Levi Brown (OL)

Ravens Sign 18 Undrafted Free Agents

TUESDAY, 9:56am: The Ravens have announced an 18th UDFA signing, adding Montana Tech linebacker Ryan Jones to the list (Twitter link). Jones got a signing bonus of $1K, per Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 2:38pm: The Ravens have signed 17 players who went undrafted over the weekend, the team announced today in a press release. Here’s the complete list of rookie free agents Baltimore has added to its roster:

  • Xavius Boyd, LB, Western Kentucky ($1.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Levi Brown, DT, Temple
  • Jeremy Butler, WR, Tennessee-Martin ($4K bonus)
  • Jace Davis, WR, Northern Colorado ($4K bonus)
  • Parker Graham, OT, Oklahoma State ($9K bonus)
  • Derrick Hopkins, DT, Virginia Tech ($10K bonus)
  • James Hurst, OT, North Carolina ($9K bonus)
  • Tramain Jacobs, CB, Texas A&M ($4.5K bonus)
  • Richie Leone, P, Houston
  • Jamie Meder, DT, Ashland ($3.5K bonus)
  • Dexter Moody, S, Albany State
  • Deji Olatoye, CB, North Carolina A&T ($6K bonus)
  • Zachary Orr, LB, North Texas ($3K bonus)
  • A.J. Pataiali’i, DT, Utah State ($1K bonus)
  • Avery Patterson, CB, Oregon ($3K bonus)
  • Sammy Seamster, CB, Middle Tennessee State ($8K bonus)
  • Brett Van Sloten, OT, Iowa ($6K bonus)

Steelers Release Levi Brown, Larry Foote

The Steelers cap-related moves keep coming, as the team is releasing offensive lineman Levi Brown and linebacker Larry Foote, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the cuts (via Twitter), and also announced the release of cornerback Curtis Brown, which we discussed earlier.

Brown, who the Steelers acquired in a trade with the Cardinals last October, didn’t play a single snap for Pittsburgh after tearing his triceps. His release will be a major boon for the Steelers, wiping a $6.25MM from the club’s books for 2014. As for Foote, the team may miss his on-field contributions a little more. Drafted by the Steelers in 2002, Foote has remained in Pittsburgh since then, appearing in 172 games for the franchise. His 2013 season was also wiped out by an injury (torn biceps), and his release will create about $1.167MM in cap savings for the Steelers.

Taking into account their three cuts and two extensions for Heath Miller and Troy Polamalu, the Steelers have created more than $14MM in cap savings today, which should go a long way toward getting the team under the 2014 cap. At least one or two more moves will likely be required, with Ike Taylor and LaMarr Woodley representing strong candidates to be released or restructured.

Panthers Tops In “Dead Money”

Thanks in large part to last season’s trade of Jon Beason, the Panthers have $17.8MM in “dead money,” more than any team in the league, according to ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (full chart here). “Dead money” is defined as cap space consumed by players no longer on the roster, whether they retired, were released or traded. The numbers will fluctuate as rosters continue to evolve, but listed below are the five teams with at least $10MM worth of “dead money” at present time, including the players accounting for most of the sunk costs:

At the other end of the spectrum, six teams have less than $1MM in “dead money”: Jets, Rams, Buccaneers, Colts, Seahawks and Bengals.