Jamel Johnson

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/17

Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:

  • The 49ers have placed linebacker Donavin Newsom on injured reserve and and waived/injured fellow LB Jayson DiManche. An undrafted rookie from Missouri, Newsom avoided a severe neck injury during practice last week, but he still suffered a concussion. DiManche has been with the 49ers twice in recent months, and his second tenure with the team only spanned 11 days. The 26-year-old has 29 NFL appearances on his resume, all of which came with the Browns and Bengals from 2013-15.
  • The Falcons have signed running back Jhurell Pressley, according to JuliaKate E. Culpepper of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Pressley, a 2016 undrafted free agent from New Mexico, spent time on Atlanta’s practice squad last year, before which he had stints with the Vikings and Packers.
  • The Seahawks have signed linebacker Rodney Butler, waived linebacker Ronald Powell with an injury settlement, waived wide receiver Jamel Johnson and waived/injured safety Jordan Simone (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Butler had been awaiting an opportunity since going undrafted this spring from New Mexico State, where he amassed 165 tackles last season. Powell is the only member of this quartet with NFL experience, having appeared in 14 games (no starts, one tackle) with the Saints in 2014. He originally signed with the Seahawks off the Bears’ practice squad last December. Johnson, who went undrafted back in 2014, has had two Seahawks stints – the most recent of which didn’t even last two weeks. Simone, undrafted in 2016, has been in and out of the Seahawks organization since late May. He was a playmaker from 2014-15 at Arizona State, where he totaled 191 tackles, five sacks and four interceptions.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/17

Thursday’s minor NFL moves:

  • The Saints claimed offensive tackle Jerry Ugokwe off waivers from the Colts, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. In a corresponding move, the Saints waived fellow tackle Martin Wallace with an injury designation, per Nick Underhill of the Advocate (on Twitter). Ugokwe is an undrafted free agent from William & Mary who was with the Colts from May until Wednesday. Wallace, who joined the Saints in late July, has bounced around the league since going undrafted in 2013. He appeared in one game with Cleveland that year.
  • Defensive end Rufus Johnson agreed to a deal with the Raiders, relays Rapoport (on Twitter). Johnson was involved in a “serious” car crash on Wednesday, notes Rapoport. The 26-year-old was previously with the Saints, Patriots and Redskins. His sole appearance came with New England in 2015.
  • The Jaguars signed long snapper Matt Overton to replace Carson Tinker, who suffered a torn right ACL. The team also added guard Malcolm Bunche. The headliner is Overton, who was the Colts’ long snapper from 2012-16. He appeared in 16 games in each of those seasons and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013.
  • The Seahawks signed receiver Jamel Johnson and waived wideout Rodney Smith, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. This is the second Seattle stint for Johnson, who was previously with the organization from late January through early May. Johnson went undrafted back in 2014 and has also been a member of the Green Bay organization. Smith, who signed with the Seahawks in January, combined to appear in eight games with the Vikings and Browns from 2013-14.
  • The Packers waived-injured cornerback Herb Waters with a shoulder issue, reports Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Waters came into the league last year as an undrafted receiver from Miami before shifting to corner. He made enough progress on the practice squad for the team to promote him during the playoffs.
  • Defensive back Stefan McClure agreed to a deal with the Redskins, per his reps at Uso Sports (on Twitter). McClure went undrafted from California last year and spent some time on the Colts’ practice squad.
  • The Buccaneers reached an injury settlement with receiver Thomas Sperbeck, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The club waived the undrafted rookie from Boise State after he suffered a hamstring strain last weekend.
  • The Texans announced they have moved outside linebacker Davon Pratt to the active roster and waived defensive end T.J. Daniel. Pratt, from East Carolina, joined the Texans as an undrafted free agent in May. So did Daniel, who went to Oregon.
  • The Chiefs placed undrafted rookie Jordan Sterns on waivers. Sterns is a safety from Oklahoma State.
  • The Panthers signed tight end Bryce Williams and waived-injured safety Travelle Dixon. The Panthers are the fourth team for Williams, who has also spent time with the Patriots, Rams and Seahawks since going undrafted out of East Carolina last year. Dixon, undrafted from Washington two years ago, first joined the Panthers in January 2016.
  • The Bears added running back Josh Rounds and waived-injured fellow RB Joel Bouagnon. Both players went undrafted this year (Rounds from Tulane, Bouagnon from Northwestern).
  • The Rams signed receivers Justin Thomas and C.J. Germany. They also waived fullback Zach Laskey (Twitter links via Rapoport and Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com).
  • The Chargers signed center Barrett Gouger, who worked out for the team Thursday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Gouger’s an undrafted rookie from Vanderbilt.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Seahawks Release CB Perrish Cox

The Seahawks have released the following players: "<strong

Cox, 30, joined the Seahawks in January as insurance in the wake of DeShawn Shead‘s knee injury. Shead is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but the Seahawks do not feel that Cox is worth keeping around as an alternative. Before signing with Seattle, Cox was with the Titans. He intercepted three passes in 11 games for Tennessee in 2016.

With Lunsford out of the way, Blair Walsh stands as the only place kicker on Seattle’s roster.

Even after releasing Farmer and Magee, the Seahawks still have nine running backs under contract.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/17

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

New England Patriots

New York Giants

  • K Aldrick Rosas

San Diego Chargers

  • WR Da’Ron Brown
  • WR Jamaal Jones

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Work Out Bernard Pierce

The Seahawks worked out free agent running back Bernard Pierce today, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). In addition the club also auditioned six other players, all listed below courtesy of Kyed unless otherwise noted:"<strong

Clearly, Seattle is still looking to augment its backfield depth after the revelation that Thomas Rawls will be out for several more weeks while dealing with a hairline fibula fracture. Christine Michael will continue to dominate touches, and the Seahawks also boast C.J Prosise, Alex Collins, and the recently-promoted Terrence Magee on the roster.

Pierce, 25, has 359 career carries to his name, most coming with Baltimore, for whom Pierce played during the first three seasons of his career. The Ravens waived Pierce in 2015 following a DUI arrest, and he was ultimately picked up by the Jaguars. Even with a two-game suspension hanging over his head, Pierce managed to land with the Jets this offseason, but quickly was placed on injured reserve and then released.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Packers Cut Six Players

The Packers have released six players, according to a team press release. The following players have been dropped by Green Bay:

Mortell, a Green Bay native, signed with the team as a UDFA shortly after this year’s draft. The former Big Ten punter of the year was duking it out with Tim Masthay, but it looks like the veteran has won the job.

Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/16

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/8/15

Here are today’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Jamel Johnson (Twitter link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com), RB Ross Scheuerman (Twitter link via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
  • Cut: DB Kyle Sebetic

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

  • To be signed: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
  • Cut: WR DeShon Foxx (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta)

Extra Points: Packers, Meyer, Draft

Some assorted notes from around the NFL (and several from the NCAA)…

  • Besides the previously-reported trio of players, the Packers also worked out three receivers yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter): Jamel Johnson, Deon Long and Kevin Vereen.
  • Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said through a school spokesman that he doesn’t have interest in any job besides his current position (via Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch on Twitter). The NFL Network’s Albert Breer believes this to be sincere, tweeting that he’s heard Meyer isn’t “considering the NFL right now.”
  • A lot has been made of Jared Goff out of Cal declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft as the potential top quarterback available, but one of his favorite targets Kenny Lawler could also declare, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter).
  • Pauline also notes that Toledo running back Kareem Hunt has been meeting with agents, signifying a likeliness to declare for the NFL Draft (via Twitter).
  • South Carolina’s standout receiver Pharoah Cooper will unsurprisingly enter the NFL Draft, as Neil Stratton of Inside The League writes that multiple sources have indicated his intentions (via Twitter). Cooper will be represented by CAA.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Lacy, Forte, 49ers, Kilgore

After back-to-back 100-yard games, Eddie Lacy didn’t see much action on Thursday night against the Lions, which seemed like an unusual call on the Packers‘ part, even though Lacy didn’t do much with his handful of carries. However, it seems Green Bay’s decision wasn’t solely based on Lacy’s on-field performance.

According to Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com, Lacy and fellow running back Alonzo Harris missed curfew on Wednesday night in Detroit. The violation of team rules resulted in a demotion for Lacy and a lost roster spot for Harris, who was cut just hours before the game in favor of practice squad back John Crockett.

When I passed along word earlier this afternoon that the Packers brought in former Broncos running back Montee Ball for a workout today, I noted that the Green Bay backfield situation was worth monitoring. That’s even more true in the wake of Demovsky’s report.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel adds a few more names to the group of players who worked out for the Packers today, tweeting that wide receivers Jamel Johnson, Deon Long, and Kevin Vereen also got auditions.
  • Matt Forte has been with the Bears his whole career, but is prepared to move on this offseason if they don’t offer him a contract, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. “There’s nothing I can do, really, except play football,” Forte said. “The decision on whether I stay or whether I go is not really up to me. It’s whether I get offered a contract extension, which I haven’t been offered one and doesn’t really look like it. If not, I go into free agency. So I’m pretty much satisfied with either way it goes.”
  • Addressing the reassignment of team president Paraag Marathe, which was reported earlier today, 49ers CEO Jed York has issued a statement via the club’s website. As expected, York presents the decision as one that Marathe was involved in making. “Despite how some have chosen to portray this transition in the media, I want you to know that Paraag has been and will continue to be an instrumental member of this organization,” York said in the statement.
  • 49ers center Daniel Kilgore is expected to make the trip to Chicago this weekend as a part of the active roster, but the 49ers still need to move him from the physically-unable-to-perform list. Head coach Jim Tomsula hinted that the move would occur on Saturday morning, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.