Kyle Prater

NFL Workout Updates: 9/19/17

Today’s workout updates:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AFC Notes: Broncos, Colts, Jets, Browns

The NFL is continuing to investigate a June incident in which an intoxicated Aqib Talib accidentally shot himself in the leg, the league’s vice president of communications, Brian McCarthy, told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. The Broncos cornerback isn’t facing any legal ramifications – the Dallas Police Department wrapped up its investigation in October – but the league could nonetheless hit the first-team All-Pro with some form of punishment. The soon-to-be 31-year-old has multiple run-ins with the law to his name, which could factor into the league’s decision, notes Jhabvala.

More from the AFC:

  • Vikings assistant general manager George Paton‘s interview with the GM-needy Colts went “extremely well,” sources told Chris Hagan of FOX 59 (Twitter links). Paton has turned down as many as 10 opportunities to leave Minnesota’s front office in recent years, but he’d finally be willing to depart if the Colts were to offer him their GM job, according to Hagan. Of course, Paton’s also in the running for the GM role in San Francisco, where he’s a finalist for the position.
  • Thanks to head coach Gary Kubiak‘s retirement, the Broncos’ offense will transition from a zone blocking scheme to a blend of zone and power under new coordinator Mike McCoy and line coach Jeff Davidson, writes Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. That will, of course, play a role in how the Broncos repair a line that was a liability in 2016. The group is loaded with question marks, opines Wolfe, who contends that its only building block is center Matt Paradis.
  • In addition to the previously reported Aaron Murray, the Jets worked out free agent wide receivers Brian Tyms and Kyle Prater earlier this week, tweets Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com. Tyms, unlike Prater, has regular-season experience, having appeared in a combined 18 games with Miami, Cleveland and New England from 2012-14. The 27-year-old has amassed seven receptions and a touchdown in his career.
  • The Browns and senior player-personnel associate Ron Hill are mutually parting ways, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link). Hill, a longtime scout and executive with several teams, joined Cleveland in 2014 under then-GM Ray Farmer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The 49ers officially placed offensive lineman Anthony Davis on the exempt/left squad list after he retired yesterday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Davis no longer counts against San Francisco’s 53-man roster.
  • The Cardinals announced that they have released long snapper Kameron Canaday, placed tight end Troy Niklas on IR, and released safety Marqui Christian. Christian, a Midwestern State product, was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
  • The Giants announced that they have re-signed cornerback Michael Hunter. The club created a roster spot by placing Shane Vereen on injured reserve after he suffered a triceps injury.
  • The Bills waived kicker Jordan Gay, according to a team announcement. Gay is a kickoff specialist, and he’s never attempted a field goal during regular season action.
  • The Redskins are promoting offensive lineman Vinston Painter to the active roster, Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post tweets. Painter will add depth to the front five while left guard Shawn Lauvao deals with an injury.
  • The Panthers cut safety Marcus Ball, per Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Defensive end Ryan Delaire has been placed on IR with a knee injury. Carolina needed two roster spots for the newly-signed Michael Griffin and Kyle Love.
  • The Cowboys will sign offensive lineman Emmett Cleary following the long-term injury to guard La’el Collins, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
  • The Saints waived wide receiver Kyle Prater from injured reserve, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • Tackle Matt Pierson signed with the Texans, and the team cut cornerback Cleveland Wallace to make room, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter links).
  • The Bengals announced that they have signed cornerback Corey Tindal. The Marshall product initially joined the Bengals as a UDFA in May. Tindal should give the Bengals some extra depth in practice as they deal with injuries to their other corners.
  • The Saints announced that they have added UDFAs safety Jamal Golden and guard Jordan Walsh. In a corresponding move, the Saints waived defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil and waived/injured wide receiver Kyle Prater and safety Alden Darby.
  • The Ravens have signed running back Stephen Houston, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Ravens released punter Michael Palardy, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Jets waived defensive back Kendall James, who had been on the PUP list, with an injury designation, as Darryl Slater of NJ.com tweets. They signed running back Terry Williams to replace him.
  • The Steelers signed tight end Jake Phillips and cornerback Kevin White, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). To make room, the Steelers waived/injured tight end Mandel Dixon and wide receiver Shakim Phillips.
  • Former South Carolina defensive lineman Gerald Dixon Jr. is signing with the Cowboys, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
  • The Dolphins have waived wide receiver Tyler Murphy, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
  • The Redskins announced the signing of free agent offensive lineman Isaiah Williams, Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets.
  • The Bears are expected to sign veteran fullback Darrel Young, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Young is an experienced blocker in the zone scheme and also plays special teams.
  • Wide receiver Ryan Spadola has reverted to the Lions‘ IR after going unclaimed on waivers, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/2/16

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Bengals have signed former Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). After being cut by the Bills prior to the 2015 regular season, Hill spent some time on the Bears’, Dolphins’, and Saints’ practice squads.
  • Wide receiver Kyle Prater, who went undrafted last year out of Northwestern, has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Saints, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. (via Twitter). It’s Prater’s second stint in New Orleans — the Saints also signed him last spring, but waived him in August.

Workout Notes: Steelers, Bucs, Colts, Browns

British rugby player Tom Burgess has continued his wave of tryouts for NFL clubs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Burgess worked out for the Steelers today. Burgess, who’s also auditioned for the Giants, Jets, and Bills, could be line for a futures contract at the end of the season, following in the footsteps of fellow international star Jarryd Hayne.

Here’s at look at the rest of today’s workouts as clubs seek to get a feel for available free agents and update their emergency lists:

  • The Buccaneers worked out several players today, including linebacker Willie Jefferson, cornerback Garry Peters, defensive end Nordly Capi, and cornerback De’Vante Bausby, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Peters, a Clemson alum, was a favorite UDFA of several draftniks this spring.
  • Running back Daniel Thomas is searching for new opportunity after being released by the Bears earlier in the year, and he earned a tryout with the Colts today, per Wilson (on Twitter). Thomas, whose most notable time came with the Dolphins, could be an option for Indianapolis, who is looking to replace the injured Ahmad Bradshaw.
  • The Browns brought in three players for an audition, says Wilson (via Twitter), who reports that receivers R.J. Harris and Marcus Lucas, plus safety Phillip Thomas, worked out for Cleveland. A fourth player involved in the tryout — defensive back Tim Scott — was signed to the club’s practice squad yesterday.
  • A large group of receivers worked out for the Seahawks, including Rashaad Carter, Desmond Lawrence, Jordan Leslie, Colin Lockett, and Larry Pinkard, in addition to quarterback Dustin Vaughan, per Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Bears visited with receiver Kyle Prater, who was a Saints UDFA out of Northwestern earlier this year, according to Wilson (Twitter link). Prater, 23, was named the No. 1 receiver of the 2010 recruiting class.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/15

Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • Long snapper Nate Boyer, who took an unusual path to the NFL, has been waived by the Seahawks, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). With the newly-created roster spot, the Seahawks appear to have signed quarterback Jake Waters, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
  • The Steelers have reduced the number of quarterbacks on their roster by one, announcing today that they’ve cut Tajh Boyd, replacing him with wide receiver Jarrod West (Twitter link via Burt Lauten).
  • Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt, who tore his Achilles on Saturday, has been officially placed on injured reserve, the team announced today. To replace him, Minnesota signed former Giants tackle Stephen Goodin.
  • The Eagles‘ roster turnover at linebacker continues, as the team announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed former Southern Mississippi linebacker Dasman McCullum to replace Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, who has been waived/injured due to an ankle injury.
  • The Colts made a change to their wide receiver group, signing UDFA wideout L.T. Smith and waiving Tyler Rutenbeck, according to a team release.
  • Former Emporia State wide receiver Austin Willis has been waived by the Raiders, tweets Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com.
  • The Cardinals have a new body in their secondary, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who reports that safety Anthony Walters has signed a one-year deal with the club. Linebacker Zack Wagenmann, who broke his foot, has been waived/injured, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • More updates from Wilson: The Saints have cut receiver Kyle Prater and waived/injured defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil (Twitter link), the Jets have cut punter Jacob Schum (Twitter link), the Cowboys have cut cornerback Jason Wilson from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement (Twitter link), and the Steelers have removed running back Cameron Stingily from their IR with a settlement (Twitter link).

Minor Moves: Monday

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Buccaneers have signed safety Derrick Wells, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Lehigh, Florida native was one of the players in attendance for the team’s rookie mini-camp.
  • The Cowboys welcomed back fullback Tyler Clutts on a one-year deal and cut Jed Collins, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Clutts joined the Cowboys late in 2013 and played in every game last season, helping DeMarco Murray to an NFL-high 1,845 yards.
  • The Giants removed Thomas Gordon from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Patriots have said goodbye to Cameron Gordon and Devin Gardner, Wilson tweets. Gardner was a former quarterback at Michigan and was looking to transition to wide receiver in the NFL.
  • Washington signed linebacker Alonzo Highsmith while waiving Brey Cook, James Gayle, LaKendrick Ross, wide receiver Tyler Rutenbeck, and quarterback Connor Halliday, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Halliday’s release was just formality after he abruptly announced his retirement from football.
  • The Saints announced the signings of linebacker Henry Coley, kicker Zach Hocker, offensive lineman Antonio Johnson, wide receiver Josh Morgan, and wide receiver Kyle Prater, as Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Doniel Gambrell, guard Andrew Miller, and linebacker Stephon Sanders were shown the door while New Orleans waived/injured receiver Malcolme Kennedy (link).
  • The Titans announced (on Twitter) that they have agreed to terms with tight end Tevin Westbrook and outside linebacker Dezmond Johnson. Running back Lache Seastrunk and outside linebacker Dontay Moch were waived.
  • The Toronto Argonauts signed former NFL linebacker Brian Rolle, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rolle, 27 in November, was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. His last NFL gig was with the Steelers, who signed him on a futures/reserve contract in 2013. Meanwhile, the Argos said goodbye to wide receiver Mike Thomas and safety David Sims, who both have had multiple stops in the NFL (link).
  • Wide receiver/kick returner DeShon Foxx has agreed to terms with the Seahawks, accoridng to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers signed Mylan Hicks and Justin Renfrow, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Seahawks signed Earnest Pettway and Charles Tuauu, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Chiefs cut Curtis Feigt with a non-football injury designation, Wilson tweets.

Saints Sign Four Players, Waive One

4:42pm: The Saints have also signed linebacker Henry Coley, a UDFA from Virginia, tweets Woodbery.

3:47pm: Following the conclusion of their rookie minicamp, the Saints have made several transactions to the offseason roster, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (unless otherwise noted):

Signed:

Waived:

  • LB Stephon Sanders (link)

The 23-year-old Hocker is the only player listed with any sort of NFL history; he was drafted in the seventh round by Washington in 2014, and has since spent time on the Dolphins’ offseason roster before being waived last week. The other three players are 2015 UDFAs.

As Woodbery notes, the Saints’ roster now sits at 91, one more than the maximum allowed. As such, another transaction (either a waiving or a release) should be in the works.