Jeremy Stewart

Broncos Waive 9; Trade Chris Clark To Texans

The Broncos made a whole lot of moves today as they get set to trim their roster down to 75. Among their transactions, Denver traded tackle Chris Clark to the Texans for a seventh-round choice in 2016, as Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets. The sixth-year offensive tackle appeared in 69 games (27 starts) with Denver during the last five seasons. Prior to that, Clark spent two years competing on Minnesota’s practice squad.

The team also announced a litany of transactions on Monday morning. Vested veteran Reggie Walker has been cut loose while nine other players were waived:

Released:

  • Reggie Walker, ILB

Waived:

  • Tevrin Brandon, CB
  • Andre Davis, G
  • Joe Don Duncan, TE/FB
  • Zac Dysert, QB
  • Spencer Lanning, P
  • Ross Madison, S
  • Jake Murphy, TE
  • Jeremy Stewart, RB
  • Chase Vaughn, OLB

Walker, a former special-teams standout for the rival Chargers, was signed in March but unable to win a job amongst a competitive group of inside linebackers. That batch of ILBs includes 2014 draft picks Corey Nelson and Lamin Barrow. In addition to the moves listed above, Denver also placed third-round pick Jeff Heuerman on injured reserve.

Minor Moves: Saturday

Here are today’s minor transactions. We’ll update the list throughout the day, with the most recent moves added to the top…

Earlier Updates

AFC Notes: Hoyer, Woodson, Broncos, Colts

Just when we thought we were getting a clearer sense of what the playoff picture in the AFC would look like, the 7-3 Chiefs got knocked off by the 0-10 Raiders last night, clearing a path for the Broncos to reclaim the West division and opening the door for a handful of other contenders to push Kansas City for a Wild Card spot. As we look forward to seeing what other surprises this weekend’s games bring, let’s check in on the latest out of the AFC….

  • It remains to be seen what kind of contract Brian Hoyer will land in the offseason when he becomes eligible for free agency, but it looks as if he’ll be in for a modest payday before then. As Jeremy Fowler and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com detail, Hoyer will earn more than $2MM in incentives if he handles 70% of the Browns‘ offensive snaps this year, which he’ll do assuming he’s not injured or benched in the next couple weeks.
  • Speaking to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (Twitter links), veteran defensive back Charles Woodson said he has no regrets about re-signing with the Raiders this year and hopes to play at least one more season beyond 2014.
  • With Ronnie Hillman still sidelined, don’t be surprised if the Broncos promote running back Jeremy Stewart off the practice squad this weekend, tweets Lindsay Jones of USA Today. Stewart would be the club’s No. 3 back on Sunday ahead of Kapri Bibbs.
  • Elevating a running back to the active roster is also a possibility for the Colts, according to head coach Chuck Pagano, who told reporters today that Zurlon Tipton could be promoted from the practice squad (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of RTV6).
  • At 2-8, the Jets have no hope of reaching the postseason this year, but there are plenty of questions that must be answered down the stretch, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Besides the much-discussed fates of Rex Ryan and John Idzik, Cimini points to the quarterback position, free-agents-to-be, and in-season acquisition Percy Harvin as things to keep an eye on.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

We’ll keep tabs on today’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • After the Seahawks plucked offensive lineman Patrick Lewis from their taxi squad, the Browns replaced him with fellow tackle Braxston Cave, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
  • The Bears re-signed defensive end David Bass to their practice squad, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Bass was dropped yesterday to make room for cornerback Al Louis-Jean‘s promotion.
  • A day after cutting tight end Phillip Supernaw to claim Ryan Taylor off waivers, the Ravens have re-signed Supernaw to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Baltimore will have to cut a player from its squad in order to make the move official.
  • Linebacker Marshall McFadden has taken the 10th and final spot on the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Chargers have signed former Lions cornerback Aaron Hester to their practice squad, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Safety Adrian Phillips has also joined the unit, replacing injured running back D.J. Adams, says Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • In addition to confirming the signing of defensive lineman Joe Vellano to their practice squad, which was reported yesterday, the Patriots have also announced the addition of offensive lineman Chris Martin and the release of fellow offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann.
  • While the Broncos expect to be fine on Sunday with the running backs on their current 53-man roster, the team has added Jeremy Stewart to its practice squad “just in case,” tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
  • The Buccaneers have replaced tight end Taylor Sloat on their practice squad with wideout Eric Page, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
  • Using the 10th and final opening on their taxi squad, the Bengals have added interior offensive lineman Jeff Baca, head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters today (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com).
  • The Redskins signed linebacker Steve Beauharnais to their practice squad today, according to the club (via Twitter). That leaves one spot still open on the unit.
  • Tight end Jacob Maxwell has been let go from the Dolphins‘ practice squad, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who tweets that running back Orleans Darkwa will fill the newly-opened spot.
  • The Lions have swapped out one defensive lineman for another, with Derrick Hopkins replacing Xavier Proctor, who has been placed on the practice squad IR (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Raiders Release Greg Little, 21 Others

Two (now) former Raiders, defensive end Jack Crawford and tight end Jake Murphy, revealed last night that they didn’t make the 53-man roster. It took up until now to discover the rest of the team’s moves, as the Raiders officially announced their transactions in a press release this evening.

Perhaps the most surprising move was the release of wide receiver Greg Little. The 25-year-old was claimed from the Browns, where he spent his first three seasons, in May. The former second-rounder has seen at least 90 targets per season since entering the league, but has never finished with more than 61 receptions.

The rest of the team’s moves are below:

Released:

Jeremy Stewart, Armon Binns Sign ERFA Tenders

A pair of exclusive rights free agents have signed their ERFA tenders and will return to their respective teams. The Raiders announced today that running back Jeremy Stewart has accepted his tender, while Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that wide receiver Armon Binns has done the same with his tender from the Dolphins.

After logging 25 carries and catching eight passes during a four-game stint with the Raiders in 2012, Stewart saw only 12 offensive snaps last season, though he did record his first career NFL touchdown and six special teams tackles. As for Binns, a torn ACL and MCL sidelined him for the 2013 season after he grabbed 24 balls in 2012 for the Bengals and Dolphins.

As exclusive rights free agents, neither Stewart nor Binns was permitted to negotiate with rival teams.

AFC Notes: Jones-Drew, Blount, Collie

As new Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew restarts his career in Oakland, he won’t be handed the starting job. Jones-Drew told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that it’s a “wide-open” competition at running back (Twitter link), presumably between himself and incumbent Darren McFadden, who was re-signed to a one-year deal earlier this month.

Neither runner did much of anything in 2013, with McFadden rushing for 379 yards in 10 games, while Jones-Drew totaled 803 yards rushing in 15 games, averaging 3.4 yards per carry, just 0.1 yards better than McFadden. Behind McFadden and MJD are Latavius Murray, Kory Sheets and Jeremy Stewart, none of whom have starting experience.

Jones-Drew said on his conference call today that he’s looking forward to playing for an organization that he has loved since he was a little kid, and that he feels he was done wrong by the Jaguars (Twitter links).

Catch more AFC notes in the links below:

  • The Patriots were interested in re-signing running back LeGarrette Blount, but only for one year, reports Boston Globe writer Ben Volin (via Twitter). Blount ended up signing a two-year deal with the Steelers worth $3.85MM.
  • Looking to add weapons to a somewhat depleted receiving corps, Boston Herald beat reporter Jeff Howe tweets that the Patriots could re-sign Austin Collie and add a “Miles Austin-type” in the future.
  • The Texans are still almost $9MM under the salary cap after signing safety Chris Clemons to a two-year deal worth $2.7MM, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

FA Rumors: Monroe, Ward, Dolphins, Hester

We’ve already passed along one round of free agent rumors this afternoon, but with the 2014 FA period just a few days away from officially getting underway, there will be plenty more items to track in the near future. In fact, we’ve already got another handful of updates to run through:

  • Left tackle Eugene Monroe and the Ravens remain far apart in talks on a new contract, reports Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times. It’s still possible that the two sides could work out an agreement, but it appears unlikely to happen before Monroe becomes eligible to hit the open market and negotiate with other clubs, says Zenitz. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) also hears that the sides are still far apart, though he says there were no new negotiations today, meaning things haven’t gotten any worse.
  • The agent of Browns safety T.J. Ward has released a statement about his free agent client to the Akron Beacon Journal, as Nate Ulrich details. It reads, in part: “With the passing of the franchise/transition tag deadline, we remain open to further discussions with the Browns in working towards a long-term deal and look forward to that possibility. However, if things don’t work out in Cleveland, we likewise look forward to the opportunity that can coincide with becoming an unrestricted free agent.”
  • To the surprise of the players’ agents, the Dolphins have yet to make contract offers to free-agent-to-be defensive tackles Randy Starks and Paul Soliai, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
  • It looks like Ernie Sims won’t return to the Cowboys, according to ESPN.com’s Calvin Watkins, who says the team wants to get younger at its backup linebacker spots (Twitter link).
  • The Raiders have tendered contracts to five of their exclusive rights free agents, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Offensive linemen Matt McCants is eligible for the minimum salary for players with one year of NFL experience ($495K), while linebacker Kaelin Burnett, running backs Jamize Olawale and Jeremy Stewart, and cornerback Brandian Ross are eligible for the two-year minimum ($570K). All five players have to accept the tenders if they want to play in the NFL next season.
  • The Buccaneers aren’t expected to tender a contract to restricted free agent tight end Kyle Adams, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The team would still have the option of trying to re-sign Adams for less than the RFA tender amount.
  • The Bears are making no attempts to sign Devin Hester, meaning the return specialist appears likely to leave Chicago this offseason, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • When the Redskins released Adam Carriker today, I wrote that the defensive end would likely have to sign with another team if he hopes to return to the field in 2014, and John Keim of ESPN.com confirms as much (via Twitter). A source tells Keim that Washington won’t re-sign Carriker at a lower price.
  • The Giants have tendered contracts to Spencer Paysinger ($1.431M) and Dallas Reynolds ($570K) while the Browns tendered Craig Robertson ($570K), according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).