Leon Orr

Leon Orr Arrested; Released By Dolphins

Leon Orr is out of a job. After being arrested on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance, the Dolphins have released the defensive tackle, coach Adam Gase confirmed to reporters. Leon Orr (vertical)

Orr was signed to Miami’s practice squad in September and was bumped up to the active roster in October. The promotion was a big opportunity for the 2015 UDFA out of Florida as he had only three NFL games on his resume heading into this season. Now, it might be a while before he gets his next opportunity to play anywhere.

Orr, 24, was pulled over when cops believed his car to have illegally tinted windows. Upon approaching the car, deputies detected a strong odor of marijuana. From there, they found Orr to be carrying marijuana on his person and discovered marijuana wax and THC-laced liquids in the car.

This isn’t Orr’s first red flag. During his senior year at Florida, Orr was moved out of the starting lineup and responded by walking out on the program. When he returned two days later to apologize, he was told by then-coach Will Muschamp that he was not welcome back. If not for that incident, it’s possible that Orr could have been a Day 3 pick.

Dolphins Promote DT Leon Orr

The Dolphins have promoted defensive tackle Leon Orr from their practice squad, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweetsLeon Orr (vertical)

Orr appeared in three games for the Raiders last season. This year, he spent training camp with Oakland but was let go prior to the 75-man deadline. He was then out of work for a few weeks, but he ultimately hooked on with Miami’s taxi squad on Sept. 20. Now, he’s back on the varsity squad.

The 2015 UDFA out of Florida joins a defensive tackle group headlined by Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips. He’ll play in a support role along with Chris Jones and Julius Warmsley.

The Dolphins are currently dead last in the NFL when it comes to run defense. Miami is hoping that a deeper defensive tackle rotation can help fix that.

Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/16

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Cut: DE Nordly Capi and DB Devonte Johnson (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: DT Leon Orr (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)

New York Giants

  • Signed: OT Laurence Gibson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
  • Cut: S Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Mark Kaboly of DK Pittsburgh Sports)

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed: TE Austin Traylor (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks

Raiders Make Cuts, Down To 75

The Raiders have cut down to 75 with roughly 24 hours to spare. The following players have been waived by Oakland:

  • Chris Edwards
  • S Chris Hackett
  • S Jimmy Hall
  • WR Joe Hanley
  • WR Max McCaffrey
  • WR Nathan Palmer
  • DT Leon Orr
  • K Giorgio Tavecchio
  • TE Colton Underwood
  • DB Tramain Jacobs
  • LS Andrew East
  • LB Lenny Jones
  • OL Terran Vaughn
  • OL Ross Burbank

In addition, the Raiders also formally placed tight end Gabe Holmes on IR.

McCaffrey, of course, is the son of former Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. Max, a Duke product, turned heads when he posted a 4.46 second 40-yard dash at his pro day earlier this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/15

Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the league.

  • Sixth-round rookie Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball will move to IR, and the team signed defensive tackle Leon Orr to replace him, CSNBayArea.com reports. Ball started two games for the Raiders. Orr signed in Oakland as a rookie UDFA in May.
  • In a corresponding transaction with Eugene Monroe being placed on IR, the Ravens added quarterback Bryn Renner to their active roster, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. Renner represents insurance in case Matt Schaub, who is questionable with a chest injury, sits out Sunday and forces backup Jimmy Clausen into the lineup.
  • The Patriots signed linebacker Eric Martin from their practice squad and to fill that spot on the 10-man unit added running back Trey Williams, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Reiss notes Martin’s addition could be a reaction to the Eagles’ blocked punt in their upset win over the Patriots in Week 13. Martin worked out for the Texans last week.
  • To fill Damontre Moore‘s roster spot after the defensive end’s Giants tenure concluded Friday, the team claimed defensive end Stansly Maponga off the Falcons‘ practice squad, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A Falcons fifth-round pick in 2013, Maponga played in 12 games in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons but hasn’t suited up for a game this year. The 24-year-old TCU alum recovered two fumbles last season.
  • The Titans signed linebacker J.R. Tavai off their practice squad and placed fellow backer Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil on IR to make room on the roster, Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com reports (via Twitter). Cudjoe-Virgil suffered a torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday.
  • The 49ers elevated tight end Brian Leonhardt to their active roster, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The 25-year-old’s spent his NFL career in the Bay Area, playing in 12 games for the Raiders in 2014 after residing in Oakland in 2013 as well. A Division II product, Leonhardt has not seen any game action in San Francisco this season.
  • The Ravens re-signed rookie safety Nick Perry to their practice squad, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). An Alabama product, Perry hasn’t played in a game this season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/15

