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Mario Alford

NFL Workout Updates: 9/23/16

September 23rd, 2016 at 5:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As the NFL enters Week 3, clubs continue to audition players with an eye towards updating their emergency lists. Here are the latest workout notes from around the league:

  • Two running backs (Zac Brooks and Gus Johnson) and three receivers (Mario Alford, Kenny Bell and Cayleb Jones) auditioned for the Browns on Friday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter links). The only member of the quintet with game experience is Alford, who saw action in one contest with the Bengals as a seventh-round rookie last year and caught a single pass.
  • Running back Kenny Hilliard will try out for the Seahawks on Monday, tweets Wilson. Hilliard, formerly of LSU, went to Houston in the seventh round of last year’s draft. Hilliard didn’t garner any experience as a rookie with the Texans, who cut him Sept. 2.
  • Cornerback Tye Smith and guard Darrelle Greene worked out for the Jets on Friday, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Smith, whom the Seahawks chose in the fifth round of last year’s draft, appeared in four games as a rookie. Seattle cut him from its practice squad Tuesday. Greene was previously with the Eagles, who axed him from their practice squad Wednesday.

Workout Notes: Jets, Browns, Saints, Colts

September 20th, 2016 at 7:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Tuesday’s workouts from around the NFL:

  • The Jets auditioned former Tampa Bay and Notre Dame safety Elijah Shumate, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter), and outside linebacker Ivan McLennan (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com). They also tried out wide receiver Mario Alford and safety Shamiel Gary, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
  • Veteran guard Mackenzy Bernadeau worked out for the Browns, as Caplan tweets.
  • The Saints took a look at tackles Robert Crisp and Reid Fragel, according to a source who spoke with Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter).
  • Outside linebacker Andy Mulumba and cornerback Corey Tindal worked out for the Colts, Caplan tweets.
  • The Packers auditioned linebacker Brandon Chubb, per Caplan (Twitter link).
  • The Titans tried out ex-Green Bay running back Brandon Burks and former Navy fullback Chris Swain today, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets.
  • The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Lenny Jones and defensive end Ryan Russell, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
  • The Seahawks auditioned running back Kerwynn Williams, outside linebacker Cam Johnson, and cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Demetrius McCray, Caplan tweets.

Bengals Bring Roster To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are now in roster compliance, having brought their roster to 53. The following players have been cut:

Additionally, DT Marcus Hardison was placed on injured reserve and WR Mario Alford was waived with an injury settlement, tweets Owcazrski.

Kumerow had been fighting for a reserve wide receiver spot on a Cincinnati club that lost several of its pass-catchers over the offseason. And though he offers special teams value, Kumerow wasn’t able to beat out the likes of Cody Core and Alex Erickson to join a depth chart that includes A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd, and Brandon LaFell.

On Friday, the Bengals released safety Jimmy Wilson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/16

August 31st, 2016 at 8:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Wide receiver Mario Alford cleared waivers and will revert to the Bengals‘ IR, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Recently cut tight end Ryan Malleck will revert to the Giants‘ IR after clearing waivers, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports (on Twitter).
  • Continuing a busy day for their secondary, the Saints waived/injured rookie DB Jimmy Pruitt, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports (on Twitter).
  • The Saints also moved cornerback Damian Swann to IR, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports. A second-year cornerback who played in seven games with New Orleans last season and started two, Swann went down with an undisclosed injury this month. Paul Kruger will take his roster spot after signing today. This strips another corner from the Saints’ depth chart due to injury; the team recently cut Keenan Lewis, who remains unsigned.
  • The Bills announced that they have signed linebacker Ramon Humber. To make room, the team relased kickoff specialist Jordan Gay. Humber, 29, was cut loose by New England on Tuesday. Humber was a favorite of Bills assistant head coach Rob Ryan when he served as the defensive coordinator in New Orleans.
  • The Bills also made a successful claim for third-year center Patrick Lewis on waivers, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (on Twitter). To make room, the team waived offensive lineman Jamison Lalk, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. Seattle waived Lewis on Tuesday in trimming its roster down to 75 players. This comes two days after the Seahawks attempted to trade Lewis but evidently found no one willing to part with the kind of capital they preferred. The Bills, who occupied the 19th position in the waiver order, landed Lewis without parting with any draft picks and potentially added an interior-line backup for Eric Wood. Lewis started 13 games for the Seahawks over the past two seasons but saw Justin Britt‘s move to center push him out of a job. The Bills are the second team to claim the 2014 UDFA on waivers, doing so after the Seahawks added him by this measure when the Browns waived him.
  • The Falcons re-signed fullback Will Ratelle and placed wide receiver Devin Fuller on IR, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Fuller, a seventh-round pick, will undergo surgery after suffering a shoulder injury against the Dolphins on Thursday.
  • The Jaguars announce they have waived/injured wide receiver Tony Washington, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The 49ers waived undrafted rookie DB Jered Bell from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Bengals Cut Brandon Tate, Roster At 75

