Harold Spears

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/13/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Browns have claimed tight end Chase Ford off waivers from the Ravens, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Ford inked his restricted free agent tender with Baltimore a few weeks ago but his $1.671MM salary was non-guaranteed.
  • The Ravens announced (on Twitter) that they have waived tight end Harold Spears. That now makes two tight ends waived by Baltimore in the last two days.
  • The Vikings announced (on Twitter) that they have waived linebackers Terrance Plummer and Alex Singleton.
  • The Broncos have waived defensive end George Uko, as Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post writes. Uko joined Denver’s practice squad in September 2015 and inked a reserve/future deal with the team following SB50. Prior to joining up with Denver’s taxi squad, Uko had one NFL appearance with the Bucs on his resume.
  • The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent safety Akeem Davis has signed his tender. Davis, a Memphis product, has played in 19 NFL games over the course of his career with New Orleans, Seattle, Indianapolis, and Washington. In college, Davis registered 162 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 2.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries over the years for the Tigers.
  • Raiders restricted free agent offensive tackle Matt McCants and ERFA defensive lineman Shelby Harris inked their tenders, as Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Chargers waived quarterback Brad Sorensen, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Sorensen was waived with a non-football injury designation.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16

Now that the 2015 regular season is in the books, teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts, adding those players to their 90-man offseason rosters. Generally, these players finished the season on a team’s practice squad, though some were free agents at season’s end.

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons signed four players (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Baltimore Ravens signed seven players (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun):

  • Brennen Beyer, LB
  • Leon Brown, G
  • Nordly Capi, DE
  • Blaine Clausell, T
  • Chuck Jacobs, WR
  • Nick Perry, S
  • Harold Spears, TE

Buffalo Bills signed seven players (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)

Chicago Bears signed nine players (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune):

Cleveland Browns signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Dallas Cowboys signed eight players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Denver Broncos signed four players (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)

Detroit Lions signed five players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Jacksonville Jaguars signed nine players (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union):

Miami Dolphins signed one player (link)

  • Tyler Davis, WR

New Orleans Saints signed five players (link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune):

New York Giants signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Philadelphia Eagles signed seven players (Twitter link via team):

San Diego Chargers signed six players (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks signed three players (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Andrew East, LS
  • Ronnie Shields, TE
  • Phillip Sims, QB

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed nine players (link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times):

  • Josh Allen, G
  • Andre Davis, WR
  • Antoine Everett, G
  • Ben Gottschalk, C
  • Gerod Holliman, S
  • Martin Ifedi, DE
  • Derrick Lott, DT
  • C.J. Roberts, CB
  • Joel Ross, CB

Tennessee Titans signed five players (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com):

  • David Fluellen, RB
  • Kevin Greene, TE
  • Nick Harwell, WR
  • Josue Matias, G
  • Will Poehls, T

Washington signs three players (link via team):

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/8/15

Here are today’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jamel Johnson (Twitter link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com), RB Ross Scheuerman (Twitter link via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
  • Cut: DB Kyle Sebetic

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

  • To be signed: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: WR DeShon Foxx (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta)

AFC North Notes: Browns, Still, Flacco

With his job security potentially dwindling, Browns head coach Mike Pettine suggested on Monday that there’s some tension within the organization, dropping some hints without specifically saying which departments are at odds. After pointing out that a team needs its building to be unified in order to have success, Pettine was asked whether the Browns’ building is unified, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com details.

“It’s hard to be at this point,” Pettine said. “It’s human nature. When things don’t go well, everybody has a tendency to kind of bunker in and get into that mode. I think we all want what’s best for the Cleveland Browns. we all have ideas on how to get it done, and we need to be collaborative and we need to make sure that we’re picking the best ideas and pushing those agendas moving forward.

“I can’t sit here and say, ‘Absolutely, we’re all on board, 100 percent,'” Pettine continued. “That’s not reality because when things don’t go well, everybody has their opinions and their reasons why, but it’s going to come down to a brutal self-assessment and to be able to have the strength to make tough decisions and trust them and move forward.”

As we wait to see whether Pettine will be a part of the Browns as the team tries to move forward, let’s check in on some other items from out of the AFC North….

  • Former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still may be back under contract with an NFL team in a few weeks. According to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, Still said on Monday that he has received reserve/futures contract offers from two teams. Those deals can’t be officially signed until after a team’s season comes to an end.
  • Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is undergoing surgery on his left knee today, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed (link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). It has been nearly two and a half weeks since Flacco tore his ACL against the Rams, but he had to wait for the swelling to go down before going under the knife. Dr. James Andrews will perform the procedure.
  • With one tight end suspended and two others dealing with nagging injuries, the Ravens had former New Hampshire tight end Harold Spears in for a visit, per Hensley (Twitter link).

Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/15

Here’s a rundown of Wednesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Kevin White (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

San Diego Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon

Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.

Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..

AFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s AFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed (press release):

    • WR Daniel Brown
    • TE Dominique Jones
    • WR Jeremy Ross

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed (press release):
    • OLB IK Enemkpali
    • T Chris Martin
    • DE Cedric Reed
    • QB Alex Tanney

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB Kapri Bibbs
    • TE Arthur Lynch
    • T Kyle Roberts
    • DE George Uko

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed:

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed (press release):
    • DT Hebron Fangupo
    • T Laurence Gibson
    • CB Jeremy Harris
    • DL David Irving
    • TE Ross Travis
    • FB Spencer Ware

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • OL Chris Barker
    • T Blaine Clausell
    • OL Cameron Fleming (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
    • LB Darius Fleming
    • LB Brandon King
    • WR Nathan Palmer
    • DB Daxton Swanson
    • DT Jimmy Staten
  • Signed and subsequently released:

New York Jets

  • To be signed:

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed:
    • George Atkinson III, RB
    • Mitch Bell, G
    • SaQwan Edwards, CB
    • Shelby Harris, DE
    • Dan Kistler, T
    • Tevin McDonald, S
    • Josh Shirley, LB

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed (Twitter link via Burt Lauten + team transactions page):
    • WR Isaiah Burse
    • LB Anthony Chickillo
    • T Matt Feiler
    • CB Doran Grant
    • TE Xavier Grimble
    • OL Barrett Jones
    • RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
  • Released:
    • RB Dominique Brown
    • OL Reese Dismukes
    • LB Shayon Green
    • DE Ethan Hemer
    • OL Antonio Johnson
    • TE Harold Spears
    • WR Jarrod West

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed:
    • OL Michael Ola (link via Michael Gehlken)

Tennessee Titans

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

(press release)

  • Removed from IR list:
    • WR Onterio McCalebb
  • Signed to practice squad:
    • T Dan France
    • CB Troy Hill
    • G Trey Hopkins
    • WR Jake Kumerow
    • TE Matt Lengel
    • LB Trevor Roach
    • RB Terrell Watson
    • QB Keith Wenning
    • RB James Wilder Jr.
    • DT DeShawn Williams

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

(press release)

  • Signed:
    • RB Jordan Todman
  • Claimed off waivers:
    • DT Caushaud Lyons
  • Cut:
    • LB Anthony Chickillo
    • CB Doran Grant
  • Signed to practice squad:
    • RB Dominique Brown
    • DB Jordan Dangerfield
    • OL Reese Dismukes
    • LB L.J. Fort
    • LB Shayon Green
    • DE Ethan Hemer
    • OL Antonio Johnson
    • WR Shakim Phillips
    • TE Harold Spears
    • WR Jarrod West
    • OL Matt Feiler (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)

Packers Cut Down To 75-Man Roster

The Packers announced that they are down to a 75-man roster. The full list of moves is presented below:

Placed On IR:

  • WR Jordy Nelson

Waived/Injured:

  • WR Javess Blue
  • WR Jimmie Hunt

Released:

  • QB Matt Blanchard
  • WR James Butler
  • LB Adrian Hubbard
  • DB Kyle Sebetic
  • TE Harold Spears

Of course, we’ve known for a while that Nelson would be placed on IR. The loss of Nelson, 30, is a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro.

Saints Sign 13 UDFAs, Cut Three Players

The Saints have announced a slew of post-draft roster moves, confirming in a press release that they’ve added 13 undrafted free agents to their roster and cut three players who were on last year’s squad.

According to the team, safety Marcus Ball and inside linebacker Kyle Knox have been waived. Both players were contributors on special teams in 2014, and Ball also saw a little action on defense. Safety Ty Zimmerman was also cut by the club.

The Saints’ full list of undrafted free agent signees is as follows:

  • Tavaris Barnes, DL, Clemson
  • Kaleb Eulls, DL, Mississippi State
  • Doniel Gambrell, G, Notre Dame College
  • R.J. Harris, WR, New Hampshire
  • Sean Hickey, T, Syracuse ($10K bonus, plus $12.5K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Malcolme Kennedy, WR, Texas A&M
  • Cyril Lemon, G, North Texas ($6K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Ashaad Mabry, DL, Texas-San Antonio
  • Markus Pierce-Brewster, LB, West Texas A&M
  • Bobby Richardson, DL, Indiana
  • Stephon Sanders, LB, SMU
  • Harold Spears, TE, New Hampshire
  • Jack Tabb, TE, North Carolina ($3.5K bonus, per Wilson)