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Rick Leonard

AFC South Notes: Texans, Savage, Jaguars

August 22nd, 2016 at 8:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Third-year pro Tom Savage is the Texans’ backup quarterback, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I think [Savage] is No. 2 right now, but that’s not to say that [Brandon] Weeden hasn’t done a good job,” said O’Brien. “I think Weeden has really improved. Tom has been in our system for three years, Weeden’s only been in it for about eight months or close to a year.” Weeden signed a two-year deal with Houston this offseason that includes $450K guaranteed, so it seems unlikely that they’d part ways this soon.

Here’s more from the AFC South:

  • While Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon are atop the Jaguars‘ running back depth chart, the club has several interesting players competing for time — or a roster spot — at the end of the backfield list, as Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union writes. Denard Robinson, Joe Banyard, and Corey Grant are all vying for action at the end of the roster, and because Jacksonville doesn’t plan to carry a fullback, it’s possible all three could make the squad. But which of the trio is active on gamedays could come down to special teams, where Grant and Banyard excel. Robinson, on the other hand, played on only 20% of the Jaguars’ ST snaps a year ago.
  • As they prepare to block for those running backs, the Jaguars‘ offensive line is still not set, as Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union details. Free agent signee Kelvin Beachum was supposed to be slotted in as the club’s left tackle, but he’s been slow to recover from a torn ACL and hasn’t taken many live reps. Former No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel, meanwhile, was scheduled to transition from left tackle to guard, but given Beachum’s condition, Joeckel hasn’t had much practice on the interior. Jacksonville’s coaching staff is still hopeful that the situation can be ironed before Week 1, however.
  • The Texans‘ injury settlement with cornerback Richard Leonard is worth $176,294, according to Wilson. That’s nine weeks salary at a rate of $330K.
  • Earlier tonight, the Colts signed veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie to a one-year deal after learning that fellow defensive back Vontae Davis will be sidelined for at least the first month of the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/16

August 11th, 2016 at 4:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Thursday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Seahawks have waived two players from injured reserve, linebacker Christian French and tight end Cooper Helfet, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). The team reached an injury settlement with Helfet.
  • The Bills announced the release of linebacker Kevin Reddick from the reserve/injured list with an injury settlement.
  • The Colts signed running back Chase Price and linebacker Anthony Sarao, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Seahawks are signing defensive tackle Tylor Harris, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Harris is a UDFA out of Wake Forest. To make room for Harris, they’ve waived linebacker Montese Overton to make room for Harris, per Condotta (Twitter link).
  • The Texans reached an injury settlement with Richard Leonard (hamstring surgery), removing him from IR, Wilson tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/16

July 22nd, 2016 at 7:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • Rookie cornerback Richard Leonard has reverted to the Texans‘ injured reserve list after being waived-injured, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Leonard is recovering from hamstring surgery.
  • The Patriots signed undrafted University of Tennessee offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson today, a source tells Wilson (on Twitter). Kerbyson plays both left tackle and guard.
  • The Eagles announced the release of wide receiver Jonathan Krause, who was promoted to the 53-man roster last November to fill in for Miles Austin. To take Krause’s place and keep their roster at 88 players, the Eagles will sign free agent linebacker Don Cherry, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cherry played college football at nearby Villanova and went undrafted this year. He caught on with the Bears, but they ended up waiving him in June.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/16

July 20th, 2016 at 4:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Lions signed defensive end/outside linebacker Quanterus Smith, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Smith inked a reserve/futures deal with Jacksonville in January but was waived by the team last month. The Western Kentucky product saw time in 15 games for the Broncos in 2014.
  • The Bengals have waived cornerback Corey Tindal, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Tindal, who joined the Bengals as a UDFA, was the victim of an armed robbery earlier this month. With Tindal out of the picture, the Bengals currently have an open spot on their 90-man roster.
  • The Bears have waived quarterback Dalyn Williams, as Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. With Williams out of the picture, the Bears are now down to four quarterbacks, as shown on their Roster Resource page.
  • The Packers have reached the 90-man roster limit by signing cornerback Warren Gatewood of Alcorn State, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Texans have waived/injured cornerback Richard Leonard, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Houston need to open a roster spot for defensive tackle Ra’Zahn Howard, the supplemental draft entry whom the club officially signed today.

Texans Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 6th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Texans issued a press release this afternoon, confirming three draft pick signings that had been previously reported. The team has yet to lock up its top three picks, but has secured fourth-round running back Tyler Ervin, fifth-round safety K.J. Dillon, and fifth-round defensive lineman D.J. Reader.

In addition to signing those draftees, the Texans also announced that they’ve added 15 undrafted free agents to their 90-man roster, supplementing their modest six-man draft class. Here are the 15 UDFAs currently on Houston’s roster:

AFC South Notes: Watt, Jaguars, Titans, Draft

April 6th, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Will Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt retire sooner rather than later? It’s probably too early to make any assumptions about how many years the perennial All-Pro has left, but as James Palmer of the NFL Network tweets, Watt did tell SportsRadio 610 in Houston that he won’t be one of those players who attempts to extend his career as long as possible.

Here are several more items from out of the AFC South…

Draft Notes: Browns, 49ers, Dolphins, Titans

March 19th, 2016 at 12:10pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns were in attendance for Cal quarterback Jared Goff‘s Pro Day, but Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the team made the prospect go through an additional workout.

Associate head coach Pep Hamilton reportedly drenched several footballs with water and asked Goff to make additional throws. The request makes sense, as Cleveland can have unpredictable weather during the football season.

“Growing up in California, I’m sure they wanted to see that,” Goff said. “It makes sense. But at the same time I’ve played in cold weather before. I wouldn’t be the first quarterback from California to play in cold weather. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have done pretty well. They’ve been able to do it.”

Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the league…

  • 49ers coach Chip Kelly was also in attendance at the California Pro Day to watch Goff, tweets ESPN’s Michelle Steele.
  • Florida International cornerback Richard Leonard and Kansas running back De’Andre Mann will work out for the Dolphins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Titans general manager Jon Robinson told reporters that it would take a “substantial amount of picks” for the team to consider trading the number-one selection in the draft (via Titans Online’s Jim Wyatt on Twitter).