Lions Place Brandon Pettigrew On PUP
The Lions have whittled their roster down to the league-mandated 75 players, as they’ve placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew and wide receiver Corey Fuller on the PUP list. Additionally, Detroit announced that it has waived cornerback Brandon McGee.
[RELATED: Lions Release Geoff Schwartz]
Pettigrew and Fuller will now be sidelined for the first six weeks of the season as they deal with their respective injuries. The Lions will then have an additional three-week window during which they can choose to activate the two pass-catchers. Pettigrew’s absence is especially concerning, given that fellow tight end Eric Ebron is recovering from an injury of his own, while Andrew Quarless is suspended for the first two games of the year.
McGee, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick of the Rams back in 2013. He’s bounced around the league since that time, as he’s also played for the Giants and Cowboys before signing with the Lions earlier this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Bosa, 49ers, Tebow, McPhee
Joey Bosa‘s switch in lead agents helped end the stalemate between him and the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Bosa’s camp shifted from Brian Ayrault to Todd France — each of whom work for CAA — after Ayrault rejected San Diego’s most recent offer. Because the club said it would only reduce its proposal from there, the agency decided to try a new strategy. “Good cop, bad cop,” one source told Gehlken.
Another key in ending the negotiations was the Chargers agreeing to language that would protect Bosa’s roster bonuses, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). The former Ohio State Buckeye will receive 85% of his signing bonus in 2016, and the rest in 2017, per Breer, which represents a compromise between the two sides.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The 49ers could choose to put quarterback Colin Kaepernick “on ice” in 2016 in order to ensure that his injury guarantees do not kick in, as Breer tweets. San Francisco would be employing a similar tactic used by the Redskins last year with Robert Griffin III. Kaepernick’s $11.9MM salary for the upcoming season is fully guaranteed, but a report this morning indicated that the club could still cut the sixth-year QB.
- Roughly half of MLB will be represented at Tim Tebow‘s baseball workout tomorrow, reports Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Prior to the start of the season, Tebow reportedly worked out for the Dodgers and the team showed some level of interest in him afterward. Of course, the former NFL quarterback faces an uphill climb as he hasn’t played baseball full-time since 2005.
- The Bears face a decision on linebacker Pernell McPhee in the coming days, as Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes. McPhee, who is dealing with a knee injury, is currently on the active/PUP list, and if he doesn’t come off said list by Saturday, he’d be forced to miss the first six weeks of the season. Chicago isn’t saying much about McPhee’s recovery, but it doesn’t look like McPhee will be able to contribute by Week 1.
- 2015 first-round pick Andrus Peat played primarily on the left side during his rookie year, so the Saints are now considering moving him from right guard to left guard, according to John DeShazier of the team’s website. If New Orleans does make the switch, veterans Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete would keep competing for the right guard spot.
Injury Notes: Lewis, Pruitt, Cooper, Marshall
The Steelers are still considering free agent cornerback Keenan Lewis, but it will take him at least a month to recover from hip and groin injuries, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That news jibes with at least one report earlier this month that indicated Lewis would need as much as six weeks to heal from his ailments. However, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that the Steelers were troubled by the medicals on Lewis’ hip when he visited the team recently.
Here’s more on the injury front:
- Although tight end MyCole Pruitt looked to have suffered a serious injury during yesterday’s preseason games, the second-year Viking will only miss two-to-four weeks with a sprained MCL, tweets Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. As such, Pruitt will likely miss at least the season opener, but he’ll return as Minnesota’s No. 2 tight end at some point early in the campaign.
- Rams rookie wide receiver Pharoh Cooper has a shoulder injury and will miss “a few weeks,” head coach Jeff Fisher yesterday told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. At minimum, Cooper will probably miss the season opener. Cooper, a fourth-round pick, had apparently been the favorite for the LA’s third receiver role (and could still be when he gets back to action).
- The Redskins will also lose a rookie for a short period of time, as seventh-round running back Keith Marshall will likely be out for three weeks, according to coach Jay Gruden (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post). However, Gruden added that Marshall could be placed on injured reserve, which would likely allow Washington to stash Marshall until 2017.
- The Buccaneers are expected to place WR/KR Donteea Dye on the waived/injured list with a hamstring issue, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Dye will need roughly a month to recover, but there’s a possibility could bring Dye back into the fold, tweets Laine (though it’s unclear if that means the club would bring him back off IR, or re-sign him after releasing him with an injury settlement).
Saints Trim Roster To 77
The Saints haven’t officially announced their roster cuts tonight, but Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the Advocate have rounded up the club’s moves (unless noted otherwise). By our count, these transaction leave the Saints with 77 players on their roster, meaning they’ll need to make three more moves before 3pm CT Tuesday.
Waived:
- Reggie Bell, WR
- Jared Dangerfield, WR
- Kaleb Eulls, G
- Jamal Golden, S
- Chris Highland, LS
- Sione Houma, RB
- Dillon Lee, LB
- Cyril Lemon, G
- Jeff Schoettmer, LB
Waived/Injured:
- Jimmy Pruitt, DB (Twitter link via Kristian Garic of WWL 870)
Chargers Release James Jones
8:16pm: The Chargers have confirmed the move.
7:25pm: For the second year in a row, James Jones will be without a team as final cutdowns approach, as the veteran wide receiver has been released by the Chargers, a source tells Annie Heilbrun (Twitter link).
Jones, 32, sat on the free agent market until earlier this month, when he agreed to a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with San Diego after fellow receiver Stevie Johnson was lost for the season. However, given that he signed so late in camp, Jones was never able to get comfortable with the Chargers’ offense, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Moreover, Jones figured to play behind Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and possibly Dontrelle Inman on San Diego’s depth chart.
Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
In other Chargers news, the club has claimed running back Gus Johnson off waivers from the Falcons, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Move Roster To 83
The Chargers have dropped their roster to 83 players, as the club announced several roster moves on top of the already-reported release of James Jones and waiver claim of running back Gus Johnson. San Diego will still need to make eight cuts before 3pm Tuesday.
Placed on reserve/PUP:
Waived:
- WR Torrence Allen
- C Bruce Johnson
- CB Michael Lee
- LB Zach Hodges
- DT Bruce Gaston
- CB Greg Ducre
Watt, a former third-round pick, will miss the first six weeks of the season before being eligible to return to the field. The 26-year-old has started eight games during his first two years in the league, but with free agent signee Matt Slauson poised to start at center, Watt will merely serve as depth unless an injury strikes.
Saints Sign OL Khalif Barnes
7:51pm: It’s a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal for Barnes, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
6:41pm: The Saints have reached an agreement with veteran offensive lineman Khalif Barnes, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Barnes was part of a workout session in New Orleans earlier today.
Barnes, 34, offers two attributes in spades — experience and versatility. In 11 seasons, Barnes has appeared in more than 150 games (117 starts) with the Jaguars and Raiders. Moreover, Barnes is able to play both inside and out, so he could act as a backup at up to four offensive line spots. He lost his starting job in Oakland last season, but still appeared in 14 games, and could serve as depth in New Orleans.
Barnes wasn’t the only acquisition for the Saints today, as the club also sent a conditional seventh-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for DE/LB Chris McCain.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Cut Nick Hayden; Roster Down To 75
The Browns are now in roster compliance, as they’ve announced several moves today. In addition to confirming the previously reported cuts of Paul Kruger, Austin Davis, K’Waun Williams, Travis Coons, and E.J. Bibbs, Cleveland has announced the following transactions:
Released:
- DL Nick Hayden
Waived:
- DB Sean Baker
- WR Josh Boyce
- WR Ed Eagan
- FB Robert Hughes
- TE David Reeves
- OL Cory Tucker
Placed on injured reserve:
- DL Nike Lawrence-Stample
- RB Glenn Winston
Giants Trim Roster To 86
The Giants have begun whittling down their roster in advance of tomorrow’s 75-man deadline, and they’ve made four transactions today. New York still has 86 players on its roster, so it will need to make several more moves before Tuesday.
Waived:
- Tyler Ott, LS
- Myles White, WR
Waived/Injured:
- Matt LaCosse, TE
- Nikita Whitlock, FB
LaCosse, a 2015 UDFA will require knee surgery and will be sidelined indefinitely. If he and Whitlock clear waivers, they’ll revert to the Giants’ IR list.
NFL Suspends Sammie Lee Hill And Prince Shembo
The NFL has suspended two players that are currently unemployed, as defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill and linebacker Prince Shembo have both been handed bans. Hill will be suspended four games, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), while Shembo is banned for two games, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN.com. 
Hill, 29, was accused of sexual assault back in 2014, but it’s more likely (given the length) that this suspension is for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In his seventh NFL season, Hill played in 10 games for the Titans, starting five, and picked up six tackles. He missed a portion of the season thanks to an MCL injury, and he’s continued to sit on the open market since March, though he did take a meeting with the Seahawks earlier this year.
Shembo, meanwhile, was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s dog. According to Denica Williams, Shembo’s former girlfriend, she left Shembo and her Yorkie unattended at the linebacker’s home, and the dog was unresponsive when she returned. Per a necropsy, the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and the animal also had a fractured rib, a fractured liver, and several other injuries. However, the charges against Shembo were later dismissed.
It’s not the first time that Shembo has run into off-field trouble. The former Falcons linebacker was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a Saint Mary’s College freshman in 2010, though he was never charged in that case. Lizzy Seeberg, Shembo’s accuser, killed herself 10 days after the alleged incident.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.