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Rakim Cox

The Spring League Announces Camp Roster

April 9th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Since we learned last year that there’d be a spring football league in 2017, several former NFL stars have committed to the endeavor. Today, The Spring League announced (via Twitter) their full training camp roster.

Ahmad BradshawAs was previously reported, defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., and running back Ben Tate were among the major names to have committed to the league. Former cornerback Brandon Browner was reportedly involved, but he was curiously omitted from the training camp roster. Former Giants and Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw is seemingly the biggest addition to the roster since the last update.

The Spring League is composed of four teams, with the rosters comprised of veteran free agents. Ultimately, six games will be played between April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters are not eligible to participate.

The full training camp roster can be found below:

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Fullbacks

  • Adam Cox
  • Jonathan Amosa

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Kellen Winslow, Ben Tate Join Spring League

March 22nd, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Spring League kicks off in April and it will feature some notable names looking to resurrect their football careers. Defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., cornerback Brandon Browner, and running back Ben Tate are among the players who have been confirmed as participants, according to a press release. Greg Hardy (vertical)

Winslow has not played in an NFL game since the 2013 season and we haven’t heard much from him since he worked out for the Packers last August. Tate, a former second-round pick, showed lots of promise in Houston but could not capitalize on a starting opportunity with the Browns in 2014. Hardy and Browner first committed to the league in early March.

The Spring League consists of four teams comprised of veteran free agents. The league will conduct practices and play six games from April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters will not be eligible to participate.

The league has secured five quarterbacks thus far, including Chiefs 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi and NFL practice squad journeyman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. At wide receiver, there’s former Ram Brandon Gibson, Jets 2014 fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, and one-time Bills WR2 David Nelson. Former Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster and Texans 2013 third-round defensive tackle Sam Montgomery will also be suiting up for The Spring League next month.

The full list of players can be found below. In addition to those listed here, Pro Football Rumors has learned that another 30 players are expected to join prior to the start of training camp.

Quarterbacks

  • Hutson Mason
  • Ricky Stanzi
  • McLeod Bethel-Thompson
  • Zach Kline
  • Jeremy Cannon

Running backs

Wide receivers

  • Jalen Saunders
  • David Nelson
  • Kenzel Doe
  • Brandon Gibson
  • Daje’ Johnson
  • Gavin Lutman
  • Tyler McDonald
  • J.D. Woods
  • Sed Cunningham
  • Lawrence Smith
  • Terrance Lewis
  • Rashon Ceaser
  • Kendrick Wiggins

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Workout Updates: Seahawks, Patriots, Ravens

December 27th, 2016 at 5:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Seahawks, with a below-average rushing attack and Thomas Rawls nursing a shoulder injury, worked out five free agent running backs Tuesday, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Stevan Ridley, Jonas Gray, Dan Herron, LaMichael James and Dominique Williams all auditioned for the club. The most established member of the group is Ridley, who has been available since Atlanta released him Nov. 23. The 27-year-old has just one appearance and three carries to his name this season and has seen his playing time sharply decline since a 1,263-yard campaign with New England in 2012. Gray, also an ex-Pat, has made little impact since averaging 4.6 yards per attempt on 89 carries in 2014, his rookie year. He hasn’t found an employer since the Jaguars waived him Aug. 17.

Along with those rushers, defensive back L.J. McCray visited the Seahawks, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The Seahawks agreed to acquire McCray from the 49ers back in early September, but the deal fell through after he failed his physical. San Francisco then cut McCray, who hasn’t landed anywhere since.

More workouts from Tuesday:

  • The Patriots auditioned linebacker Arthur Brown, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Both the Jaguars and Jets have cut Brown this month. He entered the league in 2013 as Baltimore’s second-round pick.
  • Cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Steve Williams tried out for the Ravens, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Simon made nine appearances earlier this season with the Cardinals, who cut him last week. He’s better known for his 11-appearance, five-start tenure with Seattle from 2014-15. Williams, meanwhile, moved on and off the Rams’ roster multiple times this year. He has totaled six appearances this season (five with San Diego) after playing in 14 games with the Chargers and intercepting two passes last year.
  • The Falcons worked out three tight ends – Orson Charles, Darion Griswold and Joel Ruiz – and defensive end Martin Ifedi, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Griswold and Ifedi ended up signing with their practice squad.
  • The Dolphins also took a look at the aforementioned Tharold Simon, who joined fellow corner Demetrius McCray and two tight ends – Gabe Hughes and Chris Pantale – tweets Caplan.
  • Tight end Rob Housler showcased himself to the Colts, relays Caplan (Twitter link). The five-year veteran has 109 catches, nearly all of which (105) came with Arizona from 2011-14.
  • The Eagles auditioned wide receiver Greg Ellingson, cornerback Tay Glover-Wright and Canadian Football League punter Richie Leone, according to Caplan (Twitter links).
  • Defensive ends Rufus Johnson and Rakim Cox worked out for the Lions (Twitter links via Caplan and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Linebackers Deon Lacey and Glenn Love tried out for the Cardinals, per Balzer (Twitter link).

