Chris Banjo

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/7/17

Tuesday’s minor moves:

  • The Saints and restricted free agent Chris Banjo have agreed to a two-year deal, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). The 27-year-old defensive back debuted in Green Bay in 2013 and played there until this past November, when the team waived him with an injury settlement. Banjo quickly caught on with the Saints, but he didn’t see any defensive action in his seven games as a member of the club last season. All 120 of his snaps came on special teams.

Saints Place Michael Mauti On NFI List

The Saints will be without one of their special teams aces for the rest of the season. Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate tweets that the team has placed Michael Mauti on the reserve/non-football injury list. Safety Chris Banjo will be taking Mauti’s spot on the roster, reports Joel Erickson of The Advocate (via Twitter).

Michael MautiFollowing James Laurinaitis‘ season-ending injury in early November, the team has lost another captain in Mauti. It’s uncertain what ailment landed the 26-year-old on this season-ending list, as the defender showed up on the team’s injury report with an undisclosed illness. The former seventh-round pick has nine tackles and one forced fumble on the season, with the four-year veteran contributing both on special teams and at strong-side linebacker. Defensively, the Saints will likely rely on Sam Barrington, Stephone Anthony, and Nathan Stupar to fill in at linebacker.

Banjo was released by the Packers with an injury settlement in late October after having suffered a hamstring injury. In three-plus seasons in Green Bay, the 26-year-old appeared in 37 games, compiling 38 tackles and three passes defended.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/31/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Packers have reached an injury settlement with safety Chris Banjo, who was on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, tweets Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Banjo, who had appeared in 37 games with Green Bay, becomes the second Packer to be released from IR in the past week, joining wide receiver Jared Abbrederis.
  • The Browns waived tight end Connor Hamlett, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Hamlett appeared in three games after being promoted from the practice squad earlier this month.
  • Tight end Ifeanyi Momah suffered a broken wrist on Sunday and will be waived by the Cardinals with an injury settlement, per Kent Somers of AZCentral.com (Twitter link). Momah, an undrafted free agent in 2012, was seeing the first NFL action of his career.

Packers’ Damarious Randall To Have Surgery

Bad news for the Packers as cornerback Damarious Randall underwent surgery over the weekend to repair a groin injury, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. After going under the knife, Randall will be out for several weeks. Damarious Randall (vertical)

An exact timetable for his return is not yet known. However, the surgery is not expected to be season-ending for the 2015 first-round pick. Had they lost Randall for the year, the Packers would have been in some serious trouble. Already, they have been forced to place Sam Shields on IR with concussion symptoms while Quinten Rollins is dealing with a groin injury of his own (though, Rollins’ injury is believed to be less serious).

The injuries have left Green Bay with LaDarius Gunter and Demetri Goodson as their top cornerbacks. With any luck, the Packers will get Rollins back in time for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, but it sounds like they’ll still need reinforcements at the position.

In other Packers injury news, safety Chris Banjo is headed to the IR with an undisclosed injury, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Banjo will be healthy in three or four weeks, but the team wanted to free up a roster spot so that they could properly address their issues at cornerback.

Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis is also headed to IR with a thigh contusion, as Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/15/16

