HEADLINES

Trindon Holliday

Bucs Sign Trindon Holliday

October 21st, 2014 at 3:24pm CST by Zachary Links

3:24pm: In addition to confirming the moves noted below, the Buccaneers also announced that they’ve waived defensive end Scott Solomon from the active roster, promoting defensive end T.J. Fatinikun from the practice squad to take his place. Additionally, the club cut linebacker Shayne Skov from the practice squad, using the two new openings on linebacker Mister Alexander and wideout Marcus Thigpen.

TUESDAY, 10:11am: As anticipated, the Bucs are cutting wideout and kick returner Solomon Patton to make room for Holliday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

MONDAY, 9:02pm: The Buccaneers have agreed to sign wide receiver Trindon Holliday, according to Rick Stroud of WDAE (on Twitter). The team could announce the signing as early as tomorrow.

Holliday, 28, was placed on IR with a hamstring injury by the Giants in late August and released earlier this month. Since then, the Bears and the Colts auditioned him, but he’ll be joining the Bucs instead. Of course, Holliday is known mostly for his work as a kick returner. In 2012 and 2013, Holliday returned 81 punts for 752 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, he averaged a healthy 27.1 yards per kick return in those seasons and also took two of those all the way to the house.

As a member of the Broncos in the 2012 postseason, Holliday became the first player to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the same playoff game. The addition of Holliday is probably bad news for former Florida UDFA Solomon Patton, Stroud tweets.

Workout Notes: Colts, Holliday, Jones

October 13th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest auditions from around the NFL..

  • The Colts worked out kick returner Trindon Holliday today, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants released Holliday from IR earlier this year and last week the Bears were said to have interest.
  • The Dolphins are working out former Patriots tight end Justin Jones tomorrow, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). At 6’7″ and 270 pounds, Jones is an intriguing talent who could be a fit in Miami.

NFC North Notes: Peterson, Bears, Lions

October 7th, 2014 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

It was a good weekend for the Packers, who blew out the Vikings last Thursday, then got to watch the division-rival Lions and Bears lose their respective games on Sunday. After a sluggish start to the season, the Packers now sit in a tie for first place atop the NFC North, with a chance to extend their winning streak this weekend in Miami. Here are a few Tuesday updates from around the division:

  • Adrian Peterson will be arraigned tomorrow, and a spokesperson for the Vikings running back says he’ll plead not guilty to child abuse, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. That means a trial is likely, and the process could “take a while,” says Cole.
  • Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com also doesn’t expect Peterson’s case to be resolved anytime soon, as he hears from the DA’s office in Montgomery County, Texas that they don’t anticipate a trial date being set tomorrow (Twitter link). Assistant DA Phil Grant has expressed to La Canfora multiple times that it could be at least six months before Peterson’s case goes to trial, which would rule out the possibility of a return to the field in 2014 (Twitter link).
  • We heard earlier today that kick returner Trindon Holliday isn’t drawing any interest from the Panthers, but at least one NFC North team is taking a look at him. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that Holliday worked out for the Bears today — Chicago has had trouble finding a consistent and reliable option in the return game so far this season.
  • Wilson also provides another tidbit from out of the NFC North, tweeting that Dominique Franks was scheduled to work out for the Lions before he agreed to re-sign with the Ravens. Detroit is also taking a look at cornerbacks like Ellis Lankster and Curtis Marsh today, as we noted earlier.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Saints, Falcons

October 7th, 2014 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2-3 Falcons will have an opportunity to move into a tie for first place in the NFC South this weekend, as they head into Sunday’s home game against the Bears as a favorite. The 3-2 Panthers, meanwhile, will be in tough against a Bengals team that plays well at home and will be looking to bounce back from Sunday night’s blowout loss in New England. As we look forward to this weekend’s slate of games, let’s round up a few notes out of the South division….

  • Wideout and kick returner Philly Brown will continue to handle punts for the time being for the Panthers, despite some ups and downs, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. A league source tells Person that Carolina has no interest in pursuing recently-released return man Trindon Holliday, preferring instead to stick with Brown, who has occasionally had trouble hanging onto the ball but has flashed explosiveness.
  • Linebacker Paul Hazel, who played for the Browns in 2013, was in New Orleans to work out with the Saints, according to Sean Fazende of FOX 8 (via Twitter). After being cut by th Texans in August, Hazel has also auditioned for the Dolphins and Cowboys in recent weeks.
  • With the Falcons having lost three of four games since a Week 1 win over the Saints, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if head coach Mike Smith and GM Thomas Dimitroff may be nearing the end of the line in Atlanta.
  • For his part, owner Arthur Blank gave his head coach a vote of confidence. Asked if he was left wondering about Smith as the Falcons’ head coach after last season, Blank replied, “I didn’t have any wonder before the season and I still don’t have any wonder. Smitty and the team delivered over a long period of time.” Jeff Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details.

Minor Moves: Monday

October 6th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here….

