Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/15
Here are Sunday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:
- The Saints have released tight end Alex Smith, per Kristian Garic of WWL 870am (Twitter link). Smith, who signed with the Saints earlier this month, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2013. He caught 163 passes and 13 touchdowns from 2005-13 as a member of four different teams.
- The Dolphins have signed offensive lineman Bryant Browning, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Browning was previously a member of five other organizations since going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2011. He was last with the Steelers and has only suited up for one game – a 2011 contest with Carolina.
- The Saints have waived long snapper Chris Highland, tweets Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.
Earlier updates
- The Cowboys cut receiver George Farmer and signed fellow wideout David Porter, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram (Twitter link). Farmer signed with the Cowboys in May as an undrafted free agent out of USC. Porter, formerly of TCU, also went undrafted this year. He previously spent time with Denver.
- After a rash of injuries at the position, Washington has signed a new tight end in Ernst Brun, the club announced. Brun, an undraftd free agent out of Iowa State, tried out for the team earlier today. Washington also officially placed tight ends Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen on injured reserve, and waived/injured running back Silas Redd.
- The Falcons have signed RB Evan Royster, CB Travis Howard, and LB Terrell Manning, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The team has also cut OL DeMarcus Love.
- The Browns have signed CB Aaron Ross and LB Everette Brown, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team waived OL Joe Madsen and DL Christian Tupou to make room for Ross and Brown. Ross, 32, was a key member of the Giants’ secondary when Big Blue captured Super Bowl titles in 2007 and 2011.
- Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets that the Dolphins have cut offensive tackle Chris Martin.
East Notes: Giants, Murray, Petty
One New York-area scribe opined last night that the Giants may be forced to scour the free agent market in an attempt to bolster their injury-ravaged secondary. Today, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com examined New York’s options in that regard, which are less than inspiring. Cornerbacks Chris Cook and Alfonso Dennard are available, but both come with their fair share of question marks, and the veteran safety options like Thomas DeCoud and Quintin Demps are not much better. Raanan expects the Giants to bring in younger, less familiar players with some upside to fill out their depth chart.
Now let’s have a look at a few more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News says the biggest reason the Cowboys were willing to let DeMarco Murray leave in free agency is the talent of its offensive line, which the team believes can pave the way for its current, less expensive crop of running backs. Thus far, the line has picked up right where it left off in 2014.
- Washington GM Scot McCloughan has made it clear that Chris Cooley is not an option as the team seeks to add depth to its decimated TE corps (Twitter link to Zac Boyer of The Washington Times).
- Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes rookie QB Bryce Petty could be the Jets‘ long-term answer under center, but he will need to be brought along slowly for that to happen.
- Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert is steadily increasing his workload in training camp, according to Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins of The Sun-Sentinel. Albert is getting closer to his goal of starting Miami’s regular season opener, and may even see some preseason game action.
- The Bills currently have 11 wide receivers on their roster, and they will have to cut roughly half of them by the time the regular season opens. Per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, the team’s coaching staff believes at least one of the players that will be cut will be a significant contributor elsewhere, which speaks to the depth of Buffalo’s receiving corps. It’s a good problem to have, but it will create a number of difficult decisions in the coming weeks.
East Notes: Carr, G. Smith, IK, Brady
After having surgery on Monday to repair a broken bone in his hand, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr seems to be pleased with both the operation and the state of his health. “If I had to play today, you wouldn’t even know I was hurt,” Carr told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “It feels all right. Not much discomfort, not much pain right now, it’s just the healing process. It hurts more that I’m not out there with the guys. I got to take care of business, take care what’s necessary with myself.” Though neither Carr nor head coach Jason Garrett would provide a timetable on the corner’s return, it sounds as if he’s likely to suit up for Week 1.
Here’s more from the NFL’s East divisions…
- Jets quarterback Geno Smith was released from the hospital yesterday, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Smith, of course, suffered a broken jaw after being punched by IK Enemkpali and is expected to miss six-to-ten weeks.
- Speaking of Enemkpali, Ben Shpigel of the New York Times provides an interesting profile of the former Jets (and current Bills) linebacker, adding a few more details on the infamous incident. Per Shpigel, Enemkpali not only was stiffed by Smith for $600, but repeatedly was the butt of teammates’ jokes over his failure to get reimbursed.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe offers his take on the Smith/Enemkpali incident, the new-look Bills, and the Patriots‘ signing of backup quarterback Ryan Lindley, who has studied with the same QBs coach employed by Jimmy Garoppolo.
- In a separate article, Volin argues that a settlement between the NFL and the NFLPA in the Tom Brady case is unlikely, noting that not only is money not a motivating factor (as it is in most arbitration cases), but each party has too much to lose PR-wise.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/15
Here are Saturday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL.
- The Saints have signed linebacker Justin Anderson, reports Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com (via Twitter). Anderson, 24, has spent time on the rosters of the Vikings, Giants, and most recently, the Cowboys, with whom he reached an injury settlement last week.
