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Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

September 1st, 2014 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North 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 North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings:

Lions Release Leshoure, Roster To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

2:50pm: The Lions have announced their remaining cuts, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. In addition to the players listed below, the following players have been let go:

1:45pm: The Lions have let go of one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the team has released wideout Kris Durham.

The 26-year-old finished 2013 with career-highs in receptions (38) and yards (490). He also led all of the Lions offensive skill players in snaps, even topping All-Pro Calvin Johnson.

The Lions weren’t done there, as they released an additional six players:

11:40am: The Lions’ starting running back from 2012 is no longer on the roster, as the team informed Mikel Leshoure today that he’s being waived as the 53-man cutdown deadline nears, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. While the move leaves a little dead money on Detroit’s cap, the team avoids having to pay the running back his non-guaranteed base salary for 2014.

Leshoure wasn’t the only veteran among the Lions’ cuts today. Here’s the complete running list:

Minor Moves: Friday Night

August 29th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Luke Adams

As our transactions log shows, it’s been a busy day for roster moves around the NFL, and tomorrow will be even more hectic, as teams cut their rosters down to 53 active players in advance of the 3:00pm CT deadline. As we look forward to what should be a fun Saturday, let’s round up a few more odds and ends from Friday’s transactions wire….

  • Kicker John Potter (Dolphins) and defensive back Devin Smith (Steelers) have been removed from their team’s respective injured lists with injury settlements, tweets Wilson.
  • Two Raiders have posted the news of their own waiving via social media: DE Jack Crawford (via Instagram) and TE Jake Murphy (via Twitter) each indicated they had been cut by Oakland.

Earlier Updates:

  • According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links), the Cowboys waived a pair of players today, parting ways with wide receiver Jamar Newsome and running back D.J. Adams.
  • The Dolphins began trimming their roster from 75 players to 53 today, informing tight end Kyle Miller that he’s being cut, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • Packers tackle Aaron Adams has suffered a torn ACL and MCL, and will be placed on injured reserve, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Adams would have been in contention for a spot at the back end of the 53-man roster had he remained healthy.
  • The Lions and 49ers both freed up some cap space by restructuring the contracts of safety Glover Quin and defensive lineman Ray McDonald, respectively, per reports by Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com and Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). We don’t have the specific details yet on either move, but they were likely simple restructures, converting a portion of the players’ base salaries into signing bonuses.
  • The following players were cut off their respective teams’ injured reserve lists with injury settlements, according to reports from John Oesher of Jaguars.com, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (all Twitter links): Defensive end David Carter (Jaguars), linebacker Jamar Chaney (Broncos), and safety DeJon Gomes (Lions).

NFC North Notes: Lions, Peterson, Raji

August 28th, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Zachary Links

In the Lions‘ shutout of the Bills tonight, quarterback Kellen Moore made a strong case for sticking with the Lions, writes Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. After completing 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, Moore could be the third QB on the depth chart or perhaps overtake Dan Orlovsky as the No. 2 signal caller in Detroit. Here’s more from the NFC North..

  • Vikings star Adrian Peterson would be wise to start thinking about his future, writes ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert. Peterson downplayed a report indicating that he told Jerry Jones he’d like to join the Cowboys someday and said that he’d like to retire with the Vikings, but that may not be an option if he doesn’t perform at an elite level this season. AD is currently set to earn $13MM in 2015.
  • In a piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry looked at injuries and other situations that could have financial implications, including Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji. Raji’s torn right biceps means that he’ll likely be signing another one-year prove-it deal in 2015, whether it’s with Green Bay or elsewhere.
  • The Lions are one of three teams that are tight against the cap as the season approaches, writes Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News. Fitzgerald expects to see some low level veteran cuts to help their cap situation since there aren’t many options for negotiations on their roster.

North Notes: Ponder, Browns, Lions, Blount

August 27th, 2014 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has fallen behind Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater on the depth chart, leading to some speculation that he could be trade bait for another team in search of an experienced backup QB. Still, the former first-round pick doesn’t feel as though tomorrow night’s game is an audition, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I just want to go out and have a good game, not for an audition for another team or anything, but for myself and this team,” Ponder said. “Right now, my thoughts are securing a spot on this roster.”

