Karel Hamilton

Cowboys Trim Roster To 53

The Cowboys navigated the busy cut week and moved down to the 53-man limit. Here are the players Dallas removed from its roster to reach the regular-season standard.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on Reserved/Suspended list:

Placed on IR:

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/17

Friday’s minor moves:

  • The Broncos have claimed defensive lineman Jimmy Bean off waivers from the Raiders and cut cornerback Dontrell Nelson, per Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). The Raiders waived Bean, a 2016 undrafted free agent, on Wednesday. Nelson’s an undrafted rookie from Memphis who had been with the Broncos since May.
  • In a series of transactions, the Cowboys have waived/injured linebacker John Lotulelei and wide receiver Corey Washington, paving the way for the signings of LB Lamar Louis and WR Karel Hamilton. The most experienced member of the foursome is Lotulelei, who played parts of the 2013 and ’15 seasons with the Seahawks and Jaguars and combined for 16 appearances over those two years. He signed with the Cowboys earlier this year, as did Washington, who only joined the team 10 days ago. Washington’s lone action came as a member of the Giants in 2014, with whom he caught five passes in 14 games. Louis went undrafted out of LSU last year and played one game with the Cardinals as a rookie. The Ravens waived him from injured reserve last Sunday, the same day the Bengals parted with Hamilton. The undrafted rookie from Samford spent three-plus months with the Cincinnati organization.
  • The Texans have waived/injured linebacker Dayon Pratt, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Pratt, who’s dealing with a foot issue, signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent from East Carolina in May.

Bengals Release DT Brandon Thompson

The Bengals have released defensive tackle Brandon Thompson, the club announced today. Cincinnati also waived wide receiver Karel Hamilton and running back Stanley Williams.Brandon Thompson (Vertical)

Thompson, 27, re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year contract prior to the 2016 season after having torn his ACL in December 2015. Although he attempted to work his way back to the field, Thompson never played last year and spent the campaign on the physically unable to perform list. As such, his contract tolled, meaning he was still under Cincinnati control for 2017.

A former third-round selection, Thompson never broke into the starting lineup for the Bengals during his five-year run with the club (with the exception of 2013, when he started seven contests after Geno Atkins went down with injury). Still, he was a serviceable reserve, appearing in 39 games and and posting three sacks from 2012-15.

Hamilton and Williams, meanwhile, were each undrafted rookie free agents earlier this year.

Bengals Sign 13 Undrafted Rookies

The Bengals have signed a baker’s dozen of undrafted free agents:

Nickerson is the son of Hardy Nickerson Sr., a former Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL coach. The elder Nickerson currently serves as Illinois’ defensive coordinator and that allowed him to coach his son towards the end of his collegiate career. Nickerson Jr. has been lauded for his work ethic, but some scouts question whether he can stick at the next level.

He may get a legacy grade from some teams based on his tackle production and his bloodlines, but I’m struggling to find consistent tape of him where he looks like an NFL linebacker,” a regional scout for an NFC team told NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.

The Bengals already have five running backs under contract, including rookie Joe Mixon, so tailbacks Jarveon Williams and Stanley Williams may be facing an uphill battle as they try to make the final cut.