Evan Royster

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/15

Here are Sunday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • The Saints have released tight end Alex Smith, per Kristian Garic of WWL 870am (Twitter link). Smith, who signed with the Saints earlier this month, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2013. He caught 163 passes and 13 touchdowns from 2005-13 as a member of four different teams.
  • The Dolphins have signed offensive lineman Bryant Browning, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Browning was previously a member of five other organizations since going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2011. He was last with the Steelers and has only suited up for one game – a 2011 contest with Carolina.
  • The Saints have waived long snapper Chris Highland, tweets Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.

Earlier updates

  • The Cowboys cut receiver George Farmer and signed fellow wideout David Porter, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram (Twitter link). Farmer signed with the Cowboys in May as an undrafted free agent out of USC. Porter, formerly of TCU, also went undrafted this year. He previously spent time with Denver.
  • After a rash of injuries at the position, Washington has signed a new tight end in Ernst Brun, the club announced. Brun, an undraftd free agent out of Iowa State, tried out for the team earlier today. Washington also officially placed tight ends Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen on injured reserve, and waived/injured running back Silas Redd.
  • The Falcons have signed RB Evan Royster, CB Travis Howard, and LB Terrell Manning, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The team has also cut OL DeMarcus Love.
  • The Browns have signed CB Aaron Ross and LB Everette Brown, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team waived OL Joe Madsen and DL Christian Tupou to make room for Ross and Brown. Ross, 32, was a key member of the Giants’ secondary when Big Blue captured Super Bowl titles in 2007 and 2011.
  • Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the Dolphins have cut offensive tackle Chris Martin.

Workout Notes: Tuesday

Earlier today, the Giants looked at an eye-popping 15 players, including Felix Jones, Jonathan Baldwin, Terrelle Pryor, and Tony Moeaki. Here’s a look at other notable auditions from around the league..

  • The Colts worked out defensive back Chance Casey, wide receiver Mike Davis, quarterback Pat Devlin, and wide receiver Tramaine Thompson, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Mike Wells on Twitter). Running back Jeff Demps and Konrad Reuland were also part of the workout and earned spots on the Colts’ practice squad.
  • The Seahawks looked at free agent linebacker Paris Lenon, according to Yates (on Twitter). Lenon, 37 next month, has 12 years of NFL experience under his belt. Remarkably, he has missed a grand total of three regular season games during that span.
  • Before signing running back Phillip Tanner earlier today, the Bills also auditioned Evan Royster, Yates tweets. Royster was with the Redskins from 2011-2013. The Bills also auditioned wide receiver Kenny Shaw and quarterback Brad Sorensen today, according to Yates (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com on Twitter).
  • The Packers auditioned four players today, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter): wide receiver Jace Davis (Northern Colorado), running back David Fluellen (Toledo), guard Andrew Miller (Virginia Tech), and cornerback David Van Dyke (Tennessee State).

Redskins Trim Roster To 53

4:54pm: The Redskins have finalized their roster, announcing the following moves via press release:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on reserve/physically unable to perform list:

8:41am: We learned yesterday that the Redskins let go of eight players, and the team has continued to make cuts this morning. While none of the moves have been announced officially, here is a running list of the team’s reported cuts:

NFC East Links: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles

The Cowboys will carry some dead money on their cap this year and next after releasing Kyle Orton, but Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News wonders if the signing of Orton wasn’t “dead money” from the beginning. As Sherrington explains, a pricey, reliable veteran backup makes sense for a Super Bowl contender, but the Cowboys would’ve been better off developing a young quarterback as the No. 2 option behind Tony Romo rather than investing heavily in someone like Orton.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Count former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman among those who was a little surprised that the team didn’t draft Johnny Manziel with the No. 16 pick in May, as Travis L. Brown of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. “There’s a lot of other needs, as we saw last year, that this team has, so it was probably the right thing not taking him, but I was a little surprised. I think that had to have been a difficult decision for Jerry [Jones].”
  • The Cowboys have carried four tight ends in the past, but if they do so again this year, it will likely mean adding a blocking tight end that isn’t currently on the roster, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
  • ESPN.com’s John Keim previews a handful of position battles to watch in Redskins training camp, including a pair on the offensive line and two more on special teams.
  • Evan Royster, who has been with the Redskins for the last three seasons, may find himself on the outside looking in this year, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
  • In his latest mailbag, Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com explores what the Eagles would do in the event that Nick Foles takes a step back and struggles in 2014.

Redskins Notes: Allen, Moss, Helu

The Redskins have promoted general manager Bruce Allen to the role of team president, the team announced today (via Twitter). Allen will remain in his previous role, as well.

The 57-year-old was hired in late 2009 after spending 13 years with the Buccaneers and Raiders. According to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times, it is unclear how much his role will change, but a team spokesman said that he “oversees the organization.”

Let’s take a look at some more Redskins notes…