Sunday Transactions: NFC South
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South 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 are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT 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 NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Claimed off waivers: Nate Stupar, LB (via Vaughn McClure on Twitter)
- Cut: Tim Dobbins, LB (via Adam Caplan on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Ricardo Allen, CB; Sean Baker, S; Harland Gunn, G; Terren Jones, T; Bernard Reedy, WR; Travian Robertson, DT; Jacques Smith, OLB; Jerome Smith, RB
Carolina Panthers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Carrington Byndom, CB; Adarius Glanton, LB; Tavarres King, WR; Robert Lester, S; Marcus Lucas, WR; Andrew McDonald, OT; Darrin Reaves, RB; Micanor Regis, DT; D.J. Smith, LB; Casey Walker, DT
New Orleans Saints:
- Signed to practice squad: Brandon Coleman, WR (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter); Terrence Frederick, CB (via Larry Holder on Twitter); Seantavius Jones, WR (via Nick Underhill on Twitter); Tavon Rooks, T (via Woodbery on Twitter); Trevin Wade, CB (via Woodbery on Twitter); Todd Davis, LB (via Mike Triplett on Twitter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Garrett Gilkey, G (via Gilkey on Twitter)
- Cut (officially announced): Josh Allen, OL
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Cameron Brate, TE (via Roy Cummings on Twitter); Jeff Demps, WR (via Cummings on Twitter); Mike Kafka, QB; Brandon Magee, LB (via Cummings on Twitter); Matthew Masifilo, DT (via Cummings on Twitter); Solomon Patton, WR (via Cummings on Twitter), Brandon Dixon, CB (via Rick Stroud on Twitter)
Free Agent Notes: Patterson, Bailey, Kafka, Painter
It was a busy day in the NFL, and plenty of free agents are now looking for a new home. Let’s see where some of them could be heading…
- The Texans have already expressed interest in former Jets cornerback Dimitri Patterson, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- The Saints don’t have a kicker on their roster, but they shouldn’t be worried. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole tweets that there are plenty of options in free agency, including Ryan Succop, Connor Barth and Jay Feely.
- NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport spoke to Champ Bailey‘s agent, Jack Reale, who indicated that the veteran “definitely” still wants to play and is completely healthy. “He had a plantar problem which is resolved. He just missed too much time for the coach’s evaluation to be complete,” Reale said (via Rapoport’s Twitter).
- The Buccaneers will look to bring back quarterback Mike Kafka to their practice squad, tweets the Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings.
- Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wonders if the 49ers could have interest in offensive lineman Vinston Painter. Florio refers to the 49ers attempt to sign Painter away from the Broncos prior to the conference championship games.
- If Joe Banyard clears waivers, he will end up on the Vikings practice squad, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- The Bills aren’t expected to add another quarterback, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.
Saints Cut Shayne Graham, Others
5:30pm: The Saints have been busy this afternoon, notably letting go of veterans Champ Bailey and Robert Meachem. The team officially announced their moves via a press release, and the team’s transactions that were not previously reported are below:
Waived:
- Matt Armstrong, C
- Todd Davis, ILB
- Derek Dimke, K
- Nic Jacobs, TE
- Tavon Rooks, OT
- Pierre Warren, S
Released:
- Shayne Graham, K
- Thomas Welch, OT
2:00pm: The Saints began the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players yesterday when they released fullback Greg Jones, and the team has made plenty more moves today. Here’s the list of players no longer on New Orleans’ active roster:
- Derrius Brooks, CB (via Ramon Antonio Vargas on Twitter)
- Brandon Coleman, WR (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter)
- Keyunta Dawson, OLB (via Nick Underhill on Twitter)
- Terrence Frederick, CB (via Larry Holder on Twitter)
- Charles Hawkins, WR (via Katherine Terrell on Twitter)
- Marcel Jones, G (via Terrell on Twitter)
- Seantavius Jones, WR (via Vargas on Twitter)
- Derrick Strozier, RB (via Underhill on Twitter)
- Lawrence Virgil, DT (via Underhill on Twitter)
- Trevin Wade, CB (via Woodbery on Twitter)
- Jason Weaver, OL (via Vargas on Twitter)
Saints Cut Champ Bailey, Robert Meachem
Veteran defensive back Champ Bailey has failed to secure a spot on the Saints’ 53-man roster, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that New Orleans is cutting Bailey. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Saints have also parted ways with wideout Robert Meachem.
In releasing Bailey, the Saints will be stuck with $500K in dead money on their cap, since that portion of the veteran’s one-year contract with the club was guaranteed. There were rumblings during training camp and the preseason that Bailey may not be assured of a roster spot in New Orleans — he’s not a contributor on special teams, so to land a spot on the team’s regular-season roster, he probably would have had to secure a starting spot, or at least a nickel back role. Based on his performance this summer, it seems the Saints weren’t convinced he’d be a positive asset in their secondary.
The two cuts are the latest Saints moves as the team trims its roster to 53 players. We passed along several other cuts made by the team earlier today.
Saints Release Greg Jones
The Saints have parted ways with one of the three fullbacks on their roster, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has released veteran Greg Jones. The move leaves Erik Lorig and Austin Johnson as the two fullbacks in New Orleans.
A former second-round pick, Jones spent nine seasons with the Jaguars before playing for the Texans in 2013. Primarily serving as a blocker, the 33-year-old has nonetheless accumulated 272 career carries, racking up 913 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jones was the league’s best blocking fullback in 2010, and has ranked among the top 10 in that category in the years since.
