Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Jordan McCray
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Obum Gwacham
- Waived: DT Chunky Clements
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Tre McBride, DT Kalani Vakameilalo
- Waived: LB Nick Deluca, LS Christian Kuntz
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Neal Sterling
- Waived: LB Gary Johnson, T Justin Senior, RB James Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Mark Myers
- Waived: S John Battle
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Ryan Hewitt
- Waived: TE Keith Towbridge
Saints Sign Rishard Matthews
The Saints have signed wide receiver Rishard Matthews, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. To make room, the team waived fellow wide receiver Travin Dural. 
The Titans granted Matthews’ request for release in late September after he grew frustrated with his lack of playing time. He hooked on with the Jets in October, but posted just two catches for 13 yards before landing on injured reserve.
Prior to that, Matthews was the Titans’ leading receiver for two seasons. And, prior to that, he had something of a breakout season with the Dolphins in 2015.
Matthews isn’t the only ex-Jet to join the Saints’ WR group. The Saints also added Chad Hansen earlier this week, giving them a baker’s dozen of receivers on the 90-man roster.
Cardinals Release CB David Amerson
The Cardinals announced that they have released cornerback David Amerson. It’s a surprising move considering that star Patrick Peterson will be suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Meet With Andre Branch]
The Cardinals project to start free agent addition Robert Alford at one cornerback spot, opposite of Peterson when his suspension is over. While Peterson is sidelined, the club figures to place either second-round pick Byron Murphy or Tramaine Brock in the starting lineup. The other cornerbacks on the roster include Chris Jones, Deatrick Nichols, rookie Nate Brooks and Brandon Williams.
Amerson joined the Cardinals last November and appeared in six games with the club. The 27-year-old will now look to hook on elsewhere.
Chiefs, Harrison Butker Agree To Extension
The Chiefs signed kicker Harrison Butker to a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The new deal will lock Butker down with a five-year add-on worth roughly $20MM. 
With the new pact, Butker will be on the books for another six years in total, taking him through the 2024 season. The Chiefs couldn’t have known it at the time, but they found their franchise kicker in 2017 when they claimed Butker off waivers from the Panthers.
The Chiefs held on to Butker via the exclusive rights free agent tender this offseason, locking him down for $645K in 2019. The new deal will give him an average annual value of $4MM, putting him in the top ten at his position.
In 2017, Butker led the NFL with 42 field goal attempts, despite playing in only 13 games, and sank 38 of them, giving him a 90.5% completion percentage on the year. He kept up the good work in 2018, nailing 88.9% of his kicks. The Chiefs’ high-powered offense resulted in far more touchdowns than FGs last year, but Butker still got plenty of screen time with a league-high 69 extra point tries and converted 65 of them.
Cardinals Meet With Andre Branch
Former Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch will visit the Cardinals on Thursday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Cardinals have been working hard to find help in the late stages of free agency and Branch could provide veteran support for the team’s pass rush unit. 
We haven’t heard much about Branch since he was released by the Dolphins in March, but he offers an impressive resume and could be a nice value addition in the later stages of free agency. Over the last three seasons with the ‘Fins, Branch recorded 55 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Branch didn’t make sense for Miami with nearly $7MM owed to him for 2019, but he would be a solid pickup on a lesser deal for Arizona.
Armed with the top waiver priority in the NFL, the Cardinals pounced on former Browns tackle Desmond Harrison earlier this month. You can expect them to continue to use their No. 1 slot to land other worthwhile castaways while exploring low-cost vets like Branch between now and September.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals signed Terrell Suggs to bolster the pass rush opposite Chandler Jones. That should help the cause, but they’ll need additional firepower after shifting Haason Reddick to an off-ball role.
Buccaneers Sign Rookie Mike Edwards
The Buccaneers have signed third-round safety Mike Edwards to his rookie deal, according to a team announcement. Per the terms of his slot, the four-year pact should be worth $3.34MM with an $822K signing bonus. 
Taken with the No. 99 overall pick, Edwards could be in line for a starting role at safety this year. Even if he doesn’t make the first-string squad, he figures to see a decent amount of playing time in the secondary.
At Kentucky, Edwards proved his effectiveness at multiple positions. In total, he racked up 318 tackles, the second-highest total in school history among defensive backs. He also had a nose for the football with the Wildcats, notching ten career interceptions, including two pick-sixes.
With Edwards signed, the Bucs have just two unsigned picks left in first-round linebacker Devin White and third-round cornerback Jamel Dean.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Patriots, Caserio
The Jets took a lot of flack for the timing of Mike Maccagnan‘s dismissal, but odds are that the hiring of Joe Douglas will make it all worthwhile, Albert Breer of The MMQB opines. He’s not the only one who feels that way – Eagles chief exec Howie Roseman agrees.
