Larry Webster

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/6/16

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Erle Ladson, OL (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal)

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Patrick Miller, OT (Twitter link via Wilson)

New York Giants

  • Louis Nix III, NT (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

San Francisco 49ers

  • Marcus Rush, LB (Twitter link via Wilson)

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

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 for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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

Lions Reach 53-Man Roster

The Lions slashed their roster to the 53-man regular-season limit and included a couple of notable names in their cuts.

Veteran defensive lineman Corey Wootton did not make the roster after joining the Lions this offseason. The 28-year-old made 22 starts for the Bears in 2012-13 before serving as a Vikings backup last season.

To make room for Zach Zenner and Tim Wright, respectively, Detroit waived George Winn and Joseph Fauria. After releasing former Boise State star Kellen Moore, the Lions also will go into a season with just two quarterbacks for the first time since 2009.

The remainder of Detroit’s cuts are as follows:

  • Al Bond, OL
  • Crezdon Butler, DB
  • Braxston Cave, OL
  • Jermelle Cudjo, DL
  • Kerry Hyder, DL
  • Emil Igwenagu, RB
  • Isaiah Johnson, DB
  • Joe Madsen, OL
  • Nate Ness, DB
  • Casey Pierce, TE
  • Xavier Proctor, OL
  • Jeremy Ross, WR
  • Greg Salas, WR (placed on IR)
  • Julian Stanford, LB
  • Brian Suite, DB
  • Larry Webster, DL
  • Torrian Wilson, OL
  • Jerel Worthy, DL

Extra Points: McCoy, Woodyard, Mosley, Smith

The Buccaneers and Gerald McCoy exchanged countless proposals and they have been working on a deal every week since before camp, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s a deal that both sides wanted and they got it done with a reported seven-year, $98MM extension earlier today.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL:

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

Draft Signings: Lions, Packers, Ravens, Vikes

Several dozen of this year’s draftees have already signed their contracts, and many more will do so today. Here’s the latest round of signings for mid-to-late-round draft picks:

  • The Lions have locked up a pair of draftees, signing fourth-round defensive end Larry Webster and seventh-round kicker Nate Freese, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Webster should receive a signing bonus worth a little over $300K, while Freese’ bonus will amount to about $59K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
  • Fourth-round linebacker Carl Bradford has signed his four-year deal with the Packers, the team announced today in a press release. Green Bay now has four of nine draft picks under contract.
  • The Ravens have agreed to terms with fourth-round running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Having come off the board just two picks after the Lions selected Webster, Taliaferro should be in line for an identical bonus of about $300K.
  • Fifth-round offensive lineman David Yankey has signed his contract with the Vikings, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Twitter). Yankey becomes the first of 10 Minnesota draft picks to ink his rookie deal.

Martin Mayhew On Lions’ Draft

Lions general manager Martin Mayhew spoke to the media after the NFL Draft to talk about the team’s draft strategy. He explained that his reason for not drafting a safety, thought to be a position of need, was a combination of being comfortable with the players they have already and the way the board fell, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN (via Twitter). Mayhew noted that the pick would have had to be an “impactful guy.”

Here are some other notes from the Lions’ draft class:

  • Mayhew said fourth-round pick Nevin Lawson’s “play speed” is better than he timed at the combine, according to Rothstein (via Twitter).
  • The team’s other fourth-round pick Larry Webster will line up at defensive end, writes Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called him a raw player.
  • The Lions’ fifth-round pick, T.J. Jones, will most likely project as a slot receiver, meaning he will be competing with Ryan Broyles for playing time, reports Rothstein (via Twitter). Mayhew called the Notre Dame pass catcher a “clutch” guy.
  • Mayhew noted that the team considered drafting the kicker, Nate Freese, in the sixth round, and was happy to be able to get him in the seventh, according to Rothstein (via Twitter). In Mayhew’s view, after spending his college career kicking outside in the elements at Boston College, Freese will be great in the NFC North, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).

NFC Notes: Orton, Draft Visits, Bears

Assuming Kyle Orton plans on playing out the final year of his contract in 2014, his salary will be decreased by $75K as a result of his missing the Cowboys‘ offseason workouts, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Taking into account Dallas’ recent additions of Brandon Weeden and Caleb Hanie, the offseason rumors about Orton’s potential retirement, and his absence from the workout program, the 31-year-old’s NFL future seems somewhat uncertain.

Here are a few more leftover Friday links from around the NFC:

  • Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) adds offensive lineman Joel Bitonio to the list of players who visited the Giants this week. We heard yesterday that the Dolphins, Panthers, and Buccaneers were among the teams who might be eyeing the Nevada lineman.
  • The Lions hosted their final three prospects today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, who has details on today’s visitors: Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, Eastern Illinois wide receiver Erik Lora, and Kent State running back Dri Archer.
  • In addition to having pre-draft visits with the Lions, Buccaneers, and Cardinals, as we heard last month, Bloomsburg defensive end Larry Webster worked out for the Cowboys, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
  • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune fields a slew of Bears-related questions on the team’s draft needs and Alshon Jeffery‘s contract situation, among other topics.
  • North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner, a potential late-round pick, visited the Vikings last week, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
  • In a series of tweets, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides the full list of seven prospects who participated in the Rams‘ local prospect day on Friday.

Extra Points: Bush, Dalton, Draft Visits

The Saints recently matched the Falcons‘ offer sheet for Rafael Bush, and as is the case with many offer sheets, the structure of the deal is a little unusual. There are no signing, workout, or roster bonuses on Bush’s two-year contract, which features base salaries of $1.85MM and $1.95MM, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. $850K of that first-year salary is fully guaranteed and $350K is deferred until March 31, 2015. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that Bush can also earn up to $750K in incentives if he makes the Pro Bowl and grabs a certain number of interceptions in 2015, so the deal can max out at $4.55MM.

Here’s more from across the NFL:

  • Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes an in-depth look at Andy Dalton’s contract situation and explores whether or not the Bengals should commit to paying him $15MM per year. Ultimately, Corry suggests that the team would be better off suspending negotiating with its quarterback for now.
  • The Steelers are hosting three players on pre-draft visits today, according to ESPN.com’s Scott Brown (via Twitter): Washington State safety Deone Bucannon, Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier and UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt.
  • Wyoming wide receiver Robert Herron met with the Saints yesterday and today on a pre-draft visit, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Herron reportedly worked out for the Panthers last week.
  • The Redskins are hosting Scott Crichton on a pre-draft visit, according to Rapoport, who notes (via Twitter) that the Oregon State defensive end has already worked out for the Patriots, Falcons, and Panthers.
  • Connecticut edge defender Jesse Joseph is among the players working out for the Eagles today, tweets Aaron Wilson.
  • Bloomsburg defensive end Larry Webster has several more visits on the docket in addition to the ones we heard about last month. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets that the Eagles, Jets, and Giants will meet with Webster, while the Chargers will work him out.
  • According to Pauline (via Twitter), Patriots offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo worked out Colorado State center Weston Richburg, who is likely to be a second-day pick.

Draft Notes: Manziel, Barr, Bucannon, Webster

As mentioned earlier today, the Browns were one of only two teams that weren’t in attendance for Texas A&M’s (or, realistically, Johnny Manziel‘s) Pro Day. This is interesting, considering the team has the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft and has been seeking a franchise quarterback for a very long time. Among those that believe the team will snag a quarterback in the first round is Brown’s wide receiver Josh Gordon. The All-Pro talent said that he was “pretty sure” that his team would select a quarterback, but Gordon did not initially mention Johnny Football. According to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com, the receiver instead brought up former UCF quarterback Blake Bortles or Louisville junior Teddy Bridgewater. Of course, Gordon eventually added Manziel to his list, saying the former Heisman winner would “seem to be the top guy on (his) list right now.”

A couple of other notes regarding some NFL prospects…

  • Former UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr will meet with the Cowboys, Falcons, Titans and Vikings, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com. The meeting with the Falcons is scheduled for this Saturday.
  • All-American safety Deone Bucannon will visit the Ravens today and tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The former Washington State Cougar would fit in nicely with a secondary that just lost veteran James Ihedigbo to the Lions.
  • Bloomsburg defender Larry Webster has a busy week ahead of him, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter). Webster has a visit and workout scheduled with the Lions, a workout scheduled with the Panthers, and visits set up with the Cardinals and Buccaneers.

Draft Rumors: Bishop, Webster, Archer, Carr

Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop is set to work out for the Dolphins, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Bishop, an All-Mid-American conference selection projected as a later-round draft pick, had 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception last season. Here’s the latest draft news..

  • The Lions are hosting defensive end Larry Webster for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Webster, who stands at 6’6″, 252 pounds, had 12.5 sacks for Bloomsburg University in 2013 and boasts a 4.58 second 40-yard-dash time.
  • Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter) spoke with Kent State running back Dri Archer, who says that he has workouts scheduled with the Dolphins, Patriots, Cardinals, and Colts.
  • Fresno State standout quarterback Derek Carr has met with Raiders, Titans, Vikings, and Browns since last night, tweets Marek Warszawski of the Fresno Bee (on Twitter). 
  • Stanford safety Ed Reynolds has meetings scheduled with the Lions and Falcons, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Reynolds has a 38-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash earlier today at his pro day.
  • The Giants will work out Maine outside linebacker/defensive end Michael Cole on April 10th, a league source tells Aaron Wilson. Cole had eight sacks last season and finished his career with 29 sacks, making him the all-time sack leader for the Black Bears.
  • One scouting director gave Albert Breer of NFL Network (Twitter link) a rundown of what he was looking for from Michael Sam today at the linebacker’s Pro Day. “He needs to show good movement in linebacker drills — Bend quickness and good feet and quickness in pass rush drills. Hopefully he is staying in good shape and not letting that go.”