C.J. Smith

NFL Workout Updates: 9/26/18

oday’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Broncos Make Roster Moves

The Broncos have trimmed their roster to 53 players by making the following moves:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Released:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP:

AFC Notes: Patriots, Amendola, Broncos, Browns

Similar to many draft pundits, Bill Belichick is also participating in his own mock drafts. Yesterday, the Patriots head coach provided some insight into the organization’s draft preparation to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.

“Sometimes we do that, yeah,” Belichick said about mock drafts. “I’d say sometimes it just sparks a conversation. We might internally say, ‘OK, how about Player A and Player B? Player B and Player C?’ And if you did a mock draft where kind of each [staffer] has a team and, ‘OK, it’s your turn. You pick this.’ And now you look at the board, it’s our turn to pick, and ‘Gee, here’s a scenario we hadn’t really thought about. We hadn’t really pictured that this guy would be there.’ So that can kind of stimulate some [conversation].”

Belichick also explained the risks of not evaluating many of the potential prospects.

“Again, it’s just an exercise to, I’d say, just kind of complete the process of preparation,” he explained. “That’s the way it is on draft day, too. A lot of times you’re sitting there looking at players that I thought this player would be there and he’s long gone, or I didn’t think this player would be there and he’s still there…If you haven’t done enough work on the player and he’s still there but you really don’t know the player as well as you should because you thought he wouldn’t be there, then that puts you in a little bit of a dilemma.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of the AFC…

  • Wide receiver Danny Amendola told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that the Patriots‘ offer didn’t come close to the two-year, $12MM ($8.25MM guaranteed) deal he took with the Dolphins. “I came in with an open mind,” Amendola said. “I understand Bill runs a tight ship, and he hasn’t been known to pay his players, really. I understood that I gave money back to him so I could play for him and play for my teammates and fulfill my side of the contract, and at the end of the day, I had faith that he was going to give me an opportunity to stay. When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had. I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”
  • The Broncos claimed C.J. Smith from the Browns yesterday, and Mike Klis of 9News in Denver writes that the team has had interest in the cornerback for some time. The organization had been eyeing Smith since his days at North Dakota State, and they expressed interest in him when he wasn’t selected during the 2016 draft. The 24-year-old initially joined the Eagles before signing with the Browns’ practice squad.
  • The Browns have named Larry Jackson as their new head of strength and conditioning, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Jackson had previously served as Texas A&M’s director of football sports performance, and he also served as the school’s NFL liaison. He’ll be replacing Adam Beard, who will stick around the organization in an advisory role. The Browns have also added Dale Jones and Monty Gibson as assistants, and they’ve retained Evan Marcus and Josh Christovich.

Broncos Claim CB C.J. Smith Off Waivers

The Broncos have claimed former Browns cornerback C.J. Smith off of waivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. You may recall that Smith was to be traded from the Browns to the Seahawks in March before the deal was called off due to a failed physical

Had the trade gone through, the Browns would have received a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead, they cut ties with him this week and gained nothing in return.

Smith, 25 in May, spent most of the year on the Browns’ practice squad. Towards the end of the year, he earned a promotion to the varsity squad and was on the roster for the final three regular season games.

The Broncos are well set as far as first string cornerbacks go with Bradley Roby and Chris Harris Jr. set to start. Smith will compete to be one of the team’s reserve CBs in a group that presently includes Tramaine Brock, Brendan Langley, Marcus Rios, and Michael Hunter.

Browns Cut TE Gavin Escobar

The Browns are trimming down the roster in advance of the draft. On Thursday, Cleveland announced that seven players have been cut. Here’s the full rundown:

Released:

Waived:

Escobar, 27, never lived up his to second-round draft status with the Cowboys. In four seasons with Dallas, he managed just 30 receptions for 333 yards. He inked a minimum salary benefit contract with the Chiefs in March of 2017, but did not make the final cut. He later hooked on with the Ravens, but he did not record an official statistic in his two games with the club.

Bullough spent three years with the Texans and appeared in 29 games with the club between 2015 and 2016. In the summer of 2017, the Texans released him after he was hit with a PED suspension. After his release, the NFL hit the linebacker with another four-game ban. The Michigan State product has not seen the field since Week 17 of the ’16 season.

Browns/Seahawks C.J. Smith Trade Cancelled

C.J. Smith won’t be going to the Seahawks after all. Seattle acquired the cornerback in a trade earlier this week, but that swap has been nullified, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

Smith failed a physical upon arriving in Seattle, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The trade saw only a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft going to Cleveland, so it’s not a major loss for the Browns.

Smith, 25 in May, spent most of the year on the Browns’ practice squad. Towards the end of the year, he earned a promotion to the varsity squad and was on the roster for the final three regular season games.

The Seahawks were in need of some depth at cornerback after releasing Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane, prompting the Smith trade. The cancelled deal may push the Seahawks to re-sign Byron Maxwell, who is still a free agent.

Seahawks Acquire CB C.J. Smith From Browns

The Seahawks and Browns struck a deal Monday, as Cleveland agreed to send cornerback C.J. Smith to Seattle for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Browns confirmed the deal (on Twitter).

The 24-year-old was originally signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent by the Eagles in 2016 out of North Dakota State. He appeared in 10 games with the Eagles as a rookie. Smith was signed to the Browns’ practice squad early last season and was activated for the team’s final three regular-season games.

The Seahawks were in need of some depth at cornerback, with Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane being released and Byron Maxwell an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Seattle currently has Neiko Thorpe, Shaquill Griffin, Deandre Elliot and Justin Coleman atop its depth chart at cornerback.

Cleveland shored up its defensive backfield with the signing of former Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie and former Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell this offseason. Jamar Taylor and Briean Boddy-Calhoun return atop the team’s depth chart at cornerback.

Browns Promote CB C.J. Smith

The Browns have swapped one young defensive back for another. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the team has promoted cornerback C.J. Smith from the practice squad. To make room on the roster, the Browns have waived cornerback Darius Hillary (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com on Twitter).

C.J. Smith (vertical)Smith, a 2016 undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State, played in 10 games for the Eagles last season, compiling a single tackle. Prior to the current campaign, he was waived by Philly and quickly caught on with their practice squad, but he was released soon after. He subsequently caught on with Cleveland’s practice squad, where he’s spent the entire season. The 24-year-old will presumably slot in at the bottom of the Browns’ cornerback depth chart behind Jason McCourty, Jamar Taylor, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, and Mike Jordan.

Hillary has bounced between the Browns active roster and practice squad over the past two seasons. The Wisconsin product only appeared in a single game this season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/17

Tuesday’s practice squad moves…

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed: LB Max Valles

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: T Victor Salako, CB De’Vante Bausby
  • Cut: CB C.J. SmithWR Greg Ward

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans