The Spring League Announces Camp Roster
Since we learned last year that there’d be a spring football league in 2017, several former NFL stars have committed to the endeavor. Today, The Spring League announced (via Twitter) their full training camp roster.
As was previously reported, defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., and running back Ben Tate were among the major names to have committed to the league. Former cornerback Brandon Browner was reportedly involved, but he was curiously omitted from the training camp roster. Former Giants and Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw is seemingly the biggest addition to the roster since the last update.
The Spring League is composed of four teams, with the rosters comprised of veteran free agents. Ultimately, six games will be played between April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters are not eligible to participate.
The full training camp roster can be found below:
Quarterbacks
Running backs
- Zachary Bauman
- Kelsey Young
- Josh Robinson
- Ben Tate
- Noel Devine
- Ahmad Bradshaw
- Anthony Dixon
- Alvester Alexander
Fullbacks
- Adam Cox
- Jonathan Amosa
Kellen Winslow, Ben Tate Join Spring League
The Spring League kicks off in April and it will feature some notable names looking to resurrect their football careers. Defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., cornerback Brandon Browner, and running back Ben Tate are among the players who have been confirmed as participants, according to a press release. 
Winslow has not played in an NFL game since the 2013 season and we haven’t heard much from him since he worked out for the Packers last August. Tate, a former second-round pick, showed lots of promise in Houston but could not capitalize on a starting opportunity with the Browns in 2014. Hardy and Browner first committed to the league in early March.
The Spring League consists of four teams comprised of veteran free agents. The league will conduct practices and play six games from April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters will not be eligible to participate.
The league has secured five quarterbacks thus far, including Chiefs 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi and NFL practice squad journeyman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. At wide receiver, there’s former Ram Brandon Gibson, Jets 2014 fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, and one-time Bills WR2 David Nelson. Former Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster and Texans 2013 third-round defensive tackle Sam Montgomery will also be suiting up for The Spring League next month.
The full list of players can be found below. In addition to those listed here, Pro Football Rumors has learned that another 30 players are expected to join prior to the start of training camp.
Quarterbacks
- Hutson Mason
- Ricky Stanzi
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson
- Zach Kline
- Jeremy Cannon
Running backs
- Zachery Bauman
- Kelsey Young
- Josh Robinson
- Ben Tate
- Noel Devine
- Adam Cox (FB)
Wide receivers
- Jalen Saunders
- David Nelson
- Kenzel Doe
- Brandon Gibson
- Daje’ Johnson
- Gavin Lutman
- Tyler McDonald
- J.D. Woods
- Sed Cunningham
- Lawrence Smith
- Terrance Lewis
- Rashon Ceaser
- Kendrick Wiggins
NFL Workouts/Visits: 1/8/16
As teams look ahead to formulating their offseason rosters, they’ve begun to bring in free agents for both workouts and visits. Let’s look at the latest:
Workouts
Chargers (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- Freddie Bishop, DL
- Euclid Cummings, DE
- Cleyon Laing, DL
Chiefs (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Michael Buchanan, DE
- Jordan Kovacs, S
- Eze Obiora, DE
- Alameda Ta’amu, DT
Jaguars (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Brandon Fields, P
- Marvin Kloss, K
- Spencer Lanning, P
Ravens (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Jeff Fuller, WR
- Eric Rogers, WR (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
- Terrell Sinkfield, WR
Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Freddie Bishop, DL
- Dexter McCoil, LB
- Eric Rogers, WR
- Dustin Vaughan, QB
Washington (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Cleyon Laing, DL
- Eric Rogers, WR
Visits
Cardinals (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Toby Johnson, DT (prior to signing with Vikings’ practice squad)
Chiefs (Twitter links via Wilson)
- Kenny Cook, WR
- Adrian Hubbard, LB
Giants (Twitter link via Wilson)
- Jake Bequette, DE
Steelers (Twitter link via Wilson)
Workout Notes: 12/8/15
There were a plethora of workouts around the NFL today. Here they are:
- The Broncos worked out 17 players, all defenders. The full list comes courtesy of Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio:
- DB Stevie Brown
- LB Deron Bruce
- DB Deveron Carr
- DB Chris Clemons
- DT Davon Coleman
- LB Henry Coley
- LB Aaron Davis
- DE Ray Drew
- LB Adrian Hubbard
- DT Kamal Johnson
- DB Antoine Lewis
- DB B.J. Lowery
- DB Mike McMillan
- DB Jeromy Miles
- LB Kevin Snyder
- DB Schon Thomas
- DB Tyrequek Zimmerman
- In addition to receiver Danario Alexander, the Bears worked out quarterback Zac Dysert, wideouts Issac Blakeney, Miles Gooch, Jeremy Kelley and J.J. Worton, and running back Trey Millard (Twitter links via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune).
