Kofi Hughes

Bears Cut Adrian Wilson, Eight Others

Sunday, 12:28pm: The Bears have also waived OL Joe Long, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago needs to make six more cuts before 3pm central time on Tuesday.

Saturday, 9:02pm: The Bears have cut ties with veteran safety Adrian Wilson, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Biggs also reports that the team has let go of defensive tackle Nate Collins (Twitter link), offensive lineman Dylan Gandy (Twitter link) and a group of young players:

The Bears signed the 34-year-old Wilson in June with the hope that he’d add a veteran presence to the secondary. The safety missed the entire 2013 season with a foot injury, and Biggs writes that he didn’t move around well enough in camp to justify a role. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Wilson’s last productive season came in 2011 when he made the Pro Bowl with the Cardinals.

Collins, a former undrafted free agent, was beginning to establish himself last season after starting a pair of games. The 26-year-old went down with an ACL injury, and while he’s done an admirable job recovering, Biggs indicates that the team preferred to move forward with draft picks Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton. 

Gandy, a ten-year veteran, had spent the previous five seasons with the Lions, where he served exclusively as a backup. Before that he played for the Raiders, Broncos, and Colts, where he won a Super Bowl in 2007. The 32-year-old has played primarily guard and center throughout his career, and has appeared in at least 15 games since 2009.

Minor Moves: Friday

We’ll round up today’s minor transactions here, with the latest news appearing at the top.

  • The Raiders worked out a pair of tight ends today, and have opted to sign Kyle Auffray rather than Logan Brock, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Oakland will have to make a corresponding roster move to clear room for Auffray, who has already spent time with the Patriots and Browns this season, having been waived by Cleveland earlier this week.
  • Using the roster spot created when the team placed Zach Miller on injured reserve, the Bears have signed free agent wideout Kofi Hughes, the team announced today (via Twitter). Hughes hit free agency after being cut last week by the Texans.

Earlier updates:

  • Tight end Terrence Miller has been removed the Patriots‘ injured reserve list with a settlement, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
  • After suffering an injury in the Bears‘ preseason game last night, tight end Zach Miller is being placed on injured reserve, says Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links). Miller, who played his college ball at Nebraska-Omaha and shouldn’t be confused with the Seahawks tight end of the same name, sustained a Lisfranc injury, tearing ligaments in his foot, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins have swapped kickers today, signing John Potter while waiving Danny Hrapmann, the team announced on Twitter. Potter was a Bills sixth-round pick in 2012, and has also spent time with Redskins and Lions. Hrapmann, meanwhile, was undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi in 2012, has logged time with the Steelers and Cardinals, and played in the AFL.

Minor Moves: Friday

You can find Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL below, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening….

  • Per a couple of tweets from the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, the Colts have waived-injured linebacker Daniel Adongo and defensive end Jeris Pendelton. In addition, Indianapolis has signed guards Thomas Austin and Marcus Hall, and re-signed receiver Nu’Keese Richardson.

Earlier updates:

  • In a series of several tweets, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun lists the players who have been waived from their teams’ respective injured reserve lists with injury settlements: offensive lineman Darius Morris (Cowboys), cornerback Brandon Burton (Colts), defensive tackle Jordan Miller (Jaguars), and wideout Danny Coale (Steelers).
  • According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Colts have waived former Arena Football League offensive lineman Chad Anderson, who originally signed with the team last month.
  • Despite catching a touchdown in the Bengals‘ preseason opener, wide receiver Conner Vernon was one of three players cut by the team today, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Per Hobson, the team also waived wideout Jeremy Johnson and defensive tackle Zach Minter. The Bengals, who now have 86 players on the roster, may have interest in filling one of their open roster spots with a quarterback as Jason Campbell and A.J. McCarron work through some health issues, Hobson adds.
  • The Cardinals created a third opening on their 90-man roster today, cutting linebacker Trevardo Williams just a few days after claiming him off waivers. Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com has the details.
  • Wide receiver Kofi Hughes has been waived by the Texans, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The Lions swapped one defender for another today, signing defensive back Nate Ness and parting ways with linebacker Cory Greenwood to open up the necessary roster spot, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.

