J.C. Copeland

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/2015

Here are Saturday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • Wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, who was cut by the Bengals earlier this week to make room for Greg Little, was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Miami waived another wideout, Kai De La Cruz, just three days after signing him in order to clear room on the roster for Hamilton.
  • The Giants created two roster openings today by waiving two players with injury designations. Per Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), tight end Matt LaCosse (hamstring) and defensive end Brad Harrah (quad) were cut.
  • The Vikings have a full roster again after signing wide receiver Ryan Whalen, a former sixth-round pick, tweets Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune.
  • The Jets cut fullback J.C. Copeland today after a poor showing in practice, according to Connor Hughes of the Journal Inquirer and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • A sixth running back is coming to the Eagles, with rookie free agent Kevin Monangai signing with the team, per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. Monangai starred at Villanova, scoring 29 career touchdowns in four years with the Division I-FCS Wildcats.
  • The Patriots‘ roster stands at 87 players following the cutting of cornerback Justin Green and linebacker D.J. Lynch, reports WEEI’s Mike Petraglia. Green signed with New England as an undrafted free agent in 2013, playing in two games since, with practice squad time in between. Lynch came to the Pats this offseason as a rookie free agent from Bowling Green.
  • The Bills‘ roster now sits at 89 players after the team claimed Terren Jones off waivers from the Titans, ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak reports, on Twitter. An undrafted free agent who signed with the Falcons in 2013, the 6-foot-7, 341-pound Jones becomes the fifth offensive tackle on Buffalo’s roster. He’s spent time with the Titans, Ravens and Washington, playing in one game in two seasons.
  • To clear space for wideout Trent Steelman, the Ravens cut quarterback Jerry Lovelocke, according to CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown (Twitter link). Levelocke came to the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in May from Prairie View A&M. A former Army quarterback, Steelman will vie for a roster or practice squad spot at wide receiver. Eligible for the 2013 draft and a participant in the Ravens’ rookie minicamp that year, Steelman was released from active duty in Dec. 2014 in order to pursue an NFL career.
  • The Falcons swapped out one offensive lineman for another, in signing Pierce Burton and waiving Harland Gunn, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The Vikings originally signed Burton as an undrafted free agent last offseason, while Gunn played in 13 games for Atlanta from 2012-14 after signing there as an undrafted rookie in 2012.
  • Washington signed rookie cornerback Deshazor Everett and released fellow first-year player Dasman McCullum, a linebacker, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Everett is an undrafted product from Texas A&M and will serve as secondary depth while Bashaud Breeland recovers from a torn MCL.
  • The Cowboys signed Will Smith, a linebacker taken by the team in the seventh round of the 2014 draft before spending his rookie campaign on Dallas’ practice squad, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).

Minor Moves: Monday Night

Given the rash of minor transactions that have gone down today, we’ll be keeping track of the rest here in a brand new post. The latest minor moves from around the NFL..

  • The Dolphins announced that they have been awarded offensive lineman Donald Hawkins off waivers from the Cowboys, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Mark Asper has been cut.
  • The Rams have signed two of their tryout players in long snapper Tyler Ott and wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service.
  • The Bears claimed tight end Chris Pantale, who was waived by the Jets a few days ago, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Pantale’s first NFL contract came with the Jets when he was signed as a UDFA in 2013.
  • The Jets, meanwhile, inked two tryout players from this past weekend in quarterback Jake Heaps and fullback J.C. Copeland, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. To make room for both players, the Jets cut Greg Henderson and safety Demarkus Perkins (link).
  • The Texans announced that UDFAs Jake Cotton and James Rouse (waived-injured) have been let go, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Both players were signed as UDFAs by Houston earlier this month. In their stead, the Texans have signed Mack Brown, Corey Moore, and Joseph Treadwell, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Raiders waived linebacker Braylon Mitchell, running backs Terrance Cobb and Gus Johnson, defensive backs Chance Casey, Vernon Kearney, and return specialist Jeremy Gallon (waived/injured), according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Steelers placed Nigel Crawford on waivers with a left squad designation, Wilson tweets.
  • The Chiefs signed Georgia Southern center Garrett Frye as a UDFA, per the NFL’s transactions report, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.

West Notes: Streater, Harbaugh, Seahawks

Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano said there is “concern” that wide receiver Rod Streater’s foot issues may end his season, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. The Raiders have until Monday to move the third-year pro off short-term injured reserve to the active roster. If they don’t, they’ll have to put him on season-ending IR and fill a vacancy on the 53-man roster. More from the AFC and NFC West..

