Cowboys Announce Roster Cuts
In addition to releasing veteran kicker Dan Bailey, the Cowboys have made several other moves in order to move their roster to 53 players:
Cut:
- K Dan Bailey
- WR Deonte Thompson
- WR Lance Lenoir Jr.
- WR Darren Carrington
- WR MeKale McKay
- WR K.D. Cannon
- WR Dres Anderson
- OL Kyle Bosch
- OL Matthew Diaz
- OL Chaz Green
- OL Damien Mama
- OL Jacob Ohnesorge
- OL Jake Campos
- TE David Wells
- RB Bo Scarbrough
- RB Darius Jackson
- RB Trey Williams
- RB Jordan Chunn
- CB Marquez White
- CB Duke Thomas
- CB Donovan Olumba
- S Marqueston Huff
- S Kam Kelly
- S Jeron Johnson
- S Dominick Sanders
- LB Eric Pinkins
- LB Tre’Von Johnson
- LB Joel Lanning
- LB Kyle Quiero
- DL Kony Ealy
- DL Lewis Neal
- DL Austin Larkin
- DL Charles Tapper
- DL Jihad Ward
- DL Caruan Reid
- LS Scott Daly
Green, a former third-round pick, has struggled mightily in his effort to become Dallas’ third offensive tackle. Ward, for his part, was acquired in exchange for wide receiver Ryan Switzer earlier this year.
Raiders To Release Martavis Bryant
The Raiders will release wide receiver Martavis Bryant, who is facing another drug-related suspension, per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bryant is currently appealing his upcoming ban.
Oakland gave up the 79th overall pick in this year’s draft to obtain Bryant from the Steelers, but will be moving on from the talented receiver without him ever playing a down for the team. Bryant appears to be facing a second indefinite suspension, something that would be incredibly hard to come back from.
If Bryant doesn’t win his appeal and is suspended indefinitely for a second time, it could be the end of his NFL career. It would be an incredibly sad ending to what was a very promising career. Bryant always flashed dynamic play-making ability in Pittsburgh but could never stay out of trouble off the field.
When he returned from his previous indefinite ban last year, he quickly clashed with the Steelers’ coaching staff. Unhappy with his reduced role with the team, Bryant demanded a trade. The Steelers finally found a take in Oakland, and clearly won this trade. Bryant has 17 touchdowns in just 36 career games, but will have a very long road ahead of him if he hopes to ever make it back.
Rams Announce Roster Cuts
The Rams have become the latest team to trim their roster to 53 by making the following transactions:
Waived:
- DB Dominique Hatfield
- TE Temarrick Hemingway
- WR Khadarel Hodge
- TE Henry Krieger-Coble
- WR Steven Mitchell
- DB Steven Parker
- QB Luis Perez
- LB Ejuan Price
- DB Ramon Richards
- RB Larry Rose
Waived/injured:
Placed on PUP:
Vikings CB Terence Newman To Retire
Vikings cornerback Terence Newman has announced his retirement, the club announced today. Newman will join Minnesota’s coaching staff.
A 15-year veteran, Newman agreed to terms with the Vikings earlier this year on a one-year deal that would allow him to play an age-40 season. He will turn 40 in three days. Prior to this announcement, he was the NFL’s oldest defensive player.
Mike Zimmer coached Newman for most of his career, so it stands to reason the former first-round pick would be a quality addition to Minnesota’s staff. A 2003 Cowboys first-round pick, Newman played nine seasons in Dallas before latching in with Zimmer — his original DC with the Cowboys — with the Bengals in 2012. Newman caught on the with the Vikings in 2015, Zimmer’s second HC season, and served as first a starter then a nickel defender.
Newman’s 42 receptions represent the most among active players. The Kansas State product started 205 of the 221 career games he played and made two Pro Bowls — both for Cowboys playoff teams in the late 2000s.
One of four first-round picks among Minnesota’s cornerback contingent going into the preseason, Newman will step aside and let the younger highly valued cogs lead the Vikes’ coverage effort. Mike Hughes joins the Xavier Rhodes–Trae Waynes starting duo this year, and former second-rounder Mackensie Alexander is also still with the team.
Newman presumably will provide additional instruction to this group, only doing so in Vikings coaching gear rather than in shoulder pads.