Minor Moves: Steelers, Dolphins, Seahawks

Here are a few of the latest transactions from around the league, including several draft pick signings, waiver claims, and cuts, plus a new contract for a player who was cut by his old team earlier this month:

  • Three teams parted ways with recently-signed undrafted free agents or players on reserve contracts, as the Steelers cut offensive lineman Kaycee Ike, the Dolphins dropped running back Cameron Marshall, and the Texans waived guard Kevin Forsch (all Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun). The Packers also waived linebacker Victor Aiyewa, per Wilson (via Twitter).
  • Three players cut this week have been claimed off waivers, according to Wilson, who reports (in a series of three tweets) that tackle Michael Ola is headed to the Bears, defensive back Deion Belue was awarded to the Steelers, and receiver Kofi Hughes was claimed by the Texans.
  • A couple more updates from Wilson: Luke Marquardt is now on the 49ers‘ injured reserve list (Twitter link), while Garrett Scott has been placed on the Seahawks‘ non-football injury list (Twitter link).
  • Having been recently cut by the Seahawks, defensive back Jimmy Legree has signed with the Cardinals, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

Earlier updates:

  • The Seahawks became the NFL’s fourth team to finishing locking up its 2014 draft class, announcing last night that fourth-round wide receiver Kevin Norwood and fourth-round linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis have signed their rookie contracts. The Saints, Chiefs, and Bears were the first three clubs to sign all their draftees.
  • Sixth-round cornerback Brandon Dixon has inked his four-year rookie deal with the Jets, the team confirmed today in a press release. The 195th overall selection, Dixon is in line for a signing bonus worth about $103K an an overall four-year base value of around $2.324MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The former Northwest Missouri State speedster is the 10th of 12 Jets draft picks to sign his contract.
  • The Dolphins have signed former Buccaneers cornerback Anthony Gaitor, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The appropriately named Gaitor, a seventh-round pick in 2011, remains in the state where he also played his college ball, at Florida International.

NFC Notes: Marshall, Redskins, Bucs, 49ers

Under the conditions of Brandon Marshall‘s new contract with the Bears, the receiver will receive $22.3MM guaranteed, all coming in the next two years. That includes a $7.5MM signing bonus, a $7.3MM base salary for 2014, and a $7.5MM salary for 2015, says Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. As Biggs outlines, the deal also features annual $200K workout bonuses, and includes an escalator for 2017 if the Bears make it to the Super Bowl in any of the first three seasons of the contract.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • In addition to signing second-round linebacker Trent Murphy, the Redskins made a pair of minor moves today, signing free agent wideout Rashad Ross and waiving receiver Kofi Hughes (Twitter link). Ross was recently cut by the Chiefs, while Hughes had been signed earlier this month out of Indiana as an undrafted free agent.
  • Mike Biehl, who has worked for the Chargers for the last 13 years, has joined the Buccaneers as the club’s director of college scouting, according to a team release. Said GM Jason Licht on the hiring of Biehl: “He’s coming from an organization that has been among the winningest and most successful in the NFL during his time there and whose foundation has been built around draft picks, which was important as we researched all candidates.”
  • The 49ers‘ rookie minicamp will feature several local prospects, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who tweets that UC Davis tight end Taylor Sloat, Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas, and Stanford running back Anthony Wilkerson will participate.
  • The Cardinals will audition Arizona State wide receiver Kevin Ozier at their rookie camp, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Redskins Sign Four More Free Agents

SATURDAY, 6:09pm: The team announced the signings of four free agents today:

  • Frank Kearse, DE, Alabama A&M
  • Courtney Bridget, CB, Hampton
  • Ross Madison, S, Toledo
  • Blake Sailors, CB, Georgia

Kearse was a seventh-round pick by the Dolphins in 2011, and most recently spent time with the Panthers in 2013. The latter three players attended rookie minicamp practices on a tryout basis.

In corresponding moves, the team also announced the release of four players: Rees, Davenport, Perry and FS Jose Gumbs.

THURSDAY, 11:03am: Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees rounds out the Redskins’ list of undrafted free agent signings, according to the team.

WEDNESDAY, 4:10pm: Coming into today, the Redskins were one of just three teams that had yet to formally announce their class of rookie free agents. The league has remedied that, officially revealing that Washington has added nine UDFAs to the roster. Courtesy of Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (all Twitter links), here’s the list:

  • Chris Davenport, DT, Tulane
  • Lee Doss, WR, Southern
  • Kofi Hughes, WR, Indiana
  • Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU ($7.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR, Northwestern
  • Kevin Perry, TE, UTEP
  • Silas Redd, RB, USC
  • Bryan Shepherd, CB, North Dakota State
  • Robert Thomas, DT, Arkansas

Draft Notes: Linemen, Lobato, Hughes, Boone

Few are more plugged in on scouts’ takes on draft prospects than the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Bob McGinn — yesterday, we looked at his reports on the running back class, and today we’ll examine his profiles of the available offensive lineman.

Greg Robinson was the highest rated offensive tackle, as one scout called the Auburn star “bust-proof,” and another lauded his power, punch, and speed. However, one evaluator did say Robinson might end up at right tackle rather than as a blind-side protector, and another scout said “I love [him], but what hurts him is he doesn’t know how to pass block yet. [But] [i]t’s not his fault. It’s the scheme.”

Zack Martin took the top spot among offensive guards, with one scout opining: “Love him. Not a real bulky guy. All I know is he’s got a great jam and can punch the hell out of you. Nobody beats him. Everybody keeps wanting to move him inside. Well, you better have somebody that can block those outside rushers.” Another scout stated the Notre Dame product is “as safe a pick as there is.” Among centers, Weston Richburg and Marcus Martin were given the highest grades. The entire piece is worth reading for expert opinions on prospects.

More draft notes:

  • Northern Colorado quarterback Seth Lobato is drawing some pre-draft buzz — he talked with the Patriots during his Pro Day and worked out for the Dolphins, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • We noted yesterday that Indiana receiver Kofi Hughes met with the Redskins, and now Wilson reports that he also visited with the Bears, Colts, and Bengals.
  • Late-round prospect Kadron Boone of LSU is also garnering interest, having received phone calls from about a third of the league, as per Wilson.
  • Wilson has even more, as he adds on Twitter that Minnesota State defensive end Chris Schaudt is drawing interest from teams as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
  • ESPN draft guru Todd McShay thinks Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio should have returned to school for the 2015 season, but allows that he could be a good value as a second-round pick, writes Andrew Gribble of Alabama.com.
  • Andrew Sachais of Philly.com uses statistical correlations to examine the value of a quarterback in the draft, and, in what is sure to be disheartening to fans pinning their hopes on newly-selected QBs, finds that there is only about a coin-flip’s chance in discovering a franchise signal-caller.

Redskins’ Draft Notes: Borland, Linemen, Hughes

ESPN’s Todd McShay had a conference call last week in which he spoke about the Redskins’ position in the draft. Without a first-round selection, McShay and his colleague Mel Kiper Jr. gave the team Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland with the second pick of round two in their three-round mock draft. John Keim of ESPN.com is not sold that Borland is the best fit or the best value at that spot in the draft, even for a team in such need of help rushing the passer.

Here are more notes about the Redskins’ draft plans:

  • While the team does need help rushing the passer, Keim writes that interior pass rushers should not be overlooks when considering the age of the defensive line. Keim notes that Jason HatcherBarry CofieldStephen Bowen and Kedric Golston will all be over 30 years old this season.
  • In a separate mailbag, Keim addresses the idea that the Redskins need to use the draft to bolster the offensive line. While the line is far from perfect, Keim notes that especially a team with so few draft picks, drafting specifically for need could be crippling. The team addressed the offensive line in free agency, and using later round picks will not significantly improve the team this season.
  • The Redskins met with Indiana wide receiver Kofi Hughes, one of four teams to meet with him according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun-Times. Hughes was a productive player in college, totaling 13 touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards in his collegiate career.