Bucs Claim Khaseem Greene, Waive Jennings
The Bucs weren’t satisfied with adding just one player off waivers today. After grabbing D.J. Swearinger, the Bucs also plucked former Bears fourth round pick Khaseem Greene, Rick Stroud of WDAE tweets. To make room, safety M.D. Jennings has been shown the door.
Greene, 26, was a favorite of Rutgers coaches but never broke out as a major contributor in Chicago. Greene saw time in 25 games between 2013 and 2014 and made six starts in that time. Ironically, it was former Bucs coach Greg Schiano who recruited Greene to New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The Bucs’ total roster count is now at 89 players,one below the present league maximum.
Minor Moves: Monday Night
Given the rash of minor transactions that have gone down today, we’ll be keeping track of the rest here in a brand new post. The latest minor moves from around the NFL..
- The Dolphins announced that they have been awarded offensive lineman Donald Hawkins off waivers from the Cowboys, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Mark Asper has been cut.
- The Rams have signed two of their tryout players in long snapper Tyler Ott and wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets. The 27-year-old Rodriguez, who walked on the football team at Clemson, served with the U.S. Army between 2006 and 2010, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Purple Heart during his service.
- The Bears claimed tight end Chris Pantale, who was waived by the Jets a few days ago, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Pantale’s first NFL contract came with the Jets when he was signed as a UDFA in 2013.
- The Jets, meanwhile, inked two tryout players from this past weekend in quarterback Jake Heaps and fullback J.C. Copeland, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. To make room for both players, the Jets cut Greg Henderson and safety Demarkus Perkins (link).
- The Texans announced that UDFAs Jake Cotton and James Rouse (waived-injured) have been let go, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Both players were signed as UDFAs by Houston earlier this month. In their stead, the Texans have signed Mack Brown, Corey Moore, and Joseph Treadwell, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Raiders waived linebacker Braylon Mitchell, running backs Terrance Cobb and Gus Johnson, defensive backs Chance Casey, Vernon Kearney, and return specialist Jeremy Gallon (waived/injured), according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Steelers placed Nigel Crawford on waivers with a left squad designation, Wilson tweets.
- The Chiefs signed Georgia Southern center Garrett Frye as a UDFA, per the NFL’s transactions report, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Lions signed three tryout players – safety Nathan Lindsey and receivers Erik Lora and Jarred Haggins – and released wideout Desmond Lawrence, Tim Twentyman of the team’s website writes.
- Washington has signed undrafted receiver Quinton Dunbar, formerly of Florida, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
- The Dolphins signed one tight end – Tim Semisch, undrafted out of Northern Illinois – and released another in Ryan Taylor, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Taylor, a Packers seventh-round pick in 2011, has eight career catches.
- The Cardinals have signed three tryout players – a quarterback (Phillip Sims) and two safeties (Brandon Person and Harold Jones-Quartey) – per their official website. To make room, they released tackle Kelvin Palmer, wide receiver Travis Harvey, and cornerback Ross Weaver.
- The Bears signed quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive tackle Terry Williams, and linebacker Kyle Woestmann, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. They also waived linebacker Khaseem Greene and cut fellow LB Austen Lane.
- The Buccaneers have cut safety Shelton Johnson, wide receivers Chandler Jones and Josh Reese, offensive lineman Matt Patchan, and linebacker Michael Reynolds (Twitter: Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune).
- The Packers will release defensive lineman Luther Robinson, according to Bill Huber of Packer Report. Robinson appeared in five games last year.
- The Bills signed undrafted free agent safety Wes Miller, formerly of UTEP, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Raiders signed ex-Auburn running back Michael Dyer, who tried out for them over the weekend, tweets Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Twitter link). They also signed Emporia state wideout Austin Willis, the player told Rick Peterson Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, running back Terrance Cobb wrote on Instagram that the team released him.
- The Vikings waived wide receiver Kain Colter and guard Jesse Somsel, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Colter was on the Vikings’ practice squad last year, while they recently signed Somsel as an undrafted free agent.
- The Giants released three players – running back Chris Ogbonnaya, linebacker James Davidson, and defensive back Thomas Gordon – according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link).
- The Buccaneers signed linebacker Jared Koster, who tried out at their rookie minicamp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
- The Steelers signed tryout players Cameron Stingily (running back) and Mike Thornton (defensive line) to their 90-man roster, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). To make room, they cut punter Richie Leone, defensive tackle Nigel Crawford-Kinney, defensive end Brandon Prate, long snapper Brandon Hartson, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, and guard Collin Rahrig (Twitter).
