Jamari Lattimore

Chiefs Worked Out LB Jamari Lattimore

The Chiefs worked out free agent linebacker Jamari Lattimore today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).Jamari Lattimore (vertical)

[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Marcus Rush]

Kansas City is searching for inside linebacker depth, as veteran Derrick Johnson is coming off the second torn Achilles of his career, while Ramik Wilson, who fared well in 11 starts a year ago, is still relatively inexperienced. Other options on the Chiefs’ roster currently include Justin March-Lillard, Terrance Smith, and D.J. Alexander. Earlier this year, Kansas City took a look at free agent Rey Maualuga, but no deal came out of the meeting.

Lattimore, 28, has spent time with three clubs — the Packers, Jets, and Bills — since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Although he’s appeared in 64 career games, Lattimore has largely served as depth and a special-teamer, as his only starts (9) came with Green Bay from 2013-14. Lattimore didn’t make Buffalo’s final roster after signing with the club last March, and never landed another deal during the 2016 campaign.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16

We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:

AFC

  • The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
  • Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
  • The Ravens didn’t stop there, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link): Baltimore also worked out defensive backs Jeron Johnson and Ryan Murphy, linebackers Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba, and guard Ian Silberman.
  • Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
  • The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.

NFC

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East 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 BillsDolphins, Patriots, and Jets 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day (all links go to Twitter unless noted otherwise):

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Bills Release LB Jamari Lattimore

The Bills have released linebacker Jamari Lattimore, as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. The move makes room for the addition of fullback Dan Vitale, who was claimed off waivers from the Bucs today.

Lattimore was slated to compete for a spot on special teams, but he ultimately did not make the cut. For his career, Lattimore has appeared in 64 career games (nine starts) and has 68 tackles, two sacks, and one interception to his credit.

For a full rundown of moves made by the Bills and other teams in the AFC East, check out our running tracker.

 

Bills Sign Jamari Lattimore

The Bills have signed linebacker Jamari Lattimore, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. Lattimore played for the Jets in 2015 after spending the previous four seasons with the Packers. Jamari Lattimore (vertical)

Lattimore will likely to compete for a spot on special teams, as Rodak writes. For his career, Lattimore has appeared in 64 career games (nine starts) and has 68 tackles, two sacks, and one interception to his credit. Lattimore will need to outperform players like Eric Striker, Max Valles, and even Randell Johnson if he wants to make Buffalo’s 53-man cut, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes. Buscaglia seems to think that Lattimore can be used for more than special teams, though he will be hard pressed to make the roster if he cannot flash his ability in that area.

In other Bills news, tackle Seantrel Henderson has been cleared to practice and is expected to report to the team today. Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease. Right now, the Bills are using Jordan Mills as their first-team right tackle in practice while hoping that that 2014 second-rounder Cyrus Kouandjio can get back to full health and win the starting job. It remains to be seen how Henderson will fit into that picture.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Revis, Pats, Bills

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has fired agents Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. The Schwartz and Feinsod duo had many clashes with the Jets regarding Revis during their tenure representing him – including one that featured ex-head coach Rex Ryan shouting at the two during an episode of “Hard Knocks” amid the cornerback’s 2010 holdout – as Costello notes. Revis ultimately agreed to a four-year, $32MM deal to end his holdout that summer, and the seven-time Pro Bowler has collected a total of $101MM during his career with the help of his two ex-agents. Revis, 30, has four years remaining on the five-year, $70MM pact he inked with the Jets in 2015. That contract is second in overall value among cornerbacks, though it was first until Josh Norman‘s recent $75MM deal with Washington, and paces all corners in guarantees ($39MM).

More from the AFC East:

  • With Tom Brady currently scheduled to miss the first four games of the season because of a suspension, the division is “up for grabs,” Jets wide receiver Eric Decker told NFL Network (via Christopher Price of WEEI). Decker’s Jets knocked off the Brady-led Patriots in one of two matchups last season, though New England took the division title at 12-4. The Jets finished a solid 10-6, but with Ryan Fitzpatrick still unsigned, their own quarterback situation isn’t sorted out.
  • There are questions regarding how competent the Bills’ medical and scouting staffs are in the wake of first-round pick Shaq Lawson‘s need for right shoulder surgery, according to The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci. Lawson’s shoulder issues were known coming into the draft, but that didn’t stop the Bills from taking the outside linebacker 19th overall or allowing him to partake in their three-day rookie minicamp, when Lawson aggravated his shoulder. The Bills were so desperate to land a potential impact defender in the first round that they may have overlooked Lawson’s health concerns, implies Carucci, who adds that the Bills’ other Lawson – Manny Lawson – doesn’t have the pass-rushing ability to adequately replace the rookie during what should be a several-game absence.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Manish Mehta of the Daily News whether the drafting of Christian Hackenberg makes re-signing Fitzpatrick even more important. While having Fitzpatrick as a mentor for the Penn State product would be nice, Mehta writes that his guidance is pretty low on the priority list for reasons the Jets should re-sign the veteran. When asked to predict the Jets’ record sans Fitzpatrick, Mehta said he envisions a 9-7 season with no playoffs.
  • With Shaq Lawson down, the Bills are hosting free agent linebacker Jamari Lattimore on a visit, the team announced (via Twitter). Lattimore is more of an insider ‘backer, however, than a replacement for Lawson. The 27-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in Green Bay before joining the Jets in 2015. He appeared in 15 games for Gang Green and totaled 13 tackles. Lattimore has 64 appearances and nine starts on his NFL résumé.
  • As previously reported, Lattimore isn’t the only player visiting the Bills on Thursday. Free agent receiver Andre Roberts is also meeting with the team.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Johnson, Spencer, Lattimore

