De’Vante Bausby

Workout Notes: 12/16/15

It’s been a busy last couple of days around the NFL, with teams still looking to fill up their squads for the rest of the season. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweeted a whole bunch of workout notes this afternoon, which we’ve compiled for you below…

Arizona Cardinals

  • CB Mitchell White (link)

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Read more

Workout Notes: Steelers, Bucs, Colts, Browns

British rugby player Tom Burgess has continued his wave of tryouts for NFL clubs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Burgess worked out for the Steelers today. Burgess, who’s also auditioned for the Giants, Jets, and Bills, could be line for a futures contract at the end of the season, following in the footsteps of fellow international star Jarryd Hayne.

Here’s at look at the rest of today’s workouts as clubs seek to get a feel for available free agents and update their emergency lists:

  • The Buccaneers worked out several players today, including linebacker Willie Jefferson, cornerback Garry Peters, defensive end Nordly Capi, and cornerback De’Vante Bausby, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Peters, a Clemson alum, was a favorite UDFA of several draftniks this spring.
  • Running back Daniel Thomas is searching for new opportunity after being released by the Bears earlier in the year, and he earned a tryout with the Colts today, per Wilson (on Twitter). Thomas, whose most notable time came with the Dolphins, could be an option for Indianapolis, who is looking to replace the injured Ahmad Bradshaw.
  • The Browns brought in three players for an audition, says Wilson (via Twitter), who reports that receivers R.J. Harris and Marcus Lucas, plus safety Phillip Thomas, worked out for Cleveland. A fourth player involved in the tryout — defensive back Tim Scott — was signed to the club’s practice squad yesterday.
  • A large group of receivers worked out for the Seahawks, including Rashaad Carter, Desmond Lawrence, Jordan Leslie, Colin Lockett, and Larry Pinkard, in addition to quarterback Dustin Vaughan, per Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Bears visited with receiver Kyle Prater, who was a Saints UDFA out of Northwestern earlier this year, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Prater, 23, was named the No. 1 receiver of the 2010 recruiting class.

Minor Moves: Thursday

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Titans waived tight end Taylor Thompson, tweets the Tennesseean’s Jim Wyatt. Thompson, whom the Titans chose in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, has 11 career catches. It was reported earlier this week that the Titans were primed to fine Thompson for showing up late to mandatory minicamp. He has also been dealing with knee issues.
  • The Patriots cut tight end Logan Stokes, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Stokes signed with the Pats last week as an undrafted free agent out of LSU.
  • The Chiefs signed cornerback Kenneth Penny and waived both guard Melvin Meggs and cornerback De’Vante Bausby, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • The Bills signed free agent tight end Matthew Mulligan and released defensive back Merrill Noel, according to the Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link). The 30-year-old Mulligan, who has 16 career receptions, played under current Bills coach Rex Ryan as a member of the Jets from 2009-11.
  • The Falcons signed veteran wide receiver Carlton Mitchell and waived fellow wideout Shane Wynn, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mitchell, a sixth-round pick in 2010, last saw action in 2011, when he caught three passes for the Browns. Wynn signed with Atlanta last month as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana.
  • The Lions waived Bill Bentley after minicamp practice on Thursday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). The cornerback was attempting to return from a torn ACL. Bentley played some nickel for Detroit over the last three years.
  • The Packers released cornerback Travis Manning, according to Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette (on Twitter). Taking Manning’s place on the roster will be tight end Harold Spears, who was waived by the Saints earlier this week, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter). Green Bay still has 89 players on the roster after today’s moves.

Chiefs Sign 11 Undrafted Free Agents

9:44am: The Chiefs’ official press release on their undrafted free agent signings includes one more name in addition to the 10 listed below. The team also signed former James Madison linebacker Sage Harold.

8:34am: The Chiefs have added 10 undrafted free agents to their roster, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, who provides the full list of Kansas City’s free agent additions. All 32 teams have now officially announced their UDFA signings for 2015. Here are the Chiefs’ new rookies:

  • De’Vante Bausby, CB, Pittsburg State
  • Kenny Cook, WR, Gardner-Webb
  • Justin Cox, DB, Mississippi State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Andrew East, LS, Vanderbilt ($10K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Garrett Frye, C, Georgia Southern
  • Manasseh Garner, RB, Pittsburgh
  • David Irving, DL, Iowa State ($10K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Donatella Luckett, WR, Harding
  • Justin March-Lillard, LB, Akron
  • Charles Sweeton, T, Tennessee-Martin

Extra Points: L.A., Dolphins, Chiefs, 49ers

Rounding up the latest NFL news as Thursday comes to a close. . .

