HEADLINES

Greg Van Roten

Panthers Sign Stacy McGee and Woodrow Hamilton

November 27th, 2019 at 11:58am CST by Marc Delucchi

The Panthers made a flurry of roster moves on Wednesday morning. Carolina officially moved defensive tackle Dontari Poe and guard Greg Van Roten to the injured reserve and signed defensive linemen Stacy McGee and Woodrow Hamilton, according to Joe Person of The Athletic.

The move to injured reserve was expected for Poe after it was reported earlier this week that he had to undergo surgery for a torn quad. Van Roten, however, left Sunday’s game against the Saints with a toe injury and the severity was not yet known. Now, both are officially out for the season.

McGee is the more well-known of the two new additions. A six-year veteran, McGee played the first four seasons of his career with the Raiders where he served as a swingman, playing nearly every position along the defensive line. After his tenure in Oakland, Washington signed him to a two-year contract that spanned the 2017-18 seasons. Over his career, McGee has appeared in 75 games (29 starts), recorded 116 tackles, and 4 sacks.

Hamilton has bounced between a number of NFL organizations and has appeared in two games since turning pro in 2016. While he does not come with McGee’s resume, he also signed a futures/reserve contract with the Panthers in December of 2018 and was with the organization until final roster cuts on August 30th. His familiarity should help him quickly integrate himself into the rotation.

Panthers Sign WR Trevor Graham

July 25th, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have signed free agent wide receiver Trevor Graham, the club announced Monday. Graham, an ex-third-round pick of the Bills, formerly went by the first name T.J., but has since reverted to his given name. Carolina also signed center Greg Van Roten, waived/injured wideout Charles Johnson, and waived defensive end Ryan Delaire with a failed physical designation.T.J. Graham (Vertical)

Graham, who turns 28 years old later this week, is now the 13th receiver on Carolina’s roster, and if he makes the club, it will likely be because of his speed. A track athlete while at North Carolina State, Graham averaged 27 receptions and 342 yards during his first two years in the league (both with Buffalo), but hasn’t contributed on offense since.

While Graham’s skillset seemingly should make him a solid return man in the kicking game, that’s not a role he’s been asked to play throughout his NFL career. He’s returned just seven kickoffs during his time in the league, and has never returned a punt. In fact, in his two seasons with the Bills, Graham played only three total special teams snaps.

As such, it will be difficult for Graham to earn a spot on the Panthers’ roster unless he carves out a role as a deep threat à la Ted Ginn Jr. Given that Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, Russell Shepard are locks to make Carolina’s squad, Graham will be competing with the likes of Damiere Byrd, Brenton Bersin, and Kaelin Clay for reps during training camp.

Johnson — not to be confused with his former defensive end teammate of the same name — won’t be part of that receiver group, as he’s been cut following right knee surgery. He’ll go through waivers but won’t be claimed due to his injury, so he’ll revert to the Panthers’ injured reserve list. At that point, Carolina could agree to an injury settlement with the former Viking in order to clear him from IR. Johnson, 28, signed a one-year deal with a maximum value of $2.2MM earlier this offseason.

Delaire, meanwhile, played 139 defensive snaps for the Panthers a season ago in between two separate stints on injured reserve. In six games, Delaire managed five tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed.

Jaguars Sign 16 UDFAs, Cut 11 Players

May 1st, 2017 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars announced that they have signed 16 undrafted free agents. In order to make room, they have released eleven players from the roster. Here’s the full rundown:

Signed:

Released:

Dimick led the Pac-12 in sacks last season with 13.5 and earned a first-team All-Conference selection. Prior to the draft, one NFC West Coast scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com that Dimick’s work ethic is admirable, but his lack of natural talent may inhibit him at the next level.

“He’s more try-hard than talented. His effort is great. I love how hard he plays, but when you are as sawed-off as he is on the edge and you can’t unlock your hips, I don’t know how he is going to see the field,” the scout said.

Horton got $25K guaranteed from the Jaguars between his $5K bonus and $20K guaranteed base, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets.

