HEADLINES

Woodrow Hamilton

NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/17

October 3rd, 2017 at 8:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

  • P Brock Miller (link)

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Patriots Reach 53-Man Max

September 2nd, 2017 at 8:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots made a massive amount of cuts on Saturday to reach the 53-man limit. Most of the cuts were expected, but there were a few surprises in the bunch.

Released:

Waived:

Karras was widely projected to be the team’s top backup on the interior line, so his release comes as a surprise. The 24-year-old was drafted by the Pats in the sixth round of the 2016 draft and played in all 16 regular season games last year. He also appeared in all three playoff games as a reserve.

O’Shaughnessy, acquired via trade in April, was competing for the third tight end spot. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder has played in 23 NFL games with six starts.

Patriots Sign Nine To Reserve/Futures Contracts

February 7th, 2017 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Patriots coach Bill Belichick started a “no days off!” chant during today’s victory parade, and that sentiment was confirmed hours later when the team announced that they had signed the majority of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts (via Patriots.com):

Rob Housler (Vertical)The team also inked tight end Rob Housler to a contract. The team didn’t sign fullback Glenn Gronkowski or wideout DeAndrew White, although that could change in the coming days or weeks.

Housler is probably the most notable name on the list, as the tight end has five NFL seasons under his belt. The former third-round pick was actually a staple in the Cardinals lineup from 2011 through 2014, averaging nearly 14 games a season. The tight end was especially productive in 2012 and 2013, combining for 84 receptions, 871 yards, and one touchdown in 28 games. Since then, the tight end bounced between the Bears and Browns before sitting out the entire 2016 campaign.

Otherwise, Kilgo has the most experience having played in 18 games for the Broncos between 2015 and 2016. Douglas (16 games, six starts), Barker (five games), Hamilton (three games), and Bates (one game) have also seen the field for at least one NFL game. Both Gaffney and Lucien proved to be intriguing prospects for the Patriots during this past preseason.

Patriots Activate Jacoby Brissett

December 21st, 2016 at 4:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After something of a false start, the Patriots activated quarterback Jacoby Brissett from injured reserve Wednesday. To make room, they waived rookie defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). Brissett returned to practice at the tail end of November, opening a three-week window during which New England had to place Brissett on the active roster or keep him on IR for the remainder of the season.Jacoby Brissett

[RELATED: Patriots Claim WR Michael Floyd]

Brissett, of course, started two games for the Patriots while Tom Brady was on suspension and backup Jimmy Garoppolo was injured. While posting a record of 1-1, Brissett completed 28 of 46 passes for more than 300 yards, and while he didn’t throw any touchdowns, he did score on the ground against the Texans in the midst of a 27-0 shutout in Week 3. The 24-year-old Brissett suffered a thumb injury during that contest, however, and while he started in Week 4, he was thereafter placed on IR after undergoing surgery.

Garoppolo has been the subject of recent trade speculation, and given that he’s only signed through the 2017 campaign, it’s certainly fair to wonder if the Patriots will ship him to the highest bidder during the offseason. Such a move would allow Brissett, a third-round pick earlier this year, to become Brady’s understudy as the club’s new backup QB.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/16

October 8th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Offensive lineman Chris Scott will return to the Panthers‘ 53-man roster after the team activated the previously suspended blocker, Max Henson of Panthers.com tweets. The defending NFC champions made room for the sixth-year player — and fourth-year Panther — by waiving fellow offensive lineman Tyler Larsen.
  • C.J. Wilson‘s odyssey through roster fringes continued Saturday, with the Bears again cutting the journeyman defensive lineman. Chicago released Wilson and promoted cornerback Demontre Hurst from its practice squad, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets. The Bears cut Wilson two weeks ago before re-signing him; the seventh-year defensive lineman hasn’t played in a game yet this season. He’s spent time with the Raiders, Lions, Saints and Bears since last season. Hurst’s promotion coincides with corner Deiondre’ Hall being out, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots signed defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton off their practice squad, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports (on Twitter). Hamilton could become the Pats’ third defensive tackle against the Browns, with third-round rookie Vincent Valentine nursing a back injury and only four DTs listed on the roster.
  • The Lions signed outside linebacker Steve Longa off their practice squad in a busy day of transactions, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets. A rookie UDFA, Longa spent time with the Seahawks earlier this offseason. He and now-activated Armonty Bryant take the roster spots of Aaron Dobson and offensive lineman Brian Mihalik. DeAndre Levy remains out as well, creating a need at the position.

Patriots Release Jonathan Cooper

October 8th, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have cut bait with a former first-round pick. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the team has released offensive guard Jonathan Cooper. No corresponding move has been announced, but Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets that the Patriots have promoted defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton to the active roster.

Jonathan Cooper (vertical)Cooper, the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 draft, was acquired by the Patriots this offseason (along with a second-round pick) in exchange for linebacker Chandler Jones. After having started 11 of his 24 career games in Arizona, the 26-year-old was expected to slide in as the Patriots’ starting right guard. However, the guard suffered a foot injury early in camp and had yet to see the field for the Patriots this season. The team has relied on Shaq Mason and Ted Karras at the right guard spot, and coach Bill Belichick apparently saw enough to make Cooper expendable. Cooper’s $2.39MM base salary was fully guaranteed for this season.

The Patriots ultimately traded Arizona’s second-round pick for a pair of picks. As it currently stands, the team swapped Jones for rookie lineman Joe Thuney and rookie wideout Malcolm Mitchell. Jeff Howe notes that the Patriots weren’t going to re-sign Jones, and Cooper was a throw-in to the initial deal, anyway. Furthermore, the move allowed the Patriots to sign veteran Chris Long, who has had a bounce-back season so far in 2016.

Hamilton, an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi, should provide depth to a banged-up defensive line. Back-up defensive tackle Vincent Valentine may miss this weekend’s game with a back injury, and the Patriots needed some insurance for starters Malcom Brown and Alan Branch. As a senior, Hamilton compiled 30 tackles and one sack.

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

Patriots Cut Aaron Dobson, Move To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 5:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have announced the cuts that bring them down to 53, including the waiving of Aaron Dobson.
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Dobson, 25, is a former second-round pick, but he hasn’t done much since joining New England in 2013. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product has only posted 53 receptions for less than 700 yards. Most of that production came during his rookie season, as Dobson has put up only 16 catches during the past two years. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Dobson was set to earn about $872K in base salary.

Here’s the list of Patriots cuts so far today:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Sign Eight UDFAs, Cut Joey Iosefa

May 6th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have officially confirmed six previously reported contract agreements with their 2016 draftees, and announced that they’ve locked up two more members of their draft class. Having now signed third-round defensive tackle Vincent Valentine and sixth-round linebacker Elandon Roberts, New England has now secured all of its draft picks except for third-round quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

The Patriots have also cut running back Joey Iosefa from their roster, so he’ll become a free agent if and when he passes through waivers. Iosefa spent time on the Pats’ practice squad last season and was promoted when the backfield was hit hard by injuries. He had 15 carries on the year, with 14 of them (for 51 yards) coming in Week 15 against the Titans.

Finally, the Patriots filled out their 90-man roster by adding eight undrafted free agents to the mix. The club signed the following UDFAs: