HEADLINES

LaKendrick Ross

Minor Moves: Monday

May 18th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Zachary Links

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.

Minor Moves: Friday

January 2nd, 2015 at 5:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Wide receiver Damian Williams has signed a futures deal with the Rams, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). A former third-round pick, Williams spent some time on both St. Louis’ and Miami’s 53-man rosters this season.
  • Washington has signed strong safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith and nose tackle LaKendrick Ross to reserve/futures contracts, according to Zac Boyer of The Washington Times (via Twitter). Cromartie-Smith was with Washington in training camp, while Ross, whose signing was reported earlier in the week, worked out for the club late in the regular season.

Reserve/Futures Contracts: Monday

December 29th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Teams have been announcing their reserve/futures deals all day long, but not every club has made those pacts official. Here are the odds and ends from today as we await the full slate:

49ers

Bears

Broncos

Buccaneeers

Eagles

Falcons

Saints

Washington

  • Lakendrick Ross, DL (via ESPN 980 on Twitter)

Workout Updates: Tuesday

December 23rd, 2014 at 2:57pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s workouts here..

  • Cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke and former 49ers and Chiefs wide receiver Kyle Williams auditioned for the Titans, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Former Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis worked out for the 49ers on Monday, according to Caplan (via Twitter).
  • Defensive end Kenny Horsley auditioned for the 49ers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • The Titans worked out former rugby star Carlin Isles, quarterback Seth Lobato, Van Dyke, and Williams, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Ri’Shard Anderson was a part of the same workout and wound up getting signed to the taxi squad.
  • Washington worked out nose tackle Junior Aumavae, wide receivers Jamar Howard, Kemonte Bateman, Darius Reynolds, and Braylon Bell, quarterbacks Tajh Boyd, and Dominique Davis, defensive tackles John Drew, Lakendrick Ross, and Michael Brooks, and fullback Jordan Campbell, Wilson tweets. Washington also hosted linebacker James Gayle for a visit (link).
  • The Jaguars worked out defensive end Shawn Lemon and safety Ian Wild, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Broncos worked out punter Brock Miller, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Jets worked out wide receiver Joe Morgan, quarterback Bryn Renner, ex-CFL quarterback Eric Ward, wideout Greg Childs, quarterback Dominique Davis, linebacker Brandon Denmark, former Lions cornerback Aaron Hester, Wilson tweets.

Bengals Cut BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Others

August 29th, 2014 at 2:28pm CST by Luke Adams

2:28pm: In addition to releasing Green-Ellis, the Bengals have also cut three other players, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Coley Harvey of ESPN.com report (Twitter links). Quarterback Tyler Wilson, defensive tackle LaKendrick Ross, and linebacker Brandon Joiner have been waived by the team.

1:21pm: The Bengals have elected to part ways with the player who has been their primary running back for the last two seasons, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora reports (via Twitter) that the team will release veteran rusher BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Green-Ellis, 29, averaged over 900 rushing yards during his last two seasons in Cincinnati, but he also posted just 3.7 yards per carry, and ceded touches to explosive playmaker Giovani Bernard in 2013. With Bernard poised to assume a larger role in the offense, and with rookie running back Jeremy Hill now in the mix as well, Green-Ellis had become expendable.

Green-Ellis’ $3MM cap hit for the 2014 season included $500K in prorated bonus money and a $200K workout bonus, but the team will create $2.3MM in cap savings by cutting the veteran.

Minor Moves: Hagg, Giants, Pats, Cowboys

July 21st, 2014 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

After a quiet few weeks, roster moves around the NFL are picking up again, with most training camps just around the corner. We’ll track today’s minor moves here, including signings and cuts of players with no or little NFL experience. Here are the latest moves, with additional transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • Safety Eric Hagg has informed the Broncos he intends to retire, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Hagg, who appeared in 23 total games in two season with the Browns in 2011-12, had signed a futures contract with Denver earlier this year.
  • According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Giants have acted quickly to fill Chris Snee‘s roster spot, signing offensive lineman John Sullen, who auditioned for the team last month.
  • Former BYU defensive tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna, who was cut by the Giants last month has signed with the Patriots, according to a team release. The club waived Seali’i Epenesa to clear room on the 90-man roster for Manumaleuna.

Earlier updates:

  • Free agent wideout Dezmon Briscoe has signed with the Cowboys, according to agent Erik Burkhardt (via Twitter). Briscoe, who caught 35 passes for the Buccaneers in 2011, was waived-injured by the Redskins prior to the 2013 regular season. In order to sign Briscoe, the team waived defensive tackle Chris Whaley with a non-football injury designation, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.
  • The Bengals have maintained an opening on their 90-man roster, waiving rookie wideout Alex Neutz today, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).
  • The Chargers have waived center Nick McDonald, the team announced today (via Twitter). The offensive lineman had inked a reserve/futures contract with the club back in January.
  • With the newly-open roster spot, the Chargers will bring aboard Khalil Wilkes, a Stanford product who participated in the club’s minicamp in May. Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to terms with the undrafted center.
  • One of the players who went unselected in this month’s supplemental draft has found a home, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who reports that defensive tackle LaKendrick Ross is signing with the Bengals. Ross, who tried out for the Bengals today, had 11 teams attend his workout prior to that supplemental draft, though Cincinnati wasn’t among that list. The Bengals had an open roster spot already, so no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Ross aboard.

Extra Points: Dunbar, Bengals, McKnight, Bucs

July 20th, 2014 at 7:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Two central ideas are evident in the NFL as teams enter training camp, John Clayton of ESPN.com writes. First, offensive units are trying to run more plays per game than ever before. Perhaps due to the influence of Chip Kelly, Clayton can envision at least a half-dozen teams running over 70 plays per game next season. On defense, teams will have to react to the news that the league plans to call more pass defense penalties. Clubs like the Seahawks and the Patriots, who emphasize physicality in the secondary, might have to tone it down in order to avoid the ire of officials.

  • Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar was arrested and charged with battery and disorderly conduct after an incident at a Miami nightclub on Sunday, reports CBS Miami. Dunbar, an undrafted free agent in 2008, missed the first four games of the 2013 season after being suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
  • LakKendrick Ross, an undrafted free agent out Virginia-Lynchburg, will work out for the Bengals on Monday, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Ross was eligible for the supplemental draft, but was not selected.
  • Chiefs running back Joe McKnight had an offseason knee scope and is still recovering, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • The Buccaneers are pinning their hopes on a veteran, journeyman quarterback in Josh McCown, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, and history shows that isn’t the best decision. An ideal scenario entails McCown continuing his late-career revival à la Rich Gannon, continues Stroud.
  • Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times runs through the Seahawks’ 2013 draft class, and examines what each player drafted last year can contribute in 2014.
  • There are 10 players who will be crucial to the Bears’ success in 2014, opines Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, who lists Lance Briggs, Jared Allen, and Jordan Mills in that camp.

Latest On 2014 Supplemental Draft

July 9th, 2014 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place tomorrow at noon central time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who lists the four players eligible to be selected: New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton, Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross, SMU running back Traylon Shead, and UNC linebacker Darius Lipford. While we’d previously heard about the first three prospects, Lipford’s inclusion is new.

A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the supplemental draft were picked, and that may be the case again this year. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported yesterday that no teams he’d spoken to had a draftable grade on any players eligible to be selected this year.

Still, many teams are at least doing their due diligence on this year’s supplemental draft class. The Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans reportedly attended the workout for Ross, while the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch Shead work out.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Josh Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.

Latest On NFL Supplemental Draft

July 8th, 2014 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of prospects eligible for this month’s NFL supplemental draft recently held Pro Days, which were attended by a handful of teams, according to various reports. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears from agent Louis Bing that the Cowboys, Texans, Packers, Colts, Lions, Giants, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bears were in attendance to watch SMU running back Traylon Shead work out. Meanwhile, according to NFLDraftDiamonds.com (via PFT), the Bears, Cardinals, Chiefs, Colts, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, and Texans attended the workout for former Virginia-Lynchburg defensive lineman LaKendrick Ross.

As Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report wrote last month when he previewed 2014’s supplemental draft, it doesn’t project to be too exciting an affair, with Shead, Ross, and New Mexico wideout Chase Clayton among the players eligible. A year ago, none of the six players eligible for the 2013 supplemental draft were selected, and it looks like this year’s crop of players won’t warrant more than late-round picks, if they’re taken at all.

The supplemental draft is intended to accommodate players who missed the deadline for May’s NFL draft or were declared ineligible for another reason. In some cases, players eligible for the supplemental draft land there as a result of being declared academically ineligible in the NCAA, or being kicked off of a team — this helps to explain why some of the more notable players selected in recent supplemental drafts – such as Josh Brent and Josh Gordon – have had off-field concerns.

If a team wants to select a player in the supplemental draft, it must let the league know the round in which it’s willing to select that player. The club which submits the highest round will receive the player and forfeit a 2015 draft pick in that same round. For instance, when the Browns used a second-round supplemental choice on Gordon in 2012, it meant that the team lost its second-round pick for the 2013 draft.