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Chase Ford

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/15

November 11th, 2015 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the day:

Earlier updates:

  • The Vikings have activated cornerback Josh Robinson from the physically unable to perform list, waiving tight end Chase Ford in a corresponding roster move, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. As Tomasson writes, Ford – who has been with Minnesota since 2012 – took the news well, pointing out that it’s “part of the game” and it’s not his first time being cut.
  • Having cut quarterback Kellen Moore, the Cowboys added linebacker Mark Nzeocha to their active roster, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Nzeocha, who began the season on the non-football injury list, will help add depth to a group of linebackers that has been affected by injuries.
  • The Cardinals have waived-injured cornerback Cariel Brooks, elevating cornerback Robert Nelson from their practice squad to fill the empty roster spot, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). Brooks, who is dealing with an ankle issue, played exclusively on special teams during his limited action this season, so Nelson isn’t expected to have a major role either.
  • After placing him on the injured reserve list last weekend, Washington has now removed outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat from the roster entirely with an injury settlement, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Kaepernick, Bears, Vikings

November 2nd, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers coach Jim Tomsula declined to give embattled quarterback Colin Kaepernick a vote of confidence on Monday, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. In past weeks, Tomsula has shot down speculation that there could be a QB controversy in SF. He didn’t do that this time around.

“We’re evaluating everything right now,” Tomsula said when asked about his team’s quarterback situation. “We’re in the middle of it right now and I don’t have any comments on any position on our field right now. We’re evaluating everyone.”

Kaepernick has completed just 59.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,615 yards in eight games and he has six touchdown passes against five interceptions.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • 49ers running back Mike Davis will have surgery on Tuesday on his broken hand, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. After surgery, Davis be given an idea of how long he’ll be sidelined.
  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders if Bears outside linebackers Lamarr Houston and Willie Young are on their way out of Chicago after playing a combined 11 defensive snaps on Sunday. One could point to their lack of usage as a sign that they’ll be traded, but I would argue that the Bears would have been better off auditioning them to interested teams if that is their intention.
  • Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press wonders if the Vikings might dangle tight end Chase Ford prior to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Ford started five games last season and caught 23 passes for 258 yards in 11 games overall. However, he hasn’t taken a single snap this season and “some believe” that he could be worth a late-round pick, Tomasson writes. Ford is the team’s No. 4 tight end behind Kyle Rudolph, Rhett Ellison, and rookie MyCole Pruitt.

Extra Points: Houston, Thomas, Vikings, Jaguars

July 18th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Rob DiRe

Justin Houston signed the richest contract in the history of the Chiefs organization, and his teammates are just as excited for the star pass rusher than he is for himself, writes Chris Bumbaca of the Kansas City Star. Receiver Junior Hemingway and safety Sanders Commings both had great things to say about their teammate’s new deal.

“To have Justin back, man, it’s a good move for us. We can keep pushing, keep doing what we’re doing as a team, keep building, keep grinding, and get going — and try and get this ring,” said Hemingway. “In my eyes, he’s the best. His work ethic, just the person who he is, just being around him, you can feed off of that.”

“That guy deserves every penny. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team — most vocal leader, also leads by example,” said Commings. “He makes it easy on the rest of the defense. He can make a play before it even gets started, getting to their quarterback so fast.”

  • Another AFC West star with a new deal added more headlines at a Broncos press conference, where Demaryius Thomas boldly claimed he will be chasing 2,000 receiving yards, write Troy Renck of the Denver Post. He will take over for Andre Johnson and Steve Smith as the number one option in the Gary Kubiak offense.
  • Kyle Rudolph should return to his place at the top of the Vikings depth chart after missing significant time with injury last season, but the roster behind him is up in the air. Rhett Ellison, Chase Ford, fifth-round pick MyCole Pruitt, and the onside kick pariah Brandon Bostick will all battle for spots on the roster. Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune posits that Pruitt is a lock to make the team, meaning last year’s blocking specialist Ellison and receiving specialist Ford will have to fight each other out for what is likely the third and final spot on the roster. Tesfatsion notes that Bostwick would need a strong showing to be in position for that last spot in the team.
  • The Jaguars haven’t been good in what seems like forever, but general manager Dave Caldwell is rebuilding the team from the trenches out. Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com points out that the team has devoted 20.6% of the salary cap to the offensive line, and 27.7% to the defensive line. (There is also an excellent story about wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan and his relationship to legendary defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger, who passed away on Friday).