“Joe is so prepared for this opportunity,” Roseman told Breer, via text. “He’s been with three great organizations and contributed to [Super Bowl]-winning rosters. He knows what it looks like on and off the field. He’ll take some from everywhere and put his own spin on it. He’s a great listener but also passionate about what he believes in…His personality and disposition is unique in that he’s very likable, yet he’s not afraid to stand his ground and strongly convey what he believes in.…Throw in high-end work ethic and you have someone that’s going to be successful in the GM position for the Jets.”
After years of losing and poor draft decisions, Jets fans are certainly hoping that Roseman is right.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Douglas sees clear parallels between his experience with the Eagles and his new challenge with the Jets, as Gary Myers of the Daily News tweets. In Philly, the Eagles pushed to win right away while Carson Wentz was on his affordable rookie contract and he says he’ll take the same approach while Sam Darnold‘s salary is relatively low. The Seahawks and Rams have also used that strategy in recent years to elevate themselves to the Super Bowl.
- More from Breer (Twitter link), who notes that Texans figure Jack Easterby and Nick Caserio share an agent, which may make it easy for Houston to refute the Patriots‘ accusations of tampering. The Patriots claim that Easterby spoke with Caserio about the GM role at the Patriots’ Super Bowl ring ceremony last Thursday, which came hours before the dismissal of Brian Gaine. However, it could be hard for the Patriots to come up with concrete evidence of tampering since the two are former co-workers and share the same representation.
- Earlier this week, we looked back on the Dolphins‘ signing of Chad Johnson in 2012.
- Former Bills linebacker Arthur Moats is hanging up his cleats.
Colts, Kenny Moore Agree To Extension
The Colts and cornerback Kenny Moore have agreed to terms on a four-year extension, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal will make him the highest paid slot cornerback in NFL history in terms of new money. 
Before the add-on, Moore had one year remaining on his contract. The Colts also had the option of keeping Moore via the restricted free agency tag beyond 2019, but the new deal will provide the Colts with long-term cost certainty and give security to the former undrafted free agent.
After earning his scheduled $645K salary in 2019, Moore will earn $30MM in new money between 2020 and 2023, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Through incentives and bonuses, he can earn up to $36MM over the course of the extension.
The Colts claimed Moore off waivers from the Patriots just prior to the 2017 season. He made the cut as the team’s No. 5 cornerback, but proved to be much more valuable than that late in the season when he took over for the injured Rashaan Melvin later in the season.
In 2018, Moore won a starting role and truly took off. He graded out as the No. 32 ranked corner in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and finished out with three interceptions and 77 tackles.
Outside of Darius Leonard, Moore was probably the Colts’ most effective defensive playmaker last year. The Colts didn’t necessarily have to extend Moore, who was still under club control for two more years, but they had the cap room to get a deal done after a quiet offseason.
This Date In Transactions History: Broncos Release Willis McGahee
In the summer of 2011, the Ravens released Willis McGahee in an effort to save cap space. Days later, the Broncos scooped him up to provide to starter Knowshon Moreno. It proved to be a wise decision, as Moreno went down with an injury in the very first game of the season. 
From there, McGahee took off. He topped 100 rushing yards in the team’s Week 2 win against the Bengals, torched the Packers for 103 yards off of just 15 carries in Week 4, and nearly set a new career high with 163 rushing yards against the Raiders in November. McGahee finished out the year with 1,199 rushing yards with an average of 4.8 yards per tote.
With that, the Broncos seemingly had their new No. 1 running back in 2012, the year of Peyton Manning‘s arrival. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan for McGahee. After a solid first half to the season, a helmet-to-knee hit from Quentin Jammer in November resulted in a torn MCL and an early end to his campaign.
From there, Moreno regained his spot as the team’s top RB and, on this date in 2013, McGahee was released by the Broncos. Sadly, McGahee was unable to return to his old form after the release. McGahee hooked on with the Browns after they traded Trent Richardson to the Colts, but he averaged just 2.7 yards per carry and ran for 377 yards in his 12 games, both career lows. After that, it was curtains for the former first-round pick and University of Miami star.
McGahee had an up-and-down career in the NFL, but he left the game with two Pro Bowl selections and four seasons with upwards of 1,100 rushing yards.
Lions Trade Michael Roberts To Patriots
The Lions are trading tight end Michael Roberts to the Patriots for a conditional 7th-round pick in 2020, according to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News (on Twitter). Roberts, a fourth-round pick in 2017, will hope to find success with a chance of scenery. 
Roberts has yet to break through at the pro level, but he has flashed some ability over the past two seasons. He had his best showing in October of last year when he caught two touchdown passes against the Dolphins. Ultimately, however, injuries have prevented him from really making a dent.
Roberts provides the Patriots with another possibility at tight end, something they sorely need after the retirement of star Rob Gronkowski. Austin Seferian-Jenkins was meant to be one of the team’s solutions at the position, but the Pats released him earlier this month when his personal problems reemerged. Meanwhile, new pickup Ben Watson will be sidelined for the first four games of the season due to PEDs.
As it currently stands, Matt LaCosse projects to be the Patriots’ starting TE when they open the season in September. The Roberts acquisition probably won’t change that, but he could provide some valuable support if he’s able to make the cut.