Texans Cut Shiloh Keo, Sign Josh Aubrey
The Texans have made a change in their secondary, parting ways with last season’s primary starter at free safety. As first reported by Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the team has cut Shiloh Keo, who had been battling a calf injury. With the vacated roster spot, the Texans promoted safety Josh Aubrey from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Keo, 26, racked up 63 tackles in Houston’s secondary last year, also defending six passes and snagging an interception. However, the former fifth-round pick’s injury woes and unspectacular play saw him surpassed on the depth chart this season by Kendrick Lewis and Danieal Manning. With no bonus money included in his minimum-salary deal, Keo won’t count for any dead money against Houston’s cap.
The promotion of Aubrey from the practice squad to the 53-man roster opens up a spot on the taxi squad for wideout Travis Labhart, whose signing was reported earlier.
Jets Sign John Conner
12:48pm: The Jets have officially confirmed the signing of Conner, announcing in a press release that Bohanon has been placed on injured reserve.
11:00am: The Jets have signed free agent fullback John Conner, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that it’s a one-year deal for the former fifth-round pick.
Conner, 27, started his career with the Jets, appearing in 35 total games over parts of three seasons before joining the Bengals and eventually the Giants. Conner played 13 contests, including seven starts, for the Giants a year ago, but was cut by the team when rosters were trimmed from 75 players to 53 last month.
Jets fullback Tommy Bohanon suffered a fractured clavicle during the team’s Week 4 loss to the Lions, prompting New York to bring in Conner for a visit yesterday. While Bohanon improbably played the second half on Sunday after sustaining the injury, he likely won’t be playing again anytime soon. I’d expect him to be placed on injured reserve as the corresponding move for the addition of Conner, though the Jets have yet to officially announce anything.
Colts Extend Robert Mathis, Sign Jalil Brown
The Colts announced a series of roster moves today, including the signings of one player to the 53-man roster and a pair of players to the practice squad. However, the most notable of the team’s Tuesday transactions is a contract extension for edge defender and pass rusher Robert Mathis, whose deal has been extended through the 2016 season.
In addition to locking up Mathis for an additional year, the Colts have also signed defensive back Jalil Brown to their active roster. The two openings on the club’s practice squad have been filled by wide receiver Chandler Jones and inside linebacker Rob Ruggiero.
Mathis was reinstated from his suspension following Indianapolis’ Week 4 win over the Jaguars, but rather than being moved to the active roster, the veteran defender was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. The 33-year-old tore his Achilles while working out away from the club, which means he wasn’t necessarily entitled to his 2014 salary. However, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Mathis is still receiving his full ’14 salary, while the new deal tacks on a $6MM salary for 2016.
As Breer explains (via Twitter), the one-year extension essentially represents a team option for 2016, with Mathis doing a favor for Indianapolis in exchange for receiving his salary this season. It’s not clear if the extension also reduces Mathis’ $10.75MM cap hit for 2015 at all.
As for Brown, he saw action on special teams and occasionally on defense for the Chiefs in 2011 and 2012, but didn’t see the field much last season during his time with the Colts and Dolphins. No corresponding move is necessary to add Brown to the 53-man roster, since the Colts had placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve earlier this week and had an opening. The club should also have room for another addition this week, with LaRon Landry heading to the reserve/suspended list.
East Notes: Donnell, Dolphins, Brady, Jets
After losing Brandon Myers to the Buccaneers, the Giants kicked the tires on a number of free agent tight ends this past offseason, including Brandon Pettigrew and others. However, the team ultimately didn’t make any major additions at the position, and that decision looks like the best one the front office made all year. As Peter King of The MMQB.com details, new No. 1 tight end Larry Donnell has been a revelation during the first few weeks of this season, racking up 25 receptions and four touchdowns already, just three years removed from going undrafted and unsigned out of Grambling State.
As we look forward to seeing if Donnell can keep up his impressive play throughout the season, let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions….
- Defensive end Emmanuel Dieke, who was cut by the Giants last month, is working out for the Dolphins today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Pointing out that the remainder of Tom Brady‘s contract remains “insanely team-friendly,” Ben Volin of the Boston Globe wonders if the Patriots would ever get to the point where they’d consider trading their longtime signal-caller to a team in need of a quarterback.
