Steelers Place Maurkice Pouncey On IR-DTR
The Steelers will be without the fulcrum of their offensive line for the first half of the season, as the club has place center Maurkice Pouncey on injured reserve with a designation to return, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).
Pouncey suffered a broken fibula during the Steelers’ third preseason game, and is expected to miss 10 games in total. The first eight of those, by rule, will be spent on IR-DTR — Pittsburgh has a bye during Week 11, so Pouncey could potentially return during Week 12. Losing Pouncey will no doubt be a large to an offense that finished first in DVOA in 2014, as the 26-year-old graded as the league’s sixth-best center last season per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Cody Wallace is expected to step in as the the Steelers’ new starting center, but the club also added some extra depth today, signing Doug Legursky, per Kaboly. Legursky was originally signed just days after Pouncey’s injury, but was cut yesterday morning. Now, he’s back on the squad to act as the No. 2 center.
Dolphins Place Jay Ajayi On IR-DTR
Rookie running back Jay Ajayi will have to wait a bit longer to make his NFL debut, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins have placed Ajayi on injured reserve with a designation to return. Ajayi can begin practicing in six weeks, and can return to the active roster after eight.
A highly-touted runner at Boise State, Ajayi fell to the fifth round of the draft largely due to injury concerns. Aside from the knee injury that led to his draft-day plunge, Ajayi suffered a hamstring injury during the summer, before cracking a rib during Miami’s final preseason game. He’ll now get half of the season to recover and try to contribute starting sometime in November.
There were rumors during the early portion of the offseason that Ajayi could challenge Lamar Miller for the starting job in Miami, and at the very least he was expected to serve as the No. 2. That obviously won’t happen now, and the Dolphins will turn to Damien Williams and LaMichael James to act as depth.
Giants Cut Kenrick Ellis
After claiming former Texans defensive tackle Louis Nix off waivers earlier today, the Giants have parted ways with a veteran at the same position, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), who reports that New York has cut Kenrick Ellis.
Ellis, 27, signed a one-year deal with the Giants earlier this year that included $500K in guarantees, so the club will absorb that same total in dead money for the upcoming season. As a reserve for the Jets during the first four years of his career, Ellis appeared in 47 games, starting five. But the Hampton alum didn’t do enough to impress over the summer, so the Giants will keep Nix and Jay Bromley at defensive tackle behind starters Jonathan Hankins and Cullen Jenkins.
The Bills could be one landing spot for Ellis, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who notes that Buffalo only has six defensive lineman on its roster. Ellis obviously has a familiarity with Bills head coach Rex Ryan from the duo’s time with the Jets, so the fit could make some sense.
Jets To Place Dee Milliner On IR-DTR
The Jets are placing cornerback Dee Milliner on injured reserve/designated to return, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). As such, Milliner is eligible to begin practicing after Week 6, and can return to game action following Week 8.
Milliner, 23, tore a tendon in his wrist in early August, and while his recovery at that time was expected to take six-to-eight weeks, the IR-DTR designation will afford Milliner quite a bit more time to get fully healed. If Milliner misses only the minimum of eight games, he’ll return on November 12, giving him three full months since the injury.
A top-10 pick in 2013, Milliner has dealt with injury concerns for the duration of his career. In just over two years, he’s already undergone seven surgeries, and he’s started just 14 games over that same span. Unlike in seasons past, the Jets now have cornerback depth to overcome this loss, having signed Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine over the offseason. Whether Milliner is able to carve out some sort of role behind that trio if and when he returns remains to be seen.
Broncos Waive Montee Ball
After being drafted in the second round just two seasons ago, running back Montee Ball is now unemployed, as the Broncos have waived the 24-year-old, according to Mike Klis of 9 News (Twitter link).
A Hesiman finalist while at Wisconsin in 2011, Ball was selected by Denver in the 2013 draft, and was expected to be inserted as the starting running back in the Broncos’ high-powered offense. But over the course of two seasons, Ball was never able to secure a role as the No. 1 back, losing the job to Knowshon Moreno in ’13 and C.J. Anderson in ’14. All told, Ball saw less than 200 carries during his time with the Broncos, and totaled less than 800 yards on the ground.
Still, given his draft pedigree, it wouldn’t be surprise to see another club take a shot on Ball via waivers. His base salaries for the next two seasons total less than $2MM, so his price isn’t terribly high. A rumor on Friday indicated that the Cowboys were discussing a deal involving Ball, and although that report was ultimately disputed, Dallas still could make sense as a landing spot, even though they already acquired Christine Michael earlier today.
Ball becomes the second notable member of the Broncos offense to be cut today, joining center Gino Gradkowski.
Broncos Cut Gino Gradkowski
The Broncos have waived center Gino Gradkowski, according to Mike Klis of 9 News (Twitter link). Because he’s not a vested veteran, Gradkowski will need to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent.
Denver acquired the 26-year-old Gradkowski in a trade with Baltimore earlier this year — the Broncos sent a fourth-round pick to the Ravens in exchange for Gradkowski and a fifth-rounder. Due in part to his familiarity with new Denver head coach Gary Kubiak‘s scheme, Gradkowski was expected to take compete for the starting center job, but he was overtaken in camp by second-year pro Matt Paradis.
