Chris Boswell

Minor Moves: Wednesday

We’ll recap today’s minor transactions from across the NFL in the space below, with any new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Chiefs also signed wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • It appears that quarterback Terrelle Pryor has signed with the Chiefs, based on his Sqor post from this evening. The Ohio State product auditioned for KC earlier today exclusively as a quarterback. A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) that’s a one-year deal.
  • The Lions have added another reserve/futures contract signing to the list of players they announced yesterday, with Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweeting that defensive back Crezdon Butler has inked a deal with the club. Butler spent most of the season with the Buccaneers before being waived by the team in December.

Earlier updates:

  • Former Southern Connecticut State defensive end Ike Igbinosun, who finished the season on the Bills’ practice squad, has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Jaguars, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link).
  • Washington has signed outside linebacker Austin Spitler to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Spitler most recently spent time with the Ravens, but was cut near the end of the 2014 preseason.
  • The Giants are signing kicker Chris Boswell, who worked out for the team early in the season, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Boswell signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Rice this spring, and spent a little time on Houston’s practice squad in September.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

Tuesday is often a busy day for practice squad transactions, as teams fill spots vacated by players who were promoted over the weekend, or shuffle their 10-man units around based on injuries to the 53-man roster during Sunday’s games. We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….

  • The Lions have added running back William Powell to their practice squad, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). Powell, 26, was cut by the Texans in late August.
  • The Titans have released quarterback Brad Sorensen from their practice squad, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Sorensen was a Chargers seventh-round pick in 2013.
  • The Jets have swapped out one cornerback for another, adding LeQuan Lewis to their PS while removing Brandon Smith, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • The Panthers’ practice squad is now full after Carolina signed linebacker Horace Miller and running back Tauren Poole, the team announced on Twitter.
  • The Eagles removed two players from their practice squad, cutting linebacker Brandon Hepburn and offensive tackle Tyler Hoover, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Linebacker Jake Knott will return Philly’s PS after serving a four-game PED suspension, says Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
  • The Rams have re-signed tight end Brad Smelley to their practice squad, tweets Howard Balzer. To clear a roster spot, St. Louis cut defensive end Kourtnei Brown from the PS.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Texans have placed receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu on the practice squad injured list, tweets Palmer. Houston’s PS is now down to eight players.
  • The Dolphins have filled their final taxi squad slot by adding defensive end Emmanuel Dieke, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Dieke was cut by the Giants last month.
  • Browns long snapper Christian Yount may be looking over his shoulder this week, as the Browns announced they’ve added long snapper Charley Hughlett to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter). Hughlett replaces defensive lineman Calvin Barnett.
  • The Bills have swapped one tight end for another, replacing D.J. Tialavea with Jamie Childers, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
  • Kicker Chris Boswell has been removed from the Texans‘ practice squad, per James Palmer of CSNHouston.com (Twitter link).
  • Nose tackle Robert Thomas has replaced fellow defensive lineman Hebron Fangupo on the Redskins‘ practice squad, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets. Thomas went unclaimed on waivers after being cut by Washington on the weekend.
  • The Dolphins have removed cornerback Rod Sweeting from their practice squad, signing tight end Jake Murphy to take his place, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • Wideout Travis Labhart, who was on the Texans‘ practice squad earlier this season, will rejoin Houston’s unit, a source tells David Nuño of KTRK-TV in Houston (Twitter link). The team currently has no openings, so one of the 10 current players will need to be cut or promoted to clear room for Labhart.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

We’re tracking Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster transactions around the NFL in a separate post, but we’ll use this spot to keep tabs on Tuesday’s practice squad moves. Here’s the latest:

  • The Texans have signed punter Chris Boswell to their practice squad, according to James Palmer of CSNHouston.com (on Twitter).
  • The Packers have signed offensive lineman Josh Walker to the practice squad, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The team released center Josh Allen to make room on the roster.
  • The Chargers signed D.J. Adams and former University of Oregon tight end David Paulson to the practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Saints signed fullback/tight end Orson Charles to their practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • The Bears have re-signed Josh Bellamy to their practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • The Browns signed wide reciever Lee Doss to their practice squad, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The move fills the vacancy left by Charles Johnson leaving the Browns’ taxi squad for the Vikings.
  • Brandon Smith had a successful tryout for the Jets and they’re expected to sign him to their practice squad, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • Defensive back Josh Victorian has filled the final opening on the Lions‘ practice squad, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • The Redskins have finalized the addition of center Tevita Stevens to their practice squad, and also announced that offensive lineman Braxston Cave has been cut (Twitter link). That leaves the club with nine players on its taxi squad still.
  • The Panthers have filled the final opening on their practice squad by bringing aboard wide receiver Willie Snead, according to David Newton of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Snead was cut by the Browns at the end of the preseason.
  • After working out for the club earlier today, tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has signed with the Ravens‘ practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Ogbuehi takes the spot vacated by Phillip Supernaw, who has been promoted to the team’s active roster.
  • Offensive lineman Reid Fragel, who was on Indianapolis’ practice squad earlier this season, has signed with the Falcons‘ taxi squad, replacing tackle Terren Jones on the unit, per a team release.
  • As part of the flurry of transactions they made today, the Jaguars added fullback Eric Kettani to their practice squad, filling the 10th and final spot, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • The Colts have removed defensive end Nnamdi Obukwelu from their practice squad with an injury settlement, the club announced today in a press release. Linebacker Trevardo Williams takes Obukwelu’s place on the squad.
  • With outside linebacker Cordarro Law set to join the Chargers‘ 53-man roster, another outside linebacker – rookie Colton Underwood – will take Law’s spot on San Diego’s practice squad, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Audition Notes: Titans, Giants

