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Frank Alexander

Frank Alexander Suspended For 10 Games

October 1st, 2014 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Just days after he was reinstated from a four-game suspension, Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander has received another suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, the team announced today (via Twitter). It’s a 10-game ban for Alexander, which means he’ll be eligible to return on Monday, December 15 for the final two weeks of the regular season.

Alexander, 24, didn’t play a significant role on Carolina’s defensive line a year ago, appearing in just 239 defensive snaps. However, with Greg Hardy on the exempt list, the Panthers may have leaned a little more heavily on the former fourth-round pick this season. With Alexander headed back to the reserve/suspended list, the team will have to continue to rely on Wes Horton, Mario Addison, and perhaps Kony Ealy.

Alexander’s 10-game ban for substances of abuse suggests that it’s his fifth violation of the policy. Under the new agreement between the league and the union, Alexander would be subject to a year-long suspension if he violates the policy for a sixth time.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 29th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….

  • The Colts placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • Defensive end Chase Vaughn has been cut from the Broncos‘ injured reserve list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Panthers have waived running back Tauren Poole, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Carolina is still short-handed at the position, but is expected to explore adding a more veteran back this week.
  • To make room for Chris Owusu, whose signing is noted below, the Jets are waiving cornerback LeQuan Lewis, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). As Cimini notes, Lewis committed two penalties on special teams in Sunday’s game.
  • The Chargers have swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and cutting defensive lineman Chas Alecxih, the team announced today in a press release.
  • Defensive end Frank Alexander (Panthers), safety Jakar Hamilton (Cowboys), wideout Ace Sanders (Jaguars), and safety Reshad Jones (Dolphins) have all been reinstated from their suspensions, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. Their respective teams won’t have to make corresponding moves immediately, since all four clubs will have roster exemptions that last until next Monday (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Eagles‘ beat-up offensive line will receive a little help this week, as Lane Johnson has been activated after serving his four-game suspension (Twitter link). To make room on the 53-man roster, the club has waived offensive lineman Kevin Graf.
  • After adding T.J. Graham to the roster earlier today, the Jets will sign another wideout, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that former Buccaneer Chris Owusu is set to join the club (Twitter links).
  • The Colts have waived wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers on the heels of his arrest for DUI, according to a team release. Head coach Chuck Pagano confirmed to reporters, including Mike Chappell of RTV6 (Twitter link), that Rogers was cut for conduct detrimental to the team. Indianapolis also promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and moved Robert Mathis from the reserve/suspended list to the reserve/non-football injury list.
  • With a short week ahead of them and Teddy Bridgewater recovering from an ankle injury, the Vikings have added another quarterback to their practice quad, signing Chandler Harnish and cutting wideout Donte Foster (Twitter link).
  • Wide receiver Tommy Streeter has signed to the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Jacksonville currently has a full 10-man unit, so someone will have to be dropped – or promoted – to make room for Streeter.
  • The Redskins have signed outside linebacker Gabe Miller to fill the final opening on their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

Panthers Notes: Cason, Hardy, Alexander

September 13th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Ben Levine

Panthers coach Ron Rivera has given cornerback Antoine Cason a number of second chances. It started when the talented defensive back was taken in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Chargers. Cason faced some early adversity, and Rivera, the team’s defensive coordinator at the time, was forced to make a tough decision.

“Quite honestly, I had to bench him,” Rivera told David Newton of ESPN.com.

Cason worked his way up the depth chart and ultimately started 15 games in 2010, Rivera’s last season in San Diego. The 28-year-old played in a backup role with the Cardinals last season, and Rivera inked him to a one-year deal this offseason.

Cason rewarded his coach’s faith. He finished with an interception and a team-high nine tackles in the team’s opening-day victory.

“When I watched tape on him from the [Tampa] game I saw things I really liked and remembered,” Rivera said. “Just the way he was playing with vision, the position he put himself in on a couple of his snaps.”

Cason will have his work cut out for him this weekend against Lions wideout Calvin Johnson.

“He’s definitely one of the best receivers in this league,” Cason said. “You bring your A game, play physical at the point of attack and get after it.

“That’s every time out for me, something to prove, something to prove. Never get comfortable and never get satisfied with where I am.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Charlotte…

  • Newton opines that the Panthers will not miss Steve Smith, even if the wideout continues to put up big numbers.
  • Newton also thinks that defensive end Greg Hardy will not return to the team if he is found guilty in his domestic violence case. Even if he’s cleared, Newton puts the odds of a return at 50-50. Room for Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly extensions would have to be taken into consideration, as well as Hardy’s expected monetary demands (the writer suggests $15MM).
  • With all the scrutiny surrounding Ray Rice, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the Panthers need to make a decision on Hardy. The writer ultimately believes that Rivera should deactivate the player for this weekend’s game and then study all of the information available.
  • Based on the reported changes to the league drug policy, defensive end Frank Alexander will not have his four-game suspension reduced, tweets Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer.