Workout Notes: Ravens, Lions, Chiefs, Bills
The latest workouts from around the NFL:
- Quarterback David Fales visited the Ravens on Monday, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Jamison Hensley). Fales spent the first two years of his career in Chicago after it selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. The former San Jose State signal-caller worked under then-head coach Marc Trestman as a rookie. Trestman is now the Ravens’ offensive coordinator.
- The Lions tried out tight ends Nic Jacobs and Marcel Johnson on Monday, per Yates. Both Jacobs and Jensen were previously with Jacksonville. They have four career catches between them.
- The Chiefs auditioned cornerback Robertson Daniel on Monday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Daniel, a former BYU Cougar, has spent time with Oakland and Green Bay since going undrafted last year.
- The Bills tried out tight end Rory “Busta” Anderson, a source told Yates. Anderson was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers last year. He didn’t see any game action as a rookie.
- Linebacker Luke Rhodes has a Tuesday workout with the Jaguars, according to Draft Diamonds (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). Rhodes went undrafted out of William & Mary before hooking on with the Buccaneers, who waived him Friday.
- The Packers took a look at tight end Steven Scheu, relays Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Patriots cut Scheu, undrafted from Vanderbilt, in camp.
49ers Claim Taylor Hart From Eagles, Waive L.J. McCray
The 49ers have claimed defensive tackle Taylor Hart off waivers from the Eagles, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area (Twitter link). Additionally, San Francisco has waived safety L.J. McCray.
Hart joins Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner as the third 49ers defensive lineman who attended Oregon, where new head coach Chip Kelly was at the helm from 2009-12. Hart played under Kelly during the latter’s final three seasons with the Ducks and then reunited with Kelly in Philadelphia. The Eagles chose Hart in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, but he didn’t debut until last season. In 14 games (one start), Hart tallied 27 tackles.
San Francisco had a deal in place over the weekend to send McCray to the NFC West rival Seahawks for a late-round pick in 2018, but it fell through after he failed a physical. As a result, the 49ers won’t get anything for McCray, an undrafted free agent in 2014 who appeared in 22 games with the club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raiders Place Mario Edwards On IR
The Raiders have placed defensive lineman Mario Edwards on injured reserve, Adam Caplan of ESPN was among those to report (Twitter link). Edwards suffered a hip injury during the team’s exhibition opener last month and will now miss at least the first eight games of the regular season.
Injuries have been a common theme in the brief NFL career of Edwards, whom the Raiders chose in the second round of last year’s draft. The ex-Florida State Seminole suffered a mysterious neck injury that prematurely ended his rookie season, and he didn’t receive medical clearance to return until May.
When healthy, Edwards served as a bright spot for the Raiders last year, racking up 42 tackles, three forced fumbles and two sacks in 14 games. He worked at both end and tackle along the way and rated as one of Pro Football Focus’ best run-stoppers among edge defenders. Edwards figured to complement superstar Khalil Mack and new acquisition Bruce Irvin in an improved Raiders pass rush this year, but the club will have to wait until at least November to see the trio in action at the same time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Acquire Rod Streater, Trim Roster To 53
12:25pm: Maiocco tweets that McCray is likely to be placed on waivers following the failed trade.
MONDAY, 9:40am: McCray reportedly failed his physical, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicates (via Twitter) that the deal is off. The safety was originally traded to the Seahawks for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2018.
The safety is set to go back to the 49ers for the time being. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that McCray is recovering from a torn ACL and is likely to be released.
SUNDAY, 5:30pm: The wideout announced that he’s officially been dealt to the 49ers, while CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco tweets that Streater presumably passed his physical.
SATURDAY, 4:14pm: The 49ers announced they they’ve acquired wide receiver Rod Streater from the Chiefs. Streater had spent his career in Oakland before signing with Kansas City, and now he’ll head back to the Bay Area with a chance to make an impact in a depleted WR corps.
San Francisco also announced that they’ve traded safety L.J. McCray to the Seahawks. The compensation involved in both deals has not been announced.
Cut:
- DL Garrison Smith (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area)
- DL B.J. McBryde (Twitter link via Maiocco)
- DT Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee)
- LB Corey Lemonier (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com)
- WR Devon Cajuste (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- RB Kelvin Taylor (Twitter link via Schefter)
- TE Je’Ron Hamm (Twitter link via Branch)
- LB Shayne Skov (Twitter link via Branch)
- OT Colin Kelly (Twitter link via Maiocco)
- WR Dres Anderson
- OL Alex Balducci
- OL Fahn Cooper
- QB Jeff Driskel
- RB DuJuan Harris
- CB Prince Charles Iworah
- OL Norman Price
- LB Marcus Rush
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Ryan Whalen
- WR DeAndrew White
Lemonier was the 49ers’ third-round pick in 2013, but he never made much of an impact in San Francisco. In 42 games (two starts), Lemonier picked up 37 tackles and a sack.
Carson Wentz To Start Eagles’ Opener
MONDAY, 10:35am: Doug Pederson announced that Wentz would indeed be starting the Eagles’ season opener (via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Zach Berman on Twitter).
SATURDAY, 12:07pm: It appears the Carson Wentz era will begin much earlier than expected in Philadelphia. As long as Wentz has recovered from his rib injury by Week 1, he’ll start the Eagles’ opener against the Browns, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wentz missed nearly all of the preseason after suffering a hairline fracture in his ribs during the Eagles’ exhibition opener Aug. 11. 
Wentz, for whom the Eagles moved up in the draft to pick second overall, was not supposed to play much of a role this year with both Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel ahead of him on the club’s depth chart. However, that changed when the Eagles traded Bradford to the Vikings on Saturday for multiple draft choices, including a first-round pick next year.
Daniel, meanwhile, isn’t happy with the Eagles’ decision to turn to Wentz, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The longtime backup with the Saints and Chiefs joined the Eagles on a three-year deal in free agency during the winter, but he failed to impress in the preseason and will now serve as a reserve to Wentz, an ex-North Dakota State star.
Photo via PFR on Instagram.
Saints Move Roster To 53
The Saints have now announced their full list of transactions that bring them down to 53 players.
Cut:
- OL Khalif Barnes (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate)
- OL Tyrus Thompson (Twitter link via Herbie Teope of NOLA.com)
- OT Tony Hills (Twitter link via Underhill)
- FB Austin Johnson (Twitter link via Underhill)
- S Trae Elston (Twitter link via Joel Erickson of the Advocate)
- DE Bobby Richardson (Twitter link via Underhill)
- CB Brian Dixon (Twitter link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com)
- C Jack Allen (Twitter link via Underhill)
- K Connor Barth (Twitter link via Underhill)
- RB Travaris Cadet (Twitter link via Underhill)
- TE Garrett Griffin (Twitter link via Erickson)
- DE Darryl Tapp
- DL C.J. Wilson
- WR Jordan Williams-Lambert
- G John Fullington
- LB Jeff Schoettmer
- WR Jake Lampman
- C Marcus Henry
- LB Davis Tull
- DE Chris McCain (story)
Placed on IR:
Barnes signed with the Saints last Sunday, meaning his stay in New Orleans lasted less than a week. In 11 NFL seasons, the 34-year-old has seen action in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Barnes lost his starting job in Oakland last season, but still appeared in 14 games.
Cardinals’ Roster Now At 53
The Cardinals will release defensive lineman Red Bryant, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN (on Twitter). The 32-year-old Bryant, who was previously a starter in Seattle and Jacksonville, played sparingly in six games with the Cardinals last season. The club brought him back on a one-year deal in March, but he wasn’t able to crack its roster.
Arizona will also cut receiver Brittan Golden, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and waive/injured pass rusher Tristan Okpalaugo, according to his agent, Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
The club’s full list of cuts is as follows:
- QB Matt Barkley
- DT Red Bryant
- S Matthias Farley
- WR Brittan Golden
- CB Trevon Hartfield
- WR Chris Hubert
- CB Harlan Miller
- TE Ifeanyi Momah
- RB Elijhaa Penny
- T Givens Price
- LB Shaq Riddick
- TE Hakeem Valles
- CB Ronald Zamort
Broncos Make Aqib Talib Available?
In surprising news, the Broncos are willing to trade star cornerback Aqib Talib if the right offer comes along, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN (Twitter link). For what it’s worth, GM John Elway denied the report when addressing the media on Saturday.
The 30-year-old Talib, a former Buccaneer and Patriot, has been a stalwart in Denver since joining the team before the 2014 season. Talib has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two Broncos campaigns and was an integral part of their Super Bowl-winning squad last season. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder has started in all 30 of his regular-season appearances with the club and totaled seven interceptions and four defensive touchdowns along the way. For his work in 2015, Pro Football Focus rated Talib 30th among 111 qualified corners.
While Talib has been successful on the gridiron, off-field issues have clouded his career at times. The latest problem came just under three months ago when Talib suffered a gunshot wound either at a Dallas nightclub or at a park during the early morning hours of June 5. Talib told police he was “too intoxicated” to remember how he was shot. As of mid-August, they were still investigating the incident.
Regardless of what happens with the police investigation, the NFL could punish Talib down the line. Commissioner Roger Goodell is not a fan of firearms, and the fact that Talib was intoxicated — and a has a history with weapons – will likely factor into any disciplinary decision. It’s still something of an open question as to whether Talib will face legal consequences in addition to NFL penalties.
Talib still has three years remaining on his contract. He’s set to earn an $11MM salary this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Move Roster To 53
The Chargers have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:
- OLB Ben Gardiner (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
- CB Trevor Williams (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- WR Dom Williams (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- FB Chris Swain (Twitter link via Gehlken)
- WR Rasheed Bailey (injured)
- QB Mike Bercovici
- T Brett Boyko
- RB Gus Johnson
- S Adrian McDonald
- ILB Shaq Petteway (injured)
- OLB James Vaughters
Reserve/Suspended:
Exempt
- DE Joey Bosa
Chiefs Move Roster To 53
The Chiefs have moved their roster to 53 by cutting the following players:
- RB Darrin Reaves (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- ILB Terrance Smith (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- S Shak Randolph (Twitter link via Paylor)
- DL Jimmy Staten (Twitter link via Paylor)
- TE Brian Parker (Twitter link via Paylor)
- OL Jarrod Pughsley (Twitter link via Paylor)
- C/OG Daniel Munyer (link via Paylor)
- DT David King (Twitter link via Paylor)
- LB Tyrell Adams
- WR Frankie Hammond Jr.
- QB Kevin Hogan
- QB Aaron Murray
- C Daniel Munyer
- T Zach Sterup
- S Brock Vereen
The Chiefs also traded WR Rod Streater to the 49ers. Reaves was also a late cut by the Chiefs this time last year. KC signed him to the taxi squad in October of 2015 and he later inked a future/reserve deal with the team in January 2016.