Cowboys Make Cuts, Reduce Roster To 53
Only two Cowboys’ cuts surfaced yesterday, and the team added Lavar Edwards in a trade with the Titans earlier today, meaning 21 players had to be removed from the team’s active roster today. Among those roster casualties were a few notable names, including veteran guard Uche Nwaneri and running backs Phillip Tanner and Ryan Williams. Here’s the complete list of Cowboys roster moves, via a press release:
Released:
- Dezmon Briscoe (WR)
- Uche Nwaneri (G)
Waived:
- Josh Aladenoye (T)
- Kenneth Boatright (DE)
- Dartwan Bush (DT)
- LaRon Byrd (WR)
- Stephen Goodin (G)
- Terrance Mitchell (CB)
- Ronald Patrick (C)
- Caesar Rayford (DE)
- Dontavis Sapp (LB)
- Keith Smith (LB)
- Ryan Smith (S)
- Will Smith (LB)
- Phillip Tanner (RB)
- Asa Watson (TE)
- Ryan Williams (RB)
Waived-injured:
- Orie Lemon (LB)
- Zach Minter (DT)
Placed on reserve-suspended list:
- Jakar Hamilton (S)
- Orlando Scandrick (CB)
Texans Trim Roster To 53 Players
In addition to confirming the eight players reported to be roster casualties yesterday, the Texans also announced 14 more roster moves today, bringing their roster down to 53 players in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Here are the players removed from Houston’s active roster today:
- Lacoltan Bester, WR
- Keith Browner, DE
- Max Bullough, ILB
- Anthony Denham, TE
- Mike Farrell, T
- Matt Feiler, T
- James Ferentz, C
- Bronson Irwin, G
- Alex Kupper, G
- Ricardo Mathews, NT
- Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR
- Julius Warmsley, DE
- Marcus Williams, CB
- Chris Young, ILB
The team has also removed Paul Hazel from its injured reserve list with a settlement.
Jets Finalize 53-Man Roster
A few notable cuts by the Jets had already been reported today, with players like cornerback Dimitri Patterson and wide receiver Stephen Hill being cut loose by Rex Ryan‘s club. We rounded the team’s first 11 cuts in a pair of posts earlier today, but here, via a team press release, are the remaining 11 roster moves:
Cut:
- Will Campbell, OL
- Troy Davis, LB
- Brandon Dixon, DB
- Clyde Gates, WR
- Kerry Hyder, DL
- Garrett McIntyre, LB
- Brent Qvale, OL
- Jeremy Reeves, DB
- Caleb Schlauderaff, OL
- Matt Simms, QB
Placed on reserve-PUP list:
- Antwan Barnes, LB
Chiefs Announce Cuts, Down To 53 Players
The Chiefs have announced 22 roster moves, taking their player count from 75 to the required 53-man limit. Via a press release, here’s the full list of players who were removed from the team’s active roster:
Cut:
- Jonathon Amaya, S
- Malcolm Bronson, S
- Jordan Campbell, FB
- Dominique Hamilton, DL
- Mark Harrison, WR
- Ricky Henry, G
- Alonzo Highsmith, LB
- Nico Johnson, LB
- Kyle Love, DT
- Justin Rogers, CB
- Kona Schwenke, DL
- Ryan Succop, K
- DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB
- Devan Walker, LB
- J’Marcus Webb, T
- Charcandrick West, RB
- Fred Williams , WR
Placed on injured reserve:
- Tyler Bray, QB
- Kyle Williams, WR
Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:
- Mike Catapano, DE
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
- Dwayne Bowe, WR
- Donald Stephenson, OL
Falcons Cut 10 Players, Down To 53
After officially announcing a first wave of cuts that included veteran linebacker Pat Angerer yesterday, the Falcons have confirmed their second wave of final cuts. According to a team release, Atlanta has parted ways with the following 10 players:
- Ricardo Allen, CB
- Sean Baker, S
- Jeremy Ebert, WR
- Harland Gunn, G
- Terren Jones, T
- Bernard Reedy, WR
- Travian Robertson, DT
- Mickey Shuler, TE
- Jacques Smith, LB
- Geraldo Boldewijn, WR (reached injury settlement)
Colts Finalize Roster, Deal Burley To Seahawks
The Colts have finalized their 53-man regular season roster, according to the team, which announced in a press release their roster moves to get down to 53 players. In addition to the moves listed below, the team also pulled off a trade, sending defensive back Marcus Burley to the Seahawks for a 2015 sixth-round pick, according to the Colts’ Twitter account.
Here’s Indianapolis’ full list of transactions:
Waived:
- Gannon Conway, DE
- David Fluellen, RB
- Chandler Harnish, QB
- Tyler Hoover, DE
- Phillip Hunt, OLB
- Andrew Jackson, ILB
- Ryan Lankford, WR
- Josh Lenz, WR
- FN Lutz, C
- Dewey McDonald, S
- Nnamdi Obukwelu, DT
- Sheldon Price, CB
- Rob Ruggiero, ILB
- Weslye Saunders, TE
- Kelvin Sheppard, ILB
- Erik Swoope, TE
- Josh Walker, G
Released:
- Brandon McKinney, NT
Waived-injured:
- Matt Hall, T
- Delano Howell, S
Placed on reserve-suspended list:
- Robert Mathis, OLB
Rams Waive Michael Sam, Down To 53
The Rams made history in May when they used a seventh-round pick on Michael Sam and became the first NFL team to draft an openly gay player. However, for now at least, St. Louis won’t become the first NFL team to carry an openly gay player on its 53-man roster. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Sam has been cut by the Rams.
