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Gabe Miller

Extra Points: Spiller, Scherff, Lanning, Giants

August 15th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

C.J. Spiller became the latest key performer to have an injury end his preseason and potentially put the start of his regular season in doubt.

The Saints‘ presumed passing-down back underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Friday but is expected to make his Saints debut in Week 1, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter.

Spiller, who did not play in the Saints’ initial preseason game, joins Zach Ertz, Julius Thomas and Jonathan Cyprien among the contingent that’s seen injuries make August a rehabilitation month.

Here are a few other items from around the league, beginning in Washington.

  • No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff may no longer play a position worthy of that kind of draft expense, with Washington coach Jay Gruden noting the Iowa product’s future will be at guard, per the Washington Post’s Mike Jones (on Twitter). Scherff’s currently slotted at right guard on Washington’s depth chart to accommodate 2014 third-rounder Morgan Moses, who sits atop the right tackle pecking order despite starting just one game last year. Gruden told media, including Jones (Twitter link), Scherff’s permanent move inside is due to Moses’ progression, not the decorated rookie’s inability to stick at right tackle.
  • Jones also points out Zach Miller isn’t a realistic option for Washington’s tight end crisis, with the former Raiders and Seahawks starter still not fully recovered from the ankle injury that ended his 2014 season (Twitter link).
  • Tom Coughlin confirmed Mykkele Thompson‘s Achilles’ tendon tear and noted higher-profile Giants rookie safety Landon Collins has a sprained MCL, per NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan. Collins is expected back by Week 1 but will probably miss most of the preseason, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Vacchiano, on Twitter, also offers that Collins being back for the start of the Giants’ season isn’t a lock, with the recovery time for MCL sprains being 2-6 weeks.
  • Vying for the Broncos‘ kicker job after each had it for parts of last season, Brandon McManus and Connor Barth combined to go 5-for-5 in field goals Friday night, but Mike Klis of 9News notes that the Denver kicking competition now includes Spencer Lanning, should the team opt to go with one kicker and Lanning as a punter/kickoff specialist. The Browns’ punter before June’s Andy Lee trade, Lanning also poses a threat to longtime punter Britton Colquitt, who seemed safe after agreeing to reduce his salary by $1.4MM earlier this month.
  • Fifth-year outside linebacker Gabe Miller will work out for the Browns, tweets Adam Caplan of NFL.com. A fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2011, Miller’s only played in seven games in four years, each coming last season with Washington.

West Notes: Von, Chancellor, McDaniel, Hawks

August 2nd, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Rory Parks

After getting drug tested multiple times a week for two years, Broncos LB Von Miller has been released from the league’s substance abuse program, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com. The news comes at a great time for Miller, who is in the final year of his contract and who now has a long track record of clean drug tests to present to teams interested in his services.

Let’s take a look at some more from the West divisions, including notes from Seattle:

  • Now that the Seahawks have extended both Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, head coach Pete Carroll says the club can turn its attention to bringing safety Kam Chancellor back in the fold (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Chancellor, set to earn $4.55MM in 2015, is holding out while aiming for a new contract.
  • Former NFL receiver Tim Brown told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that Seattle’s decision to release Tony McDaniel in order to fit in Wilson and Wagner’s contracts could lead to a locker room problem. While that may be true, I find it hard to believe that Seahawks players wouldn’t accept the club making the moves necessary to keep two of its stars.
  • McDaniel might not be gone for long, as Carroll tells Condotta (via Twitter) that the Seahawks would like to re-sign the veteran defensive tackle, obviously at a lower salary.
  • NFL agent Brett Tessler tweets that the Seahawks are bringing in Gabe Miller for a workout tomorrow. Miller played outside linebacker for Washington last season, but he will try out for Seattle as a tight end.
  • The Broncos will bring in former Kansas receiver Nigel King for an audition today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). King went undrafted earlier this year.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Monday

May 4th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With the draft now in the books, we can expect plenty of roster shuffling in the coming days and weeks, as teams ready their 90-man rosters for training camp. Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league:

4:20pm:

  • The Broncos have waived offensive tackles Paul Cornick and Jeremy Kelley, according to the Denver Post (Twitter link). Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) expects the Bears to have interest in Cornick, who started six games in Dener last season. Of course, new Bears head coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase were previously with the Broncos.
  • The Falcons have signed former Titans fullback Collin Mooney, the team announced today (Twitter link). It’s a multiyear pact for Mooney, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Syracuse linebacker Cameron Lynch is the latest rookie free agent to join the Rams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
  • The 49ers have waived linebacker Chase Thomas with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Thomas tore his ACL in the offseason.
  • The Buccaneers have claimed offensive lineman Reid Fragel off waivers from the Falcons, per Wilson (via Twitter). The move reunites the ex-Falcon with his old offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter.
  • The Packers have cut offensive lineman Joe Madsen, tweets Wilson. Madsen finished the year on the team’s practice squad before signing a futures contract.