- The Broncos waived guard Jon Halapio, whom they signed to their practice squad last December, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Matt Miller after signing him as an undrafted free agent earlier this month (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- The Buccaneers have signed three tryout players from rookie camp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The team agreed to deals with wide receivers Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries and offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.
- Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, whom the Vikings waived last week, has retired because of knee issues, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Richardson signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee and saw some action in the preseason.
- The Panthers have cut defensive tackle Darious Cummings, reports ESPN’s Joe Person (via Twitter). Cummings signed with the Panthers last week as an undrafted free agent from Florida.
- The Buccaneers will cut return man Solomon Patton today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Patton, who went undrafted out of Florida last year, appeared in seven games for the Bucs as a rookie. He has had two stints with Tampa and one with the Cardinals during his short career.
- Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Andy Phillips signed with the Packers, the player tweeted. Phillips earned a spot with the Pack after impressing team brass as a tryout player at rookie minicamp over the weekend.
Extra Points: Bears, Saints, Titans, Lions
After firing their college scouting director and a top scout last week, the Bears have also parted ways with associate director of player personnel Dwayne Joseph, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Joseph was actually offered a promotion (to director of player personnel), per Biggs, but turned it down to explore other opportunities.
Here’s more from around the league…
- The Saints’ selection of tackle Andrus Peat in the first round and quarterback Garrett Grayson in the third show that GM Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton aren’t simply in win-now mode, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The Grayson pick, specifically, conveys that the club’s decision-makers are planning for the long haul (and the eventual exit of Drew Brees) instead of going all-in on 2015.
- Zack Moore of Over the Cap singles out some of the biggest cap sins in the NFL in 2014, pointing to Ndamukong Suh (who took up 16.85% of the Lions’ cap) on the individual player side, and to the Falcons, Cowboys, and Saints as clubs who were unrestrained with their caps.
- Running back Shonn Greene will head to camp with the Titans, but he probably won’t make the 53-man roster, opines Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com in his latest mailbag.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is both open-minded and excited about what undrafted free agents have to offer, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press explains.
- Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims attended the Packers recent minicamp on a tryout basis, but Green Bay won’t be signing him, according to Rob Demovksky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Instead, Sims will attend Washington‘s rookie camp, albeit as a running back.
Draft Notes: Vikings, Rams, Patriots, Bears
The Vikings could have an exciting offense next season, and that’s because the front office dedicated last year’s draft picks to improving their team on that side of the ball. Although the organization had acquired some foundational players, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, head coach Mike Zimmer said his team was still considering offensive weapons in the first round of this year’s draft. Via Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune…
“The Teddy thing was huge because that was really the number one priority of the organization. We had to get a quarterback we thought could take us to the next level. Honestly, we didn’t go into this draft saying this was going to be a defensive draft. We went in and we had offensive guys targeted, but they might have gotten picked before we could pick them.
When we picked Trae Waynes, there were three or four guys there we thought we would be happy with, but part of it with Trae was the position he plays. Typically when you draft those corners, you draft pretty high. Once it gets down lower, to the second round, they don’t produce like the higher picks. Knock on wood — we hope we’re drafting a little lower next year.”
Let’s take a look at some more draft notes from around the NFL…
- The Rams were involved in the bidding for undrafted free agent La’el Collins, head coach Jeff Fisher told ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner. “Yeah, we were involved in it,” Fisher said. “There were some things, we still had some unanswered questions at the time in which he made his decision but we were involved. We were told by them that we were in the final four, which is not necessarily a consolation but we were involved, yes.”
- Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Colts quarterback Andrew Luck contacted Collins to recruit him to their respective teams, tweets Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez. The reporter adds that the lineman seriously considered the Dolphins‘ pitch.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the Patriots would have willingly traded their first-rounder if an inquiring team had sweetened their offer. Ideally, the Patriots would have preferred an early second-round pick and a third-round pick in return. Reiss clarifies that the team is still please with their selection of Malcom Brown.
- The Bears had been eyeing quarterback Shane Carden during the draft, and ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson writes that the team was thrilled about the opportunity to sign the player as an undrafted free agent. “He was actually a guy that we had good grades on, a guy that could have potentially been a draft pick,” Bears coach John Fox told Dickerson. “Our scouts, obviously, saw a lot more of him than the coaching staff. But he was productive, smart. He has good moxie, being able to execute in a pass offense that throws the ball quite a bit and was very productive.”
