Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: LB Bo Bower
New York Jets
- Signed: QB John Wolford
- Waived/injured: WR Lucky Whitehead
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Jaboree Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Daniel Marx
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Donteea Dye, RB Devine Redding
Washington Redskins
- Signed: QB Connor Jessop, DL JoJo Wicker
- Waived: CB Darius Hillary, WR Allenzae Staggers
- Waived from injured reserve: RB Martez Carter, OL Cameron Jefferson, FB Elijah Wellman
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/18
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived from injured reserve: WR Colby Pearson
Detroit Lions
- Waived from injured reserve: S Stefan McClure
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: S Stephen Roberts
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Tanner McEvoy
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: WR Sergio Bailey
- Waived/injured: WR Jake Lampman
Smallwood Favorite For Eagles' RB4 Job?
- Former Redskins starter Matt Jones looks to have played himself out of consideration for an Eagles backup job, with Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com handicapping the race for Philadelphia’s No. 4 running back job as a head-to-head battle between third-year player Wendell Smallwood and rookie UDFA Josh Adams. Shorr-Parks views Donnel Pumphrey, a 2017 fourth-rounder who missed all of last season, as third behind Smallwood — whom the Eagles are still intrigued by — and Adams in this race for work behind Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement. An Adams cut will likely result in another team claiming him, since the Eagles had to give him one of the largest UDFA guarantees any team authorized in this year’s post-draft signing period.
- One of the Eagles‘ 2018 UDFAs, safety Stephen Roberts, did not last until the final cut. Philly waived the Auburn product earlier Saturday, and this came after the defending Super Bowl champions guaranteed $52K of his base salary, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link). That amount was one of the highest guarantees allotted to any UDFA this year, so it’s possible Roberts will generate some waiver-wire attention.
Eagles Notes: Neson, Roster
- The Eagles will likely release linebacker Corey Nelson prior to the regular season, not only because he’s been outplayed during camp and the preseason, but because doing so will net a Philadelphia a sixth-round compensatory pick, according to Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice. The NFL’s comp pick process is based on complicated cancellation charts that track how many free agents each team gained or lost. If Nelson is cut before the season (or anytime prior to Week 10), he’ll be removed from the comp pick formula, and therefore open up a sixth-round pick for the Eagles (in exchange for losing corner Patrick Robinson in free agency). Philadelphia would also pick up $1MM in cap space by releasing Nelson, although they’d take on $600K in dead money.
- After winning the Super Bowl in 2017, the Eagles returned much of their loaded roster and added more depth. Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com runs down the projected 53-man squad and potential roster cuts.
Carson Wentz Cleared For 11-On-11 Drills
As Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz continues his rehabilitation from a torn ACL, he’s been medically cleared to participate in 11-on-11 drills, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The news isn’t a complete surprise, as Wentz had been expected to be cleared at some point over the next week. But the revelation is undoubtedly a positive, especially given that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson recently said Wentz would need to participate in at least a week’s worth of 11-on-11 work in order to suit up for Week 1. However, as Wentz said earlier this week, there is no guarantee he’ll be ready for Philadelphia’s season opener.
“I obviously would love to be out there,” Wentz said. “That’s been my goal all offseason ever since the injury. It’s going to be close. It’s going to be close. I’m still eyeing that date. At the end of the day, it’s not just my decision. There’s coaches and doctors that really have the final say. I really like where I’m at and time will tell here.”
