2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Bills Cut LB Gerald Hodges

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Hodges was widely expected to make the Bills’ roster.

Buffalo signed Hodges in May after meeting with the Chiefs, Seahawks, Jets, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, and Colts in free agency. Hodges thought that the departures of of Zach Brown and Lerentee McCray would allow him to see significant playing time and perhaps even start at outside linebacker. Instead, he’s out of work heading into Week 1.

He played on approximately half of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last year while grading out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. In his 15 games, the 26-year-old racked up 80 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He also was on the field for 73 special teams snaps.

Bills Cut RB Jonathan Williams

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released running back Jonathan Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The move was unexpected, particularly since Williams was in line to be LeSean McCoy‘s primary backup.

Last year, Mike Gillislee thrived as McCoy’s top understudy. Williams could have been poised for a similar leap this year, but the team apparently feels comfortable moving forward with free agent additions Mike Tolbert, Joe Banyard, and Taiwan Jones.

In 2016, his rookie campaign, Williams had only 27 carries in eleven games, but the former fifth-round pick out of Arkansas appeared to have a fair amount of promise. Of course, Williams was selected by the prior regime in Buffalo, so it could be that Brandon Beane and company simply were not as high on the ex-Razorback as their predecessors.

Nonetheless, it is a curious move, as Tolbert, Banyard, and Jones are veterans with limited upside, and Williams’ youth would have seemed attractive to a Bills team that is clearly in some form of rebuilding/retooling mode. It makes one wonder whether there were additional factors in Buffalo’s decision. Last summer, Williams was accused of driving while intoxicated, but he was found not guilty of that charge and he was not suspended by the league.

Jaguars Waive Brandon Allen

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars have waived quarterback Brandon Allen, Mark Long of the Associated Press tweets. Allen had been the third QB on the team’s depth chart behind starter Blake Bortles and backup Chad Henne.

The club does plan to keep Allen around, however. Per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter), the Jags may have waited until today to waive Allen (instead of including him in the mass cuts that took place over the past several days) to give themselves a better chance of sneaking him through waivers. If he does clear, Garafolo reports that Allen would be signed to Jacksonville’s practice squad.

There was some chatter earlier this summer that Allen, whom the Jaguars selected in the sixth round of last year’s draft, could unseat Henne as Bortles’ backup, and then when Henne had the opportunity to replace Bortles as the starter, it was rumored that Allen could serve as Henne’s backup if the club were to cut Bortles.

It is therefore clear that the Jaguars are fairly high on the former Razorback, they just wanted to use his roster spot for depth elsewhere.

49ers Claim DE Xavier Cooper

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers claimed defensive end Xavier Cooper, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Cooper missed the Browns’ cut on Saturday.

Cooper was a third-round pick of the Browns in the 2015 draft but never blossomed into the prospect that the team expected. In his rookie year, he had 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Last year, he finished out with 20 tackles and zero sacks while playing primarily on special teams.

The Browns didn’t have much room for Cooper after selecting Larry Ogunjobi and Caleb Brantley in this year’s draft. The 49ers, meanwhile, could use some additional defensive line depth after dropping Quinton Dial on Saturday.

Dolphins Claim Cody Parkey

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins have claimed kicker Cody Parkey off waivers from the Browns, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Parkey will provide competition for incumbent Andrew Franks, who missed a 40-yard field goal in the team’s final preseason contest on Thursday.

Parkey made 80% of his field goal attempts (20-of-25) for Cleveland last season, while Franks connected on just 76.2% of his attempts (16-of-21) for Miami in 2016.

Saints Claim WR Austin Carr, QB Taysom Hill

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have claimed wide receiver Austin Carr from the Patriots and quarterback Taysom Hill from the Packers, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com.

Both Carr (Northwestern) and Hill (BYU) went undrafted earlier this year. Carr, a preseason standout, will become the Saints’ fifth receiver after the club kept only Willie Snead, Ted Ginn Jr., Michael Thomas, and Brandon Coleman on Saturday. Hill, meanwhile, is now New Orleans’ third quarterback behind Drew Brees and Chase Daniel.

Browns Claim WR Kasen Williams

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns claimed wide receiver Kasen Williams off of waivers from the Seahawks, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.

Williams, 24, has appeared in only three games for Seattle over the last two years. He broke out during the preseason, but, to the dismay of many Seahawks fans, he did not make the final cut. Williams finished as the team’s top receiver with nine catches, 208 yards, one touchdown, and perhaps the best August highlight reel of anyone this year.

The Browns also acquired Sammie Coates from the Steelers over the weekend to give themselves some additional depth behind Kenny Britt and Corey Coleman. Williams will presumably occupy the No. 5 or 6 WR spot on the depth chart for now, but he could play his way into a larger role.

Colts Claim Matt Jones

September 3rd, 2017 at 11:57am CST by Rory Parks

Matt Jones is finally off the Redskins and with another club. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter), the Colts have claimed the former Washington running back off waivers.

Jones fell out of favor with Washington early last season, his second year in the league, and he found himself on the trading block shortly thereafter. Jones’ former agent lobbied for a release in June, and Jones then switched representation to Drew Rosenhaus. Being a former third-round pick whose yards-per-carry average spiked by more than a yard to 4.6 per tote last season, Jones has plenty of promise, but his fumbling issues are a major concern; he has fumbled eight times over the past two seasons.

Still, Indianapolis makes plenty of sense as a landing spot. While the Colts currently employ the ageless Frank Gore as their starting running back, Father Time figures to catch up with Gore sooner rather than later, and Jones and rookie Marlon Mack could make a youthful and talented one-two punch in the Indianapolis backfield.

Chargers Claim Michael Schofield Off Waivers

September 3rd, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Zachary Links

Michael Schofield was claimed by the Chargers, as Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets. The Broncos waived the offensive lineman on Saturday as they cut down to a 53-man roster.

Schofield has appeared in and started in 29 contests for the Broncos over the last two years. This summer, he asked for a trade when it became clear that he would not make the cut. The Broncos tried, but could not find any takers.

Last year, Schofield finished out as the No. 48 ranked guard in the NFL out of 75 qualified players. He’s not a world beater by any means, but the Bolts need all the help they can get on the offensive line. Second round pick Forrest Lamp is out for the year with a torn ACL and interior lineman Max Tuerk is suspended through Week 4 after violating the league’s PED policy.

Panthers Claim QB Brad Kaaya

September 3rd, 2017 at 11:55am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers have claimed quarterback Brad Kaaya off waivers from the Lions, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).

Kaaya, 21, had been in the first-round discussion as recently as 2015, but a poor 2016 campaign at Miami caused him to fall to Round 6. Detroit waived him yesterday, opting to go forward with only Jake Rudock behind starter Matthew Stafford.

Carolina only has two signal-callers — Cam Newton and Derek Anderson — on its current roster. Kaaya could either serve as the club’s third quarterback, or the Panthers could attempt to sneak him through waivers again with the intention of placing him on their practice squad.