Nick Moody

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/16

The latest minor moves from around the NFL:

  • Signed to the Redskins‘ practice squad earlier this week, linebacker Lynden Trail will make the jump to Washington’s active roster, John Keim of ESPN.com reports. To clear a roster spot, Washington waived linebacker Nick Moody. Trail originally caught on with the Texans as a UDFA last year and has spent time on the Redskins’ practice squad in each of the past two years, also appearing on the Rams’ taxi unit. A sixth-round pick in 2013, Moody has suited up in games for the 49ers, Seahawks and Redskins since. He played in one Redskins game this season.
  • The Bengals have promoted P.J. Dawson to the active roster. With Vontaze Burfict (concussion) out for this weekend’s game, Cincinnati needed some reinforcement at the position. The Bengals only have three reserve linebackers in Vincent Rey, Marquis Flowers, and Nick Vigil.
  • The Lions announced that they have cut Corey Lemonier. The 25-year-old outside linebacker didn’t take the field for his lone game in Detroit last weekend. The Auburn product played in eight games (one start) for the Browns earlier this season, compiling nine tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Seahawks have made a series of roster moves, announcing that they’ve signed running back Kelvin Taylor and cornerback Ronald Powell to their 53-man roster while placing running back Troymaine Pope and fullback Will Tukuafu on IR. Tay is the son of former NFL great Fred Taylor.
  • The Bears have signed tight end MyCole Pruitt off the Vikings‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispacth, while Chicago announced that it has cleared a roster spot by waiving defensive back De’Vante Bausby. Pruitt, a 2015 fifth-round pick, has played in 18 games over the past two years.
  • The Packers will sign linebacker Jordan Tripp, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tripp, primarily a special teamer, was recently waived off Seattle’s IR.
  • John Hughes won’t be staying home alone any longer, as the Buccaneers announced that they’ve re-signed the veteran defensive tackle. Hughes, 28, has already played in three games for Tampa this season.
  • The Ravens announced that they’ve placed running back Lorenzo Taliaferro on injured reserve and signed linebacker Lamar Louis to the active roster. Taliaferro, a 2014 fourth-round, hasn’t been able to get on the field in Baltimore, as he’s managed only 14 carries over the past two seasons. The Ravens are also promoting WR Michael Campanaro, tweets Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Rams have signed cornerback Troy Hill from the practice squad and placed tight end Cory Harkey on injured reserve, the team announced today. Hill had been waived following a DUI arrest, but has now earned a second chance on the roster.
  • The Bills signed safety Shamiel Gary and offensive lineman Michael Ola to the active roster, per a club announcement. Linebacker Bryson Albright has been waived in a corresponding transaction.
  • The Redskins announced that they’ve promoted linebacker Nick Moody from the practice squad to the active roster and placed defensive end Anthony Lanier on injured reserve. Lanier, 26, has 25 games of NFL experience under his belt since entering the league as a San Francisco draft pick in 2013.
  • The Cardinals have swapped out punters once again, announcing that they’ve waived Drew Butler in favor of Matt Wile, who was promoted from the practice squad. Arizona also signed quarterback Zac Dysert off the taxi squad.
  • The Falcons have re-signed cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, the team announced today. BWW had just been waived last week in order to clear a spot for wide receiver depth.
  • The Browns announced that they’ve promoted DL Gabe Wright from the practice squad to active roster. Wright, a former Detroit draft pick, was claimed by Cleveland earlier this year.

Chiefs Work Out Laurinaitis, Brinkley, Irving

The Chiefs worked out a host of linebackers on Monday, including a handful of notables. James Laurinaitis, Nate Irving, Jasper Brinkley, Jayson DiManche, Nick Moody, and Miles Burris all showed their stuff for Kansas City (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). KC could look to sign a linebacker with Derrick Johnson out for the season."<strong

[RELATED: Derrick Johnson Not Considering Retirement]

Laurinaitis inked a three-year, $8.5MM deal with the Saints in the offseason. Expected to provide veteran leadership for New Orleans, Laurinaitis suffered a setback when he went down with a quad injury. He insisted that he was healthy enough to return from IR, but that possibility went out the window when rookie Sheldon Rankins was activated. Last month, the Saints agreed to release Laurinaitis after having paid him roughly $2MM for his six games and 17 tackles.

Irving was speculatively connected to the Colts after D’Qwell Jackson‘s four-game suspension, but Indianapolis wasn’t interested in a reunion. The 28-year-old was dropped by the Colts at final cutdowns despite being in the midst of a multi-year deal. Injuries limited him to eight games (two starts) last year with just eleven tackles. Prior to joining Indianapolis, Irving spent four years with the Broncos, but wasn’t a starter until his final season in Denver.

We haven’t heard much about Brinkley since October when he auditioned for the Patriots. The 31-year-old had 67 tackles and one sack for the Giants last year and he has been exceptionally durable throughout his career. Still, he has been unable to find work so far in 2016.

AFC West Notes: Fisher, Aldon, San Diego, Broncos

With fifth-year option decisions due Tuesday, May 3, the Chiefs are procrastinating — at least publicly — on their choice on whether or not to pick up Eric Fisher‘s.

I know a lot of guys have been exercising these options on players right now,” Chiefs GM John Dorsey said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “I do things a little bit different. I think what I do is, I’m, at times, compartmentalizing a little bit too much. So really, the task at hand, for me, is to make sure we nail this draft. And I think when we get to Monday, we’ll deal with Monday.”

Fisher would be due a guaranteed-against-injury $11.9MM in 2017 if the Chiefs pick up their left tackle’s option. The No. 1 overall pick in 2013, Fisher improved last season after an unremarkable initial two years. But at $11.9MM, he’d stand to be the fourth-highest-paid tackle in 2017 — behind only Tyron Smith, Trent Williams and Anthony Castonzo. And by waiting until the draft is over, the Chiefs appear to be keeping their options open regarding their blind-side protector’s future, considering he hasn’t yet shown himself worthy of a cornerstone-type contract similar to the ones the aforementioned players received.

Kansas City has already participated in extension talks with Fisher in a likely effort to bring that prospective $11.9MM cap number down for a franchise that doesn’t look to have much cap space come next year, with most of its key players locked in for the next two seasons.

Here’s the latest from the AFC West.

  • Speaking at a stadium rally in San Diego on Saturday, Roger Goodell endorsed keeping the Chargers in the city and said that if the downtown stadium initiative goes through, the Super Bowl will return to San Diego. “I said it. I mean it. The Chargers belong in San Diego,” the commissioner said (via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, on Twitter). The Super Bowl last came to the city in 2003, with Qualcomm Stadium — now considered one of the worst in the game — hosting Super Bowl XXXVIII.
  • Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Dean Spanos also spoke in support of the $1.8 billion stadium/convention center project, although as Kevin Acee of the Union-Tribune points out, the words “convention center” weren’t spoken by any of the guest speakers at the signature-collecting showcase that drew around 4,000. “I mean, dadgumit. … It just makes sense right? I hope I’m still around to play in it. Let’s get it done together,” said Rivers, who wasn’t enthusiastic about relocating to Los Angeles when the subject surfaced last year.
  • Aldon Smith‘s trial is set to begin May 2, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports. The recently re-signed Raiders edge presence faces three charges from the August 2015 incident that led to his release from the 49ers — DUI with a prior conviction, hit and run and vandalism under $400 — according to Bair. Smith remains suspended for a substance-abuse policy violation and can’t return to aid the Raiders on Sundays until November, but the sixth-year veteran must be reinstated by Goodell. That hasn’t been a smooth process for recent offenders.
  • Free agent linebacker Nick Moody remains on track to testify at Smith’s trial despite a judge issuing a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear in a Florida court to confirm this, Florio reports. Moody now insists his failure to appear in court Friday stemmed from a miscommunication. Moody spent two years with the 49ers before playing in three games with the Seahawks in 2015.
  • The Raiders are showing “serious interest” in Utah interior lineman Siaosi Aiono, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Broncos spent plenty of time trying to re-sign Brock Osweiler and Malik Jackson, and the defending champions added two tackles expected to start during the offseason. But they released Owen Daniels and didn’t make an attempt to bring back Vernon Davis, who signed with Washington. This could be due to the team’s high hopes for second-year tight end Jeff Heuerman, who missed his rookie slate with a torn ACL. “We expect (Heuerman) to step in and be a force,” GM John Elway told media, including Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “We’re counting on (Heuerman) big time,” Gary Kubiak said. “We feel like Jeff can be a total tight end. He’s not just a receiver. We think he has the ability to do both (catch and block).” A former third-round pick, Heuerman wasn’t known for his receiving chops at Ohio State. The 6-foot-5 tight end hauled in 792 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four years, playing extensively as a junior and senior. Virgil Green is the only experienced tight end on the roster, so it may behoove the team to add some depth at this spot.

NFL Suspends Taylor Mays, Nick Moody

Free agent safety Taylor Mays has been suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Linebacker Nick Moody has also been suspended for the first four games, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mays’ suspension is for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy (Twitter link via Rapoport).

Moody was a restricted free agent this offseason, but the Seahawks declined to issue him a tender. Since that decision, we have not heard much with regards to free agent interest for Moody. In 2015, Moody only saw time in three games for Seattle after spending much of the year on the team’s taxi squad. In 2014, he appeared in every regular season contest for the 49ers and even made two starts. In total, he notched 21 tackles with San Francisco in ’14.

Mays bounced all around the NFL last year and was yo-yo’ed on and off of the Raiders’ roster multiple times. The 28-year-old recorded 23 tackles and 5 passes defensed in his 14 Raiders games. Mays, who hopes to enter his seventh-year in the NFL, was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft by the 49ers. Needless to say, the USC product has not exactly fulfilled his expectations.

RFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/16

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted free agents. We’ll round up those decisions here:

Tendered

Non-Tendered

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/15

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Cowboys claimed running back Rod Smith off waivers from the Seahawks, according to Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The Fan (on Twitter). After previously trading for Christine Michael, it appears that the Cowboys are fans of Seattle running backs.
  • The Broncos announced that they have signed tight end Richard Gordon while waiving fellow tight end Mitchell Henry. This will be Gordon’s third AFC West team, after stints with the Chiefs and Raiders, who selected Gordon in the sixth round (No. 181 overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft from the University of Miami.
  • The Browns have been awarded defensive back Don Jones off waivers from the Saints, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. In a related move, outside linebacker Scott Solomon was placed on injured reserve with a sprained knee. Solomon’s injury certainly won’t help the Browns’ poor results against the run.
  • Mike Chappell of FOX59 (on Twitter) reports that the Colts have placed Tyler Varga on IR following his concussion. That move will help make room for the newly-signed Ahmad Bradshaw.
  • The Dolphins signed safety Jonathan Dowling off the team’s practice squad, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. Dowling was a 2014 seventh-round pick of the Raiders.
  • The Buccaneers cut Josh Martin from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed linebacker Nick Moody to their active roster, Wilson tweets.
  • The Bears announced (on Twitter) that they have promoted linebacker Jonathan Anderson from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
  • The Packers announced that they have signed tight end Justin Perillo to the active roster while placing safety Sean Richardson on IR. Coach Mike McCarthy wouldn’t comment on Richardson’s future when asked about it on Monday, but his playing career could be in jeopardy, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. The Packers brought back Richardson this year as an restricted free agent when they matched the one-year, $2.55MM offer sheet he signed with the Raiders.

AFC Notes: Kitchen, Texans, Workouts, Fluker

Former Browns nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, who was cut by Cleveland earlier this month, will pay a visit to the Texans this week, a source tells Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. With 2014 third-rounder Louis Nix no longer on their roster, and sixth-round rookie Christian Covington backing up Vince Wilfork, the Texans may be seeking some veteran depth to help complement J.J. Watt on their defensive line.

As we wait to see if anything materializes between Kitchen and the Texans, let’s check in on a few other items from across the AFC….

  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along some workout updates, reporting (via Twitter) that the Jets are auditioning former Broncos defensive end Quanterus Smith today, and that linebackers Troy Davis, Quayshawn Nealy, and Nick Moody recently worked out for the Chiefs. Moody has since signed to Seattle’s practice squad.
  • Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker is expected to miss “considerable time” due to an ankle injury, writes Bernie Wilson of The Associated Press. Johnnie Troutman would likely be the next man up to replace Fluker as San Diego’s right guard.
  • The trial for Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter, who was charged with assault and battery following a July bar brawl, is set to begin today in Virginia Beach, according to an Associated Press report.
  • Examining A.J. Green‘s new extension with the Bengals, Bryce Johnston of Over the Cap observes that even though Green’s second-year base salary isn’t fully guaranteed at the time of his signing and he trails other star wideouts in terms of fully guaranteed money, his contract looks just as strong as those other deals.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/15

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: DE Cedric Reed (Twitter link via ESPN’s Mike Rodak)

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed: OT Tyreek Burwell (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
  • Cut: RB Dreamius Smith

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: LB Nick Moody (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta)
  • Cut: DB Brandon Dixon