Panthers Bring Roster To 53
The Panthers have moved their roster all the way down to 53 by making several cuts, and the NFL announced that guard Chris Scott had been suspended four games for violating the league’s PED policy.
- WR Keyarris Garrett (Twitter link via Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer)
- G David Yankey (Twitter link via Jones)
- DB Marcus Ball
- LB Brian Blechen
- S Travell Dixon
- TE Beau Sandland
- RB Jalen Simmons
- DT Robert Thomas
- DE Larry Webster
- CB Lou Young
- DT Kyle Love
Placed on IR:
- LB Ben Jacobs
- WR Kevin Norwood
- T Jordan Rigsbee
Suspended:
- G Chris Scott
Garrett, a wide receiver out of Tulsa, went undrafted, but he believes that he is the best at his position in the 2016 class.
“I say that all the time,” Garrett told David Newton of ESPN.com earlier this year. “That’s just how I feel. I had the best numbers out of any of the receivers. My numbers don’t lie. “That’s why I felt like I was the best wide receiver.”
Last year, Garrett racked up a nation-leading 1,588 receiving yards off of 96 catches.
Raiders TE Mychal Rivera Drawing Trade Interest
Teams in need of a tight end have called up the Raiders for Mychal Rivera, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, it sounds like Rivera will be staying put in Oakland. 
The Raiders are understandably high on Clive Walford and will probably put more emphasis on him in the offense this year. However, they also like what Rivera offers and it probably makes sense to hang on to him after Walford suffered a knee injury earlier this offseason.
Rivera, 25, started 10 games for the Raiders in 2014, catching a career-high 58 balls for 534 yards and four touchdowns. Last year, he saw his role reduced upon the arrival of Walford, a 2015 third-round pick.
Although Rivera still caught more passes in 2015 than Walford (32 to 28), he averaged just 8.8 yards per reception and found the end zone only once. Walford had three TDs and averaged nearly 12 yards per catch, and also assumed a larger role within the offense during the second half of the season.
After earning the minimum salary for his first three seasons, Rivera will see his base salary jump to $1.671MM for 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Name Blaine Gabbert Starting QB
The 49ers quarterback competition has seemingly been wrapped up for more than a month, but the team only finalized its QB depth chart today. Blaine Gabbert will start for the team in Week 1, according to a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Colin Kaepernick To Make Niners’ Roster]
Last year, Gabbert started in eight games for the Niners and posted a 3-5 record. Of course, the team’s troubles in 2015 went far beyond the quarterback position. When looking specifically at Gabbert’s performance, team brass liked what they saw. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft completed 63% of his passes (a career-high) and threw for 2,031 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
This offseason, coach Chip Kelly told everyone that it would be an open competition at quarterback, but it was widely believed that Gabbert already had it in the bag. Not only was Colin Kaepernick coming back from surgery on his left shoulder in November, but he has also been battling tightness in his right shoulder. Also, when Kelly got the job early on in the offseason, he went several weeks without reaching out to No. 7. Regardless, the 49ers are slated to have one expensive backup in Kaepernick as he is scheduled to earn $11.9MM this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings’ Roster Stands At 53
The Vikings have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:
- DT Travis Raciti (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune)
- DL Zach Moore (Twitter link via Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News)
- DE Denzell Perine (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press)
- WR Isaac Fruechte (Twitter link via Wolfson)
- WR Moritz Boehringer (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- CB Tre Roberson (link via Tomasson)
- QB Joel Stave (link via Tomasson)
- FB Blake Renaud (link via Tomasson)
- RB C.J. Ham (link via Tomasson)
- TE Kyle Carter (link via Tomasson)
- RB Jhurell Pressley (link via Tomasson)
- DE Stephen Weatherly (link via Tomasson)
- LB Brandon Watts (link via Tomasson)
- T Willie Beavers
- T Carter Bykowski
- G Isame Faciane
- LB Jake Ganus
- DT Toby Johnson
- DL Kenrick Ellis
Placed on IR:
- S Michael Griffin (story)
- CB Jabari Price
Placed On NFI:
- QB Taylor Heinicke
Moore, who turns 26 next week, appeared in eight games for the Pats in 2014 after being taken with a sixth-round pick. In 2015, he found his way to Minnesota where he appeared in one regular season contest.
