HEADLINES

Richie Brockel

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/15

November 16th, 2015 at 5:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Colts announced that they activated cornerback D’Joun Smith from the Injured Reserve/Designated for Return list. Smith, a third round pick in the 2015 draft, was initially placed on IR-DTR on September 18th. In 44 career games at Florida Atlantic, Smith totaled 120 tackles (78 solo), nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 1.0 sack and 29 passes defensed.
  • The Panthers waived tight end Richie Brockel from injured reserve, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Giants are set to sign offensive lineman Emmett Cleary to the active roster, a source tells Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. Cleary, 25, spent the first ten weeks of the season on the Giants’ practice squad and he had a strong training camp and preseason. Cleary has also spent time with the Bucs, Colts, Raiders, and Bengals in recent years. To make room, the Giants cut defensive back Tramain Jacobs, as Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
  • The Seahawks were awarded defensive tackle A.J. Francis off waivers from the Dolphins, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. To make room, fellow defensive tackle David King was cut loose.
  • The Eagles released Wade Keliikipi from injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
  • Wide receiver Kaelin Clay took to Twitter to announce that the Ravens have signed him off the Lions‘ taxi squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/15

October 23rd, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Rob DiRe

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Lions have claimed defensive tackle Khyri Thornton off waivers, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Thornton was cut by the Patriots yesterday. He will fill the spot opened when the Lions waived defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen this morning.
  • The Rams have promoted running back Trey Watts to the active roster, and waived safety Christian Bryant to make room for him, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Panthers have also promoted a player from the practice squad to the active roster, bringing tight end Scott Simonson up, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com. The team placed tight end Richie Brockel on the IR to make room for Simonson.
  • Washington has removed wide receiver Issac Blakeney from the IR with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Panthers Sign Dockery, Place Brockel On IR

October 7th, 2014 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have made a change to their 53-man roster, according to Max Henson of Panthers.com, who writes that the team has signed cornerback James Dockery and placed tight end Richie Brockel on injured reserve.

Brockel, 28, has spent the last four seasons with the Panthers, and appeared in 36 offensive snaps this season before suffering an ankle injury in Week 4. While the move to IR doesn’t necessarily mean Brockel’s season is over, he’d have to be removed from the list with an injury settlement in order to sign elsewhere. If Brockel and the Panthers determine the injury is season-ending, he can remain on the team’s IR for 2014, and the club will have the opportunity to bring him back for the final year of his contract in 2015.

As for Dockery, who takes Brockel’s place on the roster, he’s another player who has spent plenty of time with the Panthers since 2011. The Oregon State alum figures to provide depth in Carolina’s secondary and perhaps contribute for the special teams unit as well. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere both suffered injuries during Sunday’s game against the Bears, so adding a defensive back had been a priority for the team this week.

Panthers Re-Sign Brockel, Williams

March 10th, 2014 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have locked up a pair of players before they reached free agency, the team announced today in a press release. Tight end and fullback Richie Brockel has inked a two-year deal, forgoing restricted free agency, while offensive lineman Garry Williams has signed a one-year contract to avoid unrestricted free agency.

Brockel, 27, appeared in just over 200 offensive snaps last season and was also a productive special teams player for the Panthers. Williams, meanwhile, began the year as the team’s starting right guard, but went down with a torn ACL in the first week of the regular season. Williams may return to a starting role for the team in 2014, with Jordan Gross retiring and other linemen eligible for free agency.