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Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West

September 2nd, 2018 at 5:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West 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 Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Arizona Cardinals

Signed:

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Claimed:

Cut:

* = practice squad exception

Cardinals Cut Brice Butler, Others

September 1st, 2018 at 6:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

Waived from injured reserve:

Additionally, the Cardinals activated both tight end Jermaine Gresham and linebacker Marcus Golden off the physically unable to perform list.

David Johnson, Cardinals Not Close To Deal

September 1st, 2018 at 9:03am CST by Ben Levine

While there may be some optimism regarding David Johnson‘s long-term future in Arizona, it doesn’t sound like the running back will be signing an extension any time soon. Jason La Canfora tweets that the two sides have a “long ways to go to complete a deal.” A deal isn’t expected to be signed prior to the regular season.

While this news isn’t all that surprising, Johnson had said earlier this month that he was “encouraged” by the extension talks. The running back previously sat out Cardinals minicamp in a bit of a mini hold-out, although it didn’t take him all that long to report to camp. Johnson is scheduled to earn a base salary of $1.8MM in the final year of his deal, and after losing the 2017 season due to injury, he’s understandably concerned about his financial security. The Pro Bowler may be subject to the whim of the organization and under their control through 2020 thanks to the franchise tag.

Rams running back Todd Gurley reset the running back market last month by agreeing to a new deal which contains a $14.375MM annual value and $21.95MM in guarantees, although Johnson probably won’t eclipse that contract. Not only is Johnson coming off a lost season, but he’s nearly three years older than Gurley. Still, a contract which tops double-digits annually should be expected for Johnson.

The 26-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2016, rushing for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also added another 80 receptions for 879 yards and four scores, earning him a place on the first-team All-Pro list. Johnson dislocated his wrist during the Cardinals’ 2017 season-opener, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

Browns Release Jeff Janis

August 31st, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns did not deem former Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis as worthy of their 53-man roster. They released the fifth-year veteran on Friday, along with a host of other moves.

Janis was in the mix for one of Cleveland’s backup jobs but couldn’t impress enough to beat out some younger competitors. Known best for his heroics in a Packers-Cardinals divisional-round game, Janis will avoid outright waivers due to his vested-veteran status. The other players the Browns are parting with Friday will head to waivers.

Here’s the full list:

The Browns also waived three players with injury designations.

Cardinals To Place LB Arthur Moats On IR

August 31st, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Arthur Moats will not be seeing any action for the Cardinals this season. The veteran linebacker will head to IR, according to Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Moats suffered a knee injury in Arizona’s third preseason game last weekend. Steve Wilks said this week the recently added linebacker suffered a sprained MCL, which is not an injury that usually requires an IR stay. Moats could conceivably join another team and see action this season, if he and the Cardinals are able to reach an injury settlement that would lead to his release from IR.

By virtue of being placed on IR now, Moats would not be able to return this season. Only players who are carried through to 53-man rosters this weekend can return from IR during the season.

The Cards signed the 30-year-old defender in July after a four-season run with the Steelers. He’s started 45 games in an eight-year career thus far. Arizona also signed outside linebacker Gerald Hodges this offseason and has 2017 first-rounder Haason Reddick as well. Ex-Broncos UDFA Vontarrius Dora has also had a strong preseason and may have made enough of a case to stick around after this weekend.

Cardinals Release Chris Campbell

August 31st, 2018 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

In the spring, the Cardinals used a sixth-round pick to select cornerback Christian Campbell. Unfortunately, he won’t be with the club for their season opener. On Friday, the Cardinals informed Campbell of his release, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).

Campbell was behind the 8-ball in Arizona after suffering an ankle injury early on. He came off of the PUP list in late July, but he wasn’t able to make up a whole lot of ground over the past four weeks.

Campbell, a 6’1″ corner out of Penn State, totaled 102 tackles and three interceptions across four seasons in college. Per league rules, Campbell will be subject to the waiver wire following his release. If he goes unsigned, he may be a candidate for Arizona’s practice squad.

Cardinals Won’t Trade QB Mike Glennon

August 31st, 2018 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals are going with three quarterbacks to begin 2018, which means that Mike Glennon will stay with the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Glennon and rookie Josh Rosen will serve as the backups behind Week 1 starter Sam Bradford.

Glennon staying in Arizona means there’s one potential backup QB off of the trade market, which may raise the asking price for other quality understudies around the league. Between now and Saturday afternoon, teams will wrestle with the decision to keep two or three quarterbacks on the roster. Meanwhile, there are plenty of teams with doubts about their present No. 2 QB. Some of the players to keep an eye on include Tom Savage (Saints), Joshua Dobbs (Steelers), and maybe even A.J. McCarron (Bills).

The Bills inked McCarron to a two-year, $8.1MM deal this offseason, but rookie Josh Allen may be their Week 1 starter. McCarron’s only relevant NFL work came as a replacement to an injured Andy Dalton during the 2015 campaign, but he has long been regarded as one of the best backup types in the league. In eleven career games (three starts), the soon-to-be 28-year-old has completed 64.7% of his passes for 920 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also started the Bengals’ 2015 playoff loss to the Steelers, throwing a touchdown and a pick.

Cardinals Release LB Scooby Wright

August 31st, 2018 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have released linebacker Scooby Wright, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wright will be subject to waivers since he has less than four years of NFL experience and it’s possible that another club will pick him up before he hits the open market.

Wright, 23, missed the Cardinals’ final cut in September of last year but signed on with the practice squad the following day. In October, he earned a promotion to the 53-man roster. Wright was on the roster for ten games, but he logged just one tackle.

Wright has yet to make a major impact at the NFL level, but he is well known in the area for his work at the University of Arizona. In 2014, Wright tallied an eye-popping 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and his draft stock suffered as a result. The Browns took him with one of the final picks in the draft and he later found his way to the Cardinals in 2016.

Butler, Little Fighting For 1 Cards Job?

August 29th, 2018 at 9:01pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Two notable names appear to be competing for the final Cardinals receiver spot. Former Cowboys rotational cog Brice Butler signed a two-year Cardinals deal but is not a lock to make the team. He and one-time Browns second-round pick Greg Little, who hasn’t played since 2014, may be vying for one job, with Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writing he wouldn’t be surprised if Little beats out Butler. He has Butler making the team ahead of Little, however. A Butler cut would cost the Cards $500K in dead money.

Glennon, Other QBs Drawing Trade Interest

August 29th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday morning, the Packers traded Brett Hundley to the Seahawks. That deal is unlikely to be the last trade involving a backup quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Mike Glennon of the Cardinals, Tom Savage of the Saints, and Joshua Dobbs are the Steelers are among the QBs being discussed by teams of need, Rapoport hears. 

The Cardinals signed both Sam Bradford and Glennon in March, but the QB room changed dramatically in April when they drafted UCLA star Josh Rosen. Rosen may not be ready for primetime, but the Cardinals may feel that he is ready to be a capable No. 2 QB. Glennon flamed out in his one month as the Bears’ starter last year, but he would represent a QB2 upgrade for many teams around the league.

Savage has been long rumored to be on the bubble, but he is now firmly on the trade block following the Saints’ acquisition of Teddy Bridgewater. The Saints project to move ahead with Bridgewater and Taysom Hill as the backups to Drew Brees, leaving Savage without a spot in New Orleans. Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, entered the 2017 season as Houston’s starter, but he lost the job to rookie Deshaun Watson rather quickly. He finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions.

The writing has been on the wall for Dobbs ever since the Steelers used a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph in this year’s draft. Landry Jones is locked in as the backup quarterback and Rudolph is locked in as the No. 3, so Dobbs is clearly on the block.

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