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Jarrett Boykin

Bills Trim Roster To 53

September 2nd, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they’ve moved their roster to 53 players by cutting 21 players. That list of cuts includes notable names like fullback Jerome Felton, linebacker Manny Lawson, versatile cornerback Sterling Moore, and linebacker Randell Johnson."<strong

The Bills will save $2.35MM against the cap by releasing Lawson and $1.55MM by cutting Felton. By freeing up that cash, the Bills will have a little more room to work with as they negotiate a new deal with cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Felton was signed as a free agent last offseason to a four-year pact worth $9.2MM, with $4MM guaranteed. Considering how the fullback position has been phased out by many NFL teams, that was a steep price to pay for the former Viking. With Minnesota, Felton acted as the lead blocker for Adrian Peterson‘s 2012 MVP campaign, paving the way for Peterson to nearly break the all-time rushing record. Felton himself went to the Pro Bowl that season, and was named second-team All Pro. The team is saving money by dropping the 30-year-old, but his release is also a sign of their confidence in Glenn Gronkowski.

Over the last three seasons, Lawson has appeared in all but one regular season game for the Bills. In 2015, Lawson appeared in every contest and started 14 games, racking up 45 tackles, 1 sack, and 5 pass deflections. Lawson is facing a one-game ban as a result of a domestic violence incident and that was thought to be a big blow in the season opener considering that the team will also be without top rookies Reggie Ragland and Shaq Lawson plus reserve linebacker IK Enemkpali. For one reason or another, the Bills have decided that they are better off without him.

Moore, 26, came over from Tampa Bay during the offseason, and has also spent time with the Patriots, Cowboys, and Raiders. Johnson, meanwhile, has been with Buffalo for the past two seasons, starting one game during that time.

Here is the complete list of cuts:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Sign Jarrett Boykin, Greg Little

January 12th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 12: In addition to confirming the signing of Boykin, the Bills also announced today that they’ve signed former second-round pick Greg Little to a reserve/futures contract. Both wideouts worked out for Buffalo in December.

Little racked up 61 catches in his rookie season, but has seen his production decline sharply since then. He caught six balls with the Bengals in 2014 and didn’t record a single reception in 2015, having been cut by Cincinnati in October.

JANUARY 6: The Bills have signed wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, according to agent Blake Baratz (Twitter link). Because Buffalo’s season is over, the deal will be a reserve/futures contract, which goes into effect once the new league year begins.Jarrett Boykin

Boykin, 26, had a productive run during the 2013 season when Green Bay’s receiving depth was hit hard by injuries. Subbing in for Randall Cobb and other sidelined players, Boykin accumulated 49 receptions for 681 yards and three touchdowns. However, he returned to a very part-time role in 2014, catching just three balls on the year.

The Panthers picked up Boykin as an unrestricted free agent last March, but opted not to carry the young wideout on its regular-season roster, cutting him in September. Since then, Boykin has gone an AFC East tour of sorts, working out for the Patriots, Jets, and Bills at various times this season.

Given the upside he showed in 2013, Boykin figures to get the opportunity to earn a spot on the Bills’ regular-season roster next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/6/16

January 6th, 2016 at 5:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Erle Ladson, OL (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal)

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Patrick Miller, OT (Twitter link via Wilson)

New York Giants

  • Louis Nix III, NT (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

San Francisco 49ers

  • Marcus Rush, LB (Twitter link via Wilson)

Workout Notes: Bills, Boykin, Little

December 23rd, 2015 at 6:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL. All links go to the Twitter feed of The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless noted otherwise:

Workout Notes: Patriots, Texans, Chargers

November 3rd, 2015 at 6:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest workouts from around the NFL:

Patriots Notes: B. Brown, Workouts, Martin

September 18th, 2015 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

With a showdown against the Bills in Buffalo around the corner, the Patriots engaged in the usual gamesmanship, bringing in a pair of former Bills for workouts this week. According to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link), running back Bryce Brown and quarterback Alex Tanney were among the players to get auditions from New England this week.

Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, and Tanney has spent time on multiple NFL rosters, so the Pats were likely assessing both players as potential options in case of injuries throughout the season. But it probably didn’t hurt that Brown and Tanney were with the Bills in camp, and could provide some info on the opposition.

Here’s more out of New England:

  • In addition to trying out Brown and Tanney, the Patriots also took a look at fullback Henry Hynoski, quarterback Dustin Vaughan, and wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and Austin Pettis, per Kyed.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the latest details on the NFL’s appeal of Judge Richard Berman’s Deflategate ruling, as the case figures to drag on for at least the next several months.
  • Head coach Bill Belichick hinted today that newly-acquired wide receiver and return man Keshawn Martin will be more of a factor as a kickoff returner than as a punt returner, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • The Pats made a practice squad change today, cutting wide receiver Nathan Palmer and replacing him with defensive lineman Jimmy Staten, tweets Reiss.

Panthers Cut White, Boykin; Benjamin To IR

September 1st, 2015 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

12:03pm: The Panthers have confirmed in a press release that they’ve cut Boykin and Lester, and that they’ve waived White with an injury designation. The club also announced the five other moves it has made to get its roster down to 75 players. Here are those transactions:

Placed on injured reserve:

  • WR Kelvin Benjamin

Waived:

  • DT Kenny Horsley
  • WR De’Andre Presley
  • DT Micanor Regis (waived with injury settlement)
  • T Davonte Wallace (waived/injured)

9:58am: The Panthers have yet to announce their final set of roster moves that will get the team down to 75 players, but a pair of notable Tuesday cuts have already been reported. Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer passes along a tweet from Melvin White, indicating the cornerback has been waived, while Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer reports (via Twitter) that wide receiver Jarrett Boykin has also been let go.

White, 25, has spent the last two years in Carolina after joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana-Lafayette. He claimed a larger role than expected, starting 17 regular season games for the club and recording 89 tackles to go along with three interceptions over the past two seasons. With Charles Tillman penciled in as a starter this year, White had slipped down the depth chart at cornerback, and was the odd man out.

As for Boykin, his release is somewhat surprising, given the Panthers’ lack of wide receiving talent. Boykin, who totaled 49 of his 57 career receptions in 2013 with the Packers, may have become expendable when Carolina acquired wideout Kevin Norwood from the Seahawks in a trade on Monday. According to Jones, Boykin was cut early in the process to allow him to latch on with another team.

In addition to cutting White and Boykin, the Panthers also waived safety Robert Lester, tweets Person. Person’s role was reduced last season after he started four games for the club in his rookie campaign in 2013.

By my count, the Panthers’ latest moves leave them with 80 players on their roster, so the team will have to announce a few more transactions before 3:00pm central time today.

South Notes: Panthers, Williams, Bucs, Jaguars

April 5th, 2015 at 1:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have added several role players to one-year deals recently, and David Newton of ESPN.com provides the contract details. Linebacker Jason Trusnik will earn $950K ($80K guaranteed), running back Jordan Todman will get $765K ($20K guaranteed), and receiver Jarrett Boykin will receive $700K ($20K guaranteed). All three will earn slightly more than the minimum required for their respective years of service time.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions…

  • Receiver/return man Chris Williams has worked out for the Colts, Buccaneers, and Bengals, league sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The 27-year-old Williams spent the 2014 season with the Bears, appearing in six games, and returned one kickoff for a touchdown.
  • In his latest draft diary entry for the Baltimore Sun, Penn State safety Adrian Amos reveals that he worked out for Buccaneers safeties coach Mikal Smith, and also notes that he worked out for an AFC team, though that club asked Amos not to mention them by name in the piece.
  • The Buccaneers picked up the $4MM guaranteed in Dashon Goldson‘s 2015 base salary when they traded him to Washington on Friday, and the Jaguars could employ a similar tactic if they want to deal tight end Marcedes Lewis, suggests Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. If Jacksonville converts some of Lewis’ 2015 base salary into a signing bonus, O’Halloran writes, the market for the tight end could grow. We heard last month that the 30-year-old was drawing trade interest.

NFC Notes: Rams, Kaepernick, Draft, Boykin

April 1st, 2015 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a few Wednesday items from around the NFC….

  • Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat, and Louisville offensive tackle Jamon Brown are among the prospects paying pre-draft visits to the Rams today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (all Twitter links).
  • Colin Kaepernick‘s long-term outlook in San Francisco isn’t entirely clear yet, but for the foreseeable future, he’s the 49ers‘ starting quarterback, and that became even more certain today — as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, Kaepernick’s $10.4MM salary for 2015 became fully guaranteed when the calendar turned to April.
  • The son of former Detroit wide receiver Brett Perriman visited his father’s old team today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, who writes that the Lions hosted Central Florida wideout Breshad Perriman for a pre-draft visit. The younger Perriman is one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class.
  • Another speedy receiving prospect, Miami’s Phillip Dorsett, said today that he has visits lined up with the Falcons and Panthers, per James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • Prior to his Pro Day today, Towson cornerback Tye Smith had a dinner meeting with the Saints, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Smith is expected to be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.
  • Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com provides the details on wide receiver Jarrett Boykin‘s one-year deal with the Panthers, tweeting that it’s a minimum salary pact with a $20K bonus.

Panthers Sign Jarrett Boykin

March 27th, 2015 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have made an addition to their wide receiving corps, signing Jarrett Boykin, the team announced today in a press release. According to the club, it’s a one-year contract for the former Packer.

Boykin, 25, had a productive run during the 2013 season when Green Bay’s receiving depth was hit hard by injuries. Subbing in for Randall Cobb and other sidelined players, Boykin accumulated 49 receptions for 681 yards and three touchdowns. However, he returned to a very part-time role in 2014, catching just three balls on the year. At season’s end, the Packers opted not to assign him an RFA tender, making him an unrestricted free agent.

For the Panthers, Boykin joins a group of receivers led by Kelvin Benjamin. While the Panthers figure to address the position in the draft, Boykin and former second-round pick Stephen Hill could provide some potential upside.

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