Earlier updates:
- The Cowboys signed two running backs, inking Michael Hill and Ben Malena to deals after the duo worked out for the team today, per Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). As a result, the team waived injured safety Ray Vinopal. A third-year veteran who’s now on his sixth team, the 26-year-old Hill was released by Washington last month after playing special teams for the Colts in the playoffs due to Trent Richardson‘s deactivations. The second-place finisher in the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy voting (Division II’s Heisman equivalent), Hill has nine career totes for 23 yards — all coming as a rookie with the Bucs. Malena, 23, initially signed with Dallas last offseason after going undrafted out of Texas A&M.
- The Dolphins exchanged wideouts, re-signing Tyler McDonald and waiving the injured Tommy Streeter, the team announced on its Twitter account. Miami waived the 24-year-old McDonald on Tuesday. Streeter played for the Jaguars last season and spent time on the Dolphins’ practice squad.
- The Bears signed wideout Jeremy Kelley and waived linebacker DeDe Lattimore, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Kelly spent time on the Broncos’ practice squad last season before being waived by John Fox‘s old team in May on the same day as Paul Cornick, who also went on to sign with Fox’s new team. Although Cornick was waived by Chicago in May as well. The 6-foot-5 Kelley, a recent CFL and Arena League cog, fills a camp need, with the Bears’ receiving corps thin at the moment due to injuries. Lattimore played in 10 games for the Bears last season.
NFC Notes: Davis, Ertz, Giants, Cowboys
Here is some of the latest news emerging from NFC franchises.
- Anthony Davis is already teasing a comeback, per his Twitter account. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, Davis plans to return to the NFL for the 2016 campaign. The 49ers hold his rights for the next five seasons due to the contract extension the 25-year-old right tackle signed in 2013.
- Last night, we heard Zach Ertz will miss the preseason after undergoing surgery, but Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News wonders if Chip Kelly expecting him back for Week 1 is realistic. Bowen, who notes the injury is believed to be a partial groin tear, remains skeptical Ertz will be up to speed by the time the Eagles debut Sept. 14. Ertz told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer (Twitter link) his groin bothered him for a while and he reinjured it Wednesday.
- Byron Maxwell will shadow No. 1 receivers this season with the Eagles, and it’s a chance to give the team an elite cornerback for the first time in years, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. “I was on the right in Seattle, but it’s an opportunity, and I’m looking forward to it; I really am,” Maxwell told Frank. “Once you start following guys, your name is up there, so that’s how I’m looking at it.“
- In light of the Giants‘ accelerating injury rate in the secondary, they will likely explore adding cornerbacks to patch the corps together, Jordan Raanan writes (on Twitter). In addition to the four players lost to injuries Friday night, Prince Amukamara remains sidelined for the coming weeks with a groin malady.
- Washington trading for Vernon Davis is not an option in an effort to repair their ransacked tight end contingent, writes ESPN.com’s John Keim. The ESPN Washington-based reporter also points out he’s been told Zach Miller will not be in the team’s plans for this fix. PFR’s Luke Adams profiled Washington’s quandary at tight end, which stems from Niles Paul being lost for the season, recently.
- The Cowboys are working out three running backs — Michael Hill, Ben Malena and Zach Bauman — with top ball-carriers Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar limited with injuries, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Of this trio, only Hill, a journeyman who was the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II’s Heisman equivalent) in 2012, has seen regular-season game action. Washington waived him last month.
NFC East Notes: Ertz, Cowboys, Redd
Though Washington will miss Niles Paul for the entire season after he suffered an ankle injury, the club doesn’t intend to make a major move for a new tight end, tweets Albert Breer of NFL.com. Not only will the team not attempt to swing a trade, but they aren’t interested in Chris Cooley, who is attempting to make an NFL comeback. Earlier today, PFR’s Luke Adams went over Washington’s options as it attempts to replace Paul.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Washington isn’t the only team with tight end troubles, as Eagles TE Zach Ertz underwent surgery to replace a core muscle injury, the team confirmed (via Twitter), and Chip Kelly told Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Ertz is expected to miss the entire preseason. Ertz should be ready for Week 1, however.
- Washington running back Silas Redd suffered a knee injury during yesterday’s preseason game, and his teammate DeSean Jackson says (via Instagram) that Redd’s injury is season-ending. A source confirms to Mike Jones of the Washington Post that Redd tore both his ACL and MCL last night. Redd appeared in 15 games in 2014, his rookie season.
- The Cowboys will be looking for a running back, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link), but Dallas won’t be signing any of the familiar names often linked to the club, so players like Chris Johnson and Ray Rice can probably be crossed off the list. Undrafted rookie Gus Johnson suffered a shoulder injury in last night’s game, and although Johnson is considered day-to-day, the Cowboys were probably looking for additional depth at the position even before the rookie’s injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..
- The Buccaneers announced today that they’ve waived punter Spencer Lanning, as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com tweets. In 2014, only two punters had more attempts than the 93 punts Lanning made for the Browns. However, Lanning’s performance wasn’t great, so Cleveland cut him after trading for Andy Lee in June, at which point he was claimed by the Bucs. Today’s move leaves Tampa Bay with two punters still on the roster.
- The Falcons announced that they’ve waived rookie safety Damian Parms, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- Defensive back Ryan White has re-signed with the Packers, as Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets. White was in camp with Green Bay last summer.