- The Texans worked out linebackers Eric Martin and Tony Washington, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Colts auditioned wideout DeAndre Carter, defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin, and running back LaDarius Perkins and Daryl Richardson, Wilson tweets.
- The Jaguars worked out linebackers Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Mike Mohamed and Sean Porter, and running backs Jerome Smith and Jahwan Edwards (Twitter links via Wilson and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
- The Packers worked out running backs Bronson HIll and Ross Scheuerman (Twitter link via Wilson).
- The Jets tried out linebacker Glenn Carson, offensive tackle Sean Hickey, tight end Marcel Jensen, guard Cole Manhardt and defensive back Robert Nelson, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports (on Twitter).
- The Giants worked out long snappers Andrew East and Tyler Ott before signing Danny Aiken, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
Workout Notes: Raiders, Colts, Packers
Today’s workouts from around the league:
- The Raiders worked out linebacker Emmanuel Acho, safety Stevie Brown, safety Chris Clemons, defensive back Chris Hackett, defensive end/outside linebacker Adrian Hubbard, and linebacker Colton Underwood, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Colts worked out tight end Cameron Clear, cornerbacks Jeremy Harris and Corey White, and safety Chris Hackett last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Packers worked out wide receiver Ify Umodu, quarterback Matt Behrendt, cornerback Brandon McGee, wide receiver Denarius Moore, and wide receiver Larry Pinkard, Wilson tweets.
- The Bengals worked out defensive backs Brandon Ghee, Robert McClain, and Corey White, Wilson tweets.
- The Chiefs worked out linebackers Thomas Keiser and Andy Studebaker, Wilson tweets.
- The Lions worked out former Falcons linebacker Joplo Bartu, Wilson tweets.
- The Broncos worked out offensive lineman Isaiah Shelton last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Browns worked out safety Sean Baker and linebacker Colton Underwood last week, Wilson tweets.
- The Jets auditioned linebacker Ryan Mueller last week, Wilson tweets.
- Washington worked out defensive back Al Louis-Jean, Wilson tweets.
- The Jaguars worked out defensive back Brandon McGee, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
East Notes: JPP, Giants, DeflateGate
Here’s a look at the latest out of the East Divisions..
- The New York Daily News has obtained pictures of Jason Pierre-Paul‘s injured hand and the photos indicate that his condition could be worse than his camp has been letting on. The Giants defensive end is missing an index finger and his middle finger is heavily bandaged. Perhaps the most notable part of the photo is that JPP is without a good chunk of his thumb. Previously, JPP’s people said that missing a piece from his thumb, but that it was just the tip of the digit.
- This week, the Giants auditioned LB Khairi Fortt, DT Kwame Geathers, LB Adrian Hubbard, TE Nick Kasa, WR Josh Lenz, TE Jake Murphy, and LB Jordan Tripp, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. The Giants also worked out LB James Morris and G Vinston Painter before signing them to the practice squad.
- In an interview with WEEI, Peter King said that even with everything that has happened between Roger Goodell and the Patriots, he doesn’t think that Robert Kraft wants the commissioner fired because of the business man that he is.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers:
- C Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Dezmin Lewis (Twitter link via Mike Rodak)
- S Jonathan Meeks (Twitter link via Rodak)
- G Cyril Richardson (Twitter link via Rodak)
- LB Kevin Riddick (Twitter link via Rodak)
- CB Jaylen Watkins (Twitter link via Rodak)
- RB Cierre Wood (Twitter link via Rodak)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed:
- Claimed off waivers:
- QB Logan Thomas (link)
- Signed to practice squad:
- QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Twitter link via James Walker)
- C Sam Brenner (Twitter link via David Canter)
- DT Deandre Coleman (Twitter link via Adam Beasley)
- LB Mike Hull (Twitter link via Armando Salguero)
- TE Tim Semisch (Twitter link via Salguero)
- WR Jake Stoneburner (Twitter link via Barry Jackson)
- S Cedric Thompson (Twitter link via Jackson)
- OL Audrey Walker (Twitter link via Jackson)
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers:
- DT Khyri Thornton (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- DT Khyri Thornton (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- Cut:
- T Cameron Fleming (Twitter link via Mike Reiss)
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Asante Cleveland (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
- WR Kenbrell Thompkins (Twitter link via Rand Getlin)
New York Jets
- Signed:
- WR Chris Owusu (Twitter link via Manish Mehta)
- Claimed off waivers:
- S Ronald Martin (Twitter link via Mehta)
- Cut:
- S Rontez Miles (Twitter link via Rich Cimini)
- Signed to practice squad (press release):
- LB Deion Barnes
- FB Julian Howsare
- LB Taiwan Jones
- CB Keon Lyn
- WR Walter Powell
- TE Wes Saxton
- T Wesley Johnson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- DL Jordan Williams
Dolphins To Sign Adrian Hubbard
Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News tweets that the Dolphins have agreed to sign former Packers linebacker Adrian Hubbard. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter) confirms the news, though it is unclear whether Hubbard will be signed to the team’s practice squad or if he will be added to the 53-man roster. The former Alabama product was signed as an undrafted free agent by Green Bay last season and spent the year on the Packers’ practice squad. He was released earlier this week.
Hubbard played in 36 games during his collegiate career with the Crimson Tide, starting 26 of them and racking up 10 sacks in Alabama’s 3-4 defense. After the Packers bypassed potential edge rushers like Randy Gregory and Owa Odighizuwa in this year’s draft, Hubbard had a real chance to make the club as part of the team’s pass rushing rotation. Although he failed to make the cut, the 6-6 physical specimen still has upside that he will now try to realize with the Dolphins.
Packers Cut Down To 75-Man Roster
The Packers announced that they are down to a 75-man roster. The full list of moves is presented below:
Placed On IR:
- WR Jordy Nelson
Waived/Injured:
- WR Javess Blue
- WR Jimmie Hunt
Released:
- QB Matt Blanchard
- WR James Butler
- LB Adrian Hubbard
- DB Kyle Sebetic
- TE Harold Spears
Of course, we’ve known for a while that Nelson would be placed on IR. The loss of Nelson, 30, is a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears:
- Waived (officially announced): Brandon Hartson, LS
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced via Twitter): Taylor Boggs, C; Ryan Groy, G; DeDe Lattimore, LB; Al Louis-Jean, CB; Rashad Ross, KR; Josh Bellamy, WR; Brandon Dunn, DT; Isaiah Frey, CB; Terrance Mitchell, CB; Roy Philon, DT; Rashad Ross, WR
Detroit Lions:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rodney Austin, G; Emil Igwenagu, FB; Nate Ness, S; Andrew Peacock, WR; Xavier Proctor, DT; Mohammed Seisay, CB; Julian Stanford, LB; Jordan Thompson, TE; Michael Williams, OT; George Winn, RB
Green Bay Packers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chris Banjo, S; Kevin Dorsey, WR; Garth Gerhart, C; Alex Gillett, WR; Michael Hill, RB; Adrian Hubbard, LB; Justin Perillo, TE; Luther Robinson, DE; Jeremy Vujnovich, T, Myles White, WR
Minnesota Vikings:
- Claimed off waivers: MarQueis Gray, TE (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Mike Harris, OT (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Cut: Larry Dean, LB (via Darren Wolfson on Twitter); Austin Wentworth, G (via Wolfson on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Joe Banyard, RB; Kain Coulter, WR; Isame Faciane, DT; Chase Ford, TE; Donte Foster, WR; Kendall James, CB; Zac Kerin, C; Mike Remmers, OL; Justin Trattou, DT