Titans Release Hakeem Nicks
A year after setting new career-lows in catches and receiving yards, Hakeem Nicks hasn’t survived preseason roster cuts. According to Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com (Twitter links), Nicks has been released by the Titans. However, McCormick adds that there’s a chance the team could re-sign the wideout after Week 1, when veteran salaries no longer become guaranteed for the season.
Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis.
An August report suggested that there would be some interest in Nicks if the Titans were to release him, but it took a while for him to find a home in free agency earlier this year, so I can’t imagine the competition over him this time around will be particularly fierce.
Jets Trim Roster To 53 Players
The Jets have officially announced the cuts and other roster moves that will get their squad down to 53 players today. We’ve already heard about several of the moves — quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Josh Johnson, along with veteran defenders Jason Babin and Joe Mays, have been cut, and Stevan Ridley has been moved to the reserve/PUP list.
Here are the rest of the Jets’ moves to reduce their roster to 53, via a team release:
Cut:
- WR Shaq Evans
- WR Chris Owusu
- WR Walter Powell
- TE Arthur Lynch
- TE Wes Saxton
- RB Daryl Richardson
- FB Julian Howsare
- OL Charles Brown
- OL Wesley Johnson
- DL Ronald Talley
- DL Jordan Williams
- LB Deion Barnes
- LB Taiwan Jones
- CB Keon Lyn
- S Durell Eskridge
Reserve/suspended:
- OL Oday Aboushi
- DL Sheldon Richardson
Bills Release Matt Cassel, Red Bryant
The Bills have made five more roster moves to get their roster under 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. According to a press release, quarterback Matt Cassel and defensive tackle Red Bryant are among the players who have been cut by the team. Buffalo also confirmed the release of safety Jonathan Meeks and announced that it has waived center Dalton Freeman and linebacker Kevin Reddick.
Cassel, 33, was acquired by the Bills back in March in a trade with the Vikings. His release comes as a bit of a surprise, since the club already cut Matt Simms, and the latest move leaves Buffalo with just Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel at quarterback. Still, Cassel had been set to earn a base salary of $4.15MM, so cutting him will create some cap flexibility, and the Bills could put that room toward an extension for Marcell Dareus.
Speaking of Dareus, he’ll start the season on the reserve/suspended list, which should leave the Bills with two openings on their 53-man roster. That makes the club a strong candidate to add a player or two on waivers tomorrow.
Stevan Ridley To Start Season On Reserve/PUP
As expected, the Jets will place running back Stevan Ridley on the reserve/physically unable to perform list to start the season, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The move ensures that the club doesn’t have to use an active roster spot on Ridley, who will be sidelined for at least the first six weeks of the season.
Ridley’s 2014 season with the Patriots was cut short, as an ACL and MCL injury suffered in Week 6 ended the running back’s year. In six games, Ridley compiled 340 yards and two touchdowns on 94 attempts, and his upside earned him a one-year contract with the Jets. However, he’s still recovering from that severe knee injury.
Ridley is the latest notable player to be removed from the Jets’ active roster today. The team has also cut defenders Jason Babin and Joe Mays, and quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Josh Johnson.
Eagles Reduce Roster To 52 Players
Their decision to cut Tim Tebow will make the biggest headlines today, but the Eagles have made many more roster moves, and have not only reduced their roster to the maximum 53 — they’ve gone one further, getting down to 52 players.
As Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, there’s a good chance that 53rd spot will be filled in the coming days with a quarterback. After having cut Tebow and traded Matt Barkley, the club is carrying just two signal-callers, and wouldn’t mind adding some insurance for the oft-injured Sam Bradford.
Here are the rest of the Eagles’ cuts, per a press release:
- WR Rasheed Bailey
- G Brett Boyko
- G Malcolm Bunche
- CB Randall Evans
- TE Andrew Gleichert
- LB Najee Goode
- WR Jeff Maehl
- WR Freddie Martino
- DE Brian Mihalik
- G John Moffitt
- RB Raheem Mostert
- WR Quron Pratt
- S Chris Prosinski
- DE Travis Raciti
- S Ed Reynolds
- LB Deontae Skinner
- P Kip Smith
- TE Eric Tomlinson
- C/G Julian Vandervelde
- LB Diaheem Watkins
- CB Jaylen Watkins
Eagles Have Interest In Christian Ponder
Within the last 24 hours, the Eagles have traded Matt Barkley to Arizona and cut Tim Tebow, but the team still appears open to the idea of carrying three quarterbacks. According to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), Philadelphia has interest in Christian Ponder, who is expected to be cut by the Raiders today if they can’t find a trade partner.
