HEADLINES

Thomas Duarte

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/17

March 8th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

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:

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/16

November 5th, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Saints have again made the decision to cut Khalif Barnes, Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com tweets. New Orleans promoted linebacker Chris McCain from its practice squad as well, per Dabe (on Twitter). The moves came as the Saints activated Sheldon Rankins and relocated James Laurinaitis to IR. Barnes has vacillated between free agency and the Saints throughout the season but has yet to play in a game this year. Given the pattern that’s formed this season, the 34-year-old tackle could return to the team at some point.
  • After moving Jordan Cameron to IR, the Dolphins are promoting tight end Thomas Duarte from their practice squad, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Miami’s also opted to activate linebacker Zach Vigil. A wideout/tight end hybrid at UCLA, Duarte came to the Dolphins as a seventh-round pick. He’s spent the season on the practice squad. Vigil spent the first half of the season on the NFI list. He made 11 tackles as a rookie last season, one in which he played in all 16 Fins games and made two starts.
  • On a day when another major injury affects the Chargers‘ depth chart, they also made a lower-profile move, announcing the signing of inside linebacker Deon King from their practice squad. They in turn waived tackle Tyreek Burwell, who played in three games this season and nine for the 2015 Bolts. King is a UDFA from Norfolk State who won the Buck Buchanan award given to Division I-FCS’ top defender. The Bolts now have this award’s past two recipients in their linebacking corps, with Kyle Emanuel having won it in 2014.
  • The Jets claimed tight end Eric Tomlinson off the Texans’ practice squad and waived linebacker Victor Ochi, Seth Walder of the New York Daily News reports (via Twitter). Ochi played in two games this season and started one for Gang Green. A UDFA, Tomlinson has yet to play in an NFL game. New York ruled out Kellen Davis for Week 9 and now have four tight ends on their roster, pointing to Davis’ injury being potentially significant, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 4th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East 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 for the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day (all links go to Twitter unless noted otherwise):

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Dolphins Move Roster To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have trimmed their roster to 53:

This offseason, Thomas hooked on with the Dolphins for what was to be his third stint with the team. Thomas had a path to making the 53-man roster, but his chances were hurt when the team added Arian Foster late in the offseason. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas ran for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. In 2014, he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try. At one point in time, Thomas was looked at as a significant piece of the Dolphins offense, but he fell out of favor in Miami and has been yo-yoed on and off the roster.

Chekwa at one point was in the mix to win a starting job with Miami. However, for one reason or another, he couldn’t make the final cut. The Dolphins now have rookie Xavien Howard back on the field and free agent addition Chris Culliver, so they have enough bodies at cornerback.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/24/16

May 24th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s draft signings and other minor moves here:

  • The Dolphins agreed to terms with two members of their draft class today, signing third-round receiver Leonte Carroo and seventh-round tight end Thomas Duarte, as Wilson reports (Twitter link). Miami now only has third-round running back Kenyan Drake left to sign, as PFR’s Zach Links detailed when looking at unsigned 2016 draftees earlier today.
  • The Lions waived offensive lineman Darius Johnson on Tuesday, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press adds (via Twitter) that Johnson was waived with an injury waiver designation. Johnson, a Middle Tennessee State product, signed with Detroit following the team’s rookie minicamp.
  • The Chargers placed safety Matt Daniels on the injured reserve list with a leg injury, Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. Daniels appeared in only one game for San Diego last season. Former Michigan linebacker James Ross has been signed to fill Daniel’s void, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
  • After signing as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA, edge rusher Jason Neill was waived today by the Cowboys, according to Wilson (Twitter link). To replace Neil, Dallas signed fellow defensive end Zach Wood, tweets Wilson.
  • The Panthers placed tight end Jake McGee on waivers with an injury designation last week, and after reverting to injured reserve, McGee has now been cut from IR with an injury settlement, per Wilson (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bills have signed second-round linebacker Reggie Ragland, according to his agents at Vanguard Sports (on Twitter). Ragland was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 97 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, and six pass breakups. GM Doug Whaley has said that he expects to see Ragland in the starting lineup to begin the 2016 season.
  • The Raiders announced that they have signed free agent wide receivers Robert Herron and Nathan Palmer. To make room, the Raiders have waived/injured wide receiver Andre Debose and waived quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Palmer auditioned for New Orleans last week alongside a handful of notable names, including Hakeem Nicks. Herron was originally selected by the Bucs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in eight games his rookie season, posting six receptions for 58 yards (9.7 avg.) and one touchdown.
  • The Browns signed undrafted free agent wide receiver David Richards, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Arizona product first hooked on with Atlanta after the draft but was waived soon after.
  • The Jets waived tight end Jerome Cunningham and signed running back Romar Morris, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
  • The Buccaneers have placed safety Johnny Lowdermilk on the reserved-retired list, creating a second opening on the 90-man roster, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

AFC Draft Notes: Titans, Bills, Ragland

April 12th, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s no secret that the Titans are willing to trade down from No. 1 in this year’s draft, and one high-level executive from a team in the top half of the draft suggests to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Tennessee may be torn between top tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ronnie Stanley. Tunsil is widely expected to be selected first, but if the Titans were to move down a little, the team could potentially draft whichever tackle is still on the board at that point – likely Stanley – while picking up an extra selection or two in the process.

As we wait to see what general manager Jon Robinson ultimately decides to do with that first overall pick, let’s round up another handful of draft updates from out of the AFC….

  • The Bills are hosting Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland for a visit today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Ragland, who visited the Rams on Monday, is projected to be a first-round pick, and could still be on the board when Buffalo picks at No. 19.
  • After making a visit to Kansas City last week, Northern Illinois linebacker Perez Ford is meeting with another AFC West team today, per Aaron Wilson, who tweets that Ford is visiting the Raiders.
  • UCLA pass-catching tight end Thomas Duarte is visiting the Dolphins today, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Getlin suggests that Duarte may be an ideal match for Adam Gase’s offensive scheme.
  • Most of the Steelers‘ pre-draft visitors so far have been defensive players, but the team took a look at an offensive prospect today, bringing in Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard, tweets Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Having already worked out for New Orleans and Philadelphia, Boston College linebacker Steven Daniels is paying a visit to New England to meet with the Patriots, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net, who tweets that the Pats would be a good fit for Daniels.