  • The Packers will welcome back offensive lineman Jordan McCray on their practice squad, according to the FXFL’s Twitter account. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette (on Twitter) notes that the Packers had a spot open on the practice squad, so no corresponding move is necessary.
  • The Giants have promoted running back Michael Cox from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The move provides some backfield insurance, with Rashad Jennings expected to be sidelined through the team’s Week 8 bye.
  • After seeing another center go down with an injury, the Chargers are set to sign center Trevor Robinson off the Bengals’ practice squad, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). San Diego opened up a roster spot today by placing Doug Legursky on the injured reserve list, as noted below.
  • The Rams have waived linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong, who had been a key contributor on the special teams unit, tweets Brian McIntyre.

Earlier updates:

  • Wideout Kevin Dorsey has been promoted to the Packers‘ 53-man roster from their practice squad, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Former Utah State defensive back Tay Glover-Wright is taking Dorsey’s spot on the taxi squad, per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
  • The Saints have waived 2014 fourth-round pick Khairi Fortt, a source tells Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). It’s a somewhat surprising move, since Fortt hasn’t really had an opportunity to play yet, and his release won’t open up a roster spot, since the club had used its injured reserve/designated to return spot on him.
  • Safety Jakar Hamilton was activated today by the Cowboys, who waived linebacker Keith Smith to make room on the 53-man roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The team previously had a roster exemption for Hamilton, who missed the season’s first four weeks due to a suspension.
  • The Dolphins have made a series of moves, signing wide receiver Damian Williams to their 53-man roster and waiving running back Orleans Darkwa to make room (Twitter link). The team also announced that the roster exemption for previously-suspended safety Reshad Jones has been lifted, meaning he’s now officially a part of the 53-man roster (Twitter link).
  • Linebacker Marcus Benard has re-signed with the Cardinals, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was initially signed during John Abraham‘s absence from the team, and now takes the place of Matt Shaughnessy, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return today.
  • In a surprising transaction, the Packers have parted ways with tight end Ryan Taylor, who hasn’t been a huge part of the club’s passing game since being drafted in the seventh round in 2011, but has been with the team since then and contributed on special teams. Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette has the details on the move, which brings the Packers’ roster count down to 52.
  • The Chargers have lost another center, announcing today (via Twitter) that Doug Legursky is heading to injured reserve with a knee injury. Longtime San Diego center Nick Hardwick was previously placed on IR with an injury of his own.
  • Cornerback Brandon Browner and wideout Brian Tyms are both being formally activated by the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). To make room for the duo, whose roster exemptions expire today, the Pats had to cut a pair of players — Shalisa Manza Young of the Boston Globe initially reported that defensive lineman Joe Vellano would be one of the two to go (Twitter link), and the team has since announced that defensive lineman Michael Buchanan is the other. Vellano has been waived, while Buchanan was placed on IR.
  • The Eagles have made a change to their practice squad, cutting wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and replacing him with safety Jordan Kovacs, the team announced today (Twitter link).
  • The Giants are releasing Trindon Holliday from IR, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The veteran kick returner was placed on IR in August with a hamstring injury.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Giants Cut Curtis Painter, 10 Others

August 30th, 2014 at 1:10pm CST by Ben Levine

1:10pm: Since the initial post, the Giants have made additional moves, including placing wideout Mario Manningham on injured reserve.

Cut:

  • Adam Gress (OL) (via Vacchiano on Twitter)
  • Jordan Stanton (DE) (via Vacchiano on Twitter)
  • Kendall Gaskins (RB) (via Vacchiano on Twitter)
  • Thomas Gordon (DB) (via Jordan Raanan on Twitter)

Placed on injured reserve:

9:00am: The Giants have started to trim their team down to 53 players, and one of the first roster victims is quarterback Curtis Painter. According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (via Twitter), the team has decided to carry only two quarterbacks heading into the regular season. We’ll keep track of all the Giants’ cuts here:

NFC East Links: Melton, Eagles, Skins, Giants

July 5th, 2014 at 3:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

If new Cowboy Henry Melton can match his career high of seven sacks in 2014, the team will more than likely pick up the final three years of his contract, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com in his mailbag. Picking up the rest of the deal will guarantee Melton $9MM in 2015.

Archer also discusses whether the Cowboys keep three of four tight ends on their active roster, and picks James Hanna as the odd man out if they only keep three. Hanna is the weakest blocker of the group, and the team has not been able to take advantage of his standout athleticism in his two years in Dallas.

He also highlights Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, and Kyle Wilber as the three players most likely to start at linebacker for the Cowboys’ defense in 2014.

