Bengals Make Practice Squad Moves
- The Bengals have made a couple of practice squad transactions, signing offensive lineman Trey Hopkins and cutting cornerback Tony McRae, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). The Bengals cut Hopkins on Thursday, but his time away from the organization didn’t last long. McRae has spent time with both Oakland and Cincinnati since the ex-North Carolina A&T defender went undrafted during the spring.
Bengals Claim KeiVarae Russell Off Waivers
The Bengals have claimed rookie defensive back KeiVarae Russell, according to Rand Getlin (on Twitter). The Chiefs surprised everyone in the football world when they released the third-round rookie earlier this week. To make room, the Bengals cut guard Trey Hopkins. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Restructure Justin Houston’s Contract]
Getlin reported yesterday that it was a “special teams numbers game” that led to Russell’s release. It’s fair to say that there is some agent-driven spin involved in that take. While there may be some truth to that, it’s extremely rare to see a third-round pick released in September. Any way you slice it, the selection of Russell was a failure by the Kansas City front office.
Russell racked up 60 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections in his final season at Notre Dame. The cornerback ran a 4.43 second 40-yard-dash at his Pro Day, helping to solidify his draft stock in the spring.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PFR’s Impact Rookies Series
All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.
Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
Bengals Interested In Kenny Hilliard
- Kenny Hilliard is drawing interest from the Seahawks, Bengals, and Cardinals, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hilliard was cut loose by Houston earlier this month.
Bengals G Kevin Zeitler To Play Out Contract
The Bengals and right guard Kevin Zeitler will not agree to a contract extension before the club’s self-imposed Week 1 deadline, sources tell Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The fifth-year lineman will now play out the season on his $8.070MM fifth-year option. 
Zeitler, the No. 27 overall pick in the 2012 draft, has been a starter in each of his four seasons with the Bengals. In the last week or so, the interior line market has been reset and Zeitler was likely pushing for a deal that would have put him at the top. DeCastro, a fellow 2012 draft pick, signed a five-year, $50MM extension with the Steelers. The Bears also gave guard Kyle Long a four-year, $40MM deal and inked Josh Sitton to a three-year, $21MM contract.
As shown on Roster Resource, Zeitler is slated to start on the right side next to tackle Cedric Ogbuehi. The offensive line also includes All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth, left guard Clint Boling, and center Russell Bodine.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Workout Notes: 9/7/16
The latest workouts from around the NFL.
- The Patriots tried out eight free agents today, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports. Quarterback Sean Renfree joined wide receivers Da’Ron Brown, Jordan Leslie, Max McCaffrey, Mekale McKay and DeAndrew White, along with linebacker Deon King and defensive lineman B.J. McBryde. Renfree may be the highest-profile player in this bunch to have auditioned. A former Falcons seventh-round pick in 2013, Renfree saw brief action last season but couldn’t make it out of training camp with Atlanta this season.
- The Bengals worked out linebacker/defensive end Sadat Sulleyman today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The team also worked out cornerback Robertson Daniel, as Wilson tweets.
- Former Texans running back Kenny Hilliard is drawing interest from multiple NFL teams, per Wilson (on Twitter) but is still weighing his options.
- The Seahawks auditioned defensive end Dominique Davis, edge defender Jason Fanaika, defensive end Shelby Harris and offensive lineman Ian Silberman, Wilson tweets. The Raiders cut Harris this offseason after the former seventh-round pick played in eight games with the team in 2014-15.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/16
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Gerald Christian, DT Deandre Coleman
- Cut: S Damian Parms (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com)
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OT Laurence Gibson (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB P.J. Dawson (Twitter link via Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Chris McCain (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Devon Cajuste (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky) www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0565217041112373473-4
- Cut: LB Beniquez Brown
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Quentin Gause
- Cut: DE Rufus Johnson (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Ashaad Mabry (link via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune)
Bengals Don't Plan On Trading A.J. McCarron
- The Bengals are planning on holding on to three quarterbacks and have no “plans” of trading A.J. McCarron, according to Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Earlier reports indicated that the team was seeking at least “Day 2 draft picks” in return for the backup QB.
[SOURCE LINK]
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Brennen Beyer (Link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun)
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- TE Daniel Brown (link via Zrebiec)
- C Matt Skura (link via Zrebiec)
- OT Blaine Clausell (link via Zrebiec)
- DE Kapron Lewis-Moore (link via Zrebiec)
- RB Stephen Houston (link via Zrebiec)
- QB David Fales (Link via Zrebiec)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed:
- QB Jeff Driskel (Link via Adam Schefter)
- Waived:
- LB P.J. Dawson
- Placed on IR:
- Signed:
- CB Chykie Brown
- OL Trey Hopkins
- Signed to practice squad:
- DE Ryan Brown
- RB Tra Carson (Link via Jim Owczarski of the Enquirer)
- DT David Dean
- CB Darius Hillary
- WR Jake Kumerow (Link via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com)
- TE Matt Lengel
- CB Tony McRae
- G Alex Redmond
- WR Alonzo Russell
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed:
- RB George Atkinson
- DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- DB Marcus Burley
- DE Tyrone Holmes
- LB Corey Lemonier (Link via Florio)
- Waived/released:
- DB Trey Caldwell
- LB Cam Johnson
- RB Raheem Mostert
- RB Terrell Watson
- DB Rahim Moore
- Signed to practice squad:
- Connor Hamlett (Link via Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal)
- OL Dan France
- WR Darius Jennings
- OL Kaleb Johnson
- QB Kevin Hogan (Link via Ian Rapoport)
- DT Gabe Wright (Link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com)
- OL Anthony Fabiano (Link via Cabot)
- DB Ed Reynolds (Link via Cabot)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on IR:
- LB Bud Dupree (story)
- Signed:
- LB Steven Johnson (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DL Johnny Maxey (link via Aaron Wilson)
- OLB Travis Feeney (link via Jeremy Fowler)
- RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
- RB Cameron Stingily
- WR Demarcus Ayers
- WR Cobi Hamilton
- TE Rashaun Allen
- OT Matt Feiler
- DE Caushaud Lyons
- CB Al-Hajj Shabazz
Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams
Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.
Here is the complete waiver priority order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Chargers
4. Cowboys
5. Jaguars
6. Ravens
7. 49ers
8. Dolphins
9. Buccaneers
10. Giants
11. Bears
12. Saints
13. Eagles
14. Raiders
15. Rams
16. Lions
17. Falcons
18. Colts
19. Bills
20. Jets
21. Redskins
22. Texans
23. Vikings
24. Bengals
25. Seahawks
26. Packers
27. Steelers
28. Chiefs
29. Patriots
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Broncos