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Douglas McNeil

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.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

December 23rd, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s practice squad news:

  • The Seahawks made several changes to their practice squad today, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, who tweets that tight end Rashaun Allen, wide receiver Douglas McNeil, and safety Dion Bailey have all been signed to the unit. In a second tweet, Condotta adds that tight end Gator Hoskins and defensive tackle Jimmy Staten have been cut to accommodate the incoming additions.
  • Linebacker Justin Jackson has taken the final opening on the Raiders‘ practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • The Chiefs have re-signed tight end Adam Schiltz to their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team had cut Schiltz from the unit a week ago.

Earlier updates:

  • To make up for the departure of Rishaw Johnson, the Giants added linebacker Uani ‘Unga to the taxi squad, according to Jordan Raanan of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).
  • The Patriots signed defensive end/outside linebacker Cam Henderson while releasing cornerback Daxton Swanson, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter).
  • The 49ers signed undrafted rookie nose tackle Garrison Smith to the taxi squad, according to Matt Barrows of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). Smith spent time with the Dolphins and Saints this year.
  • The Titans signed cornerback Ri’Shard Anderson to their practice squad, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Anderson was with the Titans’ taxi squad in September after being one of the final cuts before the 53-man deadline in late August.

NFC East Notes: RGIII, Washington, Giants

November 26th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Tight end Gavin Escobar was a notorious reach by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2013 draft and has done little to prove those naysayers wrong, writes Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News. Escobar has had a few moments this season, but he hasn’t taken any tremendous strides from his underwhelming rookie year. In 2013, Escobar was expected to see lots of targets in two tight end sets for Dallas. Instead, he was hardly used at all and finished that season with nine catches and two TDs. This year, Escobar has eight receptions and three TDs. More from the NFC East..

  • The benching of Robert Griffin III is just another example of Washington‘s self-inflicted woes, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The RGIII era, he writes, was a bad idea from the beginning. A study from the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective back in 2012 concluded that in order for Washington “to get the equivalent value from RGIII as they spent acquiring him, he must produce at least as much as Tom Brady.” Suffice to say, Washington would have been much better off had they kept their valuable draft choices. Now, Griffin will probably be tossed aside for good this offseason, with the Redskins lucky to get a late-round pick.
  • Washington worked out linebackers Uani’ Unga and Quandon Christian, defensive backs Kevin Fogg, Kenny Horsley, Kenny Okoro, and Bryan McCann, wide receiver Douglas McNeil, guard John Sullen, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • The Giants worked out guard Rishaw Johnson, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Big Blue also had tackle Michael Bamiro in for an audition, which led to him being signed to the practice squad soon after.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

November 18th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, Tuesday means plenty of practice squad signings and cuts for teams around the NFL. Here are today’s practice squad moves, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • To make room for their new practice squad additions, the Broncos have released defensive end Zach Thompson and wide receiver Douglas McNeil, tweets Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
  • The Saints signed former Chiefs inside linebacker Jerry Franklin to their practice squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter), tackle Mark Asper and defensive back Josh Bush have joined the Broncos‘ practice squad. Denver previously had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait for word on which players are being replaced.
  • The Bengals have swapped one linebacker for another on their taxi squad, signing Terrell Manning and dropping Justin Jackson, per the team (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys have made a few changes to their practice squad, releasing guard Jeff Baca and linebacker Will Smith and adding linebacker Keith Smith and cornerback Robert Steeples to replace them (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Rookie running back Dominique Williams, who was with the Vikings in camp, has re-signed with the team, joining the practice squad, according to a press release. Minnesota had a full 10-man unit, but now no longer lists safety Pierre Warren on its roster, so perhaps he was signed away by another club — the Saints, Warren’s former team, would be the most likely candidate.
  • In addition to making multiple changes to their 53-man roster, the Colts also tweaked their practice squad today, adding running back Michael Hill and cutting wide receiver Eric Thomas, the team announced today. We’ll have to wait to see whether Hill, the only running back on Indianapolis’ practice squad, has a chance to be promoted in Ahmad Bradshaw‘s absence, or if the team will opt for a veteran replacement instead.
  • The Falcons have filled the 10th and final spot on their taxi squad by signing former Oregon defensive tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, per Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (Twitter link).
  • Having recently worked out for the club, cornerback Marcus Cromartie has joined the 49ers‘ practice squad, replacing tight end Xavier Grimble, who has been cut, according to the club (Twitter link).
  • Outside linebacker Cordarro Law, who was cut from the Chargers‘ active roster prior to Sunday’s game against the Raiders, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to the Chargers’ transactions list.

