Jonathan Dowling

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/1/17

A slew of minor moves to kick off June…

  • The Giants have signed wide receiver Jerome Lane, an undrafted rookie from Akron. He is the son of former Pitt basketball star Jerome Lane, whose backboard-shattering dunk in 1988 led to Bill Raftery’s famous “Send it in, Jerome!” call. The younger Jerome Lane was a standout college athlete in his own right, as he hauled in 101 receptions (on 17.8 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns with the Zips from 2015-16.
  • The Browns have signed running back Terrence Magee and waived fellow RB Darius Jackson with an injury designation for his knee. Magee combined for five carries with Baltimore and Seahawks from 2015-16. Jackson didn’t see any action as an undrafted rookie in 2016, but the former Eastern Michigan standout generated some interest after the Cowboys cut him in December. Along with the Browns, who plucked Jackson off waivers, the Eagles, Giants and 49ers put in claims.
  • The Chiefs have signed a pair of players – tight end Orson Charles and safety Damariay Drew – and waived receiver Jamari Staples and safety Devin Chappell. The 26-year-old Charles is the most notable member of the group, having combined for 31 games and nine catches with Cincinnati and Detroit across the 2012, ’13 and ’16 seasons. Drew went undrafted this year out of Cal, while Staples (Louisville) and Chappell (Oregon State) also went unpicked this spring.
  • The Bills have added cornerback Greg Mabin and cut defensive back Jonathan Dowling. Mabin, undrafted from Iowa, spent some time with the Buccaneers earlier this spring. Dowling, who has been in and out of the Buffalo organization since 2015, hasn’t appeared in a game since 2014, when the then-Raider played in seven contests.
  • The Giants have waived corner SaQwan Edwards and re-signed fellow corner Nigel Tribune, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Edwards, a 2015 undrafted free agent who hasn’t yet played a regular-season game, only spent two-plus weeks with the Giants after they added him in mid-May. Tribune, undrafted from Iowa State, first signed with Big Blue on May 11.

Bills Cut 9, Down To 75

The Bills released nine players on their way to the 75-man limit. Here’s the full rundown.

Released:

Reserve/PUP:

Waived/Injured:

Reserve/NFI:

  • WR Kolby Listenbee

Reserve/Injured:

  • LB Reggie Ragland

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/4/16

Now that the 2015 regular season is in the books, teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts, adding those players to their 90-man offseason rosters. Generally, these players finished the season on a team’s practice squad, though some were free agents at season’s end.

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons signed four players (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Baltimore Ravens signed seven players (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun):

  • Brennen Beyer, LB
  • Leon Brown, G
  • Nordly Capi, DE
  • Blaine Clausell, T
  • Chuck Jacobs, WR
  • Nick Perry, S
  • Harold Spears, TE

Buffalo Bills signed seven players (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)

Chicago Bears signed nine players (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune):

Cleveland Browns signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Dallas Cowboys signed eight players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Denver Broncos signed four players (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9NEWS)

Detroit Lions signed five players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Jacksonville Jaguars signed nine players (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union):

Miami Dolphins signed one player (link)

  • Tyler Davis, WR

New Orleans Saints signed five players (link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune):

New York Giants signed six players (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Philadelphia Eagles signed seven players (Twitter link via team):

San Diego Chargers signed six players (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks signed three players (Twitter link via Wilson)

  • Andrew East, LS
  • Ronnie Shields, TE
  • Phillip Sims, QB

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed nine players (link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times):

  • Josh Allen, G
  • Andre Davis, WR
  • Antoine Everett, G
  • Ben Gottschalk, C
  • Gerod Holliman, S
  • Martin Ifedi, DE
  • Derrick Lott, DT
  • C.J. Roberts, CB
  • Joel Ross, CB

Tennessee Titans signed five players (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com):

  • David Fluellen, RB
  • Kevin Greene, TE
  • Nick Harwell, WR
  • Josue Matias, G
  • Will Poehls, T

Washington signs three players (link via team):

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/23/15

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: RB Jahwan Edwards (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed: WR Deon Long (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Workout Notes: 12/16/15

It’s been a busy last couple of days around the NFL, with teams still looking to fill up their squads for the rest of the season. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweeted a whole bunch of workout notes this afternoon, which we’ve compiled for you below…

Arizona Cardinals

  • CB Mitchell White (link)

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Read more

West Notes: Armstrong, Floyd, Welker

Police are looking into whether Raiders linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong illegally taunted a police dog before a game against the Steelers on Sunday, as an Associated Press report outlines. Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus says a player lifted his shirt, beat his chest and barked at the K-9 before telling a deputy to release the dog. Needless to say, the deputy did not follow Armstrong’s orders.

Taunting a police dog is a third-degree felony in Pennsylvania, so the consequences could potentially be severe for the linebacker. It’s not a concern for Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio though, who downplayed the story during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (link via FOX Sports).

“I’ve caught wind of this story. I’m going to put it in the ‘silly’ category,” Del Rio said. “I think once the facts come to light I don’t think there’s going to be much of an issue. I wouldn’t make too much of it.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:

  • Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd suffered a torn labrum on Monday night, a source tells Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (Twitter link). According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Floyd plans to rehab the injury and “see how it goes,” with the hopes of playing through it. The 34-year-old has previously stated that 2015 will be his final season in the NFL, so it would be an unfortunate end if he had to shut it down early.
  • In his latest column for Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman examines the Rams‘ decision to sign Wes Welker, and – more importantly – Welker’s decision to continue his NFL career despite possible health risks. Freeman hears from a source that Welker has “taken great care of his finances,” and is returning to action because he doesn’t want to stop playing yet, not because he needs the money.
  • Linebacker Nico Johnson, who signed yesterday with the Giants’ practice squad, also had a workout this week with the Rams, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
  • Wilson also passes along the names of several players who auditioned for the Seahawks this week, including tight end Cameron Clear, quarterback Jake Heaps, defensive lineman Glenn Foster, safety Jonathan Dowling, and cornerback Keon Lyn (Twitter link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

East Notes: Cameron, Washington, Bills

Dolphins tight end Jordan Cameron wants a bigger role in the team’s offense, but he won’t demand it either, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Cameron came to Miami as a free agent this offseason and signed a two-year, $15MM pact with $5MM fully guaranteed. However, midway through his first season in Miami, he has just 20 catches and 263 receiving yards with 43 total targets. When asked if he’s gone to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to demand a bigger role, he didn’t offer up a direct answer.

All I know is, not that I do what I’m told, but in football, you’re asked to do different things and your role may change,” Cameron said. “Some weeks they throw you the ball. Some weeks they don’t. It’s one of those things that you’ve got to be mentally prepared for. It’s a tough adjustment, but I’ve been in the NFL long enough. It’s about being a pro and being professional about the role you’re given.”

Cameron is under contract through 2016 and his cap number jumps from $4.6MM this year to $9.5MM next year. However, the Dolphins would be on the hook for just $2MM of that if they cut him.

Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC East:

  • Washington tried out running backs Cyrus Gray and Storm Johnson, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Gray, who turns 26 in a little over a week, appeared in 35 games with the Chiefs from 2012 through 2014. Johnson, 23, had some hype in his rookie season but never took control of the running game as some expected him to. The former seventh-round pick was dropped by the Jags on Sept. 5th.
  • The Bills tried out defensive backs Jonathan Dowling and Phillip Thomas over the weekend, Wilson tweets.
  • Linebacker Jasper Brinkley could prove to be a key signing as the Giants make their playoff push, James Kratch of The Star-Ledger writes. Brinkley fell to the Giants when the Cowboys cut him at the end of training camp, despite having given him a two-year, $2MM guaranteed deal in the offseason. Brinkley got off to a slow start, but he had a strong showing against the Bucs over the weekend.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/31/15

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

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/15

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from across the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Diego Chargers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: OLB Markus Pierce-Brewster (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com)

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/15

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Saints will sign center Ryan Seymour, agent Justin Turner tells Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Dolphins promoted tight end Brandon Williams from the taxi squad, Wilson tweets. In a related move, the Dolphins waived safety Jonathan Dowling (via Jenna Laine of FOX Sports 1 on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Texans claimed cornerback and Hard Knocks fan favorite Charles James off waivers, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, safety Lonnie Ballentine will be placed on IR. The Texans wanted to sign James to their p-squad this year but he chose the Ravens’ p-squad instead (link).
  • The Broncos re-signed veteran blocking tight end Richard Gordon and waived running back Kapri Bibbs, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. On Saturday, the Broncos released Gordon but told him to stay in town because they would re-sign him on Monday.
  • The Bills are signing Jordan Mills from the Lions practice squad, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). Buffalo signed the tackle to their taxi squad in mid-September.
  • The Chargers announced that they have waived guard-tackle Michael Ola. The offensive lineman can be re-signed to the practice squad on Tuesday if he clears waivers.
  • The Cardinals removed Chris Clemons from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Giants cut tight end Jerome Cunningham, Wilson tweets. In a related move, the Giants promoted cornerback Brandon McGee to the active roster from the taxi squad, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Bears waived safety Demontre Hurst and promoted cornerback Bryce Callahan from the taxi squad, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.