HEADLINES

Devon Still

Workout Notes: Bears, Broncos, Patriots

December 22nd, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Clubs continue to update their emergency lists as the season winds down, so let’s take a look at the latest workouts from around the league…

  • We’ve learned the names of half of the eight players the Broncos worked out today, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that in addition to the previously-reported Still, Denver tried out defensive end DeAngelo Tyson, linebacker Dekoda Watson, and defensive tackle Phil Taylor.
  • The Colts also tried out a couple of additional players, including kick returner Demarius Washington and defensive back Terell Floyd, tweets Wilson.
  • Looking for depth along their front seven, the Texans worked out linebackers Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo and Xzavier Dickson, per Wilson (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bears auditioned six players today, including running backs Vick Ballard and Alonzo Harris, receiver Chris Harper, and defensive linemen Davon Coleman, Euclid Cummings, and Keith Browner (Twitter links via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). The 25-year-old Ballard is the most notable name here, as he ran for more than 800 yards during his rookie season with the Colts before suffering a string of injuries.
  • Not to be outdone, the Broncos tried out eight players, including former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Still, a former second-round pick, hasn’t played in 2015, but after announcing last month that his daughter’s cancer is in remission, he surely has many around the NFL rooting for him.
  • The Patriots brought in a pair of CFL defensive ends for workouts, auditioning Freddie Bishop and Cleyon Laing earlier today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

AFC North Notes: Browns, Still, Flacco

December 8th, 2015 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

With his job security potentially dwindling, Browns head coach Mike Pettine suggested on Monday that there’s some tension within the organization, dropping some hints without specifically saying which departments are at odds. After pointing out that a team needs its building to be unified in order to have success, Pettine was asked whether the Browns’ building is unified, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com details.

“It’s hard to be at this point,” Pettine said. “It’s human nature. When things don’t go well, everybody has a tendency to kind of bunker in and get into that mode. I think we all want what’s best for the Cleveland Browns. we all have ideas on how to get it done, and we need to be collaborative and we need to make sure that we’re picking the best ideas and pushing those agendas moving forward.

“I can’t sit here and say, ‘Absolutely, we’re all on board, 100 percent,'” Pettine continued. “That’s not reality because when things don’t go well, everybody has their opinions and their reasons why, but it’s going to come down to a brutal self-assessment and to be able to have the strength to make tough decisions and trust them and move forward.”

As we wait to see whether Pettine will be a part of the Browns as the team tries to move forward, let’s check in on some other items from out of the AFC North….

  • Former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still may be back under contract with an NFL team in a few weeks. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Still said on Monday that he has received reserve/futures contract offers from two teams. Those deals can’t be officially signed until after a team’s season comes to an end.
  • Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is undergoing surgery on his left knee today, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed (link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). It has been nearly two and a half weeks since Flacco tore his ACL against the Rams, but he had to wait for the swelling to go down before going under the knife. Dr. James Andrews will perform the procedure.
  • With one tight end suspended and two others dealing with nagging injuries, the Ravens had former New Hampshire tight end Harold Spears in for a visit, per Hensley (Twitter link).

Titans Work Out Devon Still

October 28th, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans worked out several veteran defensive linemen on Wednesday, including former Bengal Devon Still, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com tweets. Da’Quan Bowers, Josh Chapman, Kelcy Quarles, Terry Redden, and Christo Bilukidi rounded out the group of defensive linemen auditioning for Tennessee.

Still, who hasn’t made a start in his three-year NFL career since being selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, has nonetheless become a fan favorite in Cincinnati and around the league as his young daughter, Leah Still, has battled cancer. Leah went into remission from neuroblastoma in March, and Still said in July that she’s “almost back to her normal self.”

Still has yo-yo’d between the Bengals 53-man roster and practice squad in the past, but he is out of p-squad eligibility, so that was not an option when Cincinnati cut him loose in September. On the field, Still saw a career-high 237 defensive snaps as a part-time player for Cincinnati last season, recording 19 tackles and a pair of quarterback hurries.

Workout Notes: Phillips, McClain, Still

September 15th, 2015 at 7:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens worked out veteran outside linebacker Shaun Phillips, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Of course, after the Ravens reached agreement with Jason Babin earlier this evening, there might not be a spot for Phillips in Baltimore.