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • Broncos wide receiver Bennie Fowler will officially stay with the team after signing his exclusive rights tender, Ben Swanson of DenverBroncos.com writes. Fowler, undrafted out of Michigan State in 2014, took the field in all 16 of the Super Bowl champions’ regular-season games and tallied 16 receptions, 203 yards, and a touchdown. He also added a key 31-yard grab on a third-and-12 play in the Broncos’ second-round playoff win over the Steelers.
  • Center Sam Brenner joined Fowler in signing his ERFA tender with the Broncos, per Swanson. The Broncos claimed Brenner off waivers in November, and he ended up on the team’s active roster for eight of its regular-season contests and its entire playoff run. Brenner was previously a member of the Dolphins, with whom he appeared in 10 games (four starts) from 2013-15.
  • Bears receiver Josh Bellamy posted a picture of himself on social media signing his exclusive rights tender with the club, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Bellamy, 26, saw action in all 16 of the Bears’ games last season, started three, and totaled 19 receptions and two touchdowns.
  • Packers safety Chris Banjo has signed his exclusive rights tender, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Banjo hasn’t made much of a defensive impact in his three-year career, but he is one of the Packers’ top special teamers. The 26-year-old accrued a team-best 21 special teams tackles in 16 appearances last season.
  • The Browns have claimed defensive end/outside linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat off waivers from Washington, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jeffcoat, an undrafted free agent in 2014, logged nine appearances (one start), an interception and a forced fumble in two years with Washington.
  • The Cardinals have released running backs Marion Grice and Robert Hughes, reports Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Both players were on the Cards’ practice squad last season. Grice racked up playing time in his rookie year, 2014, amassing 22 touches (15 carries, seven receptions) and a score in Arizona. Hughes, who has seen regular-season action for three different teams since 2011, recorded eight receptions for an impressive 140 yards (17.5 yards per catch) for the 2014 Cardinals.
  • Offensive tackle Tanner Hawkinson, whom the Jaguars claimed off waivers from the Eagles earlier this month, has decided to retire (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union). Hawkinson, a former Kansas Jayhawk, was the Bengals’ fifth-round selection in 2013. He appeared in six career games with Cincy and Philly.
  • Lions defensive tackle Khyri Thornton has signed his exclusive rights tender, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Thornton, whom NFC North rival Green Bay took in the third round of the 2014 draft, debuted in the league last year as a member of the Lions, recording five tackles in six games.
  • The Bills have announced the release of offensive tackle Tyson Chandler with a non-football injury. Chandler signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent from North Carolina State last spring.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/16

Here are Tuesday’s minor tender decisions from around the NFL on potential restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:

  • The Texans have assigned the low tender to both cornerback A.J. Bouye and linebacker John Simon, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Both players will earn a $1.671MM non-guaranteed base salary next year.

Earlier updates:

  • The Buccaneers have assigned the low-end tender to RFA wide receiver Russell Shepard, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Shepard, 25, hasn’t been a major part of the offense since joining the team in 2013, catching just seven total passes, but he has been a key contributor on special teams.
  • The Texans will not tender an offer to running back Jonathan Grimes, nor will they re-sign him to a lesser deal, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Ravens have begun extending contract tenders to their ERFAs, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (all Twitter links), who reports that wide receiver Daniel Brown, running back Terrance West, and cornerback Sheldon Price all received offers from the team. Cornerback Jumal Rolle — another ERFA — also received a tender, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The Packers have issued a tender to safety Chris Banjo, who was an exclusive rights free agent, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets.

Minor Moves: Friday

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL. As always, any additional moves will be added to the top:

  • The Seahawks waived free agent long snapper Luke Ingram, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
  • Safety Chris Banjo signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Packers, tweets Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The two-year veteran has appeared in 19 games, though only one last season.
  • The Steelers claimed long snapper Brandon Hartson off waivers, the team tweeted. Pittsburgh will be the third organization for Hartson since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has never appeared in a game.
  • Ravens tight end Phillip Supernaw signed his exclusive-rights tender with the team, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson. Supernaw appeared in six games last season and caught two passes.

Tender Updates: Tuesday

Today’s tender decisions:

  • The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
  • The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
  • The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
  • In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
  • The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
  • The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
  • Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
  • The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
  • The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.

Earlier updates:

  • The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
  • The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
  • The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.

Minor Moves: Saturday

Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list:

  • The Packers have placed backup linebacker Jamari Lattimore on the injured reserve, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo. The team will promote safety Chris Banjo from the practice squad to take the open roster space (also via Garafolo).
  • The Dolphins have promoted defensive back T.J. Heath, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The former Jacksonville State standout previously spent time with the Jaguars, Bengals, Bills and Browns.
  • The Seahawks have released cornerback Kennard Cox from their practice squad, tweets The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. Taking his place will be linebacker Allen Bradford, who was cut from the team’s active roster earlier this week.

Earlier updates:

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

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: