Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers have signed undrafted free agent Javien Elliott, formerly of Florida State, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Elliott accrued 37 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Seminoles last season.
- Offensive lineman Darius Johnson, whom the Lions cut on Tuesday, has cleared waivers, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State earlier this month.
- The Buccaneers have waived cornerback C.J. Wilson, according to Auman (Twitter link). Wilson missed all of last season after losing two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident. Prior to that horrific accident, he appeared in a total of four games from 2013-14 – his first two seasons in the league. Wilson will continue his career in a vastly different climate, per Auman, who reports that he has signed with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
- Wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived/injured Tuesday, cleared waivers and has reverted to injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Titans have been awarded tight end Jerome Cunningham off waivers, reports Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. Cunningham, whom the Jets waived Tuesday, appeared in nine games last season and caught eight passes for 59 yards.
- The Broncos have an agreement with second-round defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. As per his slot, Gotsis’ deal comes with a signing bonus of just over $1MM. Gotsis, a Georgia Tech product, is currently sidelined due to the torn ACL he suffered last year.
- The Bengals signed fourth-round defensive tackle Andrew Billings, as Wilson tweets. In related news, the team signed fullback Andrew Bonnet and waived-injured kicker Jonathan Brown.
- The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Jarrett Grace, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. To make room, fellow linebacker Danny Mason has been placed on waivers.
- The Falcons announced that they have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz was signed as a college free agent following the draft. Even after cutting Elenz, Atlanta has 15 offensive linemen on their 88-man roster.
- The Packers released guard/tackle Vince Kowalski, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas
As Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported yesterday, the Raiders’ potential relocation to Las Vegas was not scheduled to be on the agenda at the owners’ meetings today. Still, it was practically inevitable that the subject would get brought up, with reporters questioning the league’s 32 owners on the viability of such a move. Let’s take a look at the latest, with reports and comments from several different sources…
- While Raiders owner Mark Davis allowed that the issue of his club moving was not on the docket today, he did say that he hasn’t received any pushback as of yet. “I haven’t heard no,” said Davis, according to ESPN.com.
- Appearing later on NFL Network, Davis claimed that Las Vegas would be act as a solid middle ground for all parties involved. “The Raider fan in Northern California get upset a little bit when we talk about going to Los Angeles, and the L.A. fans get a little ticked off at the fans in Northern California, so it seems like Las Vegas is a neutral site that everybody’s kind of bought into,” said Davis, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It will unite the Raider nation more than divide it.”
- Davis confirmed that he is now longer attempting to move the Raiders to Los Angeles, per the ESPN report, as he told those in Las Vegas that he would not use the city as a bargaining chip in order to find a stadium elsewhere. “[Los Angeles] doesn’t have anything to do with where my train of thought is right now,” Davis said. “If Las Vegas comes through, we’re going to Las Vegas.”
- Oakland isn’t completely out of the picture, according to Davis, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he spoke with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf last night, and hopes that the two sides can reach a “combined solution,” reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Goodell, for his part, called the Raiders-to-Vegas “premature” and “pure speculation,” as Steve Reed of the Associated Press tweets.
- Gambling isn’t the primary concern for owners who might be against the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, according to Cole (video link). Rather, owners have some worries about the city’s ability to finance a new stadium, per Cole.
Raiders Sign Two, Waive Two
- The Raiders announced that they have signed free agent wide receivers Robert Herron and Nathan Palmer. To make room, the Raiders have waived/injured wide receiver Andre Debose and waived quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Palmer auditioned for New Orleans last week alongside a handful of notable names, including Hakeem Nicks. Herron was originally selected by the Bucs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in eight games his rookie season, posting six receptions for 58 yards (9.7 avg.) and one touchdown.
Raiders-To-Vegas Not On Owners' Meetings Agenda
- Though the Raiders‘ efforts to relocate to Las Vegas appear to be growing more earnest, the proposed move won’t be on the docket at the next owner’s meetings, according to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
Robert Kraft Supports Las Vegas Franchise
- Count Patriots owner Robert Kraft among those who would embraces a Las Vegas franchise. The executive told Jarrett Bell of USAToday.com that he’d support a Raiders move to Nevada, assuming the organization can’t secure a new stadium in Oakland.“I think it would be good for the NFL,” Kraft said. “I know Mark Davis has tried so hard in Oakland. If they won’t do it . . . I want to support him.”
[SOURCE LINK]
Raiders Sign Cory James
- The Raiders announced the signing of sixth-round linebacker Cory James. James, selected No. 194 overall, played in 51 games with 46 starts over four seasons at Colorado State, totaling 230 tackles (112 solo), 24 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three passes defensed.
Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas
The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will meet again next Thursday to discuss potential funding for a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). A $1.4 billion domed stadium has already been proposed, and one NFL owner said last week that the chances of the Raiders relocating to Las Vegas could be anywhere from 50 percent to 75 percent.
Draft Signings: Dolphins, Raiders, Saints
We’ll keep track of today’s draft signings here:
- A second-round pick who is expected to play a key role for a Dolphins cornerback corps that lost most of its starters from 2015, Xavien Howard has signed his rookie deal, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. He’s the fifth player in Miami’s eight-man draft class to sign. For Baylor last season, Howard snared five interceptions and broke up 15 passes en route to All-Big 12 acclaim. He’ll vie to join Byron Maxwell as the Fins’ starting corners.
- The Saints have now wrapped up their draft class’ contracts after signing fourth-round defensive lineman David Onyemata, according to the team’s website. The first University of Manitoba player to be drafted, the Nigeria native finished with 9.5 sacks in 37 games with the Bison. A 300-pound lineman who was selected No. 120 overall, Onyemata won the J.P. Metras Trophy, which is given to the best down lineman in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football.
- The Raiders announced the signing of second-round defensive lineman Jihad Ward. Ward, selected with the No. 44 overall pick, played for Illinois over the last two seasons. In his time for the Fighting Illini, Ward started all 25 games, totaling 104 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. The 6’6″, 295-pound athlete climbed up draft boards in the weeks leading up to the draft, leading to his mid-second-round selection.
Jack Del Rio Thinks Highly Of Connor Cook
- Some say that Connor Cook dropped in the draft due to concerns about his attitude and leadership abilities. However, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been impressed by what he’s seen in those areas so far. “I think he’s been outstanding,” Del Rio said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “He comes in, had a tremendous career and is very humble. Obviously he is intelligent. He asks good questions. He’s got arm talent. It’s a matter of getting familiar [with] what we do and how we do it. . . I think he’s off to a great start.”
Raiders Make Several Roster Moves
- The Raiders signed defensive back Chris Edwards, receiver Joe Hansley, defensive lineman Branden Jackson, running back Jalen Richards, and offensive lineman Torian White, Wilson tweets. Meanwhile, Wilson tweets that the team released defensive end Sheby Harris, cornerback Tony McRae, and safety Tevin McDonald.
[SOURCE LINK]