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Gabe Hughes

Workout Updates: Seahawks, Patriots, Ravens

December 27th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Seahawks, with a below-average rushing attack and Thomas Rawls nursing a shoulder injury, worked out five free agent running backs Tuesday, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Stevan Ridley, Jonas Gray, Dan Herron, LaMichael James and Dominique Williams all auditioned for the club. The most established member of the group is Ridley, who has been available since Atlanta released him Nov. 23. The 27-year-old has just one appearance and three carries to his name this season and has seen his playing time sharply decline since a 1,263-yard campaign with New England in 2012. Gray, also an ex-Pat, has made little impact since averaging 4.6 yards per attempt on 89 carries in 2014, his rookie year. He hasn’t found an employer since the Jaguars waived him Aug. 17.

Along with those rushers, defensive back L.J. McCray visited the Seahawks, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The Seahawks agreed to acquire McCray from the 49ers back in early September, but the deal fell through after he failed his physical. San Francisco then cut McCray, who hasn’t landed anywhere since.

More workouts from Tuesday:

  • The Patriots auditioned linebacker Arthur Brown, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Both the Jaguars and Jets have cut Brown this month. He entered the league in 2013 as Baltimore’s second-round pick.
  • Cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Steve Williams tried out for the Ravens, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Simon made nine appearances earlier this season with the Cardinals, who cut him last week. He’s better known for his 11-appearance, five-start tenure with Seattle from 2014-15. Williams, meanwhile, moved on and off the Rams’ roster multiple times this year. He has totaled six appearances this season (five with San Diego) after playing in 14 games with the Chargers and intercepting two passes last year.
  • The Falcons worked out three tight ends – Orson Charles, Darion Griswold and Joel Ruiz – and defensive end Martin Ifedi, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Griswold and Ifedi ended up signing with their practice squad.
  • The Dolphins also took a look at the aforementioned Tharold Simon, who joined fellow corner Demetrius McCray and two tight ends – Gabe Hughes and Chris Pantale – tweets Caplan.
  • Tight end Rob Housler showcased himself to the Colts, relays Caplan (Twitter link). The five-year veteran has 109 catches, nearly all of which (105) came with Arizona from 2011-14.
  • The Eagles auditioned wide receiver Greg Ellingson, cornerback Tay Glover-Wright and Canadian Football League punter Richie Leone, according to Caplan (Twitter links).
  • Defensive ends Rufus Johnson and Rakim Cox worked out for the Lions (Twitter links via Caplan and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Linebackers Deon Lacey and Glenn Love tried out for the Cardinals, per Balzer (Twitter link).

NFL Workout Updates: 12/20/16

December 20th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tuesday is typically a busy workout day for NFL teams, and the level of activity only increases near the end of the season, when clubs are looking at players who might be candidates for reserve/futures contracts. Here are today’s tryout notes:

  • The Buccaneers worked out quarterback Sean Renfree, defensive end Alex Bazzie, linebacker Deon Lacey, and Spanish rugby star Inaki Villanueva (as a tight end), reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Renfree, 26, spent last season as Matt Ryan‘s backup in Atlanta, and has auditioned for a number of clubs this year without being offered a deal.
  • The Lions worked out a pair of free agent tight ends — David Ausberry and Gabe Hughes — at the end of last week, tweets Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. PFR reported earlier this year that Ausberry tore his Achilles during a November 2015 tryout with New York, and has presumably been rehabbing ever since.
  • Former Chicago linebacker Khaseem Greene tried out for the Chiefs, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Greene started six games for the Bears from 2012-14, and has spent time on a few other NFL rosters, but hasn’t appeared in the NFL in two years.
  • The Jets met with quarterback Mike Bercovici; tight ends M.J. McFarland, Gannon Sinclair, and Jason Vander Laan; and wide receiver Dez Stewart, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bercovici, a 2016 favorite of some NFL draftniks, went to camp with San Diego but didn’t make the final cut.
  • The Titans worked out former Oakland/New York defensive end Shelby Harris today, tweets Caplan. Harris, 25, played in eight games over the past two seasons with the Raiders.
  • The Texans met with cornerback Mitchell White, who has spent the past three years in the Canadian Football League, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots auditioned defensive tackle Jeoffrey Pagan, reports Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link).

