NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- OTs Javarius Leamon and Storm Norton; LB Carl Bradford (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Stephen Morris (link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com); TEs Evan Baylis and Henry Krieger-Coble; CBs Dante Blackmon (link); DB Bennett Jackson (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
Buffalo Bills
- RBs Jalen Simmons and Brandon Wilds (link)
Cleveland Browns
- RBs Josh Rounds and Kelvin Taylor; TEs Evan Baylis, Alex Ellis, Anthony Firkser, and Henry Krieger-Coble (link)
Houston Texans
- RBs Kapri Bibbs and Troymaine Pope; LBs Josh Forrest and Michael Mauti; DBs Charlie Miller, Ed Reynolds, and Andrew Williamson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Gabe Holmes; OL Anthony Fabiano, Gino Gradkowski, G Cole Toner (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Sefo Liufau; WRs Dres Anderson and Nelson Spruce; DT Woodrow Hamilton (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- P Brock Miller (link)
Miami Dolphins
- WRs Jordan Payton and Jordan Williams; OLs Willie Beavers and Jake Rodgers (link)
New Orleans Saints
- TEs Jim Dray, Gavin Escobar, and Brian Parker; OL Andrew Gardner; DT John Hughes (link)
New York Jets
- WR Tavarres King; DT Ed Stinson; S Mykkele Thompson (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- TE Cooper Helfet (link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DBs Jordan Dangerfield and Harold Jones-Quartey (link)
Tennessee Titans
- WRs Chris Harper, Anthony Nash, Tim Patrick, and Keenan Reynolds (link)
Washington Redskins
- QB Garrett Grayson (link via Pelissero); WRs Amba Etta-Tawo, Kalif Raymond, and Nelson Spruce; OTs Reid Fragel, Javarius Leamon, and Victor Salako (link)
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/17
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas
- Placed on injured reserve: S Colt Anderson
- Released: S Robert Blanton
- Waived: DE Eric Lee
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: WR Damiere Byrd
- Released from IR: LB Jeremy Cash
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted to active roster: LB Deon King
- Signed off Eagles‘ practice squad: WR Bryce Treggs
- Placed on IR: LB Dominique Alexander
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Marcus Cromartie
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed off Redskins‘ practice squad: G Kyle Kalis
- Signed: C Mike Person
- Placed on IR: C Deyshawn Bond
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted to active roster: DB Jordan Lucas
- Placed on IR: T Eric Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Zach Line, LB Gabe Martin
- Released: DL Kendall Langford
- Waived: LB Ben Heeney
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Josh Carraway
Bills To Sign WR Philly Brown
The Bills are signing Corey Brown, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Brown will provide depth at wide receiver for Buffalo while Jordan Matthews recovers from thumb surgery. 
Brown first joined the Bills in March but was waived on Sept. 3. In the last month or so, he worked out with the Jets, Saints, and Pats, but did not sign with any of those clubs. Before his offseason stint in Buffalo, Brown spent the first three years of his career with the Panthers where he hauled in 79 catches, 1,019 yards, and seven touchdowns across 43 games (22 starts).
The Bills are 3-1 after beating the Falcons on Sunday. Next up is a road tilt against the Bengals.
The Lions also showed interest in Brown at the outset of free agency.
East Rumors: Cowboys, Elliott, Jets, Giants
Despite some optimism about a potential court ruling on Monday, the Ezekiel Elliott saga is ongoing. If things are still in limbo by the end of business Tuesday, we still don’t know whether or not the NFL will allow the Cowboys running back to play, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. There will be no decision from the league on that matter until the judge makes his decision. The Cowboys are set to face the Packers on Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- Jets coach Todd Bowles says he hasn’t made a decision yet on wide receiver Jalin Marshall, who is eligible to return after serving a four-game suspension (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). There may not be a place for Marshall on the team at this time, so it is a situation to monitor. Already, the Jets have five receivers on the roster in Jeremy Kerley, Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, ArDarius Stewart, and Chad Hansen with Kerley handling punts and Stewart on kickoff return duty.
- The x-rays came back negative on the ribs of Giants running back Paul Perkins and a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that he likely just bruised them. Perkins’ pain tolerance for pain will now dictate whether he misses time.
- Bills head coach Sean McDermott says safety Colt Anderson will need surgery for his forearm (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW). Anderson has yet to see time on defense but is a regular on special teams. The injury will likely land him on IR.
Bills Shopped DT Adolphus Washington
The Bills had Adolphus Washington on the trade block during training camp, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando hears. The asking price was a fifth-round pick, but there were apparently no takers. 
Washington, a third-round choice under the Bills’ old regime in 2016, was acquitted of a weapons charge over the summer. The new management in Buffalo had at least some interest in moving on from the defensive tackle and one has to wonder if they could revisit that idea with the trade deadline coming up. Not everyone is convinced that the Bills would pull the trigger on a deal, however.
“I just think with [defensive tackle] Kyle Williams being so old, it could be hard to trade him,” one NFL executive told Sando. “Plus, they have a good thing going right now.”
However, the 3-1 Bills have shown a willingness to revamp their roster via trade. Nothing can be ruled out when talking about the team that shipped Sammy Watkins to the Rams and Ronald Darby to the Eagles on the very same day in August.
Washington started 11 games for Buffalo last season. This year, he’s appeared in three games – all off of the bench – with four total tackles.
Bills Release WR Walt Powell
The Bills announced that they have release wide receiver Walt Powell. Powell was set to come back from suspension after serving a four-game ban to start the year. 
[RELATED: Bills’ Jordan Matthews To Have Thumb Surgery]
The release is not a great endorsement of Powell’s skill set, particularly since Jordan Matthews is dealing with a thumb injury that will keep him sidelined for at least one month. With Powell out of the picture, Buffalo may look to bump either Malachi Dupre or Brandon Reilly from the taxi squad to fill the void.
Powell first entered the league as a sixth round pick of the Cardinals in 2014. Since then, he has bounced around the league quite a bit including stints with the Jets, Raiders, and Bills (twice). Powell was hoping to bounce back in 2017 after last year’s campaign was cut short by a November ankle injury. He’ll have try and make that happen somewhere else, however.
Bills WR Jordan Matthews To Miss Time
Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews is expected to undergo thumb surgery and will miss at least one month of action, according to Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 (Twitter link).
Matthews, whom Buffalo acquired (along with a third-round pick) in an August trade in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby, had been serving as the Bills’ de facto No. 1 wideout, although he is actually third in receptions behind running back LeSean McCoy and tight end Charles Clay. On 13 targets, the 25-year-old Matthews has managed 10 catches for 162 yards and one touchdown for the surprisingly 3-1 Bills. Playing in his contract season, Matthews is scheduled to become a free agent next spring.
Given that the Bills were already fielding one of the NFL’s worst receiving corps before the Matthews injury, the club will likely lean on the run game even more heavily than it had in Weeks 1-4. Buffalo has thrown the ball at a lower rate than any other team in the league thus far (just 45.31% of plays), and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that percentage dip even further.
Zay Jones, Andre Holmes, and Kaelin Clay will likely see more targets with Matthews sidelined, while the Bills could also promote either Malachi Dupre or Brandon Reilly from their practice squad. A free agent addition probably doesn’t make sense given that Matthews will return later this year, but Anquan Boldin is still available after retiring from the Bills just before the season began. The veteran pass-catcher has ruled out a late-season return, however.
Matthews wasn’t the only Buffalo player to go down on Sunday, as linebacker Ramon Humber suffered a broken thumb and will miss time, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Humber, who has never been a full-time starter during his nine-plus-year NFL career, had played on nearly 95% of the Bills’ defensive snaps to this point and graded as the league’s No. 33 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus. Matt Milano is likely to step into the starting lineup, while Deon Lacey and Tanner Vallejo could also see increased usage.
Bills Promote Eric Lee
- The Bills have filled the vacant slot on their 53-man roster by promoting defensive end Eric Lee from their practice squad, the club announced today. Lee, an undrafted free agent out of South Florida in 2016, will make his NFL debut on Sunday if he sees the field against the Falcons. After finishing with 11.5 sacks during his final collegiate season, Lee spent the entirety of the 2016 campaign on the Texans’ practice squad, but was waived by Houston during final cutdowns earlier this month.
Shaq Lawson Suffers Injury At Practice
- Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson also ran into trouble during practice this week, suffering a groin injury Thursday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports. A starter after missing most of his rookie season due to injury, Lawson has two sacks thus far. The recently signed Ryan Davis may be Buffalo’s top option if Lawson can’t play in Week 4.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/27/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Arizona Cardinals
- TE Alex Ellis; DE Jonathan Woodard (link)
Atlanta Falcons
- CB Alex Carter (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Steven Johnson (link)
Buffalo Bills
- OLs Josh James and G Nate Theaker; WRs Amba Etta-Tawo and Tavarres King; S Justin Currie (link)
Detroit Lions
- OLs Willie Beavers, John Greco, and Kraig Urbik; DE Sterling Bailey (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs Kolby Listenbee and Jordan Williams; LBs Richie Brown, Austin Calitro, and Jayrone Elliott (Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB LeShun Daniels; LBs Frank Beltre and Cassanova McKinzy (link)
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Michael Rector; LB Jonathan Freeny (Twitter links)
Los Angeles Rams
- WR Jordan Payton (link)
New York Jets
- WR Rashad Ross; TE Greg Scruggs; DE Jhaustin Thomas; LBs Gabe Martin and Brandon Watts; CB Makinton Dorleant; S Ironhead Gallon (all Twitter links)
Philadelphia Eagles
- C Anthony Fabiano; T Givens Price; CBs D.J. Killings and Damian Swann (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LBs Carl Bradford and Austin Calitro; CB Taurean Nixon (link)
Tennessee Titans
- LSs Andrew East and Anthony Kukwa (link)
Washington Redskins
- LB Otha Peters; DBs Antone Exum Jr., James Sample, and B.J. Sanders (link)