HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Redskins Waive Five Players

August 29th, 2014 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have yet to officially announce any of their roster moves today, but the team has started to make its cuts in advance of the 53-man roster deadline, which is about 24 hours away. Here are the players cut so far by Washington:

Saints Release Greg Jones

August 29th, 2014 at 5:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have parted ways with one of the three fullbacks on their roster, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has released veteran Greg Jones. The move leaves Erik Lorig and Austin Johnson as the two fullbacks in New Orleans.

A former second-round pick, Jones spent nine seasons with the Jaguars before playing for the Texans in 2013. Primarily serving as a blocker, the 33-year-old has nonetheless accumulated 272 career carries, racking up 913 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jones was the league’s best blocking fullback in 2010, and has ranked among the top 10 in that category in the years since.

The Saints inked Jones a deal earlier this month, presumably as an insurance policy for Lorig, who has missed the majority of training camp and preseason with an undisclosed injury. If New Orleans is willing to drop Jones, it could mean that Lorig will be healthy for the regular season or that the team is comfortable rolling with Johnson instead.

James Harrison Visited Cardinals

August 29th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 4:44pm: Although Harrison’s visit with the Cardinals was productive, Parise says he doesn’t expect his client to sign with the team, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

THURSDAY, 1:50pm: Agent Bill Parise tells Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that the two sides aren’t likely to get anything done before Arizona’s game tonight, but that negotiations are underway and progress is being made toward a possible deal.

8:30am: The door is still open for a possible deal between the Cardinals and Harrison, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that the veteran linebacker will take a physical with the team today.

WEDNESDAY, 10:00am: It’s doubtful that the Cardinals sign Harrison, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, who tweets that the linebacker lives in Arizona during the offseason and the team called to see what kind of shape he’s in.

8:50am: A little over a week after attempting to bring in Brett Keisel for a visit, the Cardinals are taking another shot at hosting a former Steelers defender. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, veteran linebacker James Harrison is set to visit the club today.

While Harrison played the 2013 season with the Bengals, most of his NFL career was spent in Pittsburgh, where he earned spots in five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2007-11. The Cardinals, who lost Darnell Dockett to a season-ending ACL injury and Daryl Washington to a year-long suspension, could use some veteran reinforcements, and it makes sense that the team would once again look at an ex-Steeler, given head coach Bruce Arians’ history with the club.

Back in May, Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor indicated that Harrison had interest in returning to Pittsburgh, and if that’s the case, maybe scheduling a visit to Arizona is the best way to pique the Steelers’ interest — it worked for Keisel, who ended up turning down an invite from the Cardinals to sign with his old team instead.

Still, it’s possible that there’s mutual interest between the Cardinals and Harrison, so we’ll have to wait to see how the visit goes. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets, it’s hard to imagine Harrison getting more than the veteran’s minimum at this point, but the 36-year-old does have interest in continuing his playing career.

 

AFC East Rumors: Bills, Urbik, Patriots

August 29th, 2014 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

We heard yesterday that the Bills had been dangling wide receiver T.J. Graham as a trade chip for several months, but Graham apparently isn’t the only player Buffalo is willing to move. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the Bills have also been gauging potential trade interest in offensive lineman Kraig Urbik, who is set to earn a $2.275MM base salary in 2014 and is seemingly falling out of favor with the team.

As we wait to see if the Bills can find a taker for Graham or Urbik, here are a couple more Bills notes, along with an update on one of their divisional rivals:

  • After having parted ways with Thad Lewis earlier in the week, the Bills are on the lookout for a No. 2 quarterback to back up E.J. Manuel, says ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Jordan Palmer was also cut by the team today, so it appears Jeff Tuel will head into the season as Manuel’s backup if Buffalo doesn’t make another move, but the team would prefer someone with more experience, according to Caplan, who identifies Kyle Orton as a possible target (Twitter link)
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explores the reported bids on the Bills, trying to deduce why the figures cited so far have ranged so significantly. One report, for instance, suggested Jon Bon Jovi‘s Toronto group had bid $809MM for the franchise, while another reported placed the bid between $1 and $1.1 billion.
  • According to Jason La Canfora (via Twitter), there have been “rumblings” that the Patriots may part with Stevan Ridley this week, or that the team may keep just two quarterbacks, which presumably would mean trading or cutting Ryan Mallett. La Canfora adds that he’d be “very surprised” if either of those actually happens, though as we saw with this week’s Logan Mankins deal, the Pats won’t shy away from making unexpected roster moves.

Chargers Begin Cutdown To 53 Players

August 29th, 2014 at 4:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers may not ultimately finalize their 53-man roster until tomorrow, but their move to 53 players to 75 is already underway. Listed below are the players released so far by San Diego, with any additional cuts added to the list throughout the day as they’re reported:

Steelers Claim B.W. Webb Off Waivers

August 29th, 2014 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after he was cut by the Cowboys, second-year cornerback B.W. Webb has been claimed off waivers by the Steelers, the team announced today (Twitter link). Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt was placed on Pittsburgh’s injured reserve list in order to clear an opening on the roster for Webb.

A fourth-round pick a year ago, Webb was a part-timer in the Cowboys’ secondary during his rookie season, appearing in 185 total defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). In addition to recording 12 tackles and one pass defended on defense, the 24-year-old also contributed in kick and punt coverage, logging four special teams tackles. He was waived by the Cowboys when they signed Phillip Tanner this week.

Although Webb had been dealing with a hip flexor earlier this summer, he’s healthy now, though it’s not clear what the Steelers’ plan for him is. If Webb doesn’t earn a spot on Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, he’d be eligible for practice squad duty.

NFC Notes: Mankins, Eagles, 49ers, Bears

August 29th, 2014 at 3:53pm CST by Zachary Links

At his introductory press conference, new Buccaneers guard Logan Mankins admitted that he has a lot of work to do (via Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald). “It’s going to be tough, we have a week before the first game and I’m going to take it in stride. I’ve got all weekend to try and get down some of the mental part of it and then all next week at practice. I’m sure the guys are going to help me as much as possible and I’m going to try my best to be up to speed with those guys, I don’t know if it will happen, but I’m shooting for it,” said the veteran. More from around the NFL:

  • Having recently been cut by the Bills, quarterback Thad Lewis had an audition for the Eagles, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
  • Blaine Gabbert looked shaky in the 49ers‘ preseason finale while Josh Johnson has looked good over the last few weeks, which could prompt the club to carry three quarterbacks, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. Gabbert, who has a $2MM guaranteed salary, won’t be going anywhere, but SF might want to have Johnson in place as a failsafe.
  • 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh sounds intent on keeping quarterback Johnson in addition to Gabbert, writes Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group. However, he won’t commit to putting Johnson ahead of Gabbert on the depth chart, despite the former first-round pick’s struggles.
  • After giving himself a “B+” grade for his Thursday night performance, Michael Sam believes that he’ll be on an NFL roster somewhere, even if it’s not with the Rams, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I’m very confident,” Sam said. “I’m going to sleep really well tonight and I’m very confident I’m going to be on a team, the Rams or any other team in the NFL.”
  • Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times believes that Matthew Mulligan will have a spot on the Bears‘ roster as the tight end behind Martellus Bennett and Dante Rosario thanks to his blocking ability. The injury to Zach Miller opened the door for Mulligan, who is a solid blocker.
  • The Bears have done their homework on long snappers and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) hears that they worked out four long snappers last week. Currently, Brandon Hartson has the job in Chicago.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that he has met face-to-face with Dez Bryant, something he doesn’t do with every player who is seeking a new deal, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “We have had good visits,” Jones said. “It’s a little different to be talking directly, for me to be talking directly with the player. I know of two that I’ve spent a lot of time directly talking with in some pretty sensitive areas when you’re talking about money. We all understand what that means. One of them Michael Irvin. He asked me to induct him into the Hall of Fame later and Emmitt Smith, he asked me to induct him into the Hall of Fame later. Troy [Aikman] always had Leigh Steinberg there, but we kind of talked straight in there together.”

Aldon Smith Suspended For Nine Games

August 29th, 2014 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

3:30pm: According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Smith’s suspension breaks down as four games for violations of substances of abuse and five games for personal conduct violations. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that the settlement allows Smith to be around the Niners’ facility during the suspension, which is something the team wanted “very badly.”

3:07pm: 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith has been suspended for the first nine games of the 2014 season, the NFL announced today (Twitter link via director of NFC football communications Randall Liu). The ban, for violating the league’s policies for substances of abuse and personal conduct, will sideline Smith until mid-November.

A report earlier in August had suggested the Niners were anticipating a suspension ranging from four to eight games for the standout linebacker, so the nine-game penalty is a significant blow for a club with Super Bowl aspirations. In the wake of a two-game suspension for Ray Rice that was perceived as too light, the league has shown little mercy for Josh Gordon or for Smith, who was disciplined for multiple legal run-ins, including DUI and gun charges.

The Niners exercised Smith’s fifth-year option for 2015 earlier in the offseason, suggesting that the club has confidence he can stay out of trouble in the future. Still, that salary isn’t yet fully guaranteed, so the 2014 season represents an audition of sorts for the talented pass rusher — if he performs well again on the field and doesn’t have any off-field issues, he’ll be a strong candidate for an extension in 2015. On the other hand, if he has more troubles with the law, Smith may not have a long-term future in San Francisco.

Bills Cut Brian Moorman, Jordan Palmer, Others

August 29th, 2014 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have announced the first wave of their final roster cuts, and the list of released players includes some familiar names, including punter Brian Moorman, who has been with the team for nearly his entire career since 2001 and wrote an open letter to Bills fans following his release. Via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 (Twitter link), here’s the list of Bills moves:

Waived/released:

Placed on injured reserve:

Falcons Release Pat Angerer, Others

August 29th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

3:17pm: The Falcons have issued a press release announcing their first wave of final cuts. In addition to confirming the cuts noted below, the team also parted ways with the following players:

  • Nosa Eguae (DE)
  • Jordan Mabin (CB)
  • Freddie Martino (WR)
  • Kimario McFadden (S)
  • Jacob Pedersen (TE)
  • Adam Replogle (OL)
  • Donte Rumph (DT)
  • Josh Vaughan (RB)

1:27pm: Fullback Maurice Hagens is the Falcons’ latest roster casualty, per McClure (via Twitter).

12:51pm: The Falcons have also released offensive lineman Pat McQuistan, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (on Twitter).

12:09pm: The Falcons are set to release linebacker Pat Angerer, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter). Fellow linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who was taken in the seventh-round of this year’s draft, will also get cut.

Angerer, a 2010 second-round pick, underwent microfracture surgery in December. At the time, the veteran was told that his chances of returning were slim, but he was healthy enough to be a consideration for the Falcons this offseason.

“It was about 50-50 but more like 20 percent chance of coming back (with) the way my knee was,” Angerer told Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was pretty beat up. To come back and to even be on the field, that’s a pretty big accomplishment and something I’m really proud of. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity.”

Angerer, 27, racked up 226 tackles in his first two NFL seasons but has played more sparsely over the last two years, in part due to foot and knee injuries. Many expected Angerer to be a shoe-in for the Falcons after they lost Sean Weatherspoon for the year, but it was not meant to be.

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