- Rex Ryan‘s job as the Jets‘ head coach may hinge on whether or not he decides to continue to rely on Geno Smith as the club’s No. 1 quarterback, writes Steve Selby of the New York Post.
- Mark Bullock of the Washington Post takes an in-depth look at why Redskins outside linebacker Brian Orakpo isn’t proving to be worth his large 2014 salary in the early going this season.
Raiders Notes: McKenzie, Sparano, Gruden
Dennis Allen became the first NFL head coach of the 2014 season to be fired last night, after his Raiders lost all four of their games in September. Since then, rumors have been swirling about the team’s short-term solution at head coach, potential longer-term targets, and whether general manager Reggie McKenzie‘s job is safe. Here’s the latest out of Oakland:
- After initially reporting (via Twitter) that Tony Sparano would not be taking over as the Raiders’ head coach, Fallon Smith of CSNBayArea.com clarified (via Twitter) that McKenzie was being indecisive and then Sparano is still being considered. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Sparano still looks like the most likely replacement for Allen, but offensive coordinator Greg Olson has made it known that he wants the job.
- While McKenzie apologists may argue that he inherited an aging, overpriced roster, and has spent the last couple years getting out from under poor cap decisions, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports doesn’t believe the Raiders GM has shown any indications that he deserves to remain a part of the team’s rebuilding process. In Marvez’s view, McKenzie should be the next to go.
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group points out that GMs are rarely fired in the middle of a season, but thinks that owner Mark Davis will take a long look at replacing McKenzie in the offseason. If he decides to make a change, Davis figures to “put everything he has into a basket” for Jon Gruden before exploring other candidates, according to Kawakami, who adds that the former Raiders coach has long been Davis’ top choice to take over the club’s football operations.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) acknowledges that Gruden could potentially be in play for the Raiders in January, but thinks it’d be an easier sell if the Raiders were headed to Los Angeles with a new stadium lined up.
- Williamson also notes (via Twitter) that the Raiders previously made a run at Mike Holmgren, speculating that perhaps he could be part of the team’s front office picture in 2015.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Colts placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- Defensive end Chase Vaughn has been cut from the Broncos‘ injured reserve list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Panthers have waived running back Tauren Poole, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Carolina is still short-handed at the position, but is expected to explore adding a more veteran back this week.
- To make room for Chris Owusu, whose signing is noted below, the Jets are waiving cornerback LeQuan Lewis, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). As Cimini notes, Lewis committed two penalties on special teams in Sunday’s game.
- The Chargers have swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and cutting defensive lineman Chas Alecxih, the team announced today in a press release.
- Defensive end Frank Alexander (Panthers), safety Jakar Hamilton (Cowboys), wideout Ace Sanders (Jaguars), and safety Reshad Jones (Dolphins) have all been reinstated from their suspensions, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. Their respective teams won’t have to make corresponding moves immediately, since all four clubs will have roster exemptions that last until next Monday (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Eagles‘ beat-up offensive line will receive a little help this week, as Lane Johnson has been activated after serving his four-game suspension (Twitter link). To make room on the 53-man roster, the club has waived offensive lineman Kevin Graf.
- After adding T.J. Graham to the roster earlier today, the Jets will sign another wideout, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that former Buccaneer Chris Owusu is set to join the club (Twitter links).
- The Colts have waived wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers on the heels of his arrest for DUI, according to a team release. Head coach Chuck Pagano confirmed to reporters, including Mike Chappell of RTV6 (Twitter link), that Rogers was cut for conduct detrimental to the team. Indianapolis also promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and moved Robert Mathis from the reserve/suspended list to the reserve/non-football injury list.
- With a short week ahead of them and Teddy Bridgewater recovering from an ankle injury, the Vikings have added another quarterback to their practice quad, signing Chandler Harnish and cutting wideout Donte Foster (Twitter link).
- Wide receiver Tommy Streeter has signed to the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Jacksonville currently has a full 10-man unit, so someone will have to be dropped – or promoted – to make room for Streeter.
