Josh Thomas

Bills Release Andre Roberts, Trim Roster To 53

Here are the roster decisions the Bills made to move to the mandated 53-man regular-season limit.

Waived:

Released:

Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform:

The Bills signed Roberts to a two-year deal in 2019, doing so after he earned All-Pro recognition for his kick-return work on the 2018 Jets. Roberts has 10 years’ experience and two Pro Bowls on his resume. The second of those two Pro Bowl nods came last season with the Bills. Buffalo enters the season with its best chance to win the AFC East in maybe 20 years, so cutting an accomplished player is certainly surprising.

Foster made a splash as a rookie in 2018, but the Bills have overhauled their receiver group since. John Brown and Cole Beasley led the way last year, and the team traded for Stefon Diggs and drafted two wideouts — fourth-rounder Gabriel Davis and sixth-rounder Isaiah Hodgins — this year. Foster will nonetheless be an interest name on waivers.

Buffalo traded for Andre Smith earlier this week. The third-year linebacker could well be brought back on the team’s 16-player practice squad. Teams can begin assembling their P-squads Sunday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/16

Many clubs are announcing their roster moves in bulk during cutdowns, but we’ll round up the stragglers here:

  • The Eagles announced that they have signed running back Cedric O’Neal, who was previously released by the team on August 21. Additionally, Philadelphia has released cornerback Aaron Grymes with an injury settlement, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets.
  • The Falcons reached an injury settlement with running back Cyrus Gray, who has been dealing a hamstring injury, the team announced.
  • The Redskins announced that they’ve claimed offensive lineman Vinston Painter off waivers from the Dolphins. 
  • The Jets have waived/injured running back Romar Morris, who is going to have shoulder surgery next week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys have placed defensive lineman Shaneil Jenkins (knee), linebacker James Morris (shoulder) and cornerback Jeremiah McKinnon on waived/injured list, the club announced. Cornerback Josh Thomas (thumb) was placed on injured reserve.
  • The Vikings have made several roster moves today, cutting quarterback Brad Sorensen, wide receiver Marken Michel, defensive lineman Claudell Louis, and offensive tackle Austin Shepherd (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3 via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press); and tight end Brian Leonhardt (Twitter link via Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN).
  • Chiefs guard/center Garrick Mayweather has been waived, the team announced.
  • The Seahawks have waived OL/DL Kristjan Sokoli, who was selected in the sixth round last year, per his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/16

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Cardinals have re-signed tight end Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. Momah survived Arizona’s preseason roster cuts in 2015, but suffered a torn meniscus before Week 1, ending his season. Momah received an ERFA tender from the Cards last week.
  • Corey Fuller signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Lions, Wilson tweets. Fuller caught four passes for 76 yards last season after posting 212 yards on 14 receptions in 2014.
  • A Saints cog from 2012-14, tackle Bryce Harris re-signed with the Falcons, his 2015 employer, according to Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com (on Twitter). The former UDFA played in two games for the Falcons last season.
  • The Cardinals cut wide receiver Damond Powell with a non-football injury designation, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Earlier updates:

  • The Cowboys have re-signed cornerback Josh Thomas to a one-year contract, says Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Thomas, originally selected in the fifth round of the 2011 draft by the Cowboys, rejoined the team at the end of last season. In between his two stints in Dallas, he played 51 regular-season contests for the Panthers, Lions, Colts, Jets, and Seahawks.
  • Tight end Zach Sudfeld has re-signed with the Jets, agent Jason Bernstein tweets. Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter) adds that it is a one-year deal. Sudfeld was a restricted free agent, so his new deal will presumably be for less than the low-round tender of $1.671MM.
  • The Chiefs announced (on Twitter) that they have signed defensive lineman David King and linebacker Efe Obada.
  • The Dolphins have re-signed linebacker James-Michael Johnson, per Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter).
  • The Chargers re-signed ERFA guard Kenny Wiggins, Balzer tweets.
  • The Jets will not tender an offer to punter Ryan Quigley, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/15

Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, as teams get their rosters set for Week 17:

  • The Colts made a pair of tight end transactions, placing Dwayne Allen (calf) on season-ending injured reserve and promoting Erik Swoope from their practice squad, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). A fourth-year man, Allen made 16 catches in 13 games for the Colts this season. He hasn’t been able to match the production he put up as a rookie in 2011 in terms of receptions (45) and yardage (521), but he did amass a career-best eight touchdowns last season.
  • The Patriots waived cornerback Troy Hill, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (Twitter link). The Pats claimed Hill off waivers from Cincinnati last week. In addition, they signed defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The 49ers have been awarded tight end Je’Ron Hamm off waivers, a day after he was cut by Washington, according to a Niners release. San Francisco moved running back Shaun Draughn to injured reserve to accommodate the waiver claim — Draughn joins fellow RBs Reggie Bush and Carlos Hyde on the Niners’ IR.
  • The Bills created two roster spots on Tuesday by placing Charles Clay and Ron Brooks on injured reserve, and filled those spots today with a pair of practice squad cornerbacks. As Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets, head coach Rex Ryan confirmed that Buffalo elevated Merrill Noel and Sammy Seamster from the team’s taxi squad.
  • The Chargers also added secondary depth today, signing safety Brandian Ross and cornerback Cassius Vaughn to their active roster, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). The club has now added three defensive backs to its 53-man squad this week.
  • After placing Dez Bryant and two other players on injured reserve today, the Cowboys have promoted wide receivers Rodney Smith and Vince Mayle from their practice squad, and also signed cornerback Josh Thomas, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
  • The Broncos are signing guard Robert Myers off the Ravens‘ practice squad to fill the 53rd spot on their roster, reports Mike Klis of 9News. That roster opening was created on Tuesday when Denver cut safety Shaun Prater.
  • According to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link), offensive lineman Braxston Cave has been promoted from the Lions‘ practice squad to their active roster, taking the spot vacated by cornerback Bill Bentley, who was cut on Tuesday.

Colts Place Nate Irving On IR

The Colts have confirmed the previously-reported promotion of tight end Amarlo Herrera to the 53-man roster, and that move is just one a handful of transactions completed by the team today. According to a press release, the club has also signed free agent cornerback Jalil Brown, placing linebacker Nate Irving on injured reserve and cutting cornerback Josh Thomas to create the necessary space on the roster.

Irving, 27, is perhaps the most notable player included in this series of moves, though he hadn’t carved out a significant role for the Colts this season. After starting eight games and recording 46 tackles for the Broncos in 2014, Irving started just twice for Indianapolis this season, compiling 13 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. The former third-round pick inked a three-year contract with the Colts, but the team could create $2.25MM in cap savings by releasing him this offseason, which looks like a possibility.

Brown, meanwhile, has been off and on the Colts’ roster over the last couple seasons, having started three games for the team earlier this year. He takes the roster spot vacated by the little-used Thomas, who was inactive during his last game with Indianapolis.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/15

As usual, plenty of teams around the NFL are shaking up their rosters a little on the Tuesday following a full slate of games. Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Cowboys defensive tackle Terrell McClain is done for the season with a badly sprained big toe, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that the team has placed McClain on injured reserve.
  • The Cardinals have cut running back Kerwynn Williams in order to make room for offensive tackle Bobby Massie, who is returning from a two-game suspension, says Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). We’ll see if Arizona re-adds Williams or another running back to the roster before the club’s Week 3 game, with Andre Ellington likely to be sidelined again. The Cardinals also cut Travis Harvey from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
  • With Jay Cutler injured, the Bears activated quarterback David Fales from the taxi squad to the active roster, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, the Bears waived Bryce Callahan, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Washington linebacker Martrell Spaight, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, has been placed on injured reserve due to a concussion, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The move opens up a roster spot for reinstated cornerback Chris Culliver.
  • Besides Massie, Culliver, and Vikings cornerback Jabari Price, whose reinstatement we noted yesterday, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell and Chargers offensive lineman Craig Watts are returning from suspensions this week, per Wilson (Twitter link). Pittsburgh and San Diego will have roster exemptions until tomorrow afternoon for those players.
  • The Colts have made a change at the cornerback spot, signing veteran free agent Josh Thomas and waiving Eric Patterson, owner Jim Irsay announced today (via Twitter). Perhaps more notably, the team an injury settlement with running back Vick Ballard, officially removing him from the roster. Ballard, who hasn’t played a game since the 2013 season, will become a free agent if and when he clears waivers.
  • The Dolphins are signing linebacker and special-teamer Terrell Manning, according to Wilson. The 25-year-old has already appeared in regular season games for five different NFL teams since entering the league in 2012.
  • With Austin Seferian-Jenkins set to miss some games, the Buccaneers are signing tight end Cameron Brate off the Saints‘ practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Brate started the season on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad before he landed on New Orleans’ unit last week.
  • The Buccaneers have also have also signed free agent defensive end Josh Martin and waived defensive end Kourtnei Brown, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets.
  • The Ravens waived running back Terrence Magee to open up spot for newly-acquired cornerback Will Davis, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Raiders cut Tevin McDonald, Wilson tweets.

NFC Notes: Maxwell, Cousins, Seahawks

The Eagles’ secondary was a major weakness last year and the main step they took to improve it during the offseason was signing ex-Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell to a $63MM deal. Unfortunately for the Eagles and Maxwell, his debut in their 26-24 loss to Atlanta on Monday couldn’t have gone much worse. Maxwell, whom Falcons receivers roasted for 179 yards and 10 catches, was one of the primary reasons behind the Eagles’ defeat. Nevertheless, defensive coordinator Bill Davis remains confident in Maxwell’s abilities.

“He did not have a good game,” Davis said, according to Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com. “He’s got to play better. He can play better. He will play better. He’s been a great football player in this league and will continue to be for us. He knows that, we know that. I’ve got nothing but confidence in him. He’s a hell of a competitor.”

A look at some of Philly’s NFC counterparts:

  • Kirk Cousins thinks he’s in a better position to develop properly now that he’s Washington‘s starting quarterback. “It’s a very beneficial role. I do feel different now in this role,” Cousins said, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post. “It feels a little more stable. It caters to the ability to develop as a quarterback. This is a great opportunity for me, as I’ve said. I want to take full advantage of it and just keep building day after day.” The fourth-year man completed 21 of 31 passes for 196 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in Washington’s 17-10 loss to Miami in Week 1.
  • Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett made a salient point regarding teammate Kam Chancellor‘s ongoing holdout. “I think you can’t have hard feelings because at the end of the day, the NFL they cut people every day,” Bennett said, according to The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. “Right now there is some guy who thinks he is going to play on Sunday who will be cut on Friday because the team feels like they need to save money. When teams do it it’s usually called business but when the players do it it’s usually called ungrateful.’’
  • The Rams worked out three cornerbacks – Josh Thomas, Melvin White and Robert McClain – earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweeted. They ended up signing White to their practice squad.

Vikings Reduce Roster To 53 Players

Having acquired offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles from the Chargers earlier today, the Vikings needed to remove 23 players from their active roster, as the league moved from 75-man rosters down to 53-man squads. Minnesota announced all of its moves in one go, issuing a press release that features 22 cuts, along with cornerback Jabari Price heading to the reserve/suspended list.

Here are the players cut today by the Vikings:

  • T Babatunde Aiyegbusi
  • DT Chigbo Anunoby
  • DE B.J. Dubose
  • G Isame Faciane
  • C Tom Farniok
  • WR Donte Foster
  • WR Isaac Fruechte
  • S Anthony Harris
  • RB DuJuan Harris
  • DT Greg Hickman
  • DE Leon Mackey
  • LB Michael Mauti
  • LB Brian Peters
  • CB Shaun Prater
  • FB Blake Renaud
  • CB Josh Thomas
  • T Tyrus Thompson
  • C Bobby Vardaro
  • LB Brandon Watts
  • WR Ryan Whalen
  • RB Dominique Williams
  • OL David Yankey

Vikings Sign Josh Thomas

The Vikings have signed free agent cornerback Josh Thomas, according to their official website. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Thomas, 26, is a four-year veteran who played for the Panthers from 2011-13 before spending time with the Jets, Seahawks and Lions last season. He appeared in four games and amassed two tackles, and has tallied 66 tackles and an interception in 42 career contests. He’ll provide depth to a Minnesota secondary that will be without Jabari Price because of a two-game suspension and Josh Robinson, who will miss an undisclosed amount of time because of a torn pectoral muscle.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

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.