The Chargers have reduced their roster from 90 players to 79, leaving the team with four more cuts to make before Tuesday’s 75-man deadline. Here’s the complete list of players dropped by the club so far, via a press release:
We’re tracking Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster transactions around the NFL in a separate post, but we’ll use this spot to keep tabs on Tuesday’s practice squad moves. Here’s the latest:
Earlier updates:
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Devin Hester was one of many Falcons to reach the end zone last night, scoring on a record-setting punt return and a running play. However, it’s his role as a wide receiver that has him more happy with the Falcons than he was in his last few seasons with the Bears.
“I wasn’t happy the last three or four years in Chicago because things wasn’t going the way I expect,” Hester said yesterday, according to Adam Hoge of WGN Radio (Twitter link). “I would always have a great camp, have all the receivers saying and coaches saying I had the best camp of all the receivers. And once the season start off, I’m not there.”
As Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets, there were a few teams eyeing Hester in free agency that felt the veteran wasn’t worth the $10MM contract he signed with Atlanta, but it’s looking like a good investment for the Falcons so far. Here’s more from around the NFC:
A few NFL teams are starting to see their backfields thin out a little as the season progresses, whether due to suspensions (Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson) or injuries (Mark Ingram, Jamaal Charles, Knowshon Moreno, and others). While most of those clubs have relied on in-house replacements so far, veteran free agent BenJarvus Green-Ellis has received some inquiries from teams, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
According to La Canfora (via Twitter), the former Bengal, who is coming off a preseason hip injury, continues to rehab and work toward full health. When he’s ready to play, Green-Ellis should be able to find a job, since there are plenty of potential suitors monitoring him now.
Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the NFL:
With Robert Mathis now sidelined for the season with a torn Achilles, the Colts will have to turn to other players to jump-start their pass rush, and head coach Chuck Pagano says the team will consider all its options. However, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes, the Colts are in a tough spot when it comes to adding outside help. The free agent list is very thin when it comes to pass rushers, and Indianapolis would prefer not to give up future draft picks to acquire a player via trade. In Holder’s view, the club may have to rely on its in-house options to attempt to fill Mathis’ shoes.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:
Let’s round up a few Wednesday items from out of the NFL’s two South divisions….
While most teams around the NFL have set their 53-man rosters and 10-man practice squads for the season, we shouldn’t expect those clubs to just sit on their hands going forward. Many clubs have been auditioning players this week for potential spots on the active roster or practice squad, including several teams from the NFL’s two East divisions. Via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who passes along the latest updates in a series of tweets, here are the latest items out of the AFC and NFC East:
The Steelers have become the latest team to reduce their roster count to 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Here are the 22 players cut from the club’s active roster today, per a press release:
JANUARY 6TH: The Chargers announced that they have signed quarterback Brad Sorensen to a reserve/futures deal, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). Sorensen, 26, was drafted 221st overall in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chargers. San Diego cut him in August, but signed him to the taxi squad in December.
DECEMBER 30TH, 5:40pm: The Chargers have also added guard Craig Watts to the list, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter).
DECEMBER 29TH, 6:42pm: The Chargers announced that they have signed eight players to reserve/futures contracts today. Here’s the full list, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Eric Williams (on Twitter):
All eight players were signed off of the Bolts’ taxi squad. Quarterback Brad Sorensen was the only player signed to the practice squad at season’s end that was not inked to a futures deal.