Jerome Smith

Workout Notes: 12/17/15

Thursday’s workouts from around the NFL:

  • CFL receiver Eric Rogers is in high demand, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter, as he worked out with the Chargers and will meet with the Eagles on Friday, giving him 14 visits in all.
  • In addition to Rogers, the Chargers worked out two more CFL players – punter Swayze Waters and receiver Terrell Sinkfield – according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The Saints also tried out three CFLers – linebacker Dexter McCoil, defensive back Emanuel Davis and D-lineman Cleyon Laing – as well as running back Isaiah Pead and receiver Damarr Aultman, per Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Dolphins worked out quarterbacks Zac Dysert and Dustin Vaughan, running backs Dominique Brown and Jerome Smith, and defensive linemen Joe Vellano and Julius Warmsley, Wilson reports (Twitter link).
  • The Bengals gave quarterback Phillip Sims a tryout (Wilson via Twitter).
  • Defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo visited the Cardinals. The team also worked out CFLers Willie Jefferson (linebacker), Aaron Grymes (defensive back) and Mitchell White (cornerback). Twitter links via Wilson.

Workout Notes: 12/8/15

There were a plethora of workouts around the NFL today. Here they are:

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/15

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

  • The Eagles have signed reserve offensive lineman Dennis Kelly to a one-year extension through 2016, according to a league source who spoke with Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Kelly will earn a $760K base salary with a $30K workout bonus.
  • The Seahawks waived running back Robert Turbin off of their IR with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The 25-year-old Turbin was a fourth-round pick of Seattle in 2012. Since then, he’s amassed 928 yards on 231 carries (4.0 YPC), also adding 43 catches and two receiving touchdowns. Seattle waived Turbin shortly after adding Fred Jackson last week.
  • Washington gave wide receiver Evan Spencer (concussion) an injury settlement and released him from injured reserve, Zac Boyer of The Washington Times tweets.
  • The following players reached injury settlements with their respective teams, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter): Jerome Smith (Falcons), D.J. Tialavea (Falcons), Josh Martin (Chiefs), Christion Jones (Dolphins), Melvin Meggs (Chargers), Josh Allen (Buccaneers).
  • The Seahawks worked out an injury settlement with Triston Wade, Wilson tweets.

Falcons Mince Roster Down To 52 Players

The Falcons are among the final teams to unveil their regular-season roster, and they did so by leaving one spot open.

Atlanta’s roster now sits at 52 players, one below the limit of 53, according to AtlantaFalcons.com.

The team parted ways with Antone Smith, who reached an injury settlement with the team. Out since the Falcons’ preseason opener with a hamstring injury, the 29-year-old backup did not suit up for the team again and will now avoid injured reserve due to this settlement.

Also rehabbing from a broken leg sustained last November, Smith signed a one-year, $1.4MM deal in March to stay in Atlanta.

Injury-plagued veteran tight end Tony Moeaki also couldn’t make the roster. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Seahawks before signing on with the Falcons in March. Atlanta will go with Jacob Tamme and Levine Toilolo as its top two tight ends.

The Falcons placed Jon Asamoah, fullback Collin Mooney and cornerback Travis Howard on injured reserve. Asamoah, a high-priced signing in 2014, suffered a hip injury during preseason workouts.

Those also cut are as follows:

  • LB Derek Akunne
  • OL Pierce Burton
  • CB Akeem King
  • OL Eric Lefeld
  • LB Stansly Maponga
  • NT Joey Mbu
  • WR Carlton Mitchell
  • OL Adam Replogle (waived/injured)
  • RB Jerome Smith
  • TE D.J. Tialavea
  • LB Tyler Starr

Falcons Cut Anderson, Promote Jerome Smith

8:37am: Running back Jerome Smith, who has spent the entire season on the Falcons’ practice squad, will take Anderson’s spot on the 53-man roster, per agent David Canter (Twitter link).

7:55am: After being on the Falcons’ active roster for a little over a month, veteran linebacker James Anderson will be released by the team, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Anderson will become a free agent, able to sign with any club, assuming he clears waivers.

Anderson, 31, started all 16 games last season for the Bears, with Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) ranking him 33rd out of 35 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers. That poor grade was due in large part to subpar performance against the run — he was one of the league’s more effective linebackers in pass coverage. Still, he didn’t see any time on defense during an earlier stint this season in Tennessee, appearing exclusively on special teams, and during his time with Atlanta, he didn’t see the field at all.

When Anderson’s release becomes official, the Falcons will likely announce a corresponding move, either a free agent signing or a promotion of a practice squad player.

Sunday Transactions: NFC South

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

Atlanta Falcons:

Carolina Panthers:

New Orleans Saints:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

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:

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.

Falcons Cut 10 Players

The Falcons have slimmed their roster all the way down to the 75-man limit by cutting 10 players, the team announced in a press release:

  • Theo Agnew, DE
  • Brenden Daley, LB
  • Darin Drakeford, LB
  • Devonta Glover-Wright, S
  • Tyrell Johnson, S
  • Julian Jones, WR
  • Jeff Matthews, QB
  • Walker May, LB
  • Jerome Smith, RB
  • Tramaine Thompson, WR
  • Brian Wozniak, TE

Of the 12, only Johnson, a former second-round pick of the Vikings, was released rather than waived, as he has accrued more than four years of service time.

Falcons Sign 20 Undrafted Free Agents

The Falcons are the latest team to make their undrafted free agent class official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed 20 new rookies to contracts. Here’s the complete list:

  • Geraldo Boldewijn, WR, Boise State
  • Brenden Daley, LB, Hawaii
  • Nosa Eguae, DE, Auburn
  • Devonta Glover-Wright, CB, Utah State
  • Maurice Hagens, FB, Miami (FL)
  • Julian Jones, WR, Arkansas State
  • Freddie Martino, WR, North Greenville
  • Jeff Mathews, QB, Cornell
  • Walker May, OLB, Vanderbilt
  • Kimario McFadden, S, South Carolina State
  • Roosevelt Nix, FB, Kent State ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Jacob Pedersen, TE, Wisconsin
  • Bernard Reedy, WR, Toledo
  • Donte Rumph, DT, Kentucky
  • Jacques Smith, OLB, Tennessee
  • Jerome Smith, RB, Syracuse
  • James Stone, C, Tennessee
  • Tramaine Thompson, WR, Kansas State
  • Brian Wozniak, TE, Wisconsin
  • Matt Yoklic, P, Pittsburgh