HEADLINES

Marcus Benard

Extra Points: Osweiler, Seahawks, Bills

August 17th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) explains, the Broncos have a pair of questions to answer in regard to Brock Osweiler. The first is whether the quarterback is capable of replacing Peyton Manning when the future Hall-of-Famer retires, and the second is whether the club will be able to retain Osweiler beyond the 2015 season.

According to Cole, John Elway and the Broncos decide they want to keep the young signal-caller around, they may try to work out a deal that’s heavy on incentives, meaning Osweiler would earn those bonuses if he eventually lands the starting job. However, it’s not clear yet if Denver would try to get something done with Osweiler in the next few weeks, or if the club is more inclined to wait until after the season to make its decision.

Let’s check out a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NFL….

  • With Tarvaris Jackson dealing with a sprained ankle, the Seahawks may add another quarterback to their roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Per Condotta, the club worked out a QB today, though that player has yet to be identified.
  • Having seen multiple players in their front seven go down injuries over the last few days, the Bills are bringing in several free agent defenders for workouts, according to Mike Rodak and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Per the ESPN report, defensive lineman Red Bryant and edge defenders Marcus Benard and Quentin Groves are auditioning for Buffalo.
  • Free agent running back Joe McKnight, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, has been fully cleared for all activities by foot/ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, tweets Caplan. McKnight worked out for the Texans recently, but didn’t sign with the team.
  • Peter King of TheMMQB.com covers a number of topics in his latest piece, listing Ahmad Bradshaw atop his list of the best available free agent running backs, and suggesting that new Bills DE IK Enemkpali will likely face at least a two-game suspension.
  • Colts head coach Chuck Pagano refuses to let his contract status be a distraction as he enters the final year of his deal, telling ESPN’s Mike Wells that he has “the best job in the entire world right now,” and his focus is on getting the most out of his team.
  • There were rumblings that the Falcons might consider re-signing linebacker Prince Shembo after his legal case was resolved, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the team decided to pass on bringing back the former fourth-round pick.

Minor Moves: Monday

October 6th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here….

  • The Packers will welcome back offensive lineman Jordan McCray on their practice squad, according to the FXFL’s Twitter account. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette (on Twitter) notes that the Packers had a spot open on the practice squad, so no corresponding move is necessary.
  • The Giants have promoted running back Michael Cox from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The move provides some backfield insurance, with Rashad Jennings expected to be sidelined through the team’s Week 8 bye.
  • After seeing another center go down with an injury, the Chargers are set to sign center Trevor Robinson off the Bengals’ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). San Diego opened up a roster spot today by placing Doug Legursky on the injured reserve list, as noted below.
  • The Rams have waived linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong, who had been a key contributor on the special teams unit, tweets Brian McIntyre.

Earlier updates:

  • Wideout Kevin Dorsey has been promoted to the Packers‘ 53-man roster from their practice squad, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Former Utah State defensive back Tay Glover-Wright is taking Dorsey’s spot on the taxi squad, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
  • The Saints have waived 2014 fourth-round pick Khairi Fortt, a source tells Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). It’s a somewhat surprising move, since Fortt hasn’t really had an opportunity to play yet, and his release won’t open up a roster spot, since the club had used its injured reserve/designated to return spot on him.
  • Safety Jakar Hamilton was activated today by the Cowboys, who waived linebacker Keith Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The team previously had a roster exemption for Hamilton, who missed the season’s first four weeks due to a suspension.
  • The Dolphins have made a series of moves, signing wide receiver Damian Williams to their 53-man roster and waiving running back Orleans Darkwa to make room (Twitter link). The team also announced that the roster exemption for previously-suspended safety Reshad Jones has been lifted, meaning he’s now officially a part of the 53-man roster (Twitter link).
  • Linebacker Marcus Benard has re-signed with the Cardinals, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was initially signed during John Abraham‘s absence from the team, and now takes the place of Matt Shaughnessy, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return today.
  • In a surprising transaction, the Packers have parted ways with tight end Ryan Taylor, who hasn’t been a huge part of the club’s passing game since being drafted in the seventh round in 2011, but has been with the team since then and contributed on special teams. Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has the details on the move, which brings the Packers’ roster count down to 52.
  • The Chargers have lost another center, announcing today (via Twitter) that Doug Legursky is heading to injured reserve with a knee injury. Longtime San Diego center Nick Hardwick was previously placed on IR with an injury of his own.
  • Cornerback Brandon Browner and wideout Brian Tyms are both being formally activated by the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). To make room for the duo, whose roster exemptions expire today, the Pats had to cut a pair of players — Shalisa Manza Young of the Boston Globe initially reported that defensive lineman Joe Vellano would be one of the two to go (Twitter link), and the team has since announced that defensive lineman Michael Buchanan is the other. Vellano has been waived, while Buchanan was placed on IR.
  • The Eagles have made a change to their practice squad, cutting wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and replacing him with safety Jordan Kovacs, the team announced today (Twitter link).
  • The Giants are releasing Trindon Holliday from IR, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The veteran kick returner was placed on IR in August with a hamstring injury.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

