Extra Points: Los Angeles, Moeller, Catapano

If two teams are to wind up in Los Angeles, it could happen by commissioner Roger Goodell locking Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Chargers owner Dean Spanos in a room and demanding that they work it out, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times writes. However, if the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders all continue to insist on moving to L.A., then things could get ugly in a hurry. In that scenario, the Rams would push the Inglewood project and the Chargers and Raiders would push their joint venture in Carson in an all-or-nothing vote. These types of NFL decisions require a three-quarters majority (meaning the support of 24 of 32 owners) and it’s generally believed that the Rams and Chargers-Raiders have the requisite nine votes to block the other. If both plans are voted down, that means no one will be moving to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.

Here’s more from around the league..

  • The woman who accused Browns offensive line coach Andy Moeller of assaulting her said he “tried to strangle me and beat me up” in her 911 call, as Evan MacDonald of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. The woman also said that Moeller might have been drinking that night. Moeller has been suspended indefinetly by the Browns and he may face assault charges based off of these allegations.
  • Prior to signing with the Jets‘ taxi squad, defensive end Mike Catapano had workouts scheduled with the Bears, Packers, and Vikings, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. The Long Island native was in heavy demand, according to Wilson.
  • A federal judge has dismissed the NFL Players Association’s claim that the NFL engaged in illegal collusion to hold down player salaries during the uncapped 2010 season, as Michael David Smith of PFT writes. The union had claimed that teams broke labor laws by agreeing to effectively have a cap even though it was an uncapped year, but the judge said that any such claim from the NFLPA was nullified by the fact that both sides signed the 2011 CBA.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/8/15

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Jaguars have released safety Matt Daniels from injured reserve with an injury settlement, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Daniels, 26, spent his first two years in the league with the Rams before hooking on with the Jaguars in 2014 as a practice squad member.
  • The Saints reached an injury settlement with wide receiver Nick Toon, who will be waived off injured reserve, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. Toon hopes to be ready to play in a couple of weeks, Woodbery adds.
  • Marion Grice and Jimmy Legree of the Cardinals and Jimmie Hunt of the Packers were removed from IR with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/15

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed:
  • Released:
    • G David Arkin

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed:

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington

  • To be signed:

NFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s NFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed (link via Josh Weinfuss):
    • CB Cariel Brooks
    • T Rob Crisp
    • LB Gabe Martin
    • G Antoine McClain
    • WR Jaxon Shipley
    • RB Kerwynn Williams
    • CB Leon McFadden

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed (press release):
    • LB Derek Akunne
    • T Pierce Burton
    • CB Akeem King
    • QB Matt Simms
    • LB Tyler Starr

Chicago Bears

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • LB Lamin Barrow
    • T Nick Becton
    • DL Brandon Dunn
    • CB Jacoby Glenn
    • WR Jalen Saunders

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed (Twitter link via Todd Archer):
    • OT John Wetzel
    • Tim Scott
    • LB Dakorey Johnson
  • To be signed:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB John Crockett
    • CB Robertson Daniel
    • DT Christian Ringo

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter):
    • TE Blake Annen
    • CB Don Jones

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed:

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed (press release):
    • T Edawn Coughman
    • T Terren Jones
    • WR Rannell Hall
    • TE Cameron Brate

Washington:

Packers Sign James Jones

MONDAY, 11:18am: The Packers are cutting wide receiver Myles White to open a spot on the roster for Jones, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

SUNDAY, 4:49pm: Jones has signed a one-year deal with the Packers, according to Silverstein (Twitter link).

4:10pm: The Packers and Jones have agreed to a deal that will bring the wideout back to Green Bay, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s not clear yet where Jones will fit in on the team’s depth chart, since the Packers have several young receivers they like, but it shouldn’t take long for him to build a rapport with his old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

2:05pm: The Packers have interest in a reunion with free agent receiver James Jones, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link), who reports that the two sides have had discussions. Jones’ agent tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Jones will take a visit with Green Bay on Sunday, and a deal could follow if the meeting goes well.

