Minor Moves: Monday
With the season’s first Sunday in the books, a handful of teams are shuffling their rosters in preparation for next week’s games. Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Bears have added receiver Greg Herd to the practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Herd spent time with the team during training camp before he was cut on August 23.
- The Seahawks have signed cornerback Josh Thomas to take the place of the injured Jeremy Lane, reports ESPN’s Terry Blount (via Twitter). They’ve also made some changes to their practice squad, adding guard Nate Isles and safety Terrance Parks in place of guard David Arkin and safety Josh Aubrey, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- With Dave Zastudil being bothered by a groin injury, the Cardinals have signed punter Drew Butler, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi has been claimed off waivers by the Ravens, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bilukidi was cut over the weekend by the Bengals.
- When the Bengals cut Bilukidi, they signed Onterio McCalebb to their active roster, but he lasted just two days — he has been waived, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who adds (via Twitter) that the club has also terminated wide receiver Cobi Hamilton from the exempt list of the practice squad.
- To make room for Bilukidi, the Ravens waived running back Fitz Toussaint, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Broncos have cut long snapper Kevin McDermott from their practice squad, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. His spot will be taken by tight end Dominique Davis, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has been replaced on the Browns‘ practice squad by defensive lineman Calvin Barnett, says Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Bears have signed safety Ahmad Dixon from the Vikings‘ practice squad, cutting cornerback Demontre Hurst to open up a spot on their roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dixon was drafted by the Cowboys but was waived by Dallas during preseason roster cutdowns.
- Offensive tackle Andrew McDonald is also making the move from one team’s practice squad to another club’s 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler, who tweets that his client has a deal with the Seahawks. McDonald had previously been one of the 10 players on the Panthers‘ practice squad.
- The Bills have cut defensive end Jacquies Smith to make room for Nigel Bradham, who is returning this week from his one-game suspension, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
- The Seahawks have placed cornerback Jeremy Lane, who is suffering from a groin injury, on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Defensive back Jamarca Sanford, who had been on the Vikings‘ injured reserve list, has been released with a settlement, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The Chiefs have signed wideout Armon Binns to their practice squad and removed cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke from their IR with an injury settlement, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).
11 PS Players Earning More Than The Minimum
Players on NFL practice squads are eligible to receive a minimum salary of $6,300 per week, which works out to a 17-week salary of about $107K if a player remains on his team’s practice squad for the entire season. In most cases, teams don’t pay more than the minimum to fill those practice squad spots, since clubs have much more leverage than the players vying for those 320 total openings.
In some cases though, if a team really likes a player, or if he’s drawing interest from several teams for their practice squads, a club will increase that weekly rate. So far this year, with all 32 teams having filled up their 10-man squads, at least 11 players are known to be receiving salaries worth more than the minimum. NFL writer Brian McIntyre rounded up all those players and their salaries for us in a series of tweets, so let’s check out the full list, sorted by weekly salary:
- Brandon Magee, LB (Buccaneers): $29,117 (link)
- Josh Bynes, LB (Ravens): $15,000 (link)
- Rodney Austin, G (Lions): $11,765 (link)
- Zac Dysert, QB (Broncos): $10,000 (link)
- Charles Johnson, WR (Browns): $10,000 (link)
- John Simon, OLB (Ravens): $10,000 (link)
- Ahmad Dixon, S (Vikings): $9,300 (link)
- Brandon Dixon, CB (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
- Solomon Patton, WR (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
- Jamell Fleming, CB (Ravens): $6,500 (link)
- Ryan Jensen, C (Ravens): $6,500 (link)
Magee’s practice-squad salary is the most notable on this list — his weekly figure adds up to just below $495K for the full season, which is the minimum salary for a second-year player on an active roster. In other words, if he spends the entire season on the practice squad, Magee could still earn more money than some players on active rosters, which is a sign of how much the Bucs want to keep him around.
Gordon, Welker Bans Could Be Reduced
FRIDAY, 4:17pm: In a series of several tweets, Hill passes along the latest on the negotiations: Per multiple sources, there’s no chance anything gets finalized today, and the two sides still aren’t sure about the retroactive lifting of suspensions, and how it would apply to domestic violence incidents as well as drug-related penalties. One roadblock has been the NFL’s desire to suspend players immediately upon an arrest for suspicion of DUI, rather than a conviction, which the NFLPA doesn’t intend to agree to.
12:40pm: NFLPA executive George Atallah (on Twitter) says there’s no sense of urgency from the players’ side in overhauling the drug policies. In his estimation, it seems that the league is planting stories to infer that a deal is close.
11:25am: The league is now wary of opening up Pandora’s box by retroactively lifting suspensions, Hill tweets.
