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Darius Johnson

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/16

May 24th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s draft signings and other minor moves here:

  • The Dolphins agreed to terms with two members of their draft class today, signing third-round receiver Leonte Carroo and seventh-round tight end Thomas Duarte, as Wilson reports (Twitter link). Miami now only has third-round running back Kenyan Drake left to sign, as PFR’s Zach Links detailed when looking at unsigned 2016 draftees earlier today.
  • The Lions waived offensive lineman Darius Johnson on Tuesday, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press adds (via Twitter) that Johnson was waived with an injury waiver designation. Johnson, a Middle Tennessee State product, signed with Detroit following the team’s rookie minicamp.
  • The Chargers placed safety Matt Daniels on the injured reserve list with a leg injury, Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. Daniels appeared in only one game for San Diego last season. Former Michigan linebacker James Ross has been signed to fill Daniel’s void, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
  • After signing as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA, edge rusher Jason Neill was waived today by the Cowboys, according to Wilson (Twitter link). To replace Neil, Dallas signed fellow defensive end Zach Wood, tweets Wilson.
  • The Panthers placed tight end Jake McGee on waivers with an injury designation last week, and after reverting to injured reserve, McGee has now been cut from IR with an injury settlement, per Wilson (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bills have signed second-round linebacker Reggie Ragland, according to his agents at Vanguard Sports (on Twitter). Ragland was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 97 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, and six pass breakups. GM Doug Whaley has said that he expects to see Ragland in the starting lineup to begin the 2016 season.
  • The Raiders announced that they have signed free agent wide receivers Robert Herron and Nathan Palmer. To make room, the Raiders have waived/injured wide receiver Andre Debose and waived quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Palmer auditioned for New Orleans last week alongside a handful of notable names, including Hakeem Nicks. Herron was originally selected by the Bucs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in eight games his rookie season, posting six receptions for 58 yards (9.7 avg.) and one touchdown.
  • The Browns signed undrafted free agent wide receiver David Richards, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Arizona product first hooked on with Atlanta after the draft but was waived soon after.
  • The Jets waived tight end Jerome Cunningham and signed running back Romar Morris, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
  • The Buccaneers have placed safety Johnny Lowdermilk on the reserved-retired list, creating a second opening on the 90-man roster, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/8/16

May 8th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • Former Washington Husky defensive lineman Taniela Tupou worked as a fullback with the Seahawks during their rookie minicamp and did so well enough to earn an extended look from the team. The Seahawks are expected to sign Tupou, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). Tupou played in 28 games as a defensive lineman with the Huskies from 2013-15.
  • The Giants will sign Lafayette cornerback Matt Smalley after his weekend tryout, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger tweets.
  • The Giants have agreed to sign former Brooklyn and Lincoln High School star Ishaq Williams, as Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News writes. The linebacker has not played football since 2013 since a suspension over academics knocked him off the team at Notre Dame.
  • The Lions signed undrafted rookie free agent offensive lineman Darius Johnson and waived tackle Tyrus Thompson, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
  • The Bengals announced that they have signed Louisville kicker Jonathan Brown, Utah linebacker Gionni Paul, Florida guard/center Trip Thurman, and Marshall cornerback Corey Tindal, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. All four players took part in the team’s weekend minicamp and outshined the other 15 UDFAs in attendance.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Barbre

September 8th, 2014 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Dez Bryant and the Cowboys appeared to be making progress toward a contract extension in the weeks leading up to the regular season, but the two sides didn’t reach an agreement before the team’s opener against the Niners yesterday. According to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News, Bryant said he still intends to table discussions during the season, but seemed disappointed that he and the team couldn’t work something out before that unofficial deadline.

“Truly, I really understand that this is a business,” Bryant said. “I only worry about the things that I can control.”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Peter King of TheMMQB.com, who reported last week that the NFL encouraged multiple clubs around the league to consider Michael Sam as a practice squad candidate, writes today that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that the league reached out to him to consider the rookie defensive end.
  • An MRI on Eagles guard Evan Mathis revealed an MCL sprain of his right knee, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The injury isn’t expected to end Mathis’ season, but it should sideline him for an extended period, so he may be a candidate for the IR list with the designation to return.
  • Allen Barbre, who was stepping in for the suspended Lane Johnson, suffered a high ankle sprain during Sunday’s game and is also expected to miss multiple weeks, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. With Johnson slated to miss the next three games, and Mathis and Barbre likely out for those contests as well, the Eagles will likely be forced to feature a makeshift offensive line for at least the rest of September.
  • Ex-Falcons wideout Darius Johnson is looking for another shot with an NFL team, and has a workout lined up with the Giants this week, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Extra Points: McClain, Nicks, White, Johnson

July 25th, 2014 at 10:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Recently-acquired linebacker Rolando McClain is expected to make his team debut at the Cowboys walkthrough on Saturday. McClain was tardy because he was in court in Alabama, where he was found guilty of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct stemming from an April 2013 incident (via John Breech of CBSSports.com). The 25-year-old has been sentenced to 18 days in jail, but his lawyers have filed an appeal.

According to ESPNDallas.com’s Todd Archer, the Cowboys were aware of the trial when they acquired the 25-year-old from the Ravens earlier this month. Even with a potential jail sentence, the team’s executive vice president didn’t sound overly concerned.

“We’ve got to learn a little more about it, but I don’t think it’s anything that’s going to keep him from playing,” Stephen Jones said.

“I had a great visit with (Ravens general manager) Ozzie (Newsome), very comfortable with what he’s been through. That’s why we decided to make the decision we did.”

Let’s look at some assorted notes on this Friday evening…

  • Following the release of guard Carl Nicks, ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas writes that the Buccaneers are in rough shape at the position. The team currently has Patrick Omameh, Oniel Cousins, Jamon Meredith and rookie Kadeem Edwards competing for the starting left guard gig and Yasinskas guesses that the team will be monitoring the waiver wire for additional depth.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap points out (via Twitter) that Nicks will count $2.357MM against the Buccaneers cap in 2014 and $4.714MM in 2015.
  • The Falcons extended wideout Roddy White yesterday and the veteran reiterated that he always wanted to stay in Atlanta. “There is where I always wanted to be,” White said (via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). “You hardly ever see players nowadays being with a team this long, so it was important to me to get the deal done. When we got it done, I was so happy that I’m going to be here for the next couple of years. Hopefully we can go out there and win a Super Bowl.”
  • The Falcons waived wideout Darius Johnson earlier today, and ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the player had “had enough” with football and intends on coaching at his alma mater, SMU.

Falcons Waive Darius Johnson

July 25th, 2014 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons have parted ways with wide receiver Darius Johnson, the team announced today (via Twitter). No corresponding roster move was announced, but Johnson’s departure clears a spot on the 90-man roster, so the club will likely sign a player to fill that opening soon.

Johnson joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of SMU last season, and appeared in 10 games for the club, compiling 22 receptions for 210 yards and a touchdown. The 23-year-old was on a minimum salary contract, so he wasn’t cut for cap reasons, but now that he’s no longer in the mix, it could open the door for another young wideout to earn a regular season roster spot — five of the 20 undrafted free agents the Falcons signed following the draft were receivers.

Because he only has one year of experience, Johnson will be exposed to waivers, and must pass through unclaimed before he reaches unrestricted free agency.