NFL Workout Notes: Falcons, Lions, Redskins
Former New England defensive end Rufus Johnson worked out for the Falcons today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson has made the rounds on the workout circuit since getting waived off the Patriots’ practice squad in September. Atlanta also took a look at quarterback Ricky Stanzi, wide receivers Max McCaffrey and Anthony Dable, and defensive ends Lawrence Okoye and Arthur Miley, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the workouts happening around the league today, all courtesy of Caplan unless otherwise noted:
- The Redskins worked out running backs Storm Johnson, Brandon Ross, Dreamius Smith, and Cedric O’Neal, as well as centers Trevor Robinson and Shane McDermott (Twitter link). Washington is taking a look at backs after Matt Jones was forced to miss Week 9 with a knee injury.
- The Lions worked out tight ends Ryan Malleck and Gannon Sinclair, defensive ends Rakim Cox and Jordan Williams, and linebacker Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter link).
- Tight end Kennard Backman, who appeared in seven games with the Packers last season, auditioned for the Ravens today (Twitter link).
- The 49ers worked out wide receivers Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com) and Mose Frazier (Twitter link).
- The Texans worked out tight end Kyle Carter, who went undrafted out of Penn State earlier this year (Twitter link).
Packers Bring Roster Down To 53
The Packers have announced the cuts that will bring their roster down to 53. The club has made the following moves:
Cut:
- G Josh Sitton (story)
- TE Casey Pierce (Twitter link via Michael Cohen of the Journal-Sentinel)
- DL Brian Price (Twitter link via Cohen)
- FB Alstevis Squirewell (Twitter link via Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette)
- OL Lucas Patrick
- RB Brandon Ross (Twitter link via Cohen)
- ILB Carl Bradford (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- OLB Reggie Gilbert (Twitter link via Ryan Wood of Green Bay Press-Gazette)
- CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Wood)
- WR Herb Waters (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- TE Kennard Backman (waived/injured; Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- LB Sam Barrington (Twitter link via Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
- WR Geronimo Allison
- LB Beniquez Brown
- CB Warren Gatewood
- LS Rick Lovato
- S Jermaine Whitehead
- QB Marquise Williams
Placed On IR:
- C Kyle Steuck
- DT Tyler Kuder
Reserve/Suspended:
- DT Mike Pennel
- CB Demetri Goodson
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/12/16
We’ll keep track of the day’s latest minor moves here:
- The Packers have signed former Maryland running back Brandon Ross, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Ross went undrafted out of Maryland earlier this year, but signed with the Vikings in early May — he was cut after spending only three weeks on the roster. In his season senior season with the Terrapins, Ross rushed 150 times for nearly 1,000 yards, scoring 10 times. Per Demovsky, Ross will compete with Don Jackson and Brandon Burks — both fellow UDFAs — as well as John Crockett for Green Bay’s third running back job. The Packers weren’t forced to waive another player to fit Ross onto the roster because the club only had 88 players on their 90-man squad prior to today.
- Roughly three weeks after he reverted to injured reserve after being waived, cornerback Brandon McGee has been cut from the Cowboys‘ IR with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). McGee, a fifth-round pick of the Rams on 2013, has also spent time with the Giants during his three-year NFL career.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/23/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Colts announced that they’ve signed second-round safety T.J. Green. Green, a Clemson product, was selected 57th overall in last month’s draft, and while he played safety in college, there’s been some chatter that he could be moved to corner in the NFL.
Earlier updates:
- The Vikings have signed defensive tackle Travis Raciti and waived running back Brandon Ross, Matt Vensel of the Star-Tribune tweets. Raciti spent his first NFL season in Philadelphia on the club’s practice squad. The former San Jose State Spartan played in 49 games (45 starts) as a defensive tackle and twice earned all-conference honors.
- The Eagles have signed defensive tackle Derrick Lott and released punter Ryan Quigley, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. With Quigley out of the picture, it would appear that Donnie Jones has won the team’s punter job. Lott was on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad in 2015 and will try to make the cut in Philly.
- The Saints have waived long-snapper Chris Highland, who joined the team for his second stint earlier this month (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune).
- Panthers tight end Jake McGee has reverted to injured reserve after being waived-injured, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. McGee began his career at Virginia but, thanks to graduate transfer rules, was able to finish up at Florida. In what would have been his first year at UF, he broke his left leg and spent the year rehabbing instead of playing. Last year, McGee caught 41 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns.
Vikings Agree To Terms With 10 UDFAs
The Vikings have formally agreed to terms with 10 rookie free agents who went undrafted over the weekend, the team announced in a press release.
Minnesota’s 10 undrafted free agent signees are split evenly between offense and defense, with a focus on skill-position players on the offensive side of the ball — there are no offensive linemen in this group. Here’s the full list:
- CB Keith Baxter (Marshall)
- TE Kyle Carter (Penn State)
- DE Theiren Cockran (Minnesota)
- LB Jake Ganus (Georgia)
- WR Marken Michel (UMass-Amherst)
- DE Denzell Perine (Florida International)
- RB Jhurell Pressley (New Mexico)
- CB Eric Rawls (Kentucky State)
- RB Brandon Ross (Maryland)
- QB Joel Stave (Wisconsin)