Rams Make Roster Cuts
The Rams are one-upping everyone else, making a slew of roster cuts to get down to *52* players, as Adam Schefter passes along on Twitter. Presumably they’re planning on making another move imminently and not starting the year with one less player than everyone else.
Los Angeles had already made a bunch of cuts, so it’s a smaller group getting the axe now:
- DT Marquise Copeland
- DB Donte Deayon
- DT Michael Hoecht
- LB Clay Johnston
- LB Natrez Patrick
- QB Bryce Perkins
- LB Christian Rozeboom
- DE Jonah Williams
- LB Justin Lawler (waived/injured)
- LB Travin Howard (added to injured reserve)
- DT A’Shawn Robinson (added to NFI list)
Deayon and Johnston have both been featured prominently on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ during camp, so there will surely be some fans bummed about those cuts. Both are good bets to be back on the practice squad since Johnston was a draft pick and Deayon was on the active roster at times last year.
Perkins had plenty of electrifying moments as Virginia’s quarterback, but the UDFA apparently wasn’t ready to make it as an NFL passer. Howard and Robinson aren’t getting cut but are rather being put on IR and the non-football injury list respectively. Howard, who was supposed to play a big role on defense, will be out for the season while Robinson will have to miss at least the first six games.
Raiders Trade RB Lynn Bowden Jr. To Dolphins
We’ve got a bit of an unusual trade to pass along. The Raiders are trading rookie running back Lynn Bowden Jr. and a sixth-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for a fourth-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter link).
It’s pretty rare for a third-round pick to get traded before ever playing a game for the team that drafted them, so the Raiders must not have liked something about Bowden. Especially to give him up for considerably less draft capital than they spent. The Kentucky product’s home was searched by the DEA back in June, although he was never arrested, and it’s unclear if that caused him to fall out of favor with the organization. As Rapoport points out, it’s the same fourth-round pick they’re getting back that they just traded to Miami last week in exchange for Raekwon McMillan.
As for Miami, it’s a nice low-risk pickup considering they have an unsettled backfield and could use all the young talent they could get. They’ve apparently had their eye on Bowden for a while, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that the Dolphins “loved” him before the draft and had a top-30 visit with him scheduled before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
As of right now the Dolphins are set for a timeshare in their backfield with Jordan Howard and Matt Breida. Bowden should compete for snaps right away, and he also has value as a return specialist. He’s an elite athlete, as he even started at quarterback for a while for Kentucky after a couple of injuries. The Raiders had said they planned to use him in a versatile utility role, and it’ll be very interesting to see what Brian Flores’ staff comes up with for him.
Raiders Cut RB Theo Riddick
Theo Riddick could be on the move again. The veteran running back is being cut by the Raiders, a source told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN (Twitter link).
That being said that doesn’t mean he won’t be in Vegas, as Gutierrez notes the Raiders want him as a veteran exception on the practice squad. He also writes that Riddick impressed during his brief time in camp. The pass-catching specialist just signed with the team on August 23rd.
Riddick broke into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2013, and spent the next six years in Detroit. He carved out a nice role on passing downs, and for a while was one of the top receiving backs in the league. His best season as a receiver came in 2015 when he caught 80 passed for 697 yards and three touchdowns.
His production declined shortly thereafter, and the Lions finally released him in July of last year. He quickly latched on with the Broncos, but didn’t appear in a game for Denver after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Saints Cut DE Mario Edwards, LB Anthony Chickillo
The Saints are cutting a pair of notable veteran defensive players as they trim the roster down to 53. They’ll be letting go of defensive end Mario Edwards (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network), and linebacker Anthony Chickillo (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
Rapoport notes that Edwards could come back on the practice squad, and also that the Saints had tried moving him in trade talks this week. A second round pick of the Raiders back in 2015, he never lived up to his draft status. He was waived after three seasons in Oakland and signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Saints last offseason after spending 2018 with the Giants. He had three sacks with New Orleans last year.
Chickillo was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth-round in 2015, and spent the first five years of his career with Pittsburgh. He signed a two-year, $8MM extension in March of 2019, but was released earlier this offseason. He signed with the Saints in May, but couldn’t make it out of camp. The Miami product was mostly a reserve and special teams guy with the Steelers.
Seahawks Release WR Paul Richardson
Paul Richardson‘s reunion with the Seahawks turned out to be brief. Just about a week after inking a deal with Seattle Richardson has been released, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Seahawks’ re-signing of Josh Gordon a couple of days ago must’ve made Richardson expendable. Seattle originally drafted the Colorado product in the second round back in 2014. Injuries and vets ahead of him on the depth chart limited his effectiveness his first few years, but he broke out in 2017.
That season he showed great promise as a deep threat, catching 44 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns. The career year came right as he was hitting free agency, and inspired Washington to give him a five-year, $40MM contract.
That was a disaster nearly immediately, as injuries limited him to just 17 games over two years with the team and he failed to top 262 yards in either campaign. Washington released him earlier this year and he was hoping to jumpstart his career back where it started. Now it appears his comeback will have to begin elsewhere.
Bears Release K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos‘ time in Chicago didn’t last long. Just a couple weeks after signing with the Bears, the veteran kicker has been informed of his release, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
That being said, that doesn’t mean Santos won’t end up kicking for the team. Kicker Eddy Pineiro has been sidelined by a groin injury, and Biggs writes the team just wanted to have him make the initial 53 so he wouldn’t have to be lost for the season by going on injured reserve. Biggs doesn’t think Pineiro will be ready to kick Week 1, and he thinks the plan may be to re-sign Santos after the weekend and have him kick against Detroit.
Kicking has been a sore spot for the Bears the last few years, and it looks like things are up in the air yet again. Santos was the Chiefs’ kicker from 2014-17, but was replaced following an injury and has bounced around the league since. He spent a couple weeks with Chicago toward the end of the 2017 season, so there’s plenty of familiarity here.
Browns Get Down To 53
The Browns became the second team after the Panthers to officially announce their initial 53-man roster, waiving 24 players to get down. Here’s everybody they cut, with a recap on some notables at the bottom:
- QB Kevin Davidson
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- RB Benny LeMay
- FB Johnny Stanton
- WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
- WR Damion Ratley
- WR Taywan Taylor
- T Brady Aiello
- T Alex Taylor (waived/injured)
- C Jon Toth
- G Michael Dunn
- G Willie Wright
- DE Robert McCray
- DE Chad Thomas
- DT Daniel Ekuale
- LB Solomon Ajayi
- LB Willie Harvey
- LB Montrel Meander
- CB A.J. Green
- CB Robert Jackson
- CB Donovan Olumba
- S Elijah Benton
- S Javonte Moffatt
One of the biggest names on this list is Thomas, who the Browns drafted 67th overall in 2018. He barely played as a rookie, but he started eight games and had four sacks last year. The Browns are loaded along the defensive line, so it would’ve been tough for him to find snaps. He’s a definite practice squad candidate assuming he doesn’t get claimed.
Taylor flashed some potential with the Titans and had 466 yards with Tennessee in 2018, but failed to make a dent after getting traded to Cleveland last year. Ratley is another receiver who got cut, and he started three games each of the past two years. The 2018 sixth-rounder from Texas A&M had 200 yards and a touchdown last season.
Gilbert spent last season as Baker Mayfield‘s backup after he lit it up in the ill-fated AAF, but he was made expendable by the offseason addition of Case Keenum. He should get another shot elsewhere or on the practice squad.
Texans Release OL Greg Mancz
The Texans are saying farewell to a former full-time starter on their offensive line. In a bit of a surprise Houston has released center Greg Mancz, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Mancz signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent, and carved out a very nice run. He ended up starting all 16 games for them in 2016, and seven the following year. He signed a two-year extension worth $6MM right before the start of the 2018 campaign, but ended up making it through only one year of that deal.
The Texans gradually sought to improve their offensive line to give Deshaun Watson better protection, and Mancz was ultimately squeezed out. He started four games in 2018 which was reduced to just one last year. Houston decided the Toledo product was a bit expensive as a pure backup, although it’s possible he’s brought back at some point down the line.
Eagles Cut CB Rasul Douglas
The Eagles’ overhaul of their secondary is continuing. Just moments after it was reported they were cutting cornerback Sidney Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that they were axing fellow corner Rasul Douglas.
Like Jones, Douglas started a handful of games last year, but apparently didn’t have a role in this new-look unit that acquired guys like Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman this offseason. Douglas was a third-round pick back in 2017, and he started at least five games in all three of his seasons with the team. He won Super Bowl LII as a rookie, although he didn’t see any time at corner in that game.
The West Virginia product was always up and down, and the Eagles clearly want to start fresh in the back half of their defense. The secondary has been a consistent issue the past couple of years, although certainly Douglas can’t be blamed for all of it.
He just turned 25 last week, and with his starting experience should be signed pretty soon by a team in need of corner help. He had 10 passes defended last year, with three interceptions the year before.
Eagles Cut CB Sidney Jones, DE Shareef Miller
The Eagles are making a couple of very notable cuts as they trim down to 53. Philadelphia has let go of cornerback Sidney Jones and defensive end Shareef Miller, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter links).
Jones has had some tough luck. A surefire first-round pick in 2017 out of Washington, he tore his Achilles at his pro day and ended up falling to the 43rd pick where the Eagles scooped him up. He did win a Super Bowl with the team that year, although he was inactive for the playoffs and only played in the Week 17 finale. He went on to appear in 21 and start eight games over the past two years, but could never quite recover to his pre-injury form.
He also dealt with additional health issues, missing time due to hamstring injuries in each of the past two seasons. The fact he couldn’t ever establish himself in Philly’s frequently woeful secondaries may have been a red flag.
Miller was drafted in the fourth-round just last year. It’s clear they never felt great about picking the Penn State product, as he appeared in only one game as a rookie. Both players could be candidates for the practice squad should they clear waivers.