Saints Rookie Carl Granderson Released From Jail, Reinstated
The Saints signed defensive end Carl Granderson as a UDFA in May and gave him a hefty guarantee despite the fact that he had a pending trial for sexual assault charges in July. His attorney and prosecutors reached a plea deal whereby Granderson would have served one year of probation, but a Wyoming judge went against the plea deal and ordered that Granderson immediately begin serving a six-month jail sentence. The Saints subsequently placed Granderson on the Did Not Report list.
Granderson’s attorney moved the court for a reconsideration of the sentence, and as Herbie Teope of NOLA.com reports, a different judge granted the motion. Granderson has been released and will need to serve one year of probation, but he is allowed to join the Saints. Teope — who says the team did a great deal of due diligence on the matter before signing Granderson — also notes that Granderson was reinstated with an Exempt/Commissioner Permission designation. He will not count against the team’s roster for now, and New Orleans will have two weeks to decide what to do with him.
It seems likely that the club will find a place for him on the 53-man roster given the financial commitment to him and given his talent. He almost certainly would have been drafted if not for his legal situation, and he could become a useful part of the Saints’ front seven this year.
As Teope observes, Granderson is not subject to league discipline as the incident that gave rise to the assault charges occurred before Granderson was in the league.
Dolphins Release Nate Orchard
Edge rusher Nate Orchard survived cutdown day in Miami, but he couldn’t make it to Week 1. Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins have released Orchard (Twitter link).
Orchard, whom the Browns selected in the second round of the 2015 draft, posted four sacks for the Fins this preseason, and he looked primed to open the 2019 campaign as a starting defensive end. Now, one of last year’s “Hard Knocks” stars will have to look elsewhere, though his strong showing this summer should earn him another opportunity fairly quickly.
The move is somewhat surprising given that Orchard is still young enough (26) for a rebuilding outfit like the Dolphins to carefully evaluate him over the course of the season. Plus, as Jackson notes in a full-length post, defensive line coach Marion Hobby praised Orchard at length just hours before he was cut. Hobby said, “[t]hat was the biggest thing, just watching him on tape. You can see from day one that he can run, that he can do some good stuff. I think he’s been doing a good job of taking coaching and sometimes you have to keep him focused.”
Without Orchard, Miami’s DE depth chart consists of Charles Harris, UDFA Jonathan Ledbetter, and recent waiver claim Avery Moss.
In a related move, the Dolphins claimed LB James Crawford off waivers from the Packers.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed:
- Signed:
- DE Cassius Marsh (story)
- Waived:
- RB T.J. Logan
- LB Pete Robertson
- LB Tanner Vallejo
- Signed to practice squad:
- QB Drew Anderson
- LB Dante Booker
- CB Nate Brooks
- TE Darrell Daniels
- LB Vontarrius Dora
- WR A.J. Richardson
- TE Caleb Wilson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Dakota Allen
- TE Kendall Blanton
- TE Chandler Brewer
- DT Marquise Copeland
- DB Donte Deayon
- DE Landis Durham
- RB John Kelly
- OL Jeremiah Kolone
- S Jake Gervase
- QB John Wolford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed:
- DB Antone Exum
- Placed on IR:
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- DT Kevin Givens
- S Marcell Harris
- TE Daniel Helm
- WR Malik Henry
- LB Elijah Lee
- G Ross Reynolds
- DE Jeremiah Valoaga
- RB Jeff Wilson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Jazz Ferguson
- WR Terry Wright
- TE Jacob Hollister
- CB Simeon Thomas
- G Jordan Roos
- T Elijah Nkansah
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.
Additionally, as of today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to practice squad:
- DE Aaron Adeoye
- OL Marcus Applefield
- CB Maurice Canady
- FB Christopher Ezeala
- WR Sean Modster
- LB Donald Payne
- OL R.J. Prince
- TE Charles Scarff
- DE Zach Sieler
- RB De’Lance Turner
- WR Antoine Wesley
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed:
- WR Pharoh Cooper
- RB Samaje Perine
- Waived:
- RB Josh Malone
- LB Hardy Nickerson
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Moritz Böhringer
- CB Anthony Chesley
- LB Noah Dawkins
- HB Jordan Ellis
- TE Jordan Franks
- S Trayvon Henderson
- WR Stanley Morgan
- TE Mason Schreck
- G Keaton Sutherland
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed:
- Waived:
- Placed on IR:
- OL Drew Forbes
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Brandin Bryant
- TE Stephen Carlson
- WR Shelton Gibson
- LB Willie Harvey
- S J.T. Hassell
- CB Robert Jackson
- DB Tigie Sankoh*
- WR Derrick Willies
- C Willie Wright
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to practice squad:
- S Marcus Allen
- RB Trey Edmunds
- OL Derwin Gray
- WR Tevin Jones
- S Trevon Mathis
- DL Henry Mondeaux
- OL Patrick Morris
- TE Kevin Rader
- TE Christian Scotland-Williamson
- LB Robert Spillane
* = International Pathway Program player
Panthers Release Torrey Smith
The paycut that Torrey Smith accepted back in May wasn’t enough to save his job in Carolina. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Panthers have released the veteran wideout (Twitter link).
Smith missed five games due to a knee injury in 2018 — his first and only season in Charlotte — and he appeared in 11 games in total (six starts). He was targeted just 31 times on the year, hauling in 17 of those targets for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Smith has never been a volume receiver, but he hasn’t posted more than 40 catches since 2014.
The former home run hitter, now 30, has lost a step or two over the past couple of years, and given that he never had great hands or route-running ability, losing top-end speed is especially problematic. He was squeezed out of the Panthers’ plans, but he should get another chance as a depth WR and occasional deep threat elsewhere.
