Vikings Cut DT Will Sutton
Will Sutton has been released by the Vikings, Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune tweets. Sutton was signed to the roster in May.
The 25-year-old, a third round pick of the Bears in the 2014 draft, was cut loose by Chicago this May. In the last three years, he started in half of his games and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus indicate that he had his best season to date in 2016. Still, GM Ryan Pace shopped him before last year’s season opener and pushed him out the door this year.
For one reason or another, he wasn’t up to the Vikings’ standards either.
Falcons Cut 14 Players
The Falcons are letting some players walk early as they get ready for the 53-man deadline on Saturday. The team announced the following cuts:
- QB Alek Torgersen
- WR Anthony Dable
- WR Josh Magee
- RB Kelvin Taylor
- FB Tyler Renew
- C Travis Averill
- C Larson Graham
- OT Andreas Knappe
- OT D.J. Tialavea
- DE A.J. Jefferson
- CB Jarnor Jones
- CB Akeem King
- LB Jack Lynn
- K Mike Meyer
Taylor, a former sixth-round pick, is the son of Fred Taylor, the greatest running back in Jaguars franchise history. The Falcons picked him up in August after he was discarded by the Chiefs.
The Falcons will only carry two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets, so it appears that Matt Simms will follow Torgersen out the door at some point.
NFL Reinstates Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
Huge news for the Steelers. Wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been fully reinstated by the NFL. 
Bryant is now cleared to participate in regular season games and practices. This is the outcome that the Steelers have been expecting.
The league took an intermediate step towards welcoming Bryant back when they gave him clearance to participate in the preseason. Bryant was banned for all of the 2016 season for repeated violations of its substance abuse policy. The Steelers are undoubtedly thrilled to have Bryant back as he’ll help to take pressure off of star receiver Antonio Brown.
Bryant, 25, has only appeared in 21 out of 48 possible regular season games over the course of his career, but he has been productive in his limited action. He has averaged 17.3 yards per catch over the last three years.
The news will also have roster implications for the Steelers as they approach the 53-man deadline on Saturday. Right now, Brown, Bryant, Eli Rogers, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Cobi Hamilton figure to be the team’s top five receivers. Sammie Coates Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Justin Hunter are among the other receivers vying for a spot.
Bears To Cut LB Kelvin Sheppard
Kelvin Sheppard will be cut by the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. By shedding Sheppard, the Bears are inching closer to the 53-man max.
Sheppard made 30 appearances with Miami in 2014 and 2015, including 15 starts. Last year, the 29-year-old appeared in each of the Giants’ games and made eleven starts, but he finished with just 47 tackles, failed to force any turnovers, and earned a poor grade (39.1) from Pro Football Focus. He was thought to have a decent chance of sticking as veteran LB depth, but it was not meant to be.
The Bears and the league’s 31 other teams have until Saturday afternoon to reach the 53-man mandate.
Vikings Cut OL T.J. Clemmings
The Vikings are releasing offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Clemmings has started 30 games for Minnesota over the last two years.
Clemmings was first thrust into the starting right tackle role in 2015 when Phil Loadholt went down with an injury. Last year, he wound up back with the first team thanks to the injuries suffered by Matt Kalil and Jake Long. Those injuries forced him to move from the right side over to left tackle.
Clemmings finished last year as the No. 74 rated tackle out of 76 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics. He had a similarly rough score in 2015.
Seahawks To Shop DL Ahtyba Rubin
The Seahawks aren’t done yet. Once their acquisition of Sheldon Richardson is completed, they’ll turn around and discuss trades for defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Broncos are a top contender to land him, Rapoport adds. 
Rubin, 31, joined the Seahawks on a free agent deal prior to the 2015 season. Before the ’16 campaign, he re-upped with the team on a three-year, $12MM deal. The good news for any team that acquires him is that the Seahawks already paid out half of that sum in the first year of the deal.
In his first Seahawks season, Rubin amassed 36 tackles, two sacks, and finished fourth among the team’s defensive linemen in snaps. Last year, he once again had a perfect attendance record in the regular season as he racked up 39 tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles.
Ravens Cut 18 Players
The Ravens made some major strides towards getting under the 53-man limit. On Friday, they announced 24 roster moves, including the release of 18 players. Here’s the full rundown:
Waived:
- P Kenny Allen
- LB Randy Allen
- WR C.J. Board
- G Jarell Broxton
- DB Otha Foster
- T Roubbens Joseph
- C Derrick Nelson
- LS Taybor Pepper
- G Jarrod Pughsley
- WR/RS Keenan Reynolds
- FB/RB Lorenzo Taliaferro (story)
- G/T De’Ondre Wesley
Released outright (vested veterans who are not subject to waivers):
- TE Larry Donnell (story)
- QB Thaddeus Lewis (story)
- RB Bobby Rainey (story)
- CB Trevin Wade
- WR Griff Whalen
- G/C Jeremy Zuttah (story)
Placed on IR:
- WR Tim White (hand)
In addition to White, the following players have now been officially placed on IR:
- RB Kenneth Dixon (knee)
- G/T Alex Lewis (shoulder)
- LB Albert McClellan (knee)
- G Nico Siragusa (knee)
- WR Tim White (hand)
- CB Tavon Young (CB)
The Ravens are now down to 66 players.
Patriots Trade CB Justin Coleman To Seahawks
The Patriots have sent cornerback Justin Coleman back to the Seahawks, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The Patriots will get a 2018 seventh-rounder from the Seahawks, which originally belonged to the Eagles, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. For the Pats, this means that they recoup a seventh-rounder after trading one away for linebacker Marquis Flowers in late August.
Coleman, 23, has seen action in 20 games and racked up three starts in his two-year career. The Patriots first plucked him off of the Seahawks’ taxi squad in 2015. This offseason, he re-upped with the Pats via the exclusive rights tender. He apparently wasn’t going to make the 53-man cut on Saturday, so the Patriots have parlayed him into a future draft choice. Seattle, meanwhile, won’t have to worry about the waiver process or competing clubs in free agency in order to make the reunion happen.
As DeAndre Elliott deals with an injury, Coleman could help provide support at the nickel spot.
Redskins Cut S Will Blackmon
The Redskins have cut veteran safety Will Blackmon, two sources tell Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Redskins Shopping TE Derek Carrier]
Blackmon has appeared in 30 out of 32 possible appearances for the Redskins over the last two years, including 16 starts. He played corner in 2015 but shifted to safety last year when the team signed Josh Norman.
Blackmon had 39 total tackles, one interception, three passes defensed, and half a sack last year. In his 570 snaps on defense, he earned a strong 79.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus, placing him as the 32nd best safety in the league. He placed ahead of notables like Shawn Williams, Bradley McDougald, and T.J. Ward.
Broncos Cut RB Stevan Ridley
The Broncos have released running back Stevan Ridley, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The former Patriots standout signed with Denver in late July and his stint with the team ends after roughly one month.
Ridley was signed in the wake of Devontae Booker‘s wrist injury, but the team prefers some of its other options including veteran Jamaal Charles and rookie De’Angelo Henderson. We won’t know for sure until Saturday afternoon, but it sounds like those two are in line to make the 53-man cut, along with presumptive starter C.J. Anderson.
The 28-year-old Ridley has a 1,200-yard season under his belt, but he hasn’t been all that effective in recent years. He wasn’t much of a factor in 2014, his final season with the Patriots, and combined for just 10 appearances, 39 carries and 97 yards with the Jets and Falcons over the last two years.