Following Jordy Nelson‘s ACL tear, a return to Green Bay has always made sense for Jones, and once he was released by the Giants yesterday, it seemed likely that the Packers would at least explore the possibility. The 31-year-old Jones spent the first seven seasons of his career with Green Bay, and posted his best campaign in 2012, catching a league-leading 14 touchdowns. His scoring totals have regressed to the mean in the years since, but he’s still a solid pass-catcher who could add depth to the Packers’ arsenal.

The fact that Jones didn’t land a contract with the Giants until July means he probably signed a minimum salary benefit contract. If the Packers want to add Jones, then, he shouldn’t be a costly option.

NFC Notes: Washington, Powell, Jones

Despite a need at both tight end and outside linebacker, Washington has elected to remain patient with their roster. The team only kept two tight ends and four outside linebackers on the current version of their 53-man roster, and did not put a waiver claim in on any of the many players on the wire today at either position, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. However, Jones does expect the team to add to the position in the coming days if the opportunity arises.

Here are some more stories from around the NFL this Sunday:

  • Receiver Corey Washington has received an injury settlement with the Giants, who therefore released him from the injured reserve, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Washington is now free to sign with any team.
  • The Saints have waived linebacker Ronald Powell with an injury settlement, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (via Twitter). Powell is only eligible to re-sign with the Saints after Week 6 plus the length of the settlement (via Twitter).
  • After signing James Jones, the Packers will have to cut a player to make room, writes Jason Wilde of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That player will not be Datone Jones, he adds, despite the rumors that Jones was on the chopping block. Jones is not on the current 53-man roster, because he is suspended for Week 1 (via Twitter). Wilde does mention Myles White as a possible candidate to be cut (via Twitter).

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

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 for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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

Packers Cut 20, Settle On 53-Man Roster

In addition to placing Letroy Guion and Datone Jones on the reserve/suspended list, the Packers cut 18 players and waived two injured performers.

Green Bay parted ways with running backs Rajion Neal and John Crockett, leaving undrafted rookie Alonzo Harris as the third running back behind Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

The reigning NFC North champions’ additional departures are as follows:

  • Jared Abbrederis, WR
  • Carl Bradford, LB
  • John Fanor, S
  • Garth Gerhart, C
  • Tay Glover-Wright, CB
  • Mitchell Henry, TE
  • Justin Perillo, TE
  • Andy Phillips, C/G
  • Larry Pickard, WR (Waived/injured)
  • Jermaria Rasco, LB (Waived/injured)
  • Christian Ringo, DT
  • Matt Rotheram, G
  • Joe Thomas, LB
  • Khyri Thornton, DT
  • James Vaughters, LB
  • Jeremy Vujnovich, T
  • Ryan White, CB
  • Ed Williams, WR

Packers Cut Down To 75-Man Roster

The Packers announced that they are down to a 75-man roster. The full list of moves is presented below:

Placed On IR:

  • WR Jordy Nelson

Waived/Injured:

  • WR Javess Blue
  • WR Jimmie Hunt

Released:

  • QB Matt Blanchard
  • WR James Butler
  • LB Adrian Hubbard
  • DB Kyle Sebetic
  • TE Harold Spears

Of course, we’ve known for a while that Nelson would be placed on IR. The loss of Nelson, 30, is a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro.

Packers Release Five Players

The Packers announced that they have released five players in advance of the 75-man cutdown deadline. The following moves have brought Green Bay to an 83-man roster, meaning that they still have some more work to do:

  • Tavarus Dantzler, LB
  • Fabbians Ebbele, T
  • Josh Francis, LB
  • Lavon Hooks, DT
  • Vince Kowalski, T

Dantzler did not participate in the NFL combine this year, but he did audition at regional combines and Bethune-Cookman’s Pro Day. Interestingly, his measurables were quite even with Packers fourth-round pick Jake Ryan. Still, the UDFA was unable to crack Green Bay’s linebacker depth chart and he’ll now have to try to hook on elsewhere.

Show all