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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/2015

August 2nd, 2015 at 4:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are Sunday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Patriots have claimed offensive lineman Harland Gunn off waivers from the Falcons, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Gunn, 25, played in 10 games for Atlanta last season, starting one.
  • Cornerback Justin Green has decided to retire from the NFL, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The Cowboys acquired Green from the Patriots last year, but he never suited up for Dallas. The 24-year-old had been back with New England until they cut him yesterday.
  • The Broncos announced that they’ve signed tackle Charles Sweeton while waiving injured tackle Connor Rains. Rains injured his foot during the first day of Denver’s camp.
  • The Chiefs have made a switch a running back, signing Darrin Reaves and waiving LaVance Taylor, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Reaves appeared in six games for the Panthers last season, starting one.
  • The Jets have filled an open spot on their roster, signing receiver Jarrod West, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets that the Steelers have signed RB Jawon Chisholm placed RB Ross Scheuerman on the waived/injured list in a corresponding move. The team also cut TE Michael Egnew to make room for the newly-acquired Brandon Boykin.
  • The Panthers have signed WR Paul Browning to take the roster spot of Stephen Hill, who has been put on the team’s waived/injured list with a torn ACL (via Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer).
  • John McClain of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the Texans, who are in desperate need of defensive line depth, have signed veteran NT Chris Neild.
  • The Giants have added rookie DE Brad Bars and second-year wide receiver Derrick Johnson, per James Kratch of NJ.com.

 

Workout Updates: Wednesday

December 24th, 2014 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Although NFL teams have been working out players all season, most of this week’s auditions will be conducted with an eye on the future, since clubs will soon be able to start signing players to reserve/futures deals for the 2015 season. Listed below are the most recently reported workouts from around the league, with all links pointed to Aaron Wilson’s Twitter account, unless otherwise indicated…

  • Prior to signing long snapper Charley Hughlett, the Browns auditioned several other long snappers, taking a look at Dax Dellenbach, Brandon Hartson, and Luke Ingram. The club also worked out defensive tackle Torell Troup.
  • While the Raiders elected to sign linebacker Justin Jackson to their practice squad yesterday, the team also tried out fellow linebacker Terrance Bullitt. Bullitt reached an agreement as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in May, but it fell through due to a shoulder issue.
  • The Vikings brought in defensive end Leon Mackey and linebacker Justin Anderson for tryouts this week — the latter ended up signing to Minnesota’s practice squad.
  • A pair of running backs and a pair of defensive backs worked out for the Falcons this week. Atlanta opted to sign RB Ronnie Wingo and DB Brandan Bishop to its taxi squad, passing on RB Michael Ford and DB Malcolm Branson.
  • In addition to working out for the Jaguars this week, defensive end Shawn Lemon auditioned for the Colts.
  • Undrafted free agent center Jared Wheeler tried out for the Buccaneers, along with kicker Travis Coons, wide receiver Derrick Johnson, defensive back Shelton Johnson, and offensive linemen Adrian Battles, Stetson Burnett, Brett Van Sloten, and Brett Jones.
  • The Seahawks auditioned wide receivers Lamont Bryant, Mike Davis, Jeremy Gallon, and Douglas McNeil, along with ex-Ravens outside linebacker Michael McAdoo, per Wilson. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Seattle also looked at quarterback Brett Smith, who was waived by the Buccaneers in May.
  • Caplan also passes along word of one more workout, tweeting that former seventh-round kicker Zach Hocker tried out for the 49ers.

Pats Cut Six Players, Place Two On IR

August 26th, 2014 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

3:45pm: The Pats are now down to 75 players, after officially announcing their last few roster moves of the day. According to a press release, New England also cut defensive lineman Ben Bass and defensive back Jemea Thomas, and placed linebacker Cameron Gordon on injured reserve.

12:14pm: Defensive back Travis Hawkins will also be waived by the Pats, according to Howe (via Twitter).

12:12pm: The Patriots continue to reduce their roster count on their way to getting down to 75 players by this afternoon’s deadline. While the team has yet to officially announce its latest transactions, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports (via Twitter) that rookie receiver Wilson Van Hooser has been waived and that the team will place running back Tyler Gaffney on injured reserve. Additionally, wideout Derrick Johnson and linebacker Deontae Skinner will be among the Pats’ cuts, according to reports from Christopher Price of WEEI.com and Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

According to Howe (via Twitter), Van Hooser has already received some interest from a couple other NFL teams, and looks like a candidate to land on a practice squad somewhere. The wideout could technically still end up signing with New England’s practice squad, though typically a player waived during the first wave of cuts won’t be among a team’s top choices.

As for Gaffney, the Pats originally claimed him off waivers from Carolina, when the Panthers tried to sneak him through to their own injured reserve list. However, by hanging on to him until roster cutdowns, New England will no longer have to put Gaffney through waivers to place him on IR.

By our count, New England will still have 79 active players on its roster after these four moves, so four more transactions will be necessary this afternoon.

AFC Notes: Tebow, Watt, Jaguars, Ware, Bills

July 18th, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Tim Tebow, who has been frequently linked to the Jaguars over the years, purchased a $1.4MM home in Jacksonville, according to Andrew Thurlow of the Jacksonville Business Journal. Of course, the Jaguars have their quarterback of the future in Blake Bortles and there is zero indication that they’d be interested in bringing Tebow aboard, who last played in the NFL in 2012. But, if they ever want to audition a backup, the former Florida QB will be a hop, skip, and a jump away. Here’s more out of the AFC..

  • With speculation that a new deal for Texans defensive end J.J. Watt could get a contract extension in the ballpark of $23MM per year, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a stab at what kind of contract the disruptive DE could fetch. Ultimately, Fitzgerald concludes that a four year contract worth $57.6MM could make sense for both sides. As the Texans are going through a remake of their roster, it could make both football sense and PR sense to hammer out a new deal with Watt this year.
  • Jaguars coach Gus Bradley expects the club’s offense to be more balanced this year. Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says that new RB Toby Gerhart will be a huge key towards making that happen.
  • Thanks in part to cupping therapy, new Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware says that he’s feeling great, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. “I feel better than I did the last two years going into the season,” Ware said. “Stronger, faster. I feel flexible.”
  • The Bills have waived wide receiver Cordell Robinson and cornerback Darius Robinson, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots re-signed wide receiver Derrick Johnson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

East Notes: Pats, Beckham, Beatty

June 16th, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Rory Parks

There were a great deal of notes from the league’s east divisions today. Our Luke Adams and Dallas Robinson rounded up some of those notes earlier this evening, and we will close out the night by emptying out our east notebook.

  • The Patriots appear to be playing musical chairs with Kyle Auffray and Derrick Johnson. The team cut Auffray earlier today after signing him last week, and Johnson was the player the Pats released to make room for Auffray. Now, however, Johnson may be back in the fold. Mike Lowe of the Portland Press Herald reports that Johnson was told by the club that he would be re-signed once he recovered from a sprained left knee that caused him to miss a week of practices. The former University of Maine receiver hopes to be ready for New England’s three-day minicamp that opens tomorrow (or at least by training camp in July).
  • Brian Costello of the New York Post outlines the Jets‘ search for a No. 2 receiver to play opposite major free agent acquisition Eric Decker. Stephen Hill and David Nelson took the most reps at that spot during the portion of the team’s OTAs that were open to the media, and though Nelson is probably the favorite, wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal seems to believe Hill may finally begin to live up to his still-significant potential.
  • In the same piece, Costello looks at other major storylines surrounding the Jets this summer, including the injury status of Dee Milliner and Willie Colon and the progress of rookie tight end Jace Amaro.
  • Paul Schwartz of the New York Post examines the injury status of Giants left tackle Will Beatty. Although Beatty stills hopes to be ready for the start of training camp on July 21, there is no guarantee he will even be given clearance to play in the season opener on September 8. Even if he is ready, his poor play in 2013 and the fact that the team did not make any meaningful moves to address the left tackle position in the offseason leaves plenty of room for concern.
  • In the same piece, Schwartz writes that the Giants may hold first-round pick Odell Beckham Jr. out of minicamp as a result of his hamstring injury. Although Beckham insists the injury is minor, the team will undoubtedly want to play it safe with him.
  • Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com shares some of his notes on what he has seen from the Eagles thus far this offseason. He writes that the struggles of Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley have been overblown, as have the Jordan Matthews–Terrell Owens comparisons. He adds that, outside of kicker, there are no real position battles to watch out for at this point.
  • James Walker of ESPN.com gives a list of top storylines to look out for during the Dolphins‘ three-day mandatory minicamp that begins Tuesday, including the development of Bill Lazor‘s offense and the position battles at left guard, running back, slot receiver, and cornerback.

Minor Moves: Steelers, Jags, Browns, Cards, Pats

June 9th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a fairly quiet day for transactions around the NFL, but a number of teams have completed minor moves, including signing mid-round draft picks. We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions right here:

  • The Steelers now have seven of their nine draftees under contract, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve officially signed fourth-round receiver Martavis Bryant. Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports first reported earlier this afternoon (via Twitter) that Pittsburgh was close to locking up Bryant, who will receive a signing bonus worth about $439K, according to Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com,
  • The Jaguars also signed one of their draft picks today, as third-round guard Brandon Linder formally inked his rookie deal, per John Oesher of Jaguars.com (via Twitter). Jacksonville has essentially been working backward through its picks, so first-round quarterback Blake Bortles and second-round receivers Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson remain unsigned.
  • 2013 sixth-round defensive back Jamoris Slaughter has been cut by the Browns, the team confirmed today (Twitter link). Slaughter didn’t appear in a game for Cleveland during his rookie season. Meanwhile, the Browns added a couple new players to their roster (Twitter link), signing offensive lineman Alex Parsons and kicker Jake Rogers, who was let go by the Redskins last month.
  • Veteran center John Estes, who signed with the Cardinals in March and was cut in May, is back with the team on a new contract, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Offensive lineman Christian Johnson was waived to make room.
  • The Patriots have signed former New Hampshire tight end Kyle Auffray and cut undrafted rookie receiver Derrick Johnson, according to a team release.

Patriots Sign Two Picks, Three UDFAs

May 19th, 2014 at 6:34pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Patriots have made a handful of moves, most notably signing two more of their draft picks, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). They selected a pair of interior offensive lineman from the Sunshine State in the draft, and today have officially signed center Bryan Stork of Florida State and guard Jon Halapio of Florida. Stork was a fourth-round pick coming off his national championship season, and Halapio was a sixth-rounder.

These signings leave only two Patriots’ draft picks without contracts, the team’s top two picks Dominique Easley of Florida and Jimmy Garoppolo of Eastern Illinois. However, there is no reason to worry, as Jeff Howe expects both players to sign soon (via Twitter).

Howe also reports that the team has signed three undrafted rookie free agents, cornerback Malcolm Butler of West Alabama, receiver Derrick Johnson of Maine, and linebacker Taylor McCuller of West Texas A&M (via Twitter).

Patriots Sign 13 Undrafted FAs

May 18th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 4:55pm: The Patriots have added one more undrafted free agent in the form of Maine receiver Derrick Johnson, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Pats roster now stands at 87, three shy of the 90-player maximum.

FRIDAY, 4:17pm: The Pats have added three more undrafted free agents, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, who tweets that the club has officially signed Rutgers defensive back Jeremy Deering, Iowa linebacker James Morris, and Harvard long snapper Tyler Ott.

MONDAY, 3:17pm: The Patriots have signed nine rookie free agents, according to a team release. Here’s the full list of the undrafted free agents who will be heading to New England:

  • Tyler Beck, TE, Bowling Green ($1.5K bonus, per Mike Reiss)
  • Roy Finch, RB, Oklahoma ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Shamiel Gary, S, Oklahoma State ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Cameron Gordon, LB, Michigan ($15K bonus and $20K in other guarantees)
  • Travis Hawkins, DB, Delaware ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Stephen Houston, RB, Indiana ($7.5K bonus and $15K in other guarantees)
  • Justin Jones, TE, East Carolina ($5K bonus and $10K in other guarantees)
  • Deontae Skinner, LB, Mississippi State ($5K bonus)
  • Asa Watson, TE, North Carolina State ($3K bonus and $17K in other guarantees)