Panthers Announce Roster Moves
The Panthers are the latest team to announced their initial wave of roster cuts. Carolina will need to make further transactions in order to comply with the 53-man roster maximum on Saturday.
The following players were cut by the Panthers today:
Released:
Waived:
- DT Tracy Sprinkle
- DE Sterling Bailey
- LB Richie Brown
- LB Chris Frey
- CB Ladarius Gunter
- S Demetrious Cox
- CB Alex Carter
- OT Blaine Clausell
- G Norman Price
- TE Cam Serigne
- WR Rasheed Bailey
- WR Bug Howard
- G Quinterrius Eatmon
- OT Adam Bisnowaty
- TE Evan Baylis
- TE Jason Reese
None of Carolina’s cuts should come as much of a surprise, although there was some thought Clausell might stick on the club’s roster given its injuries along the offensive line.
Lions Cut Sterling Moore, Others
The Lions have announced several transactions today in advance of Saturday’s roster cutdown deadline.
The following players have been cut:
Waived:
- WR Brian Brown
- DT Josh Fatu
- TE Marcus Lucas
- OL Jamar McGloster
- OL John Montelus
- WR Teo Redding
- DT Christian Ringo
- DE Jeremiah Valoaga
Released:
- DE Cam Johnson
- CB Dexter McDougle
- CB Sterling Moore
Placed on injured reserve:
Moore, 28, had just signed with Detroit earlier this month. A jack of all trades in the secondary, Moore has appeared in 75 career games with the Patriots, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Saints.
Vikings Announce Roster Cuts
The Viking announced today that they’ve begun the process of trimming their roster by cutting 14 players. Like all NFL teams, they’ll need to get down to 53 before Saturday afternoon.
The following players were cut by Minnesota today:
- WR Cayleb Jones
- WR Korey Robertson
- WR Jake Wieneke
- QB Peter Pujals
- LB Antwione Williams
- G Kaleb Jones
- G Kareem Are
- T Dieugot Joseph
- CB Trevon Mathis
- RB Kobe McCray
- FB Luke McNitt
- LB Mike Needham
- C J.P. Quinn
- LB Brett Taylor
Jones, notably, was not only arrested for assault this week, but is now suspended for the first four games of the season after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, tweets Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com.
Ravens Begin To Trim Roster
The Ravens have initiated the process of moving their roster to 53 players by announcing several transactions today. Baltimore’s roster now stands at 72 players following these moves:
Waived:
- DB Robertson Daniel
- OL Andrew Donnal
- OL Justin Evans
- TE Nick Keizer
- DE Christian LaCouture
- S Kai Nacua
- CB Jackson Porter
- WR DeVier Posey
- LS Trent Sieg
Waived/injured:
- LB Alvin Jones
Placed on injured reserve:
Placed on reserve/PUP (minimum six-game absence):
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo
- LB Bam Bradley
- CB Jaylen Hill
Texans Working Out CB Kayvon Webster
Free agent cornerback Kayvon Webster met with and worked out for the Texans on Sunday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Webster’s visit with Houston shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Schefter originally reported last week that Webster was set to sit down with the Texans, Bills, and Lions this week. Houston apparently arranged the Webster’s first visit, and given that no contract has yet been announced, it’s fair to assume the 27-year-old will continue his free agent tour.
Webster spent the first four years of his career as a reserve with the Broncos, but signed a two-year deal with the Rams last spring which reunited him with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. He started 11 games before going down in December with a torn Achilles, and played like a serviceable starter.
Although Pro Football Focus ranked Webster in the bottom half of its cornerback grades, Webster finished 31st among 81 CBs in Football Outsiders’ success rate, meaning he was effective at stopping wide receivers short of the sticks. FO also charted Webster with allowing 6.8 yard per pass, 38th among cornerbacks.
Given the timeline of his Achilles injury, the Texans will surely want to evaluate Webster’s current health. But he could potentially join a Houston cornerback depth chart that includes Johnathan Joseph, Aaron Colvin, and Kevin Johnson, adding depth in the secondary and on special teams.
Meanwhile, while a hypothetical reunion between Webster and his old Broncos club has been speculatively mentioned, Denver did not make Webster an offer before signing fellow cornerback Adam Jones earlier today, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7.
PFR Originals: 8/19/18 – 8/26/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff over the past week:
- The Raiders haven’t come close to reaching an extension with contract year edge rusher Khalil Mack, leading Sam Robinson to ask PFR readers if Oakland will end up trading the star defensive end. So far, the voting is extremely tight, as 50.41% of respondents believe Mack will be shipped out this year. Teams have reportedly inquired on the 27-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year, and the Jets are apparently among them.
Raiders Not Ruling Out Khalil Mack Trade
The Raiders have not “slammed the door” on the concept of trading edge rusher Khalil Mack, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who adds four unknown teams are “seriously” exploring a potential Mack acquisition.
A number of teams have reportedly inquired on Mack, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, but it sounds as though a small group of clubs are interested in taking talks to the next level. Any negotiations involving Mack would surely involve at least one first-round pick, but Florio reports Oakland is playing “coy” regarding its asking price.
As of late July, the Raiders hadn’t made Mack an offer. Mack, for his part, could be waiting for Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald to end his holdout and sign a contract making him the NFL’s highest-paid defender, a deal that Mack could then build upon and surpass. Oakland does not expect Mack to report to the club until he has a contract in hand.
Mack, 27, has been a wrecking ball since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. In 2017, Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the NFL’s seventh-best edge defender.
Thus far, the only team that’s been definitively linked to Mack is the Jets, who have asked about not only Mack, but Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler.
Titans Activate WR Rishard Matthews
The Titans have activated receiver Rishard Matthews from the physically unable to perform list and placed fellow pass-catcher Michael Campanaro on injured reserve, the club announced today.
Matthews reportedly underwent a meniscus operation earlier this month, but was expected to be removed from Tennessee’s PUP list at some point this week. The 28-year-old agreed to an odd one-year extension last week, a self-negotiated deal that will tack on what is essentially a 2019 option onto his current pact. Matthews can earn $7.75MM next season, but there’s no guaranteed money associated with that year.
In 2017 (his second season with the Titans), Matthews posted 53 receptions for 795 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were tops among Tennessee’s receivers. This year, Matthews is projected to start alongside 2017 first-rounder Corey Davis, while another 2017 rookie — third-round pick Taywan Taylor — should enter in three-wideout looks.
Campanaro, meanwhile, inked a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with the Titans in April, but rarely participated in either camp or Tennessee’s preseason contests. Primarily a return man, Campanaro could conceivably be released from injured reserve in the coming weeks if he works out a settlement with the Titans.
Vikings Acquire C Brett Jones From Giants
The Giants have traded center Brett Jones to the Vikings in exchange for a 2019 draft pick, New York announced. New York will acquire a 2019 seventh-round choice, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.
Minnesota is in desperate need of help on the interior of its offensive line, as projected starting guard Nick Easton is already done for the season after undergoing neck surgery, while center Pat Elflein has been on the physically unable to perform list for the duration of training camp. Elflein is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, but Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer says Elflein won’t begin the regular season on the PUP list, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
A former undrafted free agent, Jones started 13 games in place of the injured Weston Richburg a season ago. Jones, who joined the Giants in 2015 after spending time in the Canadian Football League, graded as the NFL’s No. 18 center among 37 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. However, the 26-year-old was expected to lose New York’s starting center job to Jon Halapio, making him expendable in the Giants’ view.
The Giants re-signed Jones this offseason on a one-year, $2.941MM second-round restricted free agent tender, and the Vikings will now assume the entirety of that contract. At last check, New York possessed only ~$1.5MM in cap space, so moving Jones and his salary off its books will give the club a little financial breathing room.
5 Key NFL Stories: 8/19/18 – 8/26/18
Redskins add Adrian Peterson. Washington is dealing with numerous injuries at the running back position (including a season-ender to rookie Derrius Guice), so the club opted to take a chance on Peterson, who signed for the league minimum. Peterson, 33, will compete with Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine for early-down work in the nation’s capital. He played in the Redskins’ Friday night preseason game, managing 56 yards on 11 rushes, and is considered a “stone-cold lock” to make Washington’s roster.
Former stars retire. Victor Cruz ended his career in a Bears uniform, but he’ll always be remembered for his excellent years with the Giants. From 2011 through 2013, the former undrafted free agent averaged 80 receptions 1,209 yards, and eight end zone salsa dances per season. Former Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson also hung up his cleats last week, retiring after an 11-year career with the Panthers. He’ll leave the NFL with 62.5 sacks, second in Carolina history to only Julius Peppers.
Dez rejects Browns’ offer. The Dez Bryant-to-Cleveland saga appears over, at least for now, after Bryant reportedly rejected the Browns’ offer, which was for less than $5MM. Cleveland is searching for another wideout to team with Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, and Antonio Callaway, and while Bryant came in for a meeting with the club recently, he couldn’t reach a deal with the Browns. However, Cleveland is still interested in Bryant, but presumably only at a price of its choosing.
Cowboys lose their center. Travis Frederick had been dealing stingers in his neck, but a recent diagnosis revealed an even more serious condition. Frederick has Guillain Barre Syndrome, a rare auto immune disease that is expected to cost him time. While Frederick is not expected to miss the entire season, he’s likely to be placed on injured reserve to begin the year. Such a transaction would sideline Frederick for at least eight games, but give him the opportunity to return later in 2018.
George Iloka reunites with Mike Zimmer. Three days after being unexpectedly released by the Bengals, Iloka signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. Instead of waiting out what has already been a stagnant safety market, lloka quickly landed with Minnesota, reuniting with Zimmer — formerly Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator — on a contract that will pay just the league minimum. Iloka figures to start over Andrew Sendejo with the Vikings, although both defenders could see action opposite Harrison Smith.