The Saints inked Jones a deal earlier this month, presumably as an insurance policy for Lorig, who has missed the majority of training camp and preseason with an undisclosed injury. If New Orleans is willing to drop Jones, it could mean that Lorig will be healthy for the regular season or that the team is comfortable rolling with Johnson instead.
South Notes: Texans, Jags, Falcons, Saints
The Texans won’t keep us waiting in suspense. Most of the cuts that have to be made by tomorrow afternoon will actually take place today, a team source tells James Palmer of CSNHouston.com (on Twitter). The latest from the AFC and NFC South..
- Center Mike Brewster, who began training camp as the team’s starter, knows he might have played his last game with the Jaguars, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. The Jaguars gave Jacques McClendon and sixth-round pick Luke Bowanko reps over Brewster in the third preseason game at Detroit. Last night, Brewster bounced a snap past quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
- Even though undrafted rookie receiver Geraldo Boldewijn suffered a hamstring injury, fellow UDFA WR Bernard Reedy is not a slam dunk to make the Falcons‘ roster, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Reedy is lightning fast, but he doesn’t fill Atlanta’s need for quality special teams guys. Veterans Eric Weems and Courtney Roby are more likely to be the guys behind Julio Jones, Roddy White, Harry Douglas, and Devin Hester.
- Even though Saints receivers Nick Toon and Robert Meachem haven’t made a great case to stick on the roster, they should survive tomorrow’s cut-down, writes Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune. Between Brandon Coleman, Seantavious Jones, and Charles Hawkins two of the three seem likely to land on the practice squad.
- It may not be ideal to keep three quarterbacks on a roster, but Mike Triplett of ESPN.com projects that the Saints will keep Ryan Griffin as their third signal caller behind Drew Brees and Luke McCown.
Saints, Eagles, Bears Down To 75 Players
The Saints have officially announced their roster cuts down to 75 players, and many of the names – most notably linebacker Victor Butler – have previously been reported. However, three players’ releases had previously been unreported. According to the team (via Twitter), quarterback Logan Kilgore, linebacker Kevin Reddick, and defensive back Rod Sweeting are among the players who didn’t make the cut down to 75.
The Eagles, who were vanquished from last year’s playoffs by New Orleans, have also finalized their 75-man roster in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com tweets that offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde has been waived by the team with an injury settlement. In a series of tweets, Vandervelde thanked the organization for the opportunity.
Meanwhile, a third NFC playoff contender has also trimmed its roster down to 75 players, with the Bears announcing today (via Twitter) that offensive lineman James Brown and cornerback Isaiah Frey are the latest roster casualties in Chicago.
All three teams, as well as the NFL’s other 29, will have until Saturday afternoon to further cut their rosters down to 53 active players.
Latest NFC Cuts: Vikings, Redskins, Saints
Here are the latest roster moves from around the NFC, as teams pare down their rosters in advance of today’s 75-man deadline:
- The Vikings have reduced their roster to 75 players by cutting tight end Michael Higgins, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Higgins had been signed by Minnesota just over a month ago.
- Wideout Rashad Ross is the latest roster casualty for the Redskins, having been waived this morning, according to Brian McNally of 106.7 The Fan (via Twitter). By our count, that should leave Washington with two more cuts to make before 3:00pm central time today.
- Reports from Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate and Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (Twitter links) suggest the Saints will cut a pair of defensive linemen: 2013 sixth-rounder Rufus Johnson and rookie George Uko.
Saints Notes: Roster Moves, Goodwin, Griffin
There are a few Saints-related items to pass along this evening:
Roster Moves
- The team has released LB Victor Butler, tweets Kristian Garic of WWL 870am., thereby saving $1.5MM in cap space. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com was trying to confirm the release as of the time of this post.
- The Saints have informed OL Manase Foketi that he will be waived, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.
Other notes
- Woodbery writes that the team’s kicking competition between Shayne Graham and Derek Dimke has not been decided, and head coach Sean Payton said that the battle will go down to the wire.
- In a separate piece, Woodbery breaks down how the new practice squad rules affect different members of the Saints’ roster.
- Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune believes the Saints’ center battle is over and that Jonathan Goodwin has earned the starting job over Tim Lelito.
- In the same piece, Holder writes that it is “increasingly evident” that the Saints will open the season with three quarterbacks. Even though Ryan Griffin has outperformed Luke McCown, the team does not appear ready to part with McCown, who has worked with the first-team offense in every preseason game thus far. Payton said that Griffin will see “plenty of action” in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Ravens.
Minor Moves: Monday
- The Bills will sign backup quarterback Jordan Palmer, recently cut by the Bears, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
- The Browns were awarded guards Karim Barton and Donald Hawkins on waivers from the Eagles, the team announced.
- The Chargers claimed defensive lineman Joe Kruger on waivers from the Eagles, the team announced.
- The Lions were awarded tight end Emil Igwenagu on waivers from the Eagles, per Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Bears have terminated the contract of veteran safety Craig Steltz, the team announced (via Twitter).
- The Broncos waived defensive tackle Cody Larsen, and placed receiver Jordan Norwood (ACL) on IR, the team announced (via Twitter).
- The Saints waived safety Ty Zimmerman, receiver Andy Tanner and tackle Ty Nsekhe, the team announced. Tight end Travis Beckum has also been waived, according to…Travis Beckum (Twitter link).
- The Dolphins waived/injured kicker John Potter, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The team announced tackle Steven Baker and safety Demetrius Wright were also waived (Twitter link).