The Jags’ roster is now at the 90-man max.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/27/17

February 27th, 2017 at 5:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

  • The 49ers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents Carl Bradford (linebacker) and Mike Purcell (defensive lineman), the team announced. San Francisco claimed Bradford, a former Green Bay fourth-round pick, off waivers near the tail end of last season, and the 24-year-old went on to play in two games with the Niners. Purcell, meanwhile, has spent the past three seasons with the 49ers. In 2016, he appeared in 15 games (five starts) and played on roughly a quarter of San Francisco’s defensive snaps.
  • The Buccaneers have re-signed exclusive rights free agents WR Adam Humphries (wide receiver), DB Jude Adjei-Barimah (defensive back), Adarius Glanton (linebacker), and Freddie Martino (wide receiver), reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Humphries (55 receptions, 622 yards, two scores) and Adjei-Barimah (290 defensive snaps before a PED suspension) played the largest roles among this group in 2016.
  • The Cardinals announced that they’re re-signed linebacker Gabe Martin, who was an exclusive rights free agent. Martin, 24, played in eight games last season but spent most of his time on special teams. The former undrafted free agent was placed on injured reserve in November after suffering a knee injury.
  • The Jaguars announced that they’ve signed offensive lineman Greg Van Roten. Van Roten, 27, hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2013, when he played in three games for Green Bay. After spending a few months with Seattle in 2014, Van Roten signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he’s played the past two campaigns.
  • The Colts have agreed to sign offensive lineman Fahn Cooper, the club announced today. Cooper, a 2016 sixth-round choice out of Ole Miss, spent his rookie season on the 49ers’ practice squad. The 23-year-old was placed on San Francisco’s taxi squad injured reserve list in November.
  • The Saints have waived offensive lineman Avery Young, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Young, 24, went undrafted out of Auburn in 2016, and ended up spending the entirety of his rookie campaign on the non-football injury list.

Workout Notes: Friday

December 19th, 2014 at 1:42pm CST by Rob DiRe

Here is a list of the players working out with clubs, hoping to join a roster for the season’s home stretch:

  • The Jaguars worked three players, including former second-round pick Arrelious Benn, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team also worked out Tim McCornett and Chidera Uzo-Diribe.
  • The Raiders worked out former Saints’ receiver Joe Morgan earlier this week, but have also looked at Vernon Kearney and Marvin McNutt, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins tried out kicker Dustin Hopkins, reports Wilson (via Twitter)
  • The Falcons have worked out Lavelle Westbrooks, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Chiefs worked out Travis Chappalear, writes Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Vikings worked out two players, Jordan McCray and Greg Van Roten, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Lions brought in Dejon Gomes for a workout, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers brought Ronald Patrick in for a visit, writes Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Wilson doesn’t get to have all the fun, as Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos have worked out two defensive backs on Wednesday (via Twitter). They brought in Delvin Breaux and Jalil Carter, who played in the Canadian Football League.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

August 27th, 2014 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after 2014’s deadline for rosters to be reduced from 90 players to 75, the transactions wire isn’t nearly as busy today, but things will undoubtedly pick up soon, with the deadline for 53-man rosters just three days away. In the meantime, here are a few of Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league:

  • Running back Demitrius Bronson was one of the Seahawks‘ roster casualties earlier this week, but with Christine Michael nursing a hamstring injury, Seattle has re-signed Bronson for the team’s final preseason game this week, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). Center Greg Van Roten has been cut to clear space on the roster.
  • The Cowboys claimed defensive back Jemea Thomas off waivers from the Patriots today, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Georgia Tech product was a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. As Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets, Dallas waived wideout Tim Benford to open up a roster spot.
  • Cornerback Danny Gorrer has been released off the Buccaneers‘ injured reserve list with a settlement, says Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).

Seahawks Sign Greg Van Roten

February 14th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Just three days after being cut by the Packers, offensive lineman Greg Van Roten has signed with a new NFL team, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. According to Demovsky (Twitter links), Van Roten inked a one-year deal with the defending champion Seahawks. Van Roten himself confirmed the report on his Twitter account.

Van Roten, who spent a good chunk of the 2013 season on injured reserve with a foot injury, accumulated two credited seasons with the Packers, so assuming he signed for the minimum salary, he’ll be on the books for a $570K cap number in 2014. He’ll likely be competing for a roster spot in Seattle this summer.

Packers Release Greg Van Roten

February 11th, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have waived offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Van Roten had been on the books for a minimum salary in 2014, with his free agency scheduled for 2015. The Packers won’t be on the hook for any dead money by cutting him.

Van Roten, who will turn 24 later this month, spent most of the 2013 season on injured reserve, having been placed on IR by Green Bay in mid-October due to a foot injury. He was active for the first three games of the Packers’ season.

The Pennsylvania alum will have to clear waivers before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency.