Steven Baker

Rams Cut Damian Williams, Others

TUESDAY, 11:21am: The Rams are now down to 75 players, having waived two more players today. Linebacker Keshaun Malone and defensive tackle Doug Worthington are the latest roster casualties in St. Louis, per a team release.

MONDAY, 7:06pm: The Rams announced that they have cut a number of players today to trim down their roster, including former third round pick Damian Williams. The full list is below:

Released:

  • Damian Williams, WR

Waived:

  • Steven Baker, OT
  • Travis Bond, OL
  • Imoan Claiborne, CB
  • Jay Hughes, S
  • Tyler Ott, LS
  • Michael Palardy, K/P
  • Tyler Slavin, WR
  • David Wang, C

Waived/Injured:

  • Brad Smelley, TE
  • Korey Toomer, LB

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Claiborne is a “practice squad candidate,” according to Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Still, the Rams have other UDFAs gunning for 53-man roster spots. The Rams now have 77 players on their roster in advance of the 75-man deadline.

Rams Sign Seven To Futures Contracts

Earlier today, the Rams announced that they have signed seven players to reserve/futures contracts. Here’s the full list, courtesy of USA Today’s Howard Balzer (on Twitter)..

All seven of the signees above were previously on St. Louis’ practice squad. Two members of the Rams’ taxi squad, defensive tackle Matt Conrath and tight end Brad Smelley, were not signed.

Rams Promote Washington, Sign Williams

2:54pm: The Rams have made a few more moves, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that Williams has indeed been added to the active roster, with cornerback Jemea Thomas waived to make room. Additionally, the team has cut wideout Kadron Boone from its practice squad and added offensive lineman Travis Bond.

12:04pm: The Rams have promoted offensive lineman Brandon Washington to the active roster, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). In addition to that, the Rams have added wide receiver Emory Blake, offensive tackle Steven Baker, and tight end Justice Cunningham to the practice squad, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets.

Washington was one of the final cuts made before the 53-man deadline in late August and was added to the taxi squad soon after. The 6’3″, 320 pound lineman has one game of NFL experience on his resume.

Somewhat surprisingly, the Rams appear poised to continue with just four wide receivers on the active roster. Earlier today, Wagoner tweeted that if and when the Rams add a wide receiver to the active roster, it will be former Dolphins WR Damian Williams. St. Louis recently lost Brian Quick, who was placed on IR, for the year as he was in the midst of a breakout campaign.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

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.

Minor Moves: Monday

Minor Moves: Sunday

We will post any and all “minor moves” right here over the course of the day:

  • The Colts have signed undrafted rookie tackle Matt Hall, the team announced. Hall originally signed with the Vikings in May, but was cut by the team on Friday.
  • The Redskins have waived 2013 fifth-round draft pick Brandon Jenkins, and activated Mo Hurt after he passed his physical, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Moving on from Jenkins was not a surprise, as John Keim of ESPN.com, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington, and Jones all took to Twitter to comment on the player’s struggles and inability to contribute.
  • The Panthers have signed former Brown Fozzy Whittaker to replace the injured Tyler Gaffney, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Whitaker can contribute both as a tailback and kick returner.
  • The Bears have waived guard James Dunbar out of TCU, reports Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins have signed offensive tackle Steven Baker, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).

Earlier updates

  • The Colts have waived tackle Jack Breckner, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
  • The Panthers have signed safety Tom Nelson, tweets David Newton of ESPN.com. Newton adds that the club still has a roster spot to replace injured RB Tyler Gaffney.
  • The Patriots have waived wide receiver Greg Orton, tweets Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald. Howe adds that Orton will revert to IR once he clears waivers. Shalize Manza Young of The Boston Glove tweets that the team has signed wideouts Cole Stanford and Brian Tyms and that the 90-man roster is once again full.
  • The Colts have signed running back Davin Meggett, tweets Matt Zenitz of The Baltimore Sun. Meggett, who has spent time on the practice squads of four different NFL clubs since leaving the University of Maryland in 2011, signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in June but was released by the team earlier this month. Meggett provides backfield depth in the wake of Vick Ballard‘s season-ending injury. Prior to the signing, Stephen Holder of The Indianapolis Star examined the different options the Colts might pursue to replace Ballard, options that still may be on the table after acquiring the unproven Meggett.
  • In a corresponding move, the Colts have place LB Aaron Morgan on IR, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.

Rob DiRe and Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Jets, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants

Plenty of teams around the league are making transactions today as minicamps wrap up and clubs look to finalize their rosters in advance of next month’s training camp. Let’s dive right in and check out the latest minor roster moves, with any additional transactions added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening….

  • Undrafted rookie tight end Terrence Miller has been cut by the Jets, creating a second available roster spot after yesterday’s release of Mike Goodson. As the team reveals in a press release, kicker Andrew Furney and punter Jacob Schum will fill those openings.
  • The Dolphins have replaced one defensive back with another, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed Kevin Fogg and parted ways with Anthony Gaitor.

Earlier updates:

  • The Falcons have waived quarterback Dominique Davis, the team announced today (via Twitter). Davis saw a little playing time last season in relief of starter Matt Ryan, but his grip on a roster spot was tenuous after Atlanta acquired T.J. Yates in a trade with the Texans yesterday. Davis will have to clear waivers before officially becoming a free agent.
  • In a series of three tweets, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News passes along word of a series of signings and cuts for the Giants, who have added offensive tackle Demarcus Love and defensive lineman Everett Dawkins, parting ways with defensive tackle Eathyn Manumaleuna and offensive lineman Steven Baker to make room on the 90-man roster.
  • Long snapper Charley Hughlett, punter Kasey Redfern, and wide receiver Nathan Slaughter, who auditioned for the Jaguars earlier this week, have been signed by the club, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. In addition to Jason Babin, wide receivers Kevin Smith and Brandon Wimberly were cut by Jacksonville to create roster space.
  • The Chiefs have waived defensive lineman Chas Alecxih, according to the club (Twitter link).
  • For the third straight summer, defensive lineman Brandon McKinney will try to earn a roster spot with the Colts, who inked him to a deal today, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com.
  • The Bears have informed tight end Fendi Onobun of his release, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The Patriots have cut wide receiver Reggie Dunn, the team confirmed in a press release.