  • Howard Balzer tweets that Rams, Raiders, and Chargers representatives will update their Los Angeles stadium plans next Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, Balzer reports that a St. Louis task force will meet with league officials and six owners next week to discuss a potential new stadium. The Rams, who have played in St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome since 1995, are free to break their lease and relocate after next season. The same holds true for the Raiders and Chargers.
  • The Dolphins have shown significant interest in cornerbacks and wide receiver prospects this year, and two of their latest pre-draft visitors happen to play those positions. Connecticut corner Byron Jones and Ohio State wideout Devin Smith are both on the team’s radar, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • The Chiefs had an official visit with Pittsburg State cornerback De’Vante Bausby on Wednesday, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Bausby, who was in attendance at KC’s local pro day last week, will likely be a late-round pick in the draft.
  • The 49ers will hold their local pro day on Friday. One of the 65 players who will partake is older than all but three members of the 49ers’ roster. That player is Nate Boyer, 34, a former Green Beret and Iraq war veteran who didn’t play organized football until the age of 29. The ex-University of Texas long snapper could land a contract with the 49ers, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch, who notes that the team has carried two players at the position in recent years.

West Notes: Barksdale, Dunkley, Vincent

As teams attempt to expand their prospect visit itineraries, here is some early-afternoon news from the western divisions.

  • Offensive tackle Joe Barksdale paid a visit to the Titans this week, but according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links), the veteran free agent left Tennessee without a deal, and the Rams remain in the mix for him.
  • Missouri defensive tackle Lucas Vincent has a workout today with the Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of another local workout, tweeting that the Broncos are taking a look at Colorado State-Pueblo defensive lineman Josh Bredl.
  • Also from Paylor (via Twitter): cornerback prospect DeVante Bausby is attending the Chiefs’ local pro day. A longtime starter at Division II power Pittsburg State, Bausby attended high school in Kansas City, Kan.
  • South Florida cornerback Chris Dunkley will trek to the 49ers‘ and Chargers‘ facilities this week, respectively, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Greg Auman on Twitter. The converted wide receiver who also returned kicks for the Bulls previously visited the Patriots and Bills.
  • In addition to lining up summits with DeVante Parker and Sammie Coates, the 49ers will also meet with Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith next week, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. ESPN’s Todd McShay rates the ex-Buckeyes deep threat as his 34th-best prospect (subscription required). The 49ers have also had discussions with wideouts they’d have to trade up to draft in Amari Cooper and Kevin White, reports Barrows.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Draft Notes: Lions, Goldman, Holliman

The Lions hosted Texas A&M offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi for a pre-draft visit at their training facility, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes. Ogbuehi was an All-SEC performer last season, but he tore his ACL in the team’s bowl game against West Virginia. Even though he could have jumped ship early and been a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, he says that he doesn’t regret his decision to return to campus for his senior year. Here’s more draft news..

  • Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman has pre-draft visits with the Browns, 49ers, Colts, Lions, Panthers, and Patriots, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). In his junior year with the Seminoles, Goldman recorded four sacks to go along with 51 tackles and a forced fumble.
  • The Lions canceled a meeting with safety Gerod Holliman, according to Miller (on Twitter). The Louisville star already met with the Bucs and will meet with the Dolphins prior to the draft.
  • Of the presumptive seventh-round cornerbacks, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) would rather take a gamble on De’Vante Bausby than most of the players he’s competing with at his position.

NFC East Notes: RGIII, Murphy, Carr

Scot McCloughan has been putting his stamp on Washington’s roster since he took over as the team’s general manager in January. That’s not going to stop anytime soon, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (video link). McCloughan didn’t draft a single one of Washington’s players, which means he has no built-in loyalty toward those individuals and could look to replace anyone on the roster, per El-Bashir. One of those players is quarterback Robert Griffin III, whose future in Washington beyond next season is nebulous. RGIII has a player option for 2016 worth over $16MM, and El-Bashir speculates that Washington is either still discussing what to do with that option or has decided not to pick it up. The club has until May 3 to make its decision known.

Let’s take a further look at the most recent news regarding Washington and one of its NFC East rivals:

  • Washington used a 2014 second-round pick on outside linebacker Trent Murphy, who had just 2.5 sacks as a rookie. Now there’s speculation that Washington will spend another high selection on an outside linebacker this year, perhaps its first-rounder (fifth overall). Despite that, head coach Jay Gruden still believes in the 24-year-old Murphy, writes El-Bashir. “He’s very young up top, his frame, and he’s going get a lot stronger,” said Gruden. “He’s got the hands. He’s got the hips. He’s got the flexibility to be an effective pass rusher.”
  • Pittsburg State cornerback De’Vante Bausby is an unheralded draft prospect to keep an eye on for Washington, El-Bashir tweeted. Washington attended his pro day Thursday.
  • The Cowboys’ pass defense ranked 26th in the NFL last season, but Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News reports that the team hasn’t hosted any cornerback prospects as the draft nears. The Cowboys have instead focused on running backs and linemen.
  • Speaking of Dallas’ corners, Sturm took a look at Brandon Carr‘s situation. Carr’s agent said earlier this week that the 28-year-old is not going to take a pay cut for 2015, when he’s due to count $12.7MM against the salary cap, which means Dallas could eventually cut him loose. Doing so after June 1 would save the Cowboys $8MM on next season’s cap. However, Sturm thinks Carr will ultimately stick around at a reduced rate – perhaps with the help of a contract extension – as the Cowboys aren’t in position to find another corner to adequately replace the seven-year veteran and the 1,000-plus downs he’ll play in 2015.