Giants Release CB Valentino Blake
The Giants have released cornerback Valentino Blake, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).
New York designated Blake as “left squad” at the end of last month after the veteran defensive back left the team for a personal reason. Because the Giants had a roster exemption for Blake, the club’s roster count isn’t affected by its decision to part ways, per Vacchiano. It’s unclear if Blake has interest in continuing his NFL career elsewhere.
The Giants signed the 27-year-old Blake in March, after he proved to be a durable defender for the Jaguars, Steelers and Titans over the first five seasons of his career. Blake, who has appeared in 78 of 80 regular-season games since going undrafted in 2012, logged his third straight 16-game campaign last year with the Titans, though Pro Football Focus graded his performance an underwhelming 76th among 110 qualified corners.
With Blake out of the picture, the Giants picked up extra cornerback depth on Saturday, acquiring Ross Cockrell from the Steelers in exchange for a conditional 2018 draft pick.
Coughlin: Jaguars Never Interested In Kaepernick
When the Jaguars opened up their quarterback competition in August (only to close it again one week later), there was some speculation that Jacksonville could look into signing free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. That speculation was fueled in part by club owner Shad Khan, who said that he would “absolutely” be okay with his team signing Kaepernick if his football people recommended him.
That never happened, and when Blake Bortles was named the starting quarterback last week, the Kaepernick-to-Jacksonville chatter, such as it was, died down. But unless Bortles flashes some hitherto unsuspected ability, the Jaguars will still have a glaring need at the quarterback position. Indeed, the club has enough talent that it could conceivably make a playoff push in a shaky AFC South if it can get consistent QB play, and some believe that Kaepernick would represent enough of an upgrade to get the Jags back to the postseason.
However, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin has emphatically quashed the Kaepernick discussion. When asked if he ever considered Kaepernick, Coughlin said, “No, I didn’t. We did the study and the research and we weren’t interested.” When asked for his reasoning, Coughlin said, “No, I’m not explaining it. I just said what it is” (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union).
Of course, this will be construed in some segments as an unenlightened decision to decline adding a player that might improve the club because that player took advantage of his freedom of expression and alienated a large portion of the NFL’s fanbase in the process. And maybe that segment would be right. But Coughlin is an intelligent football man, and as Kaepernick is a system quarterback whose salary demands and current commitment to football are largely unknown, it is fair to think that Coughlin’s decision was football-driven.
Saints OT Terron Armstead Avoids PUP List
Lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s roster cutdown madness was left tackle Terron Armstead‘s inclusion on the Saints’ initial 53-man roster. Armstead suffered a torn labrum in June and was facing a four-to-six month recovery timeline, but New Orleans didn’t place him on the physically unable to perform list, which would have required a minimum six-game absence to begin the season.
Armstead is still expected to miss several games, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, but he clearly won’t be sidelined for as many as six contests (or else New Orleans simply would have kept him on PUP). Head coach Sean Payton hinted last week that Armstead was ahead of schedule, and allowed that the veteran blindside protector might sneak onto the Saints’ active roster.
New Orleans will roll with first-round rookie Ryan Ramczyk at left tackle until Armstead is able to return to the field. Health has never been a strong point for Armstead, who’s missed 14 games over the the past three seasons. But when he’s right, Armstead has consistently ranked as a top-15 NFL left tackle per Pro Football Focus, which gave him an excellent 90.6 overall grade in 2015.
Alex Boone Would Be Interested In Dolphins
Alex Boone, who was surprisingly released by the Vikings yesterday, would be interested in playing for the Dolphins, according to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. A 14-game starter for Minnesota in 2016, Boone ranked as the NFL’s No. 37 guard among 75 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned him high marks for his pass blocking but poor scores in the run game.
But Boone would represent a significant upgrade for Miami, which is looking to stay afloat in the AFC East and get back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Dolphins’ projected starting left guard, Ted Larsen, will miss at least the first eight weeks of the season with a biceps injury, and if they do not sign Boone, a player like Jesse Davis or Anthony Steen would fill in at left guard.
Boone, 30, might not be the same player he was during his peak years as a 49er, but he is still a quality starting option. Just last spring, he was one of Minnesota’s most prized free agent additions, signing a four-year, $26.8MM deal ($10MM guaranteed) with the Vikings.
As Schad writes, Miami’s offensive line coach, Chris Foerster, was the 49ers’ offensive line coach in 2009, Boone’s first year in San Francisco, and 2015, Boone’s final year in the Bay Area. Perhaps that connection will help the two sides reach a deal, assuming the Dolphins are interested in acquiring Boone.
Free Agent CB Sam Shields Suspended
Free agent cornerback Sam Shields has been suspended for the first two games of the 2017 season, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Shields hasn’t received any known interest since being released by the Packers in February, and this suspension certainly won’t help matters. The 29-year-old Shields can serve the ban as a free agent, but health issues might dissuade clubs from signing him even after his penalty concludes. A concussion limited Shields to one game in 2016, but despite suffering two major brain injuries in a nine-month span, Shields reportedly has no plans to retire.
A former undrafted free agent, Shields spent seven years with Green Bay, starting 62 games and racking up 18 interceptions during that span. He’s now part of a free agent cornerback cadre that includes Darrelle Revis, Leodis McKelvin, and Ron Brooks.
Buccaneers To Sign T.J. Ward
The Buccaneers will sign the newly-released T.J. Ward, as James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year, $4MM deal that includes a maximum value of $5MM, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
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, and the Broncos felt it was better to move on and get a little salary cap relief in the process.
Per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Ward drew interest from seven teams and had serious talks with three. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Steelers had some degree of interest, but they were not serious contenders for his services.
