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Wes Saxton

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/15

October 1st, 2015 at 5:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Jets signed tight end Wes Saxton off of their taxi squad, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. Saxton will provide the Jets with depth while Jeff Cumberland is sidelined.
  • The Patriots promoted defensive tackle Khyri Thornton from the practice squad to the active roster, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. New England wanted to beef up its defensive front and they had an open spot to use.
  • The Colts added running back Zurlon Tipton to the active roster, as Mike Chappell of FOX59 tweets. To make room, defensive lineman Earl Okine was waived. The move likely means that running back Tyler Varga will not be ready to go this weekend.
  • The Patriots removed Ryan Groy from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 6th, 2015 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

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 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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:

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad:

New York Jets

  • Signed:
  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad (press release):
    • LB Deion Barnes
    • FB Julian Howsare
    • LB Taiwan Jones
    • CB Keon Lyn
    • WR Walter Powell
    • TE Wes Saxton
    • T Wesley Johnson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
    • DL Jordan Williams

Jets Trim Roster To 53 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have officially announced the cuts and other roster moves that will get their squad down to 53 players today. We’ve already heard about several of the moves — quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Josh Johnson, along with veteran defenders Jason Babin and Joe Mays, have been cut, and Stevan Ridley has been moved to the reserve/PUP list.

Here are the rest of the Jets’ moves to reduce their roster to 53, via a team release:

Cut:

  • WR Shaq Evans
  • WR Chris Owusu
  • WR Walter Powell
  • TE Arthur Lynch
  • TE Wes Saxton
  • RB Daryl Richardson
  • FB Julian Howsare
  • OL Charles Brown
  • OL Wesley Johnson
  • DL Ronald Talley
  • DL Jordan Williams
  • LB Deion Barnes
  • LB Taiwan Jones
  • CB Keon Lyn
  • S Durell Eskridge

Reserve/suspended:

  • OL Oday Aboushi
  • DL Sheldon Richardson

Jets Add Nine UDFAs; Corey Hilliard Retires

May 8th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Luke Adams

9:12pm: The Jets also added cornerback Greg Henderson, an undrafted free agent out of Colorado, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter.

12:32pm: The Jets have been busy today, announcing several roster moves as their rookie minicamp gets underway. In addition to signing eight undrafted free agents, the team has also cut two players, and will be working out former first-round wide receiver A.J. Jenkins this weekend.

The team has also seen an offseason addition decide to retire — offensive tackle Corey Hilliard, who signed with the Jets in March, has elected to call it a career.

The 30-year-old saw his 2014 season come to an early end when he sustained a Lisfranc foot injury and tore ligaments in that foot during the Lions’ Week 1 game. It was the second time in three years that he missed essentially an entire season, which likely prompted his early retirement, but he had been effective as a swing tackle when he was healthy. In 2013, Hilliard played 459 offensive snaps for Detroit, starting seven games at right tackle for the team.

Here are the rest of the roster moves for the Jets:

Undrafted free agents:

  • Deion Barnes, DE, Penn State
  • Durell Eskridge, S, Syracuse ($8.5K bonus, plus $5K guaranteed salary, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Julian Howsare, LB, Clarion
  • Taiwan Jones, LB, Michigan State
  • Demarkus Perkins, S, Florida International
  • Wes Saxton, TE, South Alabama
  • Davon Walls, DL, Lincoln ($15K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Jordan Williams, DE, Tennessee

Cut:

Pauline On Gurley, Bengals, McKinney, RBs

April 28th, 2015 at 4:21pm CST by Zachary Links

After his citation for marijuana possession, the expectation is that Missouri linebacker Shane Ray could fall out of the first round and that’s an opinion shared by many in his camp, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net writes. Earlier today, we learned that teams that wouldn’t have had a chance to land Ray before are now inquiring on him, with both GMs and owners doing their homework. Here’s Pauline’s latest:

  • The Dolphins are hoping that Todd Gurley doesn’t get selected in the top 10. If the running back is still on the board, Miami will happily snag him at No. 14, per Pauline.
  • As of now, there’s a very good chance the Bengals take an offensive tackle in round one and they’re said to be looking at Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi, among others.
  • Linebacker Benardrick McKinney spent an extensive amount of time the past few days talking with the Broncos and Cowboys. If Kevin Johnson is unavailable when the Cowboys are on the clock in round one, they will strongly consider either McKinney or Eric Kendricks, Pauline hears.
  • There’s a good possibility that Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is still available when the third round begins. While teams like his film and cover skills, his knee injury from last December has some clubs concerned. Recently, PFR’s Rob DiRe wrote that he expected Ekpre-Olomu to experience a dropoff in draft stock from last year to this year, but not this severe. Had he gone pro last season, the Oregon notable may have had a chance to be a first-round pick.
  • There are a number of running back-needy teams who might wait until the fourth round before drafting at the position, due to the quality and depth available this year. David Cobb and Buck Allen have been brought to Pauline’s attention as fourth round types that can contribute off the bat and Miami junior Duke Johnson is also getting buzz.
  • Alonzo Highsmith, senior personnel director for the Packers, is pushing hard for Denzel Perryman at the bottom of round one. If Green Bay takes the Miami notable, the team would then push Clay Matthews to the outside. The belief is Green Bay still values a cornerback with that first pick and Eric Rowe continues to be in the mix, but Perryman is also a possibility.
  • Don’t be surprised if tight end Wes Saxton is drafted much earlier than presently predicted, as teams are high on his speed and athleticism. Saxton, a South Alabama product, could go as high as the fourth round. Notre Dame tight end Ben Koyack is also getting additional attention.