Raiders Cut Seven Players
The Raiders made a series of transactions today to reduce their roster, with a handful of notable players earning their walking papers. Per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez (on Twitter), the Raiders released cornerback De’Vante Bausby and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks. The team also waived quarterback Case Cookus, kicker Dominik Eberle, long snapper Liam McCullough, running back Bo Scarbrough, and wide receiver Caleb Scott.
Bausby joined the Raiders earlier this offseason after spending the 2020 season with the Broncos (two stints) and the Cardinals. He actually had his most productive NFL season, collecting 20 tackles and five passes defended in 10 games (three starts). The 28-year-old previously got some playing time with the Bears and Eagles, appearing in 26 career games.
Westbrooks signed with the Raiders just last week, but his second stint with the organization has already come to an end. The 30-year-old defensive lineman appeared in 61 games for the Rams between the 2015 and 2018 seasons, collecting 51 tackles, nine sacks, and one forced fumble. However, he hasn’t seen the field since that 2018 campaign.
Scarbrough made a name for himself following a five-game stint as a starter with the Lions in 2019. He collected 382 yards from scrimmage that season, but he only saw the field for one game with the Seahawks in 2020.
49ers Cut James Burgess
As teams trim down to 85 players, it’s mostly been smaller-name UDFA types getting let go so far. But some relatively well known veterans are also getting the boot, including James Burgess.
The 49ers announced they were cutting the linebacker on Monday. Burgess signed with the team back in May, but the addition over the weekend of fellow inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks made him expendable. A 2016 UDFA from Louisville, Burgess became a nine-game starter for the Browns in 2017.
He eventually latched on with the Jets as a waiver claim, and started 10 games in New York in 2019. Let go again at final cuts in 2020, he spent some time on the Falcons’ practice squad and played in a few games with the Packers. Despite having already been on the roster for nine different NFL teams, Burgess is still only 27.
He’s always managed to resurface quickly in the past, so don’t be surprised if he does again this season.
Texans To Trade Keion Crossen To Giants
A trade! On a day where a bunch of bottom of the roster guys are getting let go as NFL teams trim their rosters to 85 players, the Texans and Giants made time to work out a deal.
Houston is sending cornerback Keion Crossen to New York, a source told Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (Twitter link). In exchange the Giants will send back a 2023 sixth-round pick, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. Crossen originally entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2018. He won Super Bowl LIII with the team, but was traded to the Texans the following August.
Although he’s a cornerback and actually started four games on defense for Houston this past year, he’s mostly known as a special teams standout. As many were quick to point out, Giants head coach Joe Judge was Crossen’s special teams coordinator his rookie season in New England.
His first two years as a pro he was almost exclusively a special teams guy, but last season he was pressed into some action for an undermanned Houston defense and finished with 46 tackles and five passes defended.
Cardinals Cut RB Ito Smith, 3 Others
As teams are required to cut their rosters down to 85 players by tomorrow, more guys are getting shown the door. Veteran running back Ito Smith was one of the latest casualties as the Cardinals announced his release on Monday.
Arizona also cut receivers Aleva Hifo and JoJo Ward, and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo. Smith was released by the Falcons back in April, and only latched on with the Cardinals last week. He had previously worked out for the Giants. The 2018 fourth-round pick spent his first four professional seasons in Atlanta, and operated as their lead back for stretches during the 2018 and 2020 seasons.
As a rookie he got his most extensive run, carrying the ball 90 times for 315 yards and four touchdowns, adding 27 receptions for another 152 yards. This past season he rushed 63 times for 268 yards and one touchdown, with 17 catches for 75 yards. Hifo and Ward are both 2020 UDFAs, from BYU and Hawaii respectively.
Kilgo is a 2015 sixth-round pick of the Broncos who is notable for winning back to back rings in Super Bowl 50 and then LI with the Broncos and Patriots. He also just signed in the desert last week.
Chargers Cut P Lachlan Edwards, 2 Others
The Chargers trimmed down the roster a bit on Monday, making a couple of special teams moves. Los Angeles has cut punter Lachlan Edwards, kicker Alex Kessman, and receiver Michael Bandy, the team announced.
Edwards was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round in 2016, and spent the next four seasons as New York’s punter. He wasn’t re-signed after the 2019 season, and after a short stint with Buffalo landed on the Chargers’ practice squad late last year. His release means that Los Angeles will be rolling with Ty Long as their punter for the third straight season.
Meanwhile, the release of Kessman doesn’t ensure Michael Badgley has won the kicking job, because he still has Tristan Vizcaino to compete with. Kessman was a rookie UDFA from Pitt.
Bandy played college ball at the University of San Diego, but then began a career in rugby after finding no pro opportunities. Time in The Spring League earned him the opportunity with the Chargers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Bryson Young
- Cut: LB Reggie Walker
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Bryce Hargrove, LB George Obinna
- Reverted to IR: WR J’Mon Moore
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: QB Kenji Bahar
- Placed on IR: CB Khalil Dorsey, CB Iman Marshall
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Gage Cervenka, DB Dionte Ruffin, WR Jester Weah
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: WR Reece Horn, WR Riley Lees
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: TE Stephen Carlson, WR Ryan Switzer
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL Jon Dietzen, P Ryan Winslow
Houston Texans
- Waived: WR Isaiah Coulter
- Waived/injured: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LS Matt Overton
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: K Austin MacGinnis, LB Derrick Moncrief, T Ryan Pope, OLB Max Roberts, DL George Silvanic
- Released from IR: DB Dayan Lake
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Khalil McClain
- Waived: TE Carson Meier
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived/injured: K Riley Patterson, WR Blake Proehl
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Brian Lewerke
- Waived/injured: QB Clayton Thorson
- Placed on IR: LB TJ Brunson, OL Kyle Murphy, S Joshua Kalu
New York Jets
- Waived: K Chris Naggar
- Activated off PUP list: DL Quinnen Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: LB Donald Payne, DL Eddie Vanderdoes
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: LB Nate Evans, OT Lukayus McNeil, CB Jordan Miller, DT Walter Palmore, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams, RB Cameron Scarlett
Saints Cut Prince Amukamara
The Saints have released cornerback Prince Amukamara, as ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett tweets. The cornerback joins defensive end Noah Spence and a handful of other ex-Saints in free agency. 
Amukamara was the No. 19 overall pick in 2011 but he’s been inconsistent throughout his career. He was originally drafted by the Giants and won Super Bowl XLVI with the team as a rookie. After five up-and-down years, he moved on to the Jaguars and the Bears. He spent three years as a full-time starter in Chicago and earned a $27MM extension along the way, but didn’t make it to the end of the deal.
The corner spent 2020 with the Cardinals’ practice squad last year but didn’t appear in a game. The Saints gave him a shot a few weeks ago, but he didn’t quite impress on the practice field. Now, the Saints will continue to look for cornerback help with a possible suspension looming for star Marshon Lattimore.
The Saints may pursue Jaguars cornerback C.J. Henderson in the coming days. But, for now, they’re banking on third-round corner Paulson Adebo, slot corner Brian Poole, and Lattimore’s continued availability.
Saints To Cut DE Noah Spence
A 2021 rule tweak will force teams to cut down to 85 players by Tuesday, and the Saints included a former second-round pick in their first group of cuts. They intend to release defensive end Noah Spence, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football (on Twitter).
Despite Spence tearing his ACL in 2020, the Saints brought him back on a one-year deal worth the league minimum. The former Buccaneers second-rounder, however, could not make enough of an impression to stick with the Saints beyond the first cutdown day.
This marks another setback for Spence, who has been a preseason cut previously. The Bucs jettisoned him in August 2019, and while Spence found his way to Washington later that year, he wound up being waived by the NFC East franchise as well. The Saints scooped him up in March 2020, but the ACL tear marred any game action.
An Ohio State cog who transferred to Eastern Kentucky, Spence flashed as a Bucs rookie by registering 5.5 sacks. In 18 games from 2017-18, however, the pass rusher combined for just one. New Orleans did not include any fully guaranteed money in Spence’s latest deal.
The Saints are also waiving running back Stevie Scott, Underhill tweets. The Indiana product caught on with the team as a rookie UDFA but will now head to the waiver wire.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/21
Here are today’s minor moves. All teams must cut their rosters to 85 players by 4pm ET on Tuesday.
Buffalo Bills
- Cut: DL Eli Ankou, LB Mike Bell, OL Caleb Benenoch, G Marquel Harrell, OL Syrus Tuitele
Cincinnati Bengals
- Cut: TE Pro Wells
Detroit Lions
- Cut: CB Alex Brown
Minnesota Vikings
- Cut: LS Turner Bernard, DE Jordan Brailford
New England Patriots
- Cut: TE/DL Rashod Berry, WR Marvin Hall, OL Jerald Hawkins, TE David Wells
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Cut: CB Cameron Kinley, TE De’Quan Hampton and WR Josh Pearson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Deon Yelder
- Cut: TE Gabe Holmes
- Placed on IR: LB B.J. Bello
Washington Football Team
- Claimed (from Eagles): TE Caleb Wilson
49ers Sign LB Mychal Kendricks
Aug. 15: Kendricks’ visit with the 49ers went well enough to land him a contract, as Rapoport tweets. It will likely be a veteran minimum pact, and based on head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s comments on the matter, Kendricks will have to fight for a roster spot.
Shanahan indicated that the plan is for Kendricks to add competition and depth to San Francisco’s LB corps as the team waits for Azeez Al-Shaair and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to return (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Still, Kendricks’ experience could be a boon to a club that is hoping to contend for a postseason berth in 2021.
Aug. 13: Mychal Kendricks managed to continue his career through legal turmoil, but the veteran linebacker has not been connected to a team this year. The 49ers, however, are taking a look.
Kendricks met with the 49ers on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Now 30, Kendricks played in just one game last season. But he is another year removed from the ACL tear he suffered late in the 2019 season.
The 49ers present an interesting connection for Kendricks as well. New San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, a 10-year NFL veteran as a linebacker, was Kendricks’ teammate for four years in Philadelphia. The Eagles drafted Kendricks in the 2012 second round, making that pick shortly after signing Ryans as a free agent. The two were Eagles starting ‘backers in each of those seasons.
The Seahawks employed Kendricks from 2018-19, using him as a starter alongside stalwarts Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. They did so despite the linebacker’s insider trading issue, which caused the Browns to cut him in the summer of 2018. However, a ruling finally came down on that matter this year. Kendricks received three years’ probation last month, clearing a path for him to continue his career without this looming cloud.
San Francisco recently gave Fred Warner a top-market linebacker extension and employs Dre Greenlaw as a fellow starter. The team is light on a surefire third starter option for its 4-3 look. Kendricks operated as an outside linebacker in Seattle’s 4-3 scheme, with his presence prompting the Seahawks to use more base sets during his tenure, and did the same in Philly for much of his six-year Eagles stay.
Washington signed Kendricks late last season, poaching him off the Seahawks’ practice squad. He has come back from both an ACL tear and a broken tibia, which ended his 2018 season early, and will attempt to continue his career in a 10th season.