HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Broncos Cut Winston Justice, Ten Others

August 24th, 2014 at 8:09pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Broncos have released 11 players, as they move toward the Tuesday deadline to reduce the roster to 75 players, reports Brian McIntyre of NFL.com (via Twitter). One notable name from this wave of cuts is Winston Justice, who the team re-signed earlier this offseason. Justice was set to be a backup in 2014.

Here is the full list of players released by the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter):

That brings the team down to 77 players, with three more cuts to come in the next two days. Klis notes that receiver and returner Jordan Norwood also seems destined for the waived/injured list, which would bring it to 76 players.

Cam Newton Could Miss Season Opener

August 24th, 2014 at 7:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

Panthers’ star quarterback Cam Newton was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his ribs, which would put him in doubt for the season opener against the Buccaneers, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).

Newton has already been ruled out of Thursday’s preseason game against the Steelers, but the team hopes to have him back in time for the first game of the regular season.

Although starters do not necessarily play in the preseason finale, Newton was expected to see some action according to head coach Ron Rivera, writes John Breech of CBSSports.com.

Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer is more optimistic, writing that Newton could rejoin the team as early as next week.

Person did take to Twitter to give an overview of the team’s current quarterback depth chart going into the final preseason game. With Newton out with cracked ribs, and fourth stringer Matt Blanchard concussed, that leaves only Derek Anderson and Joe Webb healthy for the game.

To add to the confusion, Anderson’s wife is pregnant and due any day now, so there is potential that he might also be forced to miss the game for the birth of his child. That would leave former wide receiver Webb as the only option under center.

While this is not an ideal situation, making sure Newton is healthy and able to play during the regular season is the priority. After a tumultuous offseason, any time missed by their starting quarterback could be disastrous to a team that will struggle on offense even with him, given the lack of talent on the offensive line and with the reeceivers.

“No Chance” Of Mark Sanchez To The Rams

August 24th, 2014 at 6:10pm CST by Rob DiRe

With Sam Bradford out for the season with a torn ACL, the Rams will have to turn to backup quarterback Shaun Hill to lead them through the season in a brutal NFC West.

Other options have been open, including Eagles’ backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez spent three years under the tutelage of Rams’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during their time with the Jets, with the duo advancing to two AFC Championship games in three seasons.

Despite the obvious connection, Tom Pelissero of USA Today is told there is “no chance” of Sanchez being moved to the Rams this season. Sanchez has a chance at a fresh start under Chip Kelly’s offense, and is no interested in grabbing a starting job on a Rams team expected to finish last in their division (via Twitter).

Head coach Jeff Fisher is adamant that the team is content going forward with Shaun Hill, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). “Shaun (Hill) is our guy,” said Fisher. “We have around our QB position as much talent as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”

Fisher did respond to the rumors that the team would look outside the organization to find help at quarterback, as reported on the teams official Twitter page. “That’s not true. It doesn’t mean to say that we won’t, but we haven’t done it to this point.”

Fisher and his staff will eventually evaluate the quarterback market to gauge who is available, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). However, Rapoport also notes that the team had the option to sign Sanchez in the offseason, and elected to go after Shaun Hill instead (via Twitter).

Another big name backup, Christian Ponder, was not called when Bradford went down last year, and Pellissero would be surprised if anything had changed that would make the Rams interested this time around (via Twitter).

According to our Pro Football Rumors readers, Redskins’ Kirk Cousins is still the best quarterback by trade.

Raiders Release Seven Players

August 24th, 2014 at 5:24pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Raiders have released seven players, reports Steve Corkan of the Contra Costa Times (via Twitter). Those players are as follows:

The team will have to make further cuts to bring the roster down to 75 players by Tuesday.

Bears Release Jordan Palmer

August 24th, 2014 at 5:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

It appears as though Jimmy Clausen has won the Bears’ No. 2 quarterback job, as Chicago has released fellow QB Jordan Palmer, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN. The two had been competing to back up starter Jay Cutler, and Clausen has had more preseason success.

Palmer, the younger brother of Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, spent last season with the Bears as the No. 3 QB, behind Cutler and Josh McCown. A sixth-round pick in 2008, the 30-year-old Palmer has also spent time with the Bengals and the Jaguars. He has logged just 15 pass attempts in his career.

Clausen, 26, was a Panthers second-rounder in 2010 — he started 10 games during his rookie year, completing just 52.5% of his passes to go along with three touchdowns and nine interceptions. Carolina drafted Cam Newton first overall in 2011, rendering Clausen obsolete. He signed a one-year deal with Chicago in June, and has completed nearly 65% of his passes during the preseason.

