Dolphins Shopping Will Davis
In advance of this week’s cutdown to 53 players, the Dolphins are calling around and offering players who aren’t in their plans to other teams, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. According to Salguero, one of the players on the Dolphins’ trade block is cornerback Will Davis, who is being shopped by the club.
Davis, a 2013 third-round pick, was placed on IR in November of 2014 after tearing his ACL. Up until that point, he had only been playing on slightly more than 20% of Miami’s defensive snaps. Coming into this summer, Davis told reporters, including Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, that he was feeling pretty strong, albeit not at 100%. The fact that Davis found his way back to the practice field at all in June was impressive since an ACL tear typically requires a nine-to-12 month layoff.
Some speculated that Davis could put himself in the mix for the starting cornerback job opposite of Brent Grimes, but things did not pan out that way. As it stands, Davis is on Miami’s roster bubble and ostensibly teetering towards getting bumped off the team. The Dolphins are now going to find out if they can get something for their former third round choice rather than releasing him outright.
Saints Claim Sammy Seamster Off Waivers
5:35pm: After trading Jalen Saunders to the Patriots, the Saints had 14 players to shed prior to today’s deadline. They got the job done and we have the full list of moves, courtesy of The Times-Picayune’s Evan Woodbery.
Claimed Off Waivers:
- Sammy Seamster, CB (waived by Dolphins)
Released:
- Erik Lorig, FB
Waived:
- Antonio Johnson, OL
- Lance Lewis, WR
- Ronald Powell, LB
- Markus Pierce-Brewster, DE
- Nick Toon, WR
- Terrence Frederick, CB
- R.J. Harris, WR
- Chris Young, LB
- David Hunter, DT
- Cole Manhart, OL
Waived/Injured:
- Vinnie Sunseri, S
Placed on IR:
- Anthony Spencer, OLB
- P.J. Williams, CB
3:32pm: The Saints have waived defensive tackle David Hunter and linebacker Chris Young, according to Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune (Twitter links). In addition to those moves, New Orleans has waived wide receiver Nick Toon, undrafted rookie receiver R.J. Harris, cornerback Terrence Frederick, (via Twitter links).
Hunter and Young were brought in as a camp fill-ins after the Saints suffered multiple injuries in their first preseason game. Weeks later, it’s not a huge surprise to see both players let go.
Dolphins, Cards Trim Rosters To 75 Players
The Dolphins and Cardinals each had just one last roster move to make to get their respective rosters down to 75 players, and both clubs have now announced those moves.
According to the Dolphins (via Twitter), the club has waived running back Demitrius Bronson, after having released punter Brandon Fields earlier today. Bronson joined the club less than a month ago as a free agent, and wasn’t part of Miami’s regular season plans.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals moved from 76 players on their roster to 76 by parting ways with offensive tackle Rob Crisp, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Crisp, who played his college ball at North Carolina State, signed back in May with Arizona as an undrafted free agent, receiving a $15K bonus from the club.
Dolphins Release Brandon Fields
After spending the last eight seasons acting as the Dolphins’ punter, Brandon Fields will be looking for a new NFL home this week. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), Fields has been released by the team, having lost the job to rookie Matt Darr.
Fields, the Dolphins’ second-longest-tenured player, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2013, but wasn’t as effective for the Dolphins last season. Appearing in all 16 games for the team, the 31-year-old ranked 23rd out of 32 qualified NFL punters, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Back in March, Fields agreed to restructure his contract, reducing his 2015 base salary to $1.65MM. At the time, reports indicated that the veteran punter’s only hope of remaining with the team was to rework his deal, but it turns out that even that didn’t save his roster spot. By releasing Fields, the Dolphins will create some cap savings, but will still carry dead-money hits of $870K in 2015 and $770K in 2016.
According to Salguero (via Twitter), the Dolphins made the decision on their starting punter based on performance, not based on Fields’ higher cap figure.