Boehringer, a native of Germany, became the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL when the Vikings chose him in the sixth round. He ultimately failed to earn a roster spot, though he could land on the Vikings’ practice squad, per Rapoport.
Patriots Cut Aaron Dobson, Move To 53
The Patriots have announced the cuts that bring them down to 53, including the waiving of Aaron Dobson.
Dobson, 25, is a former second-round pick, but he hasn’t done much since joining New England in 2013. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product has only posted 53 receptions for less than 700 yards. Most of that production came during his rookie season, as Dobson has put up only 16 catches during the past two years. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Dobson was set to earn about $872K in base salary.
Here’s the list of Patriots cuts so far today:
- WR Aaron Dobson
- S Vinnie Sunseri (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald)
- WR DeAndre Carter (Twitter link via Kyed)
- WR Keshawn Martin (Twitter link via Kyed)
- RB Tyler Gaffney (waived/injured)
- DT Marcus Kuhn
- CB Cre’Von LeBlanc (Twitter link via Kyed)
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- LB Kevin Snyder (waived/injured, Twitter link via Kyed)
- DT Woodrow Hamilton (Twitter link via Kyed)
- RB/FB Joey Iosefa (Twitter link via Kyed)
- G Jon Halapio (Twitter link via Kyed)
- CB Darryl Roberts (waived/injured)
- WR Chris Harper (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com)
- OG Chris Barker (via Howe on Twitter)
- DE Geneo Grissom
- LB Rufus Johnson
- DL Joe Vellano
- WR Devin Lucien
- TE Bryce Williams
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Move Roster To 53
The Dolphins have trimmed their roster to 53:
- RB Daniel Thomas (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)
- OL Sam Young (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- DL Chris Jones
- DB Rashaan Melvin (Twitter link via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post)
- CB Chimdi Chekwa (Twitter link via Mike Florio of PFT)
- TE Dominique Jones (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)
- DB Shamiel Gary (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DT DeAndre Coleman (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DE Cleyon Laing (Twitter link via Jackson)
- DE Jordan Williams (Twitter link via Jackson)
- G Jamil Douglas (Twitter link via Jackson)
- WR Rashawn Scott (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald)
- OT Ulrick John (Twitter link via Jackson)
- TE Thomas Duarte (Twitter link via Jackson)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (Twitter link via Jackson)
- QB Zac Dysert (Twitter link via Jackson)
- LB James Burgess
- LB Tyler Gray
- S A.J. Hendy
- DE Cedric Reed
- LB James-Michael Johnson
This offseason, Thomas hooked on with the Dolphins for what was to be his third stint with the team. Thomas had a path to making the 53-man roster, but his chances were hurt when the team added Arian Foster late in the offseason. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas ran for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. In 2014, he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try. At one point in time, Thomas was looked at as a significant piece of the Dolphins offense, but he fell out of favor in Miami and has been yo-yoed on and off the roster.
Chekwa at one point was in the mix to win a starting job with Miami. However, for one reason or another, he couldn’t make the final cut. The Dolphins now have rookie Xavien Howard back on the field and free agent addition Chris Culliver, so they have enough bodies at cornerback.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Down To 53
The Giants started their cuts early this morning by cutting a handful of big wide receivers and went from there. French wide receiver Anthony Dable and Cal product Darius Powe are among those who have been shown the door.
Dable played professionally in Grenoble, France and also spent the last two seasons in Germany. With his German Football League team, Dable caught 145 passes for just under 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns over the last two campaigns. Although he did not grow up in a football-heavy atmosphere, he learned the game by watching others from afar.
“I learned football by watching videos of the receivers I like on YouTube, and I like guys that are the same size as me, like Brandon Marshall,” Dable said. “I think I play like Brandon Marshall. I like how he moves after the catch, with his size.”
Powe, a 6’3″ receiver, saved his best season for last at Cal. As a senior, Powe hauled in 47 catches for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns.
We’ll keep a running list of the Giants’ moves here. All of these moves have been confirmed via team press release.
Placed on IR:
- TE Will Johnson
Cut:
- RB Andre Williams
- WR Anthony Dable (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com)
- WR Darius Powe (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com)
- WR Geremy Davis (Twitter link via Raanan)
- CB Donte Deayon (Twitter link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
- CB Michael Hunter
- S Andrew Adams (Twitter link via Duggan)
- S Justin Currie (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- LB Ishaq Williams (Twitter link via Vacchiano)
- CB Leon McFadden (Twitter link via Art Stapleton of The Record)
- DE Stansley Maponga (Twitter link via Raanan)
- LB Brad Bars (Twitter link via James Kratch of NJ.com)
- G Dillon Farrell (Twitter link via Vacchiano)
- OL Ryan Seymour (Twitter link via Raanan)
- OL Emmett Cleary (Twitter link via Kratch)
- Ol Adam Gettis (Twitter link via Raanan)
- OL Jake Rodgers (Twitter link via Kratch)
- DT Louis Nix (Twitter link via ESPN’s Josina Anderson)
- QB Logan Thomas
- DT Jermelle Cudjo (Twitter link via Raanan)
- TE Ryan Malleck (per club announcement)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaguars Down To 53
The Jaguars announced that they are now compliant with the league’s 53-man max. Here’s the full list:
Released:
Waived:
- DL Richard Ash
- DL T.J. Barnes
- CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- TE Braedon Bowman
- OL Kadeem Edwards
- WR Shaq Evans
- WR Rashad Lawrence
- CB Nick Marshall
- LB Sean Porter
- OL Pearce Slater
- WR Shane Wynn
The Jags also made moves on Friday and that list can be found here.
Lions Trim Roster To 53
The Lions have released offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Thomas came to Detroit in the Jeremy Kerley trade earlier this week. 
Thomas, a former third-round pick, has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard and he apparently wasn’t wanted in Detroit either.
Thomas obviously wasn’t the Lions’ only victim of cut day. Cuts include:
- RB George Winn (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- S Isaiah Johnson (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR T.J. Jones (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News)
- LB Khaseem Greene (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- OL Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- OL Brandon Thomas (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- QB Jake Rudock (link via Birkett)
- Ol Michael Ola (link via Rothstein)
- TE Adam Fuehne (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- CB Alex Carter
- WR Quinshad Davis
- LB Jayson DiManche
- LB Zaviar Gooden
- C Gabe Ikard
- WR Jay Lee
- T Luke Marquardt
- DT Caraun Reid
- DB Charles Washington
- DT Gabe Wright
- C Lemuel Jeanpierre
- CB Darrin Walls
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Colts Cut Stevan Ridley, Others
The Colts are cutting running back Stevan Ridley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Ridley was signed by the Colts just days ago after he was cut by Detroit. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Frank Gore‘s legs by lightening his workload and Ridley figured to be a part of that. Alas, the Colts didn’t see enough from Ridley in the last few days to keep him on the 53-man roster.
After spending his first four years in the NFL with the Patriots, Ridley signed with the Jets last season, but didn’t see the field all that much after coming off the PUP list. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Ridley took over for Zac Stacy as the No. 3 back and earned just 36 carries, totaling only 90 yards for a career-worst 2.5 yards per attempt. His stint with Indianapolis could represent his best opportunity to reestablish himself as a quality back.
Here’s the running list of the Colts’ cuts so far today (links via Mike Wells of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified):
- RB Stevan Ridley
- WR Tevaun Smith (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star)
- DE Ronald Thompson
- DL Sterling Bailey (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- ILB Trevor Bates (link)
- ILB Nate Irving (via Holder)
- OLB Earl Okine
- CB Tay-Glover Wright
- CB Christopher Milton
- S Alden Darby
- S Lee Hightower
- WR MeKale McKay
- OG Kitt O’Brien
- OG Adam Redmond
- OT Mitchell Van Dyk
- OT Jeremy Vujnovich
The team has also placed offensive guard Hugh Thornton, cornerback Tevin Mitchel and linebacker Ron Thompson on the injured reserve, according to Holder and Alex Marvez of SiriusXM (Twitter link). The 25-year-old has started 32 of his 37 games through his three seasons in the league.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.