Cobi Hamilton

Colts Cut Austin Howard, Reach 53-Man Roster

The Colts are at the 53-man roster max after making a bundle of transactions, including the release of offensive tackle Austin Howard.

[RELATED: Colts Cut John Simon]

The Colts invested $1.3MM guaranteed in Howard, but he was medically cleared until late July and struggled in camp and during the preseason. The Colts dangled him in trade talks this week, but there were no takers for him.

Despite his issues this summer, Howard had a solid 2017 with the Ravens and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 offensive tackle. If healthy, he could draw interest from other teams.

The Colts also placed defensive end Chris McCain, linebacker Jeremiah George, defensive end Anthony Johnson, and tight end Ross Travis on injured reserve.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Colts’ moves:

Waived:

Last year, Bond ascended to the starting center job when Ryan Kelly broke his foot late in training camp. Unfortunately, a torn quad landed him on IR in October. This year, he’ll be looking for work elsewhere.

Alie-Cox was a former basketball player looking to transition to tight end. Although Antonio Gates and others have successfully made the jump, Alie-Cox has yet to find similar success.

In addition to the aforementioned moves, the Colts also waived the following players with an injury designation. If they clear waivers, then they revert to the Colts’ Injured Reserve list:

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/18

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: FB Jalston Fowler, WR Julian Williams
  • Waived: FB Luke McNitt, WR Taj Williams

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Patriots Work Out Cobi Hamilton

The Patriots have signed Eric Decker, but they’re not necessarily done signing wide receivers. On Friday, the Patriots auditioned Cobi Hamilton, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: Patriots Sign WR Eric Decker]

It’s not immediately clear how serious the Pats are about Hamilton following the addition of Decker. Despite the release of Jordan Matthews, the likely forthcoming release of Malcolm Mitchell, and Julian Edelman‘s four-game ban, the Patriots are fairly deep at receiver.

Hamilton flashed at times during the 2016 season with the Steelers, but hasn’t done much since then. Last year, he spent some time with the Texans and finished out with just one catch in three games. This offseason, he was picked up by the Cardinals but was let go in June. Since entering the league as a sixth-round choice in 2013, Hamilton has spent time with seven different teams.

Cardinals Sign WR Greg Little

The Cardinals have swapped one wideout for another. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Arizona has signed receiver Greg Little. The 29-year-old had participated in the team’s rookie minicamp earlier this week. To make room on the roster, the team has released wideout Cobi Hamilton (via Rapoport).

The 2011 second-round pick has been unable to put it together during his seven years in the NFL. He did show promise during his tenure with the Browns, including a 2011 rookie season where he hauled in 61 receptions for 709 yards and two scores. The receiver hasn’t played in a game since since 2014 when he was on the Bengals. He’s also had brief stints with the Raiders and Bills.

Behind Larry Fitzgerald, any one of the Cardinals’ wideouts could realistically make the team. Little will ultimately be competing with a number of receivers for a gig, including JJ Nelson, Christian Kirk, Brice Butler, Chad WilliamsCarlton Agudosi, and Rashad Ross.

Hamilton, a 2013 sixth-round pick, has spent time with seven different teams during his four-year career. In 14 career games (nine starts) with the Steelers and Texans, the 27-year-old has compiled 18 receptions for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/22/18

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

Oakland Raiders

Pittsburgh Steelers

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/21/17

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/17

Here are today’s minor moves.

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

  • Signed off Bills’ practice squad: OLB Eric Lee

Washington Redskins

  • Placed on IR: G Shaun Lauvao

Texans Work Out 8, Sign Cobi Hamilton

Fresh off their first win of the season, the Texans worked out a variety of offensive players on Friday, including the previously reported Gary Barnidge, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Fellow tight ends Larry Donnell, Gavin Escobar, David Johnson and MyCole Pruitt joined Barnidge in auditioning, while wide receivers Cobi Hamilton and Jordan, offensive lineman Jah Reid and quarterback Garrett Grayson were also on hand. The Texans saw enough from Hamilton to sign him to their practice squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Houston has an obvious need at tight end, with C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson dealing with the aftereffects of concussions. Fiedorowicz is on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss a significant chunk of time, while neither Griffin nor Anderson dressed for the Texans’ 13-9 win over the Bengals on Thursday. As you’d expect, the tight end position was a non-factor for Houston against Cincinnati, as all 15 of quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s completions went to wide receivers and running backs.

Larry Donnell (vertical)

All of the tight ends the Texans looked at Friday come with NFL experience, though only Donnell and Escobar have extensive pro track records. Donnell had a 63-catch, six-touchdown season with the Giants in 2014, but his production has gone downhill since, thanks in part to injuries, and he hasn’t stuck anywhere since becoming a free agent in the offseason. The 28-year-old’s only employment since last season ended came in the form of a short stint in Baltimore, which signed him July 30 and released him Sept. 1.

Escobar, meanwhile, was a high pick in 2013, when Dallas took him in the second round, but he didn’t make much of a mark there behind all-time great Jason Witten. The 26-year-old, who caught 30 passes and eight TDs during his four-year Cowboys run, signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in March but didn’t crack their Week 1 roster.

Reid was a teammate of Escobar’s for a brief period in Kansas City, which released the tackle/guard on the final day of August. A veteran of 61 appearances and 18 starts, he’d provide depth along a Houston line that’s without its left tackle, holdout Duane Brown, and has already yielded 13 sacks in two weeks.

The other fairly notable player on this list is the Texans’ newest addition, Hamilton, who had been looking for work since the Steelers cut him Sept. 1. The Texans are already the sixth organization for the 26-year-old Hamilton, who’s coming off a career season (albeit a modest one) in Pittsburgh. Hamilton started in eight of 11 appearances and caught 17 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He added another four receptions and a TD in three playoff games last January.

As is the case at tight end, Houston’s receivers aren’t the picture of health. Both Bruce Ellington and Will Fuller missed Thursday’s game with injuries (the latter will be out until the fall), leaving the Texans wanting at wideout. Believe it or not, DeAndre Hopkins and Braxton Miller are their only receivers who have caught passes this season. Hamilton could be a factor sometime this year, then.

Extra Points: Steelers, Tuitt, Saints

Here’s a look around the NFL:

  • Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt has a chance to play this week against Minnesota, coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Tuitt has been classified as week-to-week with his bicep injury.
  • In light of the Zach Strief injury news, Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter) notes that likely replacement Senio Kelemete can earn $200K by playing in 50% of the team’s snaps and up to $600K at 70%. The Saints will be without the tackle for at least a few weeks.
  • Texans guard Jeff Allen is expected to miss at least one game with an ankle injury, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. Allen, one of Houston’s starting guards, is in year two of a four-year, $28MM pact. He appeared in 14 games last season, all starts.
  • Wide receiver Cobi Hamilton is working out for the Texans this week, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The former Pittsburgh receiver could round out a banged up unit that is missing both Bruce Ellington (concussion) and Will Fuller (collarbone).
  • The Chiefs gave running back Akeem Hunt an upgraded practice squad contract, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. He’ll now make $36K per week, which comes out to $615K for the year. Hunt signed on with KC’s taxi squad on Sept. 5 and it sounds like the Chiefs weren’t the only team interested in his services.