HEADLINES

Phillip Tanner

49ers Sign Phillip Tanner; Celek To IR

December 17th, 2014 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers have made a change to their 53-man roster, signing running back Phillip Tanner and placing tight end Garrett Celek on the injured reserve list to make room for Tanner, the team announced today in a press release.

Tanner recorded 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during three years with the Cowboys, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who also contributed on special teams in 2013, spent time with the Colts and Cowboys this summer, but was ultimately waived by Dallas during roster cutdowns at the end of the preseason.

Tanner caught on with the Bills for about a month when Buffalo’s backfield was decimated by injuries, but didn’t get any touches during his stint with the club. In San Francisco, the 26-year-old will provide depth in the backfield, with Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde both ailing, and could get an opportunity to play on special teams as well, with Kassim Osgood done for the year.

Celek, who spent most of the year on San Francisco’s PUP list, appeared in three games, and caught two balls for 53 yards. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason.

Minor Moves: Thursday

November 20th, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on Thursday’s minor transactions, including practice squad signings and cuts, in this post, with the latest updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Bills have made a change to their 53-man roster, claiming tight end MarQueis Gray off waivers and cutting running back Phillip Tanner to make room, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Gray was cut yesterday by the Vikings to accommodate the team’s waiver claim of Ben Tate.

Earlier updates:

  • A pair of players recently cut from their respective teams’ active rosters have re-signed to those clubs’ practice squads. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports (via Twitter) that safety Steven Terrell is back with the Seahawks‘ taxi squad, while Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that running back Edwin Baker has rejoined the Saints‘ unit. Tauren Poole was cut from the Saints’ practice squad in a corresponding move.
  • After carrying an empty spot on their 53-man roster for a couple days, the Titans have filled it by promoting linebacker Justin Staples from their practice squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Staples, who was cut by the Browns prior to Week 1, had been on the Titans’ practice squad since mid-September. The team has signed linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who was selected by the Falcons in May’s draft, to replace Staples on the taxi squad.

Bills Sign Phillip Tanner; Spiller To IR-DTR

October 21st, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

1:58pm: The Bills have officially signed Tanner, announcing that Spiller has been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, meaning his season isn’t necessarily over yet.

1:06pm: With C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson sidelined due to injuries, the Bills will sign running back Phillip Tanner to help fortify their banged-up backfield, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The team has yet to announce the signing or the corresponding move, but Spiller looks like a candidate for the injured reserve list, assuming Buffalo doesn’t expect him to return this season.

Tanner, 26, recorded 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during three years with the Cowboys, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who also contributed on special teams in 2013, spent time with the Colts and Cowboys this summer, but was ultimately waived by Dallas during roster cutdowns at the end of the preseason.

For the Bills, Spiller is expected to miss most or all of the season, while Jackson will likely be sidelined for the next three or four weeks. In their absence, Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown figure to carry the majority of the load for the team, but perhaps Tanner can insert himself into that mix as well if he looks good in practice.

As Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean tweets, the Bills had interest in signing running back Antonio Andrews off the Titans’ practice squad. However, Andrews wanted to remain in Tennessee and the team decided to promote him to its active roster to avoid letting him get away, forcing the Bills to look elsewhere.

Cowboys Make Cuts, Reduce Roster To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Only two Cowboys’ cuts surfaced yesterday, and the team added Lavar Edwards in a trade with the Titans earlier today, meaning 21 players had to be removed from the team’s active roster today. Among those roster casualties were a few notable names, including veteran guard Uche Nwaneri and running backs Phillip Tanner and Ryan Williams. Here’s the complete list of Cowboys roster moves, via a press release:

Released:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Placed on reserve-suspended list:

Cowboys To Sign Phillip Tanner

August 27th, 2014 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

A week after being cut by the Colts, running back Phillip Tanner will be returning to the team with whom he spent the first three seasons of his NFL career. According to agent Christina Phillips of Precision Sports (via Twitter), Tanner has reached an agreement to re-sign with the Cowboys.

Tanner, 26, recorded 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during his three years in Dallas, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who also contributed on special teams in 2013, signed with the Colts in late July, but was waived following the club’s acquisition of running back David Fluellen.

In Dallas, Tanner will compete for a roster spot in a backfield that also includes DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle, Ryan Williams, and D.J. Adams. His familiarity with the team and its coaches could provide an advantage, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tanner waived this weekend when rosters are trimmed to 53 players.

Before the move is finalized, the Cowboys must remove a player from their active roster to make room for Tanner.

Colts Waive Phillip Tanner

August 20th, 2014 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have waived running back Phillip Tanner, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (on Twitter). It was a short stay in Indianapolis for Tanner as the Colts signed him late last month.

