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Ryan Quigley

Lions Notes: Patricia, Ansah, Martin

September 12th, 2018 at 9:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions looked like one of the league’s worst teams on Monday night while suffering a humiliating loss to the Jets, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) there are already rumblings that Detroit’s veterans aren’t happy with first-year head coach Matt Patricia. The former Patriots defensive coordinator has reportedly installed rules that Lions players find cumbersome while (in the opinion on the player) over-working them during practice sessions. Ex-New England coordinators finding conflict in their first go-round sans Bill Belichick is nothing new (see: Josh McDaniels, Eric Mangini), but Patricia’s standing with his veteran players is certainly something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Here’s more from the Motor City:

  • Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah left Monday night’s contest with a shoulder injury, but an MRI revealed the issue isn’t serious, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who adds Ansah is “hopeful” he can play against the 49ers in Week 2. Losing Ansah for any amount of time would be devastating for the Lions, who don’t have much depth on the edge and ranked just 22nd in adjusted sack rate a season ago. Ansah, 29, was franchise-tagged this offseason and is now earning $17.143MM for the 2018 campaign, but he’ll need to produce again this year in order to land a multi-year deal next spring. He finished the 2017 season with 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
  • The Lions aren’t pleased with punter Sam Martin after the club allowed multiple lengthy returns against the Jets, so they’re taking a look at free agent options, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Ryan Santoso, an undrafted rookie free agent who spent the summer with Detroit, was in for a workout, as was veteran Ryan Quigley. Martin, for his part, ranked second-to-last in net punting average in 2017, but the Lions’ punting unit ranked in the middle of the pack, per Football Outsiders’ special teams metrics. Detroit would take on at least $1.5MM in dead money over the next two seasons if it cuts Martin.
  • In case you missed it, the Lions auditioned free agent cornerback David Amerson earlier this week in an effort to shore up a weak secondary.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 2nd, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North 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 Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears

Signed:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

Detroit Lions

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

North Notes: Browns, Ravens, Lions, Vikings

June 15th, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, the first pick in this year’s draft, suffered a left foot injury Wednesday that left him in “obvious pain,” reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland. A day later, Garrett sat out practice as team doctors evaluated his foot, a club spokesman announced. The Browns won’t provide further details on Garrett’s ailment, per Cabot, who relays that the injury likely isn’t serious. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Garrett should be “fine.” Foot issues are nothing new for Garrett, who dealt with soreness throughout organized team activities and battled a high ankle sprain during his final year at Texas A&M last season. Fortunately, though, it looks as if he and the Browns will escape relatively unscathed in this instance.

More from the NFL’s North divisions:

  • Unsurprisingly, it appears injured tight end Dennis Pitta‘s release from the Ravens last week will bring an end to his career. When speaking with reporters Thursday, Pitta didn’t announce his retirement, but he conceded, “I’m not delusional” (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). Hip problems limited Pitta to seven games from 2013-15, but he returned last season to post a 16-game campaign and catch a team-high 86 passes. The soon-to-be 32-year-old suffered a hip dislocation earlier this month, though, leading the Ravens to cut ties after seven seasons.
  • In his first meeting with the Detroit media on Thursday, newly acquired Lions offensive tackle Greg Robinson called the trade that sent him from Los Angeles to the Motor City “a big surprise,” per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Robinson busted with the Rams, who selected him second overall in 2014, and acknowledged that things “haven’t really went the way I would like” to this point. The 24-year-old expects to jump-start his career in Detroit, however. “I plan on benefiting from (my fresh start) tremendously,” Robinson declared. “It’s really refreshing and I plan to make the most out of it.”
  • Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler has been “very happy” with his performance this spring, and the ex-Texan explained Wednesday why his play has improved from his disastrous 2016 in Houston. “The best part is I’m getting coached hard on my fundamentals,” Osweiler said, via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “And I believe firmly that when your fundamentals and your feet are right as a quarterback, you’re going to make great decisions and you’re going to throw accurate footballs.” Osweiler added that his “fundamentals slid” last year, but he declined “to go into great detail” on why. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk interprets Osweiler’s remarks as a shot at the Texans’ coaching staff, particularly Bill O’Brien, who didn’t get along well with the signal-caller last season.
  • Defensive back Lardarius Webb experienced a “tepid market” during his month of unemployment before re-signing with the Ravens in May, as Zrebiec details. The only club known to have expressed interest in the 31-year-old Webb was the Vikings, although Baltimore reportedly had interest in bringing Webb back almost instantly after releasing him. The Ravens saved $5.5MM in cap space by originally cutting ties with Webb, who has since inked a new three-year deal worth $6.3MM (with another $1.4MM available annually via incentives).
  • Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer indicated Wednesday that both kicker Kai Forbath and punter Ryan Quigley will have to fight for their jobs this summer, telling reporters that “there’s an open competition” at both spots (via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune). Forbath, whom the Vikings signed last November after releasing Blair Walsh, made all 15 of his field goal attempts with Minnesota in 2016 but will battle second-year man Marshall Koehn to stay with the club. “He’s got the stronger leg,” Priefer said of Koehn. “This kid is coming on strong. It’s a great competition.” Quigley, an April signing, will try to fend off another second-year player, Taylor Symmank, after averaging a career-worst 41.6 yards per punt on 34 attempts with the Cardinals last season.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Vikings Sign P Ryan Quigley

April 3rd, 2017 at 6:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have signed punter Ryan Quigley, according to a team announcement. He may now be slated to replace Jeff Locke, who left the team via free agency to sign with the Colts. Ryan Quigley

[RELATED: Vikings May Draft Running Back]

Quigley spent three years with the Jets before landing with the Cardinals for a portion of last season. In six games with Arizona, he averaged 41.6 yards per punt on 34 attempts. For his career, he has averaged 44.6 yards per punt.

The Vikings now have two punters in the house between Quigley and Taylor Symmank, a Texas Tech product who signed a futures deal earlier this year.

RELATED:

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/16

November 15th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • The Cardinals announced re-signed punter Drew Butler and cut Ryan Quigley. Butler was previously released with an injury settlement by Arizona on October 4 following a calf issue, but now he’s back in the fold.
  • The Chargers have waived center Chris Watt with a failed physical designation, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union Tribune (Twitter link). Injuries limited the former third-round pick to 17 games in his first two years and prevented him from taking the field so far in 2016. Watt, who had been on the PUP list, will revert to IR if he clears waivers.
  • The Vikings signed offensive tackle Rashod Hill to the 53-man roster off of the Jaguars‘ practice squad, as agent Brett Tessler tweets. Hill will help provide depth in the wake of Jake Long‘s season-ending injury, which has landed him on injured reserve.
  • The Bears announced that they’ve promoted offensive lineman Cornelius Edison from the practice squad. He’ll take the place of OL Kyle Long, who was officially placed on IR.
  • The Cowboys are promoting wide receiver Vince Mayle from the practice squad to the active roster, according to a tweet from his agents at Reign Sports. Mayle is a former fourth-round selection of the Browns.
  • The Colts announced that they have claimed linebacker Deon King off waivers from the Chargers and waived wide receiver Marcus Leak.

Extra Points: Browns, 49ers, Patriots, Cardinals

October 1st, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

  • The Browns tried out defensive end Sterling Bailey and wideouts Antwan Goodley and Mitch Mathews, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • After retiring, Anthony Davis owes the 49ers quite a bit of money, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Davis owes $1.235MM for 2016, which is 14/17th of his salary for the year. Then, if he remains retired, he’ll owe $1.5MM in 2017. The lineman is already familiar with the process of refunding San Francisco after giving back $1.667MM in 2015. Davis could return to football at some point, but it sounds like he is over the day-to-day grind that it takes to play in the NFL.
  • Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was asked how long the team would keep punter Drew Butler on the active roster. “As long as we can,” the coach responded (viaFox Sports 910’s Mike Jurecki on Twitter). “That will all depend on other injuries.” The Cardinals recently signed punter Ryan Quigley to fill in for the injured Butler, who’s battling an injured ankle.
  • Chris Long‘s tenure with the Patriots doesn’t need to be a “one-year fling,” writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Of course, the defensive end gave a very Belichickian response when discussing his future with the franchise. “One way to get yourself in trouble as a football player is to think past this week or today,” Long said. “You can’t take anything for granted as far as going out and practicing, going to play on Sundays. If you keep things one day at a time and you keep it narrow, I mean, there’s nowhere I’d rather be today. That’s the way I come to work every day.” Long will be earning $2.37MM this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/16

