Latest On Rams, Tre Mason
Recently, the Rams were forced to place running back Tre Mason on the reserve/did not report list when he was not present for a mandatory team meeting. Now, it seems especially unlikely that Mason will be suiting up for the Rams this season as the team has not made contact with him in seven months, according to Dan Graziano and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. 
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“Right now, we’re more concerned with Tre Mason’s well-being than we are his football career,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher told reporters at Rams training camp over the weekend. “We’re going to continue to try to reach him to see where he’s at.”
In March, Mason was arrested for reckless driving, resisting arrest, and possession of cannabis, an incident that was part of a series of interactions between the running back and police. According to Gregory Cox of The Palm Beach Post, Mason was “admitted for evaluation” in July after cops found him at his mother’s house, seemingly midway through trashing the place. “As he walked out of the room he also stated the police were responsible for teaching (Al-Qaeda) how to fly planes,” a sheriff’s incident report said.
Rams tackle Greg Robinson was in touch with Mason via text at some point this offseason, but he apparently hasn’t been able to maintain contact as Mason has changed his cell phone number multiple times. In June, Fisher said that his team has to “prepare [itself as though] that Tre’s not going to be here.”
As the team’s depth chart shows, the Rams have Benny Cunningham, Chase Reynolds, and Malcolm Brown to back up Todd Gurley at running back. It’s unlikely that Mason will be joining that group in 2016.
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Raiders DB Neiko Thorpe Accepts Pay Cut
Raiders safety Neiko Thorpe has accepted a pay cut in order to remain with the team. Originally slated to earn $2.553MM in 2016, he’ll now receive a base salary of $675K and up to $1MM in total, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The former undrafted free agent out of Auburn had a career season in 2015. Thorpe compiled career-highs in tackles (40), passes defended (six), and interceptions (one) while starting two of his 14 games. After that performance, the Raiders hit Thorpe with a second-round tender, giving him a $2.5MM+ non-guaranteed base for the coming season. Thorpe received the tender in March and inked it in April.
Months later, Oakland apparently wasn’t willing to keep Thorpe on the roster at his current rate. When looking at the Raiders’ depth chart, it’s easy to see why. The Raiders intend to start the recently-signed Sean Smith and the newly-extended David Amerson at corner with D.J. Hayden and T.J. Carrie as the main backups. Positioned as the team’s No. 5 CB with competition behind him, Thorpe didn’t have much in the way of leverage, giving the Raiders an opportunity to trim his non-guaranteed salary.
Thorpe first joined the Raiders in early 2014 after having spent time with the Chiefs and the Toronto Argonauts.
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Leon Hall Down To Two Teams
Leon Hall is visiting the Giants today, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Bengals are also interested in facilitating a reunion and, at this point, it looks like Hall is going to sign with one of those two teams, Schefter says. 
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In late June it was reported that although the Giants wanted to address their cornerback depth, Hall was more likely to sign with the Cardinals or Bengals. For one reason or another, the Giants seem to have leapfrogged the Cards as a landing spot for the veteran.
After dealing with a multitude of injuries throughout his career, including two torn Achilles, Hall underwent back surgery this offseason, and that ailment likely hurt his market this offseason. Still, Hall offers a great deal of experience and could be a solid slot corner for any team in need. Aside from the Giants and incumbent Bengals, Hall has also met with or been linked to the Cardinals, Falcons, Cowboys, Giants, and Dolphins. The Dolphins, in particular, could use some help at cornerback, but they are not interested in Hall or fellow veteran corner Antonio Cromartie at this time.
Injuries have been an issue for Hall, but they haven’t shut him down. The former Michigan Wolverine has played in 29 regular-season games over the last two seasons since last tearing his Achilles in 2013, and received solid grades from Pro Football Focus in 2015, ranking 33rd out of 111 qualified corners.
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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann, agent Sean Stellato tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who notes that Hauptmann is the only player in NFL history with two Super Bowl rings despite never having played in a game. To create a roster spot for Hauptmann, Tampa waived quarterback Dan LeFevour, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
- The Rams have signed a pair of former University of Arizona receivers, agreeing to deals with Austin Hill and David Richards, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News speculates (via Twitter) that the two additions could be in response to an injury suffered last week by rookie receiver Pharoh Cooper.
- The Colts signed former Houston safety Lee Hightower, an undrafted free agent, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Hightower participated in the Texans’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis earlier this year.
- The Titans announced that they have waived/injured cornerback Bennett Okotcha, who will revert to Tennessee’s injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
- The Packers have reached their 90-man roster limit by signing linebacker Derrick Mathews, who spent time on the Redskins’ practice squad last season, reports Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The Broncos have signed defensive lineman Lars Koht, a 2016 undrafted free agent who was cut by the Seahawks earlier this year, and waived linebacker Shaneil Jenkins, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7.
- The Lions re-signed receiver Damian Copeland and waived fellow pass-catcher Ryan Spadola, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
Raiders Release Roy Helu
MONDAY, 5:08pm: The Raiders have officially released Helu with an injury settlement, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com.
SUNDAY, 7:56pm: Helu will be out until midseason following hip surgeries, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who confirms that the Raiders are still trying to work out an injury settlement.