- The Bills removed Justin Brown from the injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Wilson adds (via Twitter) that the Titans did the same thing with safety Cody Prewitt, removing him from their roster.
- The 49ers have also waived a player with an injury settlement, cutting offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk from their IR, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- The following players landed on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists after clearing waivers, per Wilson (Twitter link): DT Ricky Havili-Heimuli (Falcons), TE Clay Burton (Bills), WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DT Chris Whaley (Cowboys), CB Jason Wilson (Cowboys), and RB Tyler Gaffney (Patriots).
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/15
Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves from around the league:
- After being waived/injured by their respective teams, DB Shamiel Gary (Dolphins), QB/WR Devin Gardner (Steelers), and LB Quinton Alston (Buccaneers) have landed on those clubs’ injured reserve lists, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
- Several days after waiving him with an injury designation, the Steelers have removed safety Isaiah Lewis from their IR with a settlement, tweets Wilson.
Earlier updates:
- A year ago, the Patriots ignored a so-called unwritten rule when they claimed injured rookie running back Tyler Gaffney off waivers from the Panthers when Carolina was trying to sneak him through waivers and onto the injured reserve list. Today, the Patriots waived Gaffney themselves, hoping to place him on IR if he clears, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The former sixth-round pick missed the 2014 season with a knee injury, and is still looking to get fully healthy.
- The Falcons have signed cornerback Mike Lee and waived/injured nose tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Lee, who initially signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in May, was cut by the team last week.
- When they claimed IK Enemkpali off waivers from the Jets today, the Bills needed to make a corresponding move to clear a roster spot. According to a team release, the club waived tight end Clay Burton with an injury designation to create that opening.
- Cornerback Brandon Smith‘s pact with the Cowboys is a two-year deal, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Smith officially signed with Dallas on Tuesday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/15
Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:
- The Bills have signed cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks and waived/injured receiver Caleb Holley, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
- The Cowboys have signed defensive back Brandon Smith, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To make room for Smith, the Cowboys waived/injured Chris Whaley, who tore his Achilles on Monday (link).
- After getting word that JaCorey Shepherd suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the season, the Eagles added another cornerback to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed former Ravens seventh-round pick Marc Anthony.
- The Lions have placed tight end David Ausberry on their injured reserve list, ending his season, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Twentyman adds that the team signed cornerback Jocquel Skinner to fill the newly-created roster opening.
- In addition to confirming their previously reported signing of defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, the Buccaneers announced several more moves today in a press release. Tampa Bay signed punter Karl Schmitz, who was cut earlier this week by Denver, and waived rookie linebackers Quinton Alston and Sammuel Lamur.
- To make room on their roster for new kicker Garrett Hartley, the Steelers waived/injured QB/WR Devin Gardner, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Gardner, who originally signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan in May, figures to land on Pittsburgh’s IR if he clears waivers.
- The Cardinals have made a change in their secondary, re-signing safety Ross Weaver and cutting another safety, D.J. Campbell, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
- The Falcons have removed safety Terell Floyd from their roster, reaching an injury settlement with him, according to the team.
- Three months after signing him as an undrafted free agent, the Packers have cut rookie wideout Ricky Collins, the club announced today in a press release. Battling a heel injury, Collins never got off Green Bay’s PUP list during camp.
- After clearing waivers, linebacker Matt Robinson will revert to the Jaguars‘ IR with a hamstring injury, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link), the NFL reinstated the previously-terminated contract between the Cowboys and linebacker Will Smith, who is back on the team’s injured reserve list.
Latest On Greg Hardy
The NFLPA wants to see what happens at Thursday’s hearing on regarding Adrian Peterson before taking any action on behalf of Greg Hardy, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Hardy still hasn’t made a decision regarding a potential lawsuit against the league, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Florio.
On July 10th, the Cowboys defensive end saw his ten-game suspension lowered to a much more palatable four-game ban. However, Hardy’s camp reportedly decided from the outset that they would battle anything beyond two games since he already sat out the lion’s share of the 2014 season. Florio’s source says that Hardy has decided to follow the lead of the union on this one – he’ll proceed with action if the NFLPA wants to, but otherwise, he’s prepared to serve a four-game suspension.
For now, assuming Hardy accepts the four-game suspension, he’ll have the potential to earn up to about $10.628MM this season. The 26-year-old’s contract has a modest base salary, but features up to $9.25MM in per-game roster bonuses and about $1.8MM in incentives. By getting his penalty reduced from 10 games to four games, Hardy will have the opportunity to earn nearly $3.5MM in extra per-game roster bonuses.
As a refresher, Hardy allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder in May of 2014. After being found guilty by a judge, Hardy was scheduled to get a jury trial, but due to a lack of cooperation by Holder, the charges against the defensive end were ultimately dismissed, as he reached a civil settlement with his accuser. While the case played out, Hardy spent the 2014 season on the commissioner’s exempt list for the Panthers, missing all but one game. The Cowboys signed Hardy earlier this offseason before word of his suspension broke, and a four-game ban is about what the team had initially expected.