Dolphins Cut 11 Players
The Dolphins have cut 11 players as we move closer to the Tuesday deadline to get down to a 75-man roster, announcing their cuts in a pair of tweets:
- Calvin Barnett, DT
- Bryant Browning, OG
- LaRon Byrd, WR
- Kevin Cone, WR
- Ray Drew, DE
- Tyler McDonald, WR
- Kendall Montgomery, DE
- Gerell Robinson, TE
- Sammy Seamster, CB
- Phillip Thomas, S
- J.D. Walton, C/G
By Tuesday they will have to be under the limit of 75 players according to NFL rules.
Extra Points: Cobb, Pouncey, Okung
A week after losing Pro Bowl receiver Jordy Nelson to a season-ending ACL injury, the Packers are hoping fellow Pro Bowl wideout Randall Cobb doesn’t join him on the shelf. Cobb suffered a right shoulder injury during the Packers’ game Saturday against Philadelphia. The severity of the ailment is currently unknown, but one injury that has been ruled out is a broken collarbone, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted. A serious injury to Cobb would be a devastating blow to the Packers, given that their receiving corps already lost Nelson. He and Cobb combined for a whopping 189 catches (25 of which were touchdowns) and nearly 3,000 yards last year.
More from around the NFL:
- Dolphins center Mike Pouncey hurt his left knee during Saturday’s game against Atlanta and will have to undergo an MRI on Sunday. Pouncey, who is wearing a brace, vows not to miss any regular-season time, Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports (Twitter link). Head coach Joe Philbin also expressed optimism regarding Pouncey’s injury. “We think he’ll be OK,” he said, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).
- Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung will probably use the five-year, $66MM extension Washington signed Trent Williams to earlier today as a benchmark for his next deal, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (via Twitter). Okung, who’s in a contract year, was the sixth overall selection in the 2010 draft, going two picks after Williams. Okung has since made 59 starts and one Pro Bowl, while Williams has made 70 and three, respectively.
- Don’t count on a reunion between the Giants and free agent safety Stevie Brown, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. The Giants are scheduled to work out Brown, but he has interest from “a number of teams,” according to his agent. Brown spent 2012-14 with the Giants before a brief stint in Houston this year.
- The Colts scratched running back Vick Ballard from Saturday’s game in St. Louis. That doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the roster, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Ballard has battled serious injuries over the past couple years and has played in just one game since 2012 as a result.
- Lions running back Joique Bell, who underwent knee surgery in January, is unsure if he’ll play Week 1. “I’m not going to say I’m ready to go out there and take every play and run every down, right now, but you never know how I’ll feel in two weeks,” Bell said, according to Justin Rogers of MLive.com. The fourth-year man is coming off his most productive season (1,182 total yards, eight touchdowns).
- Patriots fullback James Develin suffered a broken tibia in Friday’s loss to Carolina, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweeted that the hope is recovery from surgery will take six to eight weeks. However, David Chao – the former team doctor for the Chargers – responded that it could actually take Develin six to eight months to return (Twitter link).
AFC Notes: Green, Albert, Mathis
With Julio Jones being the latest star receiver to sign a contract extension this summer, joining Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and T.Y. Hilton, all eyes turn to the Bengals’ A.J. Green. The 27-year-old has been one of the best playmakers in the league since the Bengals took him in the first round of the 2011 draft and is a season away from potentially becoming a free agent.
The deals awarded to Jones, Bryant, Thomas and Hilton (all five-year accords worth $70-plus million with guarantees ranging from $39MM to $47MM) have set the market for Green, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry – who tweets that guaranteed money will be a sticking point for the two sides. Corry added in another tweet that the Bengals don’t guarantee base salary in veteran deals, so they might have to compromise by giving Green the biggest signing bonus in franchise history.
Jones’ extension will kick in next season, which means he’ll play 2015 under the same one-year, $10.18MM option as Green. Considering that, Jones’ contract is more relevant to Green than the ones given to Bryant, Thomas and Hilton, per Corry (Twitter link). Green’s numbers compare favorably to those of Jones, who has added 249 catches and 26 touchdowns in 49 regular-season games. Green has been more durable, appearing in 60 regular-season games, and more productive (329 receptions and 35 scores). He also has outpaced Jones in 1,000-yard seasons (four to two) and Pro Bowl nods (again, four to two). Add all of that up and the likelihood is that the Bengals will have to give Green a richer deal than Jones’ in order to keep him.
