David Moala

Cardinals Down To 53

The Cardinals announced their full slate of cuts to get to 53:

Wright was a standout at the University of Arizona. As a sophomore for the Wildcats, Wright was an absolute monster as he tallied 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and he wound up as a seventh-round pick of the Browns. The Cardinals were happy to scoop him up in December, but he has been pushed out in favor of veteran Josh Bynes and others.

Also of note – fourth-round guard Dorian Johnson has been cut. Johnson struggled in camp and the Cardinals were not willing to use a roster spot on him. I would speculate that he could be a taxi squad candidate.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/17

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed cornerback Charles Gaines and waived/injured fellow cornerback Taurean Nixon. A sixth-round draft choice in 2015, Gaines appeared in six games for the Browns during his rookie campaign, starting four contests while playing on a quarter of Cleveland’s defensive snaps. Despite seeing that level of playing time in his first NFL season, Gaines was subsequently waived, and spent time with the Bills’ practice squad in 2016. Nixon, meanwhile, came to Jacksonville via waivers last month.
  • The Texans have signed wide receiver DeAndrew White and waived/injured wideout Deante’ Gray, the cub announced today. White, 25, signed with the 49ers in 2015 after going undrafted out of Alabama. He spent his rookie season solely as a return man, appearing in four games while returning six kickoffs and one punt. White spent the majority of the 2016 campaign on New England’s practice squad, but was waived by the Patriots in June. Gray, meanwhile, suffered a torn ACL last week and will miss the 2017 season.
  • The Saints are signing running back Darius Victor, per his representatives at Players First Sports Agency (Twitter link). Victor, a Towson product, left the collegiate ranks early in order to enter the NFL draft but ultimately wasn’t selected. Although he played in only four games in 2016, Victor had topped 200 carries in the each the prior two years, averaging five yards per carry from 2014-15. In order to create a roster spot, New Orleans waived/injured linebacker Sae Tautu, who has a sprained MCL, per Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link).
  • The Cardinals have signed defensive tackle David Moala, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Moala, 24, signed with Denver in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State. After being cut last August, Moala — the brother of former NFL defender Fili Moala — spent the season on the workout circuit but failed to land a contract. Arizona also signed defensive tackle Peli Anau and waived cornerback Elie Bouka, the club announced.
  • The Bengals have waived wide receiver Monty Madaris off the physically unable to perform list with an injury settlement, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Madaris, an undrafted rookie out of Michigan State, signed with Cincinnati in May but had been on PUP for the duration of his stint in the Queen City.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/13/16

We’ve already passed along one batch of workout updates earlier today, but clubs with continuously taking a look at free agents as the season comes to a close — likely with an eye on futures contracts — we have a fresh listing of tryouts to share. Here’s the latest from the workout circuit:

  • Before signing Shaquille Riddick to their practice squad earlier today, the Steelers also worked out fellow linebacker Davis Tull, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Tull was waived from Atlanta’s practice squad in early November.
  • The Broncos auditioned the following 10 players, according to Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter links): linebackers Khairi Fortt, Deon Lacey, and John Lotulelei; safeties Kevin Peterson, Josh Evans, Dezmen Southward; and cornerbacks Keith Baxter, Mike Hilton, Demetrius McCray, and Corey Tindal.
  • Like Denver, the Saints also worked out a large group of players. The full list, per Nick Underhill of the Advocate (all links go to Twitter): quarterback Sean Renfree; running backs Will Ratelle, Darrel Young, and Soma Vainuku; wide receivers Max McCaffrey, Derel Walker, and Kevin Smith; linebackers Khalil Bass and Adam Bighill; defensive end T.J. Fatinikun; defensive tackle Drake Nevis; defensive backs Tony Burnett, Otha Foster, Anthony Gaitor, and Forest Hightower.
  • The Packers worked out linebacker Frank Beltre and defensive lineman David Moala today, reports Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. The third member of that tryout, linebacker Jordan Tripp, was ultimately signed to the active roster.
  • The Buccaneers tried out cornerback Tre Jones and linebacker Raphael Kirby, per Caplan (Twitter link).

NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16

We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:

AFC

  • The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
  • Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
  • The Ravens didn’t stop there, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link): Baltimore also worked out defensive backs Jeron Johnson and Ryan Murphy, linebackers Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba, and guard Ian Silberman.
  • Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
  • The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.

NFC

Extra Points: Sankey, Chiefs, Cowboys, McCarron

Some assorted notes from around the NFL as we wrap up the weekend…

  • At least five teams expressed interest in Bishop Sankey before the running back landed on the Patriots‘ practice squad, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
  • The Chiefs brought in several players for workouts on Saturday, according to Terez A. Paylor of KansasCity.com: RB Zac Brooks, RB David Cobb, C Anthony Fabiano, DT David Moala, OG Ian Silberman, and DE Quanterus Smith.
  • After having waived quarterback Jameill Showers earlier today, the Cowboys are hoping the signal-caller will land on their practice squad, according to Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).
  • The Bengals are planning on holding on to three quarterbacks and have no “plans” of trading A.J. McCarron, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Earlier reports indicated that the team was seeking at least “Day 2 draft picks” in return for the backup QB.

Workout Notes: Pats, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets

Now that cutdowns are completed, teams have begun auditioning players that are still on the free agent market, either in an effort to upgrade their current roster or to update their emergency free agent lists. Let’s take a look at the workouts that have been reported today:

Broncos Cut 11 Players

The Broncos announced that they have released one player and waived ten others. The full list is below:

[RELATED: Broncos Shopping Mark Sanchez]

Released:

Waived:

The roster now stands at 79 players. The Broncos must be down to 75 by 3pm CT on Tuesday.

Broncos Agree To Terms With 21 UDFAs

The Broncos have officially agreed to terms with 21 rookies who went undrafted over the weekend, according to the team’s official website. Denver’s undrafted free agent class is heavy on front-seven defenders and wide receivers — those players make up 13 of the 21 UDFAs headed to the Broncos.

Here’s the full list:

Draft Notes: S. Davis, J. Smith, K. Joseph

Maryland corner Sean Davis is attracting a ton of interest around the league, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who writes that Davis has met or will meet with 16 clubs, including the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, Lions, Browns, Colts, Seahawks, Ravens, Washington, Raiders, 49ers, Steelers, Bengals, Bills, and Titans. Wilson also confirms previous reports that Davis has met with the Patriots and Ravens.

Let’s dive into the latest draft news…

  • Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith has started running again, which is a good sign as he recovers from his ACL injury, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com. Smith, once a surefire top-15 pick, but with some clubs now reportedly worried about possible nerve damage, Smith could be in danger of tumbling down the board.
  • Like Smith, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph is also recovering from a torn ACL, and he won’t be able to run before the draft, per Brandt (Twitter link). But Joseph, who suffered his injury in early October, should be ready to go by training camp.
  • In a piece for the Houston Chronicle, Wilson reports that Oklahoma State defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah was the highest-rated prospect to participate in the Texans‘ local prospect workout on Saturday morning. University of Houston linebacker Elandon Roberts was also in attendance, and has also met with the Steelers, per Wilson. The lengthy list of attendees is available via the link.
  • Georgia Southern safety Antonio Glover met with the Lions and Titans after his Wednesday pro day, and was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis to meet with the Colts, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • The Browns and Bears have spent a “significant amount of time” with Utah State linebacker Nick Vigil, who will also take a meeting with the Falcons, per Pauline. Vigil’s teammate, defensive tackle David Moala, met with the Browns and Chiefs.