Bills Release 16 Players, Waive Meeks
5:04pm: In addition to their moves earlier today, the Bills have waived safety Jonathan Meeks, ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweets. The Bills attempted to trade Meeks, per Rodak, but were unable to find any takers. Rodak writes that Meeks is a candidate to end up on the Bills’ practice squad if he goes unclaimed on waivers. According to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez, the Bills tried – and failed – to trade a receiver in order to keep Meeks on their 53-man roster (Twitter link).
1:07pm: The Bills announced that they have cut 16 players, including defensive end IK Enemkpali, as a part of their effort to get down to a 53-man roster. The full list of transactions is below:
Released:
- OL William Campbell
- FB John Conner
- WR Andre Davis
- DE IK Enemkpali
- DT Andre Fluellen
- LB Quentin Groves
- RB Bronson Hill
- OL Darryl Johnson
- OL Alex Kupper
- DE B.J. Larsen
- WR Dezmin Lewis
- CB Merrill Noel
- WR Tobais Palmer
- G Cyril Richardson
- QB Matt Simms (as reported earlier today)
- RB Cierre Wood
Reserve/NFI List:
- CB Leodis McKelvin
Waived/Injured:
- WR Deonte Thompson
Enemkpali is now (and perhaps, forever) best known as the player who punched Jets quarterback Geno Smith, causing him a broken jaw and many weeks on the sidelines. Immediately after the incident, the Jets waived the linebacker/defensive end and old pal Rex Ryan wasted little time in claiming him. Enemkpali only saw the field sparingly in his rookie season, playing 40 defensive snaps and contributing a little on special teams as well.
Groves, 31, appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Titans last season, including three starts. The linebacker, a former second round pick by the Jaguars, has bounced around a bit over the years and despite signing with Buffalo in August, he’ll be looking for a new NFL home once again in 2015.
Fluellen, 30, spent nearly all of his career with the Lions since being drafted by the team in the third round back in 2008. However, he has never played a significant role in Detroit, acting as a part-time contributor over the course of 77 career games (75 with Detroit). In 2014, Fluellen recorded 10 tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery in 183 defensive snaps. In June, he hooked on with Buffalo, but his stay in Western New York was brief.
AFC Notes: McCoy, Mathis, Browns
After releasing longtime backfield weapon Fred Jackson earlier this week, the Bills could find themselves without his replacement, LeSean McCoy, for their Week 1 matchup with Indianapolis on Sept. 13. McCoy, the Bills’ big-ticket offseason acquisition, has been dealing with a hamstring injury since last month and was noncommittal about his status for the opener when asked by reporters Friday.
“We’ll wait and see,” he said, according to ESPN.com. “Only thing I can do is control what I can control, and that’s just working hard and getting treatment and getting ready to go get out there.”
Bills head coach Rex Ryan stated he’s “optimistic” McCoy will be ready for Week 1. If McCoy can’t go, Ryan isn’t ready to name a starter for the Indy game.
“I’m not gonna get into those type of scenarios, the what-ifs and all that type of stuff. I know one thing: This football team will be ready. Period,” he said.
More from the AFC:
- Buffalo’s Week 1 opponent, the Colts, could have pass rusher Robert Mathis back for the opener, according to head coach Chuck Pagano. “There’s a possibility,” Pagano said, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “We’ll just evaluate how the week goes. Rob is doing great. He’s making great progress.” Mathis, who had an NFL-high 19.5 sacks in 2013, sat out all of last season after tearing his Achilles.
- Browns general manager Ray Farmer is suspended four weeks for violating league rules prohibiting certain uses of electronic devices during games last year. Thus, executive chief of staff Bill Kuharich will oversee their player personnel department until Farmer returns, reports Andrew Gribble of the team’s website.
- The Titans’ starting offensive line is in place, writes Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. “Pretty much, it’s set,” said head coach Ken Whisenhunt. From left tackle to right tackle, they’ll go with Taylor Lewan, Byron Bell, Brian Schwenke, Chance Warmack and Jeremiah Poutasi.
- The Raiders are receiving interest from teams regarding receiver Seth Roberts, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Roberts, who signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama last year, was second in receiving yards (243) during the preseason.
Bills Release Matt Simms
The Bills have released quarterback Matt Simms, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). Earlier this week, coach Rex Ryan said that the odds were “probably stacked against” the quarterback making the 53-man roster.
This summer, some speculated that Simms could knock Matt Cassel from the Bills’ depth chart, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Now, the Bills’ QB list is pretty much locked in as Tyrod Taylor as the starter with Matt Cassel and E.J. Manuel in support.