A Delaware product, Gradkowski has appeared in 40 games during the course of his three-year career, and was a full-time starter for the Ravens during the 2013 season. He wasn’t very productive that year, grading as the worst center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Gradkowski was schedule to earn a non-guaranteed $1.542MM in the final year of his rookie deal, meaning the Broncos will save that amount against their cap.
Falcons Trim Roster To 76
MONDAY, 3:21pm: In an unusual twist, the Falcons announced today (via Twitter) that Terrell Manning, whose name is listed below as one of the team’s roster casualties, is actually still on the team, since the transaction was never sent into the league office.
The club waived defensive back Jonathon Mincy today, according to a press release, but is still at 76 players since Manning remains on the roster. Presumably, the club will officially cut Manning tomorrow in order to get to a 75-man squad, but we’ll see if the Falcons have a change of heart at all.
SUNDAY, 4:46pm: The Falcons have announced a series of roster moves, trimming their roster to 76 players:
Waived:
- Boris Anyama, LB
- Marquez Clark, WR
- Michael Ford, RB
- John Harris, WR
- Warren Herring, DT
- Derrick Hopkins, NT
- Matt Huffer, T
- Michael Lee, CB
- Eric Lefeld, G
- Terrell Manning, LB
- Sam Meredith, DE
- Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C
Released:
- Mickey Shuler, TE
Placed on Physically Unable To Perform List:
- Lamar Holmes, T
Atlanta will still need to move one more player off its roster before Tuesday’s deadline.
Randall Cobb Has Sprained AC Joint
9:54pm: Cobb should be ready to play be the season opener against the Bears on September 13th, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN. He has a sprain but it is not believed to be a long-term injury, and his status is day-to-day.
It is serious enough that he likely would not be able to play in the team’s last preseason game on Thursday if the starters were scheduled to play in that game.
4:23pm: The Packers and receiver Randall Cobb got some good news today, as an MRI showed that the 25-year-old has a sprained AC joint, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While the injury is considered minor, it’s still unclear as to whether Cobb will be able to suit up for Week 1.
Green Bay could ill afford another serious injury at wide receiver, as pass-catcher Jordy Nelson is already set to miss the entire 2015 season after tearing his ACL. Cobb is now the club’s unquestioned No. 1 wideout, so losing him for any amount of time would further hamper a Packers team that finished first in offensive DVOA last season. If Cobb isn’t able to go to start the season, fellow receivers Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery, as well as tight end Richard Rodgers, could be in line for more work.
Following Nelson’s diagnosis, the Packers reportedly checked into free agent receiver Reggie Wayne. Wayne has since signed with the Patriots, but it’s not inconceivable that Green Bay could take a look at other free agents if Cobb’s injury keeps him out for a few weeks. Donnie Avery, Kevin Ogletree, and Wes Welker are among the options still left on the open market.
Bears To Release Tim Jennings
The Bears are releasing cornerback Tim Jennings, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Jennings, 31, has been in Chicago since the 2010 season.
Jennings started Chicago’s first two preseason games, but acted as the club’s sixth cornerback during last night’s game against the Bengals. The writing was on the wall in terms of Jennings’ roster status — when asked last night if Jennings was competing for a roster spot, head coach John Fox told Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times to “do the math” (Twitter link). Having undergone a knee scope earlier this year, Jennings told Jahns yesterday (Twitter link) that he is still working his way back from that knee surgery.
A nine-year vet, Jennings signed with the Bears after spending the first four years of his career with the Colts. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jennings posted a successful 2014 season, grading as the league’s No. 28 corner while playing more than 1,000 snaps. During his time in Chicago, Jennings, a Georgia alum, started all but six games, posting 16 interceptions during that span.
Because Jennings’ 2015 $4.4MM base salary is guaranteed, the Bears will take on significant dead money by moving on from him. By making Jenning a post-June 1 cut, they will not only absorb his 2015 cap hit of $5.15MM this season, but also take on $1.5MM in dead money (the ’16 and ’17 prorated portions of his signing bonus) next year.
As a vested veteran, Jennings doesn’t have to pass through waivers, and he should be able to find a new home soon. Jenning is an Atlanta native, leading Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) to posit that he could be a fit as an extra corner with the Falcons. The Cowboys and Buccaneers, each of whom employ coaches with ties to Jennings, could also be options, speculates Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
“They told me they were looking to get younger,” Jennings tells Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), passing along the Bears’ reasoning for his release. Chicago will now line up with Alan Ball at corner opposite Kyle Fuller, with Sherrick McManis acting as the nickel CB.
Buccaneers Trim Roster, Waive 10 Players
The Buccaneers have moved closer to the 75-man roster limit, announcing that they’ve cut 10 players:
- Dominique Brown, RB
- Quayshawne Buckley, DT
- Antoine Everett, OL
- Brandon Hartson, LS
- Joey Iosefa, FB
- Kimario McFadden, S
- Karl Schmitz, P
- Al-Hajj Shabazz, CB
- George Uko, DE
- Jamal Young, DE
Iosefa, a Hawaii product, was the club’s seventh-round draft pick.