Ryan Groy

Bills OL Ryan Groy Drawing Interest

Bills restricted free agent Ryan Groy is drawing interest from at least four teams, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). A few of those teams, Caplan adds, believe that the guard/center could start for them. Ryan Groy (vertical)

Groy, 27 in September, wound up starting in the middle for Buffalo after Ryan Wood suffered a broken leg last season. All in all, he had an alright showing, placing as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best center out of 38 qualified players. At minimum, Groy would make sense for teams as a sub who could play in three different spots on the offensive line.

Groy was undrafted, so under the terms of his “original round” tender, the Bills would not be entitled to any draft compensation from a club if they choose not to match an offer sheet.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/7/17

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered:

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/15

Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including practice squad moves:

  • The Falcons have released an injury settlement with tackle Lamar Holmes, releasing him from the reserve/PUP list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Holmes’ four-year rookie deal had been set to expire at season’s end, but since he was on track to spend all year on the PUP list due to a foot injury, his contract would’ve tolled, keeping him on Atlanta’s roster. Instead, he’ll reach the open market a little early.
  • To fill the roster spot formerly held by Trent Robinson, whose release was noted below, Washington promoted linebacker Carlos Fields from its practice squad, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com reports. The 25-year-old Fields should serve as depth for a depleted Washington linebacking corps Monday night, with Mason Foster and Will Compton expected to start. Perry Riley remains out, and Keenan Robinson is questionable, so Fields figures to see extensive special teams time.

Earlier updates:

  • Darius Jennings joins the Browns‘ active roster after the team promoted the wide receiver from their practice squad. Cleveland cut linebacker Darrian Miller to make room, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). A former Virginia wideout, Jennings caught on with the Browns after a minicamp tryout this May. Miller played in two games as a backup after spending nine weeks on the team’s practice squad prior to his promotion.
  • The Dolphins signed defensive end Jordan Williams from their practice squad and cut tight end Brandon Williams to make room, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Initially signing with the Jets as a rookie UDFA this offseason, Jordan Williams signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad in October.
  • The Giants waived cornerback Leon McFadden and signed linebacker James Morris to take his spot on the 53-man roster, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A 24-year-old inside backer, Morris played in three games with the Giants this season after spending time with the Patriots in 2014.
  • Washington waived/injured safety Trent Robinson, per Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Robinson was backing up Dashon Goldson and Kyshoen Jarrett previously. If Robinson clears waivers, he’ll land on Washington’s IR, per Jay Gruden (via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com, on Twitter).
  • The Bills have promoted running back Michael Gillislee to the active roster, reports Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo (via Twitter). The former fifth-round pick hasn’t played in the NFL since a three-game stint with the Dolphins in 2013. To make room on the roster, the team has waived offensive lineman Gabe Ikard. The Oklahoma product has only made three appearances this season, although Buscaglia believes his absence will lead to Ryan Groy being active for the first time.
  • With the Bengals dealing with a banged up secondary, the team has promoted cornerback Troy Hill from the practice squad, reports ESPN’s Coley Harvey (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, the team waived cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, who was injured during last week’s victory over the Rams.

Bills Sign Marcus Thigpen, Cut Boom Herron

The Bills have made a series of roster moves today, announcing in a press release that they’ve re-signed wide receiver and kick returner Marcus Thigpen, as well as offensive lineman Ryan Groy. To make room on the 53-man roster for the two new additions, Buffalo has waived running back Boom Herron and wide receiver Denarius Moore.

Thigpen, 29, started the season with the Bills, but was cut to create an opening for Moore back in early October. Since then, the return specialist has spent some time with the Colts and the Raiders, but was let go by Oakland earlier this month. Thipgen figures to take over return duties for the Bills, after Leodis McKelvin fumbled one away on Monday night, and muffed another.

Herron and Moore, meanwhile, are recognizable names, but their brief stints in Buffalo didn’t result in many memorable moments. Herron, a former Colt, totaled 37 yards on 11 carries in his four games for Buffalo, adding another 20 yards on three receptions. Moore didn’t have a single reception during his time with the Bills.