We learned yesterday that the Lions have disputed the Buccaneers‘ offer sheet to George Johnson, extending the process beyond yesterday’s initial decision deadline. However, it wasn’t immediately clear what Detroit’s issue with the offer sheet was.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk sheds a little light on the subject today, reporting that the Lions want to know whether they have to match all the specifics of a Bucs’ offer that includes de-escalators in the second and third years of the deal. Per Florio, the three-year, $9MM proposal could shrink to $7MM over three years if the de-escalators are applied, so depending on how an arbitrator rules, Detroit may only have to match that lower $7MM figure.

As we wait for resolution on Johnson, which should come by the end of next week, let’s break down a few more new contracts from around the NFL…

  • Anthony Spencer inked a minimum salary benefit contract with the Saints, allowing the team to carry a cap hit of just $665K, tweets Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Spencer’s one-year deal includes an $80K signing bonus to go along with a base salary of $870K.
  • Jamari Lattimore also signed a minimum salary deal with the Jets, though since he has less NFL experience than Spencer, his base salary is just $745K, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The linebacker’s one-year contract includes a $60K signing bonus and a $20K roster bonus.
  • Wilson passes along the details on one more minimum salary benefit contract, tweeting that Will Allen‘s deal with the Steelers is worth $1.05MM, including a $970K base salary and an $80K signing bonus. Like Spencer and Lattimore, Allen will count for only $665K against his team’s cap.

Jets Sign Jamari Lattimore

The Jets have signed free agent linebacker Jamari Lattimore, agent Tony Agnone tells Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). We heard two weeks ago that Lattimore was paying a visit to New York to meet with the Jets.

Lattimore spent the last four seasons with the Packers, playing in 49 regular season contests for the team. Playing on a one-year RFA tender in 2014, the 26-year-old earned 285 defensive snaps and played on special teams before landing on injured reserve, prematurely ending his season. Lattimore had 37 tackles and an interception for the year.

The Jets have signed plenty of defenders in free agency over the last few weeks, though most of those new additions are either defensive backs – such as Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine – or defensive lineman, like Stephen Bowen and Kevin Vickerson.

AFC East Notes: Clay, Jets, Pats

The Bills have lost sight of value with their offer sheet to Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. The Bills can afford the deal under the 2015 cap and they should benefit from the projected growth of the NFL’s cap over the next several years, but it will be difficult for Clay to live up to that massive five-year, $38MM pact. Here’s more from the AFC East..

  • If the Bills really want Clay, they should give him the ability to void his contract in 2017 since it’d be difficult to picture the Dolphins matching that, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets.
  • James Walker of ESPN.com says the Dolphins should just let Clay walk. Clay is good, but not elite, and Miami already has an in-house replacement ready in the newly-acquired Jordan Cameron.
  • Inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore is visiting with the Jets, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Lattimore, a former UDFA, has spent all four years of his career with the Packers. Over the last two seasons, Lattimore has racked up 74 tackles to go with two sacks and an interception.
  • Ravens free agent defensive end Lawrence Guy is scheduled to visit the Jets on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Guy was claimed off waivers last season after being cut by the Chargers early in the 2014 season. The 6-foot-4, 318-pounder had 16 tackles in eleven games and one start last season as he emerged as a solid rotational guy for Baltimore.
  • The Jets also announced that Giants free agent offensive lineman James Brewer will be visiting, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).

Minor Moves: Saturday

Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list:

  • The Packers have placed backup linebacker Jamari Lattimore on the injured reserve, tweets Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo. The team will promote safety Chris Banjo from the practice squad to take the open roster space (also via Garafolo).
  • The Dolphins have promoted defensive back T.J. Heath, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. The former Jacksonville State standout previously spent time with the Jaguars, Bengals, Bills and Browns.
  • The Seahawks have released cornerback Kennard Cox from their practice squad, tweets The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. Taking his place will be linebacker Allen Bradford, who was cut from the team’s active roster earlier this week.

Earlier updates: