Cowboys Sign Jack Crawford
The Cowboys have placed second-round edge defender Demarcus Lawrence on their injured reserve list with a designation to return, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). With the active roster spot vacated by Lawrence, the team signed former Raiders defensive end Jack Crawford.
Crawford, who turns 26 this weekend, saw 126 defensive snaps last year for the Raiders, and also contributed occasionally in kick and punt coverage. The Penn State product, a fifth-round pick in 2012, logged 15 tackles overall, and doesn’t figure to play a significant role for the Cowboys.
As for Lawrence, the Cowboys liked him enough that they traded their third-round selection in May’s draft to move up and snag him at 34th overall. However, he suffered a fractured foot during training camp, with the original timetable for his return estimated at up to 12 weeks. He should be able to contribute for Dallas in the second half of the 2014 season.
East Notes: Bills, Giants, Jets, Cowboys
Although a report last week suggested that the Toronto-based attempting to buy the Bills had parted ways with lead bidder Jon Bon Jovi, that’s not exactly the case, says John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. According to Kryk, Bon Jovi never left the group, but he and his partners remain “highly pessimistic” they’ll be able to buy the franchise. With final bids due a week from today, sources tell Kryk it wouldn’t be a surprise if Bon Jovi’s group disbanded before that deadline, but for now they continue to consider whether or not to submit a final bid.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Six players are auditioning today for the final two spots on the Giants‘ practice squad, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Per Graziano, former Ball State wideout Willie Snead will be among the players in attendance, and we heard yesterday that offensive lineman Adam Gettis would also be working out for the team.
- Jets GM John Idzik continues to say he has no regrets about the Jets’ approaching to fortifying the cornerback position this offseason, even after the release of the team’s only notable free agent signee (Dimitri Patterson). Seth Walder of the New York Daily News has the details and quotes.
- Appearing on his weekly radio show on KRLD-FM in Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones weighed in on Dez Bryant and Kyle Orton, suggesting that not having a contract extension in place by Week 1 wouldn’t be a distraction for Bryant. Jones added that Orton expressed some interest in continuing his career with the Cowboys before the team released him, but that Dallas had opted to go with Brandon Weeden as its backup instead (links via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Earlier today, we rounded up some comments made by Tom Brady on his future with the Patriots and the team’s decision to trade Logan Mankins.
Minor Moves: Monday
We’ll keep track of today’s minor transactions here, with any updates being added to the top of the post:
- After cutting one linebacker earlier today, the Jets have signed another, adding A.J. Edds, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Edds, 26, was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the Patriots. To clear a roster spot, New York released cornerback Ellis Lankster.
Earlier Updates:
- The Seahawks have swapped out a pair of receivers by signing Bryan Walters while waiving Phil Bates, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Walters, 26, had been waived Saturday as Seattle trimmed their roster to 53, but he’s now back with the team.
- The Cowboys officially announced the signing of linebacker Korey Toomer, and in order to clear a roster spot, waived safety Jemea Thomas, tweets Brian McIntyre. Dallas claimed Thomas, a 2014 sixth-round pick, off waivers from New England just five days ago.
- Receiver Kyle Williams was released from the Chiefs’ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Williams, whose most notable playing time came with the 49ers, suffered a shoulder injury in Kansas City’s final preseason game.
- The Jets claimed receiver Walter Powell off waivers from the Cardinals, tweets Symmetry Reps, his agency. To make room for Powell, the Jets cut Jeremiah George, per Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- The Patriots were awarded safety Don Jones off waivers from the Dolphins, reports Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). Jones was in the news during the offseason after making inflammatory comments about Michael Sam. New England waived guard Chris Barker to clear a roster spot.
- The Raiders have placed linebacker Kaelin Burnett on injured reserve, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN; the 24-year-old Nevada product had been dealing with a knee injury.
- The following players were released from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (series of Twitter links): offensive tackle Matt Patchan (Buccaneers); cornerback Justin Green, defensive tackle Zach Minter, and defensive back Johnny Thomas (Cowboys); linebacker Tim Fugger (Jets); defensive tackle Michael Brooks and linebacker Horace Miller (Seahawks).
Practice Squad Updates: Monday
We rounded up the first wave of practice squad additions in a series of posts by division yesterday, which you can check out on our Transactions page. Several more teams have announced new practice squad players today, or made slight changes to their units, so we’ll round up that news right here:
6:33pm:
- The 49ers have filled out their practice squad by adding cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins, the team announced in a press release.
4:37pm:
- The Browns have added wide receiver Charles Johnson and offensive lineman Karim Barton to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Khalid Wooten will be the 10th man on the Titans‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
4:07pm:
- The Seahawks have added defensive end Julius Warmsley and defensive back Josh Aubrey to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- The Redskins have finalized their practice squad by adding safety Akeem Davis and linebacker Chaz Sutton, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- Cornerback LeQuan Lewis has been added to the Jets‘ practice squad, according to the team (via Twitter).
2:46pm:
- The Rams have finalized their practice squad by adding linebacker Denicos Allen, wideout Emory Blake, safety Christian Bryant, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That means Michael Sam isn’t among the 10 players on St. Louis’ squad.
- The addition of Henry Josey to the Jaguars‘ practice squad has officially been announced by the team in a press release. We had noted below that although his signing had been previously reported, Josey wasn’t among the first list of names released by the club.
- The Ravens have announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
1:31pm:
- The following players are now on the Browns‘ practice squad: James Brown, OL; Jacobbi McDaniel, DL; Emmanuel Ogbuehi, TE; Keith Pough, LB; Justin Staples, LB; and Patrick Lewis, C. The first five names are listed on the team’s official site, while the addition of Lewis was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Alex Gillett‘s time on the Packers‘ practice squad didn’t last long — he was replaced today by cornerback Jumal Rolle, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- The Buccaneers have signed safety Kimario McFadden, cornerback Derrius Brooks, and linebacker Carlos Fields to their practice squad, according to the team’s official site.
- Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides the last few names to be added to the Saints‘ practice squad: safety Pierre Warren, guard Antoine McClain, nose tackle Lawrence Virgil, and tight end Nic Jacobs.
- The Eagles have signed quarterback G.J. Kinne for their practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- Fullback Nikita Whitlock is the latest addition to the Cowboys‘ practice squad, the team announced today.
- The Vikings filled the final spot on their practice squad by adding cornerback Chris Greenwood, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Defensive end Zach Thompson is now on the Broncos‘ practice squad, according to the club.
- The Chiefs filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- Wide receiver Freddie Martino and tight end Kyle Miller have joined the Falcons‘ practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- One more housekeeping note: Yesterday, running back Henry Josey and fullback Kiero Small were reported as having joined the Jaguars‘ and Browns‘ practice squads, respectively. However, when those teams announced their PS rosters, those players weren’t included. There haven’t been any reports indicating those agreements fell through, so we’ll keep an eye on both situations. For now though, we won’t be including those players in our master list of practice squad rosters, which will be published this afternoon.
Cowboys Sign C.J. Spillman
TUESDAY, 3:03pm: Spillman’s one-year, minimum-salary contract includes a $40K signing bonus, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 1:05pm: Another player cut by the 49ers this past week has found a new NFL home, as the Cowboys announced in a press release that they’ve signed former Niner C.J. Spillman. We’d heard previously that the defensive back was en route to Dallas to ink a deal with the Cowboys.
Spillman, 28, logged 79 defensive snaps last year for San Francisco, playing a larger role in kick and punt coverage. According to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), Spillman recorded an impressive 18 special teams tackles. He’ll become one of nine players in the Cowboys’ secondary, and one of five safeties.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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 NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys:
- Signed to 53-man roster (officially announced): Korey Toomer, LB (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
- Claimed off waivers: Donald Hawkins, G (via Todd Archer on Twitter)
- Cut: John Wetzel, OT (via Archer on Twitter); Ahmad Dixon, S (via Charean Williams)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Micah Pellerin, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ryan Williams, RB (via Archer on Twitter); Tim Benford, WR; Kenneth Boatright, DE; Ronald Patrick, C; Keith Smith, LB; Will Smith, LB.
New York Giants:
- Signed to practice squad (officially annoucned):Nick Becton, OT; Michael Cox, RB; Chandler Fenner, CB; Dan Fox, LB; Bennett Jackson, CB; Jordan Stanton, DE; Julian Talley, WR. The team has also added offensive lineman Mark Asper, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter), though the team has yet to officially announce the signing.
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Emmanuel Acho, LB; Josh Andrews, OL; Kevin Graf, OT; Wade Keliikipi, DT; Will Murphy, WR; Quron Pratt, WR; Ed Reynolds, S; Matthew Tucker, RB. The team has also signed wide receiver Teddy Williams, reports Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter), though the team has not officially announced the signing.
Washington Redskins:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Duke Ihenacho, S
- Cut (officially announced): Akeem Davis, S
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Ted Bolser, TE; Richard Crawford, CB; Chase Minnifield, CB; Tevita Stevens, OL; Phillip Thomas, S ; Robert Thomas, DT; Chris Thompson, RB; Nick Williams, WR
NFC Links: Boone, Packers, Spillman, Wright
Let’s take a look at some extra notes out of the NFC on this Sunday evening…
- ESPN’s Ed Werder notes (via Twitter) that the $2MM added to Alex Boone‘s deal with the 49ers means the player is guaranteed no franchise or transition designation when his contract expires.
- The Packers currently have a pair of backup quarterbacks for Aaron Rodgers in Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. That hasn’t prevented the team from auditioning other quarterbacks, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team worked out Jeff Mathews, Pat Devlin and Jon Jennings earlier today.
- Former 49ers special teams ace C.J. Spillman is on his way to Dallas to presumably sign with the Cowboys, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
- Rapoport also (via Twitter) predicts that safety Major Wright, who was cut by the Buccaneers yesterday, will be on an NFL roster by the start of the season.
- Lache Seastrunk was informed at the last minute that he wouldn’t be added to the Redskins practice squad, tweets The Washington Post’s Mike Jones. The team cited that they wanted to go in a “different direction.”
Texans Acquire Ryan Mallett From Pats
1:27pm: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) is now reporting that the Texans are sending a conditional seventh-round pick for 2016 to New England in the deal. It appears as if that may be the lone pick involved in the swap, rather than it being in addition to the previously-reported 2015 sixth-rounder.
12:46pm: The Pats will receive a sixth-round pick in exchange for Mallett, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Ganguli also reported that Keenum is indeed the roster casualty involved in the move.
12:35pm: Ryan Mallett may have earned a spot on the Patriots’ initial 53-man roster, but he didn’t stick around long. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), New England has traded its backup quarterback to the Texans.
Mallett, who has been Tom Brady’s backup in New England for multiple seasons, has drawn trade interest during the past couple years, and became more expendable after the club drafted Jimmy Garoppolo this past May. The Pats weren’t looking to just give him away, but as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweeted during the preseason, Mallett “might as well be wearing a For Sale sign around his neck” this summer.
The Texans had frequently been cited as the most likely destination for Mallett this offseason, given the presence of former Patriots quarterback coach Bill O’Brien in Houston. A report back in March suggested that the Texans had inquired on Mallett and had some interest in the former third-round pick, though at the time John McClain of the Houston Chronicle shot down the idea that Houston would acquire the Pats’ backup. Rumors resurfaced during draft week, but were again shot down shortly thereafter.
Houston is heading into the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick as its starter, and also drafted Tom Savage back in May. Case Keenum was the third signal-caller to earn a spot on the Texans’ initial 53-man roster, but his time in Houston seems to be nearing an end now that Mallett is in the mix.
Before sending him to the Texans, the Pats also discussed a Mallett trade with the Bills and Cowboys, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
Patriots Notes: FA Tryouts, Worthy, Mallett
The Patriots were busy today trimming their roster down to 53 players. However, the team was still actively scouting the free agent market, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reports that 12 players were actually in for tryouts:
- Armon Binns, WR
- Omar Brown, S
- Deveron Carr, CB
- Jermelle Cudjo, DT
- Hebron Fangupo, DT
- Cam Henderson, DE
- Aaron Hester, CB
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Jeff Matthews, QB
- Kevin Reddick, LB
- Jerome Smith, RB
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB
Let’s check out some more notes out of New England…
- Since Jerel Worthy failed to make the Patriots roster, the team doesn’t owe the Packers a draft pick, explains ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The Patriots acquired Worthy from the Packers earlier this month for a conditional seventh-rounder.
- The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe tweets that the Cowboys could be a landing spot for quarterback Ryan Mallett. The writer also suggests that the Texans and Rams could get involved.
- The Patriots won’t be provided with any additional cap relief since Isaac Sopoaga failed to make the Cardinals roster, tweets Howe.
- Following the release of Danny Aiken, the Patriots don’t have a long snapper on the roster. As the Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young notes (via Twitter), if the team doesn’t carry a long snapper, it would be the first time they’ve gone without one during Bill Belichick‘s tenure.
Cowboys Make Cuts, Reduce Roster To 53
Only two Cowboys’ cuts surfaced yesterday, and the team added Lavar Edwards in a trade with the Titans earlier today, meaning 21 players had to be removed from the team’s active roster today. Among those roster casualties were a few notable names, including veteran guard Uche Nwaneri and running backs Phillip Tanner and Ryan Williams. Here’s the complete list of Cowboys roster moves, via a press release:
Released:
- Dezmon Briscoe (WR)
- Uche Nwaneri (G)
Waived:
- Josh Aladenoye (T)
- Kenneth Boatright (DE)
- Dartwan Bush (DT)
- LaRon Byrd (WR)
- Stephen Goodin (G)
- Terrance Mitchell (CB)
- Ronald Patrick (C)
- Caesar Rayford (DE)
- Dontavis Sapp (LB)
- Keith Smith (LB)
- Ryan Smith (S)
- Will Smith (LB)
- Phillip Tanner (RB)
- Asa Watson (TE)
- Ryan Williams (RB)
Waived-injured:
- Orie Lemon (LB)
- Zach Minter (DT)
Placed on reserve-suspended list:
- Jakar Hamilton (S)
- Orlando Scandrick (CB)