Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/18
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Released: DT Tenny Palepoi
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived/Injured: CB Sojourn Shelton
Detroit Lions
- Waived: DL JoJo Wicker
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Brandon Banks
- Waived/Injured: WR Matt Hazel
Richie Incognito Wanted Father's Head Cut Off
Disturbing new details have emerged about Richie Incognito‘s arrest. According to the arrest report, funeral home employees say the former Bills Pro Bowler wanted his father’s head cut off for research purposes and walked through the funeral home punching caskets and throwing objects (via Stevie Johnson of the Democrat and Chronicle).
Bills LB Keenan Robinson Retires
Bills linebacker Keenan Robinson has retired from the NFL. On Thursday, Robinson came to the conclusion that he no longer has what it takes to play in the NFL and said goodbye to his teammates, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Bills subsequently placed him on the reserve/retired list. 
Robinson appeared in 58 games for the Giants and Redskins from 2012-2017. He was a 13-game starter in 2013, but his playing time has been reduced ever since and he missed ten games last year due to a quad injury.
As an experienced player with special teams abilities, Robinson had a real chance to make the Bills’ final cut when he joined the club in late July. After competing with fellow veteran linebackers Ramon Humber, Julian Stanford, and Deon Lacey for about a month, however, Robinson felt that he had lost a step.
We wish Robinson the best in retirement.
Free Agent OL Richie Incognito Arrested
Richie Incognito has been arrested in Arizona for disorderly conduct and making threats, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). The incident took place at a Scottsdale funeral home, where Incognito was making arrangements for his father’s funeral. 
[RELATED: Vikings Deny Interest In Incognito]
Incognito allegedly created a disturbance by “acting erratically and making the employees feel incredibly uncomfortable” at the funeral home, a source tells Florio. Incognito, the source says, made a gun gesture toward one of the employees, and said that he has guns in his truck. When cops arrived, they found weapons in Incognito’s vehicle.
“On 8/20/18 at 3:30pm, Scottsdale patrol officers responded to Messinger Pinnacle Peak Mortuary at 8555 E Pinnacle Peak Road, Scottsdale reference a Disorderly Conduct call,” the Scottsdale police department said in a statement. “Initial reports advised that a male, later identified as 35-year-old Richard Incognito, was at the mortuary reference funeral arrangements for his father. Incognito reportedly was upset with staff and began to damage property inside the business and shout at employees. At several points during his contact with staff, Incognito threatened to retrieve guns from his vehicle and return to shoot the employees. Once on scene, officers detained him as the incident was investigated. Based on the investigation, Incognito was arrested and held on misdemeanor charges of Threats and Disorderly Conduct.”
This year, Incognito agreed to a pay cut with the Bills only to “retire” for a short time and force his release from Buffalo. Days after his release, Florida cops placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him. Incognito claims that he has drawn interest since then, but it’s hard to imagine a club gambling on him given all of his issues. This latest arrest surely won’t help matters.
Last year, Incognito graded out as the 12th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked seventh amongst all guards in 2016 and second in ’15, making him the Bills’ top-rated offensive lineman of the last three years.
Bills To Sign Punter Jon Ryan
Former Seahawks punter Jon Ryan en route to Buffalo and will sign with the Bills when he lands, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ryan was released by Seattle on Monday, but it didn’t take long for him to find a new gig. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Release Jon Ryan]
Ryan technically requested his release from Seattle, though it was more of a preemptive measure than anything else. Ryan was very fond of the organization and the city after ten years with the club, but he was inevitably going to lose the punting competition to fifth-round pick Michael Dickson.
Ryan isn’t assured anything with the Bills, either. Ryan will compete with Colton Schmidt for the punting job, meaning that he has a few weeks to unseat someone who has spent the last four seasons in that post.
AJ McCarron Didn’t Fracture Collarbone
AJ McCarron‘s injury was not as serious as originally thought. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Bills quarterback did not suffer a fracture in his collarbone, as was reported following the team’s preseason game on Friday. While McCarron was expected to miss “several weeks,” NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the quarterback is now day-to-day. McCarron is expected to return to practice once his shoulder pain subsides.
This is surely welcome news to the Bills, who inked the quarterback to a two-year, $8.1MM deal this offseason. However, the team has already decided to roll with first-rounder Josh Allen as their starter for this weekend’s game against the Bengals (Twitter link). The rookie quarterback has the most passing attempts through Buffalo’s first two games, completing 18 of his 32 passes for 176 yards and two scores. For comparison’s sake, McCarron has completed 10-of-16 for 128 yards and no touchdowns, while Nathan Peterman has gone 17-of-20 for 231 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
McCarron’s only relevant NFL work came as a replacement to an injured Andy Dalton during the 2015 campaign. The former Alabama star had been in the rumor mill through much of his tenure in Cincinnati, including a reported trade to the Browns that ultimately fell through. In 11 career games (three starts), the 27-year-old has completed 64.7-percent of his passes for 920 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also started the Bengals’ 2015 playoff loss to the Steelers, throwing a touchdown and a pick.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: FB Jalston Fowler, WR Julian Williams
- Waived: FB Luke McNitt, WR Taj Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed WR Cobi Hamilton
- Waived: RB Tion Green
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: FB Kobe McCrary, G Kareem Are
- Placed on IR: DE Ade Aruna
- Waived/Injured: OL Cedrick Lang, FB Johnny Stanton, TE Josiah Price
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jhurell Pressley
- Waived/Injured: LB Thurston Armbrister
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Jerel Worthy
- Waived/Injured: LB Shaheed Salmon
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Joshua Kalu
- Placed on IR: DB Kalan Reed
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DL Tenny Palepoi
- Waived/injured: P Cory Carter
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jason Reese
- Waived/injured: WR Fred Ross
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S Marcus Cromartie
- Waived/injured: S Stefan McClure
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: DT Adam Reth
Bills Notes: McCoy, Carter
- While a few more details have emerged regarding Bills running back LeSean McCoy and the pending lawsuit against him (which alleges McCoy was responsible for a recent physical attack on his ex-girlfriend, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said “nothing’s changed” with regard to McCoy’s status with the club. “You take all allegations seriously, but until the police say there’s something there, we’re not going to act on anything without them saying there’s legit evidence,” Beane told Kate Brumback and John Wawrow of the Associated Press. “It’s an open investigation. Nothing has come forward that said any of these things are true. So until that would happen, I don’t think anything will ever change.” McCoy could potentially be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list depending on the state of the NFL’s investigation, but at this point, it appears he’ll be on the Bills’ active roster for Week 1, barring any further developments.
- Bills punter Cory Carter suffered a torn ACL in Friday night’s preseason game, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Carter, who went undrafted out of Texas Southern in 2016, spent training camp with the Texans last summer but has never appeared in an NFL contest. While he was unlikely to unseat starting punter Colton Schmidt in Buffalo, Carter was one of only two punters on the Bills’ roster, so the team could conceivably add another specialist in the coming days. Carter, meanwhile, will likely be waived/injured and subsequently moved to injured reserve, where he’ll spend the 2018 campaign.
CB Kayvon Webster To Visit Three Teams
It’s been a quiet offseason for Kayvon Webster, but it sounds like the cornerback is finally lining up some suitors. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the free agent will visit with the Texans, Bills, and Lions next week.
After the Rams added some high-profile cornerbacks to their roster, the team released Webster back in April. While the 27-year-old hasn’t shown the promise that made him a third-round pick out of South Florida in 2013, he has had some productive stretches. He had one of his best NFL seasons in 2017, compiling 38 tackles, seven passes defended, and one interception in 11 games. A torn Achilles’ tendon ended his season in December, and he finished the year in the lower half of Pro Football Focus’ cornerback rankings.
Each of Webster’s three suitors could use some cornerback depth, especially the Lions. The team is currently rostering only three players at the position behind starters Darius Slay and Teez Tabor, so Webster could easily push for a roster spot. The same is true in Buffalo, where the team has only four backups in Phillip Gaines, Taron Johnson, Lafayette Pitts, and Breon Borders.
It might be a bit tougher for the free agent to earn a roster spot in Houston, as the Texans currently have eight cornerbacks on their roster. However, considering Webster’s productive 2017 season, he could logically push for a key reserve role, as he’d have to compete with the likes of Kevin Johnson, Johnson Bademosi, and Treston Decoud.