Tampa Bay has already done a fair amount of tinkering at the safety position this offseason. The Bucs re-signed Chris Conte, signed free agent J.J. Wilcox from the Cowboys, and drafted Justin Evans in the second round. But signing Ward will help solidify the defensive backfield, and as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes, Ward will push either Conte or Keith Tandy to the bench, and Wilcox and Evans will see their potential playing time take a hit as a result.
John Spytek, the Bucs’ director of player personnel and GM Jason Licht‘s right-hand man, was Cleveland’s director of college scouting when the Browns drafted Ward in 2010, and he spent two years as a scout with the Broncos when Ward played in Denver. That connection almost certainly played a role in Ward’s decision, along with the fact that Tampa Bay is a potential playoff team.
Saints Reach 53-Man Roster Limit
Every team had to get under the 53-man limit by Saturday’s deadline, but the Saints were the last to publicly announce their cuts. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:
Waived:
- LB Adam Bighill
- TE/LS Braedon Bowman
- CB Taveze Calhoun
- WR Travin Dural
- CB Malik Foreman
- OL John Fullington
- QB Garrett Grayson
- TE Garrett Griffin
- DE Obum Gwacham
- WR De’Quan Hampton
- DB Erik Harris
- DE Alex Jenkins
- WR Jake Lampman
- DT Ashaad Mabry
- CB Arthur Maulet
- CB Elijah Mitchell
- OL Kristjan Sokoli
- CB Damian Swann
- C Cameron Tom
- OL Landon Turner
- T Jerry Ugokwe
- RB Darius Victor
- LB Jonathan Walton
- DT Justin Zimmer
Released:
- T Khalif Barnes
- RB Travaris Cadet
- LB Audie Cole
- T Bryce Harris
- DT John Hughes III
- FB Zach Line
- LB Michael Mauti
- DT Tony McDaniel (story)
- QB Ryan Nassib
IR:
- OLB Bryan Braman
- WR Corey Fuller
- TE John Phillips
The Saints re-signed Cadet this offseason only to put him on the trade block in June. They didn’t find any takers then and they apparently couldn’t find any now. The Jets, who pursued him in free agency, could have interest in signing him.
Broncos Place LB Shane Ray On IR
The Broncos have officially placed linebacker Shane Ray on injured reserve. The good news is that Ray should be able to come back during the season as one of the Broncos’ two players designated for return. 
“It’s kind of what we thought,” GM John Elway said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “With the surgery and where it falls is good for us, and here’s why we decided to go with it: He has to be on IR for eight weeks. The bye week counts and then our eighth game is on a Monday night. With that being on a Monday night, the eighth Sunday counts as a game. So we’ll get him back for the Kansas City game (on Oct. 30). So he’s only going to miss six games. We didn’t want to use that spot. He was not going to be back any earlier than that, and when he does come back he’ll be really ready to go. Having that fall that way for us helped us with that extra slot.”
Per league rules, Ray will be eligible to return after eight weeks on IR. By then, he should be fully recovered from his wrist surgery.
Ray broke out in 2016, racking up 48 tackles and eight sacks in his 664 snaps. Only two Broncos linebackers – Von Miller and Todd Davis – saw more action than Ray last year.
Raiders Cut Down To 53-Man Roster
The Raiders were among the teams to drag their feet on announcing their 53-man roster. Now that we can see their initial roster in full, we have to say that they’re looking a little thin at linebacker. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:
Waived:
- OL Kareem Are
- RB George Atkinson
- CB Breon Borders
- DT Paul Boyette
- WR K.J. Brent
- OT Chauncey Briggs
- DE Fadol Brown
- TE Pharaoh Brown
- LB Shilique Calhoun
- S Anthony Cioffi
- RB John Crockett
- CB Kenneth Durden
- LS Andrew East
- DE IK Enemkpali
- LB Najee Harris
- WR Keon Hatcher
- TE Gabe Holmes
- RB Elijah Hood
- CB Chris Humes
- DL Branden Jackson
- S Rickey Jefferson
- DE Rufus Johnson
- LB LaTroy Lewis
- S Marcus McWilson
- TE Ryan O’Malley
- G Oni Omoile
- LB Brady Sheldon
- G Ian Silberman
- G Jordan Simmons
- K Giorgio Tavecchio
- WR Issac Whitney
- LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- WR Ishmael Zamora
Released:
Waived/Injured
Waived/NFI:
- LB Ben Heeney
Patriots Reach 53-Man Max
The Patriots made a massive amount of cuts on Saturday to reach the 53-man limit. Most of the cuts were expected, but there were a few surprises in the bunch.
Released:
- OL Jamil Douglas
- OL James Ferentz
- RB D.J. Foster
- LB Jonathan Freeny
- DL Geneo Grissom
- DL Woodrow Hamilton
- OL Ted Karras
- DL Darius Kilgo
- TE James O’Shaughnessy
- WR Tony Washington
Waived:
- LB Trevor Bates
- FB Glenn Gronkowski
- WR Devin Lucien
- WR K.J. Maye
- DL Josh Augusta
- DL Michael Bart
- WR Austin Carr
- TE Sam Cotton
- RB LeShun Daniels
- LB Brooks Ellis
- WR Cody Hollister
- DB David Jones
- DB D.J. Killings
- OL Jason King
- DB Will Likely
- OL Conor McDermott
- DB Kenny Moore II
- OL Max Rich
- DB Jason Thompson
- DB Damarius Travis
- LB Nick Usher
Karras was widely projected to be the team’s top backup on the interior line, so his release comes as a surprise. The 24-year-old was drafted by the Pats in the sixth round of the 2016 draft and played in all 16 regular season games last year. He also appeared in all three playoff games as a reserve.
O’Shaughnessy, acquired via trade in April, was competing for the third tight end spot. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder has played in 23 NFL games with six starts.