10:46am:

  • The Colts have cut several players from their roster today, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, who tweets that the team waived wide receiver Kadron Boone, defensive end Gannon Conway, offensive lineman Matt Hall, and former Olympic medalist Jeff Demps.
  • Washington has parted ways with veteran edge defender Gabe Miller, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The former fifth-round pick saw his first regular-season NFL action last season.
  • Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link) adds Maryland linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil to the list of UDFAs signed by the Titans.

Washington Cuts 13 Players

May 4th, 2015 at 3:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Following the conclusion of this weekend’s draft, Washington has made significant changes to its roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that the club has waived or released 13 players. The players who were waived by Washington will have to go unclaimed before becoming free agents, while the veterans who were released will be able to seek new jobs immediately.

Here’s the full list of players cut by GM Scot McCloughan and his team:

Waived:

Released:

Minor Moves: Saturday

December 6th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list:

  • Washington has placed cornerback Chase Minnifield on injured reserve, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The team promoted defensive back Kenny Okoro to the 53-man roster.
  • The Seahawks have promoted wide receiver Chris Matthews from their practice squad to the active roster, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers have activated outside linebacker Jarvis Jones off the injured reserve-designated to return, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team placed cornerback Cortez Allen on injured reserve to make room for Jones.
  • The Patriots have activated defensive tackle Sealver Siliga from the injured reserve-designated to return, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Siliga will join the active roster in time for the Sunday Night matchup against the Chargers tomorrow.

Earlier Updates

  • The Broncos‘ kicking carousel continues, as Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweets that the team has promoted kicker Brandon McManus from the practice squad. The former undrafted free agent made his NFL debut with Denver earlier this season, connecting on nine of his 13 attempts. To make room, the team waived returner Isaiah Burse.
  • The Giants have signed linebacker/defensive end Paul Hazel from their practice squad, tweets ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. The 24-year-old appeared in 13 games with the Browns last season. To make room on the roster, the team released defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton.
  • Washington has promoted linebacker Gabe Miller from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (via Twitter). A fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft, the 27-year-old finally made his NFL debut earlier this season. To make room on the roster, the team cut third-year wideout Aldrick Robinson (via ESPN’s John Keim on Twitter). Robinson signed a one-year deal with Washington following a solid 2013 campaign, but he hasn’t seen the field since Week 5.
  • The Ravens have activated cornerback Asa Jackson from the injured reserve, tweets ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The former fifth-rounder started four games earlier this season before succumbing to a foot injury. The team also placed undrafted rookie Tramain Jacobs on the injured reserve.

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).

Minor Moves: Saturday

September 27th, 2014 at 3:02pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ll continue to update you on all of today’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top…

  • In addition to cutting Gabe Miller, as noted below, the Redskins have also waived defensive lineman Robert Thomas, who had been promoted from the practice squad for Thursday’s game, the team announced today (Twitter link). I expect if Thomas clears waivers, there’s a good chance he’ll rejoin Washington’s taxi squad.
  • The Colts have promoted linebacker Andrew Jackson to their active roster, tweets Aaron Wilson. To make room, the team waived-injured fullback Mario Harvey.

Earlier updates:

  • The Panthers have signed running back Tauren Poole from their practice squad, tweets Wilson. The team also placed offensive tackle Garry Williams on injured reserve.
  • The Patriots have signed defensive lineman Casey Walker from the Panthers‘ practice squad, the team announced. To make room, the Pats placed defensive lineman Sealver Siliga on injured reserve with a designation to return.
  • The Redskins have waived linebacker Gabe Miller, tweets agent Brett Tessler. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by the Chiefs as a defensive end. He was converted to a tight end during his stops with the Seahawks and Bears before returning to defense with Washington. He made his first career tackle on Thursday against the Giants.