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Deiontrez Mount

Practice Squad Updates: 9/19/16

September 19th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Monday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Signed: TE Braedon Bowman (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com)
  • Cut: DL Claude Pelon 

Washington Redskins

NFC Notes: Wentz, Johnson, Palmer, Giants

September 17th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Further illustrating the Eagles‘ belief in Carson Wentz and their motivation to make the seminal trade with the Browns in April, new Philadelphia OC Frank Reich offered some high-end comparisons for the No. 2 overall pick.

“Physically, he reminds me a little bit of a combination of Andrew Luck — though, I’ve never played with him — just watching him play, but a guy that I did play with in Jim Kelly, the size, strength and just the toughness,” Reich said, via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.

Wentz ran a tenth of a second slower in the 40-yard dash compared to Luck coming out of college (4.77 seconds to 4.67), but the quarterbacks are similar in size — both 6-foot-5 and around 235 pounds. The younger player will attempt to build on his breakthrough debut, one executed despite scant preseason reps and the anticipation he’d be the third-string passer.

Here’s more on Wentz’s potential rise and on some other NFC teams.

  • The Eagles trading Sam Bradford to the Vikings opened the door not only for Wentz to receive an early start on Sundays, but it cleared a path toward endless practice reps instead of a short-term future as Philly’s third-stringer, Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes. Reich told media, including McLane, there was “no question” the additional practice work would accelerate Wentz’s development compared to a season spent behind Bradford and Chase Daniel. Per McLane, Wentz did not speak up much in quarterback meetings while he was the No. 3 quarterback, instead deferring to the veterans. Daniel functions as the scout-team quarterback, and the meetings are geared around a Wentz-conducted offense.
  • Doug Pederson expected to hear something on Lane Johnson‘s lingering suspension by now, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com notes, but the league has yet to announce the expected 10-game ban. “You would think you would have heard something by now,” Pederson said. “If it does happen down the road, it just pushes everything back. Me personally, I’d rather know now than later. But until then, [Johnson] is the guy.” Pederson said Stefen Wisniewski would play left guard after current starter Allen Barbre swings to right tackle in the event Johnson’s ruling comes down. Wisniewski usurped Isaac Seumalo as the next guard up since the Eagles initially announced their Johnson contingency plan.
  • Earlier today, a potential Panthers plot to select Blaine Gabbert No. 1 overall emerged in advance of Sunday’s Panthers-49ers game. The Buccaneers‘ Week 2 opponent, the Cardinals, also employ a quarterback who will face a team that pursued him years ago. The Bucs attempted to trade for Palmer in 2013, but refusing to push then-starter Josh Freeman to a backup role did not make it an enticing fit for the then-Raiders quarterback as he looked for a team and a long-term deal, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes, analyzing what could have been in advance of Sunday’s tilt. The Bucs joined the Cardinals and Bills in making a push for a then-33-year-old Palmer’s services. Then-Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano wasn’t enamored with Freeman, but the organization did not want to give up on the former first-round pick by automatically making Palmer a starter. Freeman lasted just three games into the ’13 season before being released.
  • The Giants worked out four linebackers on Saturday after cutting Deontae Skinner from their practice squad. Cassanova McKinzy, Deiontrez Mount, Eric Pinkins and Myke Tavarres worked out for the team, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

Workout Notes: 9/13/16

September 13th, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The latest workouts from around the NFL.

