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 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers:
- C Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Dezmin Lewis (Twitter link via Mike Rodak)
- S Jonathan Meeks (Twitter link via Rodak)
- G Cyril Richardson (Twitter link via Rodak)
- LB Kevin Riddick (Twitter link via Rodak)
- CB Jaylen Watkins (Twitter link via Rodak)
- RB Cierre Wood (Twitter link via Rodak)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed:
- Claimed off waivers:
- QB Logan Thomas (link)
- Signed to practice squad:
- QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Twitter link via James Walker)
- C Sam Brenner (Twitter link via David Canter)
- DT Deandre Coleman (Twitter link via Adam Beasley)
- LB Mike Hull (Twitter link via Armando Salguero)
- TE Tim Semisch (Twitter link via Salguero)
- WR Jake Stoneburner (Twitter link via Barry Jackson)
- S Cedric Thompson (Twitter link via Jackson)
- OL Audrey Walker (Twitter link via Jackson)
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers:
- DT Khyri Thornton (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- DT Khyri Thornton (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- Cut:
- T Cameron Fleming (Twitter link via Mike Reiss)
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Asante Cleveland (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
- WR Kenbrell Thompkins (Twitter link via Rand Getlin)
New York Jets
- Signed:
- WR Chris Owusu (Twitter link via Manish Mehta)
- Claimed off waivers:
- S Ronald Martin (Twitter link via Mehta)
- Cut:
- S Rontez Miles (Twitter link via Rich Cimini)
- Signed to practice squad (press release):
- LB Deion Barnes
- FB Julian Howsare
- LB Taiwan Jones
- CB Keon Lyn
- WR Walter Powell
- TE Wes Saxton
- T Wesley Johnson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- DL Jordan Williams
Extra Points: RGIII, Panthers, Cassel
Washington head coach Jay Gruden is confident that backup quarterback Robert Griffin III will receive medical clearance and be ready for Week 1, writes Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
“He’s got to see the independent neurologist one more time early this week,” said Gruden.
Gruden recently stripped the starting job from Griffin, who suffered a concussion in the preseason, and awarded it to Kirk Cousins. If healthy, it’s no lock RGIII will even be Washington’s No. 2 QB. Gruden wouldn’t commit to it when asked, according to Smith. That role could go to Colt McCoy instead, which would leave RGIII as a third-stringer.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Despite their shortage of viable wide receivers, the Panthers are not interested in free agent James Jones, according to Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
- The Texans have contemplated adding another quarterback in the wake of third-stringer Tom Savage‘s season-ending shoulder injury. But they have no interest in free agent Matt Cassel, whom Buffalo cut on Saturday (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
- Speaking of the Texans, one of their ex-players, wideout Damaris Johnson, will work out for the AFC South rival Titans, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The three-year veteran played in all 16 games last season and totaled career bests in receptions (31), yards (350) and touchdowns (one).
- The Titans will work out linebacker Diaheem Watkins on Tuesday, according to agent Jeff Jankovich (via Twitter). Watkins, an undrafted rookie out of UAB, was a victim of Philly’s roster cuts Saturday.
- Rookie cornerback Justin Coleman, whom the Patriots signed Friday, also had interest from other teams, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. He worked out for the Seahawks on Wednesday, which came after Minnesota cut him a week ago.
East Notes: Wayne, Brown, Tebow
Bill Belichick and Reggie Wayne agreed to mutually part company when the Patriots officially released the wide receiver they employed for not even two weeks, according to Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.
Another reason for Wayne’s abrupt departure amid the Patriots’ injury struggles at the position could stem from the wideout’s lack of enjoyment in the Pats’ environment, per team radio analyst, Scott Zolak (on Twitter).
A source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk the the Patriots like to bring in veterans and let them learn the system to a degree, so even in the event they are cut, they could potentially fill a need later in the season if help is needed. Florio offers that Wayne might not be willing to follow in this path.
