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Kellen Winslow, Ben Tate Join Spring League

March 22nd, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Spring League kicks off in April and it will feature some notable names looking to resurrect their football careers. Defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., cornerback Brandon Browner, and running back Ben Tate are among the players who have been confirmed as participants, according to a press release. Greg Hardy (vertical)

Winslow has not played in an NFL game since the 2013 season and we haven’t heard much from him since he worked out for the Packers last August. Tate, a former second-round pick, showed lots of promise in Houston but could not capitalize on a starting opportunity with the Browns in 2014. Hardy and Browner first committed to the league in early March.

The Spring League consists of four teams comprised of veteran free agents. The league will conduct practices and play six games from April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters will not be eligible to participate.

The league has secured five quarterbacks thus far, including Chiefs 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi and NFL practice squad journeyman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. At wide receiver, there’s former Ram Brandon Gibson, Jets 2014 fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, and one-time Bills WR2 David Nelson. Former Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster and Texans 2013 third-round defensive tackle Sam Montgomery will also be suiting up for The Spring League next month.

The full list of players can be found below. In addition to those listed here, Pro Football Rumors has learned that another 30 players are expected to join prior to the start of training camp.

Quarterbacks

  • Hutson Mason
  • Ricky Stanzi
  • McLeod Bethel-Thompson
  • Zach Kline
  • Jeremy Cannon

Running backs

Wide receivers

  • Jalen Saunders
  • David Nelson
  • Kenzel Doe
  • Brandon Gibson
  • Daje’ Johnson
  • Gavin Lutman
  • Tyler McDonald
  • J.D. Woods
  • Sed Cunningham
  • Lawrence Smith
  • Terrance Lewis
  • Rashon Ceaser
  • Kendrick Wiggins

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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/16

August 15th, 2016 at 6:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Buccaneers have signed defensive tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and waived/injured rookie safety Elijah Shumate, the club announced. Kitchen, who weighs in at 330 pounds, appeared in 40 games for the Browns from 2012-14, but saw action in only two contests last year with the Patriots and Lions.
  • The Cardinals announced that they’ve waived/injured safety Durell Eskridge and re-signed safety Tyrequek Zimmerman.
  • The Raiders have waived offensive lineman Torian White, per an announcement from the club. Additionally, head coach Jack Del Rio told reporters, including Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that tight end Gabe Holmes is likely headed to injured reserve.
  • The Seahawks announced that they’ve waived running back Cameron Marshall and signed linebacker Quayshawn Nealy.
  • The Colts have claimed guard Donovan Williams off waivers from the Bears and waived punter Michael Palardy, the team announced.
  • The Steelers announced that they’ve signed linebacker Jermauria Rasco and waived long snapped Matt Dooley. Pittsburgh also reached an injury settlement with special teams ace Ross Ventrone, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • The Jets cut defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi with a left squad designation, according to Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Panthers announced that they’ve swapped out punters, signing Kasey Redfern while waiving Swayze Waters.
  • The Chargers have signed defensive tackle Kamal Johnson, linebacker Zach Hodges, and linebacker James Vaughters, and waived waived cornerback Carrington Byndom.
  • The Rams have signed safety Michael Caputo and waived/injured safety Brian Randolph, tweets Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
  • The Packers have waived/injured long snapper Jesse Schmitt and will likely release him with an injury settlement, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link).
  • The Falcons have claimed guard Jordan Walsh off waivers from the Saints and waived fellow guard Shahbaz Ahmed, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Stedman Bailey Clears Waivers

June 8th, 2016 at 7:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, June 8: Bailey has officially cleared waivers and will revert to the team’s non-football injury list, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

TUESDAY, June 7: The Rams have waived receiver Stedman Bailey with a non-football injury designation, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Bailey, of course, is still recovering after being shot in the head last fall, and Los Angeles would like to keep the 25-year-old in the organization in a non-playing capacity.Stedman Bailey (Vertical)

That will only happen in Bailey clears waivers, but given that his NFL career is unlikely to resume any time soon, he is likely to go through the waiver process unclaimed. Being waived with an NFI designation is similar to being waived with an injured designation, in that the club will keep the player if he isn’t claimed by another team. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap explains, most players on the NFI list aren’t compensated, or are paid at a lesser rate, but it’s fair to assume that the Rams are taking care of Bailey.

