Jason Williams

Workout Notes: Saints, Seahawks, Jaguars

Today’s workouts from around the NFL..

  • The Jets worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Okoye, a former University of Kentucky discus hurler, had previous stops with the 49ers and Cardinals.

Earlier updates:

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South 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 Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers 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 South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Larry English, Major Wright

The Buccaneers have agreed to contracts that will keep pass rusher Larry English and safety Major Wright with the team, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

English was a first-round pick of the Chargers in the 2009 NFL Draft, after taking down the quarterback more than 30 times during his final three collegiate years. His success stopped there, as he struggled with both performance and injury with the team. He was cut before the 2014 season, and signed with the Buccaneers.

Wright was a third-round pick of the Bears in the 2010 NFL Draft, after winning a national championship with the University of Florida. He was inconsistent in Chicago, and signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers last offseason.

Both English and Wright were cut by the team after signing, but rejoined the Buccaneers in 2014. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has now re-signed four players, with English and Wright joining linebacker Jason Williams and tight end Luke Stocker, according to Cummings (via Twitter).

 

Minor Moves: Monday

Here are Monday’s minor transactions, including practice squad signings and cuts, from around the NFL:

  • As Cowboys defensive back Tyler Patmon continues to improve from a sprained knee, the team has parted ways with another cornerback. Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Cowboys have waived Micah Pellerin. The 26-year-old has appeared in three games this season with Dallas.
  • The Chargers placed offensive lineman Ryan Miller on their reserve/non-football injury list last week, but the team changed course today. Miller was moved to the injured reserve list and subsequently waived with an injury settlement, tweets Howard Balzer.
  • Less than a week after he joined the Dolphins practice squad, linebacker Jake Knott has been promoted to the team’s active roster, the 24-year-old announced on Twitter. Knott previously spent time with the Eagles, where he made 12 appearances last season.
  • Even though running back Marcus Lattimore announced his retirement last month, the 49ers continued to keep him on their non-football-injury list. That ended today, as Aaron Wilson tweets that the team has cut the former fourth-rounder.
  • The Broncos have signed returner Isaiah Burse to their practice squad, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. To make room, Denver waived guard Mark Asper. Burse, who has returned 29 of the team’s 30 punt returns this season, was waived on Saturday to make room for kicker Brandon McManus.

Earlier updates:

  • After being cut last week by the Panthers, veteran linebacker Jason Williams has a new home, catching on with another NFC South team. The Buccaneers announced that they’ve signed Williams, placing fellow linebacker Brandon Magee on injured reserve in order to accommodate the new signing.
  • The Packers have signed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston from off the Cardinals‘ practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Gaston, the club placed rookie defensive tackle Luther Robinson, who sustained a calf injury, on the injured reserve list.
  • The Chargers have parted ways with a pair of players, releasing center Jeff Baca from their 53-man roster and cutting cornerback Kendall James from their practice squad, tweets Eric Williams of ESPN.com.
  • Having lost wide receiver Deonte Thompson off their practice squad to the Bills earlier today, the Ravens filled the opening by re-signing tight end Allen Reisner to the unit, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Wideout Rashad Ross has signed to Washington‘s taxi squad, the club announced today (Twitter link).

Panthers Waive Antoine Cason

12:08pm: The Panthers have confirmed Cason’s release and Byndom’s promotion in a press release, announcing two more moves as well. The club has also cut veteran linebacker Jason Williams and elevated linebacker Horace Miller from the taxi squad.

10:53am: The Panthers will promote cornerback Carrington Byndom from their practice squad to take Cason’s spot on the roster, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

10:15am: Another shake-up is coming in the Panthers’ secondary, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), who reports that Carolina has waived cornerback Antoine Cason. While no corresponding move has been announced yet, I expect the club will fill the newly-created opening on the 53-man roster shortly.

Cason, a former first-round pick, had started 11 of the Panthers’ 12 games this season, but had plenty of ups and downs throughout the year. The 28-year-old was benched on Sunday after allowing a touchdown to Vikings wideout Greg Jennings, and has a grade of -10.2 on the season, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required). Although he has grabbed a pair of interceptions, Cason has also allowed six touchdowns, a 122.2 passer rating, and an 80.3% completion rate on passes thrown into his coverage, per PFF.

The Panthers’ secondary has been inconsistent for most of the season, and Cason’s release marks the second time a notable veteran defensive back has been cut within the last few weeks — Carolina also parted ways with safety Charles Godfrey, who subsequently signed with the division-rival Falcons. Presumably, even in the NFC South, the Panthers are focused less on competing for the postseason and more on taking a look at younger players for the last few weeks of the year.

Assuming Cason isn’t claimed on waivers, he’ll clear tomorrow and will become an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team.

Panthers Re-Sign Jason Williams

The Panthers have re-signed linebacker Jason Williams, the team announced today in a press release. The release also confirmed the re-signing of defensive back James Dockery, which we first heard about last week.

Williams, 27, didn’t see any playing time on defense for the Panthers last season, but was a contributor on special teams, appearing in 11 games for the unit and recording six tackles. A former third-round pick, Williams will likely have a similar role in 2014 as a special teams player and a reserve behind the team’s starting linebackers.