Tanner, 26, spent his first three seasons in Dallas, recording 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during that stretch, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who worked out for the Seahawks last week, also contributed on special teams in 2013.

Tanner was picked up after the Colts lost Vick Ballard to a season-ending Achilles injury and dropped Chris Rainey due to a violation of team rules. However, with Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw occupying the top two running back spots on the depth chart, Dan Herron in support, and the newly-acquired David Fluellen now in the mix, Tanner was expendable.

NFC Notes: Lee, McCoy, Suh, Tanner

July 29th, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is in the early stages of rehabilitation from a torn left ACL, but he’s already thinking about his future, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “I think I’ll come back completely healthy,” Lee said. “Now, the question is, can I stay out there? That’s something that obviously I’m hopeful for and I’m going to do everything I can do to do that and control everything I can. But at the end of the day, there’s situations that you might not be able to avoid. I’m not going to stress too much about that end. I’m just going to do what I can do.” More from the NFC:

  • Bad news for Seahawks tight end Anthony McCoy as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) hears from a source that he has torn his left Achilles. Last season, McCoy suffered a torn right Achilles and missed the entire season. In 2012, the 26-year-old’s last season on the field, he hauled in 18 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns while also spending time on special teams.
  • The Lions are postponing talks with Ndamukong Suh because they want him to be informed and sign a deal he’s happy with, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It was reported yesterday that Detroit will table talks with the star defensive tackle until after the season.
  • Running back Phillip Tanner visited with the 49ers yesterday before ultimately signing with the Colts, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com. The 49ers have a new running back of their own in 27-year-old Alfonso Smith, who joined the club yesterday. San Francisco’s once-loaded RB stable is looking pretty banged up at the moment. backup Kendall Hunter tore his ACL, LaMichael James has a dislocated elbow, and Marcus Lattimore has multiple nagging injuries.
  • New Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is keeping the Big Blue’s defense on their toes in practice, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “Reps against the no-huddle does help going against the guys in Philly — their offense is very, very fast — and I think the Redskins, they do the same thing too,’’ cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “That’s only preparing us for the season.’’
  • Earlier tonight we recapped the Buccaneers‘ offseason.

Colts Sign Phillip Tanner

July 29th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have added another running back to their roster, signing former Cowboy Phillip Tanner, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com (via Twitter). Linebacker Jonathon Sharpe has also signed with the Colts, who had two open roster spots, meaning no corresponding moves to clear room will be necessary.

Tanner, who turns 26 next week, has spent his first three seasons in Dallas, accumulating 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during that stretch, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who worked out for the Seahawks last week, also contributed on special teams in 2013.

Running back has become an area of need for the Colts, who lost Vick Ballard to a season-ending Achilles injury, and cut Chris Rainey yesterday due to a violation of the team’s rules. Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw still project to be Indianapolis’ top options in the 2014 season, but Tanner should have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot further down on the depth chart.

Seahawks Work Out Three Running Backs

July 26th, 2014 at 6:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks have given no indication that they’re willing to relent in their ongoing standoff with Marshawn Lynch, and the latest report from Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post is another sign that the team is preparing for life without its top running back. According to Wilson, the Seahawks worked out three running backs this weekend, with Phillip Tanner, Orwin Smith, and William Powell auditioning for the club.

Lynch, who is holding out for a contract extension or a raise, is not in attendance at Seattle’s training camp, prompting the club to place him on its reserve/did not report list. Players with such a designation don’t count toward a 90-man roster, though the Seahawks have already filled that spot – and their other opening – by signing a pair of defenders earlier today. Still, if the team is increasingly concerned that Lynch won’t report, signing a running back and waiving another player is a possibility.

Of the three backs who worked out for the Seahawks, Tanner has appeared in the most NFL games, spending most of the last three seasons with the Cowboys and receiving 56 carries during his stint in Dallas. Powell, with 59 career carries for 216 yards, plus 19 receptions, has better overall numbers than Tanner, though every one of those touches came in the 2012 seasons with Arizona. Smith, a Georgia Tech product who spent time on the Packers’ practice squad last year, has yet to appear in a regular season NFL game.

Bears Notes: Freeman, Eachus, Ringer

April 7th, 2014 at 8:55pm CST by Peter Sowards

While Kentucky and Connecticut go to battle in one of the more improbable NCAA title games, the machine that is the NFL never stops, and the rumors continue to stream in. The Bears had a busy day, hosting former Buccaneers and Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman and signing long snapper Chad Rempel.

Rounding up more of the latest Windy City news below…

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