Terrelle Pryor

Bengals Sign 11 Undrafted Free Agents

The Bengals have officially announced the 11 undrafted free agents they added to their rookie class for 2015. Here’s the full list, via the club’s official Twitter account, along with known bonus info:

  • Troy Hill, CB, Oregon
  • Chris Jasperse, G, Marshall
  • Jake Kumerow, WR, Wisconsin-Whitewater
  • Matt Lengel, TE, Eastern Kentucky
  • Tom Obarski, K, Concordia-St. Paul
  • Floyd Raven, DB, Texas A&M ($5K bonus, per Coley Harvey)
  • Trevor Roach, LB, Nebraska ($2.5K bonus, per Harvey)
  • Jake Smith, C, Louisville
  • Terrell Watson, RB, Azusa Pacific ($6K bonus, per Harvey)
  • Mark Weisman, FB, Iowa
  • DeShawn Williams, DT, Clemson ($5K bonus, per Harvey)

While he hasn’t signed with the team, another noteworthy player is in attendance at Cincinnati’s minicamp this weekend. According to Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link), quarterback Terrelle Pryor, having recently been cut by the Chiefs, is trying out for the Bengals.

Chiefs Waive Terrelle Pryor, Three Others

3:39pm: In addition to confirming that Pryor has been waived, the Chiefs also announced that they’ve cut linebacker JoJo Dickson, long snapper Jorgen Hus, and wideout Corbin Louks.

3:13pm: The Chiefs have removed one of the five quarterbacks from their roster, and the player being waived is a notable one. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), the team has cut former Raider Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor appeared in 11 games in 2013 for the Raiders, starting nine of them, but was underwhelming in those contests. Overall, he completed 156 of 272 pass attempts (57.4%) for 1,798 yards, seven touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He did add some value with his legs, racking up 576 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 93-yard score.

Since then, however, Pryor has failed to stick with any one team. He was waived by the Seahawks during last August’s roster cutdowns, and was unable to catch on with another club during the 2014 season. The 25-year-old’s stint with the Chiefs only lasted a few months — he signed a futures contract with the team after the 2014 season.

With Pryor no longer in the mix, the Chiefs will head into the summer with Alex Smith, Chase Daniel, Aaron Murray, and Tyler Bray at quarterback.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

We’ll recap today’s minor transactions from across the NFL in the space below, with any new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Chiefs also signed wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • It appears that quarterback Terrelle Pryor has signed with the Chiefs, based on his Sqor post from this evening. The Ohio State product auditioned for KC earlier today exclusively as a quarterback. A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) that’s a one-year deal.
  • The Lions have added another reserve/futures contract signing to the list of players they announced yesterday, with Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweeting that defensive back Crezdon Butler has inked a deal with the club. Butler spent most of the season with the Buccaneers before being waived by the team in December.

Earlier updates:

  • Former Southern Connecticut State defensive end Ike Igbinosun, who finished the season on the Bills’ practice squad, has signed a reserve/futures deal with the Jaguars, according to John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link).
  • Washington has signed outside linebacker Austin Spitler to a reserve/futures contract, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Spitler most recently spent time with the Ravens, but was cut near the end of the 2014 preseason.
  • The Giants are signing kicker Chris Boswell, who worked out for the team early in the season, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Boswell signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent out of Rice this spring, and spent a little time on Houston’s practice squad in September.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, MJD, Pryor, Chiefs

After a report yesterday indicated that former Raiders head coach John Madden sat in on the team’s interview with Mike Shanahan, Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell revealed that Oakland owner Mark Davis wasn’t even in attendance during his meeting with the team, tweets Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. While that doesn’t necessarily mean anything – perhaps the timing just didn’t work out, with Bevell’s interview window set to close – it may not be a good sign for his candidacy, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk.

Here’s more from around the AFC West, with a focus on the Raiders:

  • We heard during Wild Card week that the Raiders were one of five teams interested in Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, but now that Bowles is eligible to interview for head coaching jobs, Oakland seems to rank as his fifth priority, says Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). The Jets, Falcons, 49ers, and Bears have interviews lined up with Bowles, beginning today, while the Raiders were “essentially told to get in line” behind those clubs, per Tafur.
  • In a second tweet, Tafur adds that the Raiders haven’t ruled out a pursuit of Bowles or Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio – who won’t talk to teams until Denver’s season is over – but neither coach appears to be a strong candidate for the position at this point.
  • Appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew said he hopes to remain in Oakland and help turn the team’s fortunes around in 2015. While MJD says his body feels good and he wishes he had seen the field more in 2014, the Raiders wouldn’t carry any dead money if they decided to cut the 29-year-old and his $2.5MM cap hit, so he’s certainly no sure bet to be back.
  • Free agent Terrelle Pryor is working out for the Chiefs as a quarterback today, a league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Kansas City already has four signal-callers on its roster, but with offseason limits now applying to the team, it’s possible one more could come aboard.

