HEADLINES

Margus Hunt

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/20

September 21st, 2020 at 6:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/20

September 12th, 2020 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves. Many of these roster decisions involve practice squad promotions. Under the new CBA, teams are permitted to promote two P-squad players without corresponding roster moves per week. Teams can carry 55 players on their rosters for game days and can have up to 48 active.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Promoted: RB Nathan Cottrell, TE Ben Ellefson

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Nate Brooks

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Saints Sign Anthony Chickillo, Margus Hunt To Practice Squad

September 6th, 2020 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two of the Saints’ most notable Saturday cuts will stay with the team. Both Anthony Chickillo and Margus Hunt opted to stay with New Orleans, joining the practice squad Sunday.

The Saints signed Chickillo, a five-year Steelers linebacker, and Hunt — a former first-round defensive lineman whom the Colts cut earlier this year — earlier this year. Each will represent a veteran slot on the Saints’ P-squad.

Teams are permitted, thanks to the COVID-19-altered rules, to carry six veterans of unlimited service time on their taxi squads this year. Here is New Orleans’ full squad:

Saints Cut Margus Hunt, Drop Roster To 53

September 5th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Saints moved their roster down to 53 players Saturday:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

  • RB Saquan Hamilton

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/suspended list:

The Saints made some notable cuts on their defensive line, dropping Edwards and Hunt. The former played with New Orleans last season, while the latter was an offseason addition. The Colts cut Hunt earlier this year, doing so after previously extending him. However, New Orleans does have Malcom Brown back and re-signed David Onyemata in March. The Saints are pursuing Jadeveon Clowney as well.
Alonso suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs last year. He will miss at least six games. The Saints signed Fowler over the summer. The former Broncos auxiliary receiver worked out with Drew Brees and Emmanuel Sanders during the pandemic-induced NFL hiatus.
Stevens, like most of the players cut Saturday, profiles as a practice squad candidate. The Saints became involved in a strange controversy over the seventh-round pick, whom the Panthers coveted. It will be interesting to see if Carolina submits a waiver claim on Stevens.

Saints Sign DL Margus Hunt

May 1st, 2020 at 5:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are adding Margus Hunt to their defensive line group. The team announced a deal with the recent Colts starter on Friday.

Hunt played the past three seasons with the Colts, starting 15 games for them in 2018 and earning a contract extension. However, after benching the defensive tackle in 2019, the Colts cut bait earlier this year.

Set for his age-33 season, the 2013 Bengals second-rounder has not lived up to that draft slot. The Estonian NFLer has just 7.5 career sacks — though he registered 5.0 in 2018 — and has only made 25 career starts.

While Hunt struggled in 2019, Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-40 defensive tackle in 2017 and placed him 51st a year later. The SMU product remains Division I-FBS’ career leader in blocked field goals with 10, owing this skill to a 6-foot-8 frame.

With the Saints, he profiles as a depth piece who will not be guaranteed a roster spot. New Orleans now has three former first-round defensive tackles on its depth chart, with Hunt joining Sheldon Rankins and Malcom Brown. The team recently extended David Onyemata on a lucrative deal as well. Former Raiders second-rounder Mario Edwards is also part of this high-profile interior defender contingent.

Colts To Release DL Margus Hunt

March 16th, 2020 at 10:03am CST by Sam Robinson

Margus Hunt‘s 2019 extension will only end up lasting one season. The Colts are releasing the veteran defensive lineman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Hunt has worked as a starter with Indianapolis over the past three seasons. He signed a two-year deal last March. The Colts helped the former first-round pick revive his career, after the Estonian talent sputtered with the Bengals.

This move will save the Colts $4MM, though it’s not like the team is in need of cap space. Indianapolis will again enter free agency loaded with offseason funds. The team is set to hold nearly $70MM in space. That figure is a tad down from the $100MM-plus mark of 2019, but the Colts have not been known as big spenders under current GM Chris Ballard.

Despite Hunt being a 2013 draftee, he is already 32 years old. After two productive seasons, he struggled in 2019. Pro Football Focus graded him outside the top 100 interior defenders last season.

Colts Re-Sign Margus Hunt

March 5th, 2019 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts re-signed defensive lineman Margus Hunt, according to a team announcement. Prior to the deal, Hunt was set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 13. It’s a two-year, $9MM deal that could be worth up to $10MM through incentives, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Hunt, 32 this summer, spent the first four years of his career with the Bengals. Then, in 2017, the former second-round pick joined the Colts as a free agent.

Hunt spent his first season as a spot starter and managed to make some noise. In 2018, he adjusted well to the team’s new 4-3 scheme and recorded career highs in tackles (30), tackles for loss (13), sacks (5.0). He also registered six quarterback hits, two passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Thanks in part to Hunt, the Colts’ defense improved in terms of both total defense and run defense.

“Margus is a unique guy inside because of his length,” Colts GM Chris Ballard said of Hunt in January. “Putting him at the three (technique) and the one (technique) it really kind of accentuated on what he is really good at. We were fortunate to have Margus.”

The Colts will also return key front seven players Denico Autry, Jabaal Sheard, Tyquan Lewis, and Kemoko Turay in 2019.

AFC Notes: Condo, Colts, Jets, Kendricks

July 17th, 2018 at 7:05pm CST by Ben Levine

Long snapper Jon Condo spent 12 years with the Raiders, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods along the way. However, the organization moved on from the 36-year-old this offseason, opting to roll with a younger alternative in Andrew DePaola.

While Condo may have 176 games under his belt, he isn’t planning on hanging up his cleats any time soon.

“I’m a free agent right now,” Condo told Mike Boytim of the Altoona Mirror. “My first year was 2005, so I’ve been in the league for 13 years. I’m happy with where I’m at, but I’m also hungry to get back out on the field. If a team comes calling, I’m definitely staying available and keeping in shape. I want to make myself ready for the opportunity.”

While Condo had a visit with the Texans earlier this offseason, he understands that his opportunities have essentially dried up. However, he’s still optimistic that a job could open up during the preseason.

“There’s definitely teams interested,” Condo said. “But with me being 36 years old, they want to give the reps to the younger guys. They know what I can do. If they want to see me, they can put on 12 years of film. I’ve spoken with my agent, and he told me a lot of teams are interested in me, but right now it’s a matter of someone getting hurt or a team losing confidence in their guy.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…

  • While Titans undrafted rookie wideout Deontay Burnett is talented, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes fellow undrafted receivers Jordan Veasy and Devin Ross were more impressive during OTAs. When asked which other undrafted rookies could crack Tennessee’s 53-man roster, Wyatt pointed to running back Akrum Wadley and linebacker Sharif Finch.
  • The Colts have a number of talented offensive and defensive linemen on their roster, and Kevin Bowen of 1070TheFan.com writes that the team will have to cut bait with some notable names. For instance, offensive lineman Le’Raven Clark and Jeremy Vujnovich could end up being on the chopping block, while defensive linemen Margus Hunt, Chris McCain, Hassan Ridgeway, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches are all fighting for limited roster spots.
  • The Jets signed linebacker Avery Williamson to a three-year, $22.5MM contract back in March, but Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that there’s no certainty he’ll be a three-down player. His former team, the Titans, would take Williamson out of the game during passing downs, but Jets head coach Todd Bowles has expressed optimism that the linebacker will remain on the field in all scenarios. While Costello doesn’t sound all too bullish on that sentiment, he does believe Williamson will end up being a primary pass rusher for his new team.
  • Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com lists Mychal Kendricks as the Browns‘ “key linebacker.” The 27-year-old sat out minicamp as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, but it shouldn’t take long for him to fit in with his new team, as he has the versatility to play any of the linebacker spots. Cabot writes that Kendricks will initially contribute as the “Will” linebacker, although that means he’s behind Christian Kirksey on the depth chart. “Being more in the box, run front, blitzing, covering backs and tight ends from the Will is what he’s done,” said linebackers coach Blake Williams. “That’s where he’ll definitely start out from the get-go to make sure that it’s as seamless a transition as possible. As he can take more, we can move him around more, but we want him to have confidence and success to start out with.”

Colts To Sign Margus Hunt

March 13th, 2017 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts hosted Margus Hunt on a visit today and saw enough to sign the edge player to a two-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Hunt saw action as a rotational player for the Bengals last season but never ascended to becoming a regular starter despite Cincinnati having invested a second-round pick in the 6-foot-8 Estonian. The lanky defender played 322 snaps for Cincinnati last season but hasn’t started a game yet as an NFLer.

An SMU product, Hunt has 1.5 career sacks. He profiles as outside pass-rushing depth for a Colts team that’s spent time rebuilding that area over the past few days. Indianapolis added Jabaal Sheard and John Simon to UFA deals late last week and also signed possible depth piece Barkevious Mingo to a one-year contract.

Hunt will transition from the Bengals’ 4-3 to the Colts’ 3-4, one that will have much younger presences on its edges in 2017 than it did previously. The Colts featured Robert Mathis, Erik Walden and Trent Cole as their primary outside linebackers last season. The latter two are free agents, and Mathis retired after the season. Walden is looking for a new team after announcing the Colts aren’t planning to bring him back.

AFC North Notes: Shazier, Smith, Hunt, Wilder

June 21st, 2014 at 9:02am CST by Matt Feminis

Steelers first-rounder Ryan Shazier looks like the “real deal,” according to Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com: “The Steelers knew Shazier was fast when they drafted him No. 1 from The Ohio State University. But since arriving on the South Side of Pittsburgh Shazier has gotten Maurkice Pouncey‘s attention with physicality in practice, stunned Bruce Gradkowski with leaping ability on the way to an interception and impressed Ben Roethlisberger as a potential defensive signal-caller someday. Shazier also has been running with the first-team defense since snap one of OTAs. He’ll still have to do it in pads this summer, but he created a consistent buzz this spring.”

Here’s a few more AFC North notes:

  • Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says veteran inside linebacker Daryl Smith, who re-signed for four years and $16MM, played at a high level last season, writes Garrett Downing on BaltimoreRavens.com. That means first-rounder C.J. Mosley and 2013 second-rounder Arthur Brown will compete for playing time next to Smith.
  • The Bengals have high expectations for 27-year-old, second-year Estonian defensive end Margus Hunt, writes Geoff Hobson on Bengals.com. A 2013 second-round project, Hunt is a “freakish,” 6-8, 291-pounder who might be ready to contribute at left end.
  • Bengals running back James Wilder Jr., an undrafted free agent out of Florida State, claims he broke a team conditioning record, but he’s on the outside looking in for now, says ESPN’s Coley Harvey.
  • Browns All-Pro Joe Haden is the latest to (delicately) express concern over Johnny Manziel’s partying ways (radio interview with 850 AM here), but says nothing Manziel is doing away from the team facility is negatively affecting his work. Haden merely suggests, “Just try to have fun without the whole world knowing.”