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Minor Moves: Tuesday

December 16th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

With contending teams vying for playoff spots and fighting for higher seeds, and non-contenders perhaps taking a longer look at younger players down the stretch, we can expect teams to make plenty of minor tweaks to their 53-man rosters this week. Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • According to the league transaction wire, quarterback Chandler Harnish has been released by the Vikings, tweets Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Harnish was under an injured designation with a foot injury.
  • The Browns have made room for the addition of Andrew McDonald (noted below) by waiving linebacker Zac Diles, the club announced today (Twitter link).
  • The Buccaneers have released cornerback Crezdon Butler, and will likely announce more moves on Wednesday, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link). One possible replacement for Butler could be former safety Mistral Raymond — a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) that the former Viking worked out for Tampa Bay today.
  • The Raiders have plucked a player from across the bay, signing cornerback Chance Casey from off the 49ers’ practice squad, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • A day after being cut by the Colts, offensive tackle Andrew McDonald has been claimed off waivers by the Browns, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). It’s not clear yet who is coming off Cleveland’s roster to make room for the new addition.
  • Cornerback Josh Thomas, who apparently lost his playbook recently, won’t be needing it back now — he was released by the Jets today, according to the team (Twitter link). New York called up safety Rontez Miles from the practice squad to take Thomas’ place on the roster.
  • Offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb has been cut by the Vikings, the team announced today (Twitter link). Webb’s release comes on the heels of his missed block that led to a blocked field goal during Sunday’s loss to the Lions.
  • Having already made multiple roster moves today, the Ravens completed a couple more, placing running back Lorenzo Taliaferro on the injured reserve list and signed former defensive tackle Casey Walker off the Patriots’ practice squad, the club announced in a press release. Baltimore still has an open spot on its 53-man roster.
  • The Titans have swapped tight ends on their active roster, signing Matthew Mulligan and placing Brett Brackett on injured reserve, says Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links). Brackett’s season comes to a premature end due to a knee issue.
  • The Cardinals have placed defensive tackle Ed Stinson on injured reserve, ending his season, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). Taking Stinson’s place on the roster is wide receiver Brittan Golden, promoted from Arizona’s practice squad.
  • The Falcons cleared a roster spot by placing cornerback Robert Alford on injured reserve yesterday with a wrist issue, and will fill that spot today by promoting cornerback Ricardo Allen from their practice squad, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the move (via Twitter).
  • Agent Mike McCartney indicated today (via Twitter) that his client, offensive lineman Ryan Jensen, has received a promotion from the Ravens‘ practice squad to the team’s 53-man roster. It’s not clear yet whose spot Jensen is taking, but defensive backs Asa Jackson and Terrence Brooks are both expected to be placed on IR this week.

Jets Notes: Revis, Ryan, Idzik, Johnson

October 16th, 2014 at 6:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight, the Jets are going up against their former star cornerback Darrelle Revis. It didn’t have to be this way, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. When Revis learned that he was going to be a free agent this past offseason, he made a wish list of landing spots and the Jets were at No. 1. However, the Jets didn’t reach out to Revis about a trade or a release in time (link), so he joined up with his second choice, the Patriots. If things didn’t work out between New England and Revis, Rapoport says the Broncos were next on his list. As Jets fans everywhere slam their heads against the wall, let’s check out more on Gang Green..

  • Ryan is more on the hot seat than GM John Idzik, opines Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (video link). Ryan did well with limited talent last season but he hasn’t been able to get far with lousy play from quarterback Geno Smith.
  • Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (on Twitter) agrees, theorizing that Idzik has set Ryan up to fail this season because he has job security and wants to install his own head coach. With more than $20MM in cap space going unused, it’s not hard to see that being the case.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter) has the contract info on two of the newest Jets. Cornerback Josh Thomas will earn the minimum salary ($645K) on a one-year deal. Guard Wesley Johnson, meanwhile, has three years left on his deal with cap hits of $510K, $600K, and $690K. Johnson was claimed off waivers earlier this week from the Steelers to replace the injured Brian Winters.

Jets To Sign Josh Thomas

October 13th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Zachary Links

With Dee Milliner done for the year, the Jets will sign former Seahawks cornerback Josh Thomas to the active roster, a source tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Seattle cut Thomas last week in order to make room for offensive lineman Patrick Lewis.

Thomas, 25, appeared in 39 games for the Panthers between 2011 and 2013 and saw time in three games for Seattle this year. In that span, Thomas has 64 tackles, two fumble recoveries, ten pass deflections, and one interception to his credit.

The 5’10” Thomas doesn’t bring much in the way of size but the Jets will be counting on him for depth in the wake of Milliner’s injury. The Jets’ aggressive play calling puts a great deal of responsibility on the secondary, which is now thinner than ever.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

October 8th, 2014 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re already tracking today’s practice squad signings and cuts in one post, but we’ll dedicate this space to following Wednesday’s minor moves relating to 53-man roster around the NFL. Here’s the latest:

  • After working him out earlier this week, the Raiders have signed linebacker Jamar Chaney, the team announced today in a press release. To make room on the roster for the incoming linebacker, Oakland placed linebacker Nick Roach on the injured reserve list. Roach suffered a concussion during the preseason and hasn’t been able to return to the field in the seven weeks since the injury.
  • As expected, the Seahawks have added some depth at center to provide some insurance for Max Unger, who sustained a foot injury on Monday. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that offensive lineman Patrick Lewis is the newest addition to the roster, replacing cornerback Josh Thomas, who has been cut.

Earlier updates:

  • The Bears have filled the opening on their active roster by signing rookie safety Shamiel Gary to a one-year contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Gary, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent and spent camp and the preseason with the team, worked out for Chicago multiple times in September.
  • As part of a series of roster moves, the Redskins signed cornerback Greg Ducre to their 53-man roster from off the Chargers’ practice squad, according to the club (via Twitter). The other moves announced by the team today were previously reported.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 8th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Luke Adams

With the season’s first Sunday in the books, a handful of teams are shuffling their rosters in preparation for next week’s games. Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Bears have added receiver Greg Herd to the practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Herd spent time with the team during training camp before he was cut on August 23.
  • The Seahawks have signed cornerback Josh Thomas to take the place of the injured Jeremy Lane, reports ESPN’s Terry Blount (via Twitter). They’ve also made some changes to their practice squad, adding guard Nate Isles and safety Terrance Parks in place of guard David Arkin and safety Josh Aubrey, the club announced today (Twitter link).
  • With Dave Zastudil being bothered by a groin injury, the Cardinals have signed punter Drew Butler, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
  • Defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi has been claimed off waivers by the Ravens, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bilukidi was cut over the weekend by the Bengals.
  • When the Bengals cut Bilukidi, they signed Onterio McCalebb to their active roster, but he lasted just two days — he has been waived, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who adds (via Twitter) that the club has also terminated wide receiver Cobi Hamilton from the exempt list of the practice squad.
  • To make room for Bilukidi, the Ravens waived running back Fitz Toussaint, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Broncos have cut long snapper Kevin McDermott from their practice squad, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. His spot will be taken by tight end Dominique Davis, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has been replaced on the Browns‘ practice squad by defensive lineman Calvin Barnett, says Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bears have signed safety Ahmad Dixon from the Vikings‘ practice squad, cutting cornerback Demontre Hurst to open up a spot on their roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dixon was drafted by the Cowboys but was waived by Dallas during preseason roster cutdowns.
  • Offensive tackle Andrew McDonald is also making the move from one team’s practice squad to another club’s 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler, who tweets that his client has a deal with the Seahawks. McDonald had previously been one of the 10 players on the Panthers‘ practice squad.
  • The Bills have cut defensive end Jacquies Smith to make room for Nigel Bradham, who is returning this week from his one-game suspension, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
  • The Seahawks have placed cornerback Jeremy Lane, who is suffering from a groin injury, on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Defensive back Jamarca Sanford, who had been on the Vikings‘ injured reserve list, has been released with a settlement, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
  • The Chiefs have signed wideout Armon Binns to their practice squad and removed cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke from their IR with an injury settlement, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).

NFC North Notes: Suh, Bennett, Packers

September 2nd, 2014 at 8:25pm CST by Zachary Links

J.J. Watt‘s new contract could affect their Lions and their plans regarding Ndamukong Suh, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Watt arguably has been the NFL’s most destructive player the last two seasons. He had 20.5 sacks and 16 pass deflections in 2012, 10.5 sacks last year, and is two years younger than Suh. Still, Suh has the threat of free agency as leverage for a new deal. Here’s tonight’s look at the NFC North..

  • When asked why free agent wide receiver Earl Bennett wasn’t called to replace the injured Marquess Wilson, Bears GM Phil Emery said, “Don’t assume that Earl was not called,” according to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
  • The Packers have worked out offensive linemen Michael Bamiro, Manase Foketi, and Adam Gettis, as well as cornerback Robert Steeples, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Earlier today Green Bay worked out quarterbacks Jeff Mathews, Pat Devlin, and Jon Jennings.
  • The Bears auditioned linebacker Nate Askew and defensive backs Shamiel Gary and Josh Thomas, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Panthers Cut 14, Roster Sits At 53

August 30th, 2014 at 4:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have made the necessary roster moves in order to be in compliance of the NFL’s 53-man roster limit:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Waived with injury settlement:

NFC Links: Panthers, Bucs, Lions, Packers

June 1st, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve taken a look at rumors from the NFC West and NFC East this afternoon. Now let’s focus on some links from the North and South divisions…

NFC South Notes: Hardy, Panthers, Bucs

February 9th, 2014 at 1:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

ESPN.com’s David Newton deems it likely that defensive end Greg Hardy will return to the Panthers, estimating the likelihood of a reunion at 67%. While a long-term contract would seem to be the in the best interests of both the team and the player, the franchise tag (at around $12MM) might be the most plausible option at this point. We noted yesterday that Hardy may not be re-signed due to financial constraints.

Meanwhile, other news abounds in the NFC South:

  • Within the same article, Newton notes that safety Charles Godfrey might be saved from being a cap casualty due to simple finances. Cutting Godfrey would leave the Panthers with $5MM in dead money, and, obviously, without Godfrey. A contract restructure could be the more likely result.
  • Newton writes that corners Josh Norman and Josh Thomas, each of whom were frequently inactive, could be released.
  • Offensive tackle Jordan Gross is expected back with the team, although the Panthers could draft a future replacement in the early rounds of the draft.
  • Back on the Hardy front, Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com does not believe the Buccaneers are a realistic landing spot for the defensive end. While they have cap space, it may not be enough to sign a star like Hardy, so the draft might be a better route for adding pass rushers.
  • The Saints will likely attempt to add a veteran corner through free agency, and a young receiver through the draft, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • Triplett also notes that while the Saints won’t add players with the specific intention of transforming to a more traditional 3-4-style defense, their most pressing need remains the front seven.