Practice Squad Updates: Monday
We rounded up the first wave of practice squad additions in a series of posts by division yesterday, which you can check out on our Transactions page. Several more teams have announced new practice squad players today, or made slight changes to their units, so we’ll round up that news right here:
6:33pm:
- The 49ers have filled out their practice squad by adding cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins, the team announced in a press release.
4:37pm:
- The Browns have added wide receiver Charles Johnson and offensive lineman Karim Barton to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Khalid Wooten will be the 10th man on the Titans‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
4:07pm:
- The Seahawks have added defensive end Julius Warmsley and defensive back Josh Aubrey to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- The Redskins have finalized their practice squad by adding safety Akeem Davis and linebacker Chaz Sutton, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- Cornerback LeQuan Lewis has been added to the Jets‘ practice squad, according to the team (via Twitter).
2:46pm:
- The Rams have finalized their practice squad by adding linebacker Denicos Allen, wideout Emory Blake, safety Christian Bryant, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That means Michael Sam isn’t among the 10 players on St. Louis’ squad.
- The addition of Henry Josey to the Jaguars‘ practice squad has officially been announced by the team in a press release. We had noted below that although his signing had been previously reported, Josey wasn’t among the first list of names released by the club.
- The Ravens have announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
1:31pm:
- The following players are now on the Browns‘ practice squad: James Brown, OL; Jacobbi McDaniel, DL; Emmanuel Ogbuehi, TE; Keith Pough, LB; Justin Staples, LB; and Patrick Lewis, C. The first five names are listed on the team’s official site, while the addition of Lewis was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Alex Gillett‘s time on the Packers‘ practice squad didn’t last long — he was replaced today by cornerback Jumal Rolle, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- The Buccaneers have signed safety Kimario McFadden, cornerback Derrius Brooks, and linebacker Carlos Fields to their practice squad, according to the team’s official site.
- Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides the last few names to be added to the Saints‘ practice squad: safety Pierre Warren, guard Antoine McClain, nose tackle Lawrence Virgil, and tight end Nic Jacobs.
- The Eagles have signed quarterback G.J. Kinne for their practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- Fullback Nikita Whitlock is the latest addition to the Cowboys‘ practice squad, the team announced today.
- The Vikings filled the final spot on their practice squad by adding cornerback Chris Greenwood, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Defensive end Zach Thompson is now on the Broncos‘ practice squad, according to the club.
- The Chiefs filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- Wide receiver Freddie Martino and tight end Kyle Miller have joined the Falcons‘ practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- One more housekeeping note: Yesterday, running back Henry Josey and fullback Kiero Small were reported as having joined the Jaguars‘ and Browns‘ practice squads, respectively. However, when those teams announced their PS rosters, those players weren’t included. There haven’t been any reports indicating those agreements fell through, so we’ll keep an eye on both situations. For now though, we won’t be including those players in our master list of practice squad rosters, which will be published this afternoon.
Sunday/Monday 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 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:
- Waived (officially announced): Brandon Hartson, LS
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced via Twitter): Taylor Boggs, C; Ryan Groy, G; DeDe Lattimore, LB; Al Louis-Jean, CB; Rashad Ross, KR; Josh Bellamy, WR; Brandon Dunn, DT; Isaiah Frey, CB; Terrance Mitchell, CB; Roy Philon, DT; Rashad Ross, WR
Detroit Lions:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rodney Austin, G; Emil Igwenagu, FB; Nate Ness, S; Andrew Peacock, WR; Xavier Proctor, DT; Mohammed Seisay, CB; Julian Stanford, LB; Jordan Thompson, TE; Michael Williams, OT; George Winn, RB
Green Bay Packers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chris Banjo, S; Kevin Dorsey, WR; Garth Gerhart, C; Alex Gillett, WR; Michael Hill, RB; Adrian Hubbard, LB; Justin Perillo, TE; Luther Robinson, DE; Jeremy Vujnovich, T, Myles White, WR
Minnesota Vikings:
- Claimed off waivers: MarQueis Gray, TE (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Mike Harris, OT (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Cut: Larry Dean, LB (via Darren Wolfson on Twitter); Austin Wentworth, G (via Wolfson on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Joe Banyard, RB; Kain Coulter, WR; Isame Faciane, DT; Chase Ford, TE; Donte Foster, WR; Kendall James, CB; Zac Kerin, C; Mike Remmers, OL; Justin Trattou, DT
NFC Links: Boone, Packers, Spillman, Wright
Let’s take a look at some extra notes out of the NFC on this Sunday evening…
- ESPN’s Ed Werder notes (via Twitter) that the $2MM added to Alex Boone‘s deal with the 49ers means the player is guaranteed no franchise or transition designation when his contract expires.
