Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/17
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Waived/injured: WR DeAndrew White
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE David Grinnage, CB Dwayne Thomas
- Waived: CB Ezra Robinson
- Waived/injured: CB Josh Johnson
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Chris Casher, WR Andrew Turzilli
- Waived: WR Kevin Norwood, TE Colin Thompson
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Daniel Williams
- Waived: WR Deshon Foxx
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Austin Gearing
- Waived: Canaan Severin
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/injured: S Chanceller James
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived from injured reserve: G Robert Myers (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LS Ryan DiSalvo
- Waived: P Jordan Gay
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- Ryan Tannehill‘s season is officially over. The Dolphins placed the quarterback on IR and signed linebacker Junior Sylvestre. Tannehill, who will have knee surgery next week, is expected to be ready for the 2018 season. Sylvestre spent time with the Ryan Grigson-era Colts for two years but was cut after Indianapolis’ 2016 training camp. He signed with the Bills earlier this year but was cut after a month.
- The Panthers signed defensive lineman Connor Wujciak, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wujciak was an Eagles UDFA signing on in 2016, but an injury wiped out his would-be rookie season. The Chiefs worked out Wujciak last week. Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler will miss some time, Ron Rivera revealed Friday — via David Newton of ESPN.com — opening the door for an extra defensive line opportunity. Rivera said Butler’s target date for a return is Week 1. The Panthers waived defensive tackle Drew Iddings with an injury designation to open a roster spot, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer reports (on Twitter).
- Carolina also brought back offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, Person reports. The Panthers made room by cutting offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, who had spent time with them since last season (Twitter links). A three-year backup blocker who played in 16 games for the 2014 Panthers, Folkerts last played for the 2015 Rams. Los Angeles cut him when paring its roster down to 75 players last summer.
- Cornerback Jumal Rolle signed with the Bills and will replace Charles James, whom the team released, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Both players have at least two years’ experience and both previously played for the Texans. The 27-year-old Rolle was a Houston UDFA in 2014 and has played in 18 games. Rolle also intercepted three passes as a rookie before becoming mostly a special teams player in the time since. James played in 21 games with Houston between the 2015-16 seasons; Buffalo claimed him on waivers in May.
- The Broncos relocated defensive lineman Billy Winn to IR after his ACL tear diagnosis emerged Friday. They signed linebacker Nelson Adams, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.
- Linebacker Reshard Cliett negotiated an injury settlement with the Chiefs, becoming a free agent after being removed from Kansas City’s IR list, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
- The Giants waived linebacker Jimmy Herman, whom they signed Friday. James Kratch of NJ.com tweets Herman was given a “left squad” designation.
- The Saints and linebacker Sae Tautu agreed on an injury settlement to trigger Tautu’s release from New Orleans’ IR, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.
- Rookie wide receiver Keevan Lucas signed a three-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced. Philadelphia waived linebacker Steven Daniels to make room. A Tulsa product, Lucas declared early but was not signed by a team after the draft.
- Washington signed wide receiver Jamari Staples and waived/injured left tackle Kevin Bowen, per John Keim of ESPN.com. The Chiefs waived Staples in June after initially signing him in May. The Redskins also placed Trent Murphy on IR. Murphy tore his ACL in Washington’s preseason opener Thursday night.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Vikings placed Bishop Sankey on IR, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Minnesota signed the former Titans second-round pick to a reserve/futures contract in January, but an MRI Friday revealed Sankey tore an ACL. He will miss the season. Sankey hasn’t played in a game since 2015.
- Cut by both the 49ers and Jets in August, Bruce Ellington caught on with a third team this month. The Texans agreed to terms with the wide receiver/return specialist, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Jets waived Ellington with an injury designation, but a Friday workout with the Texans provided a green light for the franchise to sign him. The Texans are currently reeling at wideout. In addition to Will Fuller‘s absence, Braxton Miller and DeAndrew White aren’t practicing. Ellington missed all of last season with a torn hamstring.
- The Jaguars signed veteran running back Jonathan Grimes and waived running back Tyler Gaffney with an injury designation, the team announced. Grimes is a five-year NFL veteran whose most notable work came as a backup for the Texans from 2012-16. He gained 455 yards from scrimmage in 2015, the final year Arian Foster suffered a severe injury.
- Defensive end Keionta Davis agreed to terms with the Patriots, who cut cornerback Dwayne Thomas to make room, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. A rookie out of Chattanooga, Davis was invited to the Combine but wasn’t drafted or signed after the draft.
- The Chargers re-signed tight end Matt Weiser, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). A University of Buffalo alum, Weiser spent time with the Bolts during their final San Diego camp last summer but was cut just before the season.
- The Colts reached injury settlements with tight end (and former VCU basketball standout) Mo Alie-Cox and wideout Harvey Binford, Wilson tweets.
- Mykkele Thompson‘s time as a Giants secondary cog could be coming to a close. After Big Blue cut Thompson — a fifth-round pick in 2015 — on Thursday, he cleared waivers. NJ.com’s Dan Duggan expects an injury settlement to follow (Twitter link). Duggan notes this Thompson is battling a minor quadriceps injury.
Giants Cut Mykkele Thompson
The Giants waived/injured defensive back Mykkele Thompson. To take his place on the 90-man roster, the team signed rookie linebacker Jimmy Herman. 
