HEADLINES

Lance Lewis

Saints Claim Sammy Seamster Off Waivers

September 1st, 2015 at 3:32pm CST by Zachary Links

5:35pm: After trading Jalen Saunders to the Patriots, the Saints had 14 players to shed prior to today’s deadline. They got the job done and we have the full list of moves, courtesy of The Times-Picayune’s Evan Woodbery.

Claimed Off Waivers:

  • Sammy Seamster, CB (waived by Dolphins)

Released:

  • Erik Lorig, FB

Waived:

  • Antonio Johnson, OL
  • Lance Lewis, WR
  • Ronald Powell, LB
  • Markus Pierce-Brewster, DE
  • Nick Toon, WR
  • Terrence Frederick, CB
  • R.J. Harris, WR
  • Chris Young, LB
  • David Hunter, DT
  • Cole Manhart, OL

Waived/Injured:

  • Vinnie Sunseri, S

Placed on IR:

  • Anthony Spencer, OLB
  • P.J. Williams, CB

3:32pm: The Saints have waived defensive tackle David Hunter and linebacker Chris Young, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links). In addition to those moves, New Orleans has waived wide receiver Nick Toon, undrafted rookie receiver R.J. Harris, cornerback Terrence Frederick, (via Twitter links).

Hunter and Young were brought in as a camp fill-ins after the Saints suffered multiple injuries in their first preseason game. Weeks later, it’s not a huge surprise to see both players let go.

49ers Sign Philip Wheeler

April 30th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers announced that they have signed linebacker Philip Wheeler. In related moves, the team also released wide receiver Trindon Holliday and waived guard Fou Fonoti and wide receiver Lance Lewis.

Wheeler, 30, has spent time with the Colts, Raiders, and Dolphins over the course of his seven-year career. In total, he has played in 108 games (60 starts) and has registered 455 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2013 with the Dolphins, he led the team with a career-high 118 tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Wheeler as the 18th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 set last season, giving him an overall grade of 2.6.

Holiday, a kick return specialist, appeared in the team’s season finale against the Cardinals and returned three kickoffs for 83 yards. Fonoti never saw the field for the Niners after being placed on IR in late July. Lewis, meanwhile, spent the 2014 season on SF’s taxi squad before signing a reserve/future deal in December 2014.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

December 30th, 2014 at 10:10pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL right here, including transactions by teams still in the playoffs as well as clubs looking ahead to next year:

10:10pm:

  • The Lions have signed TE Ifeanyi Momah to a 2015 reserve/future contract, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).

3:57pm:

  • The Chiefs signed former Seahawks tailback Spencer Ware, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
  • Jets quarterback Matt Simms reworked his contract today to avoid becoming an exclusive rights free agent in 2015, according to a team release. The club also added kicker Andrew Furney and running back Daryl Richardson on reserve/futures deals, in addition to the six players whose reserve contracts we heard about yesterday.
  • In addition to confirming reserve/futures contracts for Garrison Smith and Chris Martin, as was reported yesterday, the 49ers announced in a press release that they’ve signed running back Kendall Gaskins, tight end Xavier Grimble, wide receiver Lance Lewis. All five players finished the season on San Francisco’s practice squad.
  • Running back Terrance Cobb announced (via Twitter) that he has signed a futures deal with the Raiders. Cobb initially signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie in May, and was cut in the preseason.
  • The Bears may not have a head coach or GM, but they’re still adding players to their roster — Chicago signed defensive end Jamil Merrell to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • Former Canisius College basketball player Chris Manhertz announced (via Instagram) that he has signed a contract with the Bills. According to Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (via Twitter), the ex-hoopster projects as a tight end. The Bills have since confirmed the signing of Manhertz, and announced a deal for fullback Corey Knox as well.

2:19pm:

  • Offensive tackle Justin Renfrow has been released from the Packers‘ practice squad, creating an opening on the unit, according to the team.
  • The Steelers have also made a change to their taxi squad, signing wide receiver Tim Benford and releasing cornerback Jordan Sullen, per Burt Lauten (via Twitter). The addition of Benford provides some insurance for the receiving corps, after the team cut wideout Justin Brown from its active roster today.
  • The Browns signed a pair of kickers, Travis Coons and Carey Spear, to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced today, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). The two kickers join seven other players who signed futures deals yesterday with Cleveland.
  • The Jaguars have signed offensive lineman Cody Booth, tight end Marcel Jensen, defensive back Peyton Thompson, and wide receiver Tony Washington to reserve/futures contracts, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. All four players spent time on the club’s practice squad this season.
  • The Saints signed five more players to reserve/futures deals, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune, who lists running back Edwin Baker, kicker Dustin Hopkins, tight end Orson Charles, and offensive linemen Mike Brewster and Andrew Miller as the latest recepients. We learned yesterday that the club also signed wideout Willie Snead and fullback Toben Opurum to futures contracts.

Sunday Transactions: NFC West

August 31st, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West 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 West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals:

San Francisco 49ers:

Seattle Seahawks:

  • Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Jimmy Staten, DT (Staten on Twitter), RaShaun Allen, TE; Demitrius Bronson, RB; B.J. Daniels, QB; Nate Isles, OT; Chris Matthews, WR; Terrance Parks, S; Steven Terrell, S.

St. Louis Rams:

49ers Trim Roster Down To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 5:45pm CST by Luke Adams

5:45pm: The 49ers have officially set their 53-man roster, announcing the moves in a press release. Earlier, we learned that the team cut ways with 13 players, and we now have the other six players that have been released:

Released:

Placed on injured reserve:

It was previously reported that Tukuafu was released, but it appears that the former Oregon Duck will stick around on the team’s IR.

1:47pm: The 49ers are whittling their roster down to 53 players, and have cut the following players so far, according to various reports:

49ers Notes: Boone, Looney, Borland

August 10th, 2014 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

We learned several days ago that some teams have expressed an interest in trading for 49ers’ holdout Alex Boone. Boone has stated that he will not report to camp until he has a new deal, but San Francisco has stood by its policy of not negotiating a contract with a player until that player shows up. In a video post, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says that other teams have not yet spoken directly with the 49ers about the possibility of acquiring Boone.

Although these impasses have a tendency of working themselves out and often result in new contracts or some other resolution that allows both parties to publicly reconcile, the demand for quality linemen like Boone may make the 49ers think twice. If a team like the Giants become desperate enough–and they are already deeply concerned with the development and chemistry of their remade offensive line–the 49ers would have to give serious thought to a potential trade.

Now for some more 49ers notes:

  • Joe Looney, who is currently filling in for Boone, scored a -0.7 grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance in the team’s preseason opener against Baltimore, observes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Barrows notes that Looney “appeared to come out of his stance too soon and lose his balance.”
  • According to Barrows, the right side of the 49ers’ offensive line, which included Looney at right guard and Jonathan Martin at right tackle, was weaker than the left side in the first preseason game, but they were not horrible, and head coach Jim Harbaugh noted that there were a number of correctable issues. Given those comments, it looks as though the team may wait another couple of weeks before making a decision on Boone.
  • In a separate article, Barrows notes that the 49ers are a little thin along the defensive line after losing Lawrence Okoye to an ankle injury on Thursday, but “reinforcements” in the form of Justin Smith and Ray McDonald should be returning shortly.
  • Barrows also notes that rookies Marcus Martin and Aaron Lynch had their first full practice on Saturday.
  • Rookie linebacker Chris Borland, who is fighting to replace the injured NaVorro Bowman in the first half of the season, said he had an “up and down” performance against Baltimore on Thursday, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes. Borland said he is hoping to improve his pre-snap work in the team’s second preseason game against Denver next week.
  • In a different post, Williamson points out that recently-signed wideout Lance Lewis is likely just an “August body” and will probably be released once Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd are fully healthy.
    Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/10/6618154/looney-vows-to-improve-while-boone.html#storylink=cpy.”

Minor Moves: Saturday

August 9th, 2014 at 9:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

You can find Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL below, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening….

  • The Falcons have signed linebacker Darin Drakeford, according to the team’s official Twitter account. The team waived kicker Sergio Castillo to make room for the signing.
  • The Cowboys will place running back Ben Malena on the waived/injured list, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The team then signed running back D.J. Adams, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter). The Cowboys also released punter Cody Mandell and will look to sign a kicker to replace him, reports Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
  • The Redskins have signed safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Smith is the younger brother of former fullback Terrelle Smith and is cousins with both the Cardinals’ corner Antonio Cromartie and Giants’ corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The team waived cornerback Peyton Thompson to make room for Smith, reports Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter).
  • The Bengals have announced that they have signed quarterback Tyler Wilson, according to the team’s official Twitter account. Wilson was recently waived by the Titans, reports Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

  • The Chargers announced they have signed linebacker Victor Aiyewa to replace Alvin Scioneaux, who suffered a torn ACL. Aiyewa, 25, saw limited action in five games for the Packers last season. Scioneaux, an undrafted free agent from Wofford, will be placed on IR if he clears waivers.
  • The 49ers have waived injured receiver Chuck Jacobs (ACL), and signed receiver Lance Lewis (Twitter link). Lewis went undrafted out of East Carolina in 2012. He appeared in three games for the Redskins last year, and was released by the Cowboys in May.
  • The Chiefs waived Dezman Moses, a third-year linebacker, and replaced him with linebacker Devan Walker, a Southeast Louisiana product who was waived with an injury settlement by the Chargers before last season (Twitter link).

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Seahawks, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs

May 12th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With teams adding draft picks and undrafted free agents, cuts may have to be made in order to clear spots on 90-man rosters for the new arrivals. We can expect those cuts to dominate today’s list of minor transactions. Here are the latest moves, with updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

Earlier updates:

  • The Colts have waived four players, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter): Linebacker Alan Baxter, fullback Stephen Cambell, tight end Martell Webb, and kicker Carson Wiggs.
  • Wideout Rashad Ross has been waived by the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • After adding a quarterback (A.J. McCarron) in the draft, the Bengals have released Josh Johnson, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins have also parted ways with a quarterback, cutting Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers, the team announced today (via Twitter). In addition to Rodgers, wide receiver Michael Rios was also waived.
  • The Bills have released running back Anthony Allen, according to a team release. Allen had signed a futures contract with the club in January.
  • The Bills are waiving offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Johnson-Webb spent some time on Buffalo’s practice squad last season and signed a futures contract with the club after the season.
  • The Chiefs are cutting fullback Eric Kettani, according to Wilson. Like Johnson-Webb, Kettani didn’t actually see any playing time for his club, having signed a futures contract following the 2013 season. Wilson notes that the Navy product is expected to draw some interest in free agency, however.
  • Defensive back Charles Mitchell has been waived by the Broncos, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former Falcon didn’t appear in a regular season game for Denver.