Saints Audition Rueben Randle, Others
The Saints auditioned a small army’s worth of players today. Among the notable players to work out for New Orleans were wide receivers Rueben Randle, Greg Little, and Andre Caldwell (Twitter links via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). 
Offensive lineman Khalif Barnes, long snapper Aaron Brewer, long snapper Andrew East, long snapper Thomas Gafford, offensive tackle Bryce Harris, tight end Nic Jacobs, tight end Jake Stoneburner, guard/center Mike Liedtke, cornerback Sterling Moore, cornerback Darrin Walls, cornerback B.W. Webb, and wide receiver Nate Washington also auditioned for the Saints. Liedtke’s visit “went well” and “there’s a good chance something may happen soon,” according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
Randle, 25, joined the Eagles this offseason after averaging 56 receptions, 782 yards, and six touchdowns over the past three seasons with the Giants. However, he was cut loose before the 75-man deadline. Randle is known to be a talented receiver but there were serious questions about his work ethic while he was in East Rutherford.
Caldwell, 31, appeared in 14 games for the Broncos last season, catching 10 passes (22 targets) for 72 yards. While he wasn’t one of the primary targets in Denver, he did also have two touchdowns on the year. In the spring he signed on with Detroit and before he was cut by the Lions in August, it was said that he suffered a “season-ending” hand injury. It seems that Caldwell’s injury might not be as bad as once feared.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Buccaneers To Sign Cecil Shorts
4:43pm: The Bucs have confirmed the signing via Twitter. To make room for Shorts, the team waived fellow receiver Evan Spencer.
4:13pm: Cecil Shorts‘ free agent tour didn’t last long. Hours after visiting with the Buccaneers, the two sides shook hands on a deal, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. It’s a one-year deal for Shorts, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) adds that it is a “prove it” deal. 
Shorts previously played under coach Dirk Koetter when both were in Jacksonville in 2011, so there is history there. And with injuries at wide receiver, it only makes sense that the Bucs would have interest in one of the biggest names out there. Shorts became a roster casualty a few days ago when the Texans dropped him on their way to a 53-man roster.
Last year was Shorts’ first season in Houston and he compiled 42 catches for 484 yards and two touchdowns. Shorts also returned 11 punts, his first special teams action since 2011. For his efforts last season, Pro Football Focus ranked him 90th among 121 eligible receivers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts Sign Akeem Ayers
The Colts have signed outside linebacker Akeem Ayers, as Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets. In related moves, the team has waived cornerback Neiko Thorpe and added cornerback Frankie Williams to the practice squad. The team has confirmed the moves via press release. 
Ayers, a second-round pick of the Titans in 2011, was cut by the Rams over the weekend. That move surprised a lot of people since Ayers started eleven games for the club last season. Los Angeles cleared his entire $3.3MM of his cap charge from the books by dropping him and they hoped to re-sign him to a cheaper deal after the 53-man cutdowns were through. Unfortunately, for L.A. the Colts have spoiled those plans.
The release of Thorpe could mean that Darius Butler will be ready to go for Week 1. The Colts, of course, are thin at CB following Vontae Davis‘ injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Cut Kai Forbath
The Saints have cut kicker Kai Forbath, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The writing was on the wall for Forbath after the team signed fellow kicker Wil Lutz earlier today. 
The Saints signed Forbath in October of 2015 after the Redskins released him a month earlier. Forbath went on to make 9-of-13 field goal attempts — including a 57-yarder — and 33-of-34 extra points. In March, the Saints re-upped him. Now, he’s on the open market once again.
Forbath was locked in what was said to be a tight kicking battle with Connor Barth all summer. Barth was cut days ago, but the team has decided to overhaul the position entirely for reasons that are not quite clear.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Place Jon Bostic On IR
The Lions have placed linebacker Jon Bostic on IR, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). Bostic, who had surgery last month, was previously given a timetable that could allow him to return as early as October and as late as December. Depending on how his recovery goes, he could be a candidate to return from IR. 
Bostic, a former second-round pick, represented the first deal between Lions general manager Bob Quinn and his former team, as Detroit acquired Bostic from the Patriots in May. The former Florida Gator is no stranger to being traded after a September swap shipped him from the Bears to the Pats. In 2015, he appeared in eleven games (one start) for New England, recording two tackles.
