Ladarius Gunter

Panthers Announce Roster Moves

The Panthers are the latest team to announced their initial wave of roster cuts. Carolina will need to make further transactions in order to comply with the 53-man roster maximum on Saturday.

The following players were cut by the Panthers today:

Released:

Waived:

None of Carolina’s cuts should come as much of a surprise, although there was some thought Clausell might stick on the club’s roster given its injuries along the offensive line.

Panthers Re-Sign CB Ladarius Gunter

The Panthers have re-signed cornerback Ladarius Gunter to a one-year deal, the club announced today. Gunter can earn up to $1.4MM including incentives, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Carolina claimed Gunter off waivers from the Packers last September, but opted not to tender him as a restricted free agent earlier this month. The Panthers always had interest in a reunion with Gunter after free agent signing Bashaud Breeland‘s failed physical led to a voided contract, but the club re-signed him at a price cheaper than the $1.907MM original round tender.

The Panthers were able to secure Gunter at a low-cost rate because the 25-year-old simply doesn’t come with enough of an NFL track record to warrant a more serious investment. In two of Gunter’s three NFL campaigns (2015 and 2017), he played a combined total of 10 defensive snaps. During his lone year as a starter in 2016, Gunter graded as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league while starting 15 games for Green Bay, per Pro Football Focus.

Gunter is the third defensive back signed by the Panthers in the past week, joining fellow corner Ross Cockrell and safety Da’Norris Searcy. He joins a cornerback depth chart that includes James Bradberry, Captain Munnerlyn, Kevon Seymour, and Cockrell, among others, but is without Daryl Worley (trade) and Teddy Williams (free agency).

49ers Meet With CB Ladarius Gunter

The 49ers met with Panthers free agent cornerback Ladarius Gunter on Thursday, GM John Lynch said (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). The Panthers did not extend a restricted free agent tender to Gunter earlier this month, but they are said to have interest in a reunion at a lesser rate.

Gunter, 26 in May, had the most defensive snaps of any Packers cornerback in 2016. Last September, the Panthers picked him up after he slid down Green Bay’s depth chart and was released after just one game. His playing time didn’t improve much from there – he appeared in just four games for Carolina last year and did not record an official statistic.

After signing running back Jerick McKinnon, center Weston Richburg, and cornerback Richard Sherman, the 49ers have stayed relatively quiet in free agency. Their most recent move of note was signing guard Jonathan Cooper to a one-year deal.

NFC South Rumors: Saints, Brees, Robinson

Drew Brees is back with the Saints on a two-year, $50MM deal that is arguably under market for what he provides. However, a deeper look at his contract shows some additional value. There is language in Brees’ deal that prevents the team from using the franchise tag on him after the 2019 season, according to Nick Underhill of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter).

This is familiar territory for the two parties. Brees’ previous deal also prohibited the Saints from using the tag on him, which forced New Orleans to negotiate a fresh contract with him this offseason.

Brees will be 41 in 2020 and there’s no guarantee that he’ll still be an elite QB or even willing to continue playing, But, if he is still at the top of his game, the Saints will have a little less leverage to work with.

Here’s more from the NFC South:

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

RFAs

Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):

Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Panthers Claim CB Ladarius Gunter

Former Packers cornerback Ladarius Gunter was claimed off waivers by the Panthers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In a corresponding move, the Panthers are releasing kicker Harrison ButkerLadarius Gunter (vertical)

Gunter had the most defensive snaps of any Packers cornerback in 2016. He was productive early on, but he slowed down towards the end of the season and slipped down the depth chart over the summer. He was on the field for only two snaps in Green Bay’s season opener.

The release of Butker means that Graham Gano will be sticking with the team. Earlier this month, the Panthers were receiving calls of trade interest in Gano, leading to speculation that they could move him for a draft pick and stick with Butker. That won’t be the case as the Georgia Tech product is now subject to waivers.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/17

Today’s minor roster moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

  • Cut: CB LaDarius Gunter

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: ILB Steven Johnson
  • Cut: LB L.J. Fort

Packers Sign 17 Undrafted Free Agents

FRIDAY, 11:36am: Having officially signed and announced their undrafted free agent class, the Packers did indeed sign 17 UDFAs. However, a couple of the names on the official list are different than those initially reported.

A pair of running backs, Agnew and Maples, didn’t formally sign with the team. They were replaced on Green Bay’s list of UDFAs by two linebackers — Louisiana State’s Jermauria Rasco and Stanford’s James Vaughters.

SUNDAY, 5:02pm: The Packers have also added Miami CB Ladarius Gunter, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link).

1:26pm: After adding eight draft picks over the past three days, the Packers have agreed to terms with another 16 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full list, courtesy of Wes Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media:

  • Malcolm Agnew, RB, Southern Illinois
  • Bernard Blake, CB, Colorado State
  • Javess Blue, WR, Kentucky
  • Ricky Collins, WR, Texas A&M-Commerce
  • Adrian Coxson, WR, Stony Brook ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun)
  • John Crockett, RB, North Dakota State
  • Tavarus Dantzler, OLB, Bethune-Cookman
  • Fabbians Ebbele, OL, Arizona ($2K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Alonzo Harris, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette ($3,500 bonus, per Wilson)
  • Mitchell Henry, TE, Western Kentucky
  • Lavon Hooks, DT, Mississippi
  • Jimmie Hunt, WR, Missouri
  • Raymond Maples, RB, Army
  • Larry Pinkard, WR, Old Dominion ($3K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Marcus Reed, OL, Fayetteville State
  • Matt Rotheram, OL, Pittsburgh

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Winston, Parker, Tillman

The Falcons have visited the University of Miami to get a closer look at some of the draft’s most intriguing prospects. The team will workout Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson, Clive Walford, Ladarius Gunter, and Ereck Flowers, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He also writes the team will meet with Denzel Perryman, who will not be working out for the team.

The team also worked out defensive lineman Anthony Chickillo while in Coral Gables, according to Ledbetter (via Twitter).

Here are a few more notes from around the NFC South:

  • The Buccaneers are expected to take Jameis Winston with the first-overall pick, and if there were any doubts about how the fans would react, those were put to rest Thursday. Winston’s appearance on a video board during the team’s Q&A session in front of fans drew a roar of applause, the loudest of the night according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
  • The Saints will host Louisville receiver DeVante Parker for a pre-draft visit, according to Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. Terrell outlines some of Parker’s strengths and weaknesses, noting that Parker will likely be drafted in the early-to-mid first round. The Saints select 13th overall, but after drafting Brandin Cooks last year, might look elsewhere early in the draft.
  • The Panthers attempted to bolster their secondary by signing cornerback Charles Tillman. Tillman’s one-year contract is worth $1.75MM, which includes a $350,000 signing bonus, $150,000 roster bonus, and $15,625 in per gamer roster bonuses, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson adds that the Tillman deal is expected to include incentives to increase the total value (via Twitter).