He does have two Super Bowl rings, one from his 2012 season in Baltimore and another from his 2017 campaign in Philadelphia.
Cardinals To Sign Cassius Marsh
The Seahawks signed DE Cassius Marsh in April with the idea that he could bolster the team’s pass rush, but he became expendable after Seattle traded for Jadeveon Clowney. Now, Marsh will join the third NFC West team of his career, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Marsh is set to sign with the Cardinals (Twitter link).
Marsh, 27, had 5.5 sacks and 14 QB hits for the 49ers last year. The former fourth-round pick of the Seahawks will join a pass rushing rotation that also includes Terrell Suggs and Chandler Jones.
The Cardinals didn’t do much right last year, but they did compile 49 sacks, and Marsh will serve as a worthwhile complement to the front seven.
Seahawks Hope To Re-Sign Geno Smith
After waiving Paxton Lynch and releasing Geno Smith over the past couple of days, the Seahawks do not presently have any QBs on the roster behind starter Russell Wilson. We suggested last night that the club could look to re-sign Smith, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says that is indeed Seattle’s plan (Twitter link).
And as veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets, now that the Seahawks have traded two players in exchange for Jadeveon Clowney, the team has an open roster spot that they can use on Smith. The Clowney trade wasn’t finalized prior to Saturday’s cutdown deadline, so Seattle was compelled to release Smith to the open market.
As a vested veteran, Smith is a free agent and can sign with any team he chooses. But he would be a backup wherever he signs, and being Wilson’s clipboard holder isn’t a bad gig.
Smith served as the QB2 for the Chargers last year and for the Giants in 2017, and at this point, the former Jets starter and second-round pick looks destined for a career as a journeyman backup.
Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott Still Have Significant Ground To Cover
The Ezekiel Elliott pendulum continues to swing back and forth. We heard yesterday that contract talks between Elliott and the Cowboys were intensifying, and the fact that Dallas elected to keep only two RBs on its 53-man roster suggests that the club is indeed expecting to have Zeke back for Week 1.
Today, however, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports that the two sides still have significant ground to cover. Moore says talks are certainly intensifying, but given that there had been no meaningful dialogue over the last few weeks, the mere fact that the parties returned to the negotiating table this weekend represents marked progress. The word “intensifying” should not necessarily be construed to mean that a deal is close.
As Moore reiterates, the primary issue in negotiations is the guaranteed money. The AAV gap between the league’s current highest-paid RBs — Todd Gurley‘s $14.3MM and Le’Veon Bell‘s $13.1MM — isn’t making player or team lie awake at night. The gulf between Gurley’s $45MM guarantee and David Johnson‘s $31.8MM guarantee is the real holdup, as the Cowboys don’t want to set the RB market in terms of guarantees given that there is already a huge gap between Gurley and the next player at his position.
It feels like an agreement may not be too far away, but there is still significant legwork to be done.
Patriots To Bring Back Demaryius Thomas?
The Patriots cut free agent signee Demaryius Thomas yesterday, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the door is open for Thomas to re-sign with the team. Indeed, Reiss says “there is an expectation” that Thomas will return to New England.
The longtime Broncos star is on the back nine of his career, but his strong route running could make him a productive role player in the Pats’ precision offense. He is still working his way back from an Achilles tear that he suffered in December, and he played in the Patriots’ preseason finale Thursday, his first game action since the injury. He looked good against fringe NFLers, compiling seven catches for 87 yards and two scores.
Reiss suggests that New England’s decision to release Thomas allowed the team to keep punt returner Gunner Olszewski, who, unlike Thomas, would have had to clear waivers if he had been cut. The move also allowed the Pats to include rookie wideout N’Keal Harry on the initial 53-man roster, which will make him eligible to return later in the season if he is forced to go on IR. Harry has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the preseason opener.
But if the Pats do want Thomas back, they could have some competition. A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the Broncos — whose WR depth chart is generally very green — are interested in a reunion.
More On Jadeveon Clowney Trade
A pair of blockbuster trades were consummated on cutdown day, one of which featured Jadeveon Clowney heading to Seattle. More details on that trade and how it went down may come out over the next couple of days, but here’s a roundup of what we have so far:
- Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Texans paid Clowney a $7MM signing bonus while the Seahawks will pick up the remaining $9MM of Clowney’s 2019 salary (Twitter link). The trade was already viewed as a big win for Seattle, and this tips the scales even further in the Seahawks’ favor. Critically, the Seahawks have promised Clowney that they will not put the franchise tag on him in 2020.
- At one point, the Dolphins believed they were the frontrunners for Clowney, and when the trade to Seattle was first reported, we heard that Miami and the Texans were indeed headed towards a deal before Clowney made it clear that he would refuse to play for the Fins. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms that report and says the Dolphins and Texans were on their way to a trade that would have sent Clowney and two very high picks to Miami in exchange for LT Laremy Tunsil, but Clowney’s aversion to South Beach scuttled that (Twitter link). Of course, the two sides did agree to a Tunsil trade, it just didn’t include Clowney.
- Jackson adds in a separate tweet that the Dolphins only really considered Clowney a bonus, not necessarily a long-term piece. The team really wanted premium draft capital in a Tunsil trade, and that’s ultimately what Miami got.
- Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says that, when Clowney did not report to the Texans after their third preseason game, as Houston had expected, the team’s leverage was reduced even further. And when Clowney suggested that he was willing to miss regular season action if he was not traded, the Texans had to act to make the best deal they could (Twitter link).
- Clowney will re-hire longtime agent Bus Cook, whom he had fired less than a week ago, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.