Two months shy of 37, Wayne’s beginning to sound like he’s on the way out, with a source telling Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) the potential Hall of Fame wideout is willing to return but only in the right situation. But then again, not many veterans this far into their careers like to join up with losing franchises, so Wayne not jumping at just any chance to play makes sense.
Here are some other notes from the Eastern divisions as cut day closes.
- Chip Kelly told Tim Tebow to hone his craft in Canada when the third-year Eagles coach cut the polarizing quarterback today, reports Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Tebow has previously rebuffed such opportunities, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (on Twitter) the Toronto Argonauts hold Tebow’s CFL rights, have spoken with him before and happen to be on a bye week presently.
- The Bills may not be done reshuffling their backfield. They’ve had discussions of trading Bryce Brown, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Buffalo GM Doug Whaley surrendered a fourth-round pick for Brown last season. The backup to the recently relocated Fred Jackson and the less-recently relocated C.J. Spiller last season, Brown, 24, didn’t receive many opportunities in his debut Bills slate. Now a two-time LeSean McCoy understudy, Brown appears to have fallen out of favor in Buffalo. He still sits behind Anthony Dixon and potentially fifth-rounder Karlos Williams. Dixon accrued 105 carries to Brown’s 36 last season despite Brown’s 5.1 yards per tote eclipsing Dixon’s tally by a full yard.
Patriots Jettison 11 Players
Reggie Wayne indeed appears among the contingent of cut Patriots, per the team’s official website, but the team’s wide receiver depth chart took another hit, at least from an experience standpoint amid the moves the Super Bowl champions made Saturday.
Brandon LaFell will begin the season on the PUP list, meaning the earliest the veteran can debut Oct. 25 at the earliest. A foot injury kept the starting wide receiver out of training camp, and it likely leaves New England to once again rely on the underwhelming Danny Amendola in the starting lineup.
The Patriots also waived Jonas Gray, he of the four-touchdown performance last season before an alarm clock-related practice absence halted the runner’s momentum.
They cut tight end Asante Cleveland and wideout Jalen Saunders, both of whom they traded for recently, notes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
The rest of New England’s cuts are as follows:
- Justin Coleman, DB
- Xzavier Dickson, LB
- Darius Fleming, LB
- Brandon King, S
- Robert McClain, CB
- Zach Moore, DL
- Daxton Swanson, DB
Patriots Waive Jonas Gray
3:14pm: The Patriots have officially cut Gray, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
12:32pm: The Patriots are expected to part ways with running back Jonas Gray, tweets Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal. The move will save the Patriots $510K.
ESPN’s Field Yates confirms (via Twitter) that the team is looking to move on from the running back, but he expects the Patriots to explore a trade prior to today’s roster deadline.
The undrafted rookie bounced around between the Dolphins and Ravens before landing with New England. The 25-year-old finished last season with 412 yards and five touchdowns on 89 attempts, much of which came during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts.
With LeGarrette Blount sitting out the first week of the season, the Patriots will rely on a rotation of Brandon Bolden, James White, Travaris Cadet and Dion Lewis.
Reggie Wayne Asks To Be Released
Less than two weeks ago, the Patriots gave Reggie Wayne a $450K signing bonus to join the team, but it appears his stint in New England will be short-lived. A source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the veteran wideout will not be on the Pats’ 53-man roster.
The 15-year veteran asked to be released despite just signing with the Patriots last month, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Retirement is an option for Wayne, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), and he would want to do that in a Colts uniform and not with the Patriots.
Wayne’s deal with the Patriots included several bonuses and incentives, so the team won’t carry a huge chunk of dead money if the former Colt is released. Still, the Pats did sink a guaranteed $450K into Wayne, so the decision to move on so quickly means they really must not have liked what they saw from him over the last week and a half.
Wayne has indicated throughout the offseason that he wants to play one more year. It’s not clear if his outlook will change after what appears to be a brief, failed stint with the Pats. But there are a few other clubs around the NFL that could use receiving help, so perhaps he’ll catch on elsewhere.