- The Redskins have signed outside linebacker Gabe Miller to fill the final opening on their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
Jags Cut Winston Guy, Promote Craig Loston
The Jaguars have parted ways with the player that entered the season as one of their starting safeties, announcing today in a press release that Winston Guy has been placed on waivers. The team has signed safety Craig Loston off its practice squad to fill Guy’s spot on the 53-man roster.
Guy, 24, appeared in 14 games for the Jaguars last season and started two. The former Seattle sixth-round pick broke camp as a starter in Jacksonville’s secondary, but was lit up during the first three games of the season and was benched in advance of Week 4. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), only one of 77 qualified safeties has been worse so far this season than Guy, who has allowed a QB rating of 149.1 on passes thrown into his coverage.
While Loston will provide depth in the secondary with Guy no longer in the mix, he’s unlikely to play a major role. Josh Evans and Jonathan Cyprien appear poised to move forward as the team’s two starting safeties.
With Loston no longer on the practice squad, it clears room for the team to add wideout Tommy Streeter, whose signing to the taxi squad had previously been reported.
LaRon Landry Suspended For Four Games
Colts safety LaRon Landry has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, the NFL and the team announced today in a press release. Landry will be eligible to return to the team following its October 26 contest against the Steelers.
Under the NFL’s new drug policy, first-time violators for steroids, stimulants, HGH, and other banned substances are subject to suspensions of four games without pay. If Landry were to fail a second test, he’d be facing a ban of 10 games, while a third violation would result in a banishment for a minimum of two years.
In Landry’s absence, Sergio Brown appears to be the likeliest candidate to assume a more significant role in Indianapolis’ secondary. The team also promoted safety Dewey McDonald to the 53-man roster from the practice squad earlier today, which now makes sense as a depth move.
The Colts will have an open roster spot to fill with Landry headed to the reserve/suspended list for the next four weeks.
Redskins Sign Jamarca Sanford, Richard Crawford
3:09pm: The Redskins have formally confirmed the signings of Sanford and Crawford, and also announced (via Twitter) the addition of tackle Terren Jones to their practice squad.
12:39pm: According to Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan (via Twitter), the Redskins will also be signing cornerback Richard Crawford, who has previously spent time with the team but was cut a month ago.
12:23pm: The Redskins have filled one of the two openings on their 53-man roster by agreeing to a deal with free agent safety Jamarca Sanford, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team has yet to officially confirm the move, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s announced soon along with another signing, to get back up to 53 players.
Sanford, 29, spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Vikings, becoming the team’s starting strong safety in 2011. He restructured his contract this past offseason, but even that lower cap hit didn’t allow him to save his job — he was one of the players removed from Minnesota’s roster when teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players, initially being placed on injured reserve and then released with a settlement. Since then, Sanford has tried out for the Jets and Bears.
With the Redskins, Sanford will join a secondary that currently sees Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark manning the two starting safety spots.
Bills Name Kyle Orton Starting QB
Bills head coach Doug Marrone announced today that veteran signal-caller Kyle Orton will take over for E.J. Manuel as the team’s starting quarterback beginning this coming week (Twitter link). According to Marrone, the Bills need more production at the position and believe that Orton gives the club the best opportunity to win immediately (Twitter links).
While Manuel helped lead the Bills to a pair of wins early in the season, he has often struggled to make accurate throws to his receivers, and is completing just 58.0% of his passes. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rank the second-year quarterback just 35th out of 37 qualified passers, ahead of only Jake Locker and Geno Smith.
Orton signed with the Bills late in the offseason to a contract that suggested the team believed he may have to start at some point. As Brian McIntyre observes (via Twitter), Orton can earn up to $6MM this season if he plays more than 50% of Buffalo’s snaps in 2014.
This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on, on a number of levels. Orton clearly isn’t a long-term solution for the Bills at quarterback, and if Manuel isn’t either, the team may need to draft a signal-caller in 2015 to develop. However, the club dealt its 2015 first-round pick to Cleveland in the Sammy Watkins trade, so unless the Bills can somehow trade back into the first round, it’s unlikely they’ll have a shot at a future star.
Additionally, the QB change signals that the front office and coaching staff are very aware that the Bills are in win-now mode with a new ownership group taking over. If the move backfires and leads to another losing season in Buffalo, major changes could be coming in the offseason.