September 16th, 2014 at 4:34pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve devoted one Tuesday post to the practice squad shuffling being done by teams today, but many clubs around the league are also tweaking their 53-man rosters. We’ll round up a handful of those transactions right here, with new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

Earlier updates:

  • In addition to the moves noted below, the Bears have also promoted defensive back Isaiah Frey to their active roster from their practice squad, and cut running back Shaun Draughn, as well as tight end Matthew Mulligan (Twitter link). The series of transactions leaves the club with 52 players on its roster.
  • Former Vikings linebacker and special-teamer Larry Dean has signed with the Bills, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Dean, Buffalo placed safety Jonathan Meeks on injured reserve with a neck injury.
  • A week after placing tight end Tyler Eifert on IR with the designation to return, the Bengals have placed another tight end on injured reserve, and Alex Smith won’t be eligible to return the season (Twitter link). The team also announced that tight end Kevin Brock has been signed to take Smith’s roster spot.
  • The Bears have promoted practice-squad wideout Rashad Ross to the 53-man roster, cutting receiver and returner Chris Williams to clear room, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
  • Linebacker Dan Fox is set to be called up to the Giants‘ active roster from their practice squad, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, suggesting that placing Jon Beason on injured reserve may end up being the corresponding move.
  • The Colts announced in a press release that they’ve signed defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles off the Patriots‘ practice squad, waiving running back Dion Lewis to create roster space.

John Abraham’s NFL Career In Jeopardy

September 10th, 2014 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

After suffering a concussion during Monday night’s game against the Chargers, linebacker John Abraham has left the Cardinals, possibly for good, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to Schefter, Abraham is suffering from memory loss and has been for more than a year. Following his most recent concussion, the 36-year-old may not play in another NFL game.

Abraham, a Pro Bowler for Arizona last season, was late reporting to camp this year because he was reportedly in rehab after facing a DUI charge earlier in the offseason. There’s not necessarily a correlation between that incident and his reported memory loss, but the personal and health issues Abraham has faced within the last few weeks make it clear that football should be a secondary concern at the moment.

According to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter links), the Cardinals have received a roster exemption for Abraham, who will be replaced on the 53-man roster by Marcus Benard. The team will place Abraham on the reserve list, and he’ll have five days to return to the team, or else he won’t be eligible to play this season.

Although Abraham’s health should be the most important consideration, it’s worth noting that his absence is another significant blow for a Cardinals defense that already has lost Darnell Dockett to a season-ending injury, Daryl Washington to a year-long suspension, and Karlos Dansby in free agency.

Cardinals Cut Isaac Sopoaga, Marcus Benard

August 29th, 2014 at 8:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Two notable veterans are among the Cardinals’ latest wave of cuts, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (Twitter links) that defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga and linebacker Marcus Benard have been released by the team. The decisions suggest that new addition Tommy Kelly has impressed the Cardinals so far at defensive tackle, and that the club doesn’t feel like Benard has earned a spot on its linebacking corps even following Daryl Washington‘s year-long suspension.

Here are all of today’s Cardinals cuts, with any additional moves inserted into the list throughout the day:

Cardinals Sign Dwyer, Larsen, Benard

March 12th, 2014 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals made a couple of signings of Wednesday evening, inking running back Jonathan Dwyer to a one-year deal and offensive lineman Ted Larsen to a two-year deal. The team also re-signed linebacker Marcus Benard to a one-year deal. Darren Urban of azcardinals.com reported all of the signings (via Twitter).

The Cardinals add depth at running back with Dwyer after Rashard Mendenhall announced his retirement earlier this week. The 24-year-old had his best year in 2012 with the Steelers, running for 623 yards and two scores while also catching 18 balls for 106 yards. The former sixth-rounder was cut prior to the first game in 2013, but re-signed after LaRod Stephens-Howling went down with an injury. He went on to run for 197 yards on 49 carries. Dwyers reunites with Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who was Dwyer’s offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh from 2010-2011. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said the Steelers had no interest in bringing Dwyer back (via Twitter).

Larsen, 26, was drafted in the sixth-round by the Patriots in 2010. He played with the team as a guard during the preseason, but was waived by the team in September. The Buccaneers claimed the rookie, who went on to play 60 games for the team over four years. Larsen has played both guard and center during his career.

After not playing during the 2012 season, Benard caught on with the Cardinals last year. He appeared in 12 games with the team, compiling 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The 28-year-old had his best season with the Browns in 2010, when he had 7.5 sacks.

Contract Tenders: Dobbs, Lattimore, Bears

March 11th, 2014 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are expected to extend the restricted free agent tender to defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs and extend a tender to exclusive rights free agent Michael Wilhoite, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. We’ll keep track of the latest contract tenders here..

Extra Points: Franchise Tag, Pitta, Eagles

February 16th, 2014 at 4:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com compiled a list of players who could possibly be franchise-tagged, including three he labeled as “no-brainers” in Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, and Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes. The most intriguing note, however, is that the Browns might not franchise safety T.J. Ward because head coach Mike Pettine, formerly the defensive coordinator in Buffalo, may want Bills safety Jairus Byrd in Cleveland quarterbacking his defense. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimed in on Twitter with the same idea.

Other news from around the NFL: