NFL Workout Updates: 9/13/17
Today’s workout updates, with nearly all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Buffalo Bills
- QB Joel Stave; WRs Chris Brown, Marlon Brown; G Oni Omoile; T Brad Seaton; CB Makinton Dorleant (Twitter links)
Chicago Bears
- DE Praise Martin-Oguike; LBs Akeem Ayers, Chris Casher, Vontarrius Dora, Jonathan Freeny; LS Andrew East (Twitter links)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Jesse Kroll; LBs Donnie Baggs, Brooks Ellis, Christian Kuntz (Twitter links)
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs K.J. Brent, Devin Lucien, KeVonn Mabon; OTs Andreas Knappe, Javarius Leamon, Jah Reid, Brad Seaton; DEs Logan Ingle, Branden Jackson (all Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Darius Kilgo (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CBs Alex Carter, Josh Thornton (link)
New England Patriots
- QB Mitch Leidner; WRs Daniel Braverman, Tevaun Smith, Jahad Thomas, Bryan Walters; LS Taybor Pepper; P Austin Rehkow (link here)
New Orleans Saints
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff, Seantavius Jones, Anthony Nash, Myles White; Gs Dallas Thomas, Andrew Tiller, Earl Watford, Cody Wichmann; LBs Akeem Ayers, Sio Moore; OT Eric Winston; CB Jumal Rolle; S Jordan Moore (all Twitter links here)
New York Jets
- RB Lorenzo Taliaferro; WRs Jaydon Mickens, Anthony Nash, Michael Rector; TE Scott Orndoff (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- LBs Carl Bradford, Tre’von Johnson, Joseph Jones, Antwione Williams; Ks Marshall Koehn, Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent (Twitter links)
Tennessee Titans
- G Kaleb Johnson (link)
Washington Redskins
- RBs Jonathan Grimes, Daryl Richardson; G Greg Pyke; (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: T Givens Price, LB Scooby Wright
- Released: CB Ryan Lewis, RB James Summers
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Josh Rounds
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Brian Brown
- Released: S Jameill Showers
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Storm Norton
- Cut: DE Pat O’Connor
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Tyreek Burwell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Larry Pinkard
- Released: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Jeff Richards
- Released: DE Isaac Rochell
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: C Jake Eldrenkamp
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: Antwione Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Ryan Lewis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB L.J. Fort
- Released: LB Matt Galambos
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Gabe Holmes, CB Akeem King
Bills Work Out John Greco
The Bills worked out a handful of notable names as they gear up for Week 2. Their audition included guards John Greco and Tim Lelito, cornerback B.W. Webb, and wide receivers James Wright and Stephen Hill, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links). 
Greco’s six-year tenure with the Browns came to an end prior to this year’s 53-man deadline. After entering the league as a third-round pick of the Rams in 2008, he became a regular for Cleveland in 2011. He started in 66 of 85 appearances with the Browns and finished out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 18 ranked guard last year. Unfortunately, he was not on the field for the Browns’ sole win of 2016 – he was shut down in November due to injury.
Lelito graded out as the No. 49 guard in the league last season for his work with the Saints, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him a solid mark for his pass blocking with a less impressive score on running plays. He hooked on with the Titans in March, but he was let go after a disappointing preseason.
Hill, 26, was a bust for the Jets after being selected in the second round of the 2012 draft. He has not seen live action since the 2013 season.
Bills Cut QB T.J. Yates From IR
The Bills released T.J. Yates from IR today, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. The quarterback will be free to sign with any team once he recovers from his concussion. 
Yates and starter Tyrod Taylor were both knocked out of action with concussions in August, but only Taylor was able to recover in time for the season opener. The Bills could have brought Yates off of IR after eight weeks, but it appears that Buffalo is comfortable with their current trio of Taylor, rookie Nathan Peterman, and recent addition Joe Webb.
Yates, 30, has only seven regular season starts on his resume. He does, however, have two playoff starts to his credit thanks to his time with the Texans.
With Yates out of the picture, the Bills have only two players on IR: wide receiver Jeremy Butler and tight end Keith Towbridge.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/17
Tuesday’s practice squad moves…
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Josh Woodrum
- Cut: TE Ryan Malleck
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre
- Cut: WR Daikiel Shorts
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Mario Alford
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Johnathan Calvin, WR Devin Lucien
- Cut: WR Fred Brown, S Ronald Martin
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL Rickey Hatley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Daniel Lasco
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Max Valles
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: T Victor Salako, CB De’Vante Bausby
- Cut: CB C.J. Smith, WR Greg Ward
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DB Jarnor Jones
- Cut: LB Ben Boulware
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: WR Kenny Lawler, OT Jarron Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Tim Semisch, OL Cody Wichmann
- Cut: TE Jerome Cunningham, OL Steven Moore
Bills To Sign LB Jelani Jenkins
Jelani Jenkins will return to the AFC East after an unsuccessful foray with the Raiders this offseason. The Bills are signing the former Dolphins linebacker, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
The Raiders released Jenkins with an injury settlement earlier this month, and it looks like Buffalo feels confident the 4-3 outside linebacker has recovered sufficiently from the groin injury that sidelined him. The Bills cut rookie cornerback Greg Mabin to make room on the roster.