August 30th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals have released wide receiver Brandon Tate, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and they’ve also waived fellow WR Mario Alford with an injury designation, per Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Additionally, Cincinnati has placed rookie defensive tackle Andrew Billings on injured reserve and fellow DT Brandon Thompson on PUP. The club’s roster is now at 75.Brandon Tate (Vertical)

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Tate, 28, has been on Cincinnati’s roster since the 2011 season, but most of his contributions have come on special teams rather than on offense. He’s returned more than 350 kicks and punts during his time with the Bengals, averaging 9.6 yards per return on kickoffs and 24.6 yards on punts. Tate is highly-respected by the Cincinnati coaching staff and front office, and Rapoport notes that the club released him now so that he might be able to latch on with another club.

Alford, meanwhile, was thought to be contending for both returner jobs, but injuries have kept him off the field. The former sixth-round pick will revert to the Bengals’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.

The Bengals also released kicker Jon Brown from the injured reserve list, presumably with an injury settlement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bengals Sign Terrelle Pryor, Four Others

May 10th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Following his release from the Chiefs last week, former Ohio State standout Terrelle Pryor has landed with the Bengals, who also announced the signing of four more players:

  • Mario Alford, WR
  • Erick Dargan, DB
  • John Peters, TE
  • Kalafitoni Pole, DT

The 25-year-old Pryor is obviously the biggest name in the group, and now he’ll compete to be Cincinnati’s backup quarterback behind starter Andy Dalton. Pryor, who tried out for the Bengals on Friday during the club’s rookie minicamp, hasn’t appeared in a NFL game since 2013, when he started nine games for the Raiders. Jason Campbell, the Bengals’ No. 2 QB last season, remains unsigned, so Pryor will compete with 2014 draft pick A.J. McCarron for the backup position.

While three of the players listed above are undrafted free agents, Alford was selected by the Bengals in the seventh round of last week’s draft. The West Virginia product, who will compete to act as a reserve receiver while also angling for time on special teams, should be in line for a four-year deal worth about $2.34MM, according to Over the Cap’s rookie pool estimates.

In addition to today’s signings, Cincinnati also released tight end Kevin Brock, who appeared in 14 games for the club last season.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

South Notes: Bucs, Blackmon, Wisniewski

April 24th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers aren’t expected to trade the No. 1 pick, but that hasn’t stopped teams from asking, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes.

“It’s fair to assume someone is going to have to make a really good offer, yeah,” Bucs GM Jason Licht said. “And this time of year you get a lot of calls every day. Not making offers but just throwing, gauging your interest of if you would be open to it or not. And that will continue. But it would have to be an offer that makes this franchise, that sets this franchise even further ahead than what you thought you were going to with the decision you made.”

As the Bucs continue to mull their options for that first overall pick, let’s check in on some more notes from around the league’s two South divisions….

  • Asked by a reader about Justin Blackmon‘s future with the Jaguars, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union suggests the wideout is “done-zo” in Jacksonville. It’s a response to a chat question rather than the subject of an actual report, but O’Halloran, who views Amari Cooper as a strong option for the Jags at No. 3 overall, sounds pretty confident that Blackmon won’t play another game for the franchise.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post has the details on Stefen Wisniewski‘s one-year deal with the Jaguars, tweeting that the veteran center will earn a $1.25MM base salary to go along with a $500K signing bonus. The contract also features $250K in per-game roster bonuses, $500K in playing-time incentives, and an injury waiver.
  • West Virginia wide receiver Mario Alford, one of the fastest players in this year’s draft class, visited and worked out privately for the Falcons, according to Wilson. Wilson adds that NFL teams have primarily been working out Alford as a slot receiver, even though he mostly played outside at WVU.

Zach Links contributed to this post.