As Getlin notes, Chip Kelly and the Eagles have always maintained that they want to put together a roster of “the best 53.” Given Sam Bradford‘s injury history, it also makes sense that the club would want some insurance at the quarterback position. Currently, Mark Sanchez is the only backup on the roster for Bradford.
NFl veterans on a roster for a team’s Week 1 game will have their salaries guaranteed, so the Eagles may decide to carry just two quarterbacks into their first regular season contest before adding a third QB later. The team could also explore including a signal-caller on the practice squad.
Titans Release Byron Stingily
The Titans have continued their cutdown to 53 players by letting go of veteran offensive tackle Byron Stingily, according to Terry McCormick of 247Sports.com (Twitter link).
Stingily, who turns 27 next week, re-signed with the Titans back in March after spending the first four years of his NFL career with the team. The former sixth-round pick, who started five games for the club last season, appeared to have a chance to win a starting job this year, with tackles Michael Roos and Michael Oher no longer in the picture. However, third-round rookie Jeremiah Poutasi looks poised to start at right tackle, with Byron Bell as the club’s swing tackle.
Stingily’s new two-year contract with Tennessee featured a $250K signing bonus, so the team will be on the hook for a little bit of dead money in 2015 and 2016.
Bengals Waive Devon Still
As part of their cutdown to 53 players, the Bengals have waived defensive tackle Devon Still, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Still will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed tomorrow.
It’s not the first time the Bengals have cut Still from their active roster. However, in the past, the Penn State product has found a spot on the team’s practice squad. Heading into the 2015 season, Still no longer has practice squad eligibility, so if Cincinnati doesn’t intent to bring him back, he’ll have to try to find a spot on another club’s 53-man roster.
Still, who hasn’t made a start in his three-year NFL career since being selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, has nonetheless become a fan favorite in Cincinnati and around the league as his young daughter, Leah Still, has battled cancer. Leah went into remission from neuroblastoma in March, and Still said in July that she’s “almost back to her normal self.”
Eagles Cut Tim Tebow
After trading Matt Barkley to the Cardinals, the Eagles have parted ways with another backup quarterback, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has cut Tim Tebow. Howard Eskin of FOX 29 tweeted earlier today that he was getting indications Tebow would be let go, with Chip Kelly looking for help at quarterback and possibly on the offensive line.
Assuming the Eagles have no plans to bring Tebow back to their roster in the coming weeks, this could be the last shot the former Florida Gator gets in the NFL. There was a belief that he had a decent chance to make Philadelphia’s roster this season, since Kelly and the team reportedly liked his potential to contribute on short-yardage and two-point plays.
With Tebow – and Barkley – no longer in the mix, Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez are the only quarterbacks remaining on the Eagles’ roster. While many teams carry just two signal-callers, Philadelphia will likely want to add a third QB as insurance, either to the practice squad or the active roster, given Bradford’s injury history.
Bears’ Willie Young On Trade Block
Bears edge defender Willie Young is on the trade block, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It’s not clear whether teams are calling Chicago about Young, or whether the Bears are shopping him, but perhaps it’s some combination of the two.
Young, who will turn 30 later this month, had a career year in 2014, his first with the Bears. After arriving in Chicago following four seasons with the Lions, Young racked up 10 sacks, recording 40 tackles and forcing a fumble as well.
However, Young’s season ended with a torn Achilles in December, an injury that isn’t easy to come back from. While the veteran pass rusher avoided the PUP list this summer, he’s had some trouble adjusting to the Bears’ 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Young is lining up as an outside linebacker, rather than a defensive end, in the new look.
The Saints “may be looking in [the] direction” of Young, according to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (via Twitter). The Saints, of course, lost their top pass rusher when they cut Junior Galette.