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Tanner Purdum

Jets Rumors: Mayfield, Pryor, Roberts

March 28th, 2018 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

Some in football circles believe that the Jets traded up from No. 6 to No. 3 in order to draft Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Mike Florio of PFT writes. Mayfield is widely regarded as one of the four best QBs in this year’s class, but most have some combo of Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen coming off the board in the first two picks.

Mayfield comes with some concerns about his demeanor and height, but coach Todd Bowles won’t rule him out just because of his stature.

“They’re important to a degree,” Bowles said of height and tangible measurements (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). “Winning is more important. You just have to weigh the pluses and the minuses on that. Quarterback measurables are important. Defensive back measurables are important. There’s a height requirement there as well. There’s a height requirement for linebackers and defensive linemen.”

Mayfield has measured at at 6-foot 3/8 with 9 1/2-inch hands, which has kept him in the conversation near the top of the draft. He still doesn’t have ideal height for the quarterback position, but the Jets could be willing to overlook that if they believe in his overall potential.

Here’s more on Gang Green:

  • Terrelle Pryor’s deal with the Jets is one year, $4.5MM pact with $2MM guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Pryor managed only 20 receptions, 240 yards, and one reception in nine games with the Redskins before landing on IR, but he had a strong showing for the Browns in the previous year. If Pryor gets back to his old form, he could prove to be one of this year’s best value signings in the NFL.
  • Andre Roberts‘ contract with the Jets is a one year, $1.005MM pact with the $90K signing bonus representing his only guarantee (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). Roberts is expected to serve as a depth addition as well as a special teams contributor, but his low guarantee means that he is not necessarily assured a spot on the final 53-man roster.
  • Former Jets long snapper Tanner Purdum has retired, according to an Instagram post from his wife. Purdum was with the Jets from 2010-2016 and did not botch a snap during that period. He was released last September after the team traded for rookie long snapper Thomas Hennessy and did not hook on with another club.

Saints To Sign LS Zach Wood

September 8th, 2017 at 6:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have signed long snapper Zach Wood, a source tells Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Wood will replace veteran Jon Dorenbos, who has been placed on the non-football injury list following the revelation that he’ll need heart surgery.

[RELATED: Saints Working To Rescind Jon Dorenbos Trade]

Wood, who spent four years as a defensive lineman at Southern Methodist University, transitioned to long snapper during his second camp with the Cowboys in 2017. While he was waived during final cutdowns after failing to overtake 13-year veteran L.P. Ladouceur, Wood will now get a chance to snap for the Saints.

Wood worked out for New Orleans today, but he wasn’t the only long snapper to do. John DePalma, Colin Holba, and Tanner Purdum all auditioned for the Saints today, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, as did Jeff Overbaugh, whose inclusion was reported earlier today.

Jets Make 23 Moves, Reach 53-Man Limit

September 2nd, 2017 at 4:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets waived 17 players, released three, placed two on the suspended list, and waived/injured one player in order to reach the 53-man maximum. Here’s the complete breakdown:

Waived:

Reserve/Suspended:

Waived/Injured:

Released:

Purdum was the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, but he wasn’t performing up to standards this offseason. When the Jets acquired long snapper Thomas Hennessy in a trade with the Colts in late August, it was clear that Purdum’s time with the organization was coming to a close.

Jets, Colts Complete Trade

August 28th, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have traded long snapper Thomas Hennessy to the Jets in exchange for safety Ronald Martin. Both teams confirmed the deal via press release on Monday morning.

The Jets’ acquisition of Martin is a sign that they are not pleased with long snapper Tanner Purdum. Purdum, the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, has a $400K guarantee on his contract but he has looked off throughout the summer. It seems possible that Purdum will be handed a pink slip between now and the 53-man deadline on Saturday.

Martin has appeared in eleven career games for the Jets over the last two years and also spent time on the practice squad. Martin first broke into the league undrafted free agent with the Seahawks in 2015. Collegiately, Martin played in 37 games at LSU and tallied 149 tackles, 20 passes defensed, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Hennessy, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, suited up for 52 games while with the Blue Devils. He played his high school football at New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep.

AFC Notes: Bolts, Ravens, Jets, Steelers

August 8th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Chargers first-round wide receiver Mike Williams, who has been dealing with a back injury since May, is “running” and “doing well,” head coach Anthony Lynn told reporters, including Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Lynn suggested last week that Williams might not play at all this year, which came after the Chargers announced that the ex-Clemson star will miss all of training camp. However, they continue to hold out hope he’ll be healthy in time for the regular season, writes Eric Williams.

  • Newly signed Ravens offensive tackle Austin Howard hasn’t practiced with the team since inking a three-year, $16.5MM deal last Friday, and it’s unclear why, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Howard underwent offseason shoulder surgery, so his recovery from that procedure could be at the root of the delay, notes Zrebiec. For his part, head coach John Harbaugh is content to leave Howard’s fate “in the trainer’s hands.”
  • Free agent long snapper Andrew DePaola visited the Jets on Tuesday, tweets ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, who relays that incumbent Tanner Purdum hasn’t looked great in camp. Purdum has been the Jets’ long snapper since 2010, so even though his position isn’t glamorous, it would be notable for the club to make a change there. DePaola was the Buccaneers’ long snapper for the previous three seasons. They non-tendered him in March.
  • Center Mike Matthews, whom the Steelers waived Tuesday, will miss four to six months with a torn patellar tendon, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Matthews, the son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, will go on injured reserve if another team doesn’t claim him via waivers.
  • With Cairo Santos set to miss a week-plus with a groin injury, the Chiefs worked out free agent kickers John Lunsford and Conrad Ukropina on Tuesday, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). It doesn’t appear the Chiefs will sign either, though, given that they added fellow kicker Sam Ficken after auditioning Lunsford and Ukropina.