As a rookie with the Bears, Bostic played in all 16 games with nine starts on the year. In total, he notched 57 tackles, two sacks, and an interception in 2013. He followed that up in 2014 with a career high of 83 tackles. If Bostic doesn’t take the field this year, then the Lions will not have to send a seventh-round pick to New England for him. If he does play and reach a certain playtime threshold, then the Lions will still be on the hook.
Moving Bostic to IR will create a roster spot for tight end Khari Lee, who was claimed off waivers earlier today.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions Claim Khari Lee Off Waivers
The Lions have claimed tight end Khari Lee off waivers from the Bears, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Lee, 24, was waived by the Bears on Sunday to make room for fellow tight end Logan Paulsen. Last year, Lee appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Bears and even logged seven starts, though his role didn’t involve a ton of pass-catching. On the year, he was targeted just three times and had only one reception for seven yards. However, Lee is known as a strong in-line blocker.
To make room for Lee, the Lions will have to bump one player from the roster. Currently, the Lions have Eric Ebron, Orson Charles, and Cole Wick at tight end on the depth chart.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Release Cortland Finnegan
Cortland Finnegan‘s time with the Saints did not last long. The cornerback was released this afternoon, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. 
[RELATED: Saints Sign K Wil Lutz To Active Roster]
The 32-year-old Finnegan announced his retirement in March 2015, but he returned to football in November when he signed with the Panthers. Finnegan wound up playing in five regular-season games and all three of the NFC champions’ playoff contests, including Super Bowl 50. The veteran, who recorded 18 tackles, failed to add to his career interception total (18) for the second straight year.
The Saints are slated to start Delvin Breaux and P.J. Williams at cornerback, as shown on Roster Resource. Finnegan was expected to provide depth behind both players this offseason, but he apparently didn’t do enough over the last month to make the Week 1 roster.
Finnegan’s deal with the Saints called for him to earn a $985K base salary with a $50K signing bonus and a $650K cap hit due to the minimum salary benefit. New Orleans is now only on the hook for the $50K bonus.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Sign K Wil Lutz To Active Roster
Could the Saints be making a change at kicker? One day after agreeing to add kicker Wil Lutz to their taxi squad, the Saints are instead signing him to the 53-man roster, according to agent John Perla Jr. (on Twitter). 
Just a few days ago, the Saints cut fellow kicker Connor Barth, which seemingly meant that Forbath had won the kicking competition. The Saints were fond of Barth too and coach Sean Payton acknowledged that the team had a tough time deciding between them. It seems unlikely that the Saints would carry two kickers, so one has to wonder if Forbath could be injured.
Lutz had a tryout with the Saints on Monday, Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune tweets. He made all of his short kicks and while he nailed a few tries from the high 50s, he did miss two attempts from 50+. Lutz was let go by the Ravens when the team cut down to 75. The UDFA out of Georgia State connected on 27 of his 39 field goal tries in college and made 98.1% of his extra point attempts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Shopping Josh Kline
Howie Roseman is wheelin’ and dealin’ this offseason. Offensive lineman Josh Kline, a member of the Eagles for all of 20 minutes, is already being shopped, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Eagles are already in “deep discussions” about a trade that would send Kline elsewhere. 
After the Eagles sent cornerback Eric Rowe to the Patriots for Kline and a future draft choice, many assumed that Philadelphia was targeting Kline for offensive line depth. Apparently, that’s not the case.
Kline is under contract for the next two years at a reasonable rate, so it shouldn’t be too tough for Philly to find a taker. It’s not clear what they could get in return, however. Stay tuned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills Sign Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate has found a new NFL home. The Bills announced moments ago that they have signed the former Bengals kick returner. The Bills had a spot open on the 53-man roster, so they will not have to release anyone to clear a place for the veteran.
Tate, 28, was on Cincinnati’s roster since the 2011 season, but most of his contributions came on special teams rather than on offense. He’s returned more than 350 kicks and punts during his time with the Bengals, averaging 9.6 yards per return on kickoffs and 24.6 yards on punts. Highly-respected by the Cincinnati coaching staff and front office, Tate was released in advance of the 75-man deadline so that he might be able to latch on with another club.
Tate caught 17 passes for 193 yards in 2014, but recorded only two receptions in 2015. He may see some time on offense, but you shouldn’t expect to see him featured often as a wide receiver in Buffalo.
The kick return specialist worked out for the Broncos late last week but left Denver without a deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.