Patriots Release Robert McClain
The Patriots have released cornerback Robert McClain, reports Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (via Twitter). The 27-year-old joined the Patriots this offseason on a one-year, $1.24MM deal.
The former seventh-round pick spent the past three seasons with the Falcons, and he finished last season with 60 tackles, one sack and two interceptions. With Malcolm Butler in control of one starting spot, McClain was competing with Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Tarell Brown for snaps.
The move will free up $940K for New England, but the team will be stuck with $300K in dead money.
Patriots Waive Nine, Trim Roster To 66 Players
In addition to cutting quarterback Ryan Lindley and signing cornerback Justin Coleman on Friday, the Patriots announced nine other moves, reducing their roster to 66 players. Here’s the list of players who were waived by the team, according to a team release:
- RB Tony Creecy
- WR Zach D’Orazio
- WR DaVaris Daniels
- OL Ryan Groy
- OL Caylin Hauptmann
- OL Chris Martin
- LB James Morris
- DL A.J. Pataiali’i
- DL Casey Walker
New England also released tight end Jake Bequette from the club’s injured reserve list, making him a free agent.
The Patriots will move running back LeGarrette Blount to the reserve/suspended list for Week 1 as part of their cutdown to 53 players, so the team will have to make 12 more roster moves by today’s deadline.
Extra Points: Brady, Orton, Seahawks
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady issued a Facebook statement Friday in response to Judge Richard Berman’s decision on Thursday to overturn the four-game suspension the NFL handed him for his role in DeflateGate. Here are a couple snippets from the full statement, which can be found here (courtesy of ESPN’s Josina Anderson):
“While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this. I don’t think it has been good for our sport – to a large degree, we have all lost.”
“I love the NFL. It is a privilege to be a member of the NFL community and I will always try to do my best in representing my team and the league in a way that would make all members of this community proud.”
More from around the league as Saturday’s 53-man roster deadline draws closer:
- Multiple teams – including the Jets – reached out to retired quarterback Kyle Orton this summer about a possible comeback, but he spurned their advances. Orton told Chris Trapasso of NFL.com that retirement had been on his mind for the past couple seasons, so he finally walked away from the game for good (Twitter link). Buffalo coaxed Orton out of a brief retirement last year and he proceeded to throw 18 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, giving him 101 and 69, respectively, for his career. The former fourth-round pick played for five different franchises after entering the NFL in 2005.
- With Marshawn Lynch, the newly added Fred Jackson and Robert Turbin on the Seahawks’ running back depth chart, Christine Michael could be the odd man out. The team is exploring trade options for him, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- The Eagles are shopping second-year cornerback Jaylen Watkins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Texans are mulling signing another quarterback after third-stringer Tom Savage suffered a severely sprained throwing shoulder Thursday, Wilson writes. “It’s a discussion that we’re having, whether to go out and possibly get a third quarterback or maybe have a quarterback on the practice squad, something like that,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “We haven’t made a final decision on that.”
Patriots Cut Ryan Lindley, Sign Justin Coleman
The Patriots have cut quarterback Ryan Lindley, according to Howard Balzer of TheSportsXchange (Twitter link). Additionally, they’ve signed free agent cornerback Justin Coleman, reports Mike Kaye of First Coast News (via Twitter).
Lindley, whom the Patriots signed last month, was hoping to earn a backup role behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. However, he became superfluous to the Pats when Brady’s four-game suspension regarding his role in DeflateGate was overturned Thursday.
The 26-year-old Lindley was a sixth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2012 and has nine regular-season appearances under his belt. He tossed two touchdowns against 11 interceptions in those nine contests and is best known for starting Arizona’s playoff loss to Carolina last January. He completed 16 of 28 passes for just 82 yards, a touchdown, and two picks in the Cardinals’ 27-16 defeat.
Coleman went undrafted out of Tennessee this year and subsequently signed with Minnesota, which released him Sunday.