NFC Notes: Bears, 49ers, Saints, Falcons
New Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio believes 33-year-old Jared Allen, who’s shifting from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker, could be in line for a career renaissance.
“Like I told him, I think he can have a rebirth to his career here playing a little bit of a new position,” said Fangio, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. “But in the NFL today, you play more nickel than you actually play base. For some teams they play nickel 65 to 75 percent of the time. He’ll be playing his normal position then. So it’s not as drastic of a change as you might think.”
More production from Allen would be a welcome sight for Chicago, which had the third-worst defense in the NFL in 2014. Allen finished with just 5.5 sacks, the lowest total of an 11-year career that has seen him take down opposing quarterbacks 134 times.
Fangio is similarly hopeful about one of Allen’s fellow linebackers, Shea McClellin, adjusting well to his defense. McClellin, a 2012 first-round pick, has a meager 7.5 sacks during his first three seasons. Those years were spent shifting between defensive end and outside linebacker in the Bears’ previous 4-3 scheme. The 25-year-old will move to the inside of the linebacking corps as part of Fangio’s 3-4.
“I think he has a chance to be a good inside linebacker,” said Fangio. “We’re going to give him a full opportunity here and a full chance to learn the position so we can evaluate him and see if that’s a good spot for him.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The 49ers’ defense lost multiple key elements during a chaotic offseason. Star linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland both retired, while defensive lineman Justin Smith is contemplating joining them. One important returning face is linebacker Aldon Smith, who’s ready to become the leader of their defense in a contract year. “It’s a role I’m comfortable with,” Smith said, according to CSNBayArea.com. “Obviously, losing guys who were here … someone steps up. And it’s something I have no problem doing.” Smith has a whopping 44 sacks in 50 regular-season games, but the four-year veteran’s career has been beset by off-field issues.
- The Saints are expected to feel the loss of elite tight end Jimmy Graham, whom they traded to the Seahawks earlier this offseason, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com notes that the team’s offense might not drop off as drastically as some think. The Saints have fielded a top six offense every year during the Sean Payton–Drew Brees era, leading the league three times in yardage before Graham even got to New Orleans. In terms of weaponry, Triplett believes the additions of running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Brandin Cooks could help make up for the loss of Graham.
- Falcons superstar wide receiver Julio Jones is in line for a big contract extension, but there hasn’t been much progress on getting a new deal done. General manager Thomas Dimitroff didn’t provide an update on Jones’ situation on Saturday, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Randy Gregory, the Cowboys’ newly drafted pass rusher, is off to a good start at the team’s rookie camp. The second-round pick looked like more than just a speed rusher Saturday, showing off an array of moves and netting a would-be sack, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com
Rob DiRe contributed to this post.
AFC Rumors: Marshall, McCoy, Anderson
Already traded three times in his nine-year career, Brandon Marshall narrowly missed out on what could’ve been his highest-profile transaction.
In an appearance on ESPN 1000, the Jets wideout said he was nearly traded to the Patriots before last season, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Bears pondered trading Marshall but instead gave the now-31-year-old receiver a three-year, $30MM extension last May. They ultimately trading Marshall to the Jets this offseason after acquiring him in 2012. Marshall, who saw his streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons end last year, preferred to remain in Chicago for the remainder of his career.
Elsewhere around the league on Friday night …
- New Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, while praising Matt Forte‘s fitness level, said his old charge in the backfield, C.J. Anderson, had to be subbed out frequently due to being “a little chubby” sometimes. The Broncos’ newfound starter told 9News‘ Mike Kils that his weight issues are nothing new. “Hey, everybody knows I’m a weight guy,” Anderson told Klis. “My body can go up and down.” The Broncos‘ offense became increasingly reliant on Anderson last season despite the former undrafted performer hovering on the fourth level of the depth chart during training camp due to his inconsistent shape status.
- In a lengthy ESPN piece on Chip Kelly‘s enigmatic offseason, one NFL executive told ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox he saw merit in the Eagles coach’s madness and did not agree with the Bills‘ decision to immediately extend LeSean McCoy. “He had an impressive five-year run, but measure it statistically,” the executive said. “Over time, most running backs have a five- to six-year run, then they decline relatively precipitously. They don’t become bums overnight, and they don’t fall off the cliff, but Buffalo made an extremely stupid mistake extending him. They should’ve played it out. He will not earn that money.” Buffalo tacked three years onto McCoy’s contract, which is now a five-year deal worth $40MM, shortly after acquiring him from Philadelphia.
