HEADLINES

Josh Bush

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/15

December 1st, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Seahawks signed tight end Chase Coffman and released center Drew Nowak, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
  • The Patriots claimed running back Trey Williams off waivers from the Cowboys, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In a related move, defensive end Trey Flowers has been moved to IR.
  • The Broncos waived tight end Richard Gordon and promoted safety Josh Bush from the taxi squad, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets.
  • The Patriots are expected to sign return specialist Damaris Johnson, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal for Johnson, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Bills created two openings on their 53-man roster with a pair of Monday moves, and opened up a third vacancy by officially placing Kyle Williams on IR today, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The move had been expected since last week.
  • To fill those three spots on their roster, the Bills signed defensive end Lavar Edwards off the Cowboys‘ practice squad, defensive lineman T.J. Barnes off the Jets‘ practice squad, and linebacker Kevin Reddick via free agency, per Rodak (all Twitter links). The series of signings helps the team fortify its banged-up defensive line, while also re-adding Reddick, who was cut prior to the regular season.
  • The Dolphins have re-signed center/guard Jacques McClendon to their 53-man squad as an insurance policy for Mike Pouncey, the team announced today (via Twitter). Pouncey is dealing with a minor foot sprain and is considered day to day for now. Miami waived linebacker James-Michael Johnson in a corresponding move.

Bills Re-Sign Jordan Gay

October 23rd, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

10:05am: The Bills have officially re-signed Gay, waiving safety Josh Bush to clear room on their roster, tweets Rodak.

8:41am: A little over two weeks after cutting him, the Bills will be re-signing kicker Jordan Gay, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters today (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News). Gay will be returning to handle kickoff duties rather than extra points or field goals, which are still Dan Carpenter‘s domain.

In order to make room for Gay, the Bills will release a player from their roster, rather than placing someone on IR. However, Ryan stressed that the Gay signing doesn’t have anything to do with wide receiver Percy Harvin, who is rumored to be considering retirement (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

There were conflicting reports yesterday on whether or not Harvin was seriously considering the possibility of calling it a career. Still, it’s clear that something is going on with the veteran wideout, outside of his hip and knee issues.

General manager Doug Whaley told the media today that he’d address the Harvin situation “as soon as we get more answers on it,” stressing again that the 27-year-old is away from the team for “personal reasons” (Twitter links via Dunne). While that’s not exactly a confirmation that Harvin is contemplating retirement, the Bills aren’t trying to hide the fact that there’s something going on there besides the injuries.

As for Gay, he’ll return to the Bills after being cut in favor of Billy Cundiff earlier in October. In the interim, Gay had a workout for the Buccaneers, but didn’t sign with Tampa Bay.

Bills Place Aaron Williams On IR-DTR

October 14th, 2015 at 12:21pm CST by Luke Adams

After suffering a scary neck injury in Week 2, Aaron Williams returned to play most of the team’s defensive snaps in Week 5. While that appeared to be a good sign for the Buffalo safety, it doesn’t appear he has fully recovered from his injury.

The Bills announced today in a press release that Williams has been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return. The move rules Williams out of games until Week 14, though he’ll be eligible to begin practicing following the club’s Week 11 game. Buffalo has signed safety Josh Bush, a Rex Ryan favorite who previously played for the Jets, to fill Williams’ roster spot.

While Bush, who was recently cut by the Broncos, could get an opportunity to earn some playing time, Bacarri Rambo looks like the favorite to assume a starting job at safety in Williams’ absence.

By using their IR-DTR slot on Williams, the Bills becomes the 19th team to use the designation this season, as our tracker shows. All three of Buffalo’s AFC East rivals made use of the IR-DTR spot prior to the season, with the Dolphins using it on injured running back Jay Ajayi, the Patriots using it on center Bryan Stork, and the Jets using it on cornerback Dee Milliner.

Broncos Sign Tyler Polumbus

October 1st, 2015 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

12:15pm: The Broncos have cut safety Josh Bush to make room on the roster for Polumbus, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

11:19am: Just two days after he was released by the Falcons, offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus has agreed to a one-year deal with the Broncos, pending a physical, per Mike Klis of 9 News. Before the signing becomes official, Denver will have to make a corresponding move to clear a spot on the 53-man roster.

Polumbus, who was Washington’s full-time right tackle in 2012 and 2013, began the 2014 season in the same role, but he was supplanted in Week 8 by Tom Compton. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t crazy about his play across seven starts and 11 total games last year, giving him a -12.6 overall grade and placing him just 62nd out of 84 qualified tackles. Compton was much better in the previous season, however, earning a 14.0 overall score and ranking amongst the top 20 tackles in the NFL.

Polumbus played under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan with Washington and the two were reunited in May when the Falcons signed the tackle to a one-year deal, but Polumbus played a grand total of just six snaps before his time with Atlanta came to an end. By joining Denver, the 30-year-old returns home — he played his college ball at Colorado and started his NFL career with the Broncos.