10:16am: Sources tell Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter) that the new drug policy is very close to getting done. When and if the new policy is enacted, Orlando Scandrick‘s suspension will be lifted immediately.
8:39am: Under the new proposed policy, the 29 players suspended for stimulants since 2011 would’ve been entered into a program without a suspension, Breer tweets. On the flip side, 22 players who were assessed five-figure fines for DUIs would’ve been suspended (link).
8:28am: NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith told 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. that he’d want all players busted during the 2014 league year to be penalized under the new rules, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. “If we get a deal done that covers players in this league year, I don’t like that we punish players under a deal active in the old league year,” Smith said (link).
Breer’s understanding (link) is that a revised policy would raise the threshold for an A sample on a marijuana test from 15 ng/ml to 50 ng/ml, the same threshold used by MLB and the military. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Gordon’s failed drug test reportedly took place in the 2013 league year, so he wouldn’t necessarily be off the hook if the league and the NFLPA agreed to adjust the current drug policy (link).
THURSDAY: We learned earlier today that the while the league and the NFLPA have intensified talks regarding implementing HGH testing and overhauling the current drug policy, union president Eric Winston has cautioned that an agreement isn’t quite ready yet. If negotiations proceed quickly, two players affected by the policy — Josh Gordon and Wes Welker — might be able to return to the field soon, reports Mike Florio on NBC (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).
Per Florio, one alteration to the new policy would raise the THC threshold for triggering marijuana-related bans; Gordon, of course, was suspended for the 2014 season after his sample tested barely over the THC limit. Another change to the policy would transfer amphetamine use from the performance-enhancing umbrella to the substance-abuse realm. A first-time PED offense triggers an automatic four-game ban, while a substance-abuse incident does not.
If the proposed rule changes grandfathered in already-suspended players, Gordon, Welker, and others that are currently facing bans could return to action. In fact, Florio noted that if the deal between the NFL and the union gets done in the next few days (which is unlikely), the two star receivers could potentially play on Sunday. Welker, of course, might still be limited by his latest concussion, but nevertheless, it would be a stunning reversal of fortunes for the Broncos, Browns, and other teams who have lost key players to drug suspensions. It’s unclear if the suspensions would merely be lessened, or if they’d be vacated completely.
Meanwhile, Albert Breer of the NFL Network hears (Twitter link) that retroactive penalty changes aren’t what’s holding up discussions of a new deal — rather, DUI policy is the “[number one] hangup” in negotiations. We heard last week that commissioner Roger Goodell wants a mandatory de-activation and two-game suspension for DUI offenders, a stance the NFLPA has fought. Breer adds that Sunday is being treated as a “soft deadline” for talks, as union representatives probably don’t want negotiations dragging into the season.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: Texans, Broncos, Jags, Spiller
With Ryan Mallett no longer in the Patriots‘ plans, the Texans were able to acquire Tom Brady‘s former backup last weekend on the cheap, parting ways with just a sixth- or seventh-round pick, depending on how much playing time Mallett sees in Houston. According to Lance Zierlein of Sports Talk 790 in Houston though, Mallett wasn’t the only signal-caller the Texans explored trading for. Zierlein tweets that Houston also targeted Matt Barkley of the Eagles before landing Mallett.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Broncos‘ contract talks with receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas aren’t dead but they’re not active either, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Demaryius Thomas‘ agent Todd France probably wants to see a resolution to Dez Bryant‘s contract talks before striking a deal. Meanwhile, the Broncos have exchanged proposals with Orange Julius’ agent Frank Bauer but those talks appear to have stalled.
- The Jaguars worked out kickers Derek Dimke and Alex Henery and even though they liked what they saw, they sent them home now that Josh Scobee is recovering from his groin injury, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
- Bills running back C.J. Spiller, who could hit the open market this offseason, is signing on with agent Chad Speck, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
- When Tom Brady and the Patriots part ways, former Pats center and CSNNE analyst Dan Koppen says it will be Bill Belichick‘s call, not Brady’s. “As long as Bill is here, he will make those decisions,” said Koppen. “If Tom is not carrying his weight or he’s in a decline Bill’s going to bring him in the office and have a little speech. “Maybe he gets a hug at the end, but I guarantee it’s going to be, ‘Tom, we’re going to release you. Thanks for coming. We appreciate everything You’ve done, but I’ve got to do what’s best for the football team.'”
- In his latest piece for NFL.com, Albert Breer examines the quarterback situations for the Jaguars, Chiefs, Raiders, and Bills, including a look at the rookies in Jacksonville and Oakland, as well as Kansas City’s investment in Alex Smith.
- People around the league believe that Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith has plenty of good football ahead of him, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. “Steve’s getting up there in age, but he hasn’t changed his tenacity and physicality,” said former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, an NBC analyst. “He’s still able to impose his will. When you talk about his style of play, pairing up with the Baltimore Ravens, the two go hand in hand. He brings that toughness to the offense they haven’t had since Anquan Boldin was playing for them.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
West Notes: Sherman, Miller, Harvin, 49ers
The Packers didn’t throw the ball in Richard Sherman‘s direction last night and, after the game, the Seahawks star cornerback had a few quick words with Aaron Rodgers, writes Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead. “You avoided me, didn’t you?” Sherman appeared to ask. Pausing for a second, Rodgers responded, “Yup.” Here’s more out of the AFC and NFC West..
- After Broncos linebacker Von Miller commented that J.J. Watt is still underpaid in his new deal with the Texans, former agent Joel Corry (on Twitter) believes that Miller will target more than $18MM per year when his contract talks begin. Watt netted a six-year extension worth $100MM with $51.876MM in guaranteed money but its hard to say what Denver will be willing to give Miller when considering his off-field trouble.
- The Seahawks expected big things from Percy Harvin after acquiring him from the Vikings for a first-round pick and signing him to a six-year, $67MM extension. However, his hip problem limited him to playing in just two games before last year’s Super Bowl. Now, between that Super Bowl performance and last night’s romp over the Packers, Seattle is starting to get what they paid for, writes Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com.
- The 49ers tried out punter Chase Tenpenny, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Tenpenny was waived by the Chargers in late August.
Broncos Restructure Jacob Tamme’s Contract
The Broncos have created a little cap room by restructuring the contract of tight end Jacob Tamme, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, who tweets that Tamme accepted a reduced salary in order to remain with the team.
Having previously been set to earn a $3MM base salary in the final year of his contract, Tamme can still make that much if he maxes out on bonuses and incentives, but his base salary has been reduced to just $1.25MM, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The new deal includes up to $450K in per-game roster bonuses ($28,125 per game), as well as up to $1.3MM in incentives.
After Julius Thomas‘ emergence last season, Tamme has settled into a reduced role on the Broncos’ offense. Even with Wes Welker out for the season’s first four weeks, Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Andre Caldwell, and rookie Cody Latimer will be among the players vying for targets. Still, given how much Peyton Manning and the Broncos like to throw, we should see the occasional pass heading Tamme’s way.
West Notes: Miller, Seahawks, Broncos, Rams
Broncos star Von Miller became the latest player to weigh in on J.J. Watt‘s megadeal and he thinks the Texans got away light. “He’s underpaid in my opinion. What he does for the Texans, no one else does that for their organization,” Miller said, according to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. “None of the big-time quarterbacks that are getting the big-time deals do. J.J. Watt deserves a similar deal. He does everything on the field, everything off the field. It was well deserved. I think he should have gotten more.” Of course, given Miller’s off-the-field troubles, it’s hard to say what Watt’s deal means for the Denver standout. More out of the AFC and NFC West..
- On the eve of their season opener, the Seahawks haven’t given up hope of working out contract extensions with Cliff Avril and/or K.J. Wright, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). La Canfora writes that they’re “exploring options” with both, so agreements aren’t necessarily imminent.
- The Broncos tried out long snappers Danny Aiken and Luke Ingram before picking up Kevin McDermott, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter).
- Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter) wonders if the Rams would have claimed Ryan Griffin if he were available instead of Case Keenum. St. Louis signed Keenum on Monday. Griffin, meanwhile, is back with the Saints on a practice squad deal.
- Allen Bradford, Drew Nowak and David Arkin visited with the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Broncos Promote Nathan Miller To Roster
In the wake of Wes Welker‘s four-game suspension, the Broncos have filled his active roster spot by promoting wideout Nathan Palmer to the 53-man roster. As Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweets, offensive lineman Ryan Miller has been signed to fill the opening left by Palmer on the practice squad.
Palmer, 25, spent some time on Denver’s practice squad last season, and was signed to a reserve/futures contract following the Super Bowl. After being cut as part of the team’s reduction to 53 players, he landed back on the practice squad, and now could get a shot at the active roster on Sunday. Denver still has plenty of receiving depth without Welker, so I wouldn’t expect Palmer to see the field much even if he’s active.
Wes Welker Suspended For Four Games
9:32pm: The league officially announced the suspension, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
9:18pm: Welker’s suspension will indeed go into effect immediately, meaning that he’ll be out of action this Sunday against the Colts, Klis tweets.
8:19pm: Because the suspension was announced so late in the week, the Broncos believe that Welker will be in action this Sunday against the Colts, tweets Klis. Whether that’s rooted in reality or simply wishful thinking on the Broncos’ part remains to be seen. Welker would also have to be medically cleared due to his concussions.
If Welker’s suspension does not go into effect this week but he’s still not medically cleared to play, that would actually be a worse outcome for the Broncos.
