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Isaiah Battle

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West

September 4th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West 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 Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Rams Cut Akeem Ayers, Move To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have announced the following moves as part of moving their roster to 53 players:

Cut:

Placed On IR:

Ayers is perhaps the most surprising release, given that the 2015 free agent signee started 11 games for the club last season. Los Angeles will clear all $3.3MM of his cap charge by parting ways.

Rams Promote OT Isaiah Battle

November 17th, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: The Rams have made several moves to their roster, including promoting Battle, and Nick Wagoner of ESPN (Twitter link) has the breakdown. Here are the details:

Added to 53-man roster:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

MONDAY, 7:14pm: In the wake of injuries to the offensive line, the Rams will promote supplemental draft pick Isaiah Battle to the active roster, coach Jeff Fisher told reporters (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Battle will help bolster the offensive line now that rookie offensive linemen Jamon Brown and Darrell Williams are done for the year with injuries, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. Brown will undergo leg surgery while Williams will have his wrist treated.

Fisher added that in addition to promoting Battle, the Rams will look for outside offensive line help. Of course, with the trade deadline in the rear view mirror, the Rams can only find out-of-house solutions via free agency or the waiver system.

Battle, who had been penciled in as Clemson’s starting left tackle for 2015, decided to enter the supplemental draft instead, citing “family” reasons, including a forthcoming child. Earlier in the year, Mike Huguenin of NFL.com had identified Battle as a candidate to play in next year’s Senior Bowl, writing that the Clemson lineman “remains somewhat raw, [but] is a good athlete who plays with some nastiness.”

Of the seven prospects eligible for the supplemental draft, Battle was considered the one most likely to be picked, with some pundits suggesting that a team could go as high as a third-rounder for the lineman. However, teams were reportedly wary of Battle due to possible off-the-field concerns, so he ultimately cost the Rams only a fifth-rounder. As it turns out, Battle was the only player taken in this year’s supplemental draft.

NFC West Notes: Kaepernick, Rams, LA

October 22nd, 2015 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the NFC West:

  • Each game Colin Kaepernick plays this year will be a referendum on what the 49ers should do with him after this season, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com write. Kaepernick, who has looked shaky this year, is due $11.9MM in base salary and another $2MM in roster bonuses next season. If he’s traded or cut before April 1, the 49ers would save $14MM in cash and $9.4MM in cap space. The duo notes that the Lions are in a similar spot with Matthew Stafford, who could also be dealt. Stafford, like Kaepernick, has no guaranteed money on his contract beyond this season.
  • An NFL source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter links) that there are two critical elements to the term sheet the St. Louis stadium task force submitted to the league ten days ago. One key part of it is that St. Louis promised to pay for the potential cost overruns on the project. The other is that the task force has come up with a way to exempt the stadium from being subject to property taxes. That’s potentially great news for the city of St. Louis and bad news for owner Stan Kroenke, who seems very keen on moving the Rams to Los Angeles.
  • The Rams raised the salary of practice squad offensive tackle Isaiah Battle – a supplemental draft pick – to nearly $26K per week, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). That gives Battle, a Clemson product, the highest pay of any practice squad player in the NFL. Most taxi squad players earn about $6,700/week. The Rams used a fifth-round supplemental pick on Battle, which means that they gave up their 2016 fifth-round pick to get him. Even though they cut him from the roster in September, they were able to add him to their p-squad. As it turns out, Battle was the only player taken in this year’s supplemental draft.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West

September 6th, 2015 at 5:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West 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 Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams 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 NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed to practice squad (link via Matt Maiocco):
    • WR DiAndre Campbell
    • CB Marcus Cromartie
    • RB Kendall Gaskins
    • DT Kaleb Ramsey
    • OLB Marcus Rush
    • NT Garrison Smith
    • QB Dylan Thompson
    • OG Andrew Tiller (Twitter link via Matt Barrows)
    • S Jermaine Whitehead (Twitter link via Barrows)

Seattle Seahawks

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed to practice squad:

Rams Cut Isaiah Battle

September 5th, 2015 at 8:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:31pm: Should a team claim Battle on waivers, it would have to pick up Battle’s $80K in bonus guarantees, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.

