Lions Audition Jaye Howard, Garrett Grayson
The Lions have hosted workouts for defensive lineman Jaye Howard and quarterback Garrett Grayson, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (all Twitter links).
Howard, 28, was released by the Bears during final cutdowns after having a signed a one-year pact in May. A longtime Chief, Howard only suited up eight times and made five starts last year, as a hip injury ended his season in November. During his limited action in 2016, Howard added 23 tackles and a sack, and ranked 55th in performance among Pro Football Focus‘ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
Detroit needs all the help it can get in the front seven, as the club’s defensive line has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. Kerry Hyder and Jordan Hill have both been placed on injured reserve, while Armonty Bryant and Khyri Thornton won’t return until Weeks 4 and 6, respectively, after being hit with league-imposed bans.
Quarterback is a less-pressing need for the Lions, as Matthew Stafford and Jake Rudock comprise the team’s top two options under center. Seventh-round pick Brad Kaaya was lost via waivers earlier this month, and Detroit doesn’t currently have a signal-caller on its practice squad. Grayson, a former third-round selection of the Saints, has never attempted an NFL pass.
Howard and Grayson weren’t the only free agents on display in the Motor City. Per Balzer, the Lions also took a look at quarterback Mitch Leidner; wide receivers C.J. Board, Montay Crockett, Anthony Dable, Cyril Grayson, Bug Howard, and Jordan Payton; defensive tackles Jeremy Faulk, Marcus Hardison, and Louis Trinca-Pasat; defensive end Patrick Gamble; LB Nicholas Grigsby; and S Jack Tocho.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/17
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Jamil Douglas
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Tony McRae, C Matt Skura
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Eric Lee
- Released: S B.T. Sanders, CB Marcus Sayles
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: FB Alex Armah
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Ben Braunecker
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Rashard Higgins, CB Darius Hillary, S Kai Nacua
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Mark Nzeocha
- Released: WR Brian Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB LaTroy Lewis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Ronald Martin
- Released: S Andrew Williamson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Raysean Pringle
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Akeem Hunt
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Joseph Jones, CB Craig Mager
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, CB Kevin Peterson
- Released: OL Michael Dunn, DL Louis Trinca-Pasat
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Willie Beavers
- Released: LB Trevor Bates, DT Darius Kilgo
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Nordly Capi, WR Travis Rudolph
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Lawrence Thomas
- Released: DL Patrick Gamble
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Ben Boulware, RB Jeremy McNichols
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kenneth Durden
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC 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 Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Carlton Agudosi
- G Dorian Johnson
- CB Ryan Lewis
- S Harlan Miller
- TE Ricky Seals-Jones
- RB James Summers
- DT Pasoni Tasini
- LB Scooby Wright
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed:
- C J.J. Dielman
- DT Quinton Jefferson
- C Aaron Neary
- Waived:
- LB Nic Grigsby
- TE John Mundt
- DT Louis Trinca-Pasat
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Omarius Bryant
- OL Michael Dunn
- OL Jake Eldrenkamp
- DB Isaiah Johnson
- LB Cassanova McKinzy
- WR Paul McRoberts
- FB Sam Rogers
- OLB Carlos Thompson
- TE Travis Wilson
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed:
- DL Xavier Cooper (story)
- Placed on IR:
- DL Ronald Blair
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR DeAndre Carter
- OL John Flynn
- TE Cole Hikutini
- CB Asa Jackson
- QB Nick Mullens
- DL Noble Nwachukwu
- WR DeAndre Smelter
- OL Darrell Williams Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Mike Davis
- WR Cyril Grayson
- CB Mike Tyson
- C Joey Hunt
- DT Garrison Smith
- TE Tyrone Swoopes
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/10/17
The latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- Broncos linebacker Todd Davis has signed his restricted free agent tender, reports Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Broncos applied a second-rounder tender to Davis, meaning it would have been quite costly for anyone to sign him away from Denver. The 24-year-old Davis set career highs in starts (15) and tackles (97) last season, when his performance ranked a decent 43rd among Pro Football Focus’ 87 qualified linebackers.
