Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/16
The NFL has seen a flurry of transactions today, as clubs make cuts in preparation for Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline. Let’s round up a few moves that weren’t announced earlier today:
- The Bills announced that they’ve signed quarterback Austin Trainor, who participated in the team’s rookie minicamp in 2015. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links), backup Buffalo QB Cardale Jones is currently dealing with a personal issue, and though he’s expected to return soon, head coach Rex Ryan said Trainor will help the Bills get through Thurday’s preseason game if needed.
- The Cowboys have waived/injured defensive end Shaneil Jenkins, the club announced. Jenkins, who was hurt in Dallas’ most recent preseason contest, will revert to the Cowboys’ IR if he clears waivers.
- The Packers have waived receiver Ed Williams, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Broncos have waived wide receiver Nathan Palmer, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets.
Injury Notes: Dixon, Pead, Harris, Gilbert
Ravens rookie Kenneth Dixon is expected to miss four weeks with an MCL tear, but the running back won’t require surgery, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dixon, a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, wasn’t going to play a large role on offense (at least early in the season), but this injury means it will take him even longer to ingrain himself into Baltimore’s offense behind Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Terrance West, and Lorenzo Taliaferro.
Let’s take a quick look at the latest NFL injury news as teams prepare their rosters for the start of the regular season:
- Baltimore isn’t the only AFC club dealing a running back injury, as the Dolphins‘ Isaiah Pead will be sidelined at least two weeks with a hamstring injury, head coach Adam Gase told reporters, including Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Pead, a former second-round pick, had been drawing rave reviews in recent weeks, if it’s unclear if Miami will hold a roster spot for him while he gets healthy.
- An MRI has revealed that Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert is dealing with a “significant” hyperextended elbow, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Gilbert, however, vowed that he won’t miss any action, telling Fowler that he’ll play in the regular season opener “no matter what.” Just last week, the 28-year-old offensive lineman agreed to restructure his contract and give Pittsburgh some financial breathing room.
- The Jets can rest easy after an MRI showed that linebacker David Harris is merely dealing with a shoulder bruise, tweets Schefter. Harris won’t play in New York’s final preseason game (and probably woudn’t have even barring injury), but he’s expected to be ready for Week 1.
- Elsewhere in New York, Giants tight end Matt LaCosse will require knee surgery and is out indefinitely, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. The 23-year-old LaCosee, an undrafted free agent in 2015, could potentially miss the season, per Raanan.
PFR Originals: 8/21/16 – 8/28/16
The original content, analysis, and reporting produced by the PFR staff this week:
- In PFR’s new series The Beat, Zach is conducting interviews with beat writers, columnists, and TV personalities about the team that they cover. Zach spoke with five writers last week:
- Will Leitch of Sports on Earth and New York Magazine discussed the Cardinals, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and Chandler Jones.
- Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com talked about the Rams, Jeff Fisher, Les Snead, Jared Goff, and Trumaine Johnson.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union covered the Jaguars, Greg Hardy, Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson, and Jalen Ramsey.
- Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald and Morning-Journal answered questions abut the Browns, Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, and Josh Gordon.
- Troy Renck of Denver7 discussed the Broncos, Ronnie Hillman, Trevor Siemian, Mark Sanchez, and Vance Walker.
- PFR has continued to go over each team’s rookie class with the assistance of scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas, who has served as a consultant to NFL teams for multiple decades. Dave covered two clubs last week:
- PFR has also continued to look back at the offseasons for all 32 clubs, examining the major signings, departures, trades, and other notable offseason events for each team. We covered two clubs over the past week:
- After the Bills waived Karlos Williams, I looked at 10 teams that might claim the running back off waivers. Williams surprisingly went unclaimed, but that list still stands as a record of what clubs might look to sign the talented, yet perhaps unmotivated, running back.
- The Patriots traded for former No. 6 overall pick Barkevious Mingo this week, and I wondered if New England might be up to something more than simply acquiring talent. Bill Belichick and the rest of the Patriots’ front office has traded for players nearing the end of their contracts before, so they might be grabbing Mingo with an eye towards a compensatory pick in 2018.
- PFR was the first to report that veteran cornerback Cary Williams worked out for the Bears recently. Williams, who has spent eight years in the NFL, has seen action with the Ravens, Eagles, Seahawks, and Redskins.
Chiefs Waive Eight Players, Roster At 81
The Chiefs’ roster is now at 81 players after they waived eight today, the club announced. Therefore, Kansas City will need to make six more cuts before Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.
The following players were waived by the Chiefs:
- Bryce Cheek, DB
- Niko Davis, DL
- Curtis Feigt, OL
- Malcolm Jackson, CB
- Seantavius Jones, WR
- Jonathan Massaquoi, LB
- Kashif Moore, WR
- Drew Nowak, C
Massaquoi, 29 had spent 2012-2014 with the Falcons but did not appear in a game last season. Massaquoi, who signed with the Chiefs in March, has appeared in 39 career games, starting four, posting 45 tackles and six sacks during his career.
Broncos Shopping Britton Colquitt
6:39pm: The Broncos are now gauging trade interest in Colquitt, according to Klis, who lists the Vikings, Cardinals, Panthers, and Bears as plausible suitors for Colquitt.
5:56pm: The Broncos have asked punter Britton Colquitt to accept a pay cut, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports (Twitter link) was the first to report that Denver was discussing a restructure with Colquitt.
[RELATED — Gary Kubiak: Experience will have “zero” impact on Broncos’ QB competition]
Colquitt, 31, is scheduled to earn a $3.75MM base salary, and will count $4MM against the Broncos’ salary cap. If Colquitt refuses a pay decrease and is released, Denver would take on $750K in dead money on its 2016 cap. For what it’s worth, Colquitt told Lombardi (Twitter link) that expects the Broncos to cut either him or sixth-round rookie Riley Dixon today or tomorrow, as Colquitt doesn’t think the club would carry two punters into the final preseason game.
Colquitt didn’t play in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Rams, as the Broncos told him before the contest that Dixon would handle punt and holding duties. “Usually they tell you a little sooner but I knew all week that could be a possibility,’’ Colquitt told Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “I’ve only punted six times (in the first two preseason games), he had only punted five times. You can’t take a chance on somebody if you haven’t seen him punt. I had a feeling that would probably happen, which is fine.’’
After accepting a pay cut prior to last season and lowering his base salary by about $1.4MM, Colquitt proceeded to appear in all 16 games, averaging 39.7 net yards per punt, good for only 20th in the NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Titans Cut Ropati Pitoitua, 11 Others
The Titans have made 12 roster moves today, moving their roster to 77 men, the club announced. Tennessee has until 3pm CT Tuesday to get to 75 players.
The Titans have made the following transactions:
Cut:
- Lamarcus Brutus, S
- Will Campbell, OL
- Donte Foster, WR
- Amarlo Herrera, LB
- Reece Horn, WR
- Deiontrez Mount, LB
- Tyler Patmon, CB
- Ropati Pitoitua, DL
- Nick Ritcher, G
- Mike Smith, DE
- Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB
Waived/Injured:
- Andy Gallik, C
Pitoitua, 31, seemed liked one of the likeliest cuts in the entire NFL. Pitoitua only played 31 defensive snaps last season, but was scheduled to count more than $3.8MM on the Titans’ salary cap. By releasing him, Tennessee will save $3.078MM.
Gallik, meanwhile, will revert to the Titans’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
Eagles Cut Rueben Randle
The Eagles have announced a series of roster moves today, and the most surprising transaction is the release of wide receiver Rueben Randle, who was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason. Randle, who is still only 25 years old, was thought to be a clear starter for Philadelphia after averaging 56 receptions, 782 yards, and six touchdowns over the past three seasons with the Giants.
But after the Eagles acquired Dorial Green-Beckham, Randle’s roster spot became tenuous, especially given his lackluster performance during the preseason. Philadelphia handed Randle $500K in guarantees plus a $25K roster bonus, so the club will incur $525K in dead money. Because he’s a vested veteran, Randle will not have to clear waivers and will become a free agent immediately.
The Eagles also made the following transactions:
Cut:
- John DePalma, LS
- Randall Evans, CB
- Andrew Gardner, OL
- Chris Givens, WR
- Mike Martin, DT
- Nick Perry, S
- Denzel Rice
Placed On Injured Reserve:
- Alex McCalister, DE
- Joe Walker, DE
Colts’ Roster Sits At 81 Following 10 Cuts
The Colts announced that they’ve moved a bit closer to the 75-man deadline, as they’ve cut 10 players today. Indianapolis will still need to release/waive six more players before 3pm CT Tuesday.
[RELATED: Colts Sign Stevan Ridley]
The Colts have cut the following players:
- Justin Berger, WR
- Alden Darby, S
- Eric Herman, G
- Ricky Lumpkin, DL
- Mike Miller, TE
- Chase Price, RB
- Winston Rose, CB
- Delvon Simmons, DE
- Josh Stangby, WR
- Junior Sylvestre, LB
Lumpkin, 28 next week, is the only member of this group with any NFL experience. In three season, he’s appeared in seven games with the Cardinals and Raiders, though he was out of the league in 2015.
Jets Place Devin Smith On PUP, Cut 11
The Jets have announced a series of roster moves that moves their roster to 78 players, three over the 75-man limit. New York will need to make three more cuts before Tuesday at 3pm CT.
The Jets have announced the following transactions:
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- Devin Smith, WR
Cut:
- Deion Barnes, LB
- Ross Martin, K
- Jesse Davis, OL
- Kyle Friend, C
- Shelby Harris, LB
- Jarvis Harrison, LB
- Helva Matungulu, DE
- Lache Seastrunk, RB
- Jason Vander Laan, TE
- Kyle Williams, WR
- Terry Williams, RB
Smith, a 2015 second-round pick, is still recovering from a torn ACL, and won’t be eligible to play during the first six weeks of the season. The Jets will then have a three-week window during which they can activate Smith. In 10 games last year, Smith posted nine receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.
Bears Cut 10, Including FB Darrel Young
The Bears have trimmed their roster to 80 by cutting 10 players, the club announced today. Chicago will need need to waive or release five more players before Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.
The Bears cut the following 10 players:
- Keith Browner, DL
- Kieren Duncan, WR
- Derek Keaton, WR
- John Kling, OL
- Senorise Perry, RB
- Darrin Peterson, WR
- Joel Ross, DB
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Martin Wallace OL
- Darrel Young, FB
Young, 29, is the most experienced of the bunch, as he’s appeared in 90 games during his six-year career (all with the Redskins). Young was just signed earlier this month, but it appears that 2015 UDFA Paul Lasike has won Chicago’s fullback job.