Conor Boffeli

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • In addition to their transactions below, the Browns have also waived/injured defensive lineman Dylan Wynn, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Wynn will revert to Cleveland’s injured reserve list if and when he clears waivers.
  • Similarly, wide receiver Tyler Slavin has cleared waivers and is now on the Seahawks‘ injured reserve list, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

Earlier updates:

  • The Titans have claimed cornerback Tyler Patmon, off waivers from the Dolphins, as Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tweets.
  • The Browns announced that they have signed linebacker Jason Neill and offensive lineman Cory Tucker. To make room, offensive lineman Conor Boffeli and linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat were waived.
  • The Lions have signed former University of Miami linebacker Raphael Kirby to a three-year deal, according to his reps at Universal Sports Management (Twitter link). Kirby, who was the Hurricanes’ team captain, is said to finally be healthy after suffering a torn ACL in college. To make room, linebacker Dominique Tovell has been waived, per a team announcement.
  • The Saints announced that they have re-signed tackle Tony Hills and waived/injured UDFA tackle Ryker Mathews.
  • Colts safety Andrew Williamson was waived/injured thanks to his knee issue, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets.
  • The Steelers added running back Christian Powell and free agent center Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. To make room, running back Brandon Johnson and center Quinton Schooley were cut.
  • The Vikings signed linebacker Terrance Plummer, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
  • The Bills released kicker Marshall Morgan and wide receiver Davonte Allen, as Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tweets. The team also added wide receiver Kain Colter.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/7/16

Here are Thursday’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters in March:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

  • WR Shane Wynn (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/23/15

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: RB Jahwan Edwards (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)

St. Louis Rams

  • Signed: WR Deon Long (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)

Bears Set 53-Man Roster

John Fox‘s first roster with the Bears will include three quarterbacks, but the third isn’t the one he oversaw in Denver. The Bears sent Zac Dysert back to waivers after picking up the ex-Broncos quarterback last week.

Instead, David Fales will back up Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, as the Bears made their cuts to slash their roster to 53 players, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Also among the cuts was third-year defensive end/linebacker David Bass, who played in 20 games the past two seasons. A former seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013 with a pick-six to his credit as a rookie in Chicago, Bass has interested suitors and will land somewhere soon, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei (on Twitter).

Here are the rest of Chicago’s final cuts:

  • Jonathan Anderson, ILB
  • Qumain Black, WR
  • Conor Boffeli, OL
  • A.J. Cruz, WR (Waived/injured)
  • Jacoby Glenn, CB
  • Anthony Jefferson, DB (Injured reserve)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR
  • Tyler Moore, OL
  • Michael Ola, OL
  • Ify Umodu, WR
  • Gannon Sinclair, TE
  • Matthew Wells, ILB
  • Terry Williams, DT
  • Kyle Woestmann, OLB

Reserve/Futures Contracts: Monday

Teams have been announcing their reserve/futures deals all day long, but not every club has made those pacts official. Here are the odds and ends from today as we await the full slate:

49ers

Bears

Broncos

Buccaneeers

Eagles

Falcons

Saints

Washington

  • Lakendrick Ross, DL (via ESPN 980 on Twitter)

Minor Moves: Thursday

Here are the latest minor transactions – including practice squad signings and cuts – from around the NFL, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Bears re-signed wide receiver Rashad Ross to their practice squad, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). To make room, Chicago has released cornerback Jordan Sullen.
  • The Vikings have promoted quarterback Chandler Harnish, formerly of the Colts, from the practice squad to their 53-man roster in advance of tonight’s game in Green Bay, the team announced today. Wide receiver Rodney Smith has been cut to clear room for Harnish. The move may not bode well for the odds of Teddy Bridgewater playing against the Packers, though Minnesota has yet to rule him out.
  • The Packers are also signing a player to their roster from their practice squad before tonight’s contest, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that defensive lineman Luther Robinson is being elevated. The club had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
  • The NFC North is a busy division today, as the Bears are expected to finalize a move this afternoon as well. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that the team is set to fill the 10th and final spot on its practice squad by signing guard Conor Boffeli, who was in camp with the Texans in August.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Giants, Patriots, Hardy, Rice

Steve Weatherford was out punting during the portion of Giants practice that was open to the media on Friday, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The veteran had suffered a high left ankle sprain during Big Blue’s 35-14 Monday Night season-opening loss in Detroit and said that he wanted to test things out on Friday. He’s still listed as questionable, but today’s session is probably a good sign.

Nonetheless, the Giants seem to be preparing a backup plan just in case Weatherford is unable to go on Sunday. Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has worked out punters Zoltan Mesko, Brian Moorman, and Kasey Redfern.

  • The Patriots worked out defensive tackle Fred Evans this week, as well as a handful of offensive linemen, including Conor Boffeli, Caylin Hauptmann, and Martin Wallace, according to Yates (Twitter link).
  • Despite a rumor to the contrary, coach Ron Rivera says the Panthers plan to let the legal process play out with Greg Hardy and he will not be released before there’s a resolution in the courts, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • Roger Goodell made a serious error in how he handled the Ray Rice case, but Panthers owner Jerry Richardson still has time to get it right when it comes to Hardy, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. For now the NFL and the Panthers are respecting the legal process, but they have the right to punish Hardy before things get underway in court, and Fowler thinks they should take advantage.
  • There’s a strong possibility that the NFLPA will file a grievance on behalf of Rice even without his approval, a source tells Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
  • With Josh Gordon‘s suspension set to be reduced to 10 games, it could “open a can of worms” with others who tested positive in 2013 fighting for a revised suspension, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Texans Waive Boffeli, Hazel, McClung

The Texans have cut three players, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston, who tweets that offensive lineman Conor Boffeli, linebacker Paul Hazel and wide receiver Anthony McClung are no longer on the team’s roster.

Of the three players, only Hazel has regular-season NFL experience, having spent his rookie season in Cleveland, where he played sparingly on defense and special teams. Because he only has one accrued NFL season under his belt though, he’ll be passing through waivers along with Boffeli and McClung.

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle indicates that this series of moves reduces the Texans’ roster count to the required 75 players. Prior to these cuts, Houston’s official roster listed 79 active players, so we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from the team to confirm whether one more player is being removed from the roster.

Minor Moves: Grant, Bucs, Panthers, Morris

Here’s a look at tonight’s minor moves..

  • Free agent linebacker Larry Grant, who started eight games for the Rams back in 2010, has signed with the Browns, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link). In recent seasons, Grant spent time with the 49ers and Bears, though he appeared in just two games last year before being cut.
  • The Buccaneers have agreed to sign undrafted free agent tight end Cameron Brate out of Harvard, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Panthers announced that they have signed fourth-round pick Tre Boston and fifth-round selection Bene’ Benwikere, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Boston, a strong safety out of North Carolina, is a converted cornerback.
  • The Patriots announced that they have released rookie linebacker James Morris. Morris, an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, was signed by the Pats just four days ago. Morris, 22, was just the sixth player in Iowa history to record 400 career tackles after finishing with 400 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks and six interceptions as a three-year starter.
  • Former Iowa State safety Jacques Washington has been invited to the Dolphins‘ rookie mini-camp this weekend, according to agent Donte Robinson (on Twitter). Washington was second in the Big 12 in tackles per game (9.9) this past season and was a three-year starting free safety for the Cyclones.
  • The Raiders cut veteran defensive lineman David Carter, Wilson tweets. Carter, 26, signed a reserves/futures deal with Oakland back in January.
  • The Rams were awarded Travis Bond off waivers from the Panthers, tweets Wilson. Carolina dropped Bond yesterday while signing punter Jordan Gay.
  • The Raiders signed undrafted free agent defensive end Denico Autry, tweets Wilson.
  • The Browns signed undrafted defensive back K’Waun Williams, tweets Wilson. At Pittsburgh last season, Williams led the team with seven pass breakups and was second with two interceptions.
  • The Texans were awarded Conor Boffeli off waivers from the Vikings and Anthony Dima from the Browns, Wilson tweets.

NFC North Moves: Lyerla, Vikings, Lions

The Packers have signed three players out of their rookie minicamp, most notably Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter).

The team will take on chance with the shaky character of Lyerla, according to Demovsky“Every case is an individual case. We have always believed that, or I have always believed that there are certain things that people can atone for, acknowledge their mistakes and get on with their lives,” said general manager Ted Thompson. “And I am a proponent of those kind of people that try to do that. And that’s where we’re at with Colt.”

Lyerla posted his reaction to being signed on his official twitter account. I am honored to be a part of such a legendary organization. Proud to be a Green Bay Packer ! #GoPackGo”

The team also signed defensive back Charles Clay out of Hawaii and defensive end Luther Robinson out of Miami.

  • The Packers have signed third-round pick Khyri Thornton, reports Demovsky (via Twitter). Thornton, a defensive tackle out of Southern Miss, is the team’s sixth rookie to sign, leaving only three players left unsigned.
  • The Vikings have signed linebacker Dom DeCicco, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team released guard Conor Boffeli and quarterback Travis Partridge.
  • The Lions have signed defensive tackle Greg Hickman who was part of their rookie minicamp, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The team has released defensive tackle Corey Irvin to make room.