Here’s more from the AFC:
- Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert tore his ACL last season and has been working toward a return since. While it’s unlikely Albert will be ready for Week 1, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald doesn’t rule it out (Twitter link). On the other hand, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that Albert probably won’t return until Week 3.
- Broncos guard Evan Mathis – whom the team signed earlier this week – is on track for the opener, Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports (Twitter link).
- Denver’s Week 1 opponent, the Ravens, will definitely be without Matt Elam, Brent Urban and Lorenzo Taliaferro, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- In the unlikely event Seattle trades linebacker Bruce Irvin before the season, Ryan O’Halloran doesn’t expect the Jaguars to acquire the three-year veteran. Jags general manager David Caldwell isn’t one to trade picks in the first three rounds, tweeted O’Halloran – who added that Irvin’s contract status (one year before free agency) makes the chances of an acquisition even more remote for Jacksonville.
AFC Notes: Levitre, Brown, Raiders, Dolphins
Big money guard Andy Levitre isn’t starting for the Titans in the preseason for the second straight week, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the team, writes Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Cole expects the team to release him, and picks the Dolphins and Eagles as possible landing spots.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- The Texans released Stevie Brown earlier today, and Tania Ganguli of ESPN writes that the timing is interesting because it was clear he wouldn’t make the team but the early release will help him find work elsewhere (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds that there could be better opportunities for playing time elsewhere in the league (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Brown, the Raiders could be in play for his services, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The Raiders were in play for him in free agency, and still have a need at the position.
- The Dolphins went all in this offseason for Ndamukong Suh, and could sacrifice buying potential in future offseasons due to the amount of money they committed to the All-Pro defensive tackle. However, the future could still be bright if they can develop their young talent, as James Walker of ESPN notes that the team is rich with under-25 talent on the roster, ranking second in the NFL by Football Outsiders (subscription required). The Cowboys are the only team with better young talent.
East Notes: Eli, Hester, Kendricks, Cowboys
Let’s round up a few Friday odds and ends from out of the NFL’s two East divisions….
- In a Q&A with Justin Terranova of the New York Post, former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason addressed Eli Manning‘s contract situation, suggesting that he believes Manning and the Giants will ultimately get an extension done. Still, Esiason acknowledges that if the club postpones talks until after the season and misses the playoffs again, the idea of retooling the roster – starting with the quarterback – may have to at least be considered.
- Wide receiver and kick returner Devin Hester is heading into the second season of his three-year contract with Atlanta. However, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com details, Hester nearly landed with the Dolphins rather than the Falcons when he hit free agency in 2014.
- Comparing Mychal Kendricks‘ new contract to past deals signed by Sean Lee (Cowboys) and Donald Butler (Chargers), Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap suggests that the Eagles‘ pact is the strongest of the three, from a team’s perspective.
- Brian Costello of the New York Post examines the unique journey to the 2015 Jets taken by safety Rontez Miles, who is battling for a roster spot on this year’s squad.
- The Cowboys have some tough calls to make on their defensive line, which could be the deepest position group on the team, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News discusses in a chat with readers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Dolphins announced (via Twitter) that they have placed safety Louis Delmas on the Reserve/Injured list.
- The Patriots announced that they have released fullback Eric Kettani. Kettani, 28, originally signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of Navy in 2009 and after spending time on the Reserve Military list, he went to training camp with the Patriots in 2011 and spent part of the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the team’s practice squad. Kettani also spent time on the practice squad with Washington (2012), Kansas City (2013) and Jacksonville (2014).
- The Cowboys cut Will Smith from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Jets signed linebacker Bryan Johnson and waived tight end Steve Maneri, Brian Costello of The Post tweets.