September 28th, 2016 at 8:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Saints moved defensive end Obum Gwacham to IR to make room for Khalif Barnes, whom they signed earlier today, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports. It’s unclear, per Katzenstein, what injury forced Gwacham to IR. But the defender debuted Monday night and played seven special teams plays.
  • The Raiders promoted rookie offensive lineman Denver Kirkland from their practice squad to move their roster to 53 players, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. As Bair notes, Kirkland can play both tackle and guard. The Raiders may need him more at the former spot, considering Menelik Watson and Austin Howard are battling injuries this season. Oakland played the first three games of the season at 52 players, choosing not to fill Mario Edwards‘ spot — the defensive end sits on IR until he’s expected back by midseason — until today.
  • To make room on their roster for Marqui Christian, the Rams cut defensive back Isaiah Johnson, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. The Rams claimed Christian off waivers from the Cardinals earlier today. A second-year UDFA out of Georgia Tech, Johnson’s played in seven games thus far, including one this season, in his short career. He still has practice squad eligibility, if the Rams so choose to relocate him there.
  • The Cardinals signed punter Ryan Quigley and placed linebacker Alani Fua (knee) on IR, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 tweets.

Cardinals Sign LS Aaron Brewer

September 27th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have signed veteran long snapper Aaron Brewer, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Rookie snapper Kameron Canaday struggled during the first three games of the season, and was waived earlier today. Brewer, 26, is a four-year NFL veteran, having spent the past several seasons with the Broncos.Aaron Brewer (Vertical)

[RELATED: Cardinals Place Troy Niklas On IR]

Brewer was just one of several specialists that Arizona worked out today. Fellow long snapper Tyler Ott was also on hand, as were punters Michael Palardy, Ryan Quigley, and Tim Masthay, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Cardinals will need a new punter for at least a few games, as incumbent Drew Butler will be sidelined for awhile with an ankle/Achilles injury.

Arizona completed a busy day by auditioning a trifecta of linebackers, as they took a look at Nate Irving, James-Michael Johnson, and Joplo Bartu, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Irving, 28, has 62 career appearances to his name, but was released by the Colts at final cutdowns despite being in the midst of a multi-year contract.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaguars Waive Eight Players

August 29th, 2016 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars took a big step towards getting to tomorrow’s 75-man roster max. The team announced that the following players have been waived:

In addition to those cuts, offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach has been placed on IR, safety Earl Wolff has been waived/injured, and offensive lineman Luke Bowanko (hip) and defensive end Jonathan Woodard (Achilles) have been moved to the PUP list.

McCray is a former starting cornerback and was a member of GM David Caldwell’s first draft class. Evans is a former fourth-round pick of the Jets, one of many underwhelming draft choices by former GM John Idzik.

The Jaguars are now down to 78 players.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/16/16

June 16th, 2016 at 6:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings waived linebacker Travis Lewis and defensive tackle Bruce Gaston, the club announced. Lewis was with Detroit from 2012 through 2015 before signing with Minnesota this offseason. He actually started four games last season, but for the most part he’s been a backup, appearing in 42 contests during his four-year career. Lewis was a key member of Detroit’s special teams unit, playing on more than 70% of Detroit’s ST snaps, and that’s the role he was expected to play in Minnesota. Instead, the Vikings will carry $50K in dead money on their 2016 salary cap as a result of having given Lewis a signing bonus.

The latest minor moves on this palindromic day:

  • Former fourth-round quarterback Logan Thomas has been waived by his second organization, as the Dolphins cut him loose earlier today, along with defensive tackle Charles Tuaau, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. Thomas spent the 2014 season with the Cardinals before they too deemed Thomas too raw for the NFL.
  • The Jaguars signed punter Ryan Quigley and wide receiver Shane Wynn while waiving safety Craig Loston, cornerback Rashaad Reynolds, and defensive end Quanterus Smith, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Quigley was on the Eagles’ offseason roster for a little over a month earlier this offseason.
  • The Bears are expected to sign defensive lineman Marquis Jackson, the twin brother of Malik Jackson, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Chicago has also waived defensive lineman Kenton Adeyemi and linebacker Don Cherry, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.
  • After a tryout yesterday, the Chiefs have signed wide receiver Seantavius Jones, per Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (Twitter link), adding that Kansas City also inked defensive Akeem Davis.
  • Defensive lineman James DeLoach has been cut by the Lions, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
  • The Bengals have waived undrafted linebacker Gionni Paul, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
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