HEADLINES

Matt Wile

Falcons To Promote P Matt Wile

September 20th, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons will have a new punter in Week 3. Shortly after signing Matt Wile to their practice squad, the Falcons will elevate him to their active roster.

With Matt Bosher declared out with a groin injury, Atlanta’s roster will carry two punters for the time being. Wile is set to handle the team’s punting and kickoff duties in Indianapolis and may be in line to stay in those roles for as long as Bosher is sidelined.

This will mark Wile’s second game as a Falcon, however. His first NFL game was a November 2016 assignment with the Falcons, when he also replaced Bosher. The latter has been Atlanta’s full-time punter since the 2011 season.

The Vikings waived Wile days before the regular season, opting to sign veteran Britton Colquitt. Wile was Minnesota’s punter for 16 games last season; he finished 14th in 2018 yards per punt (45.2).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/19

September 17th, 2019 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: TE Donald Parham
  • Cut: TE Drew Belcher

NFL Workout Updates: 9/7/19

September 7th, 2019 at 9:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve got another big batch of workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter).

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Texans could be looking for specialist help, as they worked out a pair of punters and a longsnapper. Boddy-Calhoun, who worked out for the Vikings, is probably the biggest name on this list. He started at least seven games for the Browns each of the past three seasons, but was released by Houston at final cuts.

Texans Work Out Ryan Allen, Matt Wile

September 6th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots and Vikings went in different directions at punter, with the defending Super Bowl champions drafting one and Minnesota signing Britton Colquitt after waivers. That left Ryan Allen and Matt Wile looking for work. Both veterans worked out for the Texans this week, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Houston, as of now, is going into a second season with Trevor Daniel as its punter. The Texans went with Daniel, a 2018 UDFA out of Tennessee, as their punter over all-time great Shane Lechler. Daniel ranked 29th in yards per punt last season (43.2).

Allen (16th in 2018 yards per punt, 45.1) spent six years as New England’s punter, his last game proving to be arguably his most important — a five-punt Super Bowl LIII assignment. Three of Allen’s Super Bowl boots landed inside the Rams’ 10-yard line. However, the Pats went with fifth-round rookie Jake Bailey (and a cheaper salary).

Wile was the Vikings’ punter for 16 games last season; he finished 14th in 2018 yards per punt (45.2). It was his first full-time NFL gig. While the Vikings traded for possible dual-threat specialist Kaare Vedvik, they cut him but added Colquitt a day after Wile initially won the job.

Vikings To Sign Britton Colquitt, Cut Matt Wile

September 1st, 2019 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

More Vikings special teams maneuvering. They are signing veteran punter Britton Colquitt and cutting incumbent Matt Wile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Wile and Dan Bailey survived Minnesota’s initial cuts, despite dual-threat punter Kaare Vedvik‘s arrival, but Wile will lose his roster spot to the more experienced Colquitt. Colquitt had been with the Browns, but he lost out to undrafted rookie Jamie Gillan, aka “The Scottish Hammer.” Minnesota traded a fifth-round pick for Vedvik a couple weeks ago, but ended up cutting him after he struggled in the preseason.

A Michigan product, Wile entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2015. Four games split between the Cardinals and Falcons in 2016 had been his only regular season action, until he won the Vikings’ job last year. He punted in all 16 games for Minnesota in 2018, but clearly didn’t make that strong of an impression. Colquitt has plenty of experience, having served as the Broncos’ punter for six years and winning Super Bowl 50 with them. He’s spent each of the past three years with Cleveland.

Latest On Vikings’ Kicking Situation

August 14th, 2019 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Parks

There is still not much clarity on the Vikings’ kicking situation, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune observes. Minnesota, of course, traded a fifth-round pick for Kaare Vedvik on Sunday, which suggests that he is a near lock to make the team. However, kicker Dan Bailey and punter Matt Wile remain on the roster, and head coach Mike Zimmer hasn’t tipped his hand just yet.

As was reported when the Vikings acquired Vedvik, the team could deploy him as both a punter and kicker. Zimmer said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, “[y]eah, if he’s good enough, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But I don’t know. Again, I think everything is a possibility at this point.”

