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Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/15

October 19th, 2015 at 6:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Saints will sign center Ryan Seymour, agent Justin Turner tells Wilson (on Twitter).
  • The Dolphins promoted tight end Brandon Williams from the taxi squad, Wilson tweets. In a related move, the Dolphins waived safety Jonathan Dowling (via Jenna Laine of FOX Sports 1 on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Texans claimed cornerback and Hard Knocks fan favorite Charles James off waivers, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, safety Lonnie Ballentine will be placed on IR. The Texans wanted to sign James to their p-squad this year but he chose the Ravens’ p-squad instead (link).
  • The Broncos re-signed veteran blocking tight end Richard Gordon and waived running back Kapri Bibbs, as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. On Saturday, the Broncos released Gordon but told him to stay in town because they would re-sign him on Monday.
  • The Bills are signing Jordan Mills from the Lions practice squad, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). Buffalo signed the tackle to their taxi squad in mid-September.
  • The Chargers announced that they have waived guard-tackle Michael Ola. The offensive lineman can be re-signed to the practice squad on Tuesday if he clears waivers.
  • The Cardinals removed Chris Clemons from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Giants cut tight end Jerome Cunningham, Wilson tweets. In a related move, the Giants promoted cornerback Brandon McGee to the active roster from the taxi squad, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Bears waived safety Demontre Hurst and promoted cornerback Bryce Callahan from the taxi squad, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/15

October 17th, 2015 at 4:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the NFL. We’ll keep the list updated throughout the day…

  • The Raiders added wide receiver and kick returner Walt Powell to their 53-man roster and signed strong safety Keenan Lambert to their practice squad, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). A Cardinals sixth-round pick in 2014, Powell played in 14 games for the Jets as a rookie. Oakland waived Lambert, who began the year in training camp with the Seahawks, two days ago, and the defender cleared waivers to enable a practice squad signing.
  • The Chargers placed rookie sixth-round pick Darius Philon on IR-DTR and promoted guard/tackle Michael Ola from their practice squad, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). With the Bolts still struggling with offensive line injuries, a need for Ola emerged. A former UDFA, Ola started 12 games with the Bears in 2014. Philon, a defensive end who’s been backing up Kendall Reyes, been active in each of the Chargers’ five contests thus far this season but now will miss most of the regular season’s remainder with a hip malady. Week 14 represents Philon’s earliest return date.
  • The Titans signed Justin Staples to their active roster and placed Deiontrez Mount on IR, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). Mount, a rookie sixth-round defensive end, suffered a torn ACL. A third-year linebacker, Staples played six games with the Titans in 2014 after entering the league as a UDFA.
  • Hard Knocks fan favorite cornerback Charles James received notice of being cut by the Ravens, with the team signing running back Terrance Magee, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). The Ravens placed Lorenzo Taliaferro on IR this week, creating a spot for Magee. Zreibec also notes (on Twitter) this may be a depth move to protect the team in case Justin Forsett, who is questionable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers with an ankle ailment, doesn’t play this week. A rookie undrafted free agent out of LSU, Magee signed with the Ravens initially in May. Prior to being waived by the Texans in September, James played in 13 games with the Giants in 2013.
  • The Broncos have promoted running back Kapri Bibbs from the practice squad, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The team also released tight end Richard Gordon, who was just added to the roster earlier this week.

Earlier updates:

  • The Colts have released kick returner Marcus Thigpen and called up linebacker Amarlo Herrera to take his roster spot, reports Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (via Twitter). With Jerrell Freeman and Nate Irving both struggling with injuries, the Colts were clearly looking for some reinforcement on defense. Thigpen previously saw time with the Bills this season, returning 12 combined punts and kickoffs.
  • The Bears have signed nose tackle Bruce Gaston from the Packers practice squad, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The second-year player had made a pair of appearances with Green Bay this season. He’s expected to provide the Bears with some depth on the defensive line, where Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton and Jeremiah Ratliff are all banged up.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/6/15

October 6th, 2015 at 5:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: DE Jordan Williams (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
  • Cut: G Mike Liedtke (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)

Green Bay Packers

San Diego Chargers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chargers To Re-Sign Donald Brown

October 5th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have re-signed Donald Brown, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Brown was released by San Diego over the weekend but he has quickly circled back to the team. As a vested veteran, Brown did not have to pass through waivers.

Brown signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Bolts in 2014, but missed three games due to injury last season and was usurped by undrafted free agent Branden Oliver. At the time of his release, the Chargers didn’t seem to have a spot for the former Colts first-round pick, with Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead atop the depth chart and Oliver seeing carries behind them.

The 28-year-old Brown was due $3MM this season in base salary and carried a $4.83MM cap number under his old contract – the largest among San Diego running backs and the eighth-highest figure on the Chargers. He averaged just 2.6 yards per carry last season after netting 5.3 per tote in 2013, a season when he recorded a career-high six touchdowns. The ex-Connecticut standout has $2.17MM in dead money on the Chargers’ books this season and $1.08MM in 2016. One would imagine that Brown’s new deal is for less money, but San Diego likely had to re-sign him at his previous $3MM salary due to termination pay rules, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets.

In a corresponding move, the Chargers announced that they have parted ways with offensive lineman Michael Ola. The Chargers promoted the guard on Saturday when they released Brown.

Chargers Release Donald Brown

October 3rd, 2015 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Without a role as the Chargers now have a deep backfield, Donald Brown will begin looking for work elsewhere after San Diego released him, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

As a result, the Chargers promoted guard Michael Ola from the practice squad to help with the rash of injuries the offensive front’s sustained.

Brown signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Bolts in 2014, but missed three games due to injury last season and was usurped by undrafted free agent Branden Oliver. This season, the Chargers didn’t seem to have a spot for the former Colts first-round pick, with Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead atop the depth chart and Oliver seeing carries behind them.

The 28-year-old Brown was due $3MM this season in base salary and carried a $4.83MM cap number — the largest among San Diego running backs and the eighth-highest figure on the Chargers — but had yet to play a down. He averaged just 2.6 yards per carry last season after netting 5.3 per tote in 2013, a season when he recorded a career-high six touchdowns.

The ex-Connecticut standout has $2.17MM in dead money on the Chargers’ books this season and $1.08MM in 2016.

Gehlken tweeted the Chargers would like to bring Brown back, but he’s a vested veteran and doesn’t have to pass through waivers. Although the Chargers beat reporter notes if Brown does come back it would be at a reduced rate.

Three of the five Chargers starting offensive linemen missed practice Friday, with only Joe Barksdale participating. D.J. Fluker participated partially, while Orlando Franklin, Chris Watt and King Dunlap did not work out. The latter trio are doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

That created a need for Ola, a 27-year-old CFL veteran who played multiple positions for the Bears last season, starting 12 games.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/15

October 2nd, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL, as 28 teams prepare for their Week 4 contests….

  • The Rams have cut cornerback Brandon McGee, promoting safety Christian Bryant from their practice squad to take his place, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). McGee didn’t last long on the active roster, having just received a promotion from the taxi squad himself on Tuesday.
  • The Bills have also promoted a player from their practice squad, announcing today that they’ve added running back Cierre Wood to the 53-man roster to provide some depth with LeSean McCoy out this weekend. Buffalo released veteran defensive lineman Andre Fluellen to make room on the roster for Wood, who will act as the club’s third running back in Week 4 behind Karlos Williams and Anthony Dixon.
  • With a number of offensive linemen battling injuries, the Chargers are expected to promote G/T Michael Ola from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The club has yet to make the move official, and would have to remove a player from the roster.

Bears Set 53-Man Roster

September 5th, 2015 at 9:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Fox‘s first roster with the Bears will include three quarterbacks, but the third isn’t the one he oversaw in Denver. The Bears sent Zac Dysert back to waivers after picking up the ex-Broncos quarterback last week.

Instead, David Fales will back up Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, as the Bears made their cuts to slash their roster to 53 players, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Also among the cuts was third-year defensive end/linebacker David Bass, who played in 20 games the past two seasons. A former seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013 with a pick-six to his credit as a rookie in Chicago, Bass has interested suitors and will land somewhere soon, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei (on Twitter).

Here are the rest of Chicago’s final cuts:

  • Jonathan Anderson, ILB
  • Qumain Black, WR
  • Conor Boffeli, OL
  • A.J. Cruz, WR (Waived/injured)
  • Jacoby Glenn, CB
  • Anthony Jefferson, DB (Injured reserve)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR
  • Tyler Moore, OL
  • Michael Ola, OL
  • Ify Umodu, WR
  • Gannon Sinclair, TE
  • Matthew Wells, ILB
  • Terry Williams, DT
  • Kyle Woestmann, OLB

Biggs On Bears: Clausen, McCray, McManis

August 23rd, 2014 at 2:00pm CST by Matt Feminis

One of the heartiest post-game reads around is the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs’ “10 thoughts,” and this morning’s wrap-up of the Bears’ loss in Seattle is full of tid-bits:

  • Technically teams have until 3 p.m. Tuesday to cut down from 90 to 75, but Biggs expects an announcement before Monday. “That’s because the Bears (and other teams) don’t want to go back to the practice field to prepare for the exhibition finale and have a player slated for the first wave of cuts suffer an injury. In that scenario, the team could be on the hook for several hundred thousand dollars if the injury is bad enough.”
  • Jimmy Clausen should be Jay Cutler‘s backup, in Biggs’ opinion. While the preseason numbers for Clausen and Jordan Palmer are similar, Clausen has looked more decisive and experienced.
  • “All signs point” to Danny McCray starting at safety in Week 1. “At this point, McCray might be about the only choice the Bears have at free safety,” says Biggs.
  • Austen Lane and Trevor Scott have shown well enough to wonder if the Bears will keep five defensive ends. David Bass, who was part of the rotation last season, looks like the odd man out.
  • Eben Britton‘s injury has opened the door for Michael Ola, who has played well and shown desirable versatility, increasing the chance he earns one of the team’s reserve lineman spots. Marc Trestman values his sixth lineman, as he used Britton for 235 snaps last season, primarily as an eligible tackle. “In a perfect world, coach Marc Trestman has a player that wears an eligible number to handle that role this season as an in-line blocker, extra tight end or even a presence in the backfield,” says Biggs, which is why tight end Matthew Mulligan looks like a “good bet” to secure a roster spot.
  • In “I’m not saying, I’m just saying” fashion, Biggs highlights the play of Sherrick McManis, a 26-year-old cornerback whose value to this point in his career has been as a core special-teams player. However, the Bears No. 4 and No. 5 cornerback spots are up for grabs, and Biggs notes “Since training camp has opened, McManis is at the tops of a chart in the defensive backs room for takeaways. He’s not only practiced well, he’s played well in preseason and has seven tackles on defense, one interception, one tackle for loss two passes deflected and two stops on special teams.” Biggs intimates McManis’ situation could have the Bears front office flashing back to that of Corey Graham, whom the team undervalued. Graham went on to earn a two-year deal in Baltimore where he played well enough on defense to get $8.1MM guaranteed from the Bills this March.

Minor Moves: Steelers, Dolphins, Seahawks

May 28th, 2014 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest transactions from around the league, including several draft pick signings, waiver claims, and cuts, plus a new contract for a player who was cut by his old team earlier this month:

  • Three teams parted ways with recently-signed undrafted free agents or players on reserve contracts, as the Steelers cut offensive lineman Kaycee Ike, the Dolphins dropped running back Cameron Marshall, and the Texans waived guard Kevin Forsch (all Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). The Packers also waived linebacker Victor Aiyewa, per Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Three players cut this week have been claimed off waivers, according to Wilson, who reports (in a series of three tweets) that tackle Michael Ola is headed to the Bears, defensive back Deion Belue was awarded to the Steelers, and receiver Kofi Hughes was claimed by the Texans.
  • A couple more updates from Wilson: Luke Marquardt is now on the 49ers‘ injured reserve list (Twitter link), while Garrett Scott has been placed on the Seahawks‘ non-football injury list (Twitter link).
  • Having been recently cut by the Seahawks, defensive back Jimmy Legree has signed with the Cardinals, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Earlier updates:

  • The Seahawks became the NFL’s fourth team to finishing locking up its 2014 draft class, announcing last night that fourth-round wide receiver Kevin Norwood and fourth-round linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis have signed their rookie contracts. The Saints, Chiefs, and Bears were the first three clubs to sign all their draftees.
  • Sixth-round cornerback Brandon Dixon has inked his four-year rookie deal with the Jets, the team confirmed today in a press release. The 195th overall selection, Dixon is in line for a signing bonus worth about $103K an an overall four-year base value of around $2.324MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The former Northwest Missouri State speedster is the 10th of 12 Jets draft picks to sign his contract.
  • The Dolphins have signed former Buccaneers cornerback Anthony Gaitor, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The appropriately named Gaitor, a seventh-round pick in 2011, remains in the state where he also played his college ball, at Florida International.

Dolphins Waive Three Rookies

May 25th, 2014 at 5:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins have waived a trio of players following the completion of their rookie minicamp, the team announced today (via Twitter). Miami has parted ways with defensive back Deion Belue and offensive linemen David Hurd and Michael Ola.

Belue and Hurd were signed as undrafted free agents on May 15th. Belue spent two years at Northeast Mississippi Community College before transferring to Alabama. With the Tide, the cornerback started 24 of 25 games. Hurd is a 6-6 offensive tackle out of Arkansas.

Ola was undrafted out of Hampton in 2011 and briefly played in the arena league. He spent the last two seasons playing in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes. The right tackle was signed to a reserve contract in early February.

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