Nick Nelson

Colts Place Damontre Moore On IR

The Colts have released defensive end Damontre Moore, per a club announcement. Between that and a quartet of other moves, the Colts have reached the 85-man roster maximum in advance of today’s deadline.

[RELATED: Colts’ Carson Wentz, Quenton Nelson To Play Week 1?] 

Moore, a 2013 third-round pick, has spent his career as a journeyman. After two-plus seasons with the Giants, the veteran has spent time with the Dolphins, Raiders, Seahawks, Cowboys, Raiders (again), the 49ers, and the Seahawks (again). He also had a brief cameo in the AAF during the 2019 campaign. This Colts stint, meanwhile, may not last much longer.

The 28-year-old (29 in September) saw time in ten Seahawks games last year — that’s the most action he’s seen since 2015. He registered nine tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble while missing six games thanks to a PED suspension. For his career, Moore has eleven sacks, four forced fumbles, 12 tackles for loss, and 36 QB hits to his credit.

In addition to moving Moore to IR, the Colts have waived tight end Graham Adomitis and running back Darius Anderson while waiving wide receiver Quartney Davis and cornerback Nick Nelson with injury designations.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/6/21

We’ll keep track of the latest reserve/futures deals here:

Arizona Cardinals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/20

Today’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Waived: K Elliott Fry

Raiders Waive CB Nick Nelson

On Monday, the Raiders officially announced their signing of cornerback Prince Amukamara. To make room on the roster, they waived fellow corner Nick Nelson with a failed-physical designation.

Nelson was cut with a failed physical designation, bringing his Raiders run to a close after just two years. Nelson was a fourth-round pick of the (then Oakland) Raiders in 2018 and saw time in ten games as a rookie. Last year, however, he spent most of his time on the practice squad. Jon Gruden called him up to the varsity squad ahead of Week 15, but he landed on injured reserve before the season finale.

Unfortunately, Nelson is no stranger to the injury bug. Just weeks before the draft, Nelson suffered a torn meniscus during a private workout for an NFL club. The Raiders still used a fourth-round choice on the 5’11” Wisconsin product, believing that his coverage skills would translate to the pro game and make up for his stature.

If Nelson goes unclaimed in the next 24 hours, he’ll be free to sign with any team. If he gets picked up, his new team will be on the hook for the two remaining years on his deal.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/19

We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Davion Davis

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers 

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Raiders Get Down To 53 Players

The Raiders have made their slew of cuts. They placed defensive tackle Justin Ellis on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss the entire season. After starting 14 games in 2017, Oakland signed Ellis to a three-year, $15MM extension. Injuries limited him to just six games last season, so he’ll have barely played through the first two years of that extension.

Former Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks also got the boot. He started nine games for Los Angeles in 2017 and racked up four sacks. Last year he had a smaller role, although he did appear in all 16 games for the Rams. ‘Hard Knocks’ star Keelan Doss unfortunately failed to make the roster. He’s an undrafted rookie receiver from UC Davis. Additionally Keith Smith, who served as the team’s fullback last season, was released.

Waived:

WR Marcell Ateman
DE Quinton Bell
RB James Butler
LB Jason Cabinda
LB Te’von Coney
G Lester Cotton Sr.
WR Keelan Doss
LB Koa Farmer
WR Rico Gafford
WR Keon Hatcher
G/T Denver Kirkland
CB Dylan Mabin
T Justin Murray
CB Nick Nelson
WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
T Tyler Roemer
DT Anthony Rush

Released:

FB Keith Smith
DE Ethan Westbrooks
LB Kyle Wilber

Waived/injured:

TE Paul Butler

Placed on season-ending injured reserve:

DT Justin Ellis

Raiders Sign Brandon Parker, Nick Nelson

The Raiders inked two of their draft picks on Monday afternoon. Third-round offensive tackle Brandon Parker and fourth-round cornerback Nick Nelson are now under contract, meaning that eight of their nine selections have been signed. As shown on PFR’s tracker, third-round defensive end Arden Key is the last unsigned rookie of the bunch. 

Parker, the No. 65 overall pick in last month’s draft, played four seasons at North Carolina AT&T and started all 48 of his games at left tackle. The reigning MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year and FCS All-American First Team selection will compete for time behind starters Donald Penn and fellow rookie Kolton Miller at the tackle spots.

Nelson, the No. 110 overall pick, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Hawaii before transferring to Wisconsin. With the Badgers, Nelson tallied 35 tackles and tied for third in the country with 21 passes defended. Nelson has 40 passes defensed in three NCAA seasons but, somehow, did not record an interception in that time. That may have been a red mark against him in the draft process, along with his torn meniscus in early April.

The good news is that Nelson is expected to be back to full health this summer, which should allow for him to compete for playing time behind starters Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin. Shareece Wright, Dexter McDonald, Leon Hall, and Daryl Worley are also among those in the CB mix.

NFL Draft Rumors: Nelson, 49ers, Eagles

Good news for Wisconsin product Nick Nelson. The surgery to fix the cornerback’s torn meniscus was successful and he did not need a full repair, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Because it was not a full repair, he is expected to recover in six weeks rather than 3-4 months and should be ready for training camp. Nelson was projected to come off the board no later than the third round before the injury and he should be in consideration for rounds 2 and 3 once again after the operation.

Here’s a look at the latest NFL Draft news:

  • The 49ers met with Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith on Tuesday, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Smith had 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season and could be a replacement for Reuben Foster, who is embroiled in serious legal trouble stemming from a domestic violence arrest.
  • Iowa center James Daniels, who is widely regarded as the top center in this year’s draft, visited with the Eagles this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. On Tuesday, he’ll meet with Bears before traveling to the 49ers on Wednesday. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com says that Daniels is one of the best center prospects he’s seen in the last five years and has him ranked as the 23rd best prospect overall in this year’s draft.
  • South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst, met with the Lions on Tuesday, Rapoport tweets. If the Lions select Hurst in the first round, that will make three first round tight ends for them in the last ten years, following Brandon Pettigrew (2009) and Eric Ebron (2014).
  • Louisville cornerback Jaire Alexander visited the Eagles and Dolphins this week, Rapoport tweets. Alexander is widely projected to be a first round pick and may be the second CB to come off the board after Ohio State’s Denzel Ward.
  • Teams like Alabama defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne, but the belief that he is a two-down defender and not an adept pass-rusher may keep him out of the Top 10, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears.
  • Speaking of Payne, he visited the Redskins on Monday, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Washington owns the No. 13 overall pick in the draft.

Wisconsin CB Nick Nelson Suffers Injury

Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson suffered a torn meniscus during a private workout with a team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll undergo surgery to repair his knee next week. 

Although Nelson was not considered to be a prospect on the same tier as Denzel Ward (Ohio State), Jaire Alexander (Louisville), Josh Jackson (Iowa), Mike Hughes (UCF), and Isaiah Oliver (Colorado), he was regarded as a potential Day 2 pick. The injury could push him down to Day 3 territory as he’ll be unable to conduct further workouts between now and the draft later this month.

The good news is that a meniscus tear is not as severe as an ACL tear or other knee ligament injuries. Nelson should be back on the field after 3-4 months, which would put him in line to still play in his rookie season.

Nelson, a Maryland native, began his collegiate career at Hawaii before transferring to Wisconsin. With the Badgers, he made a name for himself as a tireless worker who can stick to a receiver in coverage. However, his lack of ideal size at 5’11” and zero interceptions in three seasons are among the negative marks against him.