HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Redskins Release 10 Players

August 25th, 2014 at 12:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

12:50pm: In addition to Gettis, the Redskins announced (via Twitter) that they have cut CB Bryan Shepherd.

MONDAY, 12:43pm: The Redskins have also cut offensive lineman Adam Gettis, reports Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.

SUNDAY, 4:27pm: In addition to linebacker Rob Jackson, the Redskins have released eight more players, the team announced on Twitter:

Washington will need to release another four players by 3pm on Tuesday in order to be in compliance with the league’s 75-man roster limit.

Pats Release Will Smith And Tommy Kelly

August 25th, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 12:37pm: In addition confirming the releases below, the Patriots have announced the release of TE Justin Jones via press release.

SUNDAY, 4:53PM: As other NFL teams part ways with a slew of young, inexperienced players as Tuesday’s 3pm cutdown date approaches, the Patriots have taken a different tack, releasing veteran defensive lineman Will Smith and Tommy Kelly, reports Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Per Schefter, New England has also cut linebacker James Anderson.

The Pats added Smith, 32, on a one-year deal ($65K bonus) in May, after the veteran had spent his entire 10-year career with the Saints. I noted at the time of his signing that landing in New England’s versatile defensive scheme might be an ideal landing spot for Smith, who had noted he was open to playing in either a 3-4 or 4-3 front. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets that Smith was not fitting in as a 3-4 defensive end, noting that he hadn’t received the opportunity to rush from the edge.

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. Kelly restructured his contract in March, turning some of his base salary into incentive-based and roster bonus pay, so his release doesn’t come as a total surprise. In fact, back in July, Reiss had predicted the Pats would eventually cut Kelly.

Anderson, 30, started 16 games for the Bears last season, but remained on the free agent market until New England signed him in June. Anderson had been working mostly as a coverage linebacker — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as the sixth-best 4-3 OLB in terms of pass coverage last season. As Reiss writes (Twitter link), the Pats were probably looking for more special teams ability out of their reserve linebacker position.

According to Brian McIntyre (Twitter links), the Patriots will save $3.565MM in cash this season by releasing the three players. Smith and Anderson were each due a $50K bonus if they were on New England’s Week 1 roster, while Kelly was entitled to $800K in per game active roster bonuses.

Ravens’ Roster Now At 75 Following Moves

August 25th, 2014 at 12:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens’ roster count now sits at 75 in advance of tomorrow’s 3pm cutdown deadline. Baltimore has waived the following players, per a press release:

Additionally, the Ravens have placed DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, G Will Rackley, and DE Brent Urban on injured reserve, ending their respective seasons.

Cardinals Release Jay Feely, Max Starks, 11 Others

August 25th, 2014 at 12:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

12:13pm: In addition to Feely, the Cardinals have cut 12 other players, trimming their roster to the required 75-man limit, per a press release:

Starks is 10-year veteran who has spent most of his career with the Steelers, while Lindley started four games for the Cards in 2012.

11:35am: The Cardinals have released veteran kicker Jay Feely, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Feely, a 13-year veteran, had been with Arizona since 2010.

Feely, 38, thanked the franchise on Twitter: “It’s been an honor to play for the [Cardinals and owner] Michael Bidwill, thank you for your leadership and friendship. AZ will still be home!” The former Michigan Wolverine has lived a kicker’s nomadic life, spending time with the Falcons, Giants, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Jets. For his career, Feely has converted 82.7% of his field goals (329-for-398).

The Cardinals save $635K against the cap with this move, but money probably wasn’t Arizona’s prime motivation. 23-year-old Chandler Cantanzaro, the only other PK on the Cards’ roster, will presumably become the starting kicker. He was an undrafted free agent out of Clemson.

It’s just my speculation, but I wonder if the Broncos would be interested in bringing Feely aboard. Matt Prater was recently suspended for the first four games of the season, and Feely could add some stability to the kicking position until Prater is ready to return.

Dimitri Patterson Suspended Indefinitely

August 25th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 12:01pm: Patterson has been suspended indefinitely, tweets Kimberly Jones of the NFL Network. Idzik says the team will “gather more information on what led to his behavior.”

SUNDAY, 5:39pm: Jets’ cornerback Dimitri Patterson was missing in action on Saturday, and head coach Rex Ryan had heard from him since the preseason game against the Giants on Friday, reports Kimberly Martin of Newsday (via Twitter).

Patterson has developed a reputation of being injury prone, and rumors circulated that the former Dolphin was considering retirement, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. General manager John Idzik maintains that Patterson intends to play for the Jets in 2014.

Patterson’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirms that his player will return to the Jets, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team is extremely thin at the cornerback position, and losing Patterson would only put them deeper into a hole than they already were.

Seahawks Cut Terrell Thomas, Seven Others

August 25th, 2014 at 11:54am CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 11:54am: The Seahawks have cut six more players, per Brian McIntyre (Twitter link):

SUNDAY, 7:27PM: The Seahawks have cut cornerback Terrell Thomas, on their way to trimming the roster to 75 players by Tuesday, reports Tom Pellissero of USA Today (via Twitter). They also waived defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat.

Thomas was signed earlier this offseason to provide depth in the secondary. The former Giant was a second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Thomas is also a former Trojan, playing for Seahawks’ head coach Pete Carroll at USC. He suffered a torn ACL in both the 2011 and 2012 preseasons, forcing him to miss both campaigns.

The injuries proved to be too much, as the Giants elected not to retain his services. Reuniting with Carroll could have rejuvenated his career, but he joined one of the youngest and deepest secondaries in the NFL in Seattle.

Lions Cut Six Players

August 25th, 2014 at 11:47am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions are the latest team announce their roster machinations in advance of tomorrow’s cutdown deadline. The following players have been released, per Tim Twentyman of Lions.com (via Twitter):

Twentyman also tweets that S DeJon Gomes has been placed on injured reserve. With Tavecchio’s release, Nate Freese has won Detriot’s kicking competition.

Dolphins To Sign Jake Rogers

August 25th, 2014 at 11:17am CST by Rob DiRe

Monday, 11:17am: In addition to confirming the signing of Rogers, the Dolphins announced (via Twitter) that they had added defensive tackle Cory Grissom.

Sunday, 6:32pm: The Dolphins are planning to sign kicker Jake Rogers, formerly of the Redskins, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). The team is in need of kicking help after the recent injuries to Caleb Sturgis and John Potter.

Sturgis, the team’s projected starter, has struggled with a groin injury that will keep him out of practice for the time being. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, out of the University of Florida.

As we learned when the Redskins signed Rogers earlier this offseason, he has yet to attempt a kick in an NFL game. He has competed for spots on multiple NFL teams, since signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2011.

Rogers is the University of Cincinnati’s all-time leading scorer.

Browns Cut Anthony Armstrong, 13 More Players

August 25th, 2014 at 11:11am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have terminated the contract of veteran wide receiver Anthony Armstrong, the team announced in a press release. Armstrong, 31, was signed in March — the fact that he couldn’t make a depleted WR corps in Cleveland doesn’t bode well for his NFL future. The Browns also waived 13 players, meaning their roster count sits at 76:

Vikings Trim Roster, Cut Derek Cox, 13 Others

August 25th, 2014 at 10:58am CST by Dallas Robinson

10:58am: The Vikings have announced the release of several more players via press release. Minnesota’s roster sits at 76, so they need to make one more cut.

10:04am: The Vikings have made several roster moves this morning, releasing the following players, per Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (Twitter links):

Cox is the headliner here — a former third-round pick who spent four seasons with the Jaguars, Cox played in San Diego last year before signing a one-year deal with Minnesota in March. Per Wolfson, Raymond was released with an injury settlement.

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