As we approach halftime of the late afternoon contests, we have a couple audition notes to pass along:

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Texans Release Eight Players

The Texans have released tight end Zach Potter, according to Dave Zangaro of CSNHouston.com (on Twitter). Earlier today, Houston released wide receiver Travis Labhartkicker Chris Boswellfullback Toben Opurum, and former USC safety Jawanza Starling. Here’s your running list of the players released in Houston today:

Minor Moves: Friday

We’ll be grouping most of today’s cuts by team or division, but we’ll keep track of the stray minor moves here..

  • The Titans released offensive lineman Jeff Adams, tweets Wyatt.
  • The Texans cut wide receiver Travis Labhart and kicker Chris Boswell, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter).
  • The Bears will cut offensive lineman Robert Turner, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Chicago signed the guard/tackle just a few weeks ago.
  • The Texans released former USC safety Jawanza Starling, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • The Titans have released defensive lineman Marcus Dixon and offensive lineman Justin McCray, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean (Twitter links). Dixon recorded a sack in the preseason finale and almost had a second one, but it wasn’t enough to stay on board.
  • The Texans will release fullback Toben Opurum, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). The 23-year-old Kansas product didn’t touch the ball in Houston’s first three preseason contests and had three carries for nine yards last night against the 49ers.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Buccaneers have made four cuts.

Extra Points: Gratz, Boswell, Massie

Let’s round up some assorted links from around the league:

  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union looks at five players who finished the 2013 season with the Jaguars but who might be on the bubble of Jacksonville’s improved roster this season.
  • In a separate piece, O’Halloran describes the strong performance that Jaguars cornerback Dwayne Gratz had at the end of OTAs, and he notes that the Jags need Gratz to win a the starting corner spot opposite Alan Ball.
  • Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer provides a detailed piece on the new additions to the Panthers‘ secondary and writes that the Panthers hope the patchwork unit they assembled this season will have as much success as the makeshift group of 2013.
  • In a video piece on HoustonTexans.com, Texans undrafted rookie kicker Chris Boswell describes the kicking competition this offseason with incumbent Randy Bullock.
  • Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News describes the players that performed well and those that struggled in the Lions‘ offseason program and how those performances might carry over to training camp in July.
  • Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes that Bobby Massie is currently the clubhouse leader for the Cardinals‘ starting right tackle spot, but the fact that the team tried to sign Tyson Clabo demonstrates how the team feels about Massie and Bradley Sowell. Weinfuss adds that depending on how Massie and Sowell look early in training camp, the Cardinals may yet choose to look outside the organization. Eric Winston remains an option.
  • Adam Teicher of ESPN.com believes the Chiefs need to make a move at cornerback now after the release of Brandon Flowers, and he adds that Donnie Avery appears locked in at the team’s No. 2 receiver.
  • Charley Walters of TwinCities.com writes that Vikings are not likely to release quarterback Christian Ponder but hope to trade him. Although Ponder would only fetch, at best, a late-round draft pick, the team would save $1.8MM by dealing him.

Texans Announce 20 UDFA Signings

The Texans took their time in announcing their rookie free agent signings, but the team has officially done so today, revealing the names of their UDFA additions in a press release. Here’s the complete list:

  • Jason Ankrah, OLB, Nebraska
  • Chris Boswell, K, Rice
  • Austin Brown, DL, Miami (Ohio)
  • Max Bullough, ILB, Michigan State
  • Chris Coyle, TE, Arizona State
  • Anthony Denham, TE, Utah
  • Tyrone Ezell, DL, Pittsburgh
  • Matt Feiler, OT, Bloomsburg
  • James Ferentz, OT, Iowa
  • Kevin Forsch, G, Houston
  • Sullivan Grosz, DL, Cal Poly
  • Travis Labhart, WR, Texas A&M
  • Terrance Lloyd, OLB, Baylor
  • Chris Martin, T, Central Florida ($7.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Chris McAllister, OLB, Baylor
  • Anthony McClung, WR, Cincinnati
  • Nathan Slaughter, WR, West Texas A&M
  • Marcus Williams, CB, North Dakota State
  • Bryan Witzmann, OT, South Dakota State
  • Chris Young, ILB, Arizona State

Giants Sign 13 Players To Futures Contracts

JANUARY 7TH: The Giants signed quarterback Ricky Stanzi to a reserve/futures deal, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Combined with their signing of kicker Chris Boswell from earlier today, the tally is now up to 13 for Big Blue.

DECEMBER 29TH: Joining a handful of other teams, the Giants have signed several players to reserve/futures contracts today, locking them up for the offseason. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter links), the following 11 players signed deals with New York today:

Of those 11 players, nine were on the team’s practice squad at season’s end. Jackson and Malone are the new additions, while cornerback Victor Hampton was the only taxi squad player not to receive a new deal.