A 2013 fourth-round pick, Jenkins started for three seasons with the Dolphins. Although injuries marred his 2016 campaign, Jenkins stood out as a first-year starter two years prior in making 110 tackles and registering 3.5 sacks. The Bills did not have much experience on their linebacking corps behind starters Lorenzo Alexander and Ramon Humber, carrying fifth- and sixth-round rookies Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo as second-stringers.
The Raiders signed Jenkins to a one-year, $1MM deal to compete for a starting job on a defense without much linebacker experience. He could not secure the outside linebacker position opposite Bruce Irvin and was released.
Latest On Bills DT Marcell Dareus
Defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is facing a “make-or-break” 2017 season with the Bills, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
When he’s on top of his game, Dareus is one of the league’s better interior defenders, especially against the run. But he’s been arrested, suspended multiple times, failed to condition properly, and — just last month — was sent home following Buffalo’s third preseason game following a violation of a team rule. When asked recently if Dareus was part of the Bills’ future, general manager Brandon Beane was non-committal.
“I don’t know,” said Beane. “Time will tell. It was disappointing, as I said, after that game. He was contrite yesterday and said the right things. Actions speak louder than words. Time will tell. Hopefully, he is. We hope he’ll play to his potential. We know what kind of player he can be. We hope to see that on the field.”
Dareus’ six-year, $95.1MM contract extension — arranged by Buffalo’s prior regime — is arguably the most player-friendly deal in the NFL, making it extremely difficult for the Bills to trade or release Dareus. Because he’s due $7.35MM in guaranteed 2018 salary, Dareus isn’t going to be an attractive trade candidate. And Buffalo could only clear cap space next season by designating Dareus a post-June 1 cut — even then, the club would take on nearly $14MM in dead money while clearing just ~$2.5MM.
The Bills, lead by Beane and fellow new decision-maker Sean McDermott, haven’t been afraid to deal players that were selected by the team’s former front office. Thus far, they’ve trade wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby, acquiring draft picks in addition to veterans E.J. Gaines and Jordan Matthews.
Bills Add Incentives To LeSean McCoy’s Deal
The Bills have added $2.5MM worth of incentives to running back LeSean McCoy‘s contract, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
While there’s no word as to how McCoy can reach that new incentive threshold, the extra funds are likely tied to rushing yards and/or rushing touchdowns. McCoy, 29, is scheduled to earn base salaries of $6MM, $6.075MM, and $6.175MM over the next three campaigns before becoming a free agent in 2020. Poised to be the focal point of Buffalo’s offense once again next season, McCoy averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2017 while posting 14 total touchdowns.
The Bills, of course, have traded away several assets this year, shipping wide receiver Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles and cornerback Ronald Darby to Philadelphia. However, general manager Brandon Beane has been adamant that Buffalo has no plans to shop McCoy.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Released from IR: OL Michael Ola
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR: CB Zack Sanchez
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Tyrone Holmes
- Cut: OL Zach Sterup, QB Josh Woodrum
Houston Texans
- Released from IR: TE RaShaun Allen, CB Malik Smith
New England Patriots
- Signed: C/G Ted Karras
Workout Notes: Patriots, Jets, Bills
The Patriots auditioned some players of note this week, including linebacker Akeem Ayers, quarterback Thad Lewis, and wide receiver Jeremy Ross (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
Ayers has some history with New England after playing on their 2014 Super Bowl championship team. Last year, Ayers appeared in all 16 games for Indianapolis and recorded two sacks.
Linebackers Nicholas Grigsby and Antwione Williams also showed their stuff for the Pats.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s other workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out former Maryland cornerback Alvin Hill, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Canadian defensive tackle Stefan Charles worked out for the Giants on Tuesday, John Kryk of The Toronto Sun tweets.
- The Cardinals worked out wide receivers Donteea Dye, Cobi Hamilton, and Rashad Ross, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
- The Bills auditioned defensive backs Ironhead Gallon, Lee Hightower, Rickey Jefferson, Marcus McWilson, Orion Stewart, and Jack Tocho, linebackers Kenneth Olugbode, defensive tackle Marcus Hardison, running back Connor Harris, and tackle De’Ondre Wesley, according to Balzer (via Twitter links).
- The Buccaneers auditioned quarterback Trevor Knight, wide receivers C.J. Board and Jake Lampman, and tackles Justin Murray and Avery Young, Balzer tweets.
- The Packers took a look at running back Jacob Huesman, Balzer tweets.
- The Colts auditioned linebacker Travis Feeney and defensive backs Jordan Moore, Taurean Nixon, Ezra Robinson, and Deron Washington, Balzer tweets.
- The Giants auditioned defensive backs B.W. Webb Brandon Dixon, and Jeremiah McKinnon, Balzer tweets.