Lions Claim Jayson DiManche From Bengals
The Lions were in need of help at linebacker and they added some depth on Tuesday afternoon. Detroit has claimed Jayson DiManche off waivers from the Bengals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
DiManche, 26 in September, spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons with the Bengals before spending time on the taxi squads of the Browns and Chiefs. In January, the Bengals inked DiManche to their practice squad and subsequently signed him to a futures deal. This week, he was a roster casualty as they trimmed down towards 75.
DiManche should help Detroit out while linebacker Jon Bostic heals up from surgery. Bostic was given a 6-12 week time table earlier this month, which means he won’t be back until October at the earliest.
The Lions waived fellow linebacker Dominique Tovell to get back down to the 75-man limit.
Bears Claim K’Waun Williams Off Waivers
The Bears have been awarded former Browns defensive back K’Waun Williams off waivers, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If Williams can get healthy, the Bears could have a valuable slot cornerback for the coming year.
Williams made headlines this offseason as he was wrapped up in a high-profile spat with the Browns. Williams complained of bone spurs in his ankle and removed himself from practice. The Browns did not believe that his ankle issue was serious enough to warrant an absence from training camp and subsequently suspended and fined him for conduct detrimental to the team.
There were some rumblings that the third-year pro could retire, but all indications are that he intends to play.
Bills Cut 9, Down To 75
The Bills released nine players on their way to the 75-man limit. Here’s the full rundown.
Released:
- LB Eric Striker
- LB David Hawthorne
- WR Greg Little
- QB Austin Trainor
- LS Reid Ferguson
- C Robert Kugler
- TE Jimmay Mundine
- DT Alameda Ta’amu
- DT Justin Zimmer
Reserve/PUP:
- LB Shaq Lawson
- WR Marcus Easley
Waived/Injured:
- CB Jonathan Dowling
- TE Chris Gragg
- OT Justin Renfrow
Reserve/NFI:
- WR Kolby Listenbee
Reserve/Injured:
- LB Reggie Ragland
Seahawks Down To 75
The Seahawks are down to the mandated 75-man limit. Here’s a full rundown of today’s moves.
Waived/Injured:
- RB George Farmer
- DB Trovon Reed
- DE Josh Shirley
- WR Kevin Smith
Waived:
- RB Zac Brooks
- LB Quayshawn Nealy
- LB Pete Robertson
- G Kristjan Sokoli
- C Patrick Lewis
None of today’s moves were major surprises, though Brooks was a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft.
Smith, Sokoli, and Lewis were on the Seahawks’ regular season roster in 2015.
Steelers Place Ladarius Green On PUP
Ladarius Green has been placed on the PUP list by the Steelers, according to a team announcement. He will be ineligible to practice with the team or join the active roster until after Week 6.
Green was intended to give the Steelers a major offensive weapon at tight end. Instead, it sounds like the Steelers will have to wait a while before they see their free agent splash take the field. Early on this offseason, Green was sidelined as his surgically-repaired ankle healed up. His absence dragged on into August and it was later reported that the tight end has been dealing with crippling headaches. That’s a big deal for Green who has a history with concussions.
Depending on who you ask, Green may or may not be considering retirement as a result. Both the Steelers and Green have denied reports of his headaches, but today’s news more or less confirms it.
Titans Waive David Cobb
The Titans have dropped a notable name on their way to the NFL-mandated 75-man limit. David Cobb was cut this afternoon, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Wide receiver Jarrod West has also been cut.
Cobb was considered to be on the bubble this offseason as he battled it out with fellow running backs Bishop Sankey, Antonio Andrews and David Fluellen for a spot behind DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, and Dexter McCluster.
Cobb, 22, was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft by the Titans, but saw his NFL regular-season debut postponed due to a calf injury. Tennessee placed him on injured reserve with the designation to return, and activated him in November. In seven games (one start), Cobb rushed for 146 yards off of 52 carries.
Vikings Cut John Sullivan
As a part of their effort to get down to 75, the Vikings have released center John Sullivan, per a club announcement.
Sullivan, 31, has long been on the league’s more underrated pivots, as though he’s never been named an All Pro or Pro Bowler, he’s been considered among the top centers in the NFL. Until last season, he had started at least 14 games in every season since 2009. Sullivan missed all of 2015 due to injury, and veteran Joe Berger performed like a top-five center in his stead. Given that Berger is much cheaper, the Vikings tried trading away Sullivan and his $5.4MM base salary. When they couldn’t find a taker, they released him instead.
49ers’ Bruce Ellington Done For Year; Down To 75
The 49ers announced that they have placed wide receiver Bruce Ellington on season-ending injured reserve. Ellington sustained his severe hamstring injury on Friday night. The team also cut undrafted rookie linebacker Jason Fanaika. With those two moves, SF is at the 75-man maximum.
Days ago, the 49ers traded for wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, giving them additional experience at the position. That’s good news for San Francisco since it’s quite a young group behind veteran Torrey Smith.
Offseason In Review: Tennessee Titans
After one of the busiest offseasons in the NFL, the Titans are looking to take one major step forward in their rebuilding process.
Notable signings:
- Ben Jones, C: Four years, $17.5MM. $7.5MM guaranteed.
- Al Woods, DT: Three years, $10.5MM. $3.75MM guaranteed.
- Rishard Matthews, WR: Three years, $15MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Brice McCain, CB: Two years, $4.4MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Matt Cassel, QB: One year, $2MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Sean Spence, LB: One year, $2.5MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Rashad Johnson, S: One year, $2MM. $500K guaranteed. $1MM available via incentives.
- Antwon Blake, CB: One year, $1.5MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Andre Johnson, WR: Two years, $2.985MM.
There was lots of activity in Tennessee over these last few months, but relatively little happening on the free agent market. One notable move they did make was the signing of center Ben Jones, which strengthened their interior line while hurting the rival Texans. Given the season-ending injury suffered by presumptive starter Nick Martin, the loss of Jones will sting extra hard in Houston. 
Jones, 26, was with the Texans since 2012, when he entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of Georgia. He became Houston’s full-time starter in 2014, and he’s started all 32 games since. Jones posted solid marks from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him as the No. 18 center in the league last season, noting that he was better in the pass game than as a run-blocker.
Early on in free agency, the Titans re-signed defensive tackle Al Woods to a three-year pact. Woods, who recently turned 29, picked up 22 tackles in 14 games (nine starts) for the Titans in 2015. With fellow nose tackle Sammie Lee Hill recovering from a knee injury to open the season, Woods saw most of the playing time at the position, earning 362 defensive snaps to Hill’s 190 for the season. While Pro Football Focus ranked Woods just 88th out of 123 interior defenders, PFF gave him a solid grade as a run defender, and he was primarily used on early downs. At the time of his new deal, it looked like Woods would be slotted in as the team’s starting nose tackle. However, the Titans found their new starter in the draft (more on that later).
Wide receiver Rishard Matthews was a pleasant surprise for Dolphins fans and fantasy owners alike in 2015. In 11 contests last season, Matthews totaled 662 yards and averaged 15.4 per reception as the Fins’ downfield complement to Jarvis Landry. Unfortunately, a season-ending injury later in the season ended his breakout campaign prematurely. That bad break also may have capped his free agent market somewhat. Ultimately, the Titans were able to sign Matthews to a three-year deal with a paltry $2.5MM guaranteed. After Dorial Green-Beckham was jettisoned to Philly, Matthews probably now stands as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Matthews isn’t the only Miami import as the Titans also signed cornerback Brice McCain. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles. However, the Dolphins decided to cut him this year in order to save $2.5MM against the cap. Despite making 10 starts for Miami last year, he’ll play a reserve role this year behind starters Jason McCourty and Perrish Cox.
The Titans reportedly made quarterback Matt Cassel a priority in free agency as they wanted to shore up the quarterback position behind Marcus Mariota. Evidently, the Cassel signing was made so that the Titans could move on from Zach Mettenberger later on in the offseason.
Teddy Bridgewater Leaves Practice With Injury
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has suffered an apparent knee injury, prompting the Vikings to end practice early, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. Exact details of the injury remain murky, but it was serious enough to prompt players to form a prayer circle around the QB (link). 
Bridgewater’s injury appeared to be of the non-contact variety (via Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press on Twitter), which could spell serious leg trouble. Players around Bridgewater “freaked out” upon seeing what happened, Murphy says. Bridgewater left the field via ambulance (link).
Behind Bridgewater, the Vikings have quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Wisconsin product Joel Stave. Taylor Heinicke will be placed on the NFI list with an injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.