Though Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has said that Bailey’s NFL career is likely finished, Bailey hasn’t been willing to accept that outcome, and has met with doctors as part of the “evaluation process” in recent months. Bailey, a former third-round pick, has been attending Los Angeles’ OTAs as a spectator, but with reports indicating that he wouldn’t be cleared for the 2016 season, it made sense for the Rams to open up his roster spot.

Los Angeles made a handful of other roster moves today, cutting defensive lineman Doug Worthington, linebacker Zach Hodges, and wide receiver Kain Colter, Wilson reports (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Cut Donald Thomas, Trim Roster To 75

August 31st, 2015 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

3:26pm: The Colts are down to 75 players, after announcing this afternoon that they’ve waived/injured cornerback Deveron Carr. Carr will land on the team’s IR list if he clears waivers.

8:23am: In addition to releasing Thomas, the Colts have also cut 11 other players this morning, and placed two more on reserve lists, reducing their roster to 76 players. Here’s the full list of Indianapolis roster moves:

Cut:

  • Harland Gunn, G
  • Nicklas Haag, ILB
  • Zach Hodges, OLB
  • Tyler Hoover, T
  • Ryan Lankford, WR
  • Jeris Pendleton, DT
  • Ezell Ruffin, WR
  • Justin Shirk, ILB
  • Justin Sinz, TE
  • Abou Toure, RB
  • Brandon Vitabile, C

Waived/injured:

  • Donald Celiscar, CB

Placed on injured reserve:

  • Tevin Mitchel, CB

8:04am: The Colts have parted ways with another offensive lineman from their 2013 free agent class, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has released veteran guard Donald Thomas. Indianapolis also cut tackle Gosder Cherilus earlier in the offseason.

Thomas, who turns 30 next month, signed a four-year deal with the Colts in 2013 after having made 21 starts in four seasons for the Dolphins and Patriots. However, multiple quad injuries prevented him from seeing the field much in Indianapolis — Thomas played just two regular season contests in 2013 and none in 2014 before starting this year on the team’s physically unable to perform list. The former sixth-round pick was activated from the PUP list last week.

Had the Colts kept Thomas on their roster, he would’ve counted for a cap hit of $3.75MM in 2015, an exorbitant charge for a player who hasn’t seen any significant game action for a couple years. By cutting him, the Colts will reduce his cap numbers to just $250K each for 2015 and 2016. Thomas, meanwhile, will immediately become a free agent, giving him the opportunity to sign with any team.

Colts Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 4th, 2015 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have announced their undrafted free agent class of 2015, and Kevin Bowen of Colts.com has the details on the 15 players the team added to its roster following the draft. Here are the names of Indianapolis’ new UDFAs:

  • Bryan Bennett, QB, Southeastern Louisiana
  • Quan Bray, WR, Auburn ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Donald Celiscar, CB, Western Michigan
  • Cody Galea, LB, San Diego Stat
  • Terrell Hartsfield, DE, Cincinnati
  • Zach Hodges, LB, Harvard
  • Joshua Mitchell, CB, Nebraska
  • Ezell Ruffin, WR, San Diego State
  • Al-Hajj Shabazz, CB, West Chester
  • Jean Sifrin, TE, Massachusetts
  • Justin Sinz, TE, Purdue
  • Robert Smith, S, Clemson
  • Junior Sylvestre, LB, Toledo
  • Tyler Varga, RB, Yale
  • Brandon Vitabile, C, Northwestern