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George Winn

Extra Points: Steelers, Raiders, Browns, Colts, Panthers

April 24th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Steelers do not have concerns about a possible neck injury to Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).

Vander Esch, the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to go at some point in the first round of this week’s draft. The linebacker climbed to No. 28 in the latest Top 50 prospect rankings from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah.

Reports had come in earlier during the draft process that Vander Esch had been medically flunked by several teams due to a neck injury. The Steelers brought in Vander Esch, who’s drawn comparisons to Brian Urlacher, earlier this month. The Steelers have taken a linebacker in the first round of four of the last five drafts but only two (Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt) will be able to play for the team in 2018.

NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline reported earlier this month that he doesn’t expect Vander Esch to get past the Steelers at No. 28 if he’s still on the board.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Raiders defensive backs Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu did not participate in individual drills during the portion of the team’s Tuesday practice that was open to the media, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). Bair did note, though, that both players were out on the field with their helmets. Injuries limited the secondary duo, who were both selected in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft, to a combined seven games last season.
  • The Colts announced that they’ve released running back George Winn with a failed physical designation.
  • A source told Michael Lombardi of the Ringer (on Twitter) that the Browns are being considered for the upcoming season of “Hard Knocks.”
  • Mark Richardson, son of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson — and part of the team’s current ownership group — told Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer that Charlotte businessman Ben Navarro is his favorite amongst the list of candidates to potentially take over as the team’s owner. Jerry Richardson, the only owner in the franchise’s history, announced in December that he would be selling the team after Sports Illustrated outlined sexual and racial misconduct throughout his tenure. Mark Richardson said he’d consider remaining on as a limited partner with the Panthers if Navarro won the bid.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/17

August 29th, 2017 at 6:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

  • Waived: LB Christian Kuntz

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/17

August 9th, 2017 at 7:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:

  • The Colts have signed running back George Winn and two receivers, Valdez Showers and Brian Riley. The team cut receivers Tevaun Smith and Chris Biggs, both of whom were waived/injured, in corresponding moves. Winn had been out of work since the Giants waived him May 1. He’s best known for his work in Detroit, where he appeared in 19 games from 2014-15 and picked up 74 yards on 23 carries. The only other player in this group with pro experience is Smith, who played in two games with the Colts last year as an undrafted rookie. A Toronto native, Smith was actually a high pick in the Canadian Football League a year ago, going eighth overall to the Edmonton Eskimos, who still hold his rights.
  • The Chiefs have waived receiver Corey Washington, ending his stint with the team after less than two weeks. Washington signed with the Chiefs on July 31, two-plus months after the Bills waived him in early May. The 25-year-old’s only NFL action came back in 2014 as a member of the Giants, with whom he caught five passes in 14 games.
  • The Giants have signed offensive lineman Corin Brooks and waived/injured fellow O-lineman Jessamen Dunker. Both players went undrafted this year, with Brooks (Texas-Permian Basin) initially catching on with Kansas City in May and Dunker (Tennessee State) landing with the Giants around the same time.
  • The Bengals have signed punter Will Monday and waived/injured receiver Jake Kumerow. Monday has also spent time with the Steelers and Chiefs since he went undrafted from Duke in 2016. Kumerow caught on with the Bengals back in 2015, when he went undrafted out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game.
  • The Seahawks have re-signed safety Jordan Simone, an undrafted rookie from Arizona State whom they waived Monday, and added defensive lineman Greg Milhouse. The 23-year-old Milhouse went undrafted out of Campbell last year and had a short stint with the Giants.
  • The Saints have waived/injured second-year receiver Jordan Williams-Lambert, tweets Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate. Taking his place will be fellow wideout De’Quan Hampton, an undrafted rookie from USC, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/1/17

May 1st, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Monday’s minor moves…

  • The Giants have waived running George Winn and quarterback Keith Wenning, per a club announcement. Winn has been a member of seven organizations since going undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2013, though he has only seen action with one (Detroit). As a Lion from 2014-15, he rushed for 74 yards on 23 attempts. Wenning, who went to Baltimore in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, signed with the Giants’ practice squad in late December. They retained him on a reserve/futures deal in January, but he’s now out of the organization roughly five months later.
  • The Bears have waived running backs Bralon Addison and David Cobb; cornerbacks De’Vante Bausby and Jacoby Glenn; wide receiver Dres Anderson; and tight end Justin Perillo. Of those six players, only three (Addison, Bausby and Glenn) took the field for the Bears last season. Glenn made the biggest impact, logging three starts and an interception in seven games. The biggest name of the bunch is Cobb, a fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2015 who ran for 146 yards on 52 carries as a rookie.
  • The Bears did make one addition to their roster Monday, signing center Taylor Boggs, according to his agency, Schwartz & Feinsod (Twitter link). Boggs was a Bear from 2013-14, appearing in five games, before moving on to the Lions and Cardinals. With Arizona last year, he picked up the first two starts of his career.
  • The Saints have waived defensive end D.J. Pettway with a non-football injury designation and defensive back Jimmy Pruitt with a failed physical designation, tweets Joel A. Erickson of the Advocate.
  • The Rams have cut offensive lineman David Arkin, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Last season was the four-year veteran’s only campaign with the Rams. Arkin appeared in two games.

