Patriots To Release TE Clay Harbor
The Patriots are releasing tight end Clay Harbor, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The news comes as a bit of a surprise.
While Harbor was not a central player for New England, there were other players on the chopping block who could have been let go instead of the tight end. Harbor’s release will clear one of two spots to make room for Tom Brady and Rob Ninkovich.
After averaging 25 receptions per season from 2012 to 2014, Harbor caught 14 balls for 149 yards and a touchdown in 2015 for the Jaguars, primarily serving as a blocker. This offseason, the Pats signed Harbor with the intent of using him as a fullback/tight end hybrid. Harbor had played in three of Patriots’ first four games. He logged 25 snaps on offense and 39 on special teams but not register an official statistic, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter) notes.
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Bears To Waive RB/KR Raheem Mostert
The Bears are set to waive running back/kick returner Raheem Mostert, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Tessler, with some gentle agent spin, indicates that Chicago is cutting Mostert due to “other needs.” He’ll be re-signed to Chicago’s practice squad if he clears waivers, according to Tessler. 
Mostert was signed to the Bears’ taxi squad on September 13th and was bumped up to the 53-man roster one week later after injuries to Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey. Despite being on the roster for two games, Mostert did not log a rushing attempt or return on special teams.
Mostert, a Purdue product, has traveled all over the league in his short career. He has signed deals with the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets, and Bears since entering the league as a UDFA in 2015.
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Buccaneers Sign DT John Hughes
The Buccaneers have signed defensive tackle John Hughes, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Hughes has been a free agent since being released by the Patriots earlier this month. 
Hughes was cut loose by the Browns in September, a surprising move since he had several years to go on the lucrative extension he inked in 2015. Days later, he signed with New England, but his stay with the Pats lasted less than a week.
Hughes, a 2012 draftee, started just seven games in his first three seasons with the Browns and landed on IR in 2014 after suffering an MCL injury. The former third-round pick appeared in all 16 regular season games in 2015 and made three starts, totaling 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble.
After Gerald McCoy suffered a calf injury over the weekend, Hughes will provide Tampa Bay with some much-needed depth. As Auman notes, Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek was in Cleveland the year Hughes was drafted.
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Browns C Austin Reiter Done For Year
Browns center Austin Reiter is believed to have suffered a torn ACL, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. He will be placed on IR. 
Reiter played well in his first career start at center but, unfortunately, his season is already over. The Browns plucked Reiter from the Redskins’ practice squad late last month, giving them some depth after losing starter Cameron Erving for an extended period of time. Now, they’ll be without Erving until his bruised lung is better and they’ll be without Reiter for the season.
When Reiter went down on Sunday, the Browns moved guard John Greco to the middle and used rookie Spencer Drango at right guard. They could go with that O-Line makeup going forward, but it stands to reason that they will also add a lineman to the 53-man roster.
The banged up Browns are now 0-4 heading into this Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
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Falcons LB Weatherspoon Suffers Torn Achilles
Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Weatherspoon will presumably be shut down for the season and placed on IR. 
Sadly, this marks the second time that Weatherspoon has suffered an Achilles tear in his career. The 28-year-old (29 in October) missed the entire 2014 season thanks to that injury. In 2015, he left Atlanta for the Cardinals and saw just 159 defensive snaps. This offseason, he returned to the Falcons with the hope of earning more playing time. He started three of Atlanta’s four games this season, tallying 27 total tackles.
Weatherspoon originally entered the NFL as a Falcons first-round draft pick, joining the team as the 19th player selected in the 2010 draft. In 2011, his only full season, he showed what he is capable of as he racked up 125 tackles and four sacks. Unfortunately, he has since been held back by his Achilles issues plus knee and foot problems.
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Dolphins Sign TE Dominique Jones
The Dolphins have signed tight end Dominique Jones, according to his reps at Reign Sports (on Twitter). Jones returns to Miami as starting tight end Jordan Cameron deals with his latest concussion. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Not Considering Jay Cutler Move]
Jones, 29, just missed the Dolphins’ final cut earlier this month. In addition to spending the offseason with the Dolphins, he has previous experience with coach Adam Gase thanks to his time in Denver. For his career, Jones has appeared in 13 games with a whopping three catches for 42 yards. He may get a chance to add to those numbers now if Cameron is forced to miss time. Without Cameron, Dion Sims and MarQueis Gray will be bumped up a spot with Jones serving as the No. 3 tight end.
The Dolphins already had an open roster spot, so they won’t have to cut anyone to add Jones.
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Browns Release DT Armonty Bryant
The Browns are releasing Armonty Bryant, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The defensive tackle was slated to come off of suspension today. 
Bryant and former Browns defensive back De’Ante Saunders were arrested early on Christmas morning 2015. Bryant, who had Adderall in his possession, was ultimately indicted on two counts of felony drug possession when he could not produce a prescription for the medication. The NFL subsequently hit him with a four-game suspension.
