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Vernon Kearney

Minor Moves: Monday Night

May 11th, 2015 at 6:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Given the rash of minor transactions that have gone down today, we’ll be keeping track of the rest here in a brand new post. The latest minor moves from around the NFL..

  • The Dolphins announced that they have been awarded offensive lineman Donald Hawkins off waivers from the Cowboys, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Mark Asper has been cut.
  • The Rams have signed two of their tryout players in long snapper Tyler Ott and wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service.
  • The Bears claimed tight end Chris Pantale, who was waived by the Jets a few days ago, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Pantale’s first NFL contract came with the Jets when he was signed as a UDFA in 2013.
  • The Jets, meanwhile, inked two tryout players from this past weekend in quarterback Jake Heaps and fullback J.C. Copeland, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. To make room for both players, the Jets cut Greg Henderson and safety Demarkus Perkins (link).
  • The Texans announced that UDFAs Jake Cotton and James Rouse (waived-injured) have been let go, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Both players were signed as UDFAs by Houston earlier this month. In their stead, the Texans have signed Mack Brown, Corey Moore, and Joseph Treadwell, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Raiders waived linebacker Braylon Mitchell, running backs Terrance Cobb and Gus Johnson, defensive backs Chance Casey, Vernon Kearney, and return specialist Jeremy Gallon (waived/injured), according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Steelers placed Nigel Crawford on waivers with a left squad designation, Wilson tweets.
  • The Chiefs signed Georgia Southern center Garrett Frye as a UDFA, per the NFL’s transactions report, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.

Raiders Sign Nine Players To Reserve Deals

December 30th, 2014 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders announced today in a press release that they have signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts. One of those nine players – running back Terrance Cobb – broke word of his signing earlier in the day, but the other eight are new names. Here are the rest:

Six of the Raiders’ signees finished the 2014 season on the team’s practice squad — Cobb, Gallon, and Schwenke did not.

Workout Notes: Friday

December 19th, 2014 at 1:42pm CST by Rob DiRe

Here is a list of the players working out with clubs, hoping to join a roster for the season’s home stretch:

  • The Jaguars worked three players, including former second-round pick Arrelious Benn, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team also worked out Tim McCornett and Chidera Uzo-Diribe.
  • The Raiders worked out former Saints’ receiver Joe Morgan earlier this week, but have also looked at Vernon Kearney and Marvin McNutt, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins tried out kicker Dustin Hopkins, reports Wilson (via Twitter)
  • The Falcons have worked out Lavelle Westbrooks, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Chiefs worked out Travis Chappalear, writes Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Vikings worked out two players, Jordan McCray and Greg Van Roten, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Lions brought in Dejon Gomes for a workout, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Steelers brought Ronald Patrick in for a visit, writes Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Wilson doesn’t get to have all the fun, as Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that the Broncos have worked out two defensive backs on Wednesday (via Twitter). They brought in Delvin Breaux and Jalil Carter, who played in the Canadian Football League.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

December 17th, 2014 at 8:30pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of practice squad players have received promotions to their respective clubs’ 53-man rosters this week, or have been signed by a rival club. As such, we should expect plenty of signings today, as teams fill in their openings. Here’s the latest:

  • After his suspension was lifted by the league, fullback Nikita Whitlock signed on with the Giants‘ practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • Chargers taxi squad guard Craig Watts has been suspended four games for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter). To replace him, the Bolts signed former San Diego State offensive lineman Bryce Quigley (link).
  • Wide receiver and kick returner Greg Jenkins, who spent last season with the Raiders, has returned to the club, signing today with the taxi squad, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the signing, tweeting that defensive back Vernon Kearney has joined the practice squad as well.
  • The Saints have filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing kicker Dustin Hopkins, head coach Sean Payton confirmed today to reporters (Twitter link via Chad Sabadie of FOX8).

Earlier updates:

  • The Vikings have signed rookie guard Jordan McCray to their practice squad to fill the spot vacated when Ahmad Dixon received a promotion, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota will have another spot to fill after losing cornerback Chris Greenwood to the Ravens.
  • In addition to making changes to their 53-man roster today, the Patriots also tweaked their practice squad, adding quarterback Garrett Gilbert, according to a team release.
  • The Packers have filled out their practice squad by signing safety Jean Fanor to the unit, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Fanor played for the Arena League’s Tampa Bay Storm this year, setting a team record for tackles in a season.
  • Former sixth-round guard Jon Halapio has signed with the Broncos‘ practice squad, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
  • Having entered the day with three openings on their practice squad, the Dolphins added a pair of players to the unit, signing defensive end Emmanuel Dieke and guard Mark Asper, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
  • The Falcons have filled the 10th and final spot on their practice squad by signing cornerback Jordan Mabin, the team announced today in a press release. The opening was created earlier in the week when the club promoted cornerback Ricardo Allen to the 53-man roster.
  • The Steelers have also filled out their taxi squad, signing former South Carolina offensive lineman Ronald Patrick, tweets Burt Lauten, the team’s PR rep.
  • Defensive back Varmah Sonie, who played this year for Portland’s Arena League team, has signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
  • The Panthers have signed linebacker Horace Miller to their practice squad, giving them a full 10-man unit, tweets David Newton of ESPN.com. Miller was cut by Carolina over the weekend and has since cleared waivers.
  • Offensive tackle Tyler Hoover, who started the season with a brief stint on the Colts‘ practice squad and has since spent time with the Eagles as well, has rejoined Indianapolis’ squad, according to Mike Chappell of RTV6 (Twitter link).

Audition Notes: Tuesday

December 16th, 2014 at 7:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Luke Tasker, the son former Bills receiver Steve Tasker, worked out for the Packers, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The younger Tasker, also a wide receiver, currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. We’ll keep track of today’s workouts and visits here..

Workout Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Browns, Broncos

December 4th, 2014 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

In our roundup of several AFC East and NFC East items this morning, we passed along word on a handful of free agents who recently worked out for East teams. Across the rest of the league, several more auditions took place, so we’ll take a look at all those updates right here. All links are from Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, and go to Twitter:

  • The Colts brought in a few notable free agents for tryouts, taking a look at running back Mikel Leshoure, ex-Jets cornerback Ellis Lankster, and former LSU wideout Kadron Boone. Of the three players, Leshoure is the most interesting name, considering Indianapolis is believed to be considering adding running back depth.
  • Linebacker A.J. Edds ultimately signed with the Jaguars, joining the team’s active roster yesterday, but Edds also worked out for the Bengals earlier in the week. Additionally, Jacksonville auditioned veteran linebacker Victor Butler before deciding on Edds.
  • Browns kicker Billy Cundiff has had his ups and downs this season, missing six field goals, including three from less than 40 yards. While I don’t expect Cleveland to replace him, the team did take a look at a couple other kickers this week, bringing in Michael Barnard and Zach Hocker.
  • The Broncos worked out an extensive list of players this week, and Wilson has all the previously-unreported names: Rodney Barnes (S), Deion Belue (CB), Kenny Horsley (DE), M.D. Jennings (S), Vernon Kearney (CB), Keon Lyn (CB), Leon Mackey (DL), Ross Madison (S), and Danny Mason (LB).
  • In addition to trying out wideout Jace Davis, who signed with their practice squad, the Texans auditioned quarterback Brad Sorensen and several other receivers, including Rashad Ross, Willie Snead, and former Niner Kyle Williams.
  • Former Cardinals defensive end Ronald Talley worked out for the Chiefs. Talley spent some time with the Buccaneers earlier this year, but was removed from the roster prior to the regular season.
  • The Packers tried out cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks, a 2014 seventh-round pick waived by the Bengals during the preseason.
  • Tight end Xavier Grimble, who hit the open market once again last week after a brief stint with the Patriots’ practice squad, worked out for the Panthers.

AFC Notes: Harrison, Tannehill, Texans, Jags

September 25th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers brought back veteran linebacker James Harrison this week after suffering a rash of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but while the sight of Harrison in black and gold will look familiar, we shouldn’t expect him to play a major role immediately. Harrison started all 87 games he played for Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2012, but former Bucs GM Mark Domenik thinks it’s unrealistic to expect significant contributions from the linebacker at age 36.

“I think you could see him play five to 10 snaps [in Week 4] in that limited pass-rush role,” Dominik said, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “I think at the end of the day you’ll be lucky if James Harrison become a 20- to 25-snap guy. He knows what to do in the system, and that’s the No. 1 thing, it’s just that can he get his body to do it? That’s going to take a little bit of time.”

Here’s more from out of the AFC:

  • After being ambiguous earlier this week when he was asked about Ryan Tannehill‘s job security as the Dolphins‘ No. 1 quarterback, head coach Joe Philbin has expressed remorse about having created a distraction and given his starting signal-caller a vote of confidence, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. As I noted earlier in the week, Tannehill will be extension-eligible starting this offseason and the Dolphins will also have to decide on his fifth-year option in the spring, so 2014 is a big year for the young QB.
  • We had already heard about the Texans auditioning a handful of punters this week in case Shane Lechler is unable to play this week, but Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds a couple more names to the list of players the team tried out. According to Wilson, Houston also took a look at long snappers Brandon Hartson and Chris Maikranz.
  • The Jaguars auditioned linebacker L.J. Fort this week, tweets Wilson. Fort, waived by the Broncos during the preseason, also worked out for the Titans earlier in September.
  • Cornerback Vernon Kearney, who was cut by the Chiefs a month ago, was among the defensive backs who worked out for the Jets this week, per Wilson (via Twitter).

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 24th, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are Sunday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Falcons have placed G Mike Johnson and LB Marquis Spruill on their injured reserve list, per ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter links).
  • The Bears have cut return man Darius Reynaud, tweets Wilson. Reynaud was signed by Chicago on August 18.
  • CB Vernon Kearney has been cut by the Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).

Earlier Updates: