HEADLINES

Rob Blanchflower

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/16/16

February 16th, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Cardinals announced a pair of signings today in a press release, confirming that they’ve re-signed safety Chris Clemons and added Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson. A former starter in the Dolphins’ secondary, Clemons hasn’t seen much playing time since joining the Cardinals in 2014, but the team likes him enough to bring him back for a third season. As for Wilkinson, he’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne, who earned a spot on the 49ers’ roster last year after coming over from Australia. Wilkinson will play cornerback.
  • The Steelers signed long snapper Matt Dooley and defensive tackle Lavon Hooks while cutting tight end Rob Blanchflower and offensive tackles Kelvin Palmer and Mitchell Van Dyk, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Falcons announced on Monday that they have waived cornerback Travis Howard and fullback Collin Mooney, two players who spent the 2015 season on the injured reserve list. Mooney last saw the field during a regular-season contest in 2013, when he appeared in 12 games for the Titans. Howard has spent time with the Patriots and Giants, but has never seen regular-season action.
  • Cornerback Chance Casey, who spent more than half of the 2015 season on the Browns’ practice squad, has signed with the Jaguars, per team PR rep Tad Dickman (Twitter link). Casey was on the Colts’ roster last summer before being waived during roster cutdowns in September.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/16

August 6th, 2015 at 7:22pm CST by Zachary Links

We rounded up some of the minor signings and moves in the NFL earlier today. Below, we’ll round up the very latest..

  • The Bills are signing former Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hill should provide Buffalo with more depth as they get set to install a run-heavy offense. To make room, the Bills cut defensive end Erik Williams, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Colts were awarded cornerback Tevin Mitchel off waivers from Washington and waived safety Robert Smith to make room for him, Wilson tweets.
  • The Steelers waived-injured Rob Blanchflower and claimed tight end Ray Hamilton off waivers from the Cowboys, Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots announced today that they have signed offensive lineman Mark Asper and tight end Mason Brodine. To make room, offensive lineman Harland Gunn has been let go. Asper, 29, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2012.
  • The Cardinals waived/injured guard John Fullington (knee) and released tight end Ted Bolser, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The 49ers have waived/injured offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
  • The Saints waived defensive end Glenn Foster with a failed physical designation, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. To fill his spot, New Orleans inked undrafted rookie cornerback Travis Manning.

Steelers Sign Seven To Futures Contracts

January 5th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Like the Bengals and the Cardinals, the Steelers didn’t waste any time following their elimination from the playoffs to move forward on 2015 business, confirming today that they’ve signed seven practice squad players to reserve/futures contracts for 2015. Here’s the list of players locked up by Pittsburgh so far, via Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link):

The Steelers finished the season with a full 10-man practice squad, but so far wide receiver Tim Benford, running back LaDarius Perkins, and offensive lineman Ronald Patrick remain unsigned.

Sunday Transactions: AFC North

August 31st, 2014 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North 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 are noted below.

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

Baltimore Ravens:

Cincinnati Bengals:

Cleveland Browns:

Pittsburgh Steelers:

Steelers Reduce Roster To 53 Players

August 30th, 2014 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have become the latest team to reduce their roster count to 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Here are the 22 players cut from the club’s active roster today, per a press release:

Minor Moves: Benn, Steelers, Bucs, Chapas

May 19th, 2014 at 9:35am CST by Matt Feminis
  • As expected, the Eagles have re-signed receiver Arrelious Benn days after releasing him. Terms of the deal weren’t announced, but Benn’s contract was reworked in order to avoid the $1.1MM he was due this season, writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Benn, who missed last season because of a torn ACL, is not guaranteed a roster spot, however, as the Eagles added a pair of rookie receivers — second-rounder Jordan Matthews and fifth-rounder Josh Huff — to groom behind veterans Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper.
  • The Steelers have inked sixth-round nose tackle Daniel McCullers (all 6-7, 350 pounds of him) and seventh-round tight end Rob Blanchflower, per Pro Football Talk. McCullers in particular has a realistic chance of carving a niche with the team, as the mammoth nose tackle with exceptionally long arms is an ideal, two-gapping anchor if he plays to his potential. He’s underachieved to this point, however, and was drafted lower than his ability dictates for a reason.
  • Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to wait until June 2 to free up money to sign their top three draft picks, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers announced they’ve signed fifth-rounder Kevin Pamphile, an offensive tackle out of Purdue.
  • The Ravens will sign ex-Jaguars fullback Shaun Chapas, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Chapas, 26, was a seventh-round pick of the Cowboys in 2011. He had a brief stint with the Lions in 2012 and spent time on Jacksonville’s practice squad and active roster last season.

NFC Notes: Packers, Falcons, Bucs, Eagles

April 30th, 2014 at 9:31am CST by Luke Adams

The Packers re-signed Sam Shields earlier in the offseason, ensuring that the 26-year-old remains under contract with the team through the 2017 season and that cornerback won’t be an immediate area of need. Still, as Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, GM Ted Thompson has demonstrated repeatedly that he places significant value on the position, so despite the presence of Shields and Tramon Williams, the Packers still may be eyeing cornerbacks in next week’s draft.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • It was a given that the Falcons would pick up Julio Jones‘ fifth-year option, as they did yesterday, but the next step for the club will be locking up the receiver to a longer-term contract, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Head coach Mike Smith recently said he expects Jones to be a Falcon for “a long, long time.”
  • Based on comments by head coach Lovie Smith, it doesn’t sound like the Buccaneers will be drafting a quarterback with the No. 7 pick, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. A report last week suggested Johnny Manziel was on the short list of players Tampa Bay is “heavily considering” with that pick.
  • Appearing on SportsRadio 94-WIP in Philadelphia, Eagles GM Howie Roseman confirmed that he expects his club to land at least one wide receiver in next week’s draft (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
  • The Eagles recently met with Eastern Washington edge rusher Anthony Larry, BYU safety Daniel Sorensen, and UMass tight end Rob Blanchflower, says Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com.

Extra Points: Easley, Murray, Lions, Visits

April 17th, 2014 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Defensive tackle Dominique Easley, who tore his ACL in September, held a personal Pro Day to attempt to prove his health to NFL teams today, and Jeff Barlis of ESPN.com (Twitter links) reports that at least 17 clubs were in attendance. According to Barlis (via Twitter), Easley feels like his knee is at “about 80%” and that he’ll be fully prepared for summer mini-camps. In his ESPN.com piece on Easley’s performance, Barlis adds that the former Florida Gator will visit NFL clubs for seven straight days starting on Sunday.

Here are a few more notes from around the NFL, including one additional update on Easley:

  • Easley is drawing “heavy interest” from the Seahawks, Bears, Patriots, and 49ers in particular, and looks like a second-round pick, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
  • Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links) adds the Lions, Chiefs, Dolphins, and Rams to the list of teams who have met or will meet with Georgia signal-caller Aaron Murray.
  • In addition to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz, whose visit was previously reported, the Lions are also hosting USC receiver Marqise Lee and Mississippi State defensive end Denico Autry today, says Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter).
  • Jason Fitzgerald’s evaluatons of each team’s free agent periods continued today at OverTheCap.com with pieces on the Redskins, who received a C grade, and the Eagles, who got an impressive grade of B+.
  • Towson running back Terrance West, who has had private meetings with the Cardinals and Dolphins, will visit the 49ers, Falcons, and Bills next week, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Steelers hosted Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, UMass tight end Rob Blanchflower, and Rice cornerback Phillip Gaines for pre-draft visits today, tweets Bob Labriola of Steelers.com.