Contract Details: Bennett, Bouye, Branch

March 11th, 2017 at 9:13am CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed free agent contracts:

  • Martellus Bennett, TE (Packers): Three years, $20.25MM. $6.3MM guaranteed. Base salaries of $900K, $3.6MM, $5.65MM. $2MM roster bonus due on first day of 2018 league year. $600K in annual per-game roster bonuses. $$250K annual workout bonus (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
  • A.J. Bouye, CB (Jaguars): Five years, $65MM. $26MM guaranteed. $10MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $3MM, $13MM, $13MM, $13MM, $13MM. $500K annual workout bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Alan Branch, DT (Patriots): Two years, $8.45MM. $3MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. Annual $400K workout and weight bonus of $400K each. $3.55MM available via not-likely-to-be-earned incentives (link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
  • Ted Ginn, WR (Saints): Three years, $11MM. $3MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $2MM, $3MM, $2.5MM. 2018 $500K roster bonus. $500,000 aviailve vie playtime, catches incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Tanner Purdum, LS (Jets): One year, $980K. $400K guaranteed (Twitter link via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press).
  • Brandon Williams, DT (Ravens): Five years, $52.5MM. $27.5MM guaranteed. $12.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun).
  • Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB (Falcons): One year, $775K (minimum salary) (Twitter link via Wilson).

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/10/17

March 10th, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Bears will sign free agent offensive tackle Tom Compton, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has primarily worked as a reserve during his five NFL seasons, having started in just 11 of 44 appearances with Washington and Atlanta. Last season was Compton’s only one as a member of the Falcons. While he played in all of the NFC champions’ games, he didn’t start any of them.
  • The Cowboys have signed defensive end Damontre Moore, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Moore, a former third-round pick, has appeared in 49 career games but never started a contest. Although he’s posted 10 sacks during his NFL tenure, Moore might be best known for getting cut by the Giants after a headphone-related altercation. He’ll compete for a rotational role in Dallas.
  • The Chiefs re-signed offensive lineman Mike Person, tweets Terez A. Paylor. Person, 28, was a 14-games starter for the Falcons in 2015 but didn’t see the field last year. Person, who has 31 career starts under his belt, is in the mix for a reserve role for Kansas City.
  • After being non-tendered by the Seahawks earlier this week, linebacker Brock Coyle has now signed with the division-rival 49ers, per his agency (Twitter link). Coyle is a former undrafted agent, and though he’s never been a full-time starter, he’s appeared in 35 games during his three-year career.
  • The Jets announced that they’ve re-signed long snapper Tanner Purdum. Purdum has been with Gang Green since 2010 and has appeared in every game during that time.

Minor Moves: Thursday

March 12th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves…

  • The Giants have agreed to terms with cornerback Chykie Brown, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Brown was picked up by the Giants midway through last season after being waived by the Ravens. Brown played 375 snaps for the Giants after joining the team in early November, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
  • The Dolphins signed defensive back T.J. Heath, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • The Patriots signed linebacker Jonathan Freeny, who had been with the Dolphins since going undrafted out of Rutgers in 2011, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
  • Long snapper James Winchester signed with the Chiefs today, according to agent Ken Sarnoff (on Twitter).
  • Panthers free agent cornerback James Dockery is set to sign with the Raiders, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Dockery took to Instagram not long ago to thank his fans in the Charlotte area.
  • The Broncos (via Twitter) have signed rookie punter Karl Schmitz to a contract. He handled punts and kickoffs for Jacksonville University in 2008 before transferring to University of Missouri-St. Louis and graduating in 2011.
  • Long snapper Tanner Purdum has signed a new two-year deal with the Jets, according to agent Robert Roche (via Twitter). Purdum, who became an unrestricted free agent Tuesday, has been close to perfect in his five seasons as the Jets’ snapper, as Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com writes. He’s made every one of the punt and placement snaps in that time, 783 snaps over 83 regular- and postseason games, without a single fumble, wild snap or penalty.

NFC North Rumors: McCourty, Green, Packers

March 9th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though Devin McCourty ultimately re-signed with the Patriots, two NFC North clubs were hot on his trail. The Bears were involved until the bidding got above $9MM per year, says Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), while the Vikings also had interest, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Here’s more from the NFC North:

  • Free agent tight end Virgil Green will have a strong market, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, and he’ll probably decide between the Bears and Broncos, though other teams are interested.
  • Restricted free agent offensive lineman Don Barclay hasn’t heard if the Packers will tender him, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If Bryan Bulaga isn’t re-signed, Barclay would likely become Green Bay’s starting right tackle, so Demovsky believes that GB will ultimately offer him a contract.
  • Lest we forget long snappers are people too, Biggs reports (via Twitter) that the Bears are interested in long snapper Tanner Purdum, who spent 2014 with the Jets.