Rashaan Melvin

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/16

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Colts waived quarterback Stephen Morris and signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Melvin was cut loose by Miami a few days ago as they dropped down to a 53-man roster. Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
  • The Buccaneers waived/injured running back Mike James, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). A former sixth-round pick, James spent three seasons with the Bucs, with his most notable work coming as a rookie in relief of Doug Martin. James rushed for 295 yards before himself going down with a season-ending injury. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry during that 2013 season.
  • The Jaguars removed safety Earl Wolff from their IR with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. A fifth-round Eagles pick in 2013, Wolff started six games for Philadelphia that season, deflecting five passes and grabbing his only career interception. Wolff reached a settlement with the Eagles prior to the 2015 season before the Jags signed him to a reserve/futures contract in January.

Dolphins Move Roster To 53

The Dolphins have trimmed their roster to 53:

This offseason, Thomas hooked on with the Dolphins for what was to be his third stint with the team. Thomas had a path to making the 53-man roster, but his chances were hurt when the team added Arian Foster late in the offseason. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas ran for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. In 2014, he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try. At one point in time, Thomas was looked at as a significant piece of the Dolphins offense, but he fell out of favor in Miami and has been yo-yoed on and off the roster.

Chekwa at one point was in the mix to win a starting job with Miami. However, for one reason or another, he couldn’t make the final cut. The Dolphins now have rookie Xavien Howard back on the field and free agent addition Chris Culliver, so they have enough bodies at cornerback.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/16

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • To make for Melvin (listed below), the Dolphins have waived tight end Jake Stoneburner, the club announced. Stoneburner, who was offered a restricted free agent tender this spring, managed five receptions in 11 games for Miami last season.
  • The Bills have swapped out defensive tackles, signing Casey Walker while releasing Cedric Reed, the team announced. Walker, 26, has eight career games under his belt, having seen action with the Ravens, Patriots, and most recently, the Cowboys.
  • The Cowboys announced that they’ve agreed to terms with linebackers Darius Eubanks and Henoc Muamba. Dallas didn’t need to create any roster space because they’ve been given exemptions for linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive end Randy Gregory.
  • The Chiefs have signed defensive back Bryce Cheek, and opened up a roster spot by waiving fellow defensive back Tre Jones, the club announced.

Earlier updates:

  • Fourth-year cornerback Rashaan Melvin signed with the Dolphins, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, on Twitter). Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
  • The Cardinals swapped out wide receivers by signing Franky Okafor and waiving Rico Richardson, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. Okafor is a rookie UDFA out of Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State. Richardson has played in six games since coming into the league in 2014, all with the Titans.
  • The Vikings have signed defensive tackle Claudell Louis, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com notes that the team considered bringing in rookie punter Taylor Symmank for their 90th roster spot, but the team ultimately opted for undrafted defensive lineman out of Fresno State.
  • Meanwhile, the Ravens have used their final roster spot to sign punter Michael Palardy, tweets ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The former Tennessee special teamer has also spent time with the Raiders, Rams, and Panthers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/2/16

Today’s minor moves:

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/25/16

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including reserve/futures signings and practice squad moves:

  • Having been eliminated from the postseason, the Patriots began signing their practice squad players to reserve/futures contracts today. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the following players inked futures deals with New England:
  • The Broncos have the flexibility to continue to make changes to their practice squad since they’re still alive in the playoffs, and apparently did so today by releasing tight end Dan Light from their 10-man unit. Light himself tweeted word of the move this afternoon. To replace Light on their practice squad, the Broncos signed fellow TE Nick Kasa, according to Mike Klis of 9News (via Twitter).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/15

Today’s practice squad moves:

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: CB Dax Swanson (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)

New England Patriots

Washington

  • Signed: RB Mack Brown (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com)

More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/15

Updates from earlier today can be found here. The latest…

  • The Lions released defensive tackle Andre Fluellen from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Fluellen has had several stints with the Lions, among other teams, since they used a third-round pick on him in 2008. He has appeared in 81 career games and totaled 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Fluellen played four games for the Lions this year and made four tackles.
  • The Seahawks waived veteran tight end Chase Coffman, reports Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Coffman, who has 14 career catches, joined the Seahawks last week but didn’t appear in their 38-7 win over the Vikings.
  • The Cardinals placed guard Earl Watford on injured reserve with a hand injury and promoted safety D.J. Swearinger from their practice squad, per Darren Urban of their website (Twitter link). Watford appeared in seven games and made two starts this year. Swearinger appeared in seven games for Tampa Bay earlier this season, but he garnered more extensive experience (32 games, 22 starts) in Houston from 2013-14.
  • The Patriots released cornerback Rashaan Melvin, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin has spent time with both New England and Baltimore since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois last year. He appeared in eight games and made six tackles for the Pats this season.
  • The Chiefs cut offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The undrafted rookie from Colorado made one appearance for the Chiefs this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/15

Here are Thursday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Raiders have waived former Seahawks safety – and Kam Chancellor‘s brother – Keenan Lambert, the team announced today in a press release. Oakland, on its bye week, will have more than a week to make more roster moves to fill the two openings on the team’s roster.
  • Using the roster spot they opened up when they placed offensive lineman Rodger Saffold on injured reserve earlier today, the Rams have promoted tight end Justice Cunningham from their practice squad to their active roster, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • After moving fullback Derrick Coleman to the reserve/suspended list this afternoon, the Seahawks had an opening on their 53-man roster, and have re-signed wide receiver B.J. Daniels (Twitter link via John Boyle). Daniels was just cut by Seattle two days ago.
  • Former Ravens cornerback Rashaan Melvin has been claimed off waivers by the Patriots, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). As Zrebiec points out, the Patriots’ offense went after Melvin frequently during last season’s playoff game, so the move is an interesting one.

Ravens Cut Jason Babin, Rashaan Melvin

The Ravens, hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, have made some changes on the defensive side of the ball. The team announced today that has cut veteran outside linebacker Jason Babin, along with cornerback Rashaan Melvin, promoting cornerbacks Asa Jackson and Charles James to fill the open spots on the active roster (Twitter links).

Babin, signed by the Ravens following the season-ending injury to Terrell Suggs, was inactive for his first two games with Baltimore, and barely saw the field in his next two games, committing multiple penalties when he did play. Despite his 64.5 career sacks, the 35-year-old clearly wasn’t a big part of the Ravens’ plans going forward, so it makes sense that the team would part ways with him in order to re-stock a depleted secondary.

Melvin has also been frequently inactive for the Ravens in the first few weeks of the season, so the team decided to give the two defensive backs on its practice squad a chance to earn playing time on the 53-man roster, with Jackson and James receiving promotions.

Jackson, 25, filled in last season for the Ravens when multiple cornerbacks went down with injuries, starting six games and recording 28 tackles. James, meanwhile, has seen most of his limited regular season action on special teams. He was cut by the Texans prior to the season.

The Ravens also announced a pair of previously reported moves, confirming that they’ve signed cornerback Shareece Wright and placed cornerback Will Davis on IR (Twitter link).

AFC North Notes: Elam, Lundy, Johnson, Bryant

Let’s take a look at some injury notes from around the AFC North on this first Sunday of training camp:

  • Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun writes that Ravens safety Matt Elam may have torn his biceps and will undergo an MRI today. It is feared that the injury may be season-ending (via Twitter). “I’m sure it’s very disappointing for him,” said head coach John Harbaugh. “He’s very serious in great shape and then has a freak injury.”
  • In addition to Elam, early signs could mean the Ravens’ secondary may be in injury peril again, with cornerbacks Tray Walker and Rashaan Melvin both hurting their hamstrings, writes Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic (via Twitter).
  • Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that Browns head coach Mike Pettine said he will talk with GM Ray Farmer later today to discuss adding a running back or two. After rookie Luke Lundy left practice with an injury today, the team is down to Isaiah Crowell and Shaun Draughn as its only healthy backs. Duke Johnson and Terrance West have already gone down, and Pat MaManamon of ESPN details a few other players who have suffered injuries in camp so far.
  • Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson was carted off the practice field with a knee injury, but head coach Marvin Lewis said he doesn’t believe the injury is major, according to Sirius XM NFL Radio (via Twitter). Albert Breer of NFL Network reports that the early word is that he suffered a torn MCL, which would likely cost him time early in the season (via Twitter).
  • Not to be left out, the Steelers are also dealing with an injury to a key contributor in second-year receiver Martavis Bryant, who had a procedure to fix an infection with his elbow, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (via Twitter). Luckily for Steeler nation, he is only expected to miss a few days.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.