A.J. Cruz

Dolphins Release Brandon Harris, Waive 10 Others

The Dolphins have pared their roster down to 78 players today, moving closer to the first-cut deadline of 75. They waived 10 players (Twitter link) and released cornerback Brandon Harris, who has sufficient service time to avoid waivers.

A former Texans second-round pick out of the University of Miami in 2011, Harris has played in 42 games but has yet to start one. His service time runs from 2011-14, with the ex-Hurricane seeing action for three years in Houston and one, 2014, in Tennessee. A torn ACL sustained last summer while employed by the Titans stalled Harris’ career, one that saw him land with the Dolphins late last month.

Miami’s Chris Culliver signing pushed Harris further on the bubble, and he’ll now attempt to find a new home.

Hazel landed with the Dolphins as a sixth-rounder in 2014 and played in five games last season, starting one. This leaves seven wideouts still on the Fins’ roster, with Griff Whalen and UDFA Rashawn Scott potentially battling for a roster spot.

DiSalvo lost the long-snapping battle to longtime Dolphin John Denney, and Koehn couldn’t beat out Andrew Franks for the kicker job.

Painter was a Broncos sixth-rounder in 2013 who’s played in three games — all with the Browns in 2014.

Minor NFL Transactions: 2/18/16

Here’s a rundown of today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:

  • The Dolphins have signed arena standout A.J. Cruz, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today first tweeted. The receiver/return man was with the Bears in camp last year.
  • The Giants have signed France’s Anthony Dablé, as reported by the American Football International Review. Dablé, widely considered one of the most dangerous receivers and returners in Europe, is coming off of a strong season in which he won his second straight German Bowl. Dablé initially signed to play with France’s Aix en Provence Argonautes for the 2016 season, but he was permitted to break free from that deal if an NFL opportunity came up.
  • Edmonton Eskimos cornerback Aaron Grymes is signing with the Eagles today, his representatives tell Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Grymes, 24, joined the CFL after playing three seasons at the University of Idaho. In 2015, Grymes earned an All-Star nod. Prior to signing with Philly, Grymes auditioned for the Cardinals and Titans in January.
  • The Eagles will also sign quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson (pending physical), per Caplan (on Twitter). The QB spent part of last season with the 49ers’ taxi squad.
  • The Eagles signed former Saints wide receiver Seantavius Jones, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. Philadelphia also signed wide receiver Xavier Rush, as Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Extra Points: Cassel, Bryant, Cruz, Los Angeles

In a chat with for the Dallas Morning News, columnist Kevin Sherrington guesses that the Cowboys will dress Kellen Moore as the backup this week while Matt Cassel continues to learn the offense. He does note that if Brandon Weeden doesn’t turn things around, Cassel will eventually get the chance to start, which is key since he is doubtful Tony Romo will be ready to return as soon as he comes of the IR-DTR.

  • Sherrington also believes the Cowboys could be in the market to add a wide receiver, specifically one who could threaten to take the top off the defense. He cites the team’s inability to get the ball to any wideout other than Cole Beasley since the injuries to Romo and Dez Bryant.
  • Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant has had his suspension ended after the team played their fourth game last night, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team will still have a roster exemption until Tuesday, October 13th.
  • Free agent wide receiver A.J. Cruz has been suspended for the next four games of the regular season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). He has previous experience with the Arena Football League and was on the Bears’ 90-man roster this offseason.
  • The league office has informed teams that they will be discussing “relocation guidelines” surrounding a potential Los Angeles franchise at next week’s owners’ meeting in New York, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). It is unclear if they will discuss relocation fees and a timetable for the move (via Twitter).

Bears Set 53-Man Roster

John Fox‘s first roster with the Bears will include three quarterbacks, but the third isn’t the one he oversaw in Denver. The Bears sent Zac Dysert back to waivers after picking up the ex-Broncos quarterback last week.

Instead, David Fales will back up Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, as the Bears made their cuts to slash their roster to 53 players, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Also among the cuts was third-year defensive end/linebacker David Bass, who played in 20 games the past two seasons. A former seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013 with a pick-six to his credit as a rookie in Chicago, Bass has interested suitors and will land somewhere soon, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei (on Twitter).

Here are the rest of Chicago’s final cuts:

  • Jonathan Anderson, ILB
  • Qumain Black, WR
  • Conor Boffeli, OL
  • A.J. Cruz, WR (Waived/injured)
  • Jacoby Glenn, CB
  • Anthony Jefferson, DB (Injured reserve)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR
  • Tyler Moore, OL
  • Michael Ola, OL
  • Ify Umodu, WR
  • Gannon Sinclair, TE
  • Matthew Wells, ILB
  • Terry Williams, DT
  • Kyle Woestmann, OLB

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/15

Today’s minor NFL moves and signings..

  • The Jets are signing former University of Arizona wide receiver Austin Hill, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Hill participated in both the Jets’ and Raiders’ rookie minicamp. Hill initially signed with the Seahawks as a UDFA this year but he did not pass his physical.
  • The Browns cut undrafted former West Georgia defensive lineman Tory Slater, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. After healing up from a hamstring injury, Slater was cut from a Browns team that has several defensive linemen ahead of him on the depth chart.
  • Washington announced the signing of undrafted free agent running back Mack Brown, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Brown appeared in 49 career games at Florida across the 2010-14 seasons, gaining 805 career yards on 210 rushing attempts with four rushing touchdowns. Last season, he appeared in all 12 games for Florida and served as a key member of the Gators’ special teams unit.
  • The Colts announced that they have signed offensive tackle Matt Hall and waived guard Will Corbin. Hall, 6-9, 326 pounds, re-joins the Colts after spending the 2014 season on Indianapolis’ IR list.
  • The Eagles waived running back Matthew Tucker with a non-football injury designation, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Tucker originally signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and spent the 2014 season on the taxi squad.
  • The Bears are signing Arena League wide receiver/kick returner A.J. Cruz, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). The Brown product previously played for the Arizona Rattlers.
  • The Dolphins announced that they have waived wide receiver Nigel King, according to James Walker of ESPN.com (on Twitter).