Colts Cut Donald Thomas, Trim Roster To 75
3:26pm: The Colts are down to 75 players, after announcing this afternoon that they’ve waived/injured cornerback Deveron Carr. Carr will land on the team’s IR list if he clears waivers.
8:23am: In addition to releasing Thomas, the Colts have also cut 11 other players this morning, and placed two more on reserve lists, reducing their roster to 76 players. Here’s the full list of Indianapolis roster moves:
Cut:
- Harland Gunn, G
- Nicklas Haag, ILB
- Zach Hodges, OLB
- Tyler Hoover, T
- Ryan Lankford, WR
- Jeris Pendleton, DT
- Ezell Ruffin, WR
- Justin Shirk, ILB
- Justin Sinz, TE
- Abou Toure, RB
- Brandon Vitabile, C
Waived/injured:
- Donald Celiscar, CB
Placed on injured reserve:
- Tevin Mitchel, CB
8:04am: The Colts have parted ways with another offensive lineman from their 2013 free agent class, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has released veteran guard Donald Thomas. Indianapolis also cut tackle Gosder Cherilus earlier in the offseason.
Thomas, who turns 30 next month, signed a four-year deal with the Colts in 2013 after having made 21 starts in four seasons for the Dolphins and Patriots. However, multiple quad injuries prevented him from seeing the field much in Indianapolis — Thomas played just two regular season contests in 2013 and none in 2014 before starting this year on the team’s physically unable to perform list. The former sixth-round pick was activated from the PUP list last week.
Had the Colts kept Thomas on their roster, he would’ve counted for a cap hit of $3.75MM in 2015, an exorbitant charge for a player who hasn’t seen any significant game action for a couple years. By cutting him, the Colts will reduce his cap numbers to just $250K each for 2015 and 2016. Thomas, meanwhile, will immediately become a free agent, giving him the opportunity to sign with any team.
Bengals Cut Denarius Moore, Eight Others
3:15pm: The Bengals have removed two more players from their roster, waiving wide receiver Tevin Reese and waiving fullback Mark Weisman with an injury designation, according to the team (Twitter link). The roster is now at 78 players.
10:10am: Less than five months after signing him, the Bengals have released wide receiver Denarius Moore, the team announced today (via Twitter). Moore was one of seven players cut loose by Cincinnati as the team looks to reduce its roster to 75 players in advance of tomorrow’s deadline.
Moore, 26, showed some promise during his first three seasons in Oakland, averaging about 43 receptions, 685 yards, and six touchdowns per season in spite of inconsistent quarterback play. However, he had a poor 2014 campaign, catching just 12 balls for 115 yards and no TDs, and missed the final few weeks of the season with knee and ankle issues.
Signing with the Bengals reunited the former Raiders wideout with Hue Jackson, who now serves as Cincy’s offensive coordinator. However, Moore, who got a $25K signing bonus and a $25K workout bonus from the Bengals, was unable to earn a spot on the club’s 53-man roster. He’ll immediately become a free agent.
Here are the other six players cut today by the Bengals:
- Kwame Geathers, DT
- Chris Jasperse, C/G
- Nico Johnson, LB
- Desmond Lawrence, WR
- Sam Montgomery, DE
- John Peters, TE
Martavis Bryant Suspended Four Games
MONDAY, 2:42pm: Bryant’s four-game suspension is now official, having been confirmed by the team. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has issued a statement on the penalty, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter account).
“We are disappointed in Martavis’ actions that has led to his four-game suspension,” Colbert said. “It is a disappointment to our entire organization as well as our fans, but we will continue to support Martavis during his suspension. It is very unfortunate his actions have put our team in this situation to begin the year, but we are confident he will learn from his mistake and return in excellent shape in Week 5.”
THURSDAY, 6:08pm: Bryant’s suspension is for multiple failed marijuana tests, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Bryant’s appeal is in the latter stages.
1:45pm: Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will miss the first two games of the 2015 regular season, and it appears he won’t be the only Pittsburgh playmaker serving a suspension. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), wide receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The suspension is currently under appeal.
Bryant, 23, came on strong in the second half of his rookie season, acting as a deep threat for the Steelers’ offense. For the year, Bryant caught 26 balls for 549 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per reception. He also hauled in eight touchdowns. Bryant had been expected to take a step forward in 2015, so his absence in the early going will be a big loss for Ben Roethlisberger and the offense.
The exact nature of Bryant’s violation isn’t known, so it’s unclear if his suspension has a chance to be reduced or eliminated entirely. The NFL won’t make an official announcement on the penalty for the young wideout until the appeals process is complete.
For now though, it appears Bryant and Bell will be sidelined for at least the Steelers’ first two games, so Roethlisberger and the offense will have to get creative as they look to put up points against the Patriots and 49ers. If Bryant’s four-game ban is upheld, he’ll miss games against the Rams and Ravens as well.
Cardinals Cut Dave Zastudil, 10 Others
The Cardinals have released veteran punter Dave Zastudil, the team announced today in a press release. A groin injury sidelined Zastudil in October last season, and he was replaced by Drew Butler, who has beat him out for the team’s punting job this year.
In addition to parting ways with Zastudil, the Cardinals also removed 10 more players from their roster today, getting down to 76 players. The club will have to make one more move within the next 24 hours or so, in order to reduce their roster count to 75.
Here are the other 10 Cardinals who were let go, besides Zastudil:
- Lorenzo Alexander, LB
- Glenn Carson, ILB
- Travis Harvey, WR (wavied/injured)
- Nate Isles, G
- Edwin Jackson, ILB
- Andrae Kirk, ILB
- Shaquille Richardson, S
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Ryan Spadola, WR
- Darren Woodard, S
2015 NFL Offseason In Review Series
Over the last couple months, with the 2015 regular season fast approaching, Pro Football Rumors has been taking a look back at the offseason. Our writers have tackled all 32 NFL teams, examining free agent signings, trades, draft picks, and all the other moves made by clubs in 2015, breaking down what sort of impact those decisions will have going forward. If you missed any of our Offseason in Review posts, be sure to check them out below, where we’ve rounded them all up in one place:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Browns Cut Six Players
The Browns have begun to make their cuts in advance of tomorrow’s 75-man deadline, but still have plenty of moves left to make. According to a team release, Cleveland has waived two players and released four more, bringing the roster down to 84 players. The club will have to make nine more roster moves by tomorrow at 3:00pm central time.
Players who have less than four years of NFL experience and were let go by the team will have to go unclaimed on waivers before becoming free agents, while players with at least four years of experience are simply released, hitting free agency without passing through waivers. Here’s the breakdown for the Browns:
Waived:
- Anthony Ezeakunne, TE
- Shane Wynn, WR
Released:
- Everette Brown, LB
- Moise Fokou, LB
- Jalen Parmele, RB
- Aaron Ross, DB
Washington Makes Cuts, Down To 75 Players
The big news out of Washington today will be Jay Gruden‘s announcement that Kirk Cousins is heading into the year not just as the starter for Week 1, but as the starter for the 2015 season. However, “Kirk’s team,” as Gruden referred to it today, also made a series of roster moves to get down to the required 75-man roster in advance of tomorrow’s deadline.
One of today’s roster moves for Washington is the placement of pass rusher Junior Galette on injured reserve. Galette, who joined the club after being released by the Saints, tore his Achilles last week and will miss the entire 2015 campaign.
Here are the rest of Washington’s moves (via Twitter):
Waived:
- Ernst Brun, TE
- Dyshawn Davis, LB
- Chase Dixon, TE
- Tajh Hasson, CB
- Alonzo Highsmith, LB
- DreQuan Hoskey, CB
- Tony Jones, WR (waived/injured)
- Ty Long, K
- Devin Mahina, TE
- Bryce Quigley, G
- Trey Wolfe, CB
Released:
- Bryan McCann, CB
- Willie Smith, T
Washington Names Kirk Cousins Starting QB
11:42am: Speaking today to reporters, including Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link), head coach Jay Gruden confirmed that Cousins will be Washington’s starting quarterback not just for Week 1, but for the 2015 season.
Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network tweets that Griffin’s camp may be caught off guard by this announcement, since they were led to believe Cousins starting Week 1 was a result of RGIII’s health, and the concussion protocol.
9:48am: With Robert Griffin III‘s health and long-term future in Washington in flux, the club has named Kirk Cousins its starting quarterback for Week 1, a source tells Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to Russini, the team was informed by Washington staff this morning that Cousins will be the starter against the Dolphins.
The news comes on the heels of a Sunday report which indicated that a contingent of the Washington front office wants to move on from RGIII. While that report suggested that team ownership was opposed to a Griffin trade, Mike Jones of the Washington Post hears from two sources that Daniel Snyder isn’t blocking his front office and coaching staff from dealing the quarterback. A trade is unlikely for a handful of other factors though, including RGIII’s contract and his injury history. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that there have been no trade talks involving the QB.
Whatever the future holds for Griffin, he won’t be starting Washington’s Week 1 game, as Cousins has been penciled in for that role after a solid showing in the team’s preseason contest this past weekend. The former fourth-round pick, who turned 27 earlier this month, has nine career starts on his NFL resume, having played in 14 games in total. In his limited regular season action, Cousins has thrown more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (18), with a 59.0% completion percentage.
If Cousins struggles in the starting role and Griffin is unable to return to action, Colt McCoy would be the next man up in Washington. Both Cousins and McCoy are eligible for free agency after this season, while Washington still holds an option year on Griffin, currently guaranteed for injury only.
Raiders’ Menelik Watson Ruptures Achilles
Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson suffered what is believed to be a ruptured Achilles tendon during the first quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals, according to the offensive lineman himself. Watson tweeted out the diagnosis late on Sunday night, vowing to eventually return “stronger than ever.”
Watson, 26, was selected by the Raiders with the 42nd overall pick in the 2013 draft, and has started 12 of his 17 games for the club since then. In 2015, he looked poised to enter the season as the club’s starting right tackle — now that he’ll likely miss the entire season, veteran tackle Austin Howard looks like the next man up on the offensive line.
Watson has yet to be officially placed on injured reserve by the Raiders, but that will almost certainly be one of the team’s roster moves this week, as the club looks to reduce its roster from 90 players to 53 by Saturday.
Ravens Waive Eight Players
The Ravens are the latest team to announce a handful of cuts, reducing their roster from 90 players to 82. Baltimore will have to make at least seven more roster moves before tomorrow afternoon’s deadline to ensure its roster is down to 75 players.
Here are the players who were waived by the club today, according to a press release:
- Leon Brown, G
- DeAndre Carter, WR
- Tramain Jacobs, CB
- Marcel Jones, G/T
- Justin Manton, P
- Aldrick Robinson, WR
- Patrick Scales, LS
- Trent Steelman, WR