The Bengals have cut five players in advance of the 75-man roster limit, the team announced on Twitter. The following players were waived:
CB R.J. Stanford had his contract terminated, meaning he is a free agent immediately. Cincinnati’s roster now stands at 81 — it needs to make six more cuts before 3pm tomorrow.
The Cardinals will bring in veteran defensive lineman Tommy Kelly for a visit tonight and/or tomorrow, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Kelly was released by the Patriots yesterday.
Kelly, 33, joined the Patriots on a two-year deal prior to last season after spending the prior nine years in Oakland. He tore his ACL in Week 8, and spent the remainder of the season on IR. In 134 career games (122 starts), Kelly has racked 301 tackles and 37 sacks. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has graded Kelly as relatively average over the past few years, noting that he is much better pash-rusher than run-defender.
At 6″6″, 300 pounds, and capable of playing both end and tackle, Kelly should add some versatility to a Cardinals 3-4 scheme that recently lost Darnell Dockett for the year. After Brett Keisel turned down Arizona’s offer, the Cardinals ended up signing fellow veteran lineman Isaac Sopoaga to a deal. Pairing Kelly with Sopoaga would, at least in part, help alleviate the loss of Dockett.
3:49pm: The Seahawks also put in a claim on Egnew, according to Pelissero (on Twitter), but the Lions had waiver priority and were awarded the tight end.
MONDAY, 3:22pm: The Lions have claimed Egnew off waivers from the Dolphins, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today, who also reports that Detroit has claimed fellow TE Emil Igwenagu from the Eagles. The Lions are certainly stockpiling tight end talent, as they already have Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria, and 2014 first-rounder Eric Ebron under contract.
FRIDAY, 2:00pm: With roster cutdown deadlines approaching, the Dolphins will part ways with a player they drafted in the third round just two years ago, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter, Miami is waiving third-year tight end Michael Egnew.
Egnew, 24, was inactive for most of his rookie season, and grabbed just seven balls in 2013 while struggling as a run blocker. The former 78th overall pick out of Missouri also dealt with a concussion earlier in camp. With the Dolphins’ front office having undergone significant changes this offseason, including Dennis Hickey replacing Jeff Ireland as general manager, the organization had less incentive to Egnew around, and has decided to cut its losses.
The move will leave Miami with an opening on its 90-man roster, though it’s not clear if the team will sign a replacement. Rosters must be cut down to 75 players by next Tuesday afternoon.
MONDAY, 3:45pm: Prater has issued a statement through the Broncos’ Twitter account: “I’m really sorry. I’ve made mistakes. I addressed the team and apologized.” Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today notes (on Twitter) that although Prater will be allowed to lift weights at the Broncos’ facility during his suspension, he will be forced to practice kicking alone at a high school field.
SUNDAY, 8:37am: Broncos kicker Matt Prater has been suspended for the first four games of the 2014 regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis writes that the violation was alcohol-related, and adds that Prater has been in the league’s alcohol program since being charged with driving under the influence in 2011.
Although Prater certainly benefits from a production standpoint by playing for the league’s most prolific offensive club, there is no denying his ability. He converted 25 of 26 field goal attempts last season and led the league with 81 touchbacks. His suspension will certainly hurt, and it will certainly enter into head coach John Fox‘s strategy over the first four games of the season.
An official announcement is expected to be made on Monday. The four-game ban was part of an agreement between the league and Prater’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, so Prater is not expected to appeal. The league had been threatening a one-year suspension.
Brian McIntyre tweets that Prater will lose $705,882 in base salary.
The Rams have lowered their roster count to 79, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The following players have been released:
Additionally, linebacker Pat Schiller was waived-injured. The Rams will need to make four more cuts by 3pm tomorrow.
The Chargers have waived 11 players, the team announced a press release. San Diego must get rid of four more players by 3pm tomorrow in order to be within the 75-man roster limit.
The Rams confirmed yesterday that quarterback Sam Bradford had re-torn his ACL, an injury that will end his season before it begins. It’s a tragic turn for the young QB, and it will force St. Louis to answer many questions in the coming weeks and months. Is Shaun Hill capable of leading a team? Are there better alternatives available? And will Bradford’s contract prevent him from staying with the Rams in 2015? Let’s look at some reactions to the news from around the league:
2:26pm: The Jags have also waived WR Lamaar Thomas and RB Terrance Cobb, bringing their roster count to 76, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
MONDAY, 9:08am: The Jaguars have also waived/injured CB Deion Belue, per O’Halloran (on Twitter). Jacksonville’s roster count now sits at 78.
SUNDAY, 3:21PM: In anticipation of roster cutdowns, the Jaguars waived 11 players, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:
Harris, a former seventh-rounder, started seven games over the past two years. As O’Halloran writes, just five of former general manager Gene Smith’s 26 draft picks still remain on the roster after this most recent purge. Jacksonville still needs to make four more cuts before Tuesday’s deadline.
Even after the Vikings traded back into the first round of May’s draft to select Louisville product Teddy Bridgewater, the prevailing wisdom was that Matt Cassel would be the Week 1 starter at quarterback in Minnesota. Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link), that notion has held, as head coach Mike Zimmer has informed the Vikings’ players that Cassel will indeed open the season as the team’s No. 1 QB.
Zimmer himself confirmed the news to reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), saying that Cassel was the favorite in the competition from the start. “Matt did not do anything to lose the job this preseason,” said Zimmer. “I think he’s played great. The team has a lot of confidence in him.” Through three preseason games, Cassel has completed 26 of 39 passes for 367 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, while Bridgewater has completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 266 yards, four scores, and no picks.
On a macro level, this news means that no rookie quarterback will be his team’s Week 1 starter (unless Matt Schaub‘s injury lingers and David Carr is forced to take the reins for the Raiders). Chad Henne was chosen to start over Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, and Johnny Manziel lost out out Brian Hoyer in Cleveland. Still, I’d be surprised if two or three (or perhaps all four) of said rookies aren’t starting games by season’s end.
More notes from the NFC:
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
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.