We’ll track the day’s minor transactions here, with the newest updates appearing at the top of the list:

  • Two days after Rams head coach Jeff Fisher indicated that defensive end Robert Quinn and safety T.J. McDonald would be placed on injured reserve, McDonald has officially landed on IR, with the team promoting cornerback Eric Patterson from its practice squad to take the newly-opened roster spot (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). For now, Quinn remains on the active roster.
  • As Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com observes (via Twitter), Raiders practice squad defensive lineman Leon Orr tweeted today that he’s being elevated to the 53-man roster. Oakland will likely make that promotion – as well as a corresponding move – official tomorrow.
  • The Patriots cut running back Trey Williams, who was claimed off waivers from Dallas earlier this month, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Williams officially got word of his release on Thursday, just a day before he turned 23.
  • The Bills promoted linebacker A.J. Tarpley to the 53-man roster while placing linebacker Tony Steward on injured reserve, tweets Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. A back injury sidelined Steward last Sunday, bringing his rookie season to an early end.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West 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 Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am 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 AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed:
    • OL Jah Reid (link)
  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad:

Oakland Raiders

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed to practice squad (press release):
    • TE Alex Bayer (Twitter link via Jim Thomas)
    • CB Greg Ducre
    • WR Javontee Herndon
    • G Michael Huey
    • LB Ryan Mueller
    • S Adrian Phillips
    • QB Brad Sorensen (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken)
    • RB Dreamius Smith
    • DT Damion Square

Raiders’ Roster Takes Shape

Despite surpassing Trent Richardson on the depth chart, Michael Dyer couldn’t complete his ascent into regular-season action with the Raiders.

Instead, Oakland rejiggered its depth chart by bringing Taiwan Jones, a former running back, back to his original spot from corner, where he played previously. Jones now occupies the third-string spot behind Latavius Murray and Roy Helu, as the Raiders announced the waiving of Dyer and others in order to dice their roster down to 53.

In addition to severing ties with Christian Ponder, Oakland released Kris Durham and defensive lineman C.J. Wilson.

Here are the rest of Oakland’s cut-day casualties:

  • George Atkinson III, RB
  • Mitch Bell, G
  • Spencer Hadley, LB
  • Shelby Harris, DE
  • Dan Kistler, T
  • Brian Leonhardt, TE
  • Ricky Lumpkin, DT
  • Tevin McDonald, CB
  • Anthony Morris, T (Waived/injured)
  • Leon Orr, DT
  • Brandian Ross, S (IR)
  • Josh Shirley, LB
  • Georgio Tavecchio, K
  • Max Valles, DE
  • Gary Wilkins, DE
  • Devon Wylie, WR

Raiders Sign 14 Undrafted FAs

The Raiders have signed 14 undrafted free agents to their roster, adding them in time for rookie minicamp, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the complete list, via the team:

  • Rob Daniel, CB, BYU
  • Quinterrius Eatmon, OL, South Florida
  • Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada
  • Jacoby Hale, LB, Utah
  • Jimmy Hall, S, Northwestern
  • Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State
  • Gabe Holmes, TE, Purdue
  • Gus Johnson, RB, Stephen F. Austin
  • Tevin McDonald, S, Eastern Washington
  • Braylon Mitchell, LB, Arkansas
  • Leon Orr, DT, Florida
  • Terrell Pinson, S, Louisiana Tech
  • Josh Shirley, LB, UNLV ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Milton Williams, WR, Delaware State