Vikings Place Cassel, Fusco On IR

September 24th, 2014 at 8:26am CST by Luke Adams

Quarterback Matt Cassel and guard Brandon Fusco both received new deals from the Vikings this offseason, with Cassel inking a two-year pact to avoid free agency while Fusco agreed to a four-year extension. However, just three weeks into the 2014 season, both players are done for the year. The team announced today in a press release that it has placed Cassel and Fusco on season-ending injured reserve.

Taking Cassel’s and Fusco’s spots on the roster are a pair of practice squad players, in tight end Chase Ford and offensive lineman Austin Wentworth. Their promotions opened up two new spots on the practice squad, which have been filled by quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and tight end Ryan Otten.

Cassel, who suffered a broken foot in the Vikings’ Week 3 loss to the Saints, will be replaced under center by rookie Teddy Bridgewater, while Christian Ponder transitions from the league’s most notable No. 3 signal-caller to Bridgewater’s backup. Although Cassel is under contract for two years, it’s extremely difficult to imagine him returning to a starting role in Minnesota at any point, unless Bridgewater struggles mightily during his rookie year. With Ponder facing free agency in 2015, perhaps the club decides to bring Cassel back as its No. 2 option in 2015, but given his $4.15MM base salary, he may have played his last game in Minnesota.

The Vikings have yet to use their IR spot with the designation to return, so the fact that neither Cassel nor Fusco – who sustained a shoulder injury – received that designation seems to suggest the team doesn’t believe either player will be healthy enough to return this season.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

September 1st, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings:

NFC Links: Saints, Bucs, Cardinals, Vikings, Packers

August 11th, 2014 at 10:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints’ 2014 roster isn’t likely to match or exceed the total of eight undrafted free agents who earned spots on the roster or practice squad a year ago, but the team prides itself on finding hidden gems, as GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.

“Our college scouting staff takes a lot of pride in finding guys that no one’s heard about, or small college guys, and finding a trait that each one has that transfers to the NFL,” Loomis said. “It’s also a great credit to our coaching staff being willing to look at player and not worry about how we acquired them but just go by what we see and going by what their potential is to fit within our scheme offensively and defensively. We’ve had a lot of success with undrafted free agents, and I think that’s going to continue.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

  • Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Buccaneers have real interest in 49ers guard Alex Boone if the price is right (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). However, another source told Rapoport that there’s been no “real” conversations between the two sides.
  • The Buccaneers could use some help on the offensive line, and coach Lovie Smith was asked if the team would consider Richie Incognito. “[A]ll players are looked at and [if] we think they could fit we bring them in,” he told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (via Twitter). 
  • Rookie wide receiver John Brown continues to make a “buzz” at Cardinals camp, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. Considering the team’s depth at the position, La Canfora suggests that the team could carry six wideouts on their final roster.
  • ESPN’s Ben Goessling tweets that Vikings tight end Chase Ford is getting close to a return and may not need to start the season on the PUP list.
  • Packers running back Rajion Neal caught the eyes of coaches after he ran for 39 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, on five carries in the team’s preseason opener. Unfortunately, the undrafted rookie suffered a knee injury in the third quarter, and he understands that he has to get healthy quickly if he hopes to make the squad. “I’ve got to play; there ain’t no way around it,” Neal told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “Being in the position I’m in, I can’t afford it.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.