Derek Landri - Pro Football Rumors

East Auditions: Bills, Pats, Jets, Eagles

September 11th, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

While not every NFL team is making adjustments to its 53-man roster this week, many clubs are at least auditioning free agents to get a sense of which players might be worth revisiting later in the season, as injuries begin to take their toll. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has passed along word of several of those auditions, via Twitter, so let’s take a look at which free agents are working out for teams in the NFL’s two East divisions….

The Bills tried out quarterback Tajh Boyd, running backs Maurice Hagens and Franklyn Quiteh, wide receiver Jeremy Kelley, tight end Kyle Auffray, tackle Michael Bamiro, linebackers James Davidson and Jerrell Harris, defensive backs Ross Weaver and Junior Mertile, and defensive tackles Jeremy Towns, Derek Landri, and Abe Koroma.
A handful of defensive players auditioned for the Patriots, including defensive tackles Sione Fua and George Uko, defensive end Brian Sanford, and linebackers Moise Fokou, Chris Young, and Adrian Tracy.
The Jets took a look at a few special teams players, including punters Bobby Cowan and Jake Dombrowski, along with long snapper Patrick Scales.
We heard yesterday that the Eagles hosted Eric Winston and Wade Smith, and ultimately decided to sign Smith. The team also had a few other players in: linebackers Brandon Hepburn and Jake Doughty, as well as tackle Tyler Hoover.
Wide receiver Devon Wylie and defensive back Keelan Johnson worked out for the Cowboys.
Finally, a long list of players tried out for the Redskins this week. We’ve heard a few names reported already, but there are plenty of new ones from Wilson, including defensive tackles Isaako Aaitui and Ricky Heimuli, and wide receivers Marcus Davis, Chris Matthews, Mike Davis, Je’Ron Hamm, and L’Damian Washington.

Extra Points: Bucs, Lions, Boone, Chargers

May 27th, 2014 at 9:22pm CST by Zachary Links

What’s harder, learning an NFL offense or studying at Harvard? Buccaneers rookie tight end Cameron Brate gave Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times the answer. “This is definitely harder,” said Brate, comparing the playbook to his classes at Cambridge. “Once you get the base down, everything builds off of that in economics. One thing that Harvard helped me out with was teaching me how to learn efficiently.” More from around the NFL..

Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley will undergo testing with the Packers tomorrow, writes Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel. This could be a sign that his spinal contusion has healed and that he’s closer to getting back on the field.
The Lions worked out defensive tackle Derek Landri today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) Landri, 31 in September, signed a two year, $3.25MM contract with the Buccaneers in March 2013 and was released in February of this year.
The Bucs are discussing a long-term deal with All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy but that’s not exactly at the forefront of his mind. “That’s cool,” McCoy said, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. “That sounds good, but I’m not worried about that right now.” One of McCoy’s priorities for this offseason will be to get more familiar with the Tampa 2 defense that Lovie Smith has brought back to the franchise.
The 49ers‘ method of signing promising inexperienced backups to modest contract extensions can backfire and Alex Boone is just the latest example, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 26-year-old was a no-show for OTAs over dissatisfaction with his deal. He’s set to earn base salaries of $2MM this season and $1.2MM in 2015.
While he wouldn’t name names, Chargers GM Tom Telesco told SiriusXM that the 2014 crop of undrafted free agents is better than those that were signed in 2013, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
Prized offseason pickup Chris Johnson took to Twitter to let everyone know that he wants to see the Jets go out and get disgruntled Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. The star receiver, frustrated with several difficult seasons, was a no-show for OTAs in Houston.
The Bears‘ draft picks and free agent pickups look strong in OTAs and seem comfortable with their new surroundings and schemes, writes Matt Bowen of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears’ additions on the defensive front, including defensive end Jared Allen, give Chicago a level of flexibility that they didn’t have last season.
In this week’s mailbag, Mike Jones of the Washington Post discusses the Redskins‘ front office following the departure of Morocco Brown and Bruce Allen being bumped up to President and GM.

Buccaneers Cut Rodgers, Hill, Carimi, Landri

February 10th, 2014 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have officially released four players from their roster, reports Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter). According to Smith, the club has cut quarterback Jordan Rodgers, running back Michael Hill, offensive tackle Gabe Carimi, and defensive tackle Derek Landri.

Carimi and Landri each had one year remaining on their respective deals, and had been set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2015. Rodgers and Hill would have been ticketed for 2016 free agency, though neither would’ve been fully unrestricted by that point. While Rodgers and Hill were on minimum-salary contracts, Carimi and Landri had been set to earn about $1.34MM and $1.5MM respectively, so Tampa Bay will save a little cap room by cutting them. None of the four players will represent any dead money for 2014.

While Rodgers didn’t play for the Bucs in 2013 and Hill earned just nine carries in limited action, Carimi and Landri both started games for the club. However, neither player was expected to have a significant role with the team going forward.

Rodgers is the brother of Packers star Aaron Rodgers, while Carimi was a former first-round pick by the Bears.