Minor NFL Transactions: 6/8/21
Today’s minor moves:
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Amari Henderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Travis Toivonen
Tennessee Titans
- Released from injured reserve: OL Anthony McKinney
QB Jake Dolegala Participating At Packers Minicamp As Tryout Player
The Packers are considering adding another quarterback to the mix. Jake Dolegala has been participating at Green Bay minicamp on a tryout basis, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Aaron Rodgers won’t be attending minicamp as his standoff with the organization continues, so Matt LaFleur and co. apparently wanted to add another arm to the mix. It’s not like the Packers had an empty depth chart; the team already brought in Blake Bortles and Kurt Benkert as free agents to pair with 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love. If Rodgers does return, Dolegala would find himself fifth on the depth chart.
Dolegala was a four-year starter at Central Connecticut, and he ultimately became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. During his senior season, he completed 61-percent of his passes for 2,221 yards and 16 touchdowns vs. only six interceptions, and that performance earned him a contract from the Bengals as a 2019 undrafted free agent. He ended up sitting on the team’s 53-man roster for the entirety of the 2019 campaign.
The quarterback was cut by the Bengals at the end of the 2020 preseason, and he spent much of the 2020 season bouncing on and off the Patriots practice squad. He was ultimately waived by New England back in April.
Seahawks S Ryan Neal Signs ERFA Tender
Ryan Neal is officially under contract. The Seahawks safety signed his exclusive rights free agent tender today, the team announced.
The 2018 undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois bounced between the Eagles and Falcons to begin his career, but he found a home in Seattle in 2019. After appearing in only three games during his first year in Seattle, he took on a significantly larger role in 2020.
The 25-year-old started four games while filling in for Jamal Adams, and he finished the campaign having appeared in 13 games and 34-percent of his team’s defensive snaps. His final stat line included 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, five passes defended, and a pair of interceptions, including one that helped clinch a Week 3 victory over the Cowboys.
The Seahawks will return a similar depth chart in 2021. Neal will likely serve as Adams’ primary backup at strong safety, with Ugo Amadi and LaDarius Wiley waiting in the wings.
Broncos Sign LB Peter Kalambayi
The Broncos added linebacker Peter Kalambayi today, the team announced. To make room on the roster, the Broncos waived defensive back Chris Cooper.
Kalambayi, a 2018 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, ended up seeing time in 41 games for the Texans between 2018 and 2020. He had 31 combined tackles during his rookie and sophomore seasons, and while he saw the majority of his field time on special teams, he still played 122 defensive snaps during those two campaigns. The linebacker saw a lesser role on defense in 2020, appearing in only 10 snaps. As a result, Kalambayi was limited to only a pair of tackles.
The 25-year-old was waived by Houston back in February. He’ll compete with the likes of Pita Taumoepenu and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper for a role as a weakside linebacker and special teamer.
Cooper, a former undrafted free agent out of Stony Brook, has yet to see time in an NFL game. He’s had stints on the practice squads of the Bengals, Chiefs, Falcons, and Broncos.
WFT Signs DT Gabe Wright, OL Najee Toran
WFT added players on both sides of the ball today. Washington announced that they’ve signed both defensive tackle Gabe Wright and offensive lineman Najee Toran.
Wright has bounced around the NFL since being selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, spending time with six different teams. The last time he saw the field for an NFL game was 2018 when he got into a pair of contests with the Raiders. Since that time, he’s had a cameo in the XFL and a short stint with the Jaguars. After joining Jacksonville’s practice squad in December, he was waived by the team back in March.
In total, the 29-year-old has seen time in 15 games (one start), collecting 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. This could very well be Wright’s last chance at an NFL gig, and there’s a chance he sticks around the roster as defensive line depth.
Toran, 25, went undrafted out of UCLA in 2018. He spent most of his rookie and sophomore seasons on the 49ers and Patriots practice squads (respectively), and after sitting out the 2020 campaign, he was waived by New England in May.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/21
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: G Marquel Harrell
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: TE Nick Guggemos
Tennessee Titans
- Reverted to IR: OT Anthony McKinney
49ers Cut CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
After adding one defensive back earlier today, the 49ers are letting go of another. San Francisco has waived cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun, reports Cam Inman of The Mercury News (via Twitter).
[RELATED: 49ers To Sign Tony Jefferson]
Boddy-Calhoun joined the 49ers practice squad last December, and he ended up appearing on 16 special teams snaps in Week 14. He re-signed with the organization back in March, but the addition of Tony Jefferson (along with the selection of third-round rookie Ambry Thomas) made Boddy-Calhoun expendable.
The 28-year-old cornerback has spent time with five organizations during his five-year career, including the Jaguars, Browns, Texans, Colts, and 49ers. He appeared in 43 games (21 starts) for Cleveland between the 2016 and 2018 seasons, collecting 138 tackles, three interceptions, and 19 passes defended. He’s appeared in only four games since leaving the Browns in 2019.
With Boddy-Calhoun out of the picture, the likes of Ken Webster, Mark Fields II, and Tim Harris will have an increased chance of making the roster.
Packers President: Aaron Rodgers Situation “Has Divided Our Fan Base”
It doesn’t sound like the standoff between the Packers and Aaron Rodgers will be ending any time soon. We learned recently that the organization is holding firm on their stance they will not trade their 13-year starting quarterback, and Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy reinforced that sentiment in a column on the team website.
“The situation we face with Aaron Rodgers has divided our fan base,” Murphy wrote. “The emails and letters that I’ve received reflect this fact. As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond. We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better.”
We learned earlier this week that Rodgers is very likely to push his Wisconsin exit strategy into the late summer, with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports noting some close to the future Hall of Famer insist nothing has changed for him; Rodgers remains adamant he will not return to the Packers. The Packer are hoping they’ll call Rodgers’ bluff, although a a Carson Palmer-style pseudo-retirement has entered the equation.
With Rodgers having rebounded from multiple unremarkable seasons to win his third MVP, the 37-year-old passer has considerable trade value at this point. A realistic trade package is believed to require multiple first-round picks and one or multiple established starters. With or without a quarterback coming back in a trade, the Packers can be expected to land a haul for Rodgers — if they decide to entertain offers.
Julio Jones Wants To Play With “Big-Armed QB”
Another day, another update on Julio Jones. This time, we’re learning more about what Jones is seeking from a potential suitor. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that while the wideout naturally wants to play with a contender, he also wants to play with a “big-armed QB that can deliver the deep ball.”
Jones has established himself as one of the most prolific deep threats in recent history, finishing with more than 1,300 receiving yards for six-straight seasons between 2014 and 2019. The wideout was limited to only nine games and 771 receiving yards in 2020, but his yards per reception were still on par with his career marks.
We learned this past week that the Ravens and Rams are probably out of the Jones sweepstakes, leaving the Seahawks, Titans, Patriots, and 49ers among the (reported) remaining suitors. Would the likes of Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Cam Newton/Mac Jones, and/or Trey Lance/Jimmy Garoppolo qualify as “big-armed” QBs? It’s definitely hard to make an argument for some of those guys.
One of the Falcons’ main reasons for considering a Jones trade is because of the wideout’s hefty salary (paired with the team’s current cap issues). The team still hasn’t inked any of their rookies (including fourth-overall pick Kyle Pitts) to contracts, but Fowler tweets that several of the agents of these rookies are aware that the team is in a bit of a holding pattern. The team is currently sitting with only $446K in cap space.
WFT RB Antonio Gibson Still Dealing With Toe Injury
Antonio Gibson is still dealing with a toe injury that knocked him out of two games last season. The WFT running back told reporters that he’s still a bit hobbled, but he’s been able to participate in recent practices.
“It was something small that was causing me not to be able to run 100 percent,” Gibson said, (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post on Twitter). “But I’m fine now. I’ve been cutting in practice … and getting better each day. … Definitely something to monitor. I’ve been fine like I said. I’ve been cutting and running full speed, making cuts I need to make. … But I definitely got to watch and make sure I stay up on my treatment, so nothing goes south. But definitely watching throughout the time until I’m 100 percent.”
The fact that the coaching staff isn’t sitting Gibson is obviously a good sign, and assuming the 22-year-old running back fully recovers, he should be able to build on a standout rookie season. The third-round pick ended up finishing his season with 1,042 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. He missed Week 14 and Week 15 as he dealt with the toe injury.
If Gibson is forced to miss any time, Washington has a long list of veteran RBs who they could fall back on. The team is rostering the likes of J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, and Lamar Miller.