Workout Updates: Holmes, Pryor, Lewis

After having been released by the Bears earlier this week to make room for Marquess Wilson, wide receiver Santonio Holmes passed through waivers unclaimed and is on the lookout for a new job. And according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), the veteran wideout has already paid a visit to Kansas City to meet with the Chiefs, a team that could use a receiver — through nine games, no Chiefs wide receivers have a touchdown this season.

While we wait to see if Holmes ends up signing with Kansas City or another club, let’s round up a few more Saturday updates on free agent visits, workouts, and auditions around the league….

  • With Nick Foles on the shelf, the Eagles just have two healthy quarterbacks on the active roster, and while a move is unlikely, the team is keeping an eye on free agent options just in case. According to Florio (via Twitter), Philadelphia worked out signal-callers Terrelle Pryor and Thad Lewis.
  • Lou Young, who was cut from the Jaguars’ practice squad earlier this week, was one of a handful of defensive backs to try out for the Cowboys, along with Robert Steeples and Jonte Green, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • In addition to the previously-reported punters that worked out for the Buccaneers this week, punter Jake Dombrowski and long snapper Charley Hughlett also auditioned for the club, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Defensive tackle Kenny Horsley, who auditioned for the Packers earlier this week, also worked out for the Bears, per Wilson (via Twitter).

East Notes: Pryor, Jets, Patriots, Pierre-Paul

Earlier today, Washington became the latest team to have free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor in for a workout, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. The club now has a fully healthy group of signal-callers in Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins, so it appears to be an unlikely landing spot for Pryor. Running backs Tim Hightower and Jeff Demps were also among the free agents whom Washington auditioned today, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The club worked out nine more players, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides a full list: tight end Chase Dixon, tight end D.C. Jefferson, safety Ahmad Black, defensive tackle Lanier Coleman, tackle Chris Faulk, tight end Tyler George, defensive end Donte Paige-Moss, defensive tackle Justin Renfrow, and safety Nickoe Whitley. Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions.

  • The Jets’ plan to rely on second-year player Dee Milliner, rookie Dexter McDougle, and mediocre free agent Dimitri Patterson as their primary corners was flawed from the beginning, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Milliner and McDougle both suffered serious injuries, while Patterson went AWOL during the preseason and was released.
  • The Jets worked out linebacker Shayne Skov today, tweets Costello. Skov, a 2014 undrafted free agent, has worked out for the Chargers and Texans in recent days after spending time with the 49ers and Buccaneers earlier this year.
  • The Patriots also brought in several players for tryouts today, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who identifies kickers Dave Teggart and Zach Hocker, long snappers Charley Hughlett and Patrick Scales, punter Cody Mandell, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert as having auditioned for New England.
  • Responding to a reader’s Twitter question, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger gave defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul a 55% chance of returning to the Giants next season. Pierre-Paul is having a solid season as he approaches free agency — though he has only 3.5 sacks, he’s graded as the league’s third-best 4-3 defensive end among 54 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). PFF’s metrics rate the 25-year-old as the best run defender at his position by far; his +17.1 grade against the run is nearly double that of Derek Wolfe, the No. 2 finisher.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Giants Worked Out Felix Jones, 14 Others

4:31pm: The Giants worked out 15 players in total, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who provides the full list of participants. Here are the 11 new names:

12:00pm: After losing back-to-back divisional matchups against the NFC-leading Cowboys and Eagles, the Giants are entering their bye week, and are taking the opportunity to look at a handful of free agents. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), running backs Felix Jones and Alex Green are working out for the team.

Green, a former third-round pick who started his career with the Packers, was cut by the Jets in August and has auditioned for the Lions and Panthers since then. As for Jones, there haven’t been many reports on the former Cowboy this year, which is somewhat surprising — while he didn’t do much in limited action for the Steelers last season, he had recorded over 100 carries in each of his previous four seasons in Dallas, and is still just 27 years old.

The fact that the Giants are working out running backs shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a sign that Rashad Jennings‘ recovery is moving slowly, or that the team is looking to add a player at the position. It’s more likely that New York is simply gauging the options in the market at several spots in case the club needs to dip into free agency later in the season.

