Josh Kline No Longer Part Of Eric Rowe Trade
Offensive lineman Josh Kline was thought to be part of the Eagles’ return for cornerback Eric Rowe, but Kline will instead be sticking with the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Rowe is still heading to New England, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and it’s possible that New England cuts Kline, per Schefter.
Kline, 26, joined the Patriots in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State. After getting four starts in his first two seasons, Kline became a full-time starter last year. In November, the Pats extended the guard through the 2017 season, but he was beat out for a starting job this offseason by trade acquisition Jonathan Cooper and rookie Joe Thuney.
Had he gone to the Eagles, Kline would have been immediately shopped, as reports this morning indicated that Philadelphia was looking to trade the offensive line mere minutes after acquiring him. The Eagles were apparently in “deep discussions” about a trade that would have sent Kline elsewhere, but that clearly won’t happen now.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bishop Sankey Received Interest From Five Teams
- At least five teams expressed interest in Bishop Sankey before the running back landed on the Patriots‘ practice squad, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
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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, Patriots, and Jets 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 AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day (all links go to Twitter unless noted otherwise):
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed:
- FB Dan Vitale (Link via PFT)
- Waived:
- LB Jamari Lattimore (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- C Gabe Ikard (Post via NFL.com)
- K Jordan Gay
- WR Dezmin Lewis
- CB Doran Grant (link via Joe Buscaglia)
- WR Matt Hazel (link via Joe Buscaglia)
- LB Max Valles (link via Joe Buscaglia)
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed:
- WR Justin Hunter (story)
- Waived:
- WR Griff Whalen (link via Armando Salguero)
- Signed to practice squad:
- OT Ulrick John (Link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- WR Rashawn Scott (link via Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel)
- S A.J. Hendy (link via Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel)
- LB James Burgess (story)
- G Jamil Douglas (story)
- TE Thomas Duarte (story)
- DE Cleyon Laing (story)
- CB Lafayette Pitts (story)
- DE Jordan Williams (story)
- OLB Brandon Watts (Link via Wilson)
New England Patriots
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Bishop Sankey (story)
- DE Rufus Johnson (link via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald)
- Ol Chris Barker (Link via Doug Kyed)
- WR Devin Street (Link via Mike Reiss)
- DE Geneo Grissom (Link via Reiss)
- WR Devin Lucien (Link via Reiss)
- DT Woodrow Hamilton (Link via Reiss)
- OL Clay DeBord (Link via Kyed)
New York Jets
- Claimed:
- TE Braedon Bowman (Link via PFT)
- TE Brian Parker
- RB Troymaine Pope
- DB Darryl Roberts
- Waived:
- CB Dexter McDougle
- S Ronald Martin
- RB Dominique Williams
- RB Khiry Robinson (waived/injured)
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Freddie Bishop (link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- OL Mike Liedtke (link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- S Doug Middleton (link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- DE Claude Pelon (link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- WR Chandler Worthy (link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- CB Bryson Keeton (link via Darryl Slater)
- WR Myles White (link via Darryl Slater)
- C Craig Watts
Patriots Sign Bishop Sankey To Practice Squad
The Patriots are signing running back Bishop Sankey to their practice squad, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Sankey was waived by the Titans earlier this week.
Sankey was once viewed as the Titans’ best running back and was expected to break out as a rookie in 2014. Sankey, 24 later this month, appeared in all 16 games for the Titans as a rookie but amassed only 569 yards off of 152 carries. Last season, Sankey’s role was reduced even further has he had only 47 rushing attempts for 193 yards in 13 games.
The Patriots, meanwhile, lost RB Dion Lewis for a good chunk of the season, and also released veteran Donald Brown. Therefore, Sankey, a former second-round pick, could certainly contribute during the upcoming season behind LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Brandon Bolden.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams
Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.
Here is the complete waiver priority order:
1. Titans
2. Browns
3. Chargers
4. Cowboys
5. Jaguars
6. Ravens
7. 49ers
8. Dolphins
9. Buccaneers
10. Giants
11. Bears
12. Saints
13. Eagles
14. Raiders
15. Rams
16. Lions
17. Falcons
18. Colts
19. Bills
20. Jets
21. Redskins
22. Texans
23. Vikings
24. Bengals
25. Seahawks
26. Packers
27. Steelers
28. Chiefs
29. Patriots
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Broncos
Patriots Likely To Scour Waiver Wire
- The Patriots could scan the waiver wire for help on the offensive line and at receiver after settling their roster today, NESN.com’s Doug Kyed writes. Right now, the Pats have only four players at wide receiver and offensive tackle is looking weak with LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming behind Nate Solder. Running back could be another area of need for New England. Undrafted free agent D.J. Foster made the initial cut after two strong games in the preseason, but there could be a better tailback out there. Veterans like Bishop Sankey, Ronnie Hillman, and Forsett are available after cuts, Kyed notes.
- The Patriots could scan the waiver wire for help on the offensive line and at receiver after settling their roster today, NESN.com’s Doug Kyed writes. Right now, the Pats have only four players at wide receiver and offensive tackle is looking weak with LaAdrian Waddle and Cameron Fleming behind Nate Solder. Running back could be another area of need for New England. Undrafted free agent D.J. Foster made the initial cut after two strong games in the preseason, but there could be a better tailback out there. Veterans like Bishop Sankey, Ronnie Hillman, and Forsett are available after cuts, Kyed notes.
- At least one scout expects safety Kamu Grugier-Hill, cut by the Patriots today, to generate quite a bit of interest, tweets Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. A sixth-round rookie out of Eastern Illinois, KGH is viewed as a solid special teams player, and could be picked up on waivers tomorrow.
Patriots Work Out Six
- Over the last day or so, the Patriots have auditioned offensive tackle Clay DeBord, tight end Nic Jacobs, wide receiver Mitch Mathews, wide receiver K.J. Maye, defensive back Tyler Patmon, and running back David Cobb, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Patriots Cut Aaron Dobson, Move To 53
The Patriots have announced the cuts that bring them down to 53, including the waiving of Aaron Dobson.
Dobson, 25, is a former second-round pick, but he hasn’t done much since joining New England in 2013. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product has only posted 53 receptions for less than 700 yards. Most of that production came during his rookie season, as Dobson has put up only 16 catches during the past two years. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Dobson was set to earn about $872K in base salary.
Here’s the list of Patriots cuts so far today:
- WR Aaron Dobson
- S Vinnie Sunseri (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald)
- WR DeAndre Carter (Twitter link via Kyed)
- WR Keshawn Martin (Twitter link via Kyed)
- RB Tyler Gaffney (waived/injured)
- DT Marcus Kuhn
- CB Cre’Von LeBlanc (Twitter link via Kyed)
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- LB Kevin Snyder (waived/injured, Twitter link via Kyed)
- DT Woodrow Hamilton (Twitter link via Kyed)
- RB/FB Joey Iosefa (Twitter link via Kyed)
- G Jon Halapio (Twitter link via Kyed)
- CB Darryl Roberts (waived/injured)
- WR Chris Harper (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com)
- OG Chris Barker (via Howe on Twitter)
- DE Geneo Grissom
- LB Rufus Johnson
- DL Joe Vellano
- WR Devin Lucien
- TE Bryce Williams
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Audition RB David Cobb
Running back David Cobb was let go by the Titans this week but he may not be out of work for long. The 2015 fifth-round pick worked out for the Patriots today, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). 
The Patriots are not signing Cobb today, but they could circle back to him after checking out their other options on the waiver wire this weekend. Held back by a calf injury last season, Cobb only saw time in seven games. Prior to the season, there was lots of talk about Cobb taking over the Titans’ running game. Cobb is now out to show everyone that he can perform elsewhere now that he is (presumably) healthy.
The Pats, who lost Dion Lewis to injury for at least the first six weeks of the season, have LeGarrette Blount and James White leading the way at running back. Behind them, New England has D.J. Foster, Brandon Bolden, and Tyler Gaffney.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Details On Jonathan Freeny's Extension
- Jonathan Freeny‘s two-year extension with the Patriots is worth $4.1MM, including a $1.3MM signing bonus, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. He’ll bring cap hits of $1.74MM in ’16, $1.87MM in ’17, and $2.03MM in ’18.