Patriots Cut Russell Bodine
The Patriots are releasing newly acquired center Russell Bodine, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). To take his place, they’ll re-sign center/guard James Ferentz.
The Pats shipped a sixth-round pick to the Bills for Bodine on August 30th. Apparently, in the last week or so, Bodine didn’t show enough to stick on the roster.
The Patriots initially carried Bodine on the 53-man squad, but he’s out of a job with just two days to go before the first Sunday of the NFL calendar. Ferentz, meanwhile, is back in the mix to help on the interior line, along with fellow new OLs Korey Cunningham and Jermaine Eluemunor.
NFL Cap Space By Team For 2019
With hours to go before the start of the 2019 NFL season, here’s a rundown of how much cap room each NFL team has (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter):
- Indianapolis Colts – $42.1MM
- Cleveland Browns – $32.7MM
- Miami Dolphins – $31.9MM
- Houston Texans – $29.5MM
- Buffalo Bills – $24.8MM
- Tennessee Titans – $24.1MM
- Dallas Cowboys – $22.3MM
- Detroit Lions – $19.2MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $18.7MM
- Chicago Bears – $17.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $16.6MM
- Washington Redskins – $15.9MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $14.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $13.3MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $12.4MM
- Oakland Raiders – $12MM
- Denver Broncos – $11.2MM
- Green Bay Packers – $10.8MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $10.2MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $9.5MM
- New York Jets – $9.3MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $8.6MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $8.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.3MM
- New England Patriots – $4.9MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $2.7MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.2MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $1.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $852K
- New Orleans Saints – $604K
- Atlanta Falcons – $493K
- New York Giants – $457K
Patriots Give Demaryius Thomas Raise
One of a few teams to release a vested veteran over the weekend rather than expose a non-vested player to waivers, the Patriots re-signed Demaryius Thomas in advance of Week 1. The defending Super Bowl champions will give the 10th-year veteran a raise as well.
The Pats increased Thomas’ base salary from $1.2MM to $1.5MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. While this is minimal compared to what Thomas entered last season earning, the Patriots now have two Pro Bowlers (Thomas and Josh Gordon) and a Super Bowl MVP in their receiving corps.
Thomas entered last season in the fourth year of his five-year, $70MM deal he and the Broncos hammered out at the 2015 franchise tag deadline. The 31-year-old talent may now be a week-to-week proposition, depending on how he looks, health-wise. The Pats have not been shy about cutting veteran wideouts over the past two years, and Thomas’ status may be tenuous if/when N’Keal Harry comes off IR.
The 2010 first-round pick spent much of Patriots camp on the active/PUP list but was activated in time for a seven-catch, 87-yard, two-touchdown showing in the team’s final preseason game. Thomas suffered his severe Achilles injury in Week 16 of last season and said no other teams expressed interest. The four-time Pro Bowler, who posted 677 yards and five touchdown catches in 2018, will have a chance to prove he can still contribute.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Q. Williams, Pats
This is interesting – the Jets have listed No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams as a second-stringer on their first depth chart of the season. Of course, pre-season depth charts don’t mean a ton in and of themselves, but it is notable that Williams is slated to back up Steve McLendon at defensive tackle in Week 1. Things can also change between now and Sunday when the Jets face the Bills.
As we get set for the season to begin, here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Patriots traded for offensive linemen Korey Cunningham (Cardinals) and Jermaine Eluemunor (Ravens) in part because of early-season retirements from Jared Veldheer and Brian Schwenke. “We lost two guys that probably would have made our roster — Veldheer and Schwenke — they both retired early,” Bill Belichick said in a radio spot (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss). The Pats’ OL trading didn’t stop there, either, they also swung a move for Bills center Russell Bodine on Friday.
- Belichick is unsure how the center position will work out with David Andrews on IR (Twitter link via NESN’s Doug Kyed). Kyed expects Ted Karras to man the spot in Week 1, but Russell Bodine could also push for it.
- Jachai Polite was fined more than $100K during his time with the Jets, Mike Florio of PFT hears. Over the weekend, the Jets shocked everyone in the league by cutting Polite, a 2019 third-round pick. Apparently, his behavior and conduct led to the shocking release. Polite will now try to make a mark in Seattle as a member of their practice squad.
Patriots Work Out Su’a Cravens
The Patriots worked out safety Su’a Cravens on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former second-round pick most recently played for the Broncos, who released him late last month.
Cravens entered the league as a second-round choice of the Redskins. He had tons of hype, particularly due to his ability to handle multiple positions in the secondary as well as linebacker. However, injuries, and general weirdness, sidetracked his career.
The versatility and potential is still there, so he would be a very interesting pickup for the Patriots, or any other potentially interested team. A motivated and healthy Cravens could be a difference-maker, as evidenced by flashes during his rookie season.
Here are the other players that New England has worked out today, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter):
- CB Chris Campbell,
- CB Tevaughn Campbell
- CB Lenzy Pipkins
- CB KeiVarae Russell
- CB Arrion Springs
- TE Jason Vander Laan
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/19
We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Jamal Carter, WR Brandon Powell
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: G Sam Jones
- Released: QB Drew Anderson, WR A.J. Richardson
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: QB Davis Webb, WR Tyron Johnson, LB Nate Hall
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: OT Wyatt Miller
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Ventell Bryant, QB Clayton Thorson
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Jason Cabinda
- Released: TE Austin Traylor
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Jamal Davis, RB Quinton Flowers, DT Brian Price, WR Chad Williams
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: QB Chase Litton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DB Alex Brown, LB Emmanuel Smith, DE Cameron Malveaux, DB Torry McTyer
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OT Zach Sterup, LB Terrill Hanks
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Gerri Green, G Najee Toran, G Colby Gossett
- Released: OT Tyree St. Louis
New York Giants
- Signed:CB Corn Elder, WR David Sills
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Josh Adams and TE Ian Bunting WR/KR Greg Dortch
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Marcell Ateman, DE Quinton Bell, G Lester Cotton, Sr., RB Damarea Crockett, WR Rico Gafford, CB Dylan Mabin, CB Nick Nelson, LB Justin Phillips, DT Anthony Rush, TE Eric Saubert
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Craig James
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Johnny Holton
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Ryan Pope
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Ryan Neal, OL Kahlil McKenzie, DE Jachai Polite
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Jordan Leggett, RB Tony Brooks-James
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Chris Odom
Patriots Re-Sign WR Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas didn’t leave New England long enough for the team to even miss him. On Monday morning, the Patriots and Thomas agreed to a new one-year deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
[RELATED: Patriots Place Harry On IR]
This was likely the plan all along. The Patriots wanted to place rookie N’Keal Harry on injured reserve while leaving the door open to his return in the second half of the season. That would not have been possible had they placed Harry on IR over the weekend. So, instead, they cut Thomas, placed Harry on IR on Monday, and re-signed Thomas moments later.
Thomas isn’t the player he once was, but he did show glimpses of his old self in preseason. In the Pats’ preseason finale, he caught seven passes for 87 yards and two scores.
Patriots Place N’Keal Harry On IR
The Patriots are placing rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry on injured reserve, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The wide receiver has been battling an ankle injury all summer and he’ll need at least the rest of the fall to heal up.
The good news is that Harry is still expected to return this season. Per league rules, Harry must sit out a minimum of eight weeks before suiting up.
Harry has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the preseason opener. You wouldn’t know it from talking to him, but Bill Belichick is enthused to see what he can do once he’s on the field. Before taking the Arizona State product, Belichick had never before used a first round pick on a wide receiver.
Without Harry, look for the Patriots to lean even more on Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon. That is, if Edelman’s thumb heals up in time to take on the Steelers on Sunday.
Colts To Sign QB Brian Hoyer
The Colts have agreed to sign Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12MM deal, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. The pact includes $9MM in guarantees, giving the veteran a whole lot of fiscal security.
For the Colts, the deal gives them additional experience under center in the wake of Andrew Luck‘s retirement. Jacoby Brissett – another ex-Patriot – will remain as the team’s QB1. Hoyer will be the top clipboard holder, so it remains to be seen what they’ll do with Chad Kelly when he returns from his two-game ban.
The Patriots wanted Hoyer back, but as Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter) notes, they were only willing to do a one-year deal. The Colts won out, in part because they were willing to sign the soon-to-be 34-year-old to a three-year contract.
Hoyer, a veteran journeyman, has started games for the Browns, Texans, Bears, and 49ers and has made other stops around the league. All in all, he’s got 37 starts to his credit across ten seasons.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East 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 Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Nate Becker
- CB Cam Lewis
- OL Erik Magnuson
- DT Kyle Peko
- RB Christian Wade*
- WR Duke Williams
- DE Eddie Yarbrough
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed:
- DE Trent Harris
- LB Deon Lacey
- DE Avery Moss
- DB Steven Parker
- DB Ken Webster
- Waived:
- LB Terrill Hanks
- DB Montre Hartage
- TE Chris Myarick
- OL Zach Sterup
- DL Adolphus Washington
New England Patriots
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Stephen Anderson
- LB Terez Hall
- FB Jakob Johnson
- DL Ufomba Kamalu
- LB Calvin Munson
- OL Dan Skipper
- OL Tyree St. Louis
- DL Nick Thurman
New York Jets
- Claimed:
- WR Braxton Berrios
- DE John Franklin
- DB Bennett Jackson
- K Kaare Vedvik
- Released:
- Waived:
- Signed to practice squad:
- OL Calvin Anderson
- OL Ben Braden
- CB Kyron Brown
- QB Luke Falk
- RB Valentine Holmes*
- LB Jamey Mosley
- WR Jeff Smith
* = International Pathway Program player