Eagles Reach 53-Man Limit
The Eagles dropped 17 players from the roster on Saturday in order to make the 53-man max:
- OL Josh Andrews
- TE Billy Brown
- LB Nate Gerry
- OL Dillon Gordon
- OG Darrell Greene
- DT Justin Hamilton
- OT Taylor Hart
- P Cameron Johnston
- RB Byron Marshall
- DE Alex McCalister (waived/injured)
- C Aaron Neary
- CB C.J. Smith
- S Tre Sullivan (waived/injured)
- OG Dallas Thomas
- WR Bryce Treggs
- WR Greg Ward
- CB Jomal Wiltz
Gerry was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles, so it’s a surprise to see that he did not make the cut. Then again, he had the tough task of converting from safety to linebacker this offseason, so the transition could take a little longer. He could be a candidate for the Eagles’ practice squad.
Rams Make Cuts, Reach 53-Man Max
The Rams added a player via trade on Saturday, but their real focus was on mass cuts to get down to the 53-man max. Here’s a rundown of their moves.
Waived:
- DT Omarius Bryant
- WR K.D. Cannon
- OL Parker Collins
- K Travis Coons
- CB Carlos Davis
- LB Kevin Davis (waived/injured)
- OL Michael Dunn
- OL Jake Eldrenkamp
- LB Josh Forrest (waived/injured)
- DB Tyquwan Glass
- RB Aaron Green
- DB Isaiah Johnson
- DB Michael Jordan
- OL Alex Kozan
- OLB Willie Mays
- LB Cassanova Mckinzy
- WR Paul McRoberts
- OLB Andy Mulumba
- OL Pace Murphy
- LB Folarin Orimolade
- DB Aarion Penton
- NT Mike Purcell
- FB Sam Rogers
- WR Shakeir Ryan
- DT Casey Sayles
- WR Brandon Shippen
- WR Nelson Spruce (waived/injured)
- OLB Carlos Thompson
- RB Lenard Tillery (waived/injured)
- OLB Orlovsky was signed in July, but he was facing long odds since the Rams already had Jared Goff and Sean Mannion as their top two QBs.
- G Cody Wichmann
- TE Travis Wilson
Released:
- TE Cory Harkey
- QB Dan Orlovsky
Reserve/Injured:
Reserve/PUP:
- RB Lance Dunbar
Reserve/Suspended:
- CB Troy Hill
- WR Michael Thomas
Orlovsky was signed in July, but he was facing long odds since the Rams already had Jared Goff and Sean Mannion as their top two QBs. Since being drafted in 2005, the 34-year-old has made just 12 career starts.
Chargers Reach 53-Man Limit
The Chargers announced 37 player moves on Saturday, bringing them down to the 53-man limit. Here’s the full breakdown.
Released:
- RB Kenjon Barner
- QB Kellen Clemens
- TE Jeff Cumberland
- S Dwight Lowery (story)
Waived:
- P Toby Baker
- QB Mike Bercovici
- G Brett Boyko
- WR Da’Ron Brown
- NT Ryan Carrethers
- LB Kyle Coleman
- CB Michael Davis
- TE Mike Estes
- CB Randall Evans
- C/G Barrett Gouger
- WR Jamaal Jones
- K Josh Lambo
- WR Mitchell Paige
- WR Andre Patton
- WR Cameron Posey
- CB Trovon Reed
- DT Caraun Reid
- WR Artavis Scott
- CB Brandon Stewart
- CB Brad Watson
- TE Matt Weiser
- RB Andre Williams
Waived/Injured:
- WR Isaiah Burse
- T Tyreek Burwell
- G Donavon Clark
- DT Kaleb Eulls
- RB Kenneth Farrow
- LB Joshua Perry
Reserve/Suspended:
- DT Tenny Palepoi
- C Max Tuerk
Reserve/Injured:
Barner seemed to have a decent chance of cracking the roster as a pass-catching back, particularly after the loss of Danny Woodhead. On 27 carries last season, Barner averaged a career-best 4.8 yards per attempt.
Clemens, 33, was slated to return for a fourth season as Philip Rivers‘ backup. Instead, that job will go to Cardale Jones, who was acquired in a trade with Buffalo earlier this offseason.
Bills Cut 30 Players, Reach 53-Man Limit
The Bills have reached the 53-man max in advance of the deadline. Here’s the full rundown of their moves, courtesy of the team.
Released:
- QB Keith Wenning
- RB Jordan Johnson
- WR Daikiel Shorts
- WR Brandon Reilly
- WR Dezmin Lewis
- TE Wes Saxton
- TE Rory Anderson
- OL Cameron Jefferson
- OL Jordan Mudge
- OL Greg Pyke
- OL Zach Voytek
- DE Max Vallea
- DE Ian Seau
- DT Nigel Williams
- DT Marquavius Lewis
- LB Abner Logan
- LB Jacob Lindsey
- LB Carl Bradford
- CB Bradley Sylve
- CB Marcus Sayles
- S Adrian McDonald
- S Joe Powell
- S B.T. Sanders
Released with injury settlement:
- WR Rod Streater
- S Shamiel Gary
Waived/Injured:
- WR Jeremy Butler
- OL Michael Ola
Placed on IR:
Reserve/Suspended:
Chiefs Cut C.J. Spiller
The Chiefs have released running back C.J. Spiller, a source tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Spiller had a strong camp and appeared likely to make the cut this week.
It’s possible that the Chiefs have their eye on another running back to fill that third spot behind rookie Kareem Hunt and Charcandrick West. They’ll be without Spencer Ware for 2017 after he suffered a season-ending knee injury, including a torn PCL and damaged LCL.
Spiller caught on with KC in February after being cut by several teams. The former first-round pick was slated to make only the league minimum.
Bengals Reach 53-Man Limit
The Bengals officially made 30 moves on Saturday in order to reach the 53-man max. The full rundown is below.
Waived:
- LB Bryson Albright
- LB Brandon Bell
- WR Chris Brown
- DE Ryan Brown
- DE Will Clarke
- S Demetrious Cox
- LB P.J. Dawson
- DT David Dean
- G J.J. Dielman
- K Jake Elliott
- DE Marcus Hardison
- FB Darrin Laufasa
- OT Landon Lechler
- G Cameron Lee
- CB Tony McRae
- OT Kent Perkins
- WR Alonzo Russell
- G Dustin Stanton
- DT Josh Tupou
- WR Kermit Whitfield
- DT DeShawn Williams
- HB Jarveon Williams
- S Brandon Wilson
Released:
- DE Wallace Gilberry (story)
- OT Eric Winston (story)
Reserve/Suspended:
- LB Vontaze Burfict
- CB Adam Jones
The team also freed up a roster spot on Saturday by trading cornerback Bene Benwikere to Dallas for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Vikings Place DE Datone Jones On IR
The Vikings are placing defensive end Datone Jones on injured reserve due to his shoulder injury, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll likely then reach an injury settlement with the team, allowing him to explore other options.
Recently, head coach Mike Zimmer indicated that Jones was on the roster bubble.
“At times he’s had a good stretch and then stretches where he reverts back,” Zimmer said in late August.
The Vikings gave Jones a one-year, $3.75MM deal in March. The pact included a $1.6MM signing bonus, so it’s a deal that the front office regrets. On the plus side, the team saved $2.19MM by cutting ties with him now.
Jones spent the first four years of his career with the rival Packers. A first round pick in 2013, he never fulfilled his promise in Green Bay. Last year, Pro Football Focus ranked him No. 70 out of 110 qualified edge defenders.
Colts Release LB Akeem Ayers
The Colts have released veteran linebacker Akeem Ayers, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (on Twitter). As a vested veteran, he will be a free agent and not subject to waivers.
Ayers was cut loose by the Rams this time last year, a surprise since he had started eleven games for the club in the previous season. Ayers didn’t have that large of a role with the Colts in 2016, but his release was not expected.
Ayers appeared in all 16 games for Indy last year, but did not make a start. He finished out with 18 tackles, two sacks, and one interception. Ayers graded out as the No. 54 edge defender in the NFL out of 110 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics.
The Colts plan to start John Simon and Jabaal Sheard at the outside linebacker spots in their 3-4 scheme. Rookie Tarell Basham and free agent additions Barkevious Mingo and Sean Spence will serve as their backups.
Giants To Place Mark Herzlich On IR
The Giants are planning to place linebacker Mark Herzlich on injured reserve, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.
Herzlich has been a reserve linebacker and special teamer for the G-Men for the past six seasons. This year, he changed his jersey number from 94 to 44 so that can appear eligible on offensive plays, but we won’t get to see him line up as a fullback/tight end this year.
The exact nature of his injury is presently unclear. Herzlich has been sidelined as of late with what was initially diagnosed as a stinger in his neck. Apparently, it’s something more serious.
Herzlich celebrated his 30th birthday on Friday.
Bears Cut DE Jaye Howard
The Bears have told defensive end Jaye Howard that he is being released, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Howard has been dealing with a hip issue, though Biggs notes that he has been feeling better as of late. 
In May, the Bears inked Howard to a one-year deal that included a $775K base with up to $4MM in incentives. With an eye on cashing in next year, he switched representation to David Canter in July. The 28-year-old is now going to have to find somewhere else to showcase his skills for the next year.
Howard only suited up eight times for the Chiefs last year before his hip shut him down in November. During his limited action in 2016, Howard recorded 23 tackles and a sack. He ranked 55th in performance among Pro Football Focus‘ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.