7:11pm: After using a fifth-round pick in this summer’s supplemental draft on Isaiah Battle, the Rams determined the Clemson product was not ready for action, waiving the rookie tackle, according to NFL.com’s Gil Brandt (on Twitter).

The Rams lost a 2016 fifth-round draft pick as a result of Battle’s selection and now have nothing to show for it. Battle was the only player picked in this year’s supplemental draft.

Battle couldn’t usurp either Andrew Donnal or Darrell Williams on the second team of the Rams’ depth chart. St. Louis kept 10 offensive linemen, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).

The 22-year-old must pass through waivers.

 

 

Rams Sign Rookie Isaiah Battle

July 27th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have signed rookie Isaiah Battle to his rookie deal, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Rams selected the Clemson offensive tackle in July’s supplemental draft.

The Rams used a fifth-round supplemental pick on Battle, which means that they will give up their 2016 fifth-round pick. The team made the young lineman the first player selected in a supplemental draft since the Browns used a second-round pick on wide receiver Josh Gordon back in 2012.

Battle, who had been penciled in as Clemson’s starting left tackle for the coming season, decided to enter the supplemental draft instead, citing “family” reasons, including a child due this summer. Earlier in the year, Mike Huguenin of NFL.com had identified Battle as a candidate to play in next year’s Senior Bowl, writing that the Clemson lineman “remains somewhat raw, [but] is a good athlete who plays with some nastiness.”

Of the seven prospects eligible for the supplemental draft, Battle was considered the one most likely to be picked, with some pundits suggesting that a team could go as high as a third-rounder for the lineman. However, teams were reportedly wary of Battle due to possible off-the-field concerns, so he ultimately cost the Rams only a fifth-rounder. As it turns out, Battle was the only player taken in this year’s supplemental draft.

The offensive line was viewed as one area the Rams figured to address this offseason, and while they were perhaps not as active on the free agent market as expected, the club has added several young players to its group up front. Battle represents the fifth offensive lineman St. Louis has picked in a draft this year — the Rams were the only one team in the NFL to add as many as four offensive lineman during back in May, selecting one in the second round (Rob Havenstein), third round (Jamon Brown), fourth round (Andrew Donnal), and sixth round (Cody Wichmann).

Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Greg Robinson, projects as the Rams’ long-term left tackle, but Battle figures to provide depth on both the left and right sides, and could challenge the team’s other young players, including Havenstein, for playing time at the right tackle spot.

Rams Pick Isaiah Battle, Lose ’16 Fifth-Rounder

July 9th, 2015 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

1:13pm: The NFL has confirmed that Battle was the only player selected in the supplemental draft, meaning the other six eligible players are now free agents (Twitter link).

12:56pm: As expected, former Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle has come off the board during today’s supplemental draft. According to the NFL (Twitter link), the Rams used their fifth-round pick to snag Battle after no players were drafted in the first four rounds. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the pick St. Louis used on Battle was No. 8 in the fifth round.

By using a fifth-round supplemental pick on Battle, the Rams will give up their 2016 fifth-round pick. The team also makes the young lineman the first player selected in a supplemental draft since the Browns used a second-round pick on wide receiver Josh Gordon back in 2012.

Battle, who had been penciled in as Clemson’s starting left tackle for the coming season, decided to enter the supplemental draft instead, citing “family” reasons, including a child due this summer. Earlier in the year, Mike Huguenin of NFL.com had identified Battle as a candidate to play in next year’s Senior Bowl, writing that the Clemson lineman “remains somewhat raw, [but] is a good athlete who plays with some nastiness.”

Of the seven prospects eligible for the supplemental draft, Battle was considered the one most likely to be picked, with some pundits suggesting that a team could go as high as a third-rounder for the lineman. However, teams were reportedly wary of Battle due to possible off-the-field concerns, so he ultimately cost the Rams only a fifth-rounder.

The offensive line was viewed as one area the Rams figured to address this offseason, and while they were perhaps not as active on the free agent market as expected, the club has added several young players to its group up front. Battle represents the fifth offensive lineman St. Louis has picked in a draft this year — the Rams were the only one team in the NFL to add as many as four offensive lineman during back in May, selecting one in the second round (Rob Havenstein), third round (Jamon Brown), fourth round (Andrew Donnal), and sixth round (Cody Wichmann).

Last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Greg Robinson, projects as the Rams’ long-term left tackle, but Battle figures to provide depth on both the left and right sides, and could challenge the team’s other young players, including Havenstein, for playing time at the right tackle spot.

Extra Points: Battle, Supplemental Draft, Lions

July 8th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Zachary Links

They say that home is where the heart is and Andre Johnson‘s heart told him to head east to Miami this offseason, as he told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

“I always had a dream of playing at home. I was a huge Dolphins fan,” Johnson said. “But they never called.”

With no apparent interest from the Dolphins, the former University of Miami star instead joined up with former Hurricanes teammate Frank Gore in Indianapolis. Here’s more from around the league..

  • Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle looks like the most likely player to get taken in the supplemental draft but Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears that he looked “good, not great” at his recent pro day workout. At least six teams remain interested in Battle, who profiles most likely as a right tackle but possibly a left tackle depending on the scheme he’d play in. Battle has been compared to D.J. Fluker out of Alabama, a first-round pick in the 2013 draft, but he has also been flagged as someone with off-the-field issues. Those issues could drop Battle to the fifth or sixth round but he could also go as high as the fourth, based on what Cole is hearing.
  • Fourteen teams have inquired about former UConn tight end Sean McQuillan over the past few days, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The Raiders, Dolphins, and Lions attended a recent workout of his and McQuillan performed up to expectations – he didn’t drop a pass and he ran sharp routes. McQuillan was arrested this spring following a fight with his roommate and he was denied entrance into school.
  • The NFL has hired Rod Graves as its new senior V.P. of football administration and club services, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Graves spent roughly a year in the Jets’ front office but is better known for his time as GM of the Cardinals. A league source tells Florio that the NFL has hired Graves to “oversee all club and game-related initiatives concerning the Competition Committee, general managers, and head coaches.” In Florio’s estimation, Graves’ central duty will be to prevent hiccups from becoming national scandals like DeflateGate.

Extra Points: C.J. Wilson, Washington, Battle

July 8th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Jason Pierre-Paul wasn’t the only NFL player to be involved in a fireworks mishap over the Fourth of July weekend. According to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link), Buccaneers cornerback C.J. Wilson also suffered a severe hand injury due to an fireworks accident, while a team source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the injury is “significant.”

In a statement, the Bucs indicated they’ve been in contact with Wilson and will continue to monitor the situation, with their primary concern at the moment being the defensive back’s long-term health (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports).

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • A federal judge in Northern Virginia on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of the Washington Redskins‘ trademark registrations, upholding an earlier ruling by the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Ian Shapira of the Washington Post has the details on the decision, which isn’t necessarily a significant event on its own, since the team can continue to fight for the Redskins trademark registrations through the appeals process. However, it represents another win for the Native American activities fighting against the moniker.
  • Following Isaiah Battle‘s pro day workout at Clemson this week, Gil Brandt of NFL.com writes that the offensive lineman could be selected in the fourth round of tomorrow’s supplemental draft. According to Brandt, a team expecting to contend in 2015 – and pick late in next year’s draft – might even be inclined to use a third-rounder on the Clemson tackle.
  • With the supplemental draft around the corner, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk looks back at the history of the event, noting that there have been more misses than hits among the players selected since the supplemental draft began in 1977.
  • According to the results of a study released on Tuesday, a new riverfront NFL stadium in St. Louis could expect to draw about $200MM in the sale of personal seat licenses, writes David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That figure exceeds initial estimates, which could bode well for the city, though the study – commissioned by the league – cited several potential concerns as well, including “low ticket prices, low ticket sales and the lack of a ‘robust regional area’ from which to draw new fan and corporate support.”
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