Pat Devlin

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/15

For the final time in 2015, let’s take a look at the today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • With Johnny Manziel banged up, the Browns announced that they’ve signed fellow quarterback Pat Devlin, who spent the final preseason game of 2015 on Cleveland’s roster. Austin Davis will start Sunday’s contest as Manziel deals with a concussion, and Devlin will presumably act as the backup. Linebacker Jayson DiManche was waived in a corresponding move.
  • The Giants announced that they’ve placed linebacker J.T. Thomas (ankle) and long snapper Danny Aiken (thumb) on injured reserve, ending both their seasons. In their stead, New York has elevated linebacker Nico Johnson from its practice squad, while signing free agent long snapper Tyler Ott.

Browns Release Thad Lewis, Pat Devlin

The Browns have released quarterbacks Thaddeus Lewis (via WFNY’s Scott Sargent on Twitter) and Pat Devlin (via ESPNCleveland.com’s Tony Grossi on Twitter). The move leaves the team with only two quarterbacks on their roster, which indicates that Johnny Manziel should be healthy enough to back up starter Josh McCown. Former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who is trying to make the team as a receiver, could also be considered an emergency, third-string play-caller.

Lewis signed with the Browns in March, inking a one-year contract. The 27-year-old didn’t make an appearance with the Texans in 2014, but he did start five games for the Bills in 2013.

Devlin joined the team in August after having spent three seasons with the Dolphins. Grossi notes that Devlin could return to the organization via the practice squad.

Both moves will save the Browns $585K.

Browns Sign Pat Devlin, Cut Ryan Seymour

8:39am: The Browns have made the Devlin signing official, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived offensive lineman Ryan Seymour to make room for the quarterback.

8:12am: With Johnny Manziel experiencing some arm soreness, the Browns will bring in another quarterback for insurance purposes, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing former Dolphin Pat Devlin, pending a physical.

Devlin, 27, has never played in a regular-season NFL game, but he spent parts of three seasons with the Dolphins, either on the team’s practice squad or active roster. Last year, he signed to the Vikings’ practice squad in November and spent the last couple months of the season on Minnesota’s unit.

Adam Caplan of ESPN.com first reported last night (via Twitter) that Devlin would be working out with the Browns today. Garafolo added (via Twitter) that the club also “nosed around” Josh Johnson, but Cleveland didn’t bring in Johnson for an audition of his own. With the Browns no longer an option, Johnson will work out today for the Jets, tweets Garafolo.

An MRI on Manziel’s shoulder revealed no structural damage, but the Browns intend to shut down the second-year quarterback for the rest of the preseason, given his elbow soreness, as Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland writes. A broken thumb has also sidelined Connor Shaw, so adding Devlin to the roster should help the team finish out the preseason — the newly-added QB seems unlikely to earn a spot on the 53-man squad.

Extra Points: Myers, Barnes, Devlin, Thigpen

Former Texans center Chris Myers told Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter) that he had offers to sign with multiple teams in the “past few weeks” but he had already come to grips about wanting to retire. Myers announced on Wednesday that he is stepping away from football. Myers, who turns 34 next month, was a sixth-round draft pick in 2005, going 200th overall to the Broncos. The former Miami Hurricanes lineman became Denver’s full-time center in 2007, then joined the Texans in 2008, starting every game for the team over the course of the next seven seasons.

  • Former Jets, Chargers, and Ravens pass rusher Antwan Barnes is drawing interest from a few NFL teams, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • Former Dolphins quarterback Pat Devlin will be working out for the Browns on Thursday, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Devlin was with the Bears until he was released in June.
  • Tyler Thigpen is another option for the Browns as an extra quarterback, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. Thigpen was in camp with Cleveland last summer and GM Ray Farmer is a fan of his.

Bears Sign Daniel Thomas

The Bears took to Twitter to announce that they have signed running back Daniel Thomas and safety Sherrod Martin to one-year deals. In related moves, kicker Jeremiah Detmer, quarterback Pat Devlin, and tight end Jacob Maxwell have all been waived.

Thomas and Martin auditioned for Chicago on Wednesday and apparenty made a strong impression on the club. Thomas, a second-round pick in 2011, was initially displaced from the Dolphins when they added Knowshon Moreno last offseason. However, Moreno went down with a dislocated elbow in September, prompting Miami to reunite with the 27-year-old. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas has run for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. Last year he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try.

Minor Moves: Monday

Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Lions signed three tryout players – safety Nathan Lindsey and receivers Erik Lora and Jarred Haggins – and released wideout Desmond Lawrence, Tim Twentyman of the team’s website writes.
  • Washington has signed undrafted receiver Quinton Dunbar, formerly of Florida, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
  • The Dolphins signed one tight end – Tim Semisch, undrafted out of Northern Illinois – and released another in Ryan Taylor, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Taylor, a Packers seventh-round pick in 2011, has eight career catches.
  • The Cardinals have signed three tryout players – a quarterback (Phillip Sims) and two safeties (Brandon Person and Harold Jones-Quartey) – per their official website. To make room, they released tackle Kelvin Palmer, wide receiver Travis Harvey, and cornerback Ross Weaver.
  • The Bears signed quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive tackle Terry Williams, and linebacker Kyle Woestmann, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. They also waived linebacker Khaseem Greene and cut fellow LB Austen Lane.
  • The Buccaneers have cut safety Shelton Johnson, wide receivers Chandler Jones and Josh Reese, offensive lineman Matt Patchan, and linebacker Michael Reynolds (Twitter: Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune).
  • The Packers will release defensive lineman Luther Robinson, according to Bill Huber of Packer Report. Robinson appeared in five games last year.
  • The Bills signed undrafted free agent safety Wes Miller, formerly of UTEP, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
  • The Raiders signed ex-Auburn running back Michael Dyer, who tried out for them over the weekend, tweets Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Twitter link). They also signed Emporia state wideout Austin Willis, the player told Rick Peterson Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, running back Terrance Cobb wrote on Instagram that the team released him.
  • The Vikings waived wide receiver Kain Colter and guard Jesse Somsel, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Colter was on the Vikings’ practice squad last year, while they recently signed Somsel as an undrafted free agent.
  • The Giants released three players – running back Chris Ogbonnaya, linebacker James Davidson, and defensive back Thomas Gordon – according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link).
  • The Buccaneers signed linebacker Jared Koster, who tried out at their rookie minicamp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
  • The Steelers signed tryout players Cameron Stingily (running back) and Mike Thornton (defensive line) to their 90-man roster, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). To make room, they cut punter Richie Leone, defensive tackle Nigel Crawford-Kinney, defensive end Brandon Prate, long snapper Brandon Hartson, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, and guard Collin Rahrig (Twitter).
  • The Broncos waived guard Jon Halapio, whom they signed to their practice squad last December, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Matt Miller after signing him as an undrafted free agent earlier this month (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
  • The Buccaneers have signed three tryout players from rookie camp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The team agreed to deals with wide receivers Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries and offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.
  • Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, whom the Vikings waived last week, has retired because of knee issues, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Richardson signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee and saw some action in the preseason.
  • The Panthers have cut defensive tackle Darious Cummings, reports ESPN’s Joe Person (via Twitter). Cummings signed with the Panthers last week as an undrafted free agent from Florida.
  • The Buccaneers will cut return man Solomon Patton today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Patton, who went undrafted out of Florida last year, appeared in seven games for the Bucs as a rookie. He has had two stints with Tampa and one with the Cardinals during his short career.
  • Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Andy Phillips signed with the Packers, the player tweeted. Phillips earned a spot with the Pack after impressing team brass as a tryout player at rookie minicamp over the weekend.

Minor Moves: Thursday

We’ll round up today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with any additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:

  • Raiders defensive back Neiko Thorpe has signed his exclusive right free agent tender, placing him back under contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Earlier updates:

  • The Bengals have brought back former backup signal-caller Josh Johnson, signing him to a new contract today, according to the team (Twitter link). Johnson, who visited Cincinnati today, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Andy Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013.
  • Zeke Motta, a 2013 seventh-rounder who played sparingly for the Falcons in his rookie year, was cut by Atlanta today, according to a team release. Matta missed the entire 2014 campaign due to a neck injury, and will have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent.
  • Safety Anthony Walters, who played in 37 regular season contests during four seasons with the Bears, has been cut, the team announced today (via Twitter). Walters had primarily contributed on special teams for Chicago. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link) wonders if Walters’ release opens up the door for the team to re-sign Danny McCray, which had been previously considered.
  • After adding Mike Kafka to their roster, the Vikings have parted ways with another quarterback, formally announcing that they’ve waived Pat Devlin. The ex-Dolphin had signed a futures contract with Minnesota after spending some time on the team’s practice squad in 2014.
  • Having visited Minnesota and Tampa Bay this week, tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi will be signing with the Buccaneers, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Ogbuehi, who spent time on the practice squads for the Ravens and Browns during the 2014 season, is getting a two-year deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Former Miami Hurricanes linebacker Shayon Green has signed with the Steelers, according to PR rep Burt Lauten (via Twitter).

Vikings Sign Nine Players To Futures Deals

The Vikings have become the latest team to lock up their practice squad players to reserve/futures contracts for the 2015 season. The team announced today that it has signed all nine of the players who finished the year on the taxi squad to futures deals. Here’s the complete list of the guys who inked new contracts with the club:

Minor Moves: Monday

As teams deal with Week 9 injuries and look ahead to Week 10, we can expect to see several clubs tweak the backs of their 53-man rosters and their practice squads. Here are Monday’s latest minor transactions:

  • The Dolphins have placed safety Michael Thomas on injured reserve after he suffered a significant chest injury in Sunday’s game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). To take his place on the roster, Miami signed fellow S Jordan Kovacs off the Eagles’ practice squad, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The Fins will also add tight end Jake Stoneburner to its taxi squad, tweets Salguero.
  • Two Buccaneers players, defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and fullback Jorvorskie Lane, have been reinstated from the suspended list, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
  • The Buccaneers have waived defensive tackle Matthew Masifilo, reports Caplan (on Twitter). The 2012 undrafted free agent played in one game this season for Tampa Bay.
  • Because return man Trindon Holliday was waived/injured, and has now cleared waivers, he has reverted to the Buccaneers’ injured reserve list, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
  • More Bucs news, as the club has made several changes to its practice squad. Tampa added linebacker Denicos Allen and tight end Ted Bolser to its taxi squad, while cutting fullback Lonnie Pryor and linebacker Mister Alexander, says Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
  • To make room for Square (referenced below), the Chargers have cut safety Adrian Phillips, who was just signed on Saturday, per Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Bengals announced several changes to its practice squad, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. We learned earlier today that linebacker Khairi Fortt was lost to the Jaguars, but the team also cut tight end Kevin Greene. To replace them, Cincinnati signed tight end Jake Murphy and linebacker Justin Jackson.
  • The Cardinals have re-signed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston, who was let go on Saturday, to their taxi squad, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (on Twitter).
  • The Jets have made an addition to their PS, bringing in receiver Chris Owusu, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link). Owusu caught 13 balls for the Buccaneers last season.

Earlier updates:

  • Defensive end Damion Square, who was cut by the Chiefs on Saturday, has been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Chargers, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). San Diego doesn’t have an open roster spot, so the team will need to make a corresponding move for the transaction to become official.
  • The Bills have filled their lone open roster spot by claiming safety Jerome Couplin off waivers from the Lions, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • The Lions have made a few changes to their practice squad, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, who tweets that the team has added tight end Jordan Thompson, cornerback Trevin Wade, and defensive tackle Roy Philon, releasing tight end Ifeanyi Momah.
  • After working them out earlier, the Vikings have signed quarterback Pat Devlin and tight end Rashaun Allen to their taxi squad, according to Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (via Twitter). To make space on the unit, the team moved quarterback Chandler Harnish to the practice squad IR list and cut tight end Ryan Otten.
  • Fullback Michael Zordich has signed with the Saints‘ practice squad, according to his agency, Tier 1 Sports Management (Twitter link).
  • The Buccaneers are set to sign tackle Matt Patchan to their practice squad, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Vikes, NFLPA, Browns, Seahawks

Let’s look at the latest from around the league…

  • Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters earlier today that the club had worked out three quarterbacks, and now we’ve learned their identities. Per Howard Balzer (on Twitter), Minnesota auditioned Pat Devlin, Jeff Mathews, and Brad Sorensen. None of the trio has ever been active for an NFL game. As PFR’s Luke Adams noted this afternoon, the Vikes could be looking for a replacement for practice squad QB Chandler Harnish, who is injured.
  • Former defensive tackle Sean Gilbert is the primary competitor to DeMaurice Smith in the race for the NFLPA’s executive director position, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Gilbert, who played from 1992-2003, not only wants to expand the regular season to 18 games, but is in favor of ripping up the 2011 CBA and negotiating anew with the league. The election will be held in March.
  • Rookie corner K’Waun Williams has played in six games this season, starting one, and performed well, quite the feat for an undrafted free agent. Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer tells the story of how Browns secondary coach Jeff Hafley, who first recruited Williams to the University of Pittsburgh, pushed for Cleveland to sign the 23-year-old after the draft.
  • Paul Richardson could be one beneficiary of the Seahawks’ decision to trade Percy Harvin, as Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times writes that the rookie reciever is attempting to become the deep threat for the Hawks’ offense.