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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/15

September 16th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: T Tony Hills (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
  • Cut: QB Bryn Renner

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • To be signed: T Joe Treadwell (via Wilson on Twitter)

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: WR DeAndre Carter (via Vic Tafur on Twitter)
  • Cut: LB Josh Shirley

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (via press release)
  • Cut: DE Brian Mihalik

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington

Patriots Waive Nine, Trim Roster To 66 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to cutting quarterback Ryan Lindley and signing cornerback Justin Coleman on Friday, the Patriots announced nine other moves, reducing their roster to 66 players. Here’s the list of players who were waived by the team, according to a team release:

  • RB Tony Creecy
  • WR Zach D’Orazio
  • WR DaVaris Daniels
  • OL Ryan Groy
  • OL Caylin Hauptmann
  • OL Chris Martin
  • LB James Morris
  • DL A.J. Pataiali’i
  • DL Casey Walker

New England also released tight end Jake Bequette from the club’s injured reserve list, making him a free agent.

The Patriots will move running back LeGarrette Blount to the reserve/suspended list for Week 1 as part of their cutdown to 53 players, so the team will have to make 12 more roster moves by today’s deadline.

Tender Updates: Tuesday

March 10th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s tender decisions:

  • The Buccaneers have signed running back Bobby Rainey to a one-year tender worth $1.54MM, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs will now have right of first refusal if another club offers Rainey a deal.
  • The Falcons chose not to tender an offer to restricted free agent Drew Davis, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reported. The wide receiver will now become an unrestricted free agent.
  • The Packers elected not to tender new contracts to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin or running back DuJuan Harris, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Ravens didn’t tender an offer to cornerback Anthony Levine, who already has other teams interested in his services. He still might end up back in Baltimore, per Wilson.
  • Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets that the Patriots declined to make a qualifying offer to receiver Brian Tyms. He’s now a free agent. Further, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Pats also didn’t make an offer to Tyms’ fellow wideout Greg Orton.
  • In other Pats news, Volin reports that the team made qualifying offers to fullback James Develin, defensive tackle Sealver Siliga and linebacker James Morris. All three will return to New England.
  • The Texans tendered a contract to quarterback Case Keenum, according to the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.
  • The Vikings have opted to let go a pair of exclusive rights free agents, linebacker Dom DeCicco and offensive lineman Josh Samuda, per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
  • Safety Michael Thomas will return to the Dolphins after signing his ERFA tender, tweets James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • Green Bay issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • The Packers have issued an exclusive rights free agent tender to safety Chris Banjo, his agent tells Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
  • James Develin is returning to the Patriots after signing his exclusive rights tender, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets.
  • The Colts announced that exclusive rights free agent outside linebacker Cam Johnson has signed his tender. Johnson was first acquired by the Colts in a trade with the 49ers in September of 2013.
  • The Packers tendered RFA offensive lineman Don Barclay at the lowest level ($1.542MM), per agent Joe Linta (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • The Vikings tendered a contract offer to restricted free agent offensive tackle Mike Harris, but their other RFA-eligible player, linebacker Dom DeCicco, didn’t get a tender, tweets Mark Craig of the Star Tribune.

Earlier updates:

  • The Jaguars re-signed exclusive rights free agent tackle Austin Pasztor, tendering him a contract, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • The Dolphins tendered defensive end Derrick Shelby with the second-round tender of $2.35MM, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. Shelby, 26, appeared in 15 games last season, recording 26 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
  • The Bengals (on Twitter) extended a tender offer to cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris. Lewis-Harris, an ERFA, has appeared in 12 games for Cincy over the last three years.
  • The Bengals will not extend a tender offer to defensive tackle Devon Still, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. However, the Bengals have offered Still a one-year deal and he’s mulling that over while also taking matters involving his family into account, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Packers have tendered safety Sean Richardson at the ROFR (right of first refusal rate) of one-year, $1.542MM, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). That’s a sizable committment to Richardson, he adds.

Patriots Cut Boyce, Worthy, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 4:03pm CST by Ben Levine

4:03pm: The Pats have announced three more cuts, in a press release:

The team’s official website now lists the team’s active roster at 55 players, so we’ll have to wait and see if there are another pair of announcements today. Presumably, the last two players removed from the roster will be Brandon Browner and Brian Tyms, who will be placed on the reserve-suspended list.

1:50pm: The Patriots continue to make moves, as they’ve cut three more players:

  • James Morris (LB) (via Young on Twitter): Placed on injured reserve
  • Eathyn Manumaleuna (DL) (via Young on Twitter)
  • Chris Martin (OL) (via Young on Twitter)

11:42am: The Patriots have released 14 players this afternoon, including a player they acquired only two weeks and a fourth-rounder from 2013. The list is below:

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 3rd, 2014 at 10:08pm CST by Rory Parks

We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:

  • The Redskins have filled the roster spot previously held by Jerry Rice Jr. with defensive end Jeremy Towns, tweets Mike Jones of The Washington Post. Towns is an undrafted rookie out of Samford.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Redskins have waived injured wideout Jerry Rice Jr., tweets Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. The player tore the labrum in his left shoulder and will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.
  • The Colts have signed undrafted wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The embattled rookie attended three colleges and was charged with armed robbery.
  • The Colts have also cut wide receiver Greg Moore and waived cornerback Brandon Burton, tweets Aaron Wilson of The National Football Post.
  • To make room for Brock Jensen, the Dolphins have waived wide receiver Rantavious Wooten, reports the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley (via Twitter).
  • Five players cleared waivers and will be placed on their respective team’s injured reserve (via Aaron Wilson’s Twitter): Cowboys offensive lineman Darius Morris, Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller and Jets safety Brandon Hardin.
  • The Texans have claimed center Sam Longo from the Dolphins, tweets Brian McIntyre. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive lineman Brice Schwab.
  • Jaguars wideout Damian Copeland, linebacker John Lotulelei and defensive tackle Jordan Miller have all cleared waivers and will go on the team’s injured reserve, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves, signing defensive lineman Jairus Campbell and waiving fullback James Baker and cornerback David Van Dyke, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • The Patriots have re-signed linebacker James Morris, according to Pat Harty of the Iowa Press-Citizen (h/t: Christopher Price of WEEI.com). Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was waived by New England in May with a failed physical designation, but is apparently healthy now.
  • The Dolphins re-signed quarterback Brock Jensen on Saturday night, just four days after cutting him, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Fellow signal-callers Matt Moore and Pat Devlin are both hurt at the moment, so Miami needed additional depth at the position as they prepare for Friday’s preseason opener. If Moore is healthy, he will of course serve as the team’s primary backup in 2014, and his injured shoulder is currently not a major concern for the club.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

East Notes: Bills, Pats, Cowboys, Eagles

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN Insider Mike Sando provided grades for all 32 NFL teams’ offseasons, and while the Bills received a C+, that grade has the potential to fluctuate significantly depending on how the next couple years play out for the club. Buffalo was the only team to trade away its 2015 first-round pick during the 2014 draft, and as ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak notes, one general manager who spoke to Sando questioned that move for Sammy Watkins.

“Watkins dominated all the way through college, has rare measurables and plays with a mean streak, but if you are going to mortgage your future, you do it to get a quarterback, not a receiver,” the GM said. “They gave up way too much. They mortgaged the future when they do not have a franchise quarterback, in my opinion. They will be looking for another QB in a year and they will not have a first-round pick to get him.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • The Patriots cut linebacker James Morris with a failed physical designation earlier this week, just four days after signing him as an undrafted free agent, but Morris made out reasonably well for four days of work. According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, the Pats had given the Iowa product a $10K signing bonus and $10K in other guarantees, so his brief stint cost the club $20K.
  • Appearing on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday, Tony Romo confessed that he may have had a little inside information heading into this year’s draft, so he wasn’t concerned about the Cowboys potentially drafting Johnny Manziel. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News has the details and the quotes from Romo.
  • Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com takes an early look at how he thinks the Eagles‘ 53-man roster could shake out.
  • ESPN.com’s team reporters are unveiling their offseason wrap-ups this week, and Todd Archer, Andy Jasner, Dan Graziano, and John Keim have published their recaps for the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, and Redskins, respectively.

Minor Moves: Grant, Bucs, Panthers, Morris

May 20th, 2014 at 9:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at tonight’s minor moves..

  • Free agent linebacker Larry Grant, who started eight games for the Rams back in 2010, has signed with the Browns, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link). In recent seasons, Grant spent time with the 49ers and Bears, though he appeared in just two games last year before being cut.
  • The Buccaneers have agreed to sign undrafted free agent tight end Cameron Brate out of Harvard, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Panthers announced that they have signed fourth-round pick Tre Boston and fifth-round selection Bene’ Benwikere, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Boston, a strong safety out of North Carolina, is a converted cornerback.
  • The Patriots announced that they have released rookie linebacker James Morris. Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was signed by the Pats just four days ago. Morris, 22, was just the sixth player in Iowa history to record 400 career tackles after finishing with 400 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks and six interceptions as a three-year starter.
  • Former Iowa State safety Jacques Washington has been invited to the Dolphins‘ rookie mini-camp this weekend, according to agent Donte Robinson (on Twitter). Washington was second in the Big 12 in tackles per game (9.9) this past season and was a three-year starting free safety for the Cyclones.
  • The Raiders cut veteran defensive lineman David Carter, Wilson tweets. Carter, 26, signed a reserves/futures deal with Oakland back in January.
  • The Rams were awarded Travis Bond off waivers from the Panthers, tweets Wilson. Carolina dropped Bond yesterday while signing punter Jordan Gay.
  • The Raiders signed undrafted free agent defensive end Denico Autry, tweets Wilson.
  • The Browns signed undrafted defensive back K’Waun Williams, tweets Wilson. At Pittsburgh last season, Williams led the team with seven pass breakups and was second with two interceptions.
  • The Texans were awarded Conor Boffeli off waivers from the Vikings and Anthony Dima from the Browns, Wilson tweets.

Patriots Sign 13 Undrafted FAs

May 18th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 4:55pm: The Patriots have added one more undrafted free agent in the form of Maine receiver Derrick Johnson, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Pats roster now stands at 87, three shy of the 90-player maximum.

FRIDAY, 4:17pm: The Pats have added three more undrafted free agents, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, who tweets that the club has officially signed Rutgers defensive back Jeremy Deering, Iowa linebacker James Morris, and Harvard long snapper Tyler Ott.

MONDAY, 3:17pm: The Patriots have signed nine rookie free agents, according to a team release. Here’s the full list of the undrafted free agents who will be heading to New England:

  • Tyler Beck, TE, Bowling Green ($1.5K bonus, per Mike Reiss)
  • Roy Finch, RB, Oklahoma ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Shamiel Gary, S, Oklahoma State ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Cameron Gordon, LB, Michigan ($15K bonus and $20K in other guarantees)
  • Travis Hawkins, DB, Delaware ($5K bonus and $5K in other guarantees)
  • Stephen Houston, RB, Indiana ($7.5K bonus and $15K in other guarantees)
  • Justin Jones, TE, East Carolina ($5K bonus and $10K in other guarantees)
  • Deontae Skinner, LB, Mississippi State ($5K bonus)
  • Asa Watson, TE, North Carolina State ($3K bonus and $17K in other guarantees)