J.D. Walton

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/15

Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other non-trade transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Raiders cut wide receiver/kick returner Walter Powell, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
  • The Saints signed wide receiver T.J. Graham while cutting fullback Austin Johnson and safety Akeem Davis, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links).

Earlier Updates:

  • The Chargers, once again dealing with a banged-up offensive line, are re-signing veteran center J.D. Walton, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Chris Watt, who had seen some time at center, was among San Diego’s offensive linemen who left Sunday’s game against the Ravens due to an injury.
  • With Keenan Allen headed to the injured reserve list, the Chargers will also be signing wide receiver Javontee Herndon, who had been on the club’s practice squad, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). Herndon certainly won’t be counted on to emulate Allen’s production, but he’ll provide some depth for San Diego’s receiving corps.
  • The Texans are signing former Chiefs sixth-round pick Eric Kush to their 53-man roster, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The 26-year-old interior offensive lineman will join the Houston roster in the wake of a knee injury to C/G Greg Mancz, who has been placed on IR, Wilson observes (via Twitter).
  • Former Jaguars linebacker James-Michael Johnson is signing with the Lions, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. While Johnson didn’t see much action for either the Jags or Bucs this season, he earned 18 starts for the Browns and Chiefs from 2012 to 2014.

Chargers Announce Series Of Roster Moves

The Chargers have announced a series of moves, the most notable of which was previously reported, with wide receiver Keenan Allen landing on the injured reserve list. Another key offensive contributor, running back Branden Oliver, will also head to IR, according to a team release.

Here’s the club’s full list of roster moves:

Signed:

Placed on injured reserve:

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/15

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Broncos released nose tackle Marvin Austin from injured reserve,Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets.
  • The Rams signed safety Christian Bryant, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Chargers released center J.D. Walton, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Texans promoted safety Kurtis Drummond from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
  • The Rams have promoted defensive tackle Doug Worthington to the active roster from the practice squad and released Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Colts have elevated wide receiver Quan Bray to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and waived safety Dewey McDonald, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com tweets.
  • The Vikings have promoted linebacker Brandon Watts to the active roster, as Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN tweets. In a related move, cornerback Jabari Price has been placed on IR.
  • The Falcons will bring back safety Charles Godfrey again and release linebacker Allen Bradford, who was inactive this weekend against the Titans, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Chargers Sign Joe Mays, Cut J.D. Walton

TUESDAY, 3:07pm: The Chargers have officially signed Mays, cutting center J.D. Walton to create room on the roster, the team announced today in a press release.

MONDAY, 5:27pm: The Chargers are expected to sign veteran inside linebacker Joe Mays, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). San Diego has been dealing with injuries at the position and the experienced Mays will provide them with additional depth.

Mays, 30, only has one 16-game season under his belt, compiling 75 tackles with the Broncos in 2011. In the past three seasons, he’s made only 28 appearances (20 starts), collecting 107 tackles and one sack. Mays was cut by the Chiefs in March, and he signed with New York in April before being released in September. Mays’ deal with Gang Green was reportedly for one year at the minimum salary, with a $870K base salary, $20K first-game roster bonus, and a $60K signing bonus. The move saved the Jets $585K and left them with $60K in dead money.

Mays auditioned for the Browns earlier this month but he was not signed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/29/15

To make room for the newly acquired Jonathan Bostic, the Patriots announced that they have released running back Travaris Cadet. Cadet, 26, was signed by the Pats as a free agent in March of this year. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder spent the last three seasons with the Saints and saw time in only one Pats game this year. Cadet has played in 42 career NFL games and has 11 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 46 receptions for 346 yards with two touchdowns, 50 kickoff returns for 1,293 yards, and two punt returns for two yards.

Here’s a rundown of Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves around the NFL..

  • The Chargers announced that they have signed veteran center J.D. Walton, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. Walton started 16 games at center for the Giants last season and played for Mike McCoy when he served as offensive coordinator in Denver.
  • The Chargers have waived tight end Kyle Miller, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
  • The Chargers informed tackle Tyreek Burwell that he’ll be promoted from the practice squad, a source told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego. Burwell will help provide San Diego with depth in the wake of recent injuries on the O-Line.
  • The Cowboys signed defensive lineman David Irving to their active roster off of the Chiefs‘ practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Colts added cornerback Shaun Prater and dropped fellow corner Eric Patterson, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. Patterson played in the first two games for the Colts but was cut last week, signed back to the practice squad, then promoted again last Friday.
  • The Vikings cut wide receiver Gavin Lutman from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Workout Notes: Jets, Brown, Chargers, Lions

The Jets auditioned running back Bryce Brown on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was unable to stick with the Bills in 2015. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a grand total of 126 yards off of 36 carries.

Here’s a rundown of other notable workouts from around the NFL..

Workout Notes: Raiders, Pollard, Eagles

Earlier this afternoon, we passed along word that the Patriots had brought in six players for workouts, including wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and Austin Pettis, along with running back Bryce Brown. A few other teams have been auditioning free agents of their own this week, so let’s round up some of the latest updates….

  • The Raiders, who recently placed Nate Allen on IR-DTR and saw Charles Woodson go down with a shoulder injury, could use some help at safety, and the team auditioned a veteran free agent this week, bringing in Bernard Pollard, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Pollard, whose 2014 season ended with a torn Achilles, tweeted that he “smashed” today’s tryout with Oakland.
  • The Eagles made some changes to their offensive line this offseason, and the unit didn’t look as effective in Week 1 as it has in past years. It’s not clear yet if changes are on the horizon in Philadelphia, but the club worked out interior linemen Lemuel Jeanpierre and J.D. Walton this week, per Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (Twitter link). Adam Caplan of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Philadelphia also took a look at UDFA running back Ross Scheuerman.
  • Quarterback Dustin Vaughan, one of those six players that worked out for the Patriots this week, also had an audition with the Titans, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Vaughn was waived by Dallas during the Cowboys’ cutdown to 53 players.
  • Cornerback Trovon Reed, cut by the Rams earlier this month, tried out today for the Jets, says Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Dolphins Cut 11 Players

The Dolphins have cut 11 players as we move closer to the Tuesday deadline to get down to a 75-man roster, announcing their cuts in a pair of tweets:

  • Calvin Barnett, DT
  • Bryant Browning, OG
  • LaRon Byrd, WR
  • Kevin Cone, WR
  • Ray Drew, DE
  • Tyler McDonald, WR
  • Kendall Montgomery, DE
  • Gerell Robinson, TE
  • Sammy Seamster, CB
  • Phillip Thomas, S
  • J.D. Walton, C/G

By Tuesday they will have to be under the limit of 75 players according to NFL rules.

J.D. Walton To Join Dolphins

The Dolphins agreed to a deal with former Broncos and Giants center J.D. Walton, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter.

Walton, who visited with the Dolphins today, started two years with the Broncos and one with the Giants. Last year’s starting snapper in Miami, Samson Satele saw his one-year contract expired earlier this month, opening up the Dolphins’ center position. But former Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, moved to right guard last season, could return to his former post and make Walton a depth piece. ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker expects this to be the case.

Terms of the deal are not yet disclosed. The Giants released Walton, a 2010 third-round pick of the Broncos, one season into the two-year, $6MM contract he signed last March. Walton, who will be 28 in five days, endured a rough 2014 campaign, finishing as the league’s 38th-best center, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). But with the Giants having no better option, the ex-Baylor standout led all centers in snaps with 1,145.

The Dolphins didn’t receive much better production from Satele, brought in last August, and appear to be letting him move on in free agency.

Starting 16 games in both 2010 and 2011, Walton blocked for both Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow in those seasons. But a severe ankle injury sustained four games into Peyton Manning‘s tenure a year later sidelined him for the rest of 2012 and led to the Broncos waiving him in December 2013. Walton drew PFF’s ire in both of his Broncos campaigns as well, finishing as the fourth-worst and worst center, respectively, in his first two seasons.

FA Notes: Dolphins, Jackson, Selvie, Newman

Having decided not to match the Bills’ offer sheet for tight end Charles Clay, the Dolphins may be prepared to spend the money saved on Clay on some other free agents. According to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), in addition to hosting wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Miami is also having quarterback Tarvaris Jackson and center J.D. Walton in for visits.

Jackson, in particular, is an intriguing potential fit for the Dolphins. The team still needs a veteran backup behind Ryan Tannehill, and while Miami’s preference may be to re-sign Matt Moore, Jackson could come a little cheaper.

Here are a few more free agent notes from around the NFL:

  • Defensive end George Selvie, who has reportedly drawn interest from the Buccaneers and Vikings so far in free agency, is visiting the Giants today, according to Art Stapleton of The Record (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings and cornerback Terence Newman have discussed some contract figures, but weren’t close to a deal as of late last night, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). If the veteran corner were to join the Vikings, he’d reunite with former Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
  • Free agent offensive tackle Corey Hilliard is paying a visit to the Jets, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Hilliard, a former Lion, is a solid swing tackle when he’s healthy, but injuries have derailed his last two seasons.
  • In a piece for The Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a look at the players who have done the best and worst so far in free agency.