Herron and Moore will have to pass through waivers before reaching free agency.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/28/15

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/15

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Jets signed tight end Wes Saxton off of their taxi squad, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Saxton will provide the Jets with depth while Jeff Cumberland is sidelined.
  • The Patriots promoted defensive tackle Khyri Thornton from the practice squad to the active roster, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. New England wanted to beef up its defensive front and they had an open spot to use.
  • The Colts added running back Zurlon Tipton to the active roster, as Mike Chappell of FOX59 tweets. To make room, defensive lineman Earl Okine was waived. The move likely means that running back Tyler Varga will not be ready to go this weekend.
  • The Patriots removed Ryan Groy from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Patriots Waive Nine, Trim Roster To 66 Players

In addition to cutting quarterback Ryan Lindley and signing cornerback Justin Coleman on Friday, the Patriots announced nine other moves, reducing their roster to 66 players. Here’s the list of players who were waived by the team, according to a team release:

  • RB Tony Creecy
  • WR Zach D’Orazio
  • WR DaVaris Daniels
  • OL Ryan Groy
  • OL Caylin Hauptmann
  • OL Chris Martin
  • LB James Morris
  • DL A.J. Pataiali’i
  • DL Casey Walker

New England also released tight end Jake Bequette from the club’s injured reserve list, making him a free agent.

The Patriots will move running back LeGarrette Blount to the reserve/suspended list for Week 1 as part of their cutdown to 53 players, so the team will have to make 12 more roster moves by today’s deadline.

Patriots Acquire Ryan Groy From Bears

12:23pm: The Patriots traded linebacker Matthew Wells to Chicago to acquire Groy, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wells was a 2015 sixth-round selection by New England.

11:32am: The Patriots have acquired guard Ryan Groy from the Bears, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter). The exact return is not known at this time, but the Patriots likely didn’t give up much to acquire the offensive lineman.

Groy was a member of the Bears’ practice squad to start the 2014 season but was promoted to the 53-man roster when right tackle Jordan Mills went down with a rib injury. Groy, 25 in September, saw time in four games for Chicago last season, including three starts. He entered the league as a UDFA last offseason after going undrafted out of Wisconsin.

The acquisition of the Wisconsin product marks the Patriots’ second transaction so far on Monday. Earlier today, the Pats cut quarterback Matt Flynn in order to sign Ryan Lindley.

Minor Moves: Monday

We’ll track today’s minor transactions in this space, including small tweaks to 53-man rosters as well as practice squad signings and cuts. Here’s the latest:

  • To fill the roster spot vacated by Williams (referenced below), the Bears have promoted guard Ryan Groy from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Biggs notes that right tackle Jordan Mills said he was set to have his rib injury examined today, suggesting the Groy promotion could be a precautionary move in case Mills is sidelined.

Earlier updates:

  • Following Aaron Rodgers‘ shredding of the Bears‘ secondary last night, Chicago has waived defensive back Teddy Williams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team has yet to announce a corresponding move.
  • The Chiefs have replaced one offensive lineman with another on their practice squad, announcing in a press release that they’ve released Curtis Feigt and signed Jarrod Pughsley.
  • Offensive lineman Darren Keyton is joining the Lions‘ practice squad in the wake of an injury to Larry Warford, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Birkett speculations that Rodney Austin could be promoted to the team’s 53-man roster in order to accommodate the move.
  • Washington has signed tight end Chase Dixon, an undrafted free agent out of Central Arkansas, to their practice squad, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Dixon, who initially signed with the Seahawks in May, was cut during the summer and worked out for Washington last week.
  • The Ravens have added offensive tackle Terren Jones to their practice squad, cutting defensive tackle Jamie Meder in order to clear room on the unit, the team announced today in a press release. Following Meder’s release, only one of the 10 players on Baltimore’s taxi squad is a defender.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings: