Vikings’ Roster Now At 75
The Vikings had already released center John Sullivan today, and now they’ve announced several other moves that bring them in at the 75-man deadline.
Waived/Injured:
Waived:
- WR Troy Stoudemire
Placed on reserve/non-football illness:
- OL Mike Harris
Harris, a former undrafted free agent, served an as offensive tackle during his two seasons with the Chargers. Harris played 12 games at right tackle for the Vikings in 2014, and he started all 16 games at guard this past season. He re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $2MM deal.
Saints Place Hau’oli Kikaha On PUP
The Saints still had a bit of work to do in order to comply with the league’s 75-man roster limit, and they’ve made a few final moves today. The club announced that it’s released defensive tackle C.J. Wilson; waived linebacker Tony Steward, tight end RaShaun Allen, and cornerback Brandon Dixon; placed defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha on PUP; and placed offensive lineman Avery Young on NFI.
[RELATED: Saints Release Matt Shaughnessy]
Wilson, 29, agreed to a one-year deal with New Orleans earlier this summer. The veteran defensive lineman has78 career games under his belt, with most of that time coming as a rotational option with Packers from 2010-2013. Wilson played in 12 contests in 2016 (eight with the Lions, four with the Raiders), and picked up nine total tackles to go along with one sack.
Kikaha, meanwhile, appeared in 15 games and made 11 starts for New Orleans in 2015. In that time, the 24-year-old racked up 4 sacks, 50 total tackles, two passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
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Patriots Release Ramon Humber
The Patriots have made several transactions to get their roster under the 75-man limit. In addition to placing Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer on PUP (moves that were previously reported), New England has made the following moves.
Released/Waived:
- LB Ramon Humber
- OL Keavon Milton
- TE Steven Scheu
Humber, 29, agreed to a one-year deal with the Pats earlier this year. He served as a key special teams cog for the Saints after they signed him during the 2010 season. Since signing with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in 2009, the 28-year-old has appeared in 92 regular-season games and made 18 starts at linebacker.
T.J. Yates Cleared To Return From ACL Injury
Free agent quarterback T.J. Yates has fully recovered from the ACL injury he suffered last season, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Yates is now available to sign with a new club.
After beginning his career in Houston, Yates was traded to Atlanta by the Texans in June of 2014. The former fifth-round pick spent the year playing behind Matt Ryan for the Falcons, and was re-signed by Atlanta in March. However, the team cut him prior to the 2015 season, opting for Sean Renfree as Ryan’s backup.
Yates, 29, re-signed with the Texans in midseason, and started two games for the club, completing 49% of his passes, 370 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception before tearing his ACL in a December contest.
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Seahawks To Waive Patrick Lewis
The Seahawks apparently didn’t find any takers for center Patrick Lewis, because the club has waived him today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Seattle had been trying to trade Lewis in recent days.
[RELATED: Seahawks Release Brandon Browner]
Lewis, 25, started nine games for the Seahawks last season. Seattle has been reshuffling its offensive line, and Justin Britt, who was formerly both a tackle and a guard, is now set to move to the middle, and early reports on the transition have been glowing. Lewis is entering the final year of his deal, and will earn $1.671MM for 2016.
Because Lewis was tendered as a restricted free agent, none of his base salary was guaranteed, meaning the Seahawks won’t incur any dead money with his release.
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Colts Move Roster To 74
The Colts announced that they’ve trimmed their roster to 74 players, one below the league-mandated maximum. Indy could potentially add another player between now and Saturday, if it so chooses.
Waived:
- LB Anthony Sarao
- CB Darius White
Placed on injured reserve:
Cowboys Place Jaylon Smith On NFI
The Cowboys have placed rookie linebacker Jaylon Smith on the non-football injury list, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. As such, Smith will not be able to play for at the first six weeks of the season. Of course, the odds are that Smith won’t play during the 2016 campaign at all as he recovers from a knee injury.
In late 2015, Smith was viewed as a potential top-10 selection in the upcoming draft. However, that all changed when the Notre Dame standout tore his ACL and MCL in January. To make things worse, Smith was also diagnosed with a nerve issue in his ankle. At that point, teams began to fear that the linebacker would require a “redshirt” season in the NFL. Even though multiple teams gave Smith a failing grade on his physical at the combine and subsequently removed him from their draft boards, the Cowboys felt that Smith’s potential was just too good to pass up.
In his junior season with the Fighting Irish, Smith totaled 115 tackles with 9.0 tackles for a loss and 1 sack. In the year prior, he put up a similar statline of 111 tackles, 9.0 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. If Smith spends the season on the NFI list, as expected, he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2020 instead of an unrestricted free agent.
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Patriots Shopping WR Aaron Dobson
The Patriots are trying to trade wide receiver Aaron Dobson, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Dobson has played 128 snaps this preseason, as Breer notes, allowing other clubs to get a good look at him.
[RELATED: Patriots Place Tre’ Jackson On PUP]
Dobson, 25, is a former second-round pick, but he’s never broken out since joining New England in 2013. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product has only posted 53 receptions for less than 700 yards. Most of that production came during his rookie season, as Dobson has put up only 16 catches during the past two years. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Dobson will earn about $872K in base salary.
The Patriots have already been active on the trade market in recent days, as they acquired Barkevious Mingo from the Browns and attempted to deal Bryan Stork to the Redskins. Stork, however, failed his physical, ending the trade.
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Chiefs LB Josh Mauga Done For Year
The Chiefs have lost linebacker Josh Mauga for the season due to a labral tear, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Chiefs Shopping QB Aaron Murray]
Mauga, 29, started 14 games for the Chiefs at inside linebacker, racking up 45 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. Over the past two seasons, Mauga has become an unheralded force in the middle of Kansas City’s defense, as he’s started 30 games during that period. He was especially valuable in 2014, when he filled for the injured leader Derrick Johnson. In 2015, Mauga graded as the No. 34 LB in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
Mauga is signed through the 2017 campaign, with cap hits of $2.7MM and $3.75MM in the next two years.
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Cowboys Receiving Calls On Darren McFadden
The Cowboys are getting phone calls from clubs interested in trading for running back Darren McFadden, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. However, Dallas is inclined to keep McFadden at this time.
[RELATED: Broncos Contact Cownboys About Mark Sanchez Trade]
Fourth overall pick Ezekiel Elliott is poised to take over the Cowboys’ starting running back job, and free agent signee Alfred Morris has performed well in camp. Pass-catching back Lance Dunbar, meanwhile, has come off the PUP list and will be ready for the start of the season, so Dallas could have trouble finding carries for McFadden.
Still, McFadden is a pretty valuable asset given that he rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season and will cost only $1.25MM in base salary. However, his health has always been a question mark, and he’s injured at the moment. McFadden is dealing with an elbow ailment and still hasn’t practiced this offseason.
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