Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/19

Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

  • Waived: K Jonathan Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Workout Notes: Dolphins, Texans, Saints

Here are today’s workouts and auditions:

  • Cornerback Dexter McDonald worked out for the Dolphins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). McDonald was a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2015 and appeared in 27 games (six starts) for Oakland from 2015-17. He spent all of last year on IR with an ankle injury.
  • The Texans worked out running back Johnny Thomas, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thomas signed with the Bengals this year as a UDFA out of Penn State, where he was primarily a special teams contributor.
  • The Saints worked out safety Jordan Moore, per Wilson (Twitter link). Moore, who played for both TCU and the University of Texas at San Antonio as a collegian, signed with the Falcons as a UDFA in 2017. He was cut in August of that year and later caught on with the Broncos’ taxi squad, but Denver waived/injured him last September.

Dolphins, Colts Work Out Matt Elam

The Dolphins and Colts worked out Matt Elam, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The former Ravens-first round pick auditioned for Miami on Monday and his Colts workout took place sometime before that. 

Elam, a former first round pick of the Ravens, hasn’t done a whole lot on the field. Elam struggled as a starter in his first two NFL seasons and he missed the entire 2015 campaign thanks to a biceps tear in training camp. Then, after losing much of 2016 to a knee injury, Elam showed very little in the nine games that he did appear in.

Elam is perhaps better known to football fans for his missteps off of the field. Elam’s was arrested in February 2017 when police say he was caught while holding 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone. Then, in May, he was arrested for grand theft and battery. Eventually, Elam had all charges against him dropped and he has already served a six-game ban from the NFL as a free agent.

Across three seasons with the Ravens, Elam has 130 career tackles, 41 appearances, and 26 starts to his credit.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/19

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: OL Tiano Pupungatoa
  • Waived: RB Roc Thomas

New York Jets

  • Placed on active/PUP list: DB Brandon Bryant
  • Placed on active/NFI list: CB Bless Austin

Dolphins Place 3 On PUP List

  • One of Gronkowski’s former sidekicks in New England, Dwayne Allen will not begin camp on time with his new team. The Dolphins placed the veteran tight end on their active/PUP list on Sunday. Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley and linebacker/special-teamer Mike Hull joined Allen in receiving this designation before Miami’s camp. Tankersley tore an ACL in November, so this additional delay was not unexpected. He started 11 games at corner as a rookie but played in only six, as a reserve, last season.

Dolphins Waive DT Kendrick Norton

The car accident that resulted in Dolphins rookie Kendrick Norton needing to have one of his arms amputated at the scene led to the team waiving him Sunday.

The Dolphins announced they waived the defensive tackle with an non-football injury designation. Norton, 22, will not play football again, but this transaction will allow him to collect a rookie salary from the Dolphins. He will revert to the team’s reserve/NFI list.

Norton caught on with the Dolphins in December 2018, when the team signed him off of the Panthers’ practice squad.

I realize that I will not be able to play for anyone,” Norton said, via CBS 4 Miami. “We are working past that, you know. That reality is sinking in. I am alive and I am grateful.”

Insurance from the NFL and Dolphins will pay for Norton’s medical expenses. The Jacksonville, Fla., native, chosen in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, was released from the hospital this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/19

Today’s minor moves will be posted here:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Malik Taylor

Miami Dolphins

Taylor is an undrafted rookie who played his college ball at D-II Ferris State. He originally signed as an UDFA with the Buccaneers after the draft, but didn’t last long in Tampa Bay. The Packers already have a bunch of young receivers on the roster, so he’ll be facing an uphill climb to even make the practice squad.

Blacknall is a speedster who went undrafted out of Penn State last year. He signed with the Raiders and after some impressive moments during the preseason he made the practice squad. He was briefly signed to the active roster in November, so he does have one NFL game under his belt. Blacknall could have a legit shot of making the team since the Dolphins are entering a full-blown rebuild and will be looking for as much young talent as possible.

Dolphins Coach Jim Caldwell Taking Leave Of Absence

Dolphins assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell will be taking a leave of absence to focus on his health, the team announced in a press release this morning.

“I will be stepping back due to some medical complications that require my full attention,” Caldwell said. “I want to thank Stephen Ross, Chris Grier, Coach Flores and the rest of the organization for the support they have given me and my family.”

The Dolphins will still keep the 64-year-old on board, as Caldwell will serve as a consultant to the team for the upcoming season. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Jerry Schuplinski, a former Patriots assistant, will likely take on many of Caldwell’s duties.

“Our focus is on Jim’s health and supporting him in every way that we can,” said head coach Brian Flores. “With his knowledge and experience, Jim has been an invaluable member to our coaching staff and will continue to serve as a sounding board for me throughout the season.”

Caldwell has been coaching since 1977, and he’s held NFL gigs since 2001. He had a three-year stint as the head coach of the Colts that included a Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell later moved on to become the head coach of the Lions, and he compiled a 36-28 record during his four years in Detroit.

Caldwell had a handful of head coaching interviews this past offseason, including talks with the Packers, Jets, and Browns. After Flores was hired in Miami, Caldwell was brought in as an assistant.

Preston Williams Impressed During Dolphins' Spring

NFL Supplemental Draft Order

The NFL’s Supplemental Draft order does not go by the inverted win/loss records of clubs. Instead, the order is dictated by a weighted lottery that uses a team’s win percentage as just part of the equation. Here, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) is the complete order of the supplemental draft:

1. Lions
2. Broncos
3. Jets
4. Cardinals
5. Giants
6. Bills
7. Raiders
8. 49ers
9. Jaguars
10. Packers
11. Bengals
12. Bucs
13. Falcons
14. Vikings
15. Redskins
16. Titans
17. Dolphins
18. Steelers
19. Panthers
20. Browns
21. Ravens
22. Patriots
23.Cowboys
24. Seahawks
25. Eagles
26. Texans
27. Bears
28. Colts
29. Saints
30. Chiefs
31. Chargers
32. Rams

The supplemental draft is conducted via email. If multiple teams submit a pick for the same player in the same round, this order dictates which club gets the player. Of course, any team picking a player in the supplemental draft will sacrifice the corresponding pick in the 2020 draft.

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