Phillips, 34, played nine seasons for the Chargers before joining the Broncos in 2013 and then signing with the Titans last March. The veteran inked a two-year, $5MM contract with Tennessee, but wasn’t overly effective in a part-time role, recording just a pair of sacks after reaching double-digits in 2013. With the Colts in 2014, Phillips made even less of an impact, recording seven tackles and no sacks in his five regular-season contests with the team.

Here are more notable NFL workouts from today..

  • We learned earlier today that Terrelle Pryor worked out for the Patriots. Pryor, making the transition from quarterback to wide receiver this summer, impressed Browns coaches in training camp. However, after the team set its 53-man roster prior to Week 1, Pryor was essentially the 53rd man, making him expendable when other holes needed to be filled.
  • Former Patriots cornerback Robert McClain was one of three cornerbacks who worked out for the Rams today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Colts worked out former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Jets worked out a number of outside linebackers today, including former Falcon Jonathan Massaquoi, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Massaquoi, 26, was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, and has since played 40 games for the team, starting seven of them.
  • The Patriots had wide receiver Evan Spencer in for a tryout on Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Bengals Waive Devon Still

September 5th, 2015 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

As part of their cutdown to 53 players, the Bengals have waived defensive tackle Devon Still, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Still will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed tomorrow.

It’s not the first time the Bengals have cut Still from their active roster. However, in the past, the Penn State product has found a spot on the team’s practice squad. Heading into the 2015 season, Still no longer has practice squad eligibility, so if Cincinnati doesn’t intent to bring him back, he’ll have to try to find a spot on another club’s 53-man roster.

Still, who hasn’t made a start in his three-year NFL career since being selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, has nonetheless become a fan favorite in Cincinnati and around the league as his young daughter, Leah Still, has battled cancer. Leah went into remission from neuroblastoma in March, and Still said in July that she’s “almost back to her normal self.”

Bengals Re-Sign Devon Still

March 19th, 2015 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

It’s been a great week for defensive lineman Devon Still, who revealed on Instagram on Tuesday that doctors are optimistic about the prognosis for his daughter Leah, with recent tests not showing “any active disease in her body.” The latest positive development for Still is a new contract with the Bengals, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who congratulated his client today on Twitter.

Still, 25, had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, but the Bengals decided not to extend him an RFA tender last week. At the time though, we heard that Cincinnati had made a one-year contract offer to Still, who was mulling the proposal while also weighing family issues — as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes (via Twitter), Still had been waiting for the results of Leah’s tests before making a decision on the Bengals’ contract offer.

On the field, Still saw a career-high 237 defensive snaps as a part-time player for Cincinnati last season, recording 19 tackles and a pair of quarterback hurries. Assuming he earns a spot on the 53-man roster in 2015, the former second-round pick should play a similar role for the Bengals.

Tender Updates: Tuesday

March 10th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s tender decisions:

  • The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
  • The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
  • The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
  • In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
  • The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
  • The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
  • Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
  • The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
  • The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.

Earlier updates:

  • The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
  • The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
  • The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.

Bengals Sign Devon Still

September 9th, 2014 at 6:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have signed Devon Still to their active roster, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (on Twitter). Still, a defensive lineman, was cut by the Bengals two weeks ago as they worked to get down to a 53-man roster before being asked back to the practice squad.

Still was cut because he was hampered by injuries in the preseason. The veteran’s four-year-old daughter, Leah, is currently battling Stage 4 cancer and he has obviously been going through tremendous stress and anguish.

“I wanted to make the roster, but I have a lot of stuff going on right now that I can’t give football 100 percent,” Still said to reporters, including Coley Harvey of ESPN.com last Monday. “[The team] could have just washed their hands completely of it. Said, ‘We don’t care what’s going on in his personal life, we just want people who can care 100 percent on football.’ That’s, after all, what they pay us to do.”

With the move, the Bengals have added the defensive tackle that they need and, more importantly, done right by Still and his family.

Sunday Transactions: AFC North

August 31st, 2014 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

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 are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT 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:

Cleveland Browns:

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Bengals Cut Danieal Manning, Down To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

After parting ways with veteran running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis yesterday, the Bengals listed another familiar name among their final wave of cuts today, with safety Danieal Manning receiving his release. Per a series of tweets from the team, here’s the complete list of transactions that got the roster count down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

  • Trey Hopkins, G

Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:

  • A.J. McCarron, QB

Waived from injured reserve:

  • Lavelle Westbrooks, CB