AFC West Links: Houston, Berry, McNeil

November 1st, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Chiefs do not have a single rookie on Mel Kiper’s list of the 35 best rookies through the midpoint of this season (subscription required), and Adam Teicher of ESPN.com is not surprised by this. He writes that only guard Zach Fulton has played enough snaps to qualify for this list, and he has performed poorly.

Teicher writes that the team passed on such impact players as guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Jason Verrett, and receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who have all been among the best rookies in the league this year.

  • Chiefs‘ outside linebacker Justin Houston is halfway through the final year of his contract, but is unlikely to sign an extension with the team. Houston is treating the home stretch of the season as business as usal, reports Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. “I’ll worry about that at the end of the season,” said Houston. “I can’t let that get in my head at all. I don’t want it to slow me or affect what I’m doing on the field. I just want to continue play as I’m playing and continue to make plays.”
  • Chiefs‘ safety Eric Berry is active and will play Sunday against the Jets, writes Teicher. He suffered a high ankle sprain in a loss to the Broncos during their week two matchup, and has not seen the field since.
  • The Broncos have recently added former Arena League receiver Douglas McNeil to the practice squad, and Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com believes that if he continues to adjust to the NFL game, his combination of size and speed could make him an intriguing prospect for the team.
  • The Raiders are poised to select at the top of the draft, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com thinks the team should seriously consider a receiver at that spot. He identifies Alabama star Amari Cooper as a target high in the first round.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

October 28th, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

They may not be the sort of deadline-day transactions we’re hoping for, but some teams around the league are making roster moves, adding and subtracting players from their respective practice squads. We’ll track the latest updates below:

  • The Broncos have added receiver Douglas McNeil to their practice squad, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. An Arena League standout, the 26-year-old McNeil caught 66 balls for 858 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games for the Portland Thunder. He takes the practice squad spot of John Boyett, who was released last week following his arrest for assault.
  • The Colts announced receiver Chandler Jones was signed to their practice squad at the expense of running back Jeff Demps. This will be Jones’ second stint with the Colts this season, while Demps’ stay with the team lasted just a week. Jones is an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, where he is the school’s all-time leading receiver.
  • The Giants have cut linebacker Carlos Fields from their practice squad, according to NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter).
  • Running back Ben Malena has replaced cornerback Kendall James on the Texans‘ practice squad, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Rams have signed offensive tackle Steven Baker to their taxi squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The club had plenty of space to add Baker without cutting a player, but released quarterback Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad nonetheless, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • Wideout Tavarres King has signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, says Caplan (via Twitter). The team doesn’t have any openings on its PS, but after today’s trades, there are two spots available on the active roster, so I imagine at least one player is in line for a promotion.

Earlier updates:

  • The Dolphins performed a bit of an overhaul on their practice squad today, adding tight end Evan Wilson, tight end Gerell Robinson, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin to replace quarterback Seth Lobato, tight end Jake Murphy, and defensive back Rod Sweeting, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
  • With backup running back Stepfan Taylor expected to be sidelined for the near future, the Cardinals have added some backfield insurance via their practice squad, signing running back Zach Bauman, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Cornerback Anthony Gaitor has been waived to make room for the new addition.
  • Wide receiver Jace Davis, who was with the Ravens during training camp and the preseason, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to a press release. Davis takes the 10th and final spot, which had been vacated after tight end Phillip Supernaw was promoted to the active roster on the weekend.