Thompson was a fifth round pick in the 2015 draft, but he has been held back by injuries over the last three years. The defensive back suffered a torn Achilles as a rookie, ending his season before it even started. When he made his debut in Week 2 of the 2006 season, he suffered a knee injury that eventually took him out of action for the full year. This summer, a quad injury slowed him down as the G-Men looked to move him from safety to cornerback.
The Giants were hoping that Thompson could make the 53-man cut as a corner this offseason, but he wasn’t doing much to separate himself from the pack even before the injury. As of this writing, the Giants seem likely to keep Michael Hunter as a reserve corner while Donte Deayon and Valentino Blake battle it out for one final CB spot. Janoris Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Eli Apple will serve as the team’s primary corners.
Giants Work Out Connor Bozick
- The Giants worked out offensive lineman Connor Bozick on Wednesday, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. However, the signing of Corin Brooks means the Giants are likely to pass on Bozick, an undrafted rookie from Delaware. Bozick spent a little over a week with Detroit during the spring. He hasn’t caught on with another team since then.
Giants Make O-Line Moves
- The Colts have signed running back George Winn and two receivers, Valdez Showers and Brian Riley. The team cut receivers Tevaun Smith and Chris Biggs, both of whom were waived/injured, in corresponding moves. Winn had been out of work since the Giants waived him May 1. He’s best known for his work in Detroit, where he appeared in 19 games from 2014-15 and picked up 74 yards on 23 carries. The only other player in this group with pro experience is Smith, who played in two games with the Colts last year as an undrafted rookie. A Toronto native, Smith was actually a high pick in the Canadian Football League a year ago, going eighth overall to the Edmonton Eskimos, who still hold his rights.
- The Chiefs have waived receiver Corey Washington, ending his stint with the team after less than two weeks. Washington signed with the Chiefs on July 31, two-plus months after the Bills waived him in early May. The 25-year-old’s only NFL action came back in 2014 as a member of the Giants, with whom he caught five passes in 14 games.
- The Giants have signed offensive lineman Corin Brooks and waived/injured fellow O-lineman Jessamen Dunker. Both players went undrafted this year, with Brooks (Texas-Permian Basin) initially catching on with Kansas City in May and Dunker (Tennessee State) landing with the Giants around the same time.
- The Seahawks have re-signed safety Jordan Simone, an undrafted rookie from Arizona State whom they waived Monday, and added defensive lineman Greg Milhouse. The 23-year-old Milhouse went undrafted out of Campbell last year and had a short stint with the Giants.
Giants Haven’t Discussed Extension For OBJ
The Giants haven’t had any recent talks regarding extensions for key players such as wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., guard Justin Pugh, center Weston Richburg, or linebackers Jonathan Casillas and Devon Kennard, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
New York reportedly isn’t prioritizing a new deal for Beckham, and that’s likely because the star wideout is under team control for at least more seasons. Thanks to the fifth-year option, the Giants have Beckham signed through 2018 at a cost south of $11MM. In 2019, Big Blue could opt to utilize the franchise tag to retain Beckham for one more year, although that tender would come with a price tag exceeding $18MM. Beckham recently indicated his desire to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, but that’s not a realistic goal in today’s quarterback-driven league.
Pugh and Richburg, however, are entering the final years of their respective rookie contracts, which makes their situations all the more pressing. The franchise tag isn’t a practical option, as the offensive line tender’s price is enhanced by tackles, meaning it’s unsuitable for interior lineman. As James Kratch of NJ.com reported last month, the Giants aren’t expected to reach an extension with Pugh, who seems intent on hitting the open market. A new pact for Pugh would need to include at least $25MM in guarantees for Pugh to take the offer “seriously,” per Raanan.
At linebacker, Kennard isn’t a full-time player, as he saw action on roughly 40% of the Giants’ snaps. As a ‘backer who comes off the field on third downs, Kennard isn’t on track for a hefty pact. Casillas is an every-down player, but he’s entering his age-30 campaign and didn’t earn positive grades from Pro Football Focus a year ago. Still, he’s a stabilizing force on New York’s defense, and Rannan suggests there are reasons for Big Blue to “extend its relationship” with Casillas.
Giants Sign K Mike Nugent
The Giants signed veteran kicker Mike Nugent, according to a team announcement. Nugent will duke it out with Aldrick Rosas for the team’s kicking job. 
The Giants have been talking up Rosas all offseason, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see them sign a kicker just days into training camp. Rosas has no regular season experience whereas Nugent is a 13-year vet who has appeared in 158 regular season and postseason games. The 35-year-old has the rare distinction of being a kicker who was chosen with a second round pick. Although he was not able to justify his placement in the draft, Nugent has been a reliable leg, by and large.
Nugent, the owner of 22 school records at Ohio State, will now square off with a second-year player for the right to serve as the Giants’ kicker.
UDFA Jadar Johnson Retires
- Giants rookie safety Jadar Johnson, whom the team signed as a UDFA this year, has decided to retire from football, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets.
OBJ Clarifies Remarks On Contract Demands
We learned earlier this week that the Giants weren’t prioritizing a contract extension with star wideout Odell Beckham Jr., and that could be because the Pro Bowler is seeking a record-breaking deal. The 24-year-old said on Thursday that he was aiming to become the league’s highest-paid receiver, and he elaborated on those remarks on Friday.