Simms, 26, spent the last two seasons with the Jets, appearing in four games and completing 19 of 39 passes during his limited playing time, with a touchdown and an interception. However, they waived him in May at a time when their depth chart at QB seemed rather set and the Bills were quick to claim him.
Bills To Cut IK Enemkpali
Less than a month after claiming him off waivers from the Jets, the Bills have waived defensive end IK Enemkpali, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Enemkpali, of course, was initially cut by the Jets following an altercation with Geno Smith.
Enemkpali only saw the field sparingly in his rookie season, playing 40 defensive snaps and contributing a little on special teams as well. The young pass rusher may eventually face NFL discipline for punching Smith, as the league confirmed it’s reviewing the August locker-room incident that left the quarterback with a broken jaw.
Rex Ryan, heading into his first season as the head coach in Buffalo, held the same position in New York a year ago when the Jets used a sixth-round pick to draft Enemkpali out of Louisiana Tech. Ryan cited Enemkapli’s character and took responsibility for the roster move when he and the Bills claimed the 24-year-old off waivers, but it doesn’t appear they saw enough from him over the last few weeks to keep him on the roster.
Enemkpali will have to pass through waivers again before becoming a free agent.
AFC Notes: Bills, P. Thomas, Browns, Ajayi
Addressing a report that suggested he left several members of the Bills‘ front office and coaching staff out of the loop when he decided to cut Fred Jackson, general manager Doug Whaley said on Thursday night that he consulted several others before making the move official, writes Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News. According to Whaley, head coach Rex Ryan was with him when he informed Jackson of the decision.
“So he was in there with me when we told him together,” Whaley said. “Talked to the running backs coach (Anthony Lynn). So it wasn’t just me waking up one day and deciding, ‘Hey, I want to do this.'”
Whaley added multiple times that he informed Bills ownership of the move, which the original report didn’t dispute. For his part, Jackson suggested Whaley was behind the decision, adding that the GM “wasn’t honest with me the entire time that I’ve known him.”
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Having turned down a minimum-salary offer from the Texans last month, veteran running back Pierre Thomas is seeking a salary around $1.3MM or $1.4MM, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. It appears the Texans have moved on from Thomas, though perhaps Houston or another club could revisit the free agent back after Week 1.
- According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap and ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter links), the Browns won’t be on the hook for Phil Taylor‘s full $5.477MM salary after all, after releasing the defensive tackle. When he asked for his release, Taylor accepted a three-week injury settlement, which works out to a $966,529 payment.
- As the Dolphins prepare to cut down their roster to 53 players, an injury to Jay Ajayi could complicate the team’s plans, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, who says the rookie running back cracked a rib on Thursday. Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post writes that Ajayi is expected to remain on Miami’s active roster.
- Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Steelers might part ways with one – or all – of the three players who received restricted free agent tenders from the club earlier this year — Pittsburgh could clear about $3.3MM in cap space by cutting fullback Will Johnson, cornerback Antwon Blake, and safety Robert Golden.
Extra Points: Hardy, Asamoah, Falcons
Greg Hardy is waiting for a final recommendation from the NFL Players Association before deciding on whether to make a legal challenge on his four-game suspension, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Even if he does, Florio writes that it’s hard to see the Cowboys star getting that four-game ban cut down based on the timing of everything. If Hardy files something now, he won’t get a final ruling before Monday, September 21st. There’s also the possibility of a PR backlash against Hardy, who has already had his suspension stemming from domestic violence reduced significantly.
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Falcons guard Jon Asamoah wasn’t seen with the team tonight during its preseason game and that led some, including ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (on Twitter) to speculate that he could be involved in a trade. However, the Falcons quickly took to Twitter to declare that Asamoah is not being traded. Still, Chris Chester has taken the spot of the former third-round draft choice and it’s conceivable that he might not survive the cutdown to a 53-man roster. Prior to the 2014 season, Asamoah inked a five-year, $22.5MM deal including $8MM guaranteed with Atlanta. After the game, coach Dan Quinn told reporters, including McClure (link), that Asamoah and Jake Matthews were excused from the game with injuries.
- The Falcons announced linebacker Brooks Reed underwent groin surgery, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport hears that Reed will be out for six weeks and that is a tough blow for the Falcons’ front seven.
- Bills coach Rex Ryan is less-than-pleased with kicker Dan Carpenter. “I’m tired of seeing us miss a field goal. We’ll certainly be looking. Nobody earns this job by default,” Ryan said, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter). If the Bills cut Carpenter, they would save $1.3MM this season and $1.75MM next season.
- The Vikings have added a veteran lineman after final cuts the last two years and Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (on Twitter) would not be surprised at all to see them do the same thing again this year.
East Notes: Cassel, Bills, Giants, Cowboys
After having let go of one veteran offensive player earlier this week, the Bills may part ways with another before the season begins — albeit one that has only been on the roster for several months, rather than several years. According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter links), there’s an expectation among multiple NFL personnel people that Buffalo will cut quarterback Matt Cassel and go with E.J. Manuel as Tyrod Taylor‘s backup.
As Carucci notes, Cassel is a costly bench player, with a cap hit of nearly $5MM for 2015, and the Bills need all the cap space they can get in order to extend star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. Fred Jackson‘s cap number likely played a significant part in his Monday release as well.
Speaking of Jackson, we heard this morning that the decision to cut the veteran running back appears to have been made by general manager Doug Whaley, and Carucci points out that Manuel has “strong support” from Whaley. It may be worth keeping an eye on these sorts of roster decisions in Buffalo this year to see how the relationship between Rex Ryan and Whaley evolves, and how much influence each of them has over personnel decisions.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com has the details on Stevie Brown‘s new contract with the Giants, tweeting that the safety will earn the minimum salary and will get a $40K bonus if he’s on the team’s Week 1 roster.
- Given the Giants‘ problems at the safety position this summer, the decision not to re-sign veteran defensive back Antrel Rolle back in March looks especially bad now, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- With the Cowboys‘ roster now down to 75 players, Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at some position battles across the roster, predicting which players might hit the waiver wire when the club cuts down to 53.
Fred Jackson: Bills GM “Wasn’t Honest With Me”
Among the first series of roster cuts this week, one of the most surprising moves around the NFL was the Bills’ decision to part ways with running Fred Jackson, who had been a key contributor for the club since 2007. As he tells Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News, Jackson was shocked by the move, which he called “a tough pill to swallow,” since conversations with GM Doug Whaley had led him to believe he’d have a major role on the team in 2015.
“Doug Whaley was behind it, to my knowledge,” Jackson said. “He wasn’t honest with me the entire time that I’ve known him. I have the utmost respect for the organization. There’s only one person in that organization that I haven’t gotten honesty from, and that was him.”
While head coach Rex Ryan decides who plays on Sundays, making decisions like the one to name Tyrod Taylor the Bills’ starting quarterback, Whaley has the final say on the team’s 53-man roster. And according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), the GM “went rogue” when it came to Jackson’s release.
As Graham explains (via Twitter), Whaley spoke with Terry and Kim Pegula before he cut Jackson, and the Bills’ owners were surprised, but supported the GM’s call. However, many key people within the football operations department and on the coaching staff didn’t know the move was coming, tweets Graham. It’s not clear if Ryan was among that group.
While Jackson may not be pleased with how his time in Buffalo ended, it appears he won’t have to wait long to find a new NFL home. He didn’t immediately sign with the Seahawks after visiting the team on Tuesday, but Seattle has interest, and so does Baltimore.
Bills Claim Dalton Freeman, Kevin Reddick
The Bills announced that they have claimed center Dalton Freeman and linebacker Kevin Reddick off waivers as a part of today’s moves. Here’s the full rundown:
Claimed Off Waivers:
- Dalton Freeman, C (waived by Jets)
- Kevin Reddick, LB (waived by Panthers)
Released:
- Jimmy Gaines, LB
Waived/Injured:
- Tyson Chandler, OT
Freeman was released on August 30th by the Jets and Rex Ryan wasted little time in orchestrating a reunion. The 6-5, 291 pound Clemson product originally entered the NFL as an UDFA in 2013 with the Gang Green. Freeman played in all 16 games last season for the Jets, starting one.
Reddick originally entered the NFL as an UDFA in 2013 with the Saints before having stints with the Panthers and Chargers.
AFC Notes: A. Jones, Bryant, Simms, Jaguars
Colts defensive tackle Arthur Jones is now seeking the opinion of another foot and ankle specialist to determine his course of action and how long he might be sidelined, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The Colts previously sent Jones to a specialist who informed him that he would not have to go on IR. Now, he’s looking for a second opinion on the matter. Here’s more from the AFC..
- The Steelers have known about wide receiver Martavis Bryant‘s possible four-game suspension for some time and it even impacted their approach in May’s draft, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Coach Mike Tomlin said that the news pushed Pittsburgh to use a third-round draft choice on Sammie Coates.
- Bills coach Rex Ryan says the “odds are probably stacked against” quarterback Matt Simms making the 53-man roster but he will “never say never,” Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Many have speculated that Simms could bump Matt Cassel from the Bills’ roster, but that sounds like something of a longshot at this time.
- Jaguars owner Shad Khan anticipates a long-term extension to the team’s London deal, keeping the partnership going until roughly 2030, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union tweets. O’Halloran (link) expects that announcement to come in October when the Jaguars have their scheduled game in England.