Patriots, Matthew Slater Agree To Extension
The Patriots and Matt Slater have agreed to an extension, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a It’s a one-year, $1.8MM deal that will take the wide receiver/special teams specialist through 2017. 
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The five-time Pro Bowler was originally slated to hit the open market following the 2016 season. Slater, who turns 31 in September, has just one reception and seven targets his credit in eight years with the Patriots. Still, he is an important cog in the third facet of the Pats’ game and they wanted to ensure that he would remain in New England beyond this season.
In other Patriots news, one-time Pats hopeful Tim Tebow auditioned for MLB teams on Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots also placed Sebastian Vollmer and Dion Lewis on the PUP list, as expected. Both players will be sidelined for at least six weeks of the NFL season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Reactions From Tim Tebow’s Baseball Workout
Tim Tebow worked out in front of representatives of 28 different MLB teams on Tuesday and he didn’t exactly look the part of a polished big leaguer. Tebow got “mixed reviews” after his audition on the USC campus, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes. 
Tebow, 29, ran a solid 6.70-second 60-yard-dash and belted some long home runs in practice. However, he struggled to hit off-speed pitches from former big-leaguers David Aardsma and Chad Smith. Also, according to one scout who spoke to Crasnick, Tebow showed a below-average 40 grade arm on the 20-80 scouts scale – an especially poor showing for a former NFL quarterback. Even though Tebow did not have a great day on the field, he still insists that he is serious about his baseball pursuit.
“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow said. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”
For what it’s worth, Tebow understands that he has some work to do before he reaches the big leagues and he may even consider playing winter league ball in Latin America. If Tebow is indeed willing to leave the country to play baseball, one can’t help but wonder why he was never willing to try and reignite his football career in the CFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/16
We’ve had quite a busy day as teams worked feverishly to get under the 75-man roster maximum before the afternoon deadline. Here are the rest of the roster moves made so far:
- The Packers have released punter Tim Masthay to make room for fellow punter Jacob Schum, whom they claimed on waivers from the Buccaneers, Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel tweets.
- The Browns have signed punter Michael Palardy and waived free safety Tim Scott, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. Palardy will battle it out with new acquisition Kasey Redfern.
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The Eagles announced that they have claimed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston off waivers from the Chargers. The Purdue product has played with five teams to date. Philadelphia also signed defensive end Jake Metz, according to a team announcement. Metz previously played with the Arena League’s Philadelphia Soul.
- The Buccaneers moved guard J.R. Sweezy and receiver Louis Murphy to the PUP list, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. In related moves, linebacker Jeremiah George and safety Kimario McFadden have been re-signed.
- Contrary to previous reports, the Saints are not cutting linebacker Jeff Schoettmer (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune).
- The Steelers have moved their roster to 75 men by waiving safety Jacob Hagen, defensive tackle Devaunte Sigler and cornerback Kevin White, the club announced.
- The Colts had one open roster spot, and they’ve filled by signing safety Alden Darby, per a team announcement.
- The Bears have waived rookie cornerback Kevin Peterson, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Texans Down To 75
The Texans have reached the 75-man roster limit with a handful of moves today. Defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan was waived with an injury settlement, linebacker Carlos Thompson was waived, and kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was put on injured reserve.
Fairbairn was competing with Nick Novak for the Texans’ starting job at kicker this offseason. Unfortunately, he suffered a quad injury along the way. The Texans like Fairbairn’s potential, however, and chose to keep him around by putting him on IR, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Houston will evaluate him as an option for 2017.
Pagan, a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft, was a member of Alabama’s 2011 and 2012 national championship teams. He skipped his senior year with the Crimson Tide to go pro. Thompson played in two games for Houston last season.
Cowboys Place Kellen Moore On IR
Today, the Cowboys placed quarterback Kellen Moore on injured reserve. 
Earlier this month, Moore broke his leg, elevating Dak Prescott to the No. 2 spot on Dallas’ quarterback depth chart. Then, when Tony Romo suffered a back injury in preseason, Prescott was bumped up to the starting role. The initial prognosis on Moore was that he would miss three or four months, but Dallas has opted to shut him down instead.
Below, we have the full slate of Dallas’ moves to get down to a 75-man roster today.
Waived:
- WR Rodney Smith
- G Mike McQueen
- G Dan Buchholz
- WR Richard Mullaney
- CB Arjen Colquhoun
- LB Henoc Muamba
PUP List:
- TE James Hanna (more on Hanna)
NFI List:
- LB Jaylon Smith (full story)
The Cowboys also placed tight end James Hanna on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and waived
Patriots Place Lewis, Vollmer On PUP
The Patriots have formally placed Dion Lewis on the PUP list. The running back is in need of a second knee surgery and reportedly will be out for at least another eight or 9 weeks. The PUP list designation sidelines him for the first six weeks of the season. 
The Patriots will also place tackle Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Theoretically, New England can bring him back, but it’s more likely that he will not play this year due to his nagging hip problems.
Lewis’ injury does not involve the ACL or any other ligaments, which is good news for his recovery. Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground.
Vollmer, when healthy, has been a mainstay at tackle for New England since 2009. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Vollmer as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players last season, and he was thought to be on the roster bubble earlier this year. His contract is set to expire at the end of the 2016 campaign and earlier this offseason Patriots passed on discussing an extension with him as a result of his injury issues.
In related news, the Patriots cut linebacker Ramon Humber, tight end Steven Scheu, and offensive tackle Keavon Milton.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Teddy Bridgewater Likely Done For Season
Awful news for the Vikings as coach Mike Zimmer tells reporters that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is likely done for the season. Bridgewater is still going through testing, but the early results do not look good, per the head coach. 
Zimmer confirmed that Bridgewater’s knee injury was of the non-contact variety, which usually signifies ligament damage. We should have official word on Bridgewater’s exact injury and his approximate timetable soon. In any case, it’s doubtful that he will take the field in 2016.
As it currently stands, the Vikings have veteran Shaun Hill on the depth chart. Hill offers experience, but he is an uninspiring starting option for a team with playoff aspirations. He also has never started more than 10 games in any given season. Other than Hill, the Vikings have Wisconsin product Joel Stave on the depth chart. Taylor Heinicke has been placed on the NFI list with an injury.
In his sophomore season, Bridgewater earned a Pro Bowl nod as he completed 65.3% of his passes with 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Down To 75
The Redskins are now down to a 75-man roster. Minutes ago, the Redskins announced that they have placed tight end Derek Carrier on the PUP list and running back Keith Marshall on the reserve/injured list. The team also waived/injured wide receiver Reggie Diggs.
Those three moves were the final ones necessary for the team to comply with the Tuesday afternoon deadline. Earlier in the day, the Redskins released two notable defensive veterans in defensive end Stephen Paea and linebacker Perry Riley Jr. The Redskins’ current inside linebacker situation has Will Compton and Mason Foster as the starters with Martrell Spaight and Su’a Cravens among the backups. On the D-Line, the team’s recent signing of Cullen Jenkins made Paea expendable.
Giants Down To 75
The Giants announced 12 transactions, bringing them under the roster limit of 75 players. Here’s the full rundown.
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Waived:
- S Cooper Taylor
- OT Byron Stingily
- DB Bennett Jackson
- RB Marshaun Coprich
- WR K.J. Maye
- WR Kadron Boone
- CB Joe Powell
- OL Shane McDermott
- DT Davon Coleman
- DT Greg Milhouse
- DE Mike Rose
Waived/Injured:
- TE Ryan Malleck
Only two of the players cut today – Taylor and Stingily – have NFL regular season experience. Taylor, a 2013 fifth-round draft choice, has played in 16 games for the Giants in his career, including six last season. Stingily, who is done for the year thanks to a concussion, played in 20 games with nine starts for Tennessee and Pittsburgh from 2012-15.
Broncos Cut Britton Colquitt, Others
Another member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl winning team has left Denver. Punter Britton Colquitt was among the players released today, according to a team announcement. As a vested veteran, Colquitt is free to sign with any club and is not subject to waivers. Rookie Riley Dixon now figures to be the Broncos’ punter in 2016.
Colquitt has been with the Broncos since late in the 2009 season and was the Broncos’ longest-tenured player. Now, 2010 first-round pick Demaryius Thomas stands as the longest-tenured player in Denver. Colquitt’s agent tells Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter) that he was willing to take a $1MM cut from his $3.25MM salary. Last year, he accepted a pay cut from $3MM to $1.6MM.
Yesterday, it was reported that the Broncos were gauging trade interest in Colquitt. Apparently, Denver could not find any takers. The Vikings, Cardinals, and Bears are among the teams that could show some interest in the punter now that he is available.
The Broncos also waived offensive tackle Kyle Roberts and wide receiver Bralon Addison. Tight end Garrett Graham has been placed on season-ending IR.