Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
We’ll round up today’s practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Packers have filled the lone opening on their practice squad by signing guard Rishaw Johnson, the team announced today. Johnson previously spent time this season on the Buccaneers’ active roster and the Cowboys’ practice squad.
Earlier updates:
- The Steelers, who cut LeGarrette Blount and promoted running back Josh Harris to their roster yesterday, have added another back to the practice squad to replace Harris. LaDarius Perkins, an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State who spent the summer with the Packers, is the newest member of the taxi squad, per Burt Lauten (via Twitter).
- Defensive end George Uko, who spent three weeks on the Buccaneers‘ practice squad earlier this year, has been re-signed to the unit, the team announced today in a press release. Tampa Bay cut punter Jacob Schum to make room for Uko.
- After cutting him earlier this week to accommodate the activation of guard Geoff Schwartz, the Giants have re-signed linebacker Justin Anderson to their practice squad, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
AFC North Notes: Blount, Sheard, Rice
The Steelers parted ways with disgruntled running back LeGarrette Blount yesterday, and it doesn’t sound like his teammates were too upset about the decision. As Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes, center and team captain Maurkice Pouncey referred to Blount’s release as a “blessing in disguise.”
“We’re fine,” Pouncey said. “We have our starting running back. It’s probably a good thing that it happened. At the end of the day, if it was a cancer, he ended up leaving on his own. That’s a blessing for us. At the end of the day, we’re good. We don’t need him.”
As we wait to see whether or not Blount clears waivers later today, here are a few more notes from around the AFC North:
- Head coach Mike Pettine indicated on Monday that Browns linebacker Jabaal Sheard may be out for the rest of the season with a foot injury, but the team has received some good news on Sheard, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport tweets that Sheard, who got a second opinion on the injury, won’t require surgery and should be back in a week or so.
- Now that the NFL has announced Adrian Peterson‘s suspension and arbitrator Shyam Das made a decision on the NFLPA’s grievance related to the Vikings running back, the next issue on the legal docket for the league is a ruling on Ray Rice, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. A decision is expected within the next week, and could come at any time, and it appears likely that the former Ravens running back will have his indefinite suspension overturned.
- In the wake of Blount’s release from the Steelers, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders why the team signed him in the first place, given his history of off-field incidents.
- Earlier this morning, I asked whether Blount or Ben Tate will be the better pickup of the two AFC North running backs cut yesterday.
Poll: Ben Tate Vs. LeGarrette Blount
Last March, heading into free agency, Ben Tate and LeGarrette Blount were viewed as two of the more intriguing options available on the running back market. Tate, who had been Arian Foster‘s No. 2 in Houston for years, drew comparisons to Michael Turner, another longtime backup who finally got a shot at a lead role when he reached free agency. Blount, meanwhile, was coming off a surprisingly stellar campaign with the Patriots, which included a 166-yard, four-touchdown outburst against the Colts in the postseason.
Eight months later, both players are on waivers, having been released by their respective teams yesterday. In Cleveland, rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell surpassed Tate on the depth chart, which didn’t sit well with the veteran, who publicly griped about his role. The same can be said of Blount, who left the field early, apparently upset about his lack of playing time, during the Steelers’ Monday night win over the Titans as Le’Veon Bell rumbled to over 200 yards on the ground.
Given the way things ended in Cleveland and Pittsburgh for Tate and Blount, teams should have concerns about signing either player as a backup — the impact on the locker room may not be worth it for a contending team, even if it means adding more talent to its backfield. That’s likely why we’ve mostly heard reports about teams with no interest in either player since they were waived yesterday. The Broncos, Cardinals, and Jaguars are among the clubs who have been ruled out as possible destinations for the two backs, and the Browns and Steelers are uninterested in one another’s castoffs.
Still, there are rumblings that Tate, at least, won’t make it through waivers, and I’d be a little surprised if Blount didn’t find work for the rest of the year. It seems likely that both players will get another shot, so today’s poll question asks: Which player would you rather take a flier on? Or are neither of them worth the hassle? After casting your vote, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Extra Points: Raiders, Panthers, Seahawks
Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group assessed the Raiders‘ free agent class and the overall picture isn’t pretty. McDonald gives GM Reggie McKenzie credit for pleasant surprise Donald Penn, who has been solid on the offensive line, but many of their signings have backfired. Maurice Jones-Drew (three-year, $7.5MM deal) and LaMarr Woodley (two-year, $10.3MM deal) seem like particularly bad signings at this time. More from around the NFL..
- Embattled Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy might be “too toxic” to net a big contract in free agency, former agent Joel Corry tells Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer.
- With today’s moves, the Seahawks have now had 66 different players on their 53-man roster this season, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter) notes. All of last season, Seattle had just 65 players pass through their active roster.
- The Broncos worked out former Eagles cornerback Curtis Marsh today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter) adds that Denver also auditioned tackle Chris Faulk.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
As usual, Tuesday means plenty of practice squad signings and cuts for teams around the NFL. Here are today’s practice squad moves, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- To make room for their new practice squad additions, the Broncos have released defensive end Zach Thompson and wide receiver Douglas McNeil, tweets Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
- The Saints signed former Chiefs inside linebacker Jerry Franklin to their practice squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- According to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter), tackle Mark Asper and defensive back Josh Bush have joined the Broncos‘ practice squad. Denver previously had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait for word on which players are being replaced.
- The Bengals have swapped one linebacker for another on their taxi squad, signing Terrell Manning and dropping Justin Jackson, per the team (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have made a few changes to their practice squad, releasing guard Jeff Baca and linebacker Will Smith and adding linebacker Keith Smith and cornerback Robert Steeples to replace them (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- Rookie running back Dominique Williams, who was with the Vikings in camp, has re-signed with the team, joining the practice squad, according to a press release. Minnesota had a full 10-man unit, but now no longer lists safety Pierre Warren on its roster, so perhaps he was signed away by another club — the Saints, Warren’s former team, would be the most likely candidate.
- In addition to making multiple changes to their 53-man roster, the Colts also tweaked their practice squad today, adding running back Michael Hill and cutting wide receiver Eric Thomas, the team announced today. We’ll have to wait to see whether Hill, the only running back on Indianapolis’ practice squad, has a chance to be promoted in Ahmad Bradshaw‘s absence, or if the team will opt for a veteran replacement instead.
- The Falcons have filled the 10th and final spot on their taxi squad by signing former Oregon defensive tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, per Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (Twitter link).
- Having recently worked out for the club, cornerback Marcus Cromartie has joined the 49ers‘ practice squad, replacing tight end Xavier Grimble, who has been cut, according to the club (Twitter link).
- Outside linebacker Cordarro Law, who was cut from the Chargers‘ active roster prior to Sunday’s game against the Raiders, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to the Chargers’ transactions list.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
In addition to making practice squad changes, teams around the league are also adding and subtracting players from their 53-man rosters today. We’ll round up some of those minor transactions in this space, with the latest moves added at the top of the list:
- The Texans have released Ricky Sapp from injured reserve, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Sapp was placed on IR on October 7th to make room for the signing of linebacker John Simon to the 53-man roster.
- The Titans have cut linebacker James Anderson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Anderson, 31, started all 16 games last season for the Bears. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) ranked Anderson 33rd out of 35 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers in 2013, his poor grade was due in large part to subpar performance against the run — he was one of the league’s more effective linebackers in pass coverage. This year he saw time in seven games as a reserve.
- The Bears have added receiver and return man Marc Mariani to their roster on a two-year contract, waiving safety Ahmad Dixon to make room for the incoming player, the team announced today (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Cardinals had hoped Troy Niklas‘ ankle injury wouldn’t be season-ending, but that optimism didn’t last long. As Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes, the team placed the rookie tight end on injured reserve today, ending his season. To replace Niklas, the Cards signed veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan, who was on the Bears’ roster earlier this season.
- The Seahawks have officially confirmed the previously-reported signings of offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre and defensive tackle Travian Robertson, cutting offensive tackle Andrew McDonald and defensive back Steven Terrell to accommodate the new additions. Jeanpierre and Robertson will get a chance to play at center and defensive tackle, respectively, with Max Unger and Brandon Mebane injured.
- Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary has been ruled out for the season and will remain on the reserve/PUP list, the team announced today in a press release. Clary needed to start practicing today if he hoped to play this season, but his hip injury will keep him sidelined until 2015.
Saints Place Brandin Cooks On IR
Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be without one of his favorite targets for the remainder of the season, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team placed wideout Brandin Cooks on injured reserve today, ending his rookie campaign. Cooks reportedly broke his thumb during Sunday’s loss to the Bengals and had been expected to miss four to six weeks.
Cooks, the 20th overall pick in May’s draft, was an all-purpose weapon for the Saints in his first NFL season, racking up 550 receiving yards on 53 catches to go along with 73 yards on seven rushes. In addition to his offensive contributions, which included four touchdowns, Cooks also returned 10 punts for the club.
The Saints also completed a handful of other moves today, according to Yates (Twitter link). Safety Rafael Bush joins Cooks on the IR list, while running back Edwin Baker has been waived by the team. With the three newly-opened roster spots, New Orleans signed linebacker Moise Fokou, cornerback Terrence Frederick, and safety Pierre Warren. Frederick had been on the Saints’ own practice squad, while Warren was signed away from the Vikings’ unit.
Adrian Peterson Suspended For Rest Of 2014
4:15pm: Arbitrator Shyam Das has made his decision on the NFLPA’s grievance, ruling that the NFL can keep Peterson on its exempt list, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). That means that the issue of whether the running back should have been removed from the commissioner’s exempt list following the conclusion of his legal case has been resolved, and the only way Peterson will see the field again this season is if he wins his appeal of today’s suspension.
9:07am: The league and the union continue to volley Peterson-related statements back and forth. An NFL spokesman has responded to the NFLPA’s claim that a league exec told Peterson his stint on the exempt list would be considered time served: “There were aggravating circumstances in this case. The time he missed on paid leave was taken into account in the discipline” (Twitter links via Albert Breer of NFL.com).
8:03am: The NFLPA didn’t waste any time releasing a statement of its own, calling the discipline imposed by the league “inconsistent” with previously established policies and penalties. Indicating that an NFL executive told Peterson his time on the exempt list would be considered time served, the union announced it will appeal the suspension and demand that a neutral arbitrator oversees that appeal.
7:48am: The NFL announced today that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been suspended without pay for at least the rest of the 2014 season, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. According to Garafolo (via Twitter), the league informed Peterson that he won’t be considered for reinstatement before April 15, 2015. A source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the star running back will immediately appeal the suspension.
The league has released a lengthy statement explaining its decision, which arose as a result of Peterson violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy in an incident of abusive discipline toward his four-year-old son. Modifications earlier this year to the league’s personal conduct policy – specifically for incidents of domestic violence – dictated a ban of at least six games for a first offense, with the possibility for a stricter penalty if there were “aggravating circumstances.” In Peterson’s case, commissioner Roger Goodell identified multiple aggravating circumstances, including the fact that the victim was only four years old, and that Peterson’s camp didn’t provide information requested by the league during the process.
“You have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct,” Goodell wrote in a letter to Peterson. “When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not ‘eliminate whooping my kids’ and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child’s mother. You also said that you felt ‘very confident with my actions because I know my intent.’ These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future.”
Although the NFL’s policy on personal conduct suggests at least a six-game suspension for such a violation, there was some uncertainty about the league’s decision in this case, since Peterson accepted a no-contest plea and had already sat out for the majority of the season, having been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. In appealing the suspension, the NFLPA will likely point to that absence as time served, despite the fact that Peterson was still being paid during that de facto suspension.
Peterson and the NFLPA have three days to formally appeal the NFL’s ruling, and the league indicated in its statement that a hearing will be “scheduled promptly” once that appeal is filed. During the appeal process, Peterson will remain on the exempt list and will continue to be paid until a final decision is made.
Assuming the suspension stands, Peterson will be required to undergo a counseling and treatment program and will be subject to periodic reviews from the league and Goodell — the first of which will happen on or around April 15. The league’s statement also advises Peterson that to be considered for reinstatement in 2015, he must have no further violations of the law or of league policy.
“It is imperative that you to avoid any incident of this kind in the future,” Goodell said in his letter. “Any further violation of the personal conduct policy will result in additional discipline and may subject you to banishment from the NFL.”
Even in the event that the suspension stands and Peterson is reinstated by the league in the spring, it’s hard to imagine the running back returning to the Vikings for the 2015 season, particularly on his current contract. That deal calls for a base salary of $12.75MM and an overall cap hit of $15.4MM next year, which is an exorbitant cost for any running back, given the current market. If the team does eventually cut Peterson, it’ll be interesting to see which club will be willing to take a shot on him, especially since teams have typically already made their major free agent expenditures before mid-April.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Colts Sign Josh Cribbs, Put Bradshaw On IR
1:55pm: The Colts have officially announced the signing of Cribbs, placing Ahmad Bradshaw on season-ending injured reserve in a corresponding move, tweets Mike Chappell of RTV6. The club also cut linebacker Victor Butler and signed tight end Weslye Saunders, an indication that Dwayne Allen may not be active in Week 12.
10:48am: The Colts are signing former Browns return man Josh Cribbs, a source confirms to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), who says the move should become official later today. Zac Jackson of FOX Sports Ohio first reported (via Twitter) that Cribbs was heading to Indianapolis.
Cribbs, 31, was one of the most explosive punt and kick returners in the league earlier in his career, tallying 11 total return touchdowns — three on punts and eight more on kicks. The three-time Pro Bowler played for the Jets for a portion of last season after spending most of his career in Cleveland, and hadn’t been on an NFL roster to this point in 2014.
Given Cribbs’ limited value as an offensive player, the Colts likely intend to use him primarily as a returner. For most of the season, 24-year-old wideout Griff Whalen has returned punts and kicks for the club, and has been passable. Whalen has yet to return a kickoff more than 32 yards or a punt more than 22 yards, however, so installing Cribbs as the new return man should give Indianapolis more big-play potential on special teams.
Steelers Release LeGarrette Blount
1:52pm: The Steelers have officially promoted Harris from the practice squad to replace Blount, tweets PR man Burt Lauten.
12:32pm: The Steelers have released running back LeGarrette Blount, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster, the team announced today (Twitter link). Pittsburgh becomes the second AFC North team today to cut ties with a notable recently-signed running back, with the Browns waiving Ben Tate earlier in the day.
Blount, who signed with the Steelers in March after a successful postseason reason with the Patriots, came into the season expecting to share the workload with Le’Veon Bell. However, Bell has emerged as one of the top backs in the NFL, relegating Blount to backup duty — the former Buccaneer and Patriot has carried the ball just 65 times this year for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Things came to a head in Tennessee last night, when Blount left the field before the end of the Steelers’ win over the Titans, as Bell was in the midst of racking up more than 200 yards on the ground. The display didn’t sit well with other players on the roster, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette details. Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette (Twitter links) suggested this afternoon that some from of discipline – at least a suspension – would be handed down by head coach Mike Tomlin, but the club elected to go ahead and cut Blount instead.
Like Tate and other players cut after the trade deadline, Blount will have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent. For teams in need of a running back, Blount will have appeal because of his talent and his inexpensive price tag, but after Monday’s incident, his impact on the clubhouse may be a concern.
As for the Steelers, Dulac (Twitter link) indicated that releasing Blount would likely open up the door for the team to give Dri Archer a larger workload and to sign Josh Harris from off the practice squad.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.