FRIDAY, 4:38pm: Oakland has not released Helu yet, according to Bair (Twitter link). The team instead placed him on injured reserve, but an injury settlement is likely on the way.
3:45pm: The Raiders have released Roy Helu, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. The move will make room on the roster for defensive tackle Derrick Lott. 
The 27-year-old Helu rushed for only 216 yards in Washington in 2014, but was a focal point of the club’s passing attack, catching 42 balls for nearly 500 yards. He drew interest from several teams around the league last offseason, many of whom presumably wanted him to a fill their third-down back role. The Patriots, Jets, and Giants all pursued Helu, but he ultimately signed with Oakland. Unfortunately, he did not do enough for the Raiders to warrant them fulfilling the backend of his two-year, $4MM pact ($1MM fully guaranteed). In 2015, Helu rushed 17 times for 39 yards and added nine catches for 75 yards.
Lott, a Chattanooga alum, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Titans in 2015. After spending the entirety of last year bouncing on and off the Buccaneers’ practice squad, he agreed to terms with the Eagles in late May. A couple of weeks ago, however, Philly cut him loose.
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Chargers Sign James Jones
5:04pm: The signing is now official, and the Chargers have waived/injured wide receiver Jamaal Jones to create a roster spot, tweets Eric Williams of ESPN.com
2:58pm: The Chargers have agreed to sign James Jones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jones met with the Chargers on Tuesday morning and San Diego apparently liked what they saw from him. 
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Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers and Jones could be that guy. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts – who also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart – are waiting on a second opinion to see if Johnson will be able to suit up this year. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chargers also worked out Brian Hartline and Lance Moore on Tuesday, but it sounds like they might not have a need for either player now that Jones is in the fold.
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No Charges For Tarvaris Jackson
Free agent quarterback Tarvaris Jackson will not be prosecuted following an alleged dispute with his wife in June, according to TMZ Sports. Jackson, 33, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he was said to have pointed a loaded gun at his wife. For his part, Jackson told police that his wife had threatened to stab him with a knife. 
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Earlier this offseason, there was talk of the Seahawks re-signing Jackson, but Seattle seems to have moved on. In late April, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider indicated that they were still in talks with Jackson about a return. However, that was before they inked former TCU signal caller Trevone Boykin and ex-BYU QB Jake Heaps. Last year, Jackson appeared in four games for the Seahawks and completed four of six passes.
In other Seahawks news, defensive end Chris Clemons informed the team that he is retiring last week. Seattle also extended coach Pete Carroll through 2019.
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Cowboys To Sign LB James Morris
The Cowboys announced that they have signed linebacker James Morris. Morris was one of three players to work out for the team on Tuesday morning. Dallas also auditioned former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho and Georgia Tech product Quayshawn Nealy, but it is Morris who came away with the job. 
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Morris, 24, spent the 2015 season with the Giants and appeared in six regular season games. In May, the Giants cut him loose as they shuffled the roster. Even though 2015 marked Morris’ first year with NFL burn, he also spent time with the Patriots taxi squad in 2014 and won a Super Bowl ring for his efforts.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones says the club will likely use Wednesday’s day off to evaluate more players at other positions, according to a team press release. Jones indicated that the team will bring in some defensive tackles, safeties, and offensive linemen tomorrow. The team could particularly use reinforcements at DT as Tyrone Crawford sits out with a back injury.
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Ravens Release Trent Richardson
The Ravens waived running back Trent Richardson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
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Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to repair an existing condition, putting him on the shelf at a time when he was fighting for a spot on the Ravens‘ roster. Richardson, who just turned 26, agreed to a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum earlier this offseason, joining a Baltimore running back corps that already included Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Terrance West, and rookie Kenneth Dixon, as shown on Roster Resource. Richardson may be given an injury settlement along with his release.
In an interview in June, Richardson vowed to end his NFL story by “putting on a yellow jacket” at a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“People wrote him off, he came back and did some amazing things. He always had the pedigree. He just had to get back to the guy that we know,” Richardson said, narrating his own hypothetical 30 for 3o.
T-Rich, the former No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 draft, has a career average of just 3.3 yards per carry, and it remains to be seen whether he will be given another shot in the NFL.
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Chargers Working Out WRs
12:58pm: In addition to Jones and Hartline, the Chargers are also working out Lance Moore, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Moore hooked on with the Lions last year and hauled in 29 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. In the year prior, he was used sparingly as a member of the Steelers. Moore spent the 2006-2013 with the Saints, where he was often a key contributor in their offense.
9:36am: The Chargers are hosting veteran wide receiver James Jones on a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). San Diego will also work out Brian Hartline, Rapoport adds (Twitter link). 
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As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart, though none of those players offer a resume like that of Jones or Hartline. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
In June, Jones said that he would “love” to join the 49ers, though he acknowledged that he was not in a position to be choosy. Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
Hartline, 29, suffered a broken collarbone during a December win over the 49ers and immediately underwent surgery to correct the issue. This offseason, the Browns released him. The local product, who played his college ball at Ohio State, finished his first and only season in Cleveland with 46 catches, 523 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. There hasn’t been much interest in Hartline since he was cut loose in March.
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