Maurice Hurt

North Notes: Suh, Lions, Browns, Bengals

In terms of tiebreakers, a loss to an NFC team like the Saints wouldn’t be devastating, but Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t want to hear any of that heading into Sunday’s game, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I absolutely think it is a must-win,” he said. “We feel that this is a very important game and we have to put together a stretch of football like we never played before.” Tonight’s look at the North divisions..

  • Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he supports Ndamukong Suh‘s business interests, but he wouldn’t speculate on how Suh’s quest to be a billionaire would impact contract negotiations. “I’m not going to talk about that particular area,” Caldwell said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “That’s one that we’ve always said that will be dealt with after the season’s over with.” Suh is likely looking to be one of – if not the – highest paid defensive players in the game. It stands to reason that he could trump Gerald McCoy‘s deal but he might not clear J.J. Watt‘s extension with the Texans.
  • The Browns worked out offensive lineman Maurice Hurt, tight end A.C. Leonard, and defensive end Zach Thompson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • The Bengals worked out tackle Charles Brown, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Of course, the Bengals also signed Jamon Meredith, so there might not be a position open for Brown at this time.

Workout Notes: Bengals, Saints, Lions, Bucs

As teams around the league assess themselves during the early part of the week, we’ll learn about the latest tryouts as clubs try to remake the back ends of their rosters. We’ll keep track of today’s audition notes here:

Earlier updates:

  • The Bengals worked out tight end Michael Egnew, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Egnew, a third-round pick in 2012, has spent time with the Dolphins, Lions, and Jaguars. Cincinnati also brought in defensive back Josh Victorian, who was dropped from the Lions’ practice squad in early October, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • With fullback Austin Johnson nursing a knee injury, the Saints auditioned fellow FBs Michael Zordich and Ray Agnew, per Caplan (on Twitter). New Orleans also tried out ex-Washington safety Bacarri Rambo, who started three games last season, tweets Caplan. Wilson passes along a few more names (on Twitter), noting that the club brought in defensive backs Malcolm Bronson, Stan McKay, and Brandon Taylor, and running back Toben Opurum.
  • The Lions worked out cornerbacks Trevin Wade and Robert Steeples, says Wilson (Twitter link). The duo worked out for the Panthers a few weeks ago.
  • The Buccaneers auditioned linebacker Jeremy Grable, per Wilson (via Twitter). Grable was on Tampa Bay’s roster over the summer.
  • Offensive lineman Maurice Hurt is one of 15 players whom Washington is trying out today, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We should learn the names of the other participants shortly.

Redskins Trim Roster To 53

4:54pm: The Redskins have finalized their roster, announcing the following moves via press release:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on reserve/physically unable to perform list:

8:41am: We learned yesterday that the Redskins let go of eight players, and the team has continued to make cuts this morning. While none of the moves have been announced officially, here is a running list of the team’s reported cuts: