Mitchell Henry

Mitchell Henry Dies Of Leukemia

Mitchell Henry, a tight end who played two years in the NFL, died on Friday after a battle with leukemia, ESPN.com reports. He was 24.

The Ravens released Henry from their practice squad in November of last year, and after returning home to Kentucky, he experienced pain in his shoulder. A subsequent hospital visit revealed a mass in Henry’s chest, leading to an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis. He began chemotherapy treatments soon after.

Henry came to the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Western Kentucky. He initially entered the league as a Packers signee, but after being cut following the 2015 preseason, the former Hilltoppers standout landed with the Broncos via waiver claim.

Although Henry’s stint in Denver lasted just two games, the only two regular-season contests in which he would play during his two-year NFL career, he collected a Super Bowl ring for his efforts. Henry returned to the Packers after the Broncos waived him in midway through that season and signed a reserve/futures contract with Green Bay in 2016.

We were very saddened to learn of the passing of Mitchell Henry,” Packers general manager Ted Thompson said in a statement. “During his time with the Packers, he quickly became a beloved member of our family and made a terrific impression on everyone in our organization. We were fortunate to have had him in our lives. On behalf of the Packers family, we offer our condolences to Mitchell’s wife, Madison, and his family and friends.”

We at PFR offer our thoughts and condolences to Henry’s family and friends.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/16

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

  • Signed: TE RaShaun Allen

New England Patriots

San Diego Chargers

NFC Workout Notes: Seahawks, Bucs, Lions

We rounded up the latest workout news from the AFC earlier. Now for the NFC (courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Caplan, unless otherwise noted):

  • Before he signed with the Kansas City on Tuesday, defensive end Kendall Reyes visited the Seahawks (Twitter link). He spent just under two weeks on the open market after the Redskins released him Oct. 5.
  • Tight ends Mitchell Henry, Casey Pierce and Eric Wallace tried out for the Buccaneers (Twitter link). Wallace played college basketball at Ohio State and DePaul, and then spent three years playing Australian Rules Football. He was previously with the Panthers, who will work him out Wednesday, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • Defensive back Jeremiah McKinnon worked out for the Panthers on Tuesday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Former LSU linebacker Lamar Louis recently visited the Saints, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter).
  • The Lions took a look at linebackers Brandon Chubb, Raphael Kirby and Reggie Northrup (Twitter link). Chubb impressed the team enough to earn a place on its practice squad.
  • Defensive backs Charles Gaines and Demetrius McCray worked out for the Rams last week, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).

NFL Workout Updates: 10/11/16

We’ll keep track of the day’s auditions here:

  • The Buccaneers will work out defensive end Chris McCain on Wednesday, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). McCain, who was traded from Miami to New Orleans during the offseason before ultimately being waived, has appeared in 19 games over the past two seasons.
  • After being released by the Redskins last week, veteran defensive end Kendall Reyes landed a workout with the Texans, who are still trying to replace J.J. Watt, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Houston also tried out defensive lineman Lars Koht, per Kaplan.
  • The Dolphins worked out cornerbacks Darrin Walls and Blidi Wreh-Wilson before signing Chimdi Chekwa, tweets Caplan, who adds that Miami also auditioned offensive tackle David Foucault. The Dolphins also worked out linebacker Trevor Reilly, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
  • Former Buffalo outside linebacker Randell Johnson is visiting the Jets today, as Alex Marvez of the Sporting News tweets. New York also worked out tight end Mitchell Henry, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
  • The Seahawks worked out defensive end Malliciah Goodman on Monday, reports Rand Getlin (on Twitter). Goodman played for Atlanta in his first three NFL seasons. Seattle also took a look at tight end Alex Bayer, defensive end Josh Boyd, cornerback Trae Elston, safety Jordan Lomax, and visited with safety Elijah Shumate, per Balzer (Twitter link).
  • The Panthers auditioned offensive tackles Michael Bowie and Pearce Slater, as well as cornerbacks Randall Evans, Tyler Patmon, and Kevin Short, tweets Balzer. Cleveland placed Bowie on the retired list earlier this year, but he’s apparently had a change of heart.
  • Offensive tackle Pierce Burton worked out for the Colts today, according to Balzer (Twitter link).

Packers Cut Multiple Players

The roster trimming has begun early in Green Bay. Here are the Packers’ first few moves as they work toward the 53-man limit:

Waived/Injured:

Waived:

  • CB Warren Gatewood (Twitter link via Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
  • QB Marquise Williams

Packers Trade Lerentee McCray To Bills

The Bills are set to acquire linebacker Lerentee McCray from the Packers in exchange for draft pick compensation, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The Packers will receive a conditional 2018 seventh-round draft choice, per an announcement from the Bills. The Packers have also made a handful of roster moves, bringing them down to 75 in advance of the deadline.

Released:

  • WR Harvey Binford

Placed on IR:

McCray appeared in 24 regular season games for the Broncos over the last two years. This offseason, he was a restricted free agent but he was not tendered an offer. In April, he hooked on with the Packers.

Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/16

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/15

Friday’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers

Washington

  • Signed: WR Colin Lockett (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
  • Placed WR Issac Blakeney on the practice squad injured list

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/15

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Cowboys claimed running back Rod Smith off waivers from the Seahawks, according to Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The Fan (on Twitter). After previously trading for Christine Michael, it appears that the Cowboys are fans of Seattle running backs.
  • The Broncos announced that they have signed tight end Richard Gordon while waiving fellow tight end Mitchell Henry. This will be Gordon’s third AFC West team, after stints with the Chiefs and Raiders, who selected Gordon in the sixth round (No. 181 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft from the University of Miami.
  • The Browns have been awarded defensive back Don Jones off waivers from the Saints, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In a related move, outside linebacker Scott Solomon was placed on injured reserve with a sprained knee. Solomon’s injury certainly won’t help the Browns’ poor results against the run.
  • Mike Chappell of FOX59 (on Twitter) reports that the Colts have placed Tyler Varga on IR following his concussion. That move will help make room for the newly-signed Ahmad Bradshaw.
  • The Dolphins signed safety Jonathan Dowling off the team’s practice squad, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. Dowling was a 2014 seventh-round pick of the Raiders.
  • The Buccaneers cut Josh Martin from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed linebacker Nick Moody to their active roster, Wilson tweets.
  • The Bears announced (on Twitter) that they have promoted linebacker Jonathan Anderson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
  • The Packers announced that they have signed tight end Justin Perillo to the active roster while placing safety Sean Richardson on IR. Coach Mike McCarthy wouldn’t comment on Richardson’s future when asked about it on Monday, but his playing career could be in jeopardy, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. The Packers brought back Richardson this year as an restricted free agent when they matched the one-year, $2.55MM offer sheet he signed with the Raiders.

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