In fact, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that quarterback Terrelle Pryor is also visiting the club today, while Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post adds tight end Tony Moeaki to the list of players auditioning. The Giants’ workout group this work is expected to be large, as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, so several more participants will likely be reported soon.

North Notes: Bears, Hoyer, Jones, Bell

Field Yates of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) reflected on the offseason’s top value signings. Bears defensive end Willie Young, signed to a three-year, $9MM deal, tops the list. Young has seven sacks so far, more than he had during the first four years of his career combined. One NFL coach told Yates that he’s quite impressed with Young’s improvement from last season to this season. “If you look at him from the Lions, he was a straight-line, situational rusher,” he said of Young. “Now he is not a straight-line rusher. Now he uses his hands and feet and has become a skilled pass-rusher.” More out of the AFC and NFC North..

  • While there’s been plenty of speculation about a potential contract extension for Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer, the team has displayed “zero” interest so far in negotiating a new deal for him, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Yesterday a foot specialist told Marvin Jones that he’ll require surgery on his balky ankle, which is why the Bengals decided to place the wideout on injured reserve, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell waived his right to a preliminary hearing on marijuana possession and and DUI charges, writes Joe Mandak of The Associated Press. That means the 22-year-old won’t contest that police have enough evidence for the chargets to go to court, where he will either plead to all or some of the chargers or stand trial.
  • Terrelle Pryor worked out for the Bengals as a quarterback, so it would seem that he’s not entertaining a position change, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.
  • Sunday was a rough day for Vikings GM Rick Spielman‘s recent first-round picks, as Michael Rand of the Star-Tribune explains (video link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Workout Notes: Bengals, Titans, Giants

The Bengals signed one former Raider earlier today, reportedly adding wideout Greg Little to their roster. And according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Cincinnati recently took a look at another ex-Raider as well, working out free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Here are a few more notes on workouts, visits, and auditions from around the NFL:

  • With Michael Roos out for the season, the Titans are working out veteran offensive lineman Winston Justice, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (Twitter link). Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2006, Justice has had some injury problems and provided inconsistent production, but he has also logged 43 starts, primarily at right tackle.
  • As the Giants try to determine how to plug the hole left by Victor Cruz‘s season-ending patella tendon tear, the team is working out free agent wideout Kevin Ogletree, says Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link). Ogletree had his best season in 2012 for one of the Giants’ divisional rivals, when he grabbed 32 balls and four touchdowns for the Cowboys.
  • Cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks, who was drafted in the seventh round in May by the Bengals and was subsequently cut by the team, visited the Jaguars this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
  • Josh Thomas was the first cornerback to sign with the Jets in the wake of Dee Milliner‘s season-ending injury, but the team has considered other options as well. Wilson tweets that Drayton Florence, Jacob Lacey, and R.J. Stanford all auditioned for the club.
  • In addition to considering Justin Jones, whose workout with the team was previously reported, the Dolphins are also taking a look at tight end Jamie Childers, writes Wilson for the National Football Post.
  • Wilson also reports (Twitter links) that several players visited and/or worked out for the Buccaneers this week. That list includes fullback Lonnie Pryor, defensive end George Uko, and defensive backs Brandon Burton, Richard Crawford, Isaiah Frey, and Trevin Wade.

Extra Points: Hall, Pryor, Ravens, Rambo

Now that his season is over prematurely, Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall will focus on making his younger teammates better, writes Zac Boyer of The Washington Times. “I was just trying to coach them up — just trying to let them know, ‘Now is the time,’” Hall said. “It’s their time to go out there and make plays. We need them. We need them now more than ever.” Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • The Buccaneers worked out quarterback Terrelle Pryor but they did not sign him, tweets Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Bay Tribune. There may not be a match with Pryor, but he won’t be the last quarterback Tampa Bay looks at. Pryor was cut by the Seahawks in late August and even though the Rams showed some interest, nothing came of that. The Bucs also worked out wide receivers Juron Criner and Louis Murphy, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).
  • Ravens coach John Harbaugh says his club plans to bolster the tight end position, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Baltimore look out-of-house after losing Dennis Pitta for the season.
  • The Bears worked out three defensive backs on Saturday: Bacarri Rambo, former Seahawks safety Dion Bailey, and Bryan McCanntweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Rambo, a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft, was waived by the Redskins last week. He was expendable for Washington since Brandon Meriweather is back from his two-game suspension. Tight end Ryan Otten was also in the workout, Biggs tweets.
  • The Dolphins tried out tight ends Brandon Barden and Konrad Reuland, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).