6:50pm: Welker was suspended for ADHD drug Adderall, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. This doesn’t necessarily contradict Florio’s report since Adderall can be a stimulant packaged with MDMA. Also, it doesn’t matter much for Welker in the grand scheme of things since he has already lost his appeal.
6:00pm: Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker has been suspended four games for the use of amphetamines, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Welker appealed the suspension two weeks ago and all parties were notified today that he lost that appeal, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) that Welker took “molly” at the Kentucky Derby, which resulted in the positive test. Florio adds that the drug was cut with with amphetamines, which would mean that Welker had taken ecstasy rather than molly. The situation is, of course, reminiscent of Orlando Scandrick‘s. The Cowboys cornerback reportedly took ecstasy while on vacation in Mexico this offseason and because the drug included amphetamines, his positive test put him in violation of the CBA’s performance enhancing drug policy rather than its recreational drug policy.
Even though it’s a four game suspension, Welker will have to wait until Week 6 to make his 2014 debut. The Broncos have a Week 5 bye, so Welker won’t be eligible to return until Denver’s game against the Jets on October 12th. The Broncos have known about Welker’s four game suspension since before camp but were holding out hope on his appeal, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
The Broncos could be on the lookout for outside help though they have plenty of receiving weapons already in-house. Peyton Manning will have free agent addition Emmanuel Sanders and promising rookie Cody Latimer at wide receiver while Julius Thomas and longtime teammate Jacob Tamme will be at tight end. Tamme sits behind Thomas on the depth chart, of course, but he could see some additional work while Welker is sidelined.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL:
5:17pm:
- The Browns have cut offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann with a failed physical designation, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). That clears a roster spot for Vinston Painter, whose signing was noted below.
- The following players have been removed from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (all Twitter links): Ryan McKee (Chiefs), Larry Asante (Raiders), Greg Jenkins (Raiders), and Eric Ward (Titans). C.J. Davis (Seahawks) has also been removed from IR with a settlement, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
4:44pm:
- The Jets have signed linebacker Jeremiah George and wideout Quincy Enunwa to their practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). New York selected the duo in the fifth and sixth rounds of this year’s draft, respectively.
4:13pm:
- The Panthers have signed former Jets wideout Stephen Hill to their practice squad, cutting linebacker D.J. Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Redskins will also interested in bringing Hill in for a workout, but Carolina offered him a deal.
- The Cardinals have added wideout Kevin Cone, defensive tackle Christian Tupou, and running back Dominique Williams to their practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Tight end Jerome Cunningham has signed with the Giants‘ practice squad, according to agent Howard Shatsky (via Twitter).
- The Chargers filled their practice squad by adding running back Marion Grice, who cleared waivers after being cut yesterday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Cowboys have also filled their 10-man squad, adding offensive lineman John Wetzel and defensive back Jemea Thomas, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Presumably, one of the 10 players on the unit will be cut tomorrow if the team intends to bring Michael Sam aboard.
- A.J. Jefferson of the Seahawks and Justice Cunningham of the Rams have both been removed from injured reserve lists with settlements, according to Caplan and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links).
3:28pm:
- According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter), the Browns are signing offensive lineman Vinston Painter off the Broncos‘ practice squad, which will open up a spot on the 10-man unit for long snapper Kevin McDermott, whose signing was noted below. Cleveland will need to make a corresponding roster move to clear room for Painter.
- The Redskins made a series of changes to their practice squad today, signing offensive lineman Braxston Cave and linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat. Linebacker Chaz Sutton and offensive lineman Tevita Stevens were cut.
- Offensive lineman Matt Patchan has been removed from the Buccaneers‘ injured reserve list with a settlement, says Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
1:23pm:
- A number of teams have filled their 10-man practice squads by adding a player. The Jaguars signed tight end Marcel Jensen, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter); the Bills signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com; the Bengals signed wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (via Twitter); and the Browns officially announced the signing of fullback Kiero Small, which had been previously reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- A pair of clubs also swapped in one player for another on their practice squads. The Dolphins signed defensive end Gerald Rivers and dropped defensive end D’Aundre Reed, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). And the Vikings signed offensive lineman Austin Wentworth to their squad to replace cornerback Kendall James, the team announced (via Twitter).
- The Broncos are also making an addition to their practice squad, in long snapper Kevin McDermott, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). But Denver already had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait to hear about the corresponding move.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) provide the respective details for Ray McDonald‘s contract restructure with the 49ers and Glover Quin‘s reworked deal with the Lions.
- The Buccaneers intend to open up a roster spot by placing running back Charles Sims on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Teams can begin to use that IR spot as of 3:00pm central time today.
- Cornerback Bobby Felder has been removed from the Bills‘ injured reserve list after reaching a settlement with the team, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550.