  • Adam Schefter told Michael Kay of 98.7 ESPN Radio (audio link) that he doesn’t see 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh leaving the West Coast. There have been rumblings all season long that Harbaugh’s time in San Francisco is coming to an end and the nearby Raiders are said to think very highly of him.
  • The Seahawks worked out defensive tackle Landon Cohen, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). The Seahawks have been connected to Hayne for some time. Cohen was cut by the Bills prior to the 53-man deadline in August.
  • The Seahawks tried out J.C. Copeland, Tim Cornett, Kennard Cox, David Fluellen, Jonte Green, Mikel Leshoure, and Mike Zimmer, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).

West Notes: Broncos, Quinn, Chiefs, 49ers

Although there was some speculation that the Broncos may face a penalty for potential violations of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement by Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase, the league won’t levy any punishment on the club, says Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Manning and Gase both visited the University of Alabama in April, and taking a campus visit together would’ve violated the terms of the CBA, but it was determined that the two men took their trips separately.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

  • Now that J.J. Watt has agreed to a lucrative new contract extension, Rams defensive end Robert Quinn will be among the next high-profile defenders to keep an eye on. According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, when he spoke to Quinn about his contract situation last week, the standout pass rusher said he didn’t want to let it become a distraction and planned to stay in his lane for now. “When the opportunity approaches, I’ll take advantage of it,” Quinn said.
  • Former third-round pick Brandon Taylor, who was cut by the Chargers back in June, visited the division-rival Chiefs on Monday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • According to Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who agreed to a contract extension with the team over the weekend, getting a long-term deal done with Kansas City was always the goal — it was just a matter of finding a figure that he felt was fair and that didn’t compromise the club’s flexibility too much. B.J. Kissel of KCChiefs.com has the quotes from Smith.
  • The 49ers worked out a few free agents this week, including fullback J.C. Copeland and defensive backs Rod Sweeting and Chibuikem Okoro, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Cowboys Release Martez Wilson, J.C. Copeland

The Cowboys began the process of whittling their roster down to the 75-man requirement by cutting two players — defensive end Martez Wilson and fullback J.C. Copeland (press release via DallasCowboys.com).

Wilson is the bigger name of the two —- a third-round pick by the Saints in 2011, Wilson also spent time with the Raiders before joining the Cowboys. He has 38 career games under his belt, and he’s registered five sacks. Copeland, meanwhile, was a 2014 undrafted free agent out of LSU; he apparently lost out to fellow FB Tyler Cutts, who has been receiving more practice snaps.

By our count, the Cowboys’ roster now sits at 88, meaning they will need to let 13 more players go before 3pm tomorrow.

Cowboys Sign 24 Undrafted Free Agents

No NFL team has been more active in undrafted free agency so far than the Cowboys, who announced that they’ve added two dozen new players to the roster following the draft. Courtesy of Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com, here’s the complete list of Dallas’ rookie free agent signings:

  • Josh Aladenoye, OT, Illinois State ($5K bonus, per Todd Archer)
  • Chris Boyd, WR, Vanderbilt ($3.5K bonus)
  • Brian Clarke, G, Bloomsburg ($1.5K bonus)
  • Davon Coleman, DT, Arizona State ($1.5K bonus)
  • J.C. Copeland, FB, LSU ($2K bonus)
  • Andre Cureton, G, Cincinnati ($3K bonus)
  • Casey Kreiter, LS, Iowa ($1.5K bonus)
  • Ben Malena, RB, Texas A&M ($2K bonus)
  • Cody Mandell, P, Alabama ($2K bonus)
  • Glasco Martin, RB, Baylor
  • Jordan Najvar, TE, Baylor ($1.5K bonus)
  • Ronald Patrick, G, South Carolina ($1.5K bonus)
  • Dashaun Phillips, CB, Tarleton State ($7.5K bonus)
  • Jarrod Pughsley, G, Akron ($5K bonus)
  • Marvin Robinson, S, Ferris State ($2K bonus)
  • Dontavis Sapp, LB, Tennessee ($1K bonus)
  • Jocquel Skinner, CB, Bethel ($1.5K bonus)
  • Keith Smith, S, San Jose State ($2K bonus)
  • Ryan Smith, S, Auburn ($1.5K bonus)
  • Dustin Vaughan, QB, West Texas A&M ($5K bonus)
  • L’Damian Washington, WR, Missouri ($7K bonus)
  • Chris Whaley, DT, Texas ($5K bonus)
  • Joe Windsor, Northern Illinois ($1.5K bonus)
  • Evan Wilson, Illinois State ($2.5K bonus)