  • The Bears worked out former New England defensive end Rufus Johnson today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The former sixth-rounder has one career appearance under his belt. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter) adds three more players to the list of workouts: linebackers Deiontrez Mount and Jermauria Rasco and defensive end Jimmy Bean.
  • The Colts worked out running back Brandon Wegher this week, according to his reps at Enter Sports Management (on Twitter). The former Morningside standout made one appearance for the Panthers in 2015. The team also worked out former Seahawks running back Zac Brooks, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Safety Elijah Shumate worked out for the Raiders this week, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame spent time with the Buccaneers this summer.
  • The Patriots worked out four players today, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter): WR Anthony Dable, DE Ryan Russell, OL Ian Silberman, DE Davis Tull. Dable is an interesting inclusion, as the 27-year-old has spent much of his professional career playing in the German Football League.
  • The Lions worked out a trio of defensive backs, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter): safety Jimmy Wilson and cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Demetrius McCray. The three players each have extensive NFL experience, with 12 combined starts in 2015.
  • The Packers worked out running back Storm Johnson, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The former seventh-rounder last played in the NFL in 2o14, when he played six games for the Jaguars.
  • The Buccaneers worked out a trio of players today, according to Caplan on Twitter: defensive tackle Kyle Love, defensive end Kroy Biermann and guard Josh LeRibeus. Biermann is the most veteran of the bunch, with the 31-year-old compiling 331 career tackles in eight NFL seasons.
  • Former Eagles offensive lineman Andrew Gardner worked out for the Seahawks today, tweets Caplan. The former sixth-rounder has started 11 NFL games since entering the league in 2009.

Titans Cut Ropati Pitoitua, 11 Others

August 28th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Titans have made 12 roster moves today, moving their roster to 77 men, the club announced. Tennessee has until 3pm CT Tuesday to get to 75 players.

The Titans have made the following transactions:

Cut:

Waived/Injured:

Pitoitua, 31, seemed liked one of the likeliest cuts in the entire NFL. Pitoitua only played 31 defensive snaps last season, but was scheduled to count more than $3.8MM on the Titans’ salary cap. By releasing him, Tennessee will save $3.078MM.

Gallik, meanwhile, will revert to the Titans’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/15

October 17th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the NFL. We’ll keep the list updated throughout the day…

  • The Raiders added wide receiver and kick returner Walt Powell to their 53-man roster and signed strong safety Keenan Lambert to their practice squad, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). A Cardinals sixth-round pick in 2014, Powell played in 14 games for the Jets as a rookie. Oakland waived Lambert, who began the year in training camp with the Seahawks, two days ago, and the defender cleared waivers to enable a practice squad signing.
  • The Chargers placed rookie sixth-round pick Darius Philon on IR-DTR and promoted guard/tackle Michael Ola from their practice squad, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). With the Bolts still struggling with offensive line injuries, a need for Ola emerged. A former UDFA, Ola started 12 games with the Bears in 2014. Philon, a defensive end who’s been backing up Kendall Reyes, been active in each of the Chargers’ five contests thus far this season but now will miss most of the regular season’s remainder with a hip malady. Week 14 represents Philon’s earliest return date.
  • The Titans signed Justin Staples to their active roster and placed Deiontrez Mount on IR, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). Mount, a rookie sixth-round defensive end, suffered a torn ACL. A third-year linebacker, Staples played six games with the Titans in 2014 after entering the league as a UDFA.
  • Hard Knocks fan favorite cornerback Charles James received notice of being cut by the Ravens, with the team signing running back Terrance Magee, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). The Ravens placed Lorenzo Taliaferro on IR this week, creating a spot for Magee. Zreibec also notes (on Twitter) this may be a depth move to protect the team in case Justin Forsett, who is questionable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers with an ankle ailment, doesn’t play this week. A rookie undrafted free agent out of LSU, Magee signed with the Ravens initially in May. Prior to being waived by the Texans in September, James played in 13 games with the Giants in 2013.
  • The Broncos have promoted running back Kapri Bibbs from the practice squad, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The team also released tight end Richard Gordon, who was just added to the roster earlier this week.

Earlier updates:

  • The Colts have released kick returner Marcus Thigpen and called up linebacker Amarlo Herrera to take his roster spot, reports Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (via Twitter). With Jerrell Freeman and Nate Irving both struggling with injuries, the Colts were clearly looking for some reinforcement on defense. Thigpen previously saw time with the Bills this season, returning 12 combined punts and kickoffs.
  • The Bears have signed nose tackle Bruce Gaston from the Packers practice squad, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The second-year player had made a pair of appearances with Green Bay this season. He’s expected to provide the Bears with some depth on the defensive line, where Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton and Jeremiah Ratliff are all banged up.