Here are some more links from around the NFC East:

  • The Cowboys‘ have lost their players to the third most games due to injury over the last two seasons, totaling 133 games missed over that time period, writes Brandon George.of DallasNews.com. The team has employed more protective equipment during practices, and the use of two ProFlex stretching machines, two other stretching machines designed for the core and lower body, one World Cup skier’s plyometric apparatus, one Dynamic Edge skier’s machine, and a vibration machine in attempt to increase their players’ resistance to injuries.
  • The Eagles are better and deeper than they have been in years past, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. The addition of Malcolm Jenkins should provide consistency, and Nate Allen improved again last year after regression in years prior. Backup Earl Wolff has been working with Jenkins, and will find his way onto the field in certain packages and situations, or to spell the two starters.
  • Mosher also examined why the Eagles decided they didn’t need to get bigger on the defensive line this offseason, despite allowing success on the ground in their playoff loss to the Saints. Despite criticism of being too small, he notes that the unit was tenth in the league in rushing yards allowed, and were even better on a per carry basis, where they ranked fourth.
  • Chris Chester struggled in 2013 as the Redskins‘ right guard, but he is still the frontrunner to start in 2014, writes Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. However, third-round pick Spencer Long will challenge for the starting spot, and backup Josh LeRibeus could be in the mix as well.
  • The Redskins have many issues they need to improve on special teams, but maybe none more than their touchback percentage, writes Chris Russell of ESPN980.com (via Twitter). According to Russell, Kai Forbath produced a touchback on only 24.6% of his kickoffs in 2013. The league average number was 48.8%.
  • There is disagreement over who will return punts for the Giants in 2014, but fortunately they have a number of promising options according to the writers at Giants.com. Michael Eisen sees the job as Rueben Randle‘s to lose, as he performed well in that role in 2013, although he is not a home run threat. John Schmeelk envisions Odell Beckham Jr. taking over as a rookie, as he displayed explosive ability to do so at LSU. Finally, Dan Salmone chose the 5’5″ Trindon Holliday to be the big play threat the Giants have been missing in their special teams.

Giants Sign Trindon Holliday

March 18th, 2014 at 2:38pm CST by Matt Feminis

TUESDAY, 2:38pm: Holliday’s one-year pact with the Giants, which has been made official (Twitter link), includes a $570K base salary, a $100K signing bonus, and a $30K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

MONDAY, 6:31pm: The Giants have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with kick returner Trindon Holliday, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).

Holliday, who turns 28 next month, is a diminutive speedster who spent the last two seasons with the Broncos. In his 31-game career, he’s averaged 27.1 yards per kickoff return and 9.4 yards per punt return. He has the ability to break games open, as evidenced by his four career return scores (two kickoffs, two punts), but has also fumbled 11 times.

NFC Notes: Greenway, Melton, Miller

March 15th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Matt Feminis

The Vikings have restructured Chad Greenway‘s contract, according to Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com (via Twitter). Greenway will take a $1MM pay cut in 2014 in exchange for the the club guaranteeing his $5.5MM base salary. Factoring in prorated signing bonus money, Greenway will now count $7.2MM against the cap in 2014.

In other Vikings/NFC-related news:

  • Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press expanded on Greenway’s restructuring here, including news of fullback Jerome Felton and safety Jamarca Sanford also reworking their deals to free up some cash. The Vikings now have just over $16MM in cap space.
  • Bears free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton is on an extended visit with the Seahawks, tweets Josina Anderson, but still plans to meet with the Cowboys if a deal doesn’t get done.
  • The Seahawks and Zach Miller have agreed to restructure his deal, enabling him to stay in Seattle for the next two years, writes Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle. The team was prepared to cut Miller, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
  • Free agent kick returner Trindon Holliday is visiting with the Falcons today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS (via Twitter).
  • Speaking of return men, free agent Devin Hester spoke with the Sun Sentinel’s Chris Perkins about free agency and claims he still has 4.38 speed.

Broncos Rumors: DRC, Holliday, Decker

March 7th, 2014 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos made their first major roster move of the offseason yesterday, finalizing the release of cornerback Champ Bailey. Our latest round of Broncos links includes a look at what Bailey’s departure could mean for the team’s pursuit of secondary help, so let’s check out Friday’s updates….

  • With Bailey already gone and several other players eligible for free agency, the Broncos figure to add at least two cornerbacks to their roster for 2014, and one will be signed in free agency, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is among the Denver corners eligible for free agency, and the Broncos will make “a serious attempt” to re-sign him, says Klis.
  • Return specialist Trindon Holliday isn’t expected to return to the Broncos next season, writes Klis in a separate Post piece. While Holliday could still return to Denver if he doesn’t garner much interest on the open market, the Broncos have informed the 27-year-old that they won’t offer him a contract tender. As a restricted free agent, Holliday’s tender would’ve been worth $1.431MM for one year, and would’ve given Denver the right of first refusal if the return man signed an offer sheet with another club.
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes an excellent in-depth look at Eric Decker’s looming free agency, concluding that it would be a surprise if the wide receiver didn’t sign a deal worth more than Mike Williams’ contract with the Bucs, perhaps with a per-year value of $8MM and $15MM+ in guaranteed money. However, if Decker encounters a soft market, the Broncos could benefit, since the 26-year-old may prefer to remain in Denver if no big-money offer is available. When I examined Decker’s free agent stock last month, I predicted a deal worth close to $10MM annually with $15-20MM in guaranteed money.