Sam had a solid preseason for the Rams, including a sack of Johnny Manziel in the team’s game against the Browns. But competition for a roster spot on the Rams’ defensive line – one of the best in football – was fierce, and Sam became one of the last roster casualties before this afternoon’s deadline. As Schefter notes, the Missouri alum would be a strong practice squad candidate for the Rams or another club, if he clears waivers.
In addition to waiving Sam, the Rams have also removed the following players from their roster:
- Stedman Bailey, WR (via Nick Wagoner on Twitter): Moved to reserve-suspended list
- Christian Bryant, S (via team release)
- Matt Conrath, DT (via Jim Thomas on Twitter)
- Austin Franklin, WR (via team release)
- Greg Reid, CB (via Thomas on Twitter)
- Brandon Washington, OL (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
- Lawrence Wilson, LB (via Wagoner on Twitter)
Saints Cut Champ Bailey, Robert Meachem
Veteran defensive back Champ Bailey has failed to secure a spot on the Saints’ 53-man roster, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans is cutting Bailey. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Saints have also parted ways with wideout Robert Meachem.
In releasing Bailey, the Saints will be stuck with $500K in dead money on their cap, since that portion of the veteran’s one-year contract with the club was guaranteed. There were rumblings during training camp and the preseason that Bailey may not be assured of a roster spot in New Orleans — he’s not a contributor on special teams, so to land a spot on the team’s regular-season roster, he probably would have had to secure a starting spot, or at least a nickel back role. Based on his performance this summer, it seems the Saints weren’t convinced he’d be a positive asset in their secondary.
The two cuts are the latest Saints moves as the team trims its roster to 53 players. We passed along several other cuts made by the team earlier today.
Lions Release Leshoure, Roster To 53
2:50pm: The Lions have announced their remaining cuts, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. In addition to the players listed below, the following players have been let go:
- Rodney Austin, OL
- Patrick Edwards, WR
- Andre Fluellen, DL
- Emil Igwenagu, RB
- Nate Ness, S
- Andrew Peacock, WR
- Xavier Proctor, DL
- Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, DL
- Julian Stanford, LB
- Jordan Thompson, TE
1:45pm: The Lions have let go of one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the team has released wideout Kris Durham.
The 26-year-old finished 2013 with career-highs in receptions (38) and yards (490). He also led all of the Lions offensive skill players in snaps, even topping All-Pro Calvin Johnson.
The Lions weren’t done there, as they released an additional six players:
- Chris Greenwood, CB (via Birkett on Twitter)
- Shamari Benton, LB (via Birkett on Twitter)
- Brandon Hepburn, LB (via Birkett on Twitter)
- Michael Egnew, TE (via Rand Getlin on Twitter)
- Michael Williams, OT (via Birkett on Twitter)
- George Winn, RB (via Birkett on Twitter)
11:40am: The Lions’ starting running back from 2012 is no longer on the roster, as the team informed Mikel Leshoure today that he’s being waived as the 53-man cutdown deadline nears, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. While the move leaves a little dead money on Detroit’s cap, the team avoids having to pay the running back his non-guaranteed base salary for 2014.
Leshoure wasn’t the only veteran among the Lions’ cuts today. Here’s the complete running list:
- Darren Keyton, C (via Birkett on Twitter)
- Mikel Leshoure, RB
- Garrett Reynolds, OL (via Pro Football Talk on Twitter)
- Mohammed Seisay, CB (via Michael Rothstein on Twitter)
- Darryl Tapp, DE (via Josh Katzenstein on Twitter)
Jets Release Dimitri Patterson
After an unusual incident in which Dimitri Patterson denied having gone AWOL for 48 hours last weekend, the Jets have decided to cut their losses, releasing the veteran cornerback today, per Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). Patterson had been suspended indefinitely by the team following last week’s incident.
The Jets would have been the sixth different team that Patterson has played for in his nine-year career, having also suited up for the Redskins, Chiefs, Eagles, Browns, and Dolphins. Despite missing 10 games with a groin injury, Patterson played well for the Dolphins last season, recording four interceptions in just 240 defensive snaps. He also tallied four picks with Philadelphia in 2010, the only season in which he played the full 16 games.
Still, after he essentially called out head coach Rex Ryan and GM John Idzik, suggesting that their comments about him going AWOL were “completely false,” it appeared that Patterson’s days in New York were numbered. The one-year deal Patterson signed with the Jets earlier this offseason included $1MM in bonus money, and the team was already thin at cornerback, so parting ways with him isn’t an ideal solution. There’s a chance that $1MM signing bonus could be recouped though, given the circumstances surrounding Patterson’s release — I’d expect the team to at least explore that option.
Safety Rontez Miles has also been cut by the Jets, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.