NFL Workout Notes: Bucs, Jags, Colts, Chargers

November 29th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Before signing defensive back Major Wright earlier today, the Buccaneers also worked out fellow safeties Jeron Johnson and Duke Williams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson, a career special-teamer, signed a two-year deal to become a starter for the Redskins prior to the 2015 campaign, but flamed out after only one season. He signed on with the Chiefs but was cut this summer, and has been on the workout circuit ever since. Williams, meanwhile, had started 10 games over the past four years for Buffalo, but was waived to make room for Percy Harvin earlier this month.

Here’s more on today’s NFL auditions:

  • The Jaguars tried out three wide receivers on Monday, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. DeAndre Carter (Sacramento State), Cayleb Jones (Arizona), and Mekale McKay (Cincinnati) all auditioned for Jacksonville. Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return, so Jacksonville could be looking to add a bit of depth in the meantime.
  • Linebacker Beniquez Brown, cornerback Trae Elston, tight end Gabe Hughes, and quarterback Keith Wenning worked out for the Colts today, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Indianapolis has been hit with injuries all over its roster, and Wenning, in particular, could be a safety net in case Andrew Luck suffers a setback in his recovery from a concussion.
  • The Chargers auditioned defensive backs Randall Evans and Solomon Means, tweets Balzer. San Diego is currently missing cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion), while safety Jahleel Addae just returned on Sunday after recovering from a broken collarbone.
  • The Packers tried out offensive tackle Ryker Matthews today, per Balzer (Twitter link).

Dolphins Release Brandon Harris, Waive 10 Others

August 27th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins have pared their roster down to 78 players today, moving closer to the first-cut deadline of 75. They waived 10 players (Twitter link) and released cornerback Brandon Harris, who has sufficient service time to avoid waivers.

A former Texans second-round pick out of the University of Miami in 2011, Harris has played in 42 games but has yet to start one. His service time runs from 2011-14, with the ex-Hurricane seeing action for three years in Houston and one, 2014, in Tennessee. A torn ACL sustained last summer while employed by the Titans stalled Harris’ career, one that saw him land with the Dolphins late last month.

Miami’s Chris Culliver signing pushed Harris further on the bubble, and he’ll now attempt to find a new home.

Hazel landed with the Dolphins as a sixth-rounder in 2014 and played in five games last season, starting one. This leaves seven wideouts still on the Fins’ roster, with Griff Whalen and UDFA Rashawn Scott potentially battling for a roster spot.

DiSalvo lost the long-snapping battle to longtime Dolphin John Denney, and Koehn couldn’t beat out Andrew Franks for the kicker job.

Painter was a Broncos sixth-rounder in 2013 who’s played in three games — all with the Browns in 2014.

Dolphins Sign Laremy Tunsil, 12 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins have locked up their first-round pick, announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil has signed his rookie contract. The team also confirmed that seventh-round quarterback Brandon Doughty has signed his deal, as reported on Thursday.Laremy Tunsil

Tunsil, the 13th overall pick last Thursday, had been expected to be the No. 1 overall pick before the Titans sent that selection to the Rams in a pre-draft trade. Tunsil continued to slip on draft night when, less than an hour before the event got underway, a video surfaced of the former Ole Miss tackle smoking marijuana out of a gas-mask bong.

While the Dolphins were thrilled to have Tunsil fall to them, there’s still some lingering concern within the organization about how he may have been affected by the pre-draft leak, and whether that leaker may continue to attempt to do damage, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Still, those concerns aren’t significant enough to postpone Miami’s signing of Tunsil, and the rookie lineman’s contract contains no unique clauses to protect the team, says Werder.

In addition to signing Tunsil, the Dolphins also announced that they have added 12 undrafted free agents to their roster. Here’s the full list of Miami’s UDFAs: