DeShawn Williams

Bengals Reach 53-Man Limit

The Bengals officially made 30 moves on Saturday in order to reach the 53-man max. The full rundown is below.

Waived:

Released:

Reserve/Suspended:

The team also freed up a roster spot on Saturday by trading cornerback Bene Benwikere to Dallas for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/16

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Defensive tackle Darius Kilgo fell out of the Broncos’ rotation this season but will have a chance to crack the Patriots‘ after the AFC East-leading team claimed the second-year player off waivers, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports. To make room for Kilgo, the Patriots waived running back D.J. Foster, whom Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes could be bound for the practice squad if he clears waivers. Kilgo did not make it far into waivers, going to a contending team shorthanded due to Alan Branch‘s suspension. The 24-year-old interior lineman played in nine games for the Broncos this season, while Foster represented a superfluous fifth active running back for the Pats once Dion Lewis returned. Kilgo’s arrival in New England will give the Patriots the Broncos’ 2015 sixth-round pick after trading their own 2015 fifth-rounder to Denver in A.J. Derby.
  • The Bengals signed defensive tackle DeShawn Williams two days after waiving him, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. In turn, the team placed cornerback Chykie Brown on IR, per Owczarski (on Twitter). The 30-year-old Brown played in five games for Cincinnati this season, doing so after playing four years with the Ravens and Giants.
  • Joe Callahan could venture to another city after the Browns became the third team to waive the rookie quarterback this season, doing so to clear a path for a Robert Griffin III return, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Both the Packers and Saints waived the UDFA earlier this season. Each expressed interest in moving Callahan to their practice squad for further development, so the Division III product could have a landing spot with one of his former organizations.
  • The Cardinals announced that they have waived safety Christian Bryant, whom they promoted from their practice squad earlier this month. A 2014 UDFA, Bryant vacillated between the Rams’ active roster and practice squad in 2015 before catching on with the Cardinals this year.

Bengals Activate Cedric Peerman

The Bengals have activated running back Cedric Peerman from the injured reserve, reports Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Inquirer (via Twitter). The team has also promoted long snapper Tyler Ott to the active roster. To make room, the team has waived defensive tackle DeShawn Williams.

Cedric Peerman (Vertical)The Peerman news isn’t much of a surprise, as the Bengals designated the running back as their player to return from the injured reserve. The veteran fractured his left arm during the preseason, shelving him for the first three months of the season.

The former Pro Bowler will make an instant impact on the Bengals’ struggling special teams unit, and he’ll also provide some depth to a running back corps that recently lost Giovani Bernard for the season. Of course, it’s unlikely the 30-year-old sees any snaps at running back behind Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead. Despite playing 16 games last season, Peerman didn’t get a single carry, and he only has 64 career carries in his seven-year career.

Starting long snapper Clark Harris is doubtful for this weekend’s game, necessitating Ott’s promotion. The Harvard product will be playing in his second NFL game, as he served as the Giants snapper during last year’s regular season finale. The 24-year-old has also spent time with the Patriots and Rams.

Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Clemson in 2015, has been inactive for every Bengals game this season. Owczarski notes that the defensive tackle’s tenure in Cincinnati is likely over, as the 23-year-old is unlikely to clear waivers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/16

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • The Vikings put tight end Rhett Ellison on IR, promoted defensive end B.J. DuBose from the practice squad, and signed Toby Johnson to the practice squad, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
  • The Bengals put defensive tackle Brandon Thompson on IR with a knee injury and promoted defensive tackle DeShawn Williams to the 53-man roster, as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
  • The Panthers signed defensive end Wes Horton to the practice squad, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. Horton was suspended by the league for four games this year for violating the substance abuse policy.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North

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 for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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

(press release)

  • Removed from IR list:
    • WR Onterio McCalebb
  • Signed to practice squad:
    • T Dan France
    • CB Troy Hill
    • G Trey Hopkins
    • WR Jake Kumerow
    • TE Matt Lengel
    • LB Trevor Roach
    • RB Terrell Watson
    • QB Keith Wenning
    • RB James Wilder Jr.
    • DT DeShawn Williams

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

(press release)

  • Signed:
    • RB Jordan Todman
  • Claimed off waivers:
    • DT Caushaud Lyons
  • Cut:
    • LB Anthony Chickillo
    • CB Doran Grant
  • Signed to practice squad:
    • RB Dominique Brown
    • DB Jordan Dangerfield
    • OL Reese Dismukes
    • LB L.J. Fort
    • LB Shayon Green
    • DE Ethan Hemer
    • OL Antonio Johnson
    • WR Shakim Phillips
    • TE Harold Spears
    • WR Jarrod West
    • OL Matt Feiler (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)

Bengals Reduce Roster To 53 Players

After having waived defensive tackle Devon Still earlier today, the Bengals have trimmed their roster down to 53 players. The team announced the corresponding moves via Twitter.

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform:

Burfict is the most notable of the moves, as the former Pro Bowler will leave a hole in the Bengals’ defense. The former undrafted free agent played only five games last heason, compiling 29 tackles and one forced fumble.

Bengals Sign 11 Undrafted Free Agents

The Bengals have officially announced the 11 undrafted free agents they added to their rookie class for 2015. Here’s the full list, via the club’s official Twitter account, along with known bonus info:

  • Troy Hill, CB, Oregon
  • Chris Jasperse, G, Marshall
  • Jake Kumerow, WR, Wisconsin-Whitewater
  • Matt Lengel, TE, Eastern Kentucky
  • Tom Obarski, K, Concordia-St. Paul
  • Floyd Raven, DB, Texas A&M ($5K bonus, per Coley Harvey)
  • Trevor Roach, LB, Nebraska ($2.5K bonus, per Harvey)
  • Jake Smith, C, Louisville
  • Terrell Watson, RB, Azusa Pacific ($6K bonus, per Harvey)
  • Mark Weisman, FB, Iowa
  • DeShawn Williams, DT, Clemson ($5K bonus, per Harvey)

While he hasn’t signed with the team, another noteworthy player is in attendance at Cincinnati’s minicamp this weekend. According to Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), quarterback Terrelle Pryor, having recently been cut by the Chiefs, is trying out for the Bengals.