Eric Kush

Buccaneers Sign Joe Hawley

4:53pm: Hawley did well on his new two-year deal, getting a fully guaranteed $1.25MM base salary for 2015, per Caplan (Twitter link). The ex-Falcon can earn up to $5.75MM if he plays out the contract.

4:06pm: The Buccaneers have officially announced the signing of Hawley, cutting center Eric Kush to make room on the roster for the veteran.

12:03pm: It’ll be a two-year deal for Hawley, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

10:50am: The Buccaneers are expected to sign center Joe Hawley today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Hawley was a former starter for Atlanta but he was released by the team this offseason.

Hawley, 27 in October, was on his way to returning from the ACL surgery that ended his 2014 season prematurely. However, the Falcons jumped at the chance to add center Gino Gradkowski when he was waived by the Broncos, and Hawley was quickly displaced.

Hawley wasn’t playing exceptionally well in the early going last season, but he appeared in 16 games with seven starts in 2013 and the team was counting on him to start in ’14. This year, Hawley started the first two preseason games for Atlanta but he was moved to the bench for the final two contests.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South 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 Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers 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 NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chiefs Deal Kelcie McCray To Seahawks, Set Roster

The Chiefs announced 22 roster moves today, and one of them was of particular interest — according to a team release, the club sent safety Kelcie McCray to the Seahawks in a trade for an undisclosed draft pick. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com fills in the details, tweeting that Kansas City gets a fifth-rounder in the deal.

Recent reports had suggested that Seattle was seeking depth at its safety position, with Kam Chancellor still holding out and Earl Thomas returning from a serious injury. In McCray, the Seahawks get a solid backup who primarily served as a special-teamer last season for the Chiefs.

Here are Kansas City’s 21 other moves that get the tea down from a 75-man roster to just 53 players:

Cut:

  • WR Da’Ron Brown
  • DE Mike Catapano
  • S Sanders Commings
  • LB Ja’Gared Davis
  • DT Hebron Fangupo
  • C Garrett Frye
  • DL David Irving
  • LB James-Michael Johnson
  • C Eric Kush
  • WR Donatella Luckett
  • C Daniel Munyer
  • DB Deji Olatoye
  • G Jarrod Pughsley
  • RB Darrin Reaves
  • DB Kevin Short
  • T Derek Sherrod
  • TE Ryan Taylor
  • FB Spencer Ware
  • WR Fred Williams

Placed on injured reserve:

  • TE Richard Gordon

Reserve/suspended:

  • CB Sean Smith