HEADLINES

Nick Becton

Lions Notes: Levy, Boldin, Quinn, Becton

March 28th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions released linebacker DeAndre Levy rather than asking him to accept a paycut because the club wants to get younger on defense, general manager Bob Quinn told reporters, including Justin Rogers of the Detroit News (Twitter link). Detroit’s current linebackers — Tahir Whitehead, Paul Worrilow, Thurston Armbrister, and Antwione Williams — are all 27 years old or younger, while Levy is now 30 and had only played in six games over the past two seasons.

Here’s more from the Motor City:

  • Detroit is still “open for business” during the free agent period, says Quinn (Twitter link via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). The Lions have been involved in the open market, especially along the offensive line, where the team added T.J. Lang and Ricky Wanger to fortify the right side. Additionally, the Lions made several low-cost signings such as cornerback D.J. Hayden, tight end Darren Fells, and defensive lineman Cornelius Washington and Akeem Spence.
  • One free agent the Lions may sign is veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin, as Quinn indicates the club still has interest in retaining the 36-year-old, tweets Rogers. Boldin has already indicated he’ll return for a 15th NFL season, but he may not sign with a club until later this summer. On 95 targets, Boldin managed 67 receptions for 584 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016. The Ravens, meanwhile, are also interested in a reunion with Boldin.
  • The Lions recently met with free agent offensive tackle Nick Becton, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Becton, 27, was an undrafted free agent in 2013, and has since spent time with the Chargers, Giants, Saints, and Bears. He hasn’t appeared in a game since 2015, when he played in five contests for Chicago.

Bears To Sign OT Mike Adams

August 10th, 2016 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have agreed to sign Mike Adams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Steelers tackle is not to be confused with the Colts safety of the same name. Terms of the deal are not yet known. Mike Adams OT (vertical)

[RELATED: Bears C Hroniss Grasu Tears ACL]

Adams, a former second-round pick, was released by Pittsburgh in May. Thus far in the NFL, Adams has had a disappointing career since the Steelers used a second-round selection on him in 2012. In his first three years, Adams appeared in only 41 games with 20 starts. Last year, Adams did not take the field due to a back injury. The Steelers were apparently not hopeful about what Adams could do in 2016, but the Bears are cautiously optimistic and want to give him a shot.

Had he remained in Pittsburgh, Adams would have received an $873K salary for 2016. His new deal in Chicago is presumably for the minimum salary and without guarantees.

To make room for Adams, the Bears have waived fellow lineman Nick Becton, as Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/16

March 9th, 2016 at 8:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Not every move on free agency’s first day is a big splash. Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Dolphins have signed offensive tackle Sam Young to a one-year, $760K deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Young, a six-year veteran, is coming off his first 16-game season. He has made nine starts over the last two years, giving him 16 for his career.
  • Although the Rams did not tender offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, they re-signed him, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. A 26-year-old center/guard hybrid, Folkerts spent 2015 in St. Louis and 2013-14 with the Panthers.
  • The 49ers have signed quarterback Thaddeus Lewis to a one-year deal, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Lewis, 28, was on the Eagles’ roster when Chip Kelly was their head coach last season. The two are now reunited in San Francisco. Lewis has appeared in seven NFL games, though none since 2014, made six starts, and tossed five touchdowns against four interceptions.
  • The Rams have re-signed safety Cody Davis to a two-year deal, according to the Los Angeles Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore (Twitter link). Davis joined the team as an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech in 2013 and has since appeared in 43 games (zero starts).
  • The Bears have re-signed running back Jacquizz Rodgers and offensive tackle Nick Becton to one-year contracts, per their Twitter account. Rodgers totaled 41 yards on 14 carries for Chicago last season. He spent 2014 in Atlanta, with which he rushed for over 1,100 yards and five touchdowns. Becton appeared in five games for the Bears last season. His only other appearance came in 2013 with the Chargers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/15

October 6th, 2015 at 6:02pm CST by Zachary Links

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

  • The Panthers signed defensive end Wes Horton just days after cutting him, as Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. To make room, offensive tackle offensive tackle David Foucault has been waived. If Foucault clears waivers, he will be signed to the practice squad, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Rams have re-signed linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar to the roster, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Bears have promoted tackle Nick Becton from the taxi squad to the 53-man roster, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets.
  • The Buccaneers announced that they have promoted defensive end Howard Jones to the active roster from the practice squad.
  • Also, Buccaneers defensive end T.J. Fatinikun has been placed on IR after suffering a knee injury in the second half of Sunday’s game against Carolina. He had just returned from a shoulder injury to appear in the Bucs’ last two games, recording one tackle and two stops on special teams. Last year, his first in the NFL, Fatinikun played in ten Buccaneer games and had eight tackles and a half-sack.
  • The Saints signed veteran tackle Tony Hills, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

NFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

September 7th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s NFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed (link via Josh Weinfuss):
    • CB Cariel Brooks
    • T Rob Crisp
    • LB Gabe Martin
    • G Antoine McClain
    • WR Jaxon Shipley
    • RB Kerwynn Williams
    • CB Leon McFadden

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed (press release):
    • LB Derek Akunne
    • T Pierce Burton
    • CB Akeem King
    • QB Matt Simms
    • LB Tyler Starr

Chicago Bears

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • LB Lamin Barrow
    • T Nick Becton
    • DL Brandon Dunn
    • CB Jacoby Glenn
    • WR Jalen Saunders

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed (Twitter link via Todd Archer):
    • OT John Wetzel
    • S Tim Scott
    • LB Dakorey Johnson
  • To be signed:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB John Crockett
    • CB Robertson Daniel
    • DT Christian Ringo

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter):
    • TE Blake Annen
    • CB Don Jones

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed:

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed (press release):
    • T Edawn Coughman
    • T Terren Jones
    • WR Rannell Hall
    • TE Cameron Brate

Washington:

Saints Slim Down Roster To 53

September 5th, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

One season and two training camps proved sufficient for the Saints to determine whether Stanley Jean-Baptiste was capable of making an impact for them.

They determined the 2014 second-round pick wasn’t good enough for their roster, notes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. Jean-Baptiste only played eight snaps last year and as a result of this move, Brandin Cooks is the only player remaining on the team from last year’s draft class.

The Saints instead kept 2014 undrafted free agent Brian Dixon, who played 166 snaps as a rookie, among their seven-cornerback contingent.

New Orleans did not keep veteran receiver Josh Morgan, either, and will go with a mostly young receiving stable, excepting Marques Colston.

Jairus Byrd also avoided having to start the season on the PUP list, per Terrell.

The Saints’ other cuts are as follows:

  • Justin Anderson, LB
  • Edwin Baker, RB
  • Nick Becton, OL
  • Orson Charles, TE
  • Henry Coley, LB
  • Jerry Franklin, LB
  • Mike Golic Jr., OL
  • Ryan Griffin, QB
  • Bryce Harris, T
  • Sean Hickey, OL
  • Seantavius Jones, WR
  • Dustin Hopkins, K
  • Cyril Lemon, OL
  • Chris Manhertz, TE
  • Joseph Morgan, WR
  • Toben Opurum, FB
  • Sammy Seamster, CB
  • Alex Smith, TE
  • Pierre Warren, S

Minor Moves: Tuesday

November 4th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re already tracking today’s practice squad signings and cuts in one post, and we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster transactions. Here’s the latest:

  • Wide receiver Bryan Walters, who was cut over the weekend by the Seahawks, is celebrating his 27th birthday by re-signing with the team, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Seattle also made a few other roster moves, signing tight end Tony Moeaki and cutting linebacker L.J. Fort and defensive back Terrance Parks, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, adding in a second tweet that Parks received an injury settlement.
  • As expected, Washington activated wideout Leonard Hankerson off the PUP list today, cutting cornerback Chase Minnifield in order to accommodate the addition (Twitter link). Earlier today, John Keim of ESPN.com had pointed to cornerback as a position where the club had a surplus and could cut a player to make room for Hankerson.
  • The Saints have signed tackle Nick Becton off the Giants’ practice squad, placing fullback Austin Johnson on injured reserve with a knee injury to create an opening on their 53-man roster, says Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Twitter links).
  • De’Andre Presley was activated from the reserve/PUP list just yesterday, but the Panthers have waived the receiver today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East

September 1st, 2014 at 10:20am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys:

New York Giants:

Philadelphia Eagles:

Washington Redskins:

Chargers Waive 11 Players

August 25th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chargers have waived 11 players, the team announced a press release. San Diego must get rid of four more players by 3pm tomorrow in order to be within the 75-man roster limit.