HEADLINES

Jerome Junior

Jaguars To Sign Ramses Barden, Chad Hall

August 6th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Former third-round pick Ramses Barden will get another chance to catch on with the NFL team, having reached an agreement to sign with the Jaguars, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Jags will also add receiver Chad Hall, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link). Mark Long of The Associated Press tweeted earlier today that Jacksonville was auditioning Barden and Hall.

Barden, 28, was selected 85th overall by the Giants in the 2009 draft, but only managed to record 29 receptions for the team over the course of five seasons. The 6’6″ wideout inked a futures deal with the Bills in January, but lost his roster spot this offseason when Buffalo decided to cut him. Hall, meanwhile, has spent time with the Eagles and Chiefs, catching 16 career passes in parts of three NFL seasons.

For the Jaguars, whose receiving corps has been depleted by injuries and absences this summer, Barden and Hall will likely just provide some camp and preseason depth, but perhaps they’ll also have the opportunity to compete for roster spots if they impress this month.

As O’Halloran notes, to make room for the incoming players, the Jags have cut safety Jerome Junior and waived-injured wideout Nathan Slaughter, who suffered a foot injury.

Minor Moves: Urban, Brown, Gaffney, Jaguars

May 17th, 2014 at 4:40pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Ravens have signed fourth-round draft pick Brent Urban to a rookie contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The four-year contract is worth $2.53MM with a signing bonus of just over $300,000. That leaves only first-round pick C.J. Mosley and third-round pick Terrence Brooks left unsigned.

Here are some other minor moves from across the NFL:

  • The Bills have signed third-round pick Preston Brown, according to Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Brown, a linebacker out of Louisville, impressed the Bills’ front office. “He plays hard; you see him all over the field,” director of player personnel Jim Monos said. “He plays on the other side of the ball and has good tackles for loss. He can go side to side. He’s probably better against the run than the pass right now, but he can do both. He’s a very good athlete.” The team expects him to compete for a job at middle linebacker.
  • The Panthers have signed sixth-round pick Tyler Gaffney, reports Wilson (via Twitter). Gaffney, a running back out of Stanford, is the first Panthers’ draft pick to sign his rookie contract.
  • The Jaguars have signed two rookies invited to workout during rookie camp, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (via Twitter). They signed running back Beau Blankenship from Ohio and safety Jerome Junior of UConn. To make room for the new signings, the team released punter Chad Zinchini and kicker Jeff Budzien.