NFL Workout Notes: Falcons, Lions, Redskins

November 7th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former New England defensive end Rufus Johnson worked out for the Falcons today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson has made the rounds on the workout circuit since getting waived off the Patriots’ practice squad in September. Atlanta also took a look at quarterback Ricky Stanzi, wide receivers Max McCaffrey and Anthony Dable, and defensive ends Lawrence Okoye and Arthur Miley, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the workouts happening around the league today, all courtesy of Caplan unless otherwise noted:

NFL Workout Updates: 11/1/16

November 1st, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Tuesday is workout day in the NFL, and today was no different. Due to the sheer volume of today’s auditions, we’ll split up the reports by conference:

AFC

NFC

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/2016

September 6th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Jets waived tight end Brian Parker with a failed physical, as Seth Walter of the Daily News tweets. The Jets claimed Parker off waivers on Sunday. New York also reached injury settlements with linebacker Trevor Reilly and running back Matthew Tucker, and removed them from injured reserve, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).
  • The Packers reached injury settlements with tight end Kennard Backman and center Jacob Flores, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • The Giants reached an injury settlement with offensive tackle Emmett Cleary, reports Vacchiano (Twitter link).
  • The Panthers hammered out an injury settlement with defensive tackle Rakim Cox, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • The Seahawks worked out an injury settlement with wide receiver Deshon Foxx, the club announced.

Panthers Make Cuts, Down To 74

August 30th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have made some roster moves on Tuesday and they are now under the 75-man limit with about four hours to go. Cornerback Leonard Johnson has been placed on the PUP list while the following players have been released:

Scifres became a likely roster casualty yesterday when the Panthers acquired fellow punter Andy Lee from the Browns. Scifres has been dealing with a knee injury this offseason, putting his status in question for the coming season.

Robinson joined Carolina on a one-year deal in March. The safety started a career-high seven games in 2015 before his season was cut short due to a hamstring injury. In December, Washington waived Robinson and later released him from IR with an injury settlement. In total, Robinson has played in 38 career games and recorded 88 tackles, two interceptions, and four passes defensed for the 49ers and Washington.

Panthers Working Out Defensive Linemen

August 8th, 2016 at 4:17pm CST by Zachary Links

4:17pm: The Panthers worked out former Georgia defensive linemen James DeLoach and Ray Drew today, a source tells Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). However, the team is not expected to sign either player at this point.

11:26am: The Panthers are looking at defensive ends and defensive tackles in the wake of two injuries to their defensive line unit, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Panthers defensive tackle Chas Alecxih was carted off after hurting his left knee during a blocking drill on Sunday and its feared that the injury is season-ending. Meanwhile, defensive end Rakim Cox is being evaluated for a back injury. Ron Rivera (vertical)

Alecxih, 27, spent last season on the Panthers’ taxi squad. Encouraged by his work in practice, the Panthers inked the defensive tackle to a futures contract in February. Alexcih was hoping to crack the 53-man roster this year, but it now seems that he won’t get the opportunity. Cox, a Villanova product, hooked on with the Panthers after impressing in the veteran combine of 2015. Like Alexhih, Cox also spent the 2015 season on the taxi squad and signed a futures deal in the winter.

Any defensive tackle that joins the Panthers may face an uphill battle for making the team Paul Soliai and Kyle Love are already battling over the team’s fourth (and likely final) defensive tackle spot. Kawann Short, Star Lotulelei, and first-round pick Vernon Butler are guaranteed places on the roster, leaving Soliai and Love to compete for the last opening. The Panthers handed Soliai $3MM fully guaranteed less than five months ago, so it would be a surprise to see him get cut loose.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Panthers Sign Eight To Futures Contracts

February 10th, 2016 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

Having concluded their season on Sunday, the Panthers have begun to sign players to their 90-man offseason roster, inking eight players to reserve/futures contracts on Tuesday. The team’s official website has the complete list of signees, all of whom finished the season on Carolina’s practice squad:Panthers Helmet (Featured)

With eight of the 10 Panthers practice squad players re-signing with the team, only defensive end Wes Horton and linebacker Nate Askew didn’t get new deals. It’s possible that Carolina didn’t offer either player a futures contract, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if Horton, at least, wanted to explore other opportunities.

An undrafted rookie in 2013, Horton made 15 starts for the Panthers last season in place of suspended teammate Greg Hardy. Following a rookie campaign that saw him compile eight tackles and two sacks, the former USC standout finished 2014 with 26 tackles and three sacks. However, he returned to a bench role in 2015, then was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances, before ultimately being cut from the 53-man roster in December. He signed with Carolina’s practice squad at the start of the postseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

September 6th, 2015 at 5:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South 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 for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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 South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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