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Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West

September 4th, 2016 at 6:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West 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 for the Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers

Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams

September 4th, 2016 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.

Here is the complete waiver priority order:

1. Titans

2. Browns

3. Chargers

4. Cowboys

5. Jaguars

6. Ravens

7. 49ers

8. Dolphins

9. Buccaneers

10. Giants

11. Bears

12. Saints

13. Eagles

14. Raiders

15. Rams

16. Lions

17. Falcons

18. Colts

19. Bills

20. Jets

21. Redskins

22. Texans

23. Vikings

24. Bengals

25. Seahawks

26. Packers

27. Steelers

28. Chiefs

29. Patriots

30. Cardinals

31. Panthers

32. Broncos

Lions Trim Roster To 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions have released offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Thomas came to Detroit in the Jeremy Kerley trade earlier this week. Brandon Thomas (vertical)

Thomas, a former third-round pick, has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard and he apparently wasn’t wanted in Detroit either.

Thomas obviously wasn’t the Lions’ only victim of cut day. Cuts include:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Cut Gabe Ikard

September 2nd, 2016 at 8:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions, Brandon Pettigrew Rework Contract

September 2nd, 2016 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions and Brandon Pettigrew have agreed to a reworked contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com. The new deal gives Pettigrew additional security while he is on the PUP list while saving the Lions some cash once he returns to the field. Brandon Pettigrew (Vertical)

The tight end was previously set to earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $3.65MM for 2016. Now, Pettigrew gets a $2.2MM salary split while he is on PUP with a torn ACL. However, $1.2MM of his contract is fully guaranteed. For each week Pettigrew is on PUP, he’ll earn ~$129K – or, 1/17th of $2.2MM. If and when he is brought on to the 53-man roster, he’ll earn almost $215K, which is 1/17th of $3.65MM.

Pettigrew, 31, is counted upon for his blocking ability. Although he had a decent number of targets early in his career, he has caught only 17 passes for 137 yards over the last two seasons.

When Pettigrew is healthy, he’ll serve as the Lions No. 2 tight end behind Eric Ebron. As shown on the team’s depth chart, they also have undrafted rookie Cole Wick in the mix along with Andrew Quarless, who will be suspended for the first two games of the season. The team will have to decide on fellow tight ends Orson Charles and Adam Fuehne this week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Sign Quinshad Davis, Waive Chi Chi Ariguzo

September 1st, 2016 at 6:43pm CST by Zachary Links
  • The Lions signed wide receiver Quinshad Davis and waived linebacker Chi Chi Ariguzo, according to a team announcement. Davis was cut by the Lions earlier this week as a part of their effort to get down to a 75-man roster. The North Carolina product hauled in 55 catches for 638 yards and four touchdowns in his senior season last year.

Lions Place Brandon Pettigrew On PUP

August 30th, 2016 at 9:56am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have whittled their roster down to the league-mandated 75 players, as they’ve placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew and wide receiver Corey Fuller on the PUP list. Additionally, Detroit announced that it has waived cornerback Brandon McGee.Brandon Pettigrew (Vertical)

[RELATED: Lions Release Geoff Schwartz]

Pettigrew and Fuller will now be sidelined for the first six weeks of the season as they deal with their respective injuries. The Lions will then have an additional three-week window during which they can choose to activate the two pass-catchers. Pettigrew’s absence is especially concerning, given that fellow tight end Eric Ebron is recovering from an injury of his own, while Andrew Quarless is suspended for the first two games of the year.

McGee, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick of the Rams back in 2013. He’s bounced around the league since that time, as he’s also played for the Giants and Cowboys before signing with the Lions earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions Cut Several Players

August 29th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are inching closer to the 75-man limit in advance of the Tuesday deadline. On Monday, the Lions announced that the following players have been dropped:

The Lions have also placed rookie long snapper Jimmy Landes on injured reserve. That means Don Muhlbach will likely continue to serve as the Lions’ long snapper.

Earlier today, the Lions also released offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, meaning that they have shed ten players from the roster today. With today’s transactions, the Lions roster currently stands at 78 players.

Lions To Release Geoff Schwartz

August 29th, 2016 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions will release Geoff Schwartz today, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Schwartz is healthy but the team’s logjam on the offensive line left him on the outside. By releasing Schwartz today, the Lions are giving the veteran a little bit of a head start on finding his next job. Geoff Schwartz (vertical)

Schwartz, 29, signed a four-year contract with the Giants in March 2014, but injuries limited him to just 13 games over two seasons for New York. This offseason, he inked a one-year deal with Detroit. His Lions deal marked his fifth team in nine NFL seasons, though he never got to suit up for them in a regular season game. Schwartz has also had stops in Carolina, Minnesota, and Kansas City since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2008.

After trading for guard Brandon Thomas on Sunday, there was no room left for Schwartz. The Lions are now decidedly younger on the O-Line than they were one year ago.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Lions, 49ers To Swap WR Jeremy Kerley, OL Brandon Thomas

August 28th, 2016 at 1:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions are trading wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to the 49ers in exchange for offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is pending physicals.Jeremy Kerley (Vertical)

Kerley, 27, agreed to a one-year deal with Detroit this offseason after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Jets. Largely written out of New York’s offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards, and was subsequently released.Still, Kerley has enjoyed some productive seasons in the past, most notably in 2012, when he hauled in 56 passes for 827 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Lions will absorb $90K in dead money as a result of the trade, meaning the Niners will only be responsible for Kerley’s minimum base salary. In San Francisco, Kerley will slot into a wide receiver corps that has little veteran experience behind Torrey Smith, as Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Smelter, and Aaron Burbridge are a few of the other options available to head coach Chip Kelly. Ellington, notably, has dealt with ankle and hamstring injuries in recent weeks, so Kerley could be insurance against a lengthy Ellington absence.

Thomas, meanwhile, is a former third-round pick, but has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard, so he’ll head to Detroit and act as depth behind starting interior lineman Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson, though he can also moonlight at tackle.

Thomas, 25, is signed through the 2017 season. San Francisco will take on a roughly $250K in dead money as his prorated bonus accelerates onto its cap, while the Lions will be responsible for minimum salaries over the next two years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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