All three players are expected to see action in Minnesota’s second preseason contest on Sunday. Bailey has responded well to the increased pressure from Vedvik, as he nailed all seven of his attempts in Tuesday’s practice, including a 54-yarder. That was the first time he had been perfect in drills since training camp opened.

Wile, the team’s ordinary holder, cannot serve in that capacity for the time being, as he sliced his left thumb during last week’s preseason opener. But Goessling suggests that Wile’s progress as a holder could ultimately determine whether he makes the 53-man roster.

Again, it seems unlikely that Vedvik will be cut, but Bailey’s and Wile’s fates are still very much up in the air.

NFC Notes: Eagles, McCoy, Vikings, Cardinals

June 10th, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Following Joe Douglas‘s move to the Jets, Andy Weidl has been leading the Eagles‘ scouting department as the director of player personnel, tweets Geoff Mosher of 97.3 ESPN in Jersey. Weidl previously served as Philly’s assistant director of player personnel.

It’s unclear whether Weidl’s new role is on an interim basis or permanent, but it’s obviously that the executive is prepared to take on a bigger role. Further complicating matters is the fact that Weidl could end up joining Douglas in New York.

Lets check out some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy missed his team’s minicamp as he recovered from a leg injury. However, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington observed that the veteran continued to work with tight end Jordan Reed during the sessions, and the team believes McCoy will be fully ready for training camp. The 32-year-old will be competing with Case Keenum and rookie Dwayne Haskins for a starting gig, and perhaps partly due to McCoy’s injury, the head coach has yet to make a decision on who will be the starter. “For me to make a determination on the starting quarterback after minicamp or mandatory camp is just kind of foolish,” Jay Gruden said. “We’ll let these guys continue to play and see which one continues to improve, which one is most consistent throughout the training camp and preseason and we’ll go from there.”
  • The Vikings have a number of competitions on their hands, according to Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. Three-year veteran Kevin McDermott and rookie seventh-rounder Austin Cutting will be going head-to-head for long snapping duties, with only one of the two presumably in line to make the final roster. Meanwhile, the team is expected to host free agent punters Justin Vogel, Shane Tripucka, and “at least one other” on Wednesday. The Vikings are hoping to provide incumbent punter Matt Wile, who struggled as a holder last season, with competition.
  • Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune points to wide receiver as another position battle for the Vikings, as the coaching staff is looking for someone to emerge behind Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The team has tried out a number of players in their three-receiver package, including Laquon Treadwell, Jordan Taylor, and Chad Beebe. Rookie Olabisi Johnson and former CFL player Brandon Zylstra also have a chance to play a role.
  • Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley missed the entire 2018 season after suffering a torn ACL, allowing rookie Mason Cole to start all 16 games. Now, heading into 2019, both players are vying for that starting spot, and the veteran player isn’t willing to concede to his younger teammate. “Competition? Is there a competition?” Shipley asked Katherine Fitzgerald of the Arizona Republic. “I don’t know, you guys tell me. That’s what you keep saying. I’m going in as I’ve got over 100 games played in the NFL, so if they want to give it to someone else, that’s cool, that’s up to them, but I’m going in as the guy. That’s the way I operate.”

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/5/19

March 5th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions:

ERFAs

Tendered:

RFAs

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered:

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 2nd, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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

Signed:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

Detroit Lions

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Steelers Cut QB Landry Jones, Others

September 1st, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have reached the 53-man roster limit by cutting a number of players, including quarterback Landry Jones.

Jones, 29, hasn’t played much during his six-year NFL career, as he’s attempted just 169 passes in relief of Roethlisberger. In that span, Jones has been a middling option, completing 63.9% of his passes for 1,310 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

The Steelers also placed wide receiver Eli Rogers on the Reserve/PUP List, which will keep him off of the field for at least the first six weeks of the season.

Here’s the full rundown of the Steelers’ moves:

Released:

  • QB Landry Jones
  • S Nat Berhe

Waived:

In addition to those moves, the Steelers designated the following players waived/injured:

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