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Sunday Transactions: AFC North

August 31st, 2014 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

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

Baltimore Ravens:

Cincinnati Bengals:

Cleveland Browns:

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Browns Cut Nate Burleson, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 5:31pm CST by Ben Levine

5:31pm: The Browns have confirmed the previous roster moves noted below in this post, and have announced their other 14 moves to reach the 53-man roster limit. Here’s the list of players cut from the active roster:

Additionally, Josh Gordon and Marlon Moore have been placed on the reserve-suspended list.

1:20pm: The Browns have also let go of their third-round pick from last season, among other players:

10:00am: The Browns have released veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports on Twitter. The 33-year-old signed with Cleveland in April after having spent the past four seasons with the Lions.

It wasn’t a sure thing that the veteran would make the roster, considering he’s only appeared in 15 games over the past two years. Burleson also hinted that he was considering retiring following the 2014 season. However, at the very least, Burleson was expected to be a veteran leader to the team’s group of young wideouts. As Brian McIntyre tweets, $285K of Burleson’s base salary is full guaranteed.

The Browns will also let go of running back Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Cabot (via Twitter). The 28-year-old has compiled 130 carries since joining the Browns in 2011.

The rest of the Browns moves will be listed below:

Sunday Roundup: Jags, Colts, Graham

June 22nd, 2014 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

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

  • As our Luke Adams noted earlier this month, the Jaguars do not know when Justin Blackmon will be reinstated by the league. The team does not expect Blackmon to contribute in 2014, and they are distancing themselves from even talking about the troubled wideout, writes Gene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union. Even friends, teammates, and ex-coaches are finding it difficult to get a read on where Blackmon is and how his recovery is progressing.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida-Times Union writes that the ulnar nerve damage that Jaguars‘ jack-of-all-trades Denard Robinson suffered through last season is behind him, so he hopes to put his full skill-set on display in 2014.
  • In the same piece, O’Halloran adds that the Jaguars are likely to keep three tight ends on their roster, and with Marcedes Lewis and Clay Harbor as locks to make the team, the competition between Brandon Barden, Marcel Jensen, Reggie Jordan and D.J. Tialavea will be a fascinating one to watch.
  • John Keim of ESPN.com explains why he is impressed with Redskins‘ outside linebackers coach Brian Baker.
  • Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if Ravens‘ wide receiver Jeremy Butler can become this year’s Marlon Brown: an undrafted gem that unexpectedly turns into a legitimate threat in the passing game.
  • Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com gives a list of five Ravens that will be “feeling the heat” this summer.
  • In a photo gallery, The Detroit Free Press projects the Lions‘ starters on both sides of the ball.
  • Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Browns will try to add another receiver or two, and she writes that if quarterback Connor Shaw impresses in training camp as he did in OTAs and minicamp, the team may have to keep him on the 53-man roster rather than put him on the practice squad and risk his being signed by another club.
  • George Thomas of The Akron Beacon-Journal describes the battle for playing time that Browns‘ cornerback Leon McFadden–who was projected to be a starter in his rookie season in 2013–now faces after the influx of talent in the team’s secondary.
  • In a two-part mailbag, Mike Wells of ESPN.com looks at a number of Colts-related items. He writes that, although the team will not hand a starting job to Mike Adams, he would not be surprised to see Adams starting alongside LaRon Landry at safety. Wells also notes that GM Ryan Grigson does not plan on using all of the team’s $13.7MM in salary cap space because he wants to have room to pay Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton down the road.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes that the league wants the Saints to settle Jimmy Graham‘s grievance case, and Florio believes the team would be wise to do so.

Browns Sign 12 Undrafted Free Agents

May 15th, 2014 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 3:05pm: The Browns have added Nebraska-Kearney defensive end Elhadji Ndiaye to their undrafted free agent class, according to the team (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 3:33pm: After an eventful draft that saw the Browns make multiple trades and land Johnny Manziel, the team has also added 11 undrafted free agents to its roster. Here’s the full list, courtesy of the team (Twitter link):

  • Ray Agnew, FB, Southern Illinois
  • Calvin Barnett, DL, Oklahoma State
  • Darwin Cook, DB, West Virginia
  • Isaiah Cromwell, RB, Alabama State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Anthony Dima, OL, Massachusetts
  • Chandler Jones, WR, San Jose State
  • Jonathan Krause, WR, Vanderbilt ($10K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Michael Philipp, OL, Oregon State
  • Connor Shaw, QB, South Carolina
  • Kenny Shaw, WR, Florida State
  • Willie Snead, WR, Ball State

Poll: Best Late Round Quarterback?

May 10th, 2014 at 3:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

Just because they don’t have the fanfare of a Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t mean the day three quarterbacks are destined to be career backups. A handful of high-caliber NFL quarterbacks do get selected in the later rounds.

Not every quarterback drafted in the sixth round is going to turn into Tom Brady–most first-round quarterbacks won’t accomplish half of what Brady has–but many if not all of these fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-round quarterbacks will have a chance to push for a starting job at some point in their career, either by performance or by injury.

The question is, which of these quarterbacks is going to have the best chance to find success as a starter in the NFL? That takes a combination of talent and opportunity, where some of these draftees have definite roadblocks in front of them in the form of quarterbacks entrenched as starters.

Of course, a few more quarterbacks will still come off the board in the next 50+ picks, and a couple more will be snagged as undrafted free agents. Maybe Stephen Morris of Miami, Tahj Boyd of Clemson, Garrett Gilbert of SMU, Keith Price of Washington, Brett Smith of Wyoming, or Connor Shaw of South Carolina ends up being the best of the group, although they are still waiting to hear their names called.

Extra Points: Thomas, Watkins, Raiders

May 1st, 2014 at 9:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas may be small, but he contributed mightily for the Ducks, writes Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. While Thomas is just 5’9″ and 174 pounds, there’s no doubting his playmaking ability. In his three years at Oregon, Thomas scored 46 touchdowns in nearly every manner possible whether it was rushing, receiving, kick returns, or punt returns. Still, he’s likely a mid-round pick because of his size. Tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • If Sammy Watkins is off the board by the time the Raiders pick at No. 5, they should look at his teammate, Martavis Bryant, in the second or third round, writes Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link). Bryant boasts good size at 6’4″ and has tremendous physical tools.
  • In a press conference earlier today, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie confirmed free agent signee Austin Howard, a former right tackle with the Jets, will get a look at right guard with the club having released Mike Brisiel. “What coach (Tony) Sparano likes with the offensive line is versatility,” McKenzie said. “What else can this guy play. We already know he can play right tackle. We think he can play right guard also so let’s get the best five and see what happens.”
  • After cutting ties with Chris Johnson this winter, the Titans are looking for versatility from their current stable of running backs, the Associated Press writes. Shonn Greene, Dexter McCluster, Jackie Battle, and Leon Washington are now charged with filling the void left by the talented but inconsistent veteran tailback.
  • The Rams are amongst teams with interest in South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Shaw went 27-5 for the Gamecocks, making him the winningest QB in school history.
  • Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he’s hearing there’s no way he’ll go any later than the third round.

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Browns, Steelers

April 24th, 2014 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

In the latest installment of Over The Cap’s team-by-team breakdown of free agency, Jason Fitzgerald examines the Ravens. While Arthur Jones‘ departure leaves a big hole on defense, losing offensive tackle Eugene Monroe would’ve been a more significant blow to the team, says Fitzgerald, adding that he liked Baltimore’s pickup of Owen Daniels quite a bit. Factoring in the loss of James Ihedigbo to the Lions, Fitzgerald assigns the Ravens a grade of B- for their work over the last several weeks.

Here’s more from around the AFC North:

  • As our fifth-year option tracker shows, no decision has been announced or reported yet on the Browns‘ 2015 option for defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Speaking to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, Taylor suggested he’s not sure what the team plans to do with that option, but he hopes it gets picked up: “I would love to be here, but that’s not up to me. So we’re going to wait and see what [the front office] is going to do about it.”
  • South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw is visiting the Browns today and tomorrow, and will work out for the club on Saturday, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also links several other clubs to Shaw, writing that the signal-caller has met or worked out with the Falcons, Titans, Patriots, and Buccaneers, and interviewed with the Seahawks, Packers, Raiders, and Jaguars.
  • The Steelers are hosting Boise State edge defender Demarcus Lawrence and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon for pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown.
  • Cumberlands running back Terrance Cobb is visiting the Bengals today, tweets Aaron Wilson.

NFC Visits: Rams, Coleman, Latimer

April 9th, 2014 at 8:46pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Rams are piling up their pre-draft activity, as the team brought in Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage today, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the team has also shown interest in South Carolina’s Connor Shaw and SMU’s Garrett Gilbert (via Twitter).

Thomas also noted that offensive lineman Zack Martin of Notre Dame was also scheduled to visit, but that meeting was cancelled (via Twitter). Thomas did not give a reason for the cancellation.

Here are some other visit information from around the NFC:

  • Kurt Coleman is visiting with the Vikings today, and will spend the night and continue to meet with the team tomorrow, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer had a meeting tonight with the Panthers, reports Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). Latimer will have his pro day on April 25.
  • Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz is visiting the Buccaneers today, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The 6’5″ tight end has worked out privately for the Buccaneers previously. He’s will visit the Jets next.