AFC South Notes: Mount, Worthy, Texans

October 15th, 2015 at 6:30pm CST by Luke Adams

While Week 6’s Thursday night game features two NFC South teams squaring off, we’ll head over to the AFC, and round up the latest news, rumors, and other items out of the AFC South division. Let’s dive in….

  • Titans rookie linebacker Deiontrez Mount, the first player drafted in the sixth round last spring, has torn his ACL, per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter links). According to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Tennessee will likely wait until Saturday to make a roster move involving Mount — the team could promote practice squad linebacker Jason Ankrah to replace Mount.
  • Having been cut from the Texans‘ active roster this week, wide receiver Chandler Worthy received multiple practice squad offers, including one from the Jaguars, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). However, Worthy chose to return to Houston, replacing Alan Bonner on the team’s taxi squad.
  • Texans practice squad wide receiver Josh Lenz is looking to prove himself, Wilson writes. The Iowa State product ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds at his pro day workout and had a 38 1/2 inch vertical leap, so he has shown that he has the athleticism to make an impact at the NFL level.
  • Defensive tackle Brandon Dunn‘s two-year with the Texans is worth $960K, Wilson tweets. Dunn will earn $360K for the remainder of this season and is slated to make $600K in 2016.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Browns, Bucs, Titans

May 12th, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With less room for negotiations on rookie contracts under the new CBA, draft picks are coming to terms with their teams quicker than ever, and a few more have struck deals already today. Here are the latest updates on mid-to-late rounders reaching agreements with their respective clubs, with contract information provided by Over The Cap….

  • The Browns have officially brought a pair of draftees into the fold, announcing today in a press release that they’ve formally signed third-round defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and sixth-round fullback Malcolm Johnson. Their signing bonuses will be worth about $592K and $119K respectively.
  • Sixth-round wideout Kaelin Clay has signed his rookie deal with the Buccaneers, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com tweets. Clay, the second Tampa Bay pick to sign his deal, after Jameis Winston, will get a $130K+ signing bonus.
  • The Titans have started to lock up their draft picks, agreeing to terms today with sixth-round outside linebacker Deiontrez Mount, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Mount’s four-year contract will have a total value of $2.428MM, including a signing bonus of about $148K, and a 2015 cap hit of approximately $472K.
  • Saints third-round draft pick P.J. Williams signed his rookie contract on Tuesday, according to a post on his Instagram account. New Orleans has now inked all of its picks with the exception of Stephone Anthony and Andrus Peat.
  • The Eagles and sixth round draft pick JaCorey Shepherd have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: Patriots, Browns, Titans

April 8th, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve already passed along plenty of news pertaining to prospect workouts today, including those visiting the Buccaneers and Ravens. There have been some additional rookie visits reported throughout the evening, and you can find that information below…

  • Following his meeting with the Buccaneers, Marcus Mariota is in Tennessee to presumably meet with the Titans this evening, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The reporter adds that the quarterback is set to meet with the Chargers a week from tonight.
  • Samford safety Jaquiski Tartt worked out for the Patriots today at South Alabama, sources tell Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Tartt is considered a probable mid-round pick.
  • Defensive end/linebacker Andrew Hudson has scheduled a visit with the Browns, reports agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). We learned earlier this evening that the former Washington Husky was also meeting with the Buccaneers.
  • Louisville outside linebacker Deiontrez Mount is set to meet with the Titans on Thursday and Friday, according to Terry McCormick of 247sports.com. As the writer notes, Mount was a versatile member of the Cardinals defense, playing outside linebacker, inside linebacker, defensive tackle and defensive end.
  • Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers will meet next week with the Browns, Panthers and Washington, according to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (on Twitter). There’s been speculation that Flowers could be the first tackle off the board during this year’s draft.