Cowboys Cut K Dan Bailey
The Cowboys have released kicker Dan Bailey, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Bailey has been the Cowboys’ kicker for the last seven years, so the move is a stunner.
With Bailey out of the picture, the Cowboys will move forward with Nebraska product Brett Maher as their place kicker. Maher nailed a 57-yard field goal against the Texans the other night, and that moment may have influenced the Cowboys’ final decision.
Bailey, 30, nailed just 75% of his field goal tries last year, a career low. On the whole, however, he’s been outstanding for Dallas. In 2015, he led the league with a 93.8% field goal completion percentage. He’s also nailed 276 of 278 career extra point tries.
As a vested veteran, Bailey will hit the open market immediately without having to go through waivers.
Raiders To Acquire QB A.J. McCarron
The Raiders will acquire quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bills, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Buffalo will receive a fifth-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Bills signed McCarron to compete for their starting job this spring, but he quickly fell behind both Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden made clear that the team was in the market for a veteran backup quarterback and that they weren’t happy with the performances of returning players Connor Cook and E.J. Manuel. It’s unclear what the compensation is at this point, but it’s likely nothing more than a late round pick.
The Raiders haven’t announced all their cuts yet, but this means that at least one of Cook or Manuel will be sent packing, if not both. McCarron developed a reputation as one of the league’s better backups while holding Andy Dalton’s clipboard the past few seasons.
He was expected to have opportunities to start this offseason, but he was greeted with a quiet market in free agency. He didn’t draw much interest outside of Buffalo, and ended up signing a two-year deal there. The Bills will now move forward with Allen and Peterman, although they haven’t announced who will start between the two.
Ravens To Keep Robert Griffin III
The Ravens will keep quarterback Robert Griffin III on their initial 53-man roster, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Baltimore had reportedly been torn on keeping RG3, but he’ll now stick on the roster alongside starter Joe Flacco and first-round rookie Lamar Jackson. Griffin played well enough during the preseason that he forced the Ravens’ hand.
“He has played at a starting-caliber level in the games that he’s played, and he’s an experienced guy,” Harbaugh said, via Hensley. “I’d rather have him than not have him, for sure, but there are other factors that go into that and we’ll have to figure all that out. [GM] Ozzie [Newsome] ultimately will have to make that decision.”
Colts Cut John Simon
The Colts have released veteran edge rusher John Simon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus planned to play Simon at defensive end rather than middle or strongside linebacker. At 6’2″ and 260 pounds, that was perhaps too tall of an order for the veteran. Simon played well during the preseason after being listed as a potential roster cut during the summer, but Indy still decided to move on.
Simon signed a three-year, $14MM deal with the Colts just last year, but he had no guaranteed money remaining on his deal. The Colts will save $3.28MM against the cap by releasing Simon.
Raiders Cut DE Mario Edwards Jr.
The Raiders have cut defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). The 2015 second round pick lasted just three years in Oakland. 
It was reported yesterday that the Raiders were shopping Edwards, but obviously found no takers. Edwards has battled injuries and never shown the pass-rushing prowess he did in college that made him such a high draft pick.
Edwards entered the league very young as a 21-year-old rookie and missed most of his second season with a hip injury. Edwards bounced back last year as he started in each of his 14 appearances, and he set a new career high with 3.5 sacks. Apparently, he never impressed new head coach Jon Gruden this offseason and the team has now cut ties.
Due to his draft status and his age, Edwards should get another shot relatively quickly. While it’s not the end of the road for the former 35th overall pick, he’ll definitely need to start producing soon. The former Florida State Seminole will likely go unclaimed on waivers, as he carries a $1.255MM salary for this season under his current contract.
Ravens Waive WR Breshad Perriman
The Ravens have waived former first-round pick Breshad Perriman, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Perriman, the 26th overall selection in the 2015 draft, has never lived up to his draft billing, as injuries and ineffectiveness have prevented him from reaching his potential. After missing his entire rookie campaign, Perriman posted 33 receptions in 2016, but managed only 10 catches last year.
Baltimore added multiple free agent wideouts this offseason, including Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead, limiting the chance Perriman would make the club’s initial roster. Perriman will head to waivers, and could conceivably be claimed between now and Sunday.