Giants Place Shane Vereen, Ryan Nassib On IR

December 20th, 2016 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that they have officially placed Shane Vereen on IR. Quarterback Ryan Nassib is also being shut down with an elbow injury. To take their place on the roster, the Giants signed linebacker Ishaq Williams off their practice squad, as well as running back George Winn.

Shane Vereen (vertical)

On Monday, head coach Ben McAdoo indicated that Vereen’s season was likely over. It’s an unfortunate break for the veteran as he only just came back from his initial triceps injury in Week 14. The 27-year-old’s season is finished after playing in just five games. He had 33 carries for 158 yards and one touchdown. He also added 11 catches for 94 yards. He’s under contract for one more year with the Giants for nearly $5MM against the cap.

Since being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Nassib hasn’t made a single start for the Giants. He’s slated to hit free agency after the season and it will be interesting to see what kind of market develops for him, if the Giants allow him to test the waters in March. Nassib has received praise from Giants coaches for his work in practice, but we only have preseason games and the occasional regular season cameo to evaluate him on.

With Nassib sidelined, Josh Johnson becomes Eli Manning’s primary backup.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/19/16

December 19th, 2016 at 8:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons worked out several safeties today, including veteran Dashon Goldson, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Goldson has already spent time with Atlanta this season, appearing in four games for the club earlier in the year. The Falcons also took at look defensive backs Earl Wolff and Floyd Raven as they seek to replace Kemal Ishmael, who was placed on IR last week.

Here’s more from the workout circuit:

  • Veteran linebacker Joplo Bartu met with the Dolphins today, per Caplan (Twitter link). Bartu has been in the league since 2013, and has 48 games of experience — including 28 starts — under his belt during time with Atlanta and Jacksonville. However, the 26-year-old Bartu hasn’t started a contest since 2014.
  • The Bears worked out a slew of players on Monday, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links). Chicago met with the following players today: defensive ends Jeoffrey Pagan and Mike Rose; linebackers Taiwan Jones and Frank Beltre; and defensive backs V’Angelo Bentley, Forrest Hightower, Dwayne Hollis, Rashaad Reynolds, and Mitchell White.
  • The Seahawks visited with free agent running back George Winn, tweets Caplan. Winn, who has bounced on and off the Lions and Giants practice squads this season, could add depth on a Seattle roster that has already lost C.J. Prosise and Troymaine Pope for the year.
  • Running back Terrell Watson tried out for the Eagles today, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Philadelphia recently placed RB Wendell Smallwood on injured reserve, meaning Watson — a former Bengals and Browns preseason star — could be a fit.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/16

December 13th, 2016 at 5:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: LB Reshard Cliett

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: OL Blaine Clausell

Cleveland Browns

Indianpolis Colts

  • Signed: T Pierce Burton

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: DT Justin Zimmer

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Shaquille Riddick

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: OT Mitchell Van Dyk

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: RB David Fluellen

Washington Redskins

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/16

October 3rd, 2016 at 6:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: LB Nordly Capi (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Cut: QB Jake Heaps (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Ameer Abdullah Placed On IR, Done For Season?

September 25th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:05am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted earlier this morning that the Lions were hopeful that Abdullah would return from IR shortly after the team’s Week 10 bye. However, a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter shortly thereafter indicated that the Lions believe Abdullah has a torn ligament in his left foot and will miss the remainder of the season.

WEDNESDAY, 08:38am: The Lions have placed running back Ameer Abdullah on injured reserve, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. The Lions have confirmed the news via press release. Ameer Abdullah (vertical)

Abdullah injured his foot on Sunday and it was initially believed to be a sprain. Yesterday, the tailback visited Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte and apparently received some bad news. It’s not necessarily known if Abdullah suffered a fracture, but – at minimum – his sprain was more severe than initially thought. Thanks to the league’s new IR rules, Abdullah is not necessarily done for the season, of course. In theory, Abdullah could come back in two months and suit up as soon as Week 11.

With Abdullah out, the Lions will give more carries to Theo Riddick. Of course, Riddick is more of a pass-catching specialist than a workhorse back, so we can expect to see additional work for rookie Dwayne Washington as well. Washington is a bit of an unknown, but coach Jim Caldwell has been talking him up all summer.

The Lions also announced that they have signed running back George Winn and linebacker Zaviar Gooden to the practice squad. To make room, guard Chase Farris and wide receiver Isaac Fruechte have been cut.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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