being taken with a sixth-round pick. In 2015, he found his way to Minnesota where he appeared in one regular season contest.

Boehringer, a native of Germany, became the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL when the Vikings chose him in the sixth round. He ultimately failed to earn a roster spot, though he could land on the Vikings’ practice squad, per Rapoport.

Vikings, Phil Loadholt Re-Work Contract

The Vikings have agreed to a re-worked contract with Phil Loadholt, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (on Twitter). Loadholt will earn a $2MM base in 2016 and can make up to $3.5MM through incentives. A source close to Loadholt tells Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (link) that the tackle is “betting on himself” to come back strong after having injuries in 2015, hence the one-year deal.Phil Loadholt

Loadholt missed only one game from 2009-13 but injuries have slowed him down in a major way ever since. The 343-pounder missed the final five games of the 2014 campaign because of a torn pectoral muscle and missed all of 2015 with a torn Achilles. Loadholt, 30, hasn’t played a 16-game season since 2012, but he suited up for 15 contests in 2013 and graded out as a top-five tackle by Pro Football Focus’ standards.

In other Vikings news, the team announced that they have tendered an offer to Zach Line. The team will now have first right of refusal on the fullback. Minnesota has also re-signed two ERFAs. Wide receiver Adam Thielen and tackle Carter Bykowski will be back with the club in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Trim Roster To 75 Players

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.

Bykowski Out For Year, Vikings Eyeing Tackles

Just days after placing starting right tackle Phil Loadholt on injured reserve with a season-ending Achilles injury, the Vikings confirmed that another tackle, Carter Bykowski will also miss the 2015 season. As Master Tesfatsion and Chris Miller of the Star Tribune detail, Bykowski will be out for the year after undergoing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.

Bykowski hadn’t been expected to see significant action for the Vikings this season, with Matt Kalil and rookie T.J. Clemmings penciled in as the starters at left and right tackle respectively. However, with Loadholt sidelined, Bykowski, who was plucked from the 49ers’ practice squad by Minnesota last December, slid up a spot on the team’s depth chart, and may have been the next man up if Kalil or Clemmings had gone down.

Now, with their ranks thinning at offensive tackle, the Vikings will be on the hunt for more bodies at the position. The club signed former Giants and Cowboys tackle Stephen Goodin on Tuesday, and head coach Mike Zimmer suggests he’ll get an opportunity to earn a roster spot, but Minnesota will continue to pursue possible upgrades.

“He’s just another athlete to come in here and help,” Zimmer said of Goodin. “We’ll give him a look and see. We’re going to continue to look.”

Currently, the only tackles listed on the Vikings’ depth chart behind the starters are seventh-round rookie Austin Shepherd, raw Polish newcomer Babatunde Aiyegbusi, and Goodin.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

As NFL teams get their 53-man rosters in order for Week 15’s slate of games, we’ll round up Wednesday’s minor transactions in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Seahawks have signed defensive end David King from the Bengals practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The defensive end, who was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, was signed by Cincinnati in August.

Earlier updates:

  • The Cowboys continue to shuffle pieces to and from their roster and practice squad, with team executive Stephen Jones indicating that defensive end Kenneth Boatright is the latest taxi squad player to receive a promotion, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Dallas now has a full 53-man squad.
  • The Panthers have released quarterback Matt Blanchard from their injured reserve list, now that he’s been deemed healthy, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. As Person adds in a second tweet, Blanchard sustained a severe concussion during a preseason game and wasn’t cleared for more than two months.
  • Having waived defensive back Roc Carmichael yesterday, the Eagles filled the opening on their roster today by adding another player to their secondary. The team announced (via Twitter) that it has signed safety Jerome Couplin from off the Lions‘ practice squad. Couplin originally signed with Detroit back in May as an undrafted free agent out of William and Mary.
  • Like the Eagles, the Vikings have also poached a player from another club’s practice squad, plucking offensive tackle Carter Bykowski away from the 49ers, per a team release. To make room for the incoming signee, Minnesota has placed linebacker Michael Mauti on the injured reserve list.
  • Washington completed a series of roster moves on Tuesday that left the team with an open spot on its 53-man roster, and the club has now signed cornerback Justin Rogers to once again max out the squad (Twitter link). Rogers was one of several players to work out for Washington earlier this week.