  • With the cutdown to a 53 man roster looming, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal looks at who’s safe, who’s on the bubble, and who is a long shot to make the cut for the Browns. Wide receivers Nate Burleson and Charles Johnson are on the bubble, but no matter who survives Saturday’s cuts, Ulrich expects the team to scope out the waiver wire and perhaps trades to bolster their WR core.
  • The Lions axed coach Jim Schwartz, but there are plenty in Detroit who are still grateful for what he did during his tenure there, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “I know I’m going to get a hold of him prior to the game and just show gratitude and thank him for the opportunity of bringing me in,” linebacker Tahir Whitehead said. “Because I haven’t had the opportunity to do that since he left.” Schwartz is now the defensive coordinator for the Bills.
  • Steelers free agent addition LeGarrette Blount is refusing to talk about his incident last week and says that he’s focused solely on football, writes Ralph N. Paul of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

August 26th, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s minor moves..

  • The Raiders announced that they have claimed kicker Giorgio Tavecchio via waivers from the Lions. In a corresponding move, Oakland waived kicker Kevin Goessling. Tavecchio will likely serve as insurance in the event that Sebastian Janikowski isn’t ready to go in Week 1.
  • The Bills have claimed punter/kicker Jordan Gay off waivers from the Panthers, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • According to the NFL transactions wire, the Seahawks have waived linebacker Marcus Dowtin and claimed center Patrick Lewis off waivers from the Jaguars, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Dowtin saw three games of action with the Giants in 2013 before being released in March.
  • Safety Ty Zimmerman, receiver Andy Tanner, and tackle Ty Nsekhe were added to the Saints‘ injured reserve amidst today’s roster moves, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • Rams linebacker Pat Schiller reverted to the club’s injured reserve after clearing waivers, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Lions Want DBs, Browns Shopping DLs

August 26th, 2014 at 6:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are making calls around the league in an effort to bolster their secondary while the Browns are gauging interest in their defensive linemen, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Defensive back has been regarded as a weak spot for the Lions all offseason long and some would argue that they should have addressed that concern months ago. Detroit brought the once-notable Drayton Florence in on a deal but he was gone after just two weeks. As it stands, Rashean Mathis and Darius Slay are the projected starting cornerbacks and Detroit presumably would like someone to fill the third or fourth spot on the depth chart that was once penciled in with Florence’s name. There will be plenty of corners and safeties on the open market between now and the start of the season thanks to roster cuts, but it sounds like the Lions are inquiring about landing a DB via trade.

Meanwhile, the report doesn’t indicate which defensive linemen are being dangled by Cleveland or what the Browns hope to gain in return. It’s conceivable that the Browns would look to add another wide receiver given their lack of impressive options at the moment. Veteran Miles Austin has a track record of success, but he also has a track record of hamstring injuries. Anthony Armstrong was brought aboard for depth at wide receiver but he was axed yesterday as the Browns moved to get down to a 75-man roster.

Lions Cut Two Players, Down To 75

August 26th, 2014 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Lions’ roster is in compliance of the 75-man limit, after the team cut two more players today. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links), those latest roster casualties are tight end Jacob Maxwell and offensive lineman Bryce Quigley.

The release of Maxwell, who received a $3K signing bonus when he joined the Lions in May out of Louisiana Lafayette, comes as no surprise, given the team’s logjam at tight end. Similarly, Quigley hadn’t been expected to make a push for Detroit’s regular season roster after signing with the club in June out of San Diego State.

After trimming the roster to 75 players today, the Lions will have until Saturday afternoon to make their next series of cuts to get down to 53.

Minor Moves: Monday

August 25th, 2014 at 7:53pm CST by Matt Feminis

Lions Claim Michael Egnew

August 25th, 2014 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

3:49pm: The Seahawks also put in a claim on Egnew, according to Pelissero (on Twitter), but the Lions had waiver priority and were awarded the tight end.

MONDAY, 3:22pm: The Lions have claimed Egnew off waivers from the Dolphins, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today, who also reports that Detroit has claimed fellow TE Emil Igwenagu from the Eagles. The Lions are certainly stockpiling tight end talent, as they already have Brandon Pettigrew, Joseph Fauria, and 2014 first-rounder Eric Ebron under contract.

FRIDAY, 2:00pm: With roster cutdown deadlines approaching, the Dolphins will part ways with a player they drafted in the third round just two years ago, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Schefter, Miami is waiving third-year tight end Michael Egnew.

Egnew, 24, was inactive for most of his rookie season, and grabbed just seven balls in 2013 while struggling as a run blocker. The former 78th overall pick out of Missouri also dealt with a concussion earlier in camp. With the Dolphins’ front office having undergone significant changes this offseason, including Dennis Hickey replacing Jeff Ireland as general manager, the organization had less incentive to Egnew around, and has decided to cut its losses.

The move will leave Miami with an opening on its 90-man roster, though it’s not clear if the team will sign a replacement. Rosters must be cut down to 75 players by next Tuesday afternoon.

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