As Troy Recnk of the Denver Post notes (via Twitter), Ty Sambrailo‘s status for Week 4 isn’t yet known, after the rookie left tackle missed practice with a shoulder injury. While second-year tackle Michael Schofield is probably the next man up, he has yet to play in a regular season game, so Polumbus gives the club some veteran depth.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

December 17th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor roster moves from around the league, with the latest transactions added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Cut yesterday by the Jets, defensive back Josh Thomas has already found a new home, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who tweets that the Lions have claimed Thomas off waivers. Thomas will take the roster spot vacated by LaAdrian Waddle, who was placed on injured reserve today, as noted below.
  • Safety Josh Bush is receiving a promotion to the Broncos‘ active roster from the club’s practice squad, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that the club is also re-signing tight end Dominique Jones, who was let go earlier in the week. Denver, after making multiple roster moves yesterday, had two roster spots available, so no corresponding move is required to clear room.

Earlier updates:

  • A pair of players will make the leap from the Jaguars‘ practice squad to their active roster, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, who tweets that quarterback Stephen Morris and safety Matt Daniels have been promoted. The Jags had one opening, and created another by placing linebacker Khairi Fortt on injured reserve with a hamstring issue.
  • The Ravens are back up to 53 players on their roster after signing cornerback Chris Greenwood off the Vikings’ practice squad, tweets Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Greenwood is the latest player added to a secondary that has been decimated by injuries this season and lost Asa Jackson and Terrence Brooks in Week 15.
  • The Lions are placing offensive lineman LaAdrian Waddle on the injured reserve list due to his partially torn ACL, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
  • After waiving tackle J’Marcus Webb yesterday, the Vikings will fill the open roster spot by signing safety Ahmad Dixon from off their practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The well-traveled Dixon has already spent time with the Vikes, Dolphins, and Bears since being drafted by the Cowboys in May.
  • According to agent Howard Shatsky (Twitter link), his client, tight end Jerome Cunningham, has received a promotion from the Giants‘ practice squad to their active roster. The team has yet to officially confirm the call-up, but there’s an available roster spot at the moment, so it wouldn’t require a corresponding move.
  • The Buccaneers, another team with an open roster spot, have signed defensive end Lawrence Sidbury as their 53rd man, the team announced today in a press release. The ex-Falcon, who was released by the Texans in August, replaces cornerback Crezdon Butler, whom the Bucs cut yesterday.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

November 18th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, Tuesday means plenty of practice squad signings and cuts for teams around the NFL. Here are today’s practice squad moves, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • To make room for their new practice squad additions, the Broncos have released defensive end Zach Thompson and wide receiver Douglas McNeil, tweets Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
  • The Saints signed former Chiefs inside linebacker Jerry Franklin to their practice squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter), tackle Mark Asper and defensive back Josh Bush have joined the Broncos‘ practice squad. Denver previously had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait for word on which players are being replaced.
  • The Bengals have swapped one linebacker for another on their taxi squad, signing Terrell Manning and dropping Justin Jackson, per the team (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys have made a few changes to their practice squad, releasing guard Jeff Baca and linebacker Will Smith and adding linebacker Keith Smith and cornerback Robert Steeples to replace them (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Rookie running back Dominique Williams, who was with the Vikings in camp, has re-signed with the team, joining the practice squad, according to a press release. Minnesota had a full 10-man unit, but now no longer lists safety Pierre Warren on its roster, so perhaps he was signed away by another club — the Saints, Warren’s former team, would be the most likely candidate.
  • In addition to making multiple changes to their 53-man roster, the Colts also tweaked their practice squad today, adding running back Michael Hill and cutting wide receiver Eric Thomas, the team announced today. We’ll have to wait to see whether Hill, the only running back on Indianapolis’ practice squad, has a chance to be promoted in Ahmad Bradshaw‘s absence, or if the team will opt for a veteran replacement instead.
  • The Falcons have filled the 10th and final spot on their taxi squad by signing former Oregon defensive tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, per Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (Twitter link).
  • Having recently worked out for the club, cornerback Marcus Cromartie has joined the 49ers‘ practice squad, replacing tight end Xavier Grimble, who has been cut, according to the club (Twitter link).
  • Outside linebacker Cordarro Law, who was cut from the Chargers‘ active roster prior to Sunday’s game against the Raiders, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to the Chargers’ transactions list.

Workout Notes: 49ers, Bills, Saints, Eagles

November 18th, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

As usual, NFL teams are keeping a close eye on the free agent market, bringing in players for visits and tryouts as they prepare contingency plans in the event that they need to replace injured players or add depth. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the details on several of the latest workouts and auditions from around the league, so let’s round up the highlights (all links go to Twitter)….

Jets Activate Antwan Barnes, Cut Josh Bush

October 15th, 2014 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have made a change to their 53-man roster in advance of tomorrow’s divisional matchup against the Patriots, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve activated linebacker Antwan Barnes and cut safety Josh Bush. Barnes had spent the first six weeks of the season on the PUP list.

Players who start the season on the reserve/PUP list aren’t eligible to begin practicing until after Week 6, so this week is the earliest that the Jets could’ve activated the ailing linebacker. As I explained last week, there’s a pretty sizable window in which PUP players can begin practicing and eventually return to game action, but it seems as if Barnes won’t need to be sidelined any longer.

As for Bush, the 25-year-old has been with the Jets since being selected by the team in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. A special-teamer and a reserve player in the secondary, Bush has been dealing with a quadriceps injury this year, which has limited him to just one game so far.

We passed along a few more Jets updates earlier this afternoon.