- The Packers currently have a pair of backup quarterbacks for Aaron Rodgers in Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. That hasn’t prevented the team from auditioning other quarterbacks, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team worked out Jeff Mathews, Pat Devlin and Jon Jennings earlier today.
- Former 49ers special teams ace C.J. Spillman is on his way to Dallas to presumably sign with the Cowboys, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
- Rapoport also (via Twitter) predicts that safety Major Wright, who was cut by the Buccaneers yesterday, will be on an NFL roster by the start of the season.
- Lache Seastrunk was informed at the last minute that he wouldn’t be added to the Redskins practice squad, tweets The Washington Post’s Mike Jones. The team cited that they wanted to go in a “different direction.”
Patriots Notes: FA Tryouts, Worthy, Mallett
The Patriots were busy today trimming their roster down to 53 players. However, the team was still actively scouting the free agent market, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reports that 12 players were actually in for tryouts:
- Armon Binns, WR
- Omar Brown, S
- Deveron Carr, CB
- Jermelle Cudjo, DT
- Hebron Fangupo, DT
- Cam Henderson, DE
- Aaron Hester, CB
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Jeff Matthews, QB
- Kevin Reddick, LB
- Jerome Smith, RB
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB
Let’s check out some more notes out of New England…
- Since Jerel Worthy failed to make the Patriots roster, the team doesn’t owe the Packers a draft pick, explains ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The Patriots acquired Worthy from the Packers earlier this month for a conditional seventh-rounder.
- The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe tweets that the Cowboys could be a landing spot for quarterback Ryan Mallett. The writer also suggests that the Texans and Rams could get involved.
- The Patriots won’t be provided with any additional cap relief since Isaac Sopoaga failed to make the Cardinals roster, tweets Howe.
- Following the release of Danny Aiken, the Patriots don’t have a long snapper on the roster. As the Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young notes (via Twitter), if the team doesn’t carry a long snapper, it would be the first time they’ve gone without one during Bill Belichick‘s tenure.
Packers Cut Roster Down To 53
5:50pm: The Packers have formally announced their last few transactions to get down to 53 players. The team placed tight end Jake Stoneburner and defensive end Khyri Thornton on injured reserve, and cut center Garth Gerhart, tight end Justin Perillo, defensive end Luther Robinson, and tackle Jeremy Vujnovich. Additionally, Hubbard has been fully cut from the roster rather than being placed on IR, as indicated earlier.
1:30pm: The Packers are not finished making moves, as they’ve parted ways with five more players in addition two placing a duo on injured reserve:
Cut:
- Kevin Dorsey (WR) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
- Carlos Gray (DL) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
- Myles White (WR) (via Wood on Twitter)
- Jumal Rolle (CB) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
- Chris Banjo (S) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
Placed on injured reserve:
- Nate Palmer (OLB) (via Wes Hodkiewicz on Twitter)
- Adrian Hubbard (OLB) (via Wes Hodkiewicz on Twitter)
10:55am: The Packers have released eight players this morning. You can find a running list of the team’s moves below:
- Ryan White (CB) (via Rob Demovsky on Twitter)
- Michael Hill (RB) (via Tom Silverstein on Twitter)
- John Fullington (OT) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
- Jordan McCray (OG) (via Ryan Wood on Twitter)
- Jake Doughty (LB) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
- Alex Gillett (WR) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
- LaDarius Perkins (RB) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
- Tanner Miller (S) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
A handful of these players have an opportunity to catch on with the Packers’ practice squad. As mentioned in each player’s respective tweet, White and Doughty have a chance of sticking around. The team could also bring back Hill or Perkins, but Silverstein indicates that the team won’t bring back both.
Minor Moves: Friday Night
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
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.
Packers Place Six Players On IR
Losing B.J. Raji is certainly unfortunate for the Packers, but as we learned late last week, they’re not panicking. Rather than pick through the scraps on the open market, the Packers are prepared to work with a number of in-house replacements, including Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion and undrafted rookie Mike Pennel. Here’s the latest out of Green Bay..
- According to an NFL source, the Packers will place guard Andrew Tiller on the waived-injured list, tweets Justin Felder of FOX 11 in Green Bay. Tiller injured his calf against the Raiders in preseason action. The Syracuse product has previously spent time with the Saints and Chargers and was on Green Bay’s practice squad last season.
- As expected, the Packers will place Raji on injured reserve today, a league source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 28-year-old defensive lineman suffered a biceps tear last week.
- Vinnie Porter, the agent to former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, tells Demovsky (link) that the Packers gave his client an eight-week regular season injury settlement. Lyerla tore his MCL and PCL and, as expected, was waived-injured by the team. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) confirmed the move earlier today.
- In total, the Packers announced that they have placed six players on injured reserve to get down to a 75-man roster, tweets Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. The six headed to IR are: Raji, Tiller, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, offensive lineman Don Barclay, running back Rajion Neal, and linebacker Joe Thomas.
NFC Notes: Cassel, Brent, Packers, Garrard
Even after the Vikings traded back into the first round of May’s draft to select Louisville product Teddy Bridgewater, the prevailing wisdom was that Matt Cassel would be the Week 1 starter at quarterback in Minnesota. Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports 1 (Twitter link), that notion has held, as head coach Mike Zimmer has informed the Vikings’ players that Cassel will indeed open the season as the team’s No. 1 QB.
Zimmer himself confirmed the news to reporters, including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (on Twitter), saying that Cassel was the favorite in the competition from the start. “Matt did not do anything to lose the job this preseason,” said Zimmer. “I think he’s played great. The team has a lot of confidence in him.” Through three preseason games, Cassel has completed 26 of 39 passes for 367 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, while Bridgewater has completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 266 yards, four scores, and no picks.
On a macro level, this news means that no rookie quarterback will be his team’s Week 1 starter (unless Matt Schaub‘s injury lingers and David Carr is forced to take the reins for the Raiders). Chad Henne was chosen to start over Blake Bortles in Jacksonville, and Johnny Manziel lost out out Brian Hoyer in Cleveland. Still, I’d be surprised if two or three (or perhaps all four) of said rookies aren’t starting games by season’s end.
More notes from the NFC:
- While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones appears ready to save a roster spot for Josh Brent, the defensive tackle likely won’t require an active roster spot when the NFL reinstates him. According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, the league is expected to suspend Brent if and when he’s reinstated. “He’s not just going to walk back onto the field,” a source tells Werder.
- Even after B.J. Raji‘s season-ending biceps injury, Green Bay has enough depth along the defensive line that it won’t be signing ex-Packer Ryan Pickett, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Unhappy with incumbent Alex Henery, the Eagles had been scouting teams with a surplus of kickers, tweets Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Berman points to Dustin Hopkins, released by the Bills this morning, as one option for the Birds.
- It’s unclear if he was simply being humorous, but David Garrard lobbied the Rams (via Twitter) to give him a call following Sam Bradford‘s season-ending injury. Garrard is 36 and has dealt with numerous injuries in the last few years — it’s highly doubtful St. Louis would be interested.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Packers Release Seven Players
The Packers have cut the following seven players, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:
- S Charles Clay
- CB Antonio Dennard
- WR Chris Harper
- LB Korey Jones
- FB Ina Liaina
- QB Chase Rettig
- WR Gerrard Sheppard
Meanwhile, Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that B.J. Raji, Jared Abbrederis, and Don Barclay are headed to the IR. The Packers’ currently have 81 players on their roster.