Here are today’s workout updates, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer.
Baltimore Ravens
Jacksonville Jaguars
Pittsburgh Steelers
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles
The Chiefs announced 22 roster moves today, and one of them was of particular interest — according to a team release, the club sent safety Kelcie McCray to the Seahawks in a trade for an undisclosed draft pick. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com fills in the details, tweeting that Kansas City gets a fifth-rounder in the deal.
Recent reports had suggested that Seattle was seeking depth at its safety position, with Kam Chancellor still holding out and Earl Thomas returning from a serious injury. In McCray, the Seahawks get a solid backup who primarily served as a special-teamer last season for the Chiefs.
Here are Kansas City’s 21 other moves that get the tea down from a 75-man roster to just 53 players:
Cut:
Placed on injured reserve:
Reserve/suspended:
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
1:38pm: Having made Galette’s signing official, Washington waived linebacker Ja’Gared Davis from its roster in a corresponding move, the team announced (via Twitter).
11:19am: According to Galette’s agent, Alvin Keels (Twitter link), the one-year deal is for the league minimum. Considering Galette got a significant chunk of money from the Saints earlier this year, he’ll still be well-compensated in 2015, but it could be a bargain deal for Washington if he stays out of off-field trouble.
Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Washington will also have the right of first refusal on Galette for 2016, meaning the team will have the chance to match any offer he receives from another club.
11:08am: Four days after being officially released by the Saints, outside linebacker Junior Galette has found a new home. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Galette is signing a one-year deal with Washington for the 2015 season.
Galette, 27, was the Saints’ best pass rusher over the last two seasons, recording 12 sacks in 2013 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in 2014. His production earned him a lucrative contract extension in September, but his offseason was dominated by negative headlines. In January, Galette was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dropped. More recently a video from 2013 surfaced showing a man that appears to be Galette involved in a beach brawl, striking a woman with a belt.
The off-field concerns resulted in the Saints releasing Galette on Monday, despite having to eat a huge chunk of dead money. Following the move, reports surfaced indicating that Galette had a negative influence on the New Orleans locker room, and his former teammates didn’t seem too broken up about his departure.
Despite all the negatives – including the fact that Galette is coming back from a pectoral injury – the Washington front office apparently liked what it saw when the veteran free agent visited the team and took a physical this week. Galette will look to join Trent Murphy, Preston Smith, and the just-extended Ryan Kerrigan to create a formidable pass rush in D.C.
There’s still a possibility that the league decides to hand down a suspension for Galette’s off-field behavior, though there’s been no indication that it will happen, and the ex-Saint recently said he thought he was “in the clear” after meeting with league officials.
There’s a chance that we could see a starting quarterback change in Washington for Week 15, depending on Colt McCoy‘s health, and the club is also making plenty of changes at the back of its 53-man roster. Washington announced (via Twitter) a series of roster and practice squad transactions today, and we’ve got the breakdown right here:
Signed to 53-man roster:
Waived from 53-man roster:
Signed to practice squad:
The series of roster moves leaves Washington with a full 10-man practice squad and one opening on its 53-man roster.
Already today, we’ve passed along word on practice squad signings and cuts made by the Buccaneers and Lions. Here are the rest of Tuesday’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL, with the latest updates added to the list throughout the day:
Earlier updates:
We’ll keep track of Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the most recent moves added to the top. Here’s the latest:
Earlier updates:
WEDNESDAY, 8:08am: The Pats have officially announced the acquisition of Ayers, meaning he passed his physical. To make room on the roster, New England has waived linebacker Ja’Gared Davis (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:43pm: La Canfora clarifies (via Twitter) that the Pats sent a sixth-round pick to Tennessee in the deal, and receive a seventh-round pick along with Ayers.
3:32pm: The Titans and Patriots have reached an agreement on a trade that will send linebacker Akeem Ayers to New England, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). According to Wyatt, Ayers will have to pass a physical before the deal becomes official. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (via Twitter) that only seventh-round picks are involved in the trade, so it sounds as if the price tag is minimal for the Pats.
Ayers, a former 39th overall pick, started 43 games for the Titans in his first three seasons with the club, but has seen his playing time significantly reduced this season under head coach Ken Whisenhunt and a new staff. Earlier this month, Ayers expressed some frustration with his new spot on the bench, as Wyatt detailed at the time.
“Just because I am not walking around here ticked off and tearing everything up doesn’t mean I am comfortable with my situation,” Ayers said. “I am not comfortable with not playing. I want to play. I am a competitor, and I want to compete. So just because I am not carrying myself a certain way doesn’t mean I don’t care. But there is a way to handle everything, and I’m trying to handle things the right way.”
While Ayers didn’t air his frustrations or ask for a trade publicly, it makes sense that both he and the team would have welcomed a deal. It’s not clear immediately how he’ll fit in with the Pats, but the team’s linebacking corps got a little thinner after Jerod Mayo suffered a season-ending injury in Week 6 against the Bills, so Ayers should provide some reliable veteran depth at the very least.
Assuming Ayers passes his physical, the Patriots will also need to make a corresponding move to clear room on their roster before the trade can be finalized.
Today’s minor moves, with recent updates added to the top of the list…
Earlier updates: