2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Texans Release QB Brandon Weeden

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have cut veteran backup Brandon Weeden, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Texans were expected to carry three QBs on the roster, so this comes as a bit of a surprise.

Tom Savage will serve as the Texans’ starter while first-round pick Deshaun Watson will be his understudy. Of course, the pecking order could change quickly if Savage struggles.

Weeden was set to enter the second year of the two-year, $4MM deal he inked in April 2016. The 6’4″ signal caller has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for the Cowboys and two for the Texans. The 33-year-old (34 in October) has a career 6-19 record.

Lions Release LB Antwione Williams

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:52am CST by Ben Levine

Antwione Williams is now seeking a new gig, as ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have released the linebacker.

The 2016 fifth-round pick was plenty productive during his rookie campaign. Williams ultimately appeared in 14 games (three starts) last season, compiling 27 tackles. Prior to that, Williams was a standout at Georgia Southern, where he finished his collegiate career with seven sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.

ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein notes (via Twitter) that Williams was originally expected to slot in as one of the team’s starting linebackers. However, his lackluster preseason (10 tackles, one pass defended in four games) likely lead to his demise. Roster Resource listed Williams as a projected starter alongside Jarrad Davis and Tahir Whitehead. Now, the team will presumably eye one of their many reserve options, including Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Paul Worrilow, Thurston Armbrister, Steve Longa and Nick Bellore.

Giants To Release QB Josh Johnson

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are releasing quarterback Josh Johnson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This ostensibly means that Geno Smith has won the backup job.

The news comes as a bit of a surprise since the word this summer was that Johnson would likely prevail over Smith. Johnson, 31, is out after re-signing with the Giants on a two-year deal in March, but this is familiar territory for him. After spending the first three years of his career with the Bucs, Johnson has had stints with the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Bills, Jets, and Giants – all since 2012. The last time he took the field was in 2013 with Cincinnati.

Smith, a former second-round pick of the Jets, has had a bizarre career to date with little to cheer about. The 26-year-old (27 in October) has a career 57.9% completion percentage and a touchdown-to-interception ration of 28:36. The Giants are hoping that he can be a suitable emergency option in the event of an Eli Manning injury, however.

Third-round pick Davis Webb is slated to open the season as the Giants’ third-string quarterback.

49ers Release Quinton Dial

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:38am CST by Ben Levine

Following four seasons with the team, Quinton Dial‘s tenure with the 49ers has come to an end. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter), the team has released the veteran defensive end.

The 2013 fifth-round pick had been a consistent presence on San Francisco’s defensive line over the past few seasons, starting 26 games between 2015 and 2016. Following a 2015 campaign when he established career-highs in tackles (59) and sacks (2.5), Dial seemingly took a step back in 2016, finishing with 36 tackles and no sacks. The 27-year-old had signed a three-year extension with the organization prior to last season.

Dial’s versatility was certainly appreciated by the 49ers, but the team is seemingly content moving forward with other reserve pieces. Roster Resource lists Aaron Lynch, Ronald Blair, and Tank Carradine as the team’s backup defensive ends, while Chris Jones and D.J. Jones are the team’s lone reserve defensive tackles.

Panthers Cut QBs Joe Webb, Garrett Gilbert

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

Cam Newton is back to full health and the Panthers are back to two quarterbacks. The team has released Joe Webb and waived Garrett Gilbert, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Webb, 30, has always been an intriguing talent because of his ability to play both quarterback and wide receiver. Webb vacillated between the two positions during his time with the Vikings and although he intended to make the full-time switch to wide receiver/special teams, he wound up being listed as the Panthers’ third-string QB upon joining them in 2014. He re-upped with Carolina on a two-year deal last spring, but he is being let out of the commitment early.

Gilbert, a former sixth-round pick, has spent time with the Rams, Patriots, Lions, Raiders, and Panthers, but has yet to take a real NFL snap. On the plus side, he has a Super Bowl ring thanks to his time on the Patriots’ practice squad in 2014-15.

Broncos To Release T.J. Ward

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:37am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Broncos will release safety T.J. Ward, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Denver had been expected to cut Ward if it couldn’t find a trade partner.

Ward, 30, had been entering the final year of his contract, which would’ve paid him $4.5MM in base salary. While none of that total was guaranteed, the Broncos will still absorb $1.25MM in dead money as a result of Ward’s signing bonus proration accelerating onto their salary cap.

Ward started 41 games over three seasons in Denver after inking a four-year deal with the club prior to the 2014 season. Last season, he made 14 appearances, totaling one interception and one sack while ranking as the NFL’s No. 48 safety, per Pro Football Focus. Ward’s 75.9 grade was the worst mark of his career.

With Ward out of the picture, the Broncos will turn to Justin Simmons to start at safety opposite Darian Stewart. Simmons was a third-round pick in 2016 and made three starts during his rookie campaign.

Chiefs To Cut OL Andrew Tiller

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs will waive offensive lineman Andrew Tiller, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).

The writing was on the wall for Tiller, who signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs this summer, after Kansas City acquired former first-round offensive lineman Cameron Erving from the Browns this week. Erving and Parker Ehringer figure to be the top backups to starting guards Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Zach Fulton.

Tiller, 28, has started 14 games over the past two seasons, both of which he spent in San Francisco. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 43 ranked guard last season, earning nearly even marks for pass blocking and run blocking.

Giants Release K Mike Nugent

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:29am CST by Ben Levine

The Giants’ kicker competition has seemingly come to an end. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter), the team is releasing veteran Mike Nugent. That means 2016 undrafted rookie Aldrick Rosas has earned the starting gig.

Following seven seasons with the Bengals, Nugent signed with the Giants this offseason to provide competition for Rosas. While the veteran has never been confused for an All-Pro kicker, he has been relatively consistent during his career, connecting on 80.8-percent of his field goal attempts and 96.9-percent of his extra points. However, the 35-year-old seemingly took a step back in 2016, connecting on only 79.3-percent of field goals and a career-low 79.3-percent of his extra point attempts.

After joining the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Rosas signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants back in January. The 22-year-old has proven to be more than capable during the preseason, connecting on all eight of his field goal attempts and each of his six extra point attempts.

Buccaneers Waive RB Jeremy McNichols

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:16am CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers are reportedly bailing on a 2017 draft pick. According to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the team has waived running back Jeremy McNichols. The rookie could theoretically pass through waivers and land on Tampa Bay’s practice squad.

The Buccaneers used a fifth-round pick on the Boise State product, and he was expected to serve as a depth piece while the team awaited the return of suspended running back Doug Martin. However, the team was apparently content with Jacquizz Rodgers, Charles Sims, and Peyton Barber for the time being.

McNichols was one of the most productive collegiate running backs over the past two seasons. Between 2015 and 2016, the running back averaged 1,523 yards and 21 touchdowns per season. He also proved to be competent in the passing game, averaging 44 receptions for 321 yards during that same span.

The Buccaneers have also announced the following transactions:

Placed on IR:

DL DaVonte Lambert
DL Stevie Tu’ikolovatu

Released:

LS Andrew DePaola
DE George Johnson (story)

Bears Waive Roberto Aguayo

September 2nd, 2017 at 10:10am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have waived kicker Roberto Aguayo, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Veteran Connor Barth will be Chicago’s kicker in 2017.

Aguayo joined the Bears last month after Chicago made the curious decision to claim the former second-round pick off waivers from the Buccaneers. While giving a young kicker an opportunity wasn’t a bad idea on its face, the Bears took on Aguayo’s $428K salary guarantee, a total they’ll now be forced to absorb as dead money.

Aguayo, of course, posted subpar numbers in 2016 after being drafted in the second round, making only 22-of-31 field goal attempts (71%) and missing two extra points. That performance, combined with his struggles in camp and the preseason, was enough for Tampa Bay to thrown in the towel, despite having traded up in the draft to select him a year ago.