Chargers Meet With Ronnie Hillman
Workout Tuesday has brought us yet another high-profile visit. The Chargers hosted running back Ronnie Hillman on a visit today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). 
Hillman, a 2012 third-round pick, was cut loose by Denver in early September despite notching the most offensive snaps, carries, starts, yards, and touchdowns of any Broncos tailback in 2015. This summer, the Broncos preferred Kapri Bibbs for his kick return ability and rookie Devontae Booker for his upside. All in all, Denver felt it would be best to cut Hillman loose and save $1.4MM of his $2MM contract.
The Chargers, of course, are looking for replacements after losing Danny Woodhead for the season, but they already inked Dexter McCluster earlier today. It remains to be seen whether McCluster took Hillman’s spot or if the Chargers could still be in the market for another tailback. The Chargers’ RB group currently consists of Melvin Gordon, Kenneth Farrow, McCluster, and former Giant Andre Williams.
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Lions To Sign Aaron Dobson
Aaron Dobson‘s workout tour is finally over. Today, the Lions agreed to sign the former Pats wide receiver, as freelance reporter Rand Getlin tweets. 
[RELATED: Lions Work Out Joique Bell]
Dobson’s signing could signal that the Lions are set to go with five wide receivers. Alternatively, it could mean that Andre Roberts‘ time is through in Detroit. Roberts currently sits at the bottom of Detroit’s four-man WR depth chart behind Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Anquan Boldin.
Dobson has yet to impress in his three NFL seasons to date but he is hoping to show the talent that made him a second-round pick in 2013. The Marshall product had his moments in his rookie campaign, compiling 37 receptions for 519 yards and four touchdowns. Since then, however, Dobson has only hauled in 16 catches for 179 yards in 12 games.
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Lions Work Out Joique Bell
Running back Joique Bell worked out for the Lions today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Bell, of course, played for the Lions from 2012-2015. 
If Bell looks good and Ameer Abdullah‘s prognosis doesn’t improve, the Lions could theoretically turn to the veteran for support in the backfield. Abdullah suffered a left foot sprain over the weekend and is currently being examined by a specialist in Charlotte, North Carolina. Right now, the expectation is that the sophomore will miss only one or two games, but we should have a better handle on his condition by the end of the day.
In 13 games for Detroit last season, Bell racked up 311 yards off of 90 carries with four touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 286 yards. Despite giving the Lions multiple seasons of production, Bell was cut earlier this year to save $1MM against the cap.
Currently, the Lions have Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, and Zach Zenner at running back.
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Lions Audition Aaron Dobson
By the time Aaron Dobson gets done with his workout tour, he might have a practice jersey for all 32 NFL teams. Today, Dobson auditioned for the Lions, according to freelance reporter Rand Getlin (on Twitter). 
Dobson was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2013 but never broke out as the team hoped he would. Earlier this month, the Pats cut him loose and opted to go with only five wide receivers on the 53-man roster (Actually, if you consider that special teams ace Matthew Slater rarely lines up as a receiver, the Patriots really went with four WRs to start the season).
Dobson’s world tour has seen him audition for the the Jets, Eagles, 49ers, and Chargers in recent days. The Lions currently have Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Anquan Boldin, and Andre Roberts at wide receiver and they could be keeping Dobson in mind as an option should they lose one of them to injury.
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Bears’ Lamarr Houston Done For Season
The Bears’ worst fears were confirmed by an MRI today. Lamarr Houston has suffered a torn ACL and will be placed on season-ending IR, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Thumb Injury For Danny Trevathan]
Houston is no stranger to ACL tears as he also suffered one in 2014. Of course, Houston suffered that injury while celebrating a sack in the midst of the Bears’ blowout loss at the hands of the Patriots. That ACL tear cost Houston the final eight games of the season and this latest setback will shut him down after just two contests.
