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Minor Moves: Tuesday

April 14th, 2015 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Wide receiver Ricardo Lockette signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and National Football Post. The 28-year-old Lockette appeared in all 16 of Seattle’s games in 2014 and made 11 catches.
  • A trio of exclusive rights free agents are now officially back under contract with the Ravens, the team announced today in a press release. According to the club, safety Brynden Trawick, cornerback Rashaan Melvin, and offensive lineman Ryan Jensen are now locked up for the 2015 season, having signed their one-year ERFA contract tenders.
  • The Steelers announced today that they’ve signed former Eastern Kentucky punter Jordan Berry to a contract, giving the team three punters on its offseason roster (Twitter link). Berry will join Richie Leone and incumbent Brad Wing in the battle for the 2015 job.

Minor Moves: Monday Evening

March 9th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Our first round-up of today’s minor transactions around the NFL was starting to get a little unwieldy, so we’ll recap the rest of the afternoon and evening minor moves right here. Here’s the latest:

  • The Titans won’t tender either receiver Kris Durham or linebacker Kaelin Burnett, making both free agents, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Ravens have tendered ERFA cornerback Rashaan Melvin at $585K, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin started two games for Baltimore near the end of the season.
  • The Ravens also have extended an exclusive rights tender worth $435K to long snapper Patrick Scales, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Scales was originally signed in December, becoming Baltimore’s third snapper of the season. The man he replaced, Kevin McDermott, didn’t get an RFA tender, tweets Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • Rather than tendering restricted free agent linebacker Mike Morgan, the Seahawks have simply signed him to a one-year contract, per Condotta (via Twitter).
  • Updating a previous note, the Seahawks actually have tendered receiver Ricardo Lockette, and have offered a contract to ERFA defensive back DeShawn Shead, as well, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
  • The Jets have tendered offers to two RFAs — defensive tackle Damon Harrison received a second-round tender worth $2.356MM, while safety Jaiquawn Jarrett received the lowest tender.
  • With Ryan Mallett returning to the fold and a deal with Brian Hoyer moving closer to completion, the Texans started clearing out a crowded quarterback position today by cutting Thad Lewis, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Somewhat ironically, Lewis was initially added to Houston’s roster back in November to replace Mallett, who landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.
  • The Ravens extended an RFA tender to safety Will Hill at the low-end level, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The $1.542MM offer ensures that Baltimore maintains the right of first refusal if Hill signs an offer sheet with another club. The Ravens also tendered ERFA defensive end Steven Means, locking him up for 2015, tweets Wilson.
  • The Seahawks have elected not to tender contracts to wide receiver Bryan Walters and offensive lineman Stephen Schilling, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). All three players could still re-sign with Seattle, but they’ll be unrestricted free agents and can negotiate with other teams too.
  • Punter Marquette King, safety Brandian Ross, and safety Larry Asante all received low-end RFA tenders from the Raiders, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Defensive back Chimdi Chekwa and running back Kory Sheets weren’t tendered, and will become UFAs tomorrow.

AFC Mailbags: Ravens, Dolphins, Jets, Jags

January 10th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags to answer questions from readers. Let’s first take a look at some of the rumbling coming out of the AFC…

  • The Ravens can’t realistically expect rookie defensive back Rashaan Melvin to continue exceeding expectations. As a result, Jamison Hensley believes the team should still draft a defensive back, forcing Melvin to compete with Asa Jackson for the fourth cornerback spot.
  • If the Dolphins struggle next season, James Walker expects the organization to “clean house.” This would allow new executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum to bring in his own staff.
  • When asked which Jets coaches could ultimately stick around for 2015, Rich Cimini points to defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, quarterbacks coach David Lee and running backs coach Anthony Lynn.
  • Meanwhile, Cimini has no interest in paying Jets wideout Percy Harvin his $10.5MM salary next season, with the writer suggesting a more reasonable $6MM deal.
  • When it comes to some of the notable free agents, Michael DiRocco would support the Jaguars pursuit of wideout Randall Cobb or safety Devin McCourty. However, the writer isn’t as high on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

Ravens Move Jimmy Smith To IR

November 8th, 2014 at 1:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Ravens lost their top corner to a foot injury, as Jimmy Smith underwent surgery on his right foot. The decision to have surgery had essentially ended his season, and the team made it official today as Smith was placed on the IR, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

The Ravens signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin off of the Dolphins’ practice squad to provide them help at corner. The 6’2″ defensive back was on IR last year with the Buccaneers, and was released this past September, when the Dolphins signed him.

Smith, 26, was drafted in the first-round in the 2011 NFL Draft. Although he struggled at times early in his rookie season, he excelled late in the year and played a huge role in the Super Bowl win over the 49ers. Since then, he has overtaken Lardarius Webb as the best defensive back on the team.

Now, as the team nears a decision on his future, the injury has robbed Smith of the back half of his best season as a pro. Had he kept his play at this level through the end of the season, and possibly into the playoffs, he could have been in line for a monster extension comparable to some of the top ten cornerbacks in the league. The Ravens will likely still do whatever is needed to keep Smith on the roster going forward, but the price tag may have come down after the injury.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

October 28th, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

They may not be the sort of deadline-day transactions we’re hoping for, but some teams around the league are making roster moves, adding and subtracting players from their respective practice squads. We’ll track the latest updates below:

  • The Broncos have added receiver Douglas McNeil to their practice squad, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. An Arena League standout, the 26-year-old McNeil caught 66 balls for 858 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games for the Portland Thunder. He takes the practice squad spot of John Boyett, who was released last week following his arrest for assault.
  • The Colts announced receiver Chandler Jones was signed to their practice squad at the expense of running back Jeff Demps. This will be Jones’ second stint with the Colts this season, while Demps’ stay with the team lasted just a week. Jones is an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, where he is the school’s all-time leading receiver.
  • The Giants have cut linebacker Carlos Fields from their practice squad, according to NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter).
  • Running back Ben Malena has replaced cornerback Kendall James on the Texans‘ practice squad, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Rams have signed offensive tackle Steven Baker to their taxi squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The club had plenty of space to add Baker without cutting a player, but released quarterback Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad nonetheless, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • Wideout Tavarres King has signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, says Caplan (via Twitter). The team doesn’t have any openings on its PS, but after today’s trades, there are two spots available on the active roster, so I imagine at least one player is in line for a promotion.

Earlier updates:

  • The Dolphins performed a bit of an overhaul on their practice squad today, adding tight end Evan Wilson, tight end Gerell Robinson, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin to replace quarterback Seth Lobato, tight end Jake Murphy, and defensive back Rod Sweeting, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
  • With backup running back Stepfan Taylor expected to be sidelined for the near future, the Cardinals have added some backfield insurance via their practice squad, signing running back Zach Bauman, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Cornerback Anthony Gaitor has been waived to make room for the new addition.
  • Wide receiver Jace Davis, who was with the Ravens during training camp and the preseason, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to a press release. Davis takes the 10th and final spot, which had been vacated after tight end Phillip Supernaw was promoted to the active roster on the weekend.

West Notes: Collins, Gruden, 49ers, Seahawks

October 27th, 2014 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Raiders guard Mo Collins passed away Sunday at the age of 38, writes Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times. Collins, a first-round pick in 1998, played in 71 games over six seasons in Oakland, and was a part of the Raiders squad that made a Super Bowl run in 2002. Per Langston Wertz of the Charlotte Observer, Collin had been working as an assistant coach at his former high school, and even secured a grant from the Panthers in order to install an artificial turf field. Our thoughts go out to Collins’ friends and family.

  • Jon Gruden told one close friend that the Raiders‘ gig is the one job he’d come back to the NFL for, tweets Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Still, Gruden has a very comfortable and high-paying job as the color commentator of Monday Night Football and it’s not a given that he would give that up.
  • 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, that his club doesn’t figure to make any trades before tomorrow’s deadline.
  • Within the same piece, Harbaugh says he hasn’t heard anything from the league regarding a reduction of Aldon Smith‘s suspension.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at the financial ramifications of Jake Long‘s season-ending injury, and delves into the decisions the Rams will have to make on Long, Sam Bradford, and Kendall Langford in the coming months.
  • With cornerback Byron Maxwell nursing a calf injury, the Seahawks worked out several defensive backs today, auditioning David Van Dyke, Rashaan Melvin, and Trevin Wade, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • The Chargers brought in linebacker Shayne Skov for a tryout last week, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Skov has spent time with both the 49ers and the Buccaneers this year.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:20pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs of today’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Dolphins have signed Marcus Thigpen to their practice squad, writes Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. Thigpen spent one week on the Patriots’ practice squad beore being cut last week. Thigpen, a former CFL standout, contributed 1,910 kickoff return yards, 580 punt return yards, and scored three touchdowns for the Dolphins in the past two seasons.
  • The Redskins will sign center Tevita Stevens to their practice squad tomorrow, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones, who injured his wrist last night, has been placed on Pittsburgh’s injured reserve list with the designation to return, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The designation means that Jones will be sidelined for at least the next eight weeks of game action.
  • In advance of tonight’s game against the Jets, the Bears have waived wide receiver Josh Bellamy and promoted linebacker Terrell Manning from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Linebacker Keith Smith has been cut by the Cowboys, the team officially announced today (via Twitter). For now, the club has an opening on its 53-man roster.
  • The Ravens are filling the 10th and final opening on their practice squad by re-adding defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • After being cut from the team’s active roster before this weekend’s contest against the Colts, safety Craig Loston has rejoined the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
  • Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson is set to join the Vikings‘ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). When the move becomes official, Minnesota will need to cut or promote someone off the practice squad to clear a spot for Bethel-Thompson.
  • The Buccaneers have removed Rashaan Melvin from their injured reserve list with a settlement, says Wilson (via Twitter).

Minor Moves: Monday

September 15th, 2014 at 6:36pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up Monday’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • Two days after promoting him to their 53-man roster, the Lions have waived safety Nate Ness, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ness was placed back on the practice squad this evening, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
  • The Bears announced that they have signed sixth-round rookie quarterback David Fales to their practice squad and re-signed fullback Tony Fiammetta to the active roster, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers are set to sign Xavier Grimble to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers have finalized a little roster shuffling, promoting linebacker Brandon Magee to their 53-man roster and signing linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud to take his place on the practice squad. To create an opening for Magee, the club has waived-injured cornerback Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com).
  • Defensive tackle Matt Conrath has been cut by the Rams, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). No corresponding move has been reported yet, but the team could be opening up a roster spot for wideout Stedman Bailey, who appears poised to be reinstated.
  • Bengals cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, who is returning from a suspension this week, has joined the team’s roster, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Cincinnati gets a two-day exemption for Lewis-Harris, though by our count the club had an opening on its 53-man roster anyway.
  • Linebacker Darius Fleming (Patriots) and defensive end Chris Smith (Jaguars) have passed through waivers and re-signed with their respective clubs’ practice squads, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald and Caplan, respectively (Twitter links).
  • The Giants have removed defensive end Jordan Stanton from their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • The Ravens have signed cornerback Lou Young to fill the 10th and final spot on their practice squad, according to a team release.

Zach Links contributed to this post.