Prince Emili

Falcons Reduce Roster To 53

Here are the Falcons’ Tuesday moves which brought the team’s roster to 53 ahead of the cutdown deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Taylor Heinicke was widely believed to be on the trade block, and it would have come as little surprise if the veteran passer had been released. Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in April. Those two are set to handle starting and backup duties in 2024 (and beyond, if things go according to plan), which suggested Heinicke was expendable. Instead, he will prepare for a second season with the Falcons.

King’s efforts to return to regular NFL action included a contract with the Falcons in March. The former Packers corner sat out the 2022 season while rehabbing multiple injuries. Last year, an Achilles tear forced him to miss another campaign. He was unable to carve out a roster spot in Atlanta, but as a vested veteran he will immediately hit free agency without needing to pass through waivers.

A number of recent draftees are included in the list of players being waived. As a former UDFA, Blair does not meet that criteria but his inclusion is a surprise. The 26-year-old was a standout in the preseason, and ESPN’s Marc Raimondi notes Atlanta is interested is retaining him via the practice squad. The same will no doubt be true of Logue, a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.

Teams are allowed to designate two players to return from IR without naming them to the 53-man roster. A number of teams have taken advantage of that new rule today, and in Atlanta’s case it means Hellams will not occupy a spot for the time being. The earliest he can be activated is Week 5.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/19/24

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB Dondrea Tillman

New York Jets

  • Waived: OL Vitaliy Gurman

Pittsburgh Steelers

After winning a UFL championship with the Birmingham Stallions, Tillman will be joining the Broncos. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the linebacker will get a three-year deal from Denver that includes a $10K signing bonus. Monday was the first day that UFL players could officially join NFL teams, and Tillman’s agent, Marty Magid, told Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette that his client received interest from a handful of squads before landing in Denver.

A former standout at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Tillman went undrafted in 2019. After spending the past two years in the USFL, he caught on with the UFL for the 2024 campaign and proceeded to have a breakout season. The linebacker finished the campaign with 27 tackles, six tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Saints Officially Set 53-Man Roster

The Saints welcomed back some old faces and said goodbye to others on their way towards setting their initial 53-man roster. Here are the moves the team made in their efforts to select the team they will open the season with:

Released:

Waived:

The veteran tight end James will have to continue his recent tour of the NFL. He, Holtz, and Krull fell victim to the reunion of New Orleans and former All-Pro Jimmy Graham.

On defense, Smith failed to make the roster after starting 11 games for the Giants last year. Roby is another player who was initially expected to contribute, but will have to pack up his locker.

With the emergence of rookie third-round pick Kendre Miller and the eventual return of Alvin Kamara, keeping Williams in the running backs room just wasn’t worth the roster spot.

On special teams, the third-year punter Gillikin lost the punting battle with undrafted rookie signee out of Miami (FL) Lou Hedley. The viral, jacked, tatted-up, Australian, 30-year-old rookie punter makes his first NFL roster as part of the Saints’ new-look special teams group.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/23

We are less than 24 hours from the deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters to 53 players. Here are the latest moves teams have made as they pare their squads down toward the in-season limit:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Tino Ellis

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/23

18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • WR Ty Fryfogle

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Browns Host Large Workout Including WR Kenny Stills, QB Ben DiNucci

Cleveland hosted one of the larger groups we’ve seen this season for tryouts today, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. The group consisted of ten players: six skill position players, one offensive lineman, and three defensive tackles.

The Browns’ quarterback position was one of the most talked about stories of the offseason. As it currently stands, presumed starter Deshaun Watson still has seven games remaining on his suspension, interim starter Jacoby Brissett has led the team to a 2-2 start (good for first place in the AFC North), and backups Joshua Dobbs and Kellen Mond have yet to be seen. Still, the team felt the need to offer an audition to former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci. DiNucci has some experience helping out in a tough spot from his time in Dallas two years ago when both starting quarterback Dak Prescott and backup Andy Dalton were injured. He got one opportunity to start against the Eagles before being benched for the winner of a Cooper RushGarrett Gilbert battle. DiNucci recently tried out for a quarterback practice squad spot in Miami that was awarded to Reid Sinnett.

Similarly, the Browns seem set at running back, utilizing a three-man backfield of Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and D’Ernest Johnson. Yet the team auditioned, two running backs today in undrafted rookie Abram Smith and former Ravens practice squad back Nate McCrary. Smith had signed with the Saints out of college but was waived days before the roster cut deadline. During his lone productive season at Baylor, Smith broke the school’s single-season rushing record with 1,601 yards, adding 12 touchdowns to his resume. McCrary came out of Saginaw Valley State last year, signing in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent. He was the Ravens’ leading rusher in the preseason that year, likely due to the litany of injuries at the position that removed carries from J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill.

Cleveland brought in three wide receivers today including the biggest name of the day, Kenny Stills. The veteran Stills has long seen his most productive years pass by but could still remain an effective deep-threat if needed. Through his first seven years in the league, Stills never averaged less than 14.0 yards per reception and was always good for a few touchdowns. His stats and usage have plummeted in the past two years but, in the right system, Stills could still have some use left in the tank. The team also brought in Jequez Ezzard and Brandon Lewis to audition. Ezzard is a smaller return-specialist who signed with the Commanders after going undrafted out of Sam Houston State this year. Lewis is another smaller receiver who initially signed with Tennessee out of college after going undrafted. Being from the Air Force offense, Lewis never blew up the stat sheet with receiving yards but has a unique skillset to add to an offense as a gadget player who has lots of rushing experience in the Falcons offense.

Another position the Browns brought three players in to audition at was defensive tackle. Cleveland invited Tyler Clark, Prince Emili, and Jordan Williams to work out today. Clark came out of Georgia undrafted two years ago spending time with the Bengals, Chiefs, and Commanders since then but never making an active roster. Emili joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent this year and was even called up to appear in two games on Buffalo’s defense, appearing most recently in the Bills’ win over the Ravens, in which he racked up three tackles and a pass deflection. Williams originally signed with the Dolphins after going undrafted out of Virginia Tech but was waived in mid-August.

Lastly, the Browns worked out undrafted Arkansas offensive tackle Myron Cunningham who initially signed with the Texans but was also waived in mid-August. None of the auditions have resulted in a roster spot yet, practice squad or otherwise, but seeing a group of this size come in for a workout is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/22

Today’s minor moves around the league, including practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s action:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/22

Here are the practice squad signings and releases for today:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: OLB Gerri Green

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/22

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers