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Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

September 1st, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings:

Packers Cut Roster Down To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

5:50pm: The Packers have formally announced their last few transactions to get down to 53 players. The team placed tight end Jake Stoneburner and defensive end Khyri Thornton on injured reserve, and cut center Garth Gerhart, tight end Justin Perillo, defensive end Luther Robinson, and tackle Jeremy Vujnovich. Additionally, Hubbard has been fully cut from the roster rather than being placed on IR, as indicated earlier.

1:30pm: The Packers are not finished making moves, as they’ve parted ways with five more players in addition two placing a duo on injured reserve:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

10:55am: The Packers have released eight players this morning. You can find a running list of the team’s moves below:

  • Ryan White (CB) (via Rob Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Michael Hill (RB) (via Tom Silverstein on Twitter)
  • John Fullington (OT) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Jordan McCray (OG) (via Ryan Wood on Twitter)
  • Jake Doughty (LB) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Alex Gillett (WR) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
  • LaDarius Perkins (RB) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
  • Tanner Miller (S) (via Silverstein on Twitter)

A handful of these players have an opportunity to catch on with the Packers’ practice squad. As mentioned in each player’s respective tweet, White and Doughty have a chance of sticking around. The team could also bring back Hill or Perkins, but Silverstein indicates that the team won’t bring back both.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Joseph, Packers

August 9th, 2014 at 12:55pm CST by Matt Feminis

Jimmy Clausen looked better than Jordan Palmer in the Bears’ first preseason game versus Philadelphia, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Clausen had a 73-yard scoring strike and showed encouraging command for a signal caller who only has two months worth of exposure to a new system. Biggs’ “10 thoughts” on the game is full of information:

  • Suspended tight end Martellus Bennett was not with the team, and head coach Marc Trestman did not have any news about Bennett’s return. Biggs says that while the suspension is “indefinite,” the CBA states a ‘conduct detrimental to the team’ suspension can only last four weeks. Additionally, Bennett can only be fined up to one week’s pay, which would be approximately $282k. “A logical return date would be at training camp Sunday, when the team gets on the field again,” speculates Biggs.
  • Chris Williams, who the Bears plucked off the Saints practice squad, showed legitimate speed in beating the Eagles’ secondary for a 73-yard touchdown, but he suffered a mild hamstring pull and did not get the chance to return kicks, presumably the reason the Bears got him.
  • Second-year right tackle Jordan Mills has been sidelined with a sore left foot (the same foot he had surgery on in January), but X-rays showed no structural damage.
  • For years the Bears’ special teams were the envy of the league under the command of Dave Taub (now in Kansas City), but the unit fell off last year under Joe DeCamillis, and Friday night was inauspicious to say the least, as the Bears had a field goal blocked, yielded a kick return score, were inconsistent punting and were called for multiple penalties.
  • Defensive end Trevor Scott, a darkhorse roster candidate, played well. Shea McClellin and Jon Bostic did not.

Here’s some more NFC North notes:

  • With Bennett suspended, Zach Miller raised eyebrows with six catches for 68 yards and a pair of scores, writes ESPN Chicago’s Jeff Dickerson. Miller’s career was derailed by injuries, but when healthy, he’s a capable receiving tight end. He’s on a one-year, $645k deal with the Bears.
  • In a team-issued release, the Vikings say nose tackle Linval Joseph‘s calf was struck by a bullett during a Minneapolis nightclub shooting last night. The team says Joseph was an innocent bystander, was treated and released from the hospital and will return to the team next week.
  • Former Bear Julius Peppers hasn’t made a splash yet in Packers camp, and ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wonders if the veteran is pacing himself or if there’s just not much left in the tank.
  • Myles White and Kevin Dorsey are the top candidates for the Packers’ fifth receiver job, says Robert Zizzo of the Press-Gazette.