Chargers To Release Dwight Lowery
The Chargers will release veteran safety Dwight Lowery, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Lowery had been competing with Tre Boston for the Los Angeles’ starting safety job opposite Jahleel Addae, and appears to have lost the battle. The Chargers also invested draft picks in their secondary, as they added both Desmond King and Rayshawn Jenkins this spring.
The 31-year-old Lowery started all 16 games for the Chargers a season ago, racking up 60 tackles and one interception in the process. He had two years left on his contract, and Los Angeles will incur $500K in dead money in each of the next two seasons as a result of Lowery’s release.
Bears Place RB Ka’Deem Carey On IR
The Bears will place running back Ka’Deem Carey on injured reserve, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Because he’s being shifted to IR before making Chicago’s initial 53-man roster, Carey isn’t a candidate to return later this year.
Carey, a fourth-round pick in 2014, has appeared in 36 games over three season with the Bears, but has only made one career starter. Last season, the 24-year-old averaged 3.9 yards per carry on 32 touches. While he won’t play for Chicago in 2017, it’s possible Carey agrees to an injury settlement and becomes a free agent.
The Bears are set at running back without Carey, as starer Jordan Howard is backed up by Jeremy Langford and rookie Tarik Cohen.
Patriots To Acquire DB Johnson Bademosi
The Patriots have agreed to acquire defensive back Johnson Bademosi from the Lions, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit will pick up New England’s 2019 sixth-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Badedmosi, 27, started the first three games of his career in 2016, as he’s been mostly a reserve and special teamer through five NFL seasons. In 2016, Bademosi played on roughly a quarter of Detroit’s defensive snaps but saw action on more than half the club’s special teams plays. He’s entering the final season of a two-year deal and will make $1.3MM in base salary in 2017.
The Patriots are typically field one of the league’s best special teams units, so Bademosi will fit in nicely. Last year, New England ranked eighth in special teams DVOA. The Patriots had interest in signing Bademosi before he landed with the Lions last year, tweets Michael Lomardi of the Ringer.
Giants To Waive TE Will Tye
The Giants will waive tight end Will Tye, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Tye, 27, had started 17 games for New York over the past two seasons. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, Tye has averaged 45 receptions, 430 yards, and two touchdowns per year. Because he’s not a vested veteran, he’ll go on waivers and can be claimed by any club.
The Giants used a first-round pick on tight end Evan Engram earlier this year, a move which spelled Tye’s departure. Other tight ends on New York’s roster include free agent acquisition Rhett Ellison and 2016 sixth-rounder Jerell Adams.
Broncos To Release T.J. Ward
The Broncos will release safety T.J. Ward, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Denver had been expected to cut Ward if it couldn’t find a trade partner.
Ward, 30, had been entering the final year of his contract, which would’ve paid him $4.5MM in base salary. While none of that total was guaranteed, the Broncos will still absorb $1.25MM in dead money as a result of Ward’s signing bonus proration accelerating onto their salary cap.
Ward started 41 games over three seasons in Denver after inking a four-year deal with the club prior to the 2014 season. Last season, he made 14 appearances, totaling one interception and one sack while ranking as the NFL’s No. 48 safety, per Pro Football Focus. Ward’s 75.9 grade was the worst mark of his career.
With Ward out of the picture, the Broncos will turn to Justin Simmons to start at safety opposite Darian Stewart. Simmons was a third-round pick in 2016 and made three starts during his rookie campaign.
Chiefs To Cut OL Andrew Tiller
The Chiefs will waive offensive lineman Andrew Tiller, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
The writing was on the wall for Tiller, who signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs this summer, after Kansas City acquired former first-round offensive lineman Cameron Erving from the Browns this week. Erving and Parker Ehringer figure to be the top backups to starting guards Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Zach Fulton.
Tiller, 28, has started 14 games over the past two seasons, both of which he spent in San Francisco. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 43 ranked guard last season, earning nearly even marks for pass blocking and run blocking.
Bears Waive Roberto Aguayo
The Bears have waived kicker Roberto Aguayo, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Veteran Connor Barth will be Chicago’s kicker in 2017.
Aguayo joined the Bears last month after Chicago made the curious decision to claim the former second-round pick off waivers from the Buccaneers. While giving a young kicker an opportunity wasn’t a bad idea on its face, the Bears took on Aguayo’s $428K salary guarantee, a total they’ll now be forced to absorb as dead money.
Aguayo, of course, posted subpar numbers in 2016 after being drafted in the second round, making only 22-of-31 field goal attempts (71%) and missing two extra points. That performance, combined with his struggles in camp and the preseason, was enough for Tampa Bay to thrown in the towel, despite having traded up in the draft to select him a year ago.
Chiefs To Place Tamba Hali On PUP
The Chiefs will place linebacker Tamba Hali on reserve/PUP, meaning he will miss the first six games of the season, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Kansas City hasn’t released information on Hali’s specific injury, and Paylor speculates that the decision to place Hali on PUP could be a way to conserve the veteran for later in the season. The Chiefs will face several difficult opponents during the first six games of the year, however, as the club has games against the Patriots, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, Texans, and Steelers.
Hali, 33, appeared in all 16 games for the Chiefs a season ago and played on roughly half the club’s defensive snaps. However, he finished with only 3.5 sacks, his lowest total since 2008. With Hali sidelined, Dee Ford will see even more action opposite Justin Houston at outside linebacker.
Dolphins OL Ted Larsen To Return From IR
Dolphins offensive lineman Ted Larsen is expected to return from injured reserve later this season, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
NFL clubs are now allowed to bring two players off injured reserve, and aren’t forced to designate those players as return options when the original transaction occurs. However, any player who might be an option to come off IR at some point must be carried through to his team’s initial 53-man roster. Miami, then, will have to place Larsen on its roster before shifting him to IR on Sunday.
Larsen, who signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins this spring, is dealing with a torn biceps. The 30-year-old veteran, who boasts 65 career starts, will be in contention for Miami’s starting left guard job when he returns. The Dolphins already lost interior offensive line depth last week when they released Kraig Urbik, who was also sidelined by injury.
Bengals To Release Eric Winston, Wallace Gilberry
The Bengals are expected to release offensive lineman Eric Winston and defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cincinnati will go with a youth movement along its offensive line, both in the starting lineup and further down the depth chart. Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher are the club’s starting tackles, while youngsters such as Christian Westerman and J.J. Dielman should make the roster. Winston, the NFLPA president, appeared in all 16 games for the Bengals a season ago, but started only two contests.
Gilberry, meanwhile, originally signed with the Lions last year but found his way back to the Bengals at midseason. The 32-year-old ultimately played in five games for Cincinnati. Rookies Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis, plus trade acquisition Chris Smith, will take over backup edge rushing responsibilities in the Queen City.