Derrick Strozier

North Notes: Hawk, Packers, Leonard

Ravens safety Will Hill has the talent and he’s determined to stay out of trouble so that it can shine through, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. “My living habits, I don’t go out on the town much,” Hill said. “I sit in the house with my family. I used to be a nightclub guy, especially coming out of college. I’ve just been watching a lot of movies. I’m a homebody. I took a long look in the mirror and decided to change a lot of things.” More from the AFC and NFC North..

  • Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com wonders if we’re seeing the end of A.J. Hawk in a Packers uniform. The 30-year-old has spent his entire career with Green Bay ever since being drafted fifth overall in 2006, but he has seen his role diminish as of late. Hawk, who is owed $3.5MM in salary and bonuses in 2015, says he doesn’t plan on hanging ’em up after this year.
  • Echoing comments he made back at the start of training camp, Browns safety Jim Leonhard said today that he continues to plan to retire from the NFL at season’s end, tweets Michael Beaven of the Akron Beacon Journal. “It’s time,” Leonhard said. “For me, I’ve made the decision. It’s more of mentally being ready to move on rather than the physical side” (Twitter link).
  • The Ravens tried out wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu and running backs William Powell and Derrick Strozier, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).

Saints Cut Shayne Graham, Others

5:30pm: The Saints have been busy this afternoon, notably letting go of veterans Champ Bailey and Robert Meachem. The team officially announced their moves via a press release, and the team’s transactions that were not previously reported are below:

Waived:

  • Matt Armstrong, C
  • Todd Davis, ILB
  • Derek Dimke, K
  • Nic Jacobs, TE
  • Tavon Rooks, OT
  • Pierre Warren, S

Released:

2:00pm: The Saints began the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players yesterday when they released fullback Greg Jones, and the team has made plenty more moves today. Here’s the list of players no longer on New Orleans’ active roster:

Saints Sign 20 Undrafted Free Agents

7:57pm: In addition to Hull, the Saints have signed former Tulane defensive back Derrick Strozier, according to Strozier’s Twitter. Per Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune, Strozier, who also played a little offense in college, tried out for New Orleans as a running back.

SUNDAY, 4:43pm: The Saints have also signed former Illinois receiver Steve Hull, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

WEDNESDAY, 4:24pm: The Saints added one more undrafted free agent to their haul, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who tweets that Akron DT Moses McCray signed with the club.

MONDAY, 11:53am: The Saints have become the latest club to formally announce their undrafted free agent class, confirming in a press release that they’ve agreed to terms with 17 new players. Here’s the complete list:

  • Matthew Armstrong, OL, Grand Valley State
  • Brandon Coleman, WR, Rutgers
  • Brian Dixon, DB, Northwest Missouri State
  • Kasim Edebali, OLB, Boston College
  • Tim Flanders, RB, Sam Houston State
  • Spencer Hadley, LB, Brigham Young
  • Je’Ron Hamm, TE, Louisiana-Monroe
  • Nic Jacobs, TE, McNeese State
  • Seantavius Jones, WR, Valdosta State
  • Logan Kilgore, QB, Middle Tennessee State State
  • Brandon McCray, DL, Louisiana-Lafayette
  • Micajah Reynolds, OL, Michigan State
  • George Uko, DL, USC
  • Chidera Uzo-Diribe, OLB, Colorado
  • Lawrence Virgil, DL, Valdosta State
  • Pierre Warren, S, Jacksonville State
  • Ty Zimmerman, S, Kansas State

Extra Points: Mathieu, Strozier, Ravens

Cardinals GM Steve Keim says that he has not ruled out a Week 1 return for injured defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, according to Brent Sobleski of USA Today. After having an impactful start to his rookie campaign last season, Mathieu tore both his ACL and LCL in his left knee in a Week 14 matchup against the Rams. Lets look at a few other news bits from around the league:

  • In a mailbag post, John Clayton of ESPN wrote that rookie wide receivers were impressive around the league during rookie mini-camps. He noted that Sammy Watkins of the Bills and John Brown of the Cardinals shined particularly brightly.
  • The Ravens gave UDFA Jerry Rice Jr. good feedback following his workout with the team, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Although the UNLV product was not offered a deal, he is on the Ravens’ emergency list should they look further for additional receiving options.
  • The Ravens also are impressed with former North Carolina tackle James Hurst. Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, points out that Hurst, who plays left tackle, would join the likes of Justin Tucker and Priest Holmes if he were to catch on as a major contributor with the Ravens as an UDFA.
  • Former BYU standout receiver Cody Hoffman is hoping to catch on with the Redskins, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.