Falcons Cut 10 Players

August 24th, 2014 at 4:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons have slimmed their roster all the way down to the 75-man limit by cutting 10 players, the team announced in a press release:

  • Theo Agnew, DE
  • Brenden Daley, LB
  • Darin Drakeford, LB
  • Devonta Glover-Wright, S
  • Tyrell Johnson, S
  • Julian Jones, WR
  • Jeff Matthews, QB
  • Walker May, LB
  • Jerome Smith, RB
  • Tramaine Thompson, WR
  • Brian Wozniak, TE

Of the 12, only Johnson, a former second-round pick of the Vikings, was released rather than waived, as he has accrued more than four years of service time.

Minor Moves: Sunday

August 24th, 2014 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Parks

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

  • The Falcons have placed G Mike Johnson and LB Marquis Spruill on their injured reserve list, per ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (Twitter links).
  • The Bears have cut return man Darius Reynaud, tweets Wilson. Reynaud was signed by Chicago on August 18.
  • CB Vernon Kearney has been cut by the Chiefs, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

Sam Bradford Tears ACL, Will Miss 2014 Season

August 24th, 2014 at 2:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A MRI has revealed Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has suffered a torn left ACL, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Twitter). Bradford will miss the entire 2014 season. The Rams will hold a news conference later today to confirm the news.

The injury, which occurred in last night’s contest preseason game against the Browns, afflicts the same ACL which Bradford tore during Week 7 last season. Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner and the No. 1 overall pick in 2010, has had trouble staying healthy in his career, starting only 49 out of a possible 64 games. Additionally, he hasn’t been very successful when he has played, averaging just 2,766 yards through the air, with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over four years, while his career completion percentage sits at just 58.6%.

Rumors of Bradford’s release surfaced over the offseason, and though he was ultimately retained, there’s virtually no scenario in which he returns to St. Louis in 2015. The Rams could save nearly $13MM against the cap next year by releasing Bradford, who is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract. For his part, Bradford’s 2015 potential free agency prospects look grim — as Evan Silva of Rotoworld tweets, Bradford will likely enter the market not only coming off back-to-back ACL tears, but having missed 31 of out a possible 80 games.

The Rams will presumably turn to backup Shaun Hill, who was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason, to take over as their starting quarterback. If St. Louis wants to look to bring in depth behind Hill, it could either look to find a trade partner, or scan the list of available free agent quarterbacks.

Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to report the Rams’ concern that Bradford might have re-torn his ACL.

Redskins Release Rob Jackson

August 24th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have released linebacker Rob Jackson, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). In confirming the report, John Keim of ESPN.com adds (Twitter link) that Washington cut Jackson now so that it would be easier for him to find work elsewhere.

Jackson, 28, joined the Redskins as a seventh-round pick in 2008. His best season came in 2012, when he started 14 games, and finished with four-and-a-half sacks and four interceptions. His contract expired after 2013, and he wasn’t re-signed until April 2014, indicating a lack of interest around the league.

Surprisingly (especially for a reserve linebacker), Jackson doesn’t offer much special teams value, tweets Jones, who notes that fellow backup LB Everette Brown has shown ST prowess. Keim concurs (on Twitter), saying that in addition to playing special teams, Brown spent time with the first-team nickel defense in last night’s preseason game.

Bills Cut Alan Branch

August 24th, 2014 at 1:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have released defensive tackle Alan Branch, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Branch did not play in last night’s preseason game against the Buccaneers after being arrested for DUI.

Bracnh, 29, was a second-round pick by the Cardinals in 2007. After his stay in Arizona, he spent time with the Seahawks before joining the Bills in April 2013. Just last December, Buffalo signed him to a three-year, $9.1MM extension, which included a $3.1MM signing bonus. Branch was set to earn $1.85MM in base salary in 2014, $875K of which was guaranteed for injury only, per Brian McIntyre (on Twitter). Buffalo saves just $350K in cap space by releasing the veteran defensive lineman.

It’s rare to see a recently-extended player cut so quickly, but in the case of Branch, it’s not completely unexpected. Even before Branch’s arrest, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com was speculating that the former Michigan Wolverine could be released.

Branch started 13 games for the Bills last season, and has started 47 during his career, accruing 112 tackles and eight sacks. As far as Branch’s prospects in free agency, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweets that the 49ers could show interest in the DT, especially since San Francisco nose tackle Glenn Dorsey figures to miss the entire season with a torn bicep. Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that Branch would be an upgrade at nose tackle in the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme.

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