HEADLINES

Josh Shirley

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/6/17

February 6th, 2017 at 8:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Monday’s minor moves:

  • The Bears have waived linebacker Josh Shirley, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Shirley appeared in just one game last year with Chicago, which signed him to its practice squad in December after he spent the first few months of the season looking for work. As a rookie with the Buccaneers in 2015, the former undrafted free agent from UNLV totaled five appearances and two tackles.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/16

December 31st, 2016 at 5:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves NFL teams made on New Year’s Eve.

  • Another Saints cornerback will head to IR, with the team placing Ken Crawley on the season-ending list, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. Crawley will join Delvin Breaux, P.J. Williams, Damian Swann and Kyle Wilson as IR-stationed corners in New Orleans. The team promoted cornerback Taveze Calhoun, a rookie UDFA, from its practice squad to fill the roster spot. Crawley started in five games for the Saints this season.
  • The Bears promoted Josh Shirley from their practice squad, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Chicago will be without Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee in its Week 17 game against Minnesota. Shirley resided on the workout circuit for much of this season before catching on with the Bears’ practice squad earlier this month. The 24-year-old UDFA edge defender played in five games for the Buccaneers last year.
  • The Vikings promoted wide receiver Isaac Fruechte from their practice squad, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Minnesota moved safety Andrew Sendejo to IR (Twitter link, via Tomasson) to make room for the UDFA second-year man. Both Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell are doubtful for the Vikes’ season finale, creating the need for some pass-catching depth. A knee issue will end Sendejo’s season prematurely. He finished his seventh NFL campaign with 66 tackles and a career-high two interceptions.
  • It appears the Chargers are going to finish with an even 20 players on IR this season after the team placed cornerback Craig Mager on the season-ending list, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). Inside linebacker Carlos Fields received a promotion from the practice squad as a result.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/16

December 14th, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: Marvin Hall Jr.

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: CB Ryan White
  • Cut: OL Kevin Graf

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed OLB Greg Townsend Jr.

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: RB Zac Brooks
  • Cut: RB Terrell Watson

Houston Texans

  • Signed: T Laurence Gibson, WR Tevin Jones

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jets Notes: Geno, Petty, Richardson

October 23rd, 2016 at 10:57am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are just 1-5 and are turning the reins over to Geno Smith, but they have a chance to get back on track today against the banged-up and struggling Ravens. Let’s take a look at a few Jets-related notes as Gang Green attempts to right the ship:

  • Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com says that even though the Jets are putting their faith in Smith for the time being, the situation will remain fluid. Per Breer, New York could turn back to Ryan Fitzpatrick at some point this season, but the club also wants to get Bryce Petty some real game action to get a better idea of what they have in him (the coaching staff continues to believe that Christian Hackenberg is still too raw to be thrust into a regular-season contest). The Jets’ plans with Petty are part of the “competitive rebuild” that head coach Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan always knew the team needed. As Breer observes, of the 42 players the Jets cut from their 53-man roster over the past two years, only 13 are still in the league, which suggests that depth is still very much a work in progress.
  • Despite Breer’s report, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Smith will get a “fair chance” to keep the starting job and will not necessarily be on a short leash.
  • The Jets recently worked out linebacker Lenny Jones and defensive end Josh Shirley, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • Rich Cimini of ESPN.com does not believe the Jets necessarily invested too much on their defensive line, but they did invest too much in defensive linemen with similar skill-sets (as Cimini observes, the team’s D-line consists of four defensive tackles). The team of course cannot move on from Muhammad Wilkerson after signing him to a massive contract this offseason, and New York will not move on from Leonard Williams, who may be the best player on the roster. That means that Sheldon Richardson, who has a fifth-year option for 2017, could be cut or traded after the season, although the market for his services will not be as robust as one might think. Per Cimini, opposing GMs are concerned about Richardson’s off-the-field issues.
  • In a separate piece, Cimini writes that there is a “bad vibe” in the Jets’ locker room at the moment, and although Bowles still commands the respect of his club, Cimini is beginning to wonder if the team can remain unified in the face of its losing streak, its generation gap–most of the best players on the club are either over 30 or under 25–and host of dominant personalities.

AFC Workout Notes: Colts, Chiefs, Ravens, Pats

October 18th, 2016 at 7:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent receiver Aaron Dobson visited the Colts on Tuesday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Dobson has worked out for several teams and had multiple stints with the Lions since the Patriots cut him Sept. 3. The three-year veteran has 53 receptions and four touchdowns in 24 games (13 starts).

The Colts also worked out running back David Cobb (Twitter link). The former Titan has tried out for a bevy of clubs since Tennessee cut him in August. Cobb briefly caught on with the Steelers, who waived him from their practice squad last week.

Along with Dobson and Cobb, receiver Marcus Leak, tight ends Alex Bayer and Darion Griswold, and linebackers Trevor Reilly and James Vaughters tried out with the Colts, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today.

More workouts from the AFC (courtesy of Caplan, unless otherwise noted):

  • In addition to defensive end Kendall Reyes, whom they signed, the Chiefs tried out fellow DE Lynden Trail on Tuesday, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Joining them were linebackers Deion Barnes, Randell Johnson, and Kyle Kragen.
  • Veteran offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds worked out for the Ravens on Tuesday (Twitter link). Reynolds has been on the radar of a few teams since Los Angeles released him prior to Week 1. The 29-year-old has 42 appearances and 23 starts on his resume.
  • The Patriots tried out out two offensive tackles – Ryan Mack and Pearce Slater – as well as defensive end Jordan Williams, reports Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter).
  • Along with linebacker Quentin Gaus and tight end Steven Scheu, both of whom joined their practice squad, the Broncos worked out linebackers Lenny Jones, J.R. Tavai and Kyrie Wilson; defensive ends Deonte Gibson, Ian Seau and Josh Shirley; and safety Elijah Shumate (Twitter links via Balzer).
  • The Texans worked out safety Don Jones and a pair of cornerbacks, Denzel Rice and Charles Gaines (Twitter link).
  • Running back Mekale McKay and Jhurell Pressley tried out for the Jets, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
  • Three tight ends – Kivon Cartwright, Tim Semisch and Gannon Sinclair – worked out for the Titans, tweets Balzer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/16

September 5th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy Monday around the NFL. Let’s check out some moves that may have flown under the radar…

  • The Seahawks have signed fullback Tani Tupou, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Tupou also played defensive tackle earlier this summer with the Seahawks, who cut him over the weekend. Now that he’s back on their roster, he’ll stay on the offensive side of the ball.
  • In addition to signing Tupou, the Seahawks waived defensive ends Josh Shirley and David Parkins from injured reserve, per Condotta (Twitter link). Shirley logged five appearances with Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie last year.

Earlier updates:

  • The Saints waived defensive tackle Ashaad Mabry, tweets Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate. Mabry also made the Saints initial roster in 2015, but was waived days later. The former UTSA standout spent last season on New Orleans’ practice squad.
  • The Bears swapped long snappers this morning, cutting Aaron Brewer and signing Patrick Scales (via ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson on Twitter). Brewer joined Chicago this offseason after having spent the past four seasons with the Broncos. Scales, 28, played in a career-high five games for the Bears in 2015.
  • To make room for guard Josh Sitton, the Bears released offensive guard Amini Silatolu (via Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs on Twitter). The 27-year-old lineman started three games for the Panthers last season. ESPN’s Adam Caplan notes that Silatolu signed a one-year, $840K deal ($100K guaranteed) with the Bears this offseason.
  • The Packers signed long snapper Brett Goode, according to Jason Wilde (via Twitter). The 31-year-old, who made 14 appearance last season, has been on the Packers since 2008. To make room, the team released undrafted free agent defensive back Makinton Dorleant.

Seahawks Down To 75

August 30th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are down to the mandated 75-man limit. Here’s a full rundown of today’s moves.

Waived/Injured:

Waived:

None of today’s moves were major surprises, though Brooks was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.

Smith, Sokoli, and Lewis were on the Seahawks’ regular season roster in 2015.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/16

August 9th, 2016 at 7:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Panthers waived/injured defensive tackle Chas Alecxih and running back Tobais Palmer, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). In a related move, the team has signed former Mount Union defensive tackle Tom Lally.
  • The Falcons signed linebacker Matt Wells and released Dominique Tovell shortly before practice on Tuesday, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
  • The Bengals announced the signing of rookie free agent cornerback Tony McRae. The North Carolina A&T product was briefly with Oakland this spring.
  • The Packers announced the signing of long-snapper Jesse Schmitt.
  • The Seahawks have signed defensive end Josh Shirley, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/16

May 4th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:

  • The Cardinals have formally waived four players, including former Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson, the club announced today. Along with Wilkerson, who had been attempting to break into the NFL as a cornerback, center Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, cornerback Kevin White, and cornerback Tyrequek Zimmerman were also cut by Arizona.
  • The Broncos announced today in a press release that they’ve cut veteran tight end Richard Gordon, a little over two months after re-signing him to a new contract. It’s the third time Denver has released Gordon since last October.
  • The Seahawks have parted ways with five players from their 90-roster, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, who writes that offensive lineman Drew Nowak, running back Cameron Marshall, tight end Ronnie Shields, defensive end Josh Shirley and wide receiver Tyler Slavin have been cut. Nowak is probably the most notable name in the group, having started seven games at center last year for Seattle.
  • The Lions have waived center Braxston Cave and tight end Casey Pierce, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Cave’s was likely bumped by the team’s selection of Graham Glasgow in the draft. Pierce, meanwhile, was a practice squad tight end who had been expected to compete for the No. 3 tight end spot in Detroit.
  • Clearing room for their undrafted free agent class, the Rams have waived cornerback Eric Patterson, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. A Ball State product, Patterson saw the field briefly last season for the Rams and Colts.
  • The Lions waived tight end Jordan Thompson with a failed physical designation, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. The Ohio product was once expected to be the team’s next long-snapper.
  • The Chiefs cut wide receiver Fred Williams, as Wilson tweets. Williams, 28, has been on and off of KC’s taxi squad since September of 2014. In January, the Chiefs signed Williams to a future/reserve deal.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/20/16

January 20th, 2016 at 7:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Josh Shirley, DE (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 The Team)
Load More Posts