- Patriots offensive lineman Cameron Fleming has signed his RFA tender, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats applied an original-round tender last month to Fleming, who was a fourth-round pick in 2014. Fleming has started in 14 of 35 appearances in three seasons, and is coming off his first 16-game campaign.
- The Rams are keeping defensive end Ethan Westbrooks, who signed his original-round RFA tender, relays Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Westbrooks, undrafted in 2014, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence last month, but the Sacramento County District Attorney chose not to file charges. Los Angeles is also retaining exclusive rights free agents Matt Longacre (DE) and Louis Trinca-Pasat (DT). Meanwhile, the team has officially waived wide receiver Stedman Bailey, whose career likely ended when he survived two gunshot wounds to the head in 2015.
- Nose tackle Mike Purcell and linebacker Carl Bradford have signed their ERFA tenders with the 49ers, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Purcell, the more experienced of the two, logged career-best totals in appearances (15), starts (five) and tackles (26) in 2016.
- The Raiders have waived defensive lineman Demetrius Cherry, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cherry signed with the 49ers last spring as an undrafted free agent from Arizona State. After the 49ers cut him prior to the season, he caught on with Oakland’s practice squad.
- The Falcons have signed former University of Georgia track and field athlete Garrett Scantling, who will try and make the team as a receiver (Instagram link). Scantling has not played football since his senior year of high school. However, he performed well when partaking in Jacksonville University’s pro day last month.
- LSU’s Cyril Grayson, who also has a background in track, has signed with the Seahawks, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The seven-time All-American hasn’t played football since 2011, but he did run a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at LSU’s pro day last week, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/11/16
Today’s minor moves, which we’ll keep updated throughout the day:
- After suffering a torn ACL and MCL, Louis Trinca-Pasat has been waived-injured by the Lions, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The undrafted defensive tackle didn’t see the field in 2015.
- The Rams have signed long snapper Jeff Overbaugh, tweets Wilson. The former San Diego State standout had been attending OTAs on a tryout basis.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/15
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Dolphins announced (Twitter link) that they have claimed defensive end Damontre Moore off waivers from the Giants. To make room, center/guard Jacques McClendon has been waived.
- The Bengals are expected to promote practice squad quarterback Keith Wenning to the 53-man roster as a backup to A.J. McCarron, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
- The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have promoted rookie linebacker John Timu from the taxi squad while waiving veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood.
- The Seahawks waived receiver B.J. Daniels and safety Akeem Davis while activating linebacker Brock Coyle from IR, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- Adrian Phillips will be promoted off of the Chargers‘ practice squad and on to the 53-man roster, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
- The Saints waived veteran defensive end Phillip Hunt on Tuesday, as Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune writes.
- The Raiders have signed long snapper Thomas Gafford, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, long snapper Jon Condo has been placed on IR.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) announced that they have waived linebacker Chris Carter.
- Tight end Chase Coffman has re-signed with the Seahawks, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Washington announced the signing of veteran tight end Alex Smith (not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name). Smith, 33, is an 11-year veteran who has had previous stints in the NFL with the Bucs, Pats, Eagles, Browns, and Saints. In other roster moves Tuesday, the team waived safety Trenton Robinson from IR with an injury settlement.
- The Cowboys have released cornerback Tyler Patmon, according to a source who spoke with Charean Williams of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Terrance Mitchell will now be called up from the taxi squad and given an opportunity to play at nickel.