Bryant, 26, enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2015, racking up career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles (40), and forced fumbles (two). However, after a solid year on the field, the linebacker ran into some trouble off of it. Hue Jackson has talked about prioritizing character when it comes to filling out the team’s 53-man roster and it appears that he is sticking to his word by cutting Bryant. The Browns, now 0-4, probably could have used Bryant from a talent perspective.
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AFC East Notes: Patriots, Collins, Jets, McCain
The Patriots have seven defensive starters hitting the free agent market at once, but coach Bill Belichick claims he isn’t worried, as Doug Kyed of NESN.com writes.
“In general, there’s some team planning, you do what you can do,” Belichick said. “Sometimes if you can work out a contract, which we’ve done that during the season with various players — if you can work that out, you work that out. If you can’t, there’s been a number of players we’ve signed — our players that we’ve signed once free agency has started. Devin McCourty, to pick a name.
I don’t think you can be afraid of free agency. It’s not if a guy gets to free agency, you can’t resign him. You’re in a competitive market, but you’re in a competitive market anyway. These guys know that they have other options, depending on who the player is and what their situation is. They have other options. We know there’s only so much money to go around. If you can work it out, then you have the security, if you can’t then you have your options. They have their options, we have our options. That’s professional sports.”
Linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower, defensive ends Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long, cornerback Logan Ryan, safety Duron Harmon, and defensive tackle Alan Branch will all be unrestricted free agents while cornerback Malcolm Butler will be a restricted free agent . Meanwhile, offensive starters Martellus Bennett, LeGarrette Blount, Marcus Cannon, Sebastian Vollmer, and James Develin also will be UFAs.
As the Patriots gear up for an interesting offseason, here’s more from the AFC East:
- On Monday, the Patriots are expected to activate quarterback Tom Brady and defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald expects tight end A.J. Derby and LaAdrian Waddle to be on the chopping block, though placing Eric Rowe on IR is also an option. Derby has been passed by Clay Harbor on the depth chart and likely could pass waivers and be placed on the practice squad. Waddle, meanwhile, is the fourth tackle on the depth chart and has been leapfrogged by Cameron Fleming.
- The Jets auditioned free agent defensive end Chris McCain today, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). McCain, 24, is entering his third season in the NFL, but hasn’t contributed much during his first two years in the league. He’s appeared in 19 games, but he’s been more of a special teams player than a defensive stalwart. McCain picked up a sack and a forced fumble in 2015, but only played on 113 total snaps (43 on defense) before being traded to the Saints this offseason.
- The Bills placed wide receiver Sammy Watkins on injured reserve today, and replaced him by claiming fellow pass-catcher Justin Hunter off waivers. Watkins will be out for a minimum of eight weeks as he recovers from a foot injury.
- In case you missed it, the Patriots worked out former Raiders fullback Marcel Reece today.
Bills Place Sammy Watkins On IR
This has been a rough season for the Bills so far. Today, Buffalo announced that star wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been placed on IR. 
[RELATED: Bills Claim Justin Hunter Off Waivers]
There is no surgery scheduled for Watkins, though he will visit Dr. Robert Anderson to be sure, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The plan for Watkins will consist of rest and rehab.
Watkins could potentially return after two months thanks to the league’s new IR rules, but it’s not immediately clear if that’s a possibility for the wide receiver. Of course, if the Bills’ season keeps going in the same direction, it’s unlikely that Watkins would be activated even if he’s healthy later on in the season. Buffalo is currently 1-2 heading into a tough matchup against the Patriots on Sunday. Meanwhile, they’re missing several starters on the other side of the ball.
The Bills went all-in on Watkins in the 2014 draft, trading the No. 9 overall pick, their first-round choice in 2015, and a 2015 fourth-rounder to acquire him. From a talent perspective, Watkins proved to be as good as the hype. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Watkins bravely played through the pain in 2015 but his foot only got worse with time.
With Watkins sidelined for at least eight weeks (and possibly the full season), one has to wonder if coach Rex Ryan will be able to keep his job for 2017. It’s only Year 2 for Rex in Buffalo, but there have been rumblings about his job security for months. Ryan will have to get some Ws out of his team without some of their most important players this year, including the dynamic Watkins.
In two games this year, Watkins recorded six catches for 63 yards.
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Bills Claim Justin Hunter Off Waivers
The Bills claimed wide receiver Justin Hunter off waivers from the Dolphins, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The team has since confirmed the move while announcing that fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been placed on IR. 
[RELATED: Bills Place Sammy Watkins On IR]
Hunter came into the league with a ton of hype behind him as a second-round pick in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately, Hunter was never able to put it all together at the NFL level. This year, the new regime in Tennessee bounced Hunter (and other notable players from GM Ruston Webster‘s watch), leading him to be picked up by the Dolphins. However, on Wednesday, Miami opted to waive the wide receiver.
Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.
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