- Following Dante Fowler Jr.‘s torn ACL that’s expected to sideline him for the season, the Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran looks at the team’s remaining candidates to play the “Leo” defensive end in Gus Bradley‘s 4-3 scheme. Chris Clemons now goes from third-down rush specialist to every-down player, while 2012 second-rounder Andre Branch escapes the roster bubble with much more playing time available, notes O’Halloran.
Draft Signings: Bears, Ravens, Pats, Giants
A number of mid- to late-round draft picks have agreed to terms with their respective teams so far today. Here’s the list of draftees who have been locked up by their teams, along with four-year contract information, via Over The Cap:
- Baltimore Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, DE/OLB (fourth round). $2.763MM, including signing bonus of $483K (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
- Carolina Panthers: Cameron Artis-Payne, RB (fifth round). $2.446MM, including signing bonus of $166K (Twitter link via David Newton of ESPN.com).
- Chicago Bears: Hroniss Grasu, OL (third round). $3.042MM, including signing bonus of $762K (Twitter link via Bears’ official account)
- New England Patriots: Tre’ Jackson, G (fourth round). $2.724MM, including a signing bonus of $444K (Twitter link via Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal).
- New York Giants: Owa Odighizuwa, DE (third round). $3.021MM, including signing bonus of $741K (Twitter link via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post).
- Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Murphy, S (seventh round). $2.333MM, including signing bonus of $53K (Twitter link via agent Adam Snyder)
- Washington: Jamison Crowder, WR (fourth round). $2.826MM, including signing bonus of $546K (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
- Washington: Tevin Mitchell, CB (sixth round). $2.413MM, including signing bonus of $133K (Twitter link via Keim).
Bears Waive Paul Cornick
THURSDAY, 4:11pm: Cornick will return to waivers, according to Caplan, who tweets that the offensive lineman failed his physical with the Bears and was cut by the club.
TUESDAY, 5:02pm: The Bears have added another offensive lineman to their roster, claiming Paul Cornick off waivers from the Broncos, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. When Denver cut Cornick yesterday, Troy Renck of the Denver Post was among those who noted Chicago would likely have interest.
Cornick, 26, saw his first extended action last season, starting six games at right tackle for the Broncos as the team dealt with injuries. While his performance wasn’t exceptional, he held his own over the course of 309 offensive snaps, particularly as a pass blocker.
The Bears’ interest in Cornick was predictable, since head coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase both came from Denver this offseason. With the Broncos preparing to institute a zone-blocking scheme under new head coach Gary Kubiak, Cornick wasn’t viewed as a necessary piece in Denver, but he could earn some snaps in Chicago.
La Canfora’s Latest: Bennett, Eagles, Titans
Michael Bennett and his agent have “made it clear” he’d rather not return to the Seahawks, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Of course, as La Canfora points out, the Seahawks typically don’t budge when it comes to trades or contract situation, so while the two sides may be able to work something out that makes sense for all parties, Bennett may not go anywhere or sign a new contract in the next few months.
Bennett and various members of the Seahawks organization have repeatedly denied a rumor that he wants to be traded. However, that initial report came from another reporter, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, so the fact that La Canfora has heard similar rumblings suggests there may be something to it. It wouldn’t be surprising if, at the very least, Bennett wants to rework his deal, considering he’s one of the league’s best pass rushers and is earning a relatively modest $7MM per year.
Here are a few more tidbits from La Canfora’s piece on potential trade candidates:
- Whether it’s this week or the week before the season begins, the Eagles will trade Evan Mathis at some point, in La Canfora’s opinion. The CBSSports.com scribe adds that Chip Kelly was trying to move Mychal Kendricks for a second-round pick in the week leading up to the draft. La Canfora predicts that Philadelphia will eventually get a late-round pick for Mathis and a fourth-rounder for Kendricks.
- While the Titans say they don’t plan to move Zach Mettenberger after drafting Marcus Mariota, the second-year QB would “relish a change of scenery,” per La Canfora.
- La Canfora views the Browns as the most logical potential suitor for Muhammad Wilkerson, suggesting that while the Jets won’t shop the standout defensive lineman, they should at least be willing to listen. The Bears, Saints, and Raiders would all be reasonable fits as well, according to La Canfora, who thinks a team should offer a first- and third-round pick for Wilkerson.
- A veteran backup like Jason Campbell or Tarvaris Jackson would be a better match for Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers than Mike Glennon, who continues to be a trade candidate, writes La Canfora.