- The Rams waived kicker Zach Hocker and signed defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat from the taxi squad, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC 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 Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams 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 NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Brandon Bostick (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky)
- CB Robert Nelson (Twitter link via Darren Urban)
- DL Lawrence Okoye (Twitter link via Doug Kyed)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to practice squad (link via Matt Maiocco):
- WR DiAndre Campbell
- CB Marcus Cromartie
- RB Kendall Gaskins
- DT Kaleb Ramsey
- OLB Marcus Rush
- NT Garrison Smith
- QB Dylan Thompson
- OG Andrew Tiller (Twitter link via Matt Barrows)
- S Jermaine Whitehead (Twitter link via Barrows)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE RaShaun Allen (Twitter link via Bob Condotta)
- CB Justin Coleman (Twitter link via Mike Kaye)
- OL Will Pericak (Twitter link via Condotta)
- LB Eric Pinkins (Twitter link via Condotta)
- T Terry Poole (Twitter link via Condotta)
- CB Kevin Short (Twitter link via Terez Paylor)
- WR Kevin Smith (Twitter link via Condotta)
- RB Rod Smith (Twitter link via Condotta)
- WR Kasen Williams (Twitter link via Rob Rang)
St. Louis Rams
- Signed to practice squad:
- T Isaiah Battle (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- RB Malcolm Brown (link)
- S Christian Bryant (link)
- TE Justice Cunningham (Twitter link via Jim Thomas)
- S Jacob Hagen (link)
- FB Zach Laskey (link)
- DE Matt Longacre (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- CB Trovon Reed (link)
- DT Louis Trinca-Pasat (Twitter link via Thomas)
- DT Doug Worthington (link)
Davis, Jones Among Rams’ Final Cuts
Thought to have the upper hand in the Rams’ center competition, Barrett Jones was one of St. Louis’ roster cuts as it trimmed to 53 players (according to Myles Simmons of the team’s website).
Tim Barnes and Demetrius Rhaney ended up sticking on the roster due to having better positional versatility than Jones, an Alabama product who the Rams took in the fourth round in 2013, per ESPN.com’s Nick Waggoner.
An undrafted free agent in 2011, Barnes is listed as the Rams’ starting snapper.
The Rams also waived Austin Davis, who started eight games for the team last season in Sam Bradford‘s absence. Davis threw for over 2,000 yards and completed 63.4% of his passes in his first game sample.
Here are the rest of the Rams’ cuts:
- Alex Bayer, TE
- Emory Blake, WR
- Malcolm Brown, RB
- Christian Bryant, S
- Justice Cunningham, TE
- Marcus Fortson, DT
- Montell Garner, CB
- Jacob Hagen, S
- Martin Ifedi, DE
- Zach Laskey, FB
- Matt Longacre, DE
- Marshall McFadden, LB
- Brandon McGee, CB
- Trovon Reed, CB
- Daniel Rodriguez, WR
- Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT
- Brandon Washington, OL
Rams Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
FRIDAY, 2:33pm: The Rams have officially announced their undrafted free agent signings, adding five more players to the list of 10 below, bringing their total to 15. Here are the five new names:
- Isiah Ferguson, WR, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- Montell Garner, DB, South Alabama
- Matt Longacre, DL, Northwest Missouri State
- Cameron Lynch, LB, Syracuse
- Keshaun Malone, LB, Bacone
SUNDAY, 4:41pm: After adding nine picks in the 2015 NFL draft, the Rams have agreed to sign another 10 undrafted players, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
- Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas
- Imoan Claiborne, CB, Northwestern State
- Terrence Franks, RB, Texas State
- Jacob Hagen, S, Liberty
- Jay Hughes, S, Mississippi State
- Zach Laskey, FB, Georgia Tech ($3K bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun)
- Bradley Marquez, WR, Texas Tech
- Tyler Slavin, WR, New Mexico-Highlands
- Louis Trinca-Pasat, DT, Iowa ($15K bonus and $10K of base salary guaranteed, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- Darrell Williams, T, South Florida
Extra Points: 49ers, Gase, Phillips
The 49ers continued to pursue Adam Gase as offensive coordinator after bypassing him for their head coaching position, a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. They were not successful, however, as Gase landed with the Bears earlier tonight. More from around the NFL..
- Former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips could draw interest from the Broncos and Raiders as a defensive coordinator candidate, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Raiders are hiring Marcus Robertson as their new defensive backs coach, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The team is still on the hunt for its next defensive coordinator, however. Veteran Charles Woodson pushed for the hire, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter).
- Former Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano interviewed with the 49ers for their tight ends coach position, a league source told Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Bears met with a pair of Chicago natives at the Senior Bowl, according to Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times (on Twitter). Defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat (Iowa) and guard Laken Tomlinson (Duke) met with reps from the team.
- Long rumored to be headed across the Bay, former Raiders defensive coordinator Jason Tarver is joining the 49ers as the team’s linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant, reports Jim Trotter of ESPN (via Twitter). While Tarver may have some input on the play-calling, the Niners are still on the lookout for a defensive coordinator.