Houston spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders before signing a five-year, $35MM deal with the Bears prior to the 2014 season. There are two more years on Houston’s deal beyond 2016, but the Bears can clear most of that money from the books by cutting him prior to June 1st. If released, Houston will carry just $1.98MM in dead money versus $5MM+ in cap savings.
Last year, Houston appeared in all 16 games for the Bears, racking up 42 tackles and a career-high eight sacks.
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Browns Cut DL John Hughes
The Browns announced that they have released defensive lineman John Hughes. Hughes inked a lucrative extension with the Browns in March of 2015 and had several years to go on his deal. Now, he’ll be a free agent for the first time in his career.
Hughes, a 2012 draftee, started just seven games in his first three seasons in Cleveland 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. Even though his extension was set to pay him $14.4MM in new money, the new regime in Cleveland apparently wasn’t very fond of him.
By cutting Hughes and rookie linebacker Scooby Wright, the Browns have made room for center Austin Reiter and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.
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Giants Bump Michael Hunter To Active Roster
The Giants are set to promote defensive back Michael Hunter to the active roster, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. The move could be a sign that safety Mykkele Thompson will miss time after hurting his knee on Sunday against the Saints. 
Hunter, an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, just missed the Giants’ 53-man cut but was quickly signed on to the taxi squad earlier this month. Now, he’ll join starters Darian Thompson and Landon Collins plus reserve Nat Berhe on the team’s safety depth chart.
Hunter began his D-I career at Indiana before transferring to Oklahoma State for his senior season. In ten games, Hunter had 20 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, and two interceptions.
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Panthers Lose S Dean Marlowe For Season
Two days after aggravating his hamstring, Panthers backup safety Dean Marlowe has landed on IR, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. 
Marlowe, a product of James Madison, went undrafted in April but hooked on with the Panthers in May. Despite facing long odds at the beginning, Marlowe outworked the rest of his competition and found his way on to the 53-man roster. Marlowe was slated to provide support for Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston, but the Panthers will now have to find another safety to join Colin Jones in reserve.
In theory, the Panthers could turn to safety Travell Dixon or defensive back Marcus Ball on the taxi squad rather than signing someone on the open market.
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Browns Waive Rookie LB Scooby Wright
When you draft 14 rookies, they can’t all be winners. Today, the Browns are waiving linebacker Scooby Wright, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. The Browns hope to add Wright to the practice squad if he clears waivers, but it’s not a given that he will go unclaimed. 
Wright, a seventh-round pick, made a name for himself as a sophomore at Arizona in 2014. With 164 total tackles, 15 sacks, and 31 tackles for a loss, Wright was a national star and even finished No. 9 in Heisman voting. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old’s 2015 season did not go as well as he played only three games due to injury. Hoping to still capitalize on his ’14 success, he skipped his senior season to enter the draft. Wright and his reps were probably a bit disappointed when he went No. 250 overall. Still, with his pedigree, another team could very well claim him and put him on the 53-man roster tomorrow.
The move will create room for center Austin Reiter, who was plucked off of the Redskins’ practice squad earlier today.
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Packers Hosting C.J. Spiller On Visit
The Packers are hosting C.J. Spiller on a visit, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Spiller has been on the open market since being cut loose by the Saints one week ago. 
Spiller’s release came as a surprise because of the unusual timing. After initially making the 53-man cut in New Orleans, Spiller was cut on Sept. 13, two days after the team’s season opener against the Raiders. Spiller’s release also left the Saints on the hook for a $1.55MM roster bonus a guaranteed salary of $1.7MM salary. The Saints have $4.5MM in dead money left on the cap after releasing the veteran and didn’t save a whole lot, which means that his release was more of a football decision than anything.
Still, the Packers are wondering if Spiller still has something left in the tank. If Green Bay thinks he can help, Spiller could be brought in as a complement to primary tailback Eddie Lacy. In two games this year, Lacy has run for 111 yards off of 26 carries, good for a 4.3 yards per carry average.
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