Wentz has yet to be cleared for contact, the next step in his recovery, but the Eagles have options at the ready if he’s not available for Week 1. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is dealing with a shoulder injury but isn’t expected to miss extended time, and he’d fill in if Wentz misses any regular season action. Philadelphia also has Nate Sudfeld, Joe Callahan, and Christian Hackbenerg on its roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/18
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on non-football injury list: WR Josh Gordon
- Signed: TE Stephen Baggett, DL Blaine Woodson
- Waived: DB Micah Hannemann
- Waived/injured: TE Julian Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB LeShun Daniels
- Waived from injured reserve: LB C.J. Johnson
- Placed on reserve/retired list: RB Akeem Judd
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Kyle Coleman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Darius Prince
- Waived: DT Adam Reth
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived from injured reserve: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Kendall Calhoun, DB Darius Hillary, WR Allenzae Staggers
- Waived: LB Jeff Knox, DL Jalen Wilkerson
- Waived/injured: RB Martez Carter
Extra Points: Bengals, Lewis, Eagles, Foles, Chiefs, AAF
The Bengals are counting on some new coaching roles making a major difference this season. Marvin Lewis survived another year on the hot seat but knew he would need to rearrange his staff after another disappointing season. Teryl Austin will succeed now-Raiders DC Paul Guenther in running Cincinnati’s defense, and Lewis made Bill Lazor the full-time OC. The team jettisoned longtime offensive line coach Paul Alexander as well, with other new staffers coming in to help a team that’s fallen in the AFC hierarchy the past two years.
“I made up my mind I wanted to coach,” Lewis said, via Jonathan Jones of SI.com. “So, do I want to go start over somewhere where I don’t know the people or coach these group of guys downstairs that no one else has? That’s an easy decision. You look at what’s open and these are the best players. And that’s what you want.
“I knew we were going to have a lot of change on the coaching staff. I knew I had to make changes and those are the things that (owner) Mike (Brown) and I had to discuss. I had to make changes on people that had been with me for a long time and had been friends, and it’s difficult.”
Lewis added that he didn’t want to make wholesale roster changes, pointing out the number of Pro Bowlers still on the team, but the Bengals aren’t receiving much attention as a contender this season. They’re hoping these staff moves can re-route them back to the AFC playoffs.
Here’s the latest from the football landscape:
- The Eagles received a scare Thursday night when Super Bowl MVP and temporary starting quarterback Nick Foles went down with a shoulder injury. The shoulder sprain Foles suffered is believed to be a minor malady and not one that will require a significant rehab effort, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. It’s looking like it will come down to the wire on whom the defending Super Bowl champions will start at quarterback on opening night, with Carson Wentz unlikely to play in the preseason. The Eagles not having Foles would throw a major wrench in their plans, despite third-stringer Nate Sudfeld having a nice offseason.
- Steven Nelson will be a full-time outside cornerback this season, Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star notes. This change emerged in the offseason, one that featured breakout slot man Kendall Fuller’s arrival, but the Chiefs are evidently committed to trying Nelson – their most frequent slot corner over the past two seasons – as an outside man. The 2015 third-round pick is entering a contract year. While Kansas City has looked at other corners this month – Bashaud Breeland and Orlando Scandrick – the trio of Fuller, Nelson and David Amerson remains atop the depth chart. Nelson did leave the Chiefs’ game Friday night with a head injury, however.
- Former Jets second-round pick Stephen Hill and ex-Titans backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger are two of the notable new names signed on to play for the Alliance of American Football. The AAF announced 100 more players will join. Ex-Rams running back Daryl Richardson, former Saints and Jets ball carrier Khiry Robinson, linebacker Deontae Skinner and running back Storm Johnson are among the new contingent. Former Giants and Ravens safety Will Hill and veteran kicker Nick Novak, who was with the Chargers last season, were among the first wave to sign.
Brent Celek Leaning Towards Retirement
Eagles free agent tight end Brent Celek tells 97.5 The Fanatic that he’s leaning towards retirement (audio link). Celek didn’t quite say that it’s Eagles-or-bust if he were to play, but it was heavily suggested. 
“I think I’m leaning more toward retirement,” Celek said. “I’ve had a few offers, but none of them are worth leaving a city that I have been in for eleven years where I won the Super Bowl in my final year. It wouldn’t feel right to put another uniform on.”
Celek was overshadowed a bit in Philadelphia last year with Zach Ertz and Trey Burton ahead of him on the depth chart, but he appeared in all 16 games for the Eagles. He has been remarkably durable over the course of his career, missing just one game since entering the league in 2007.
Once upon a time, Celek was a major part of the Eagles’ passing attack. He nearly hit 1,000 receiving yards in 2009 and he averaged 59 catches for 744 yards and 4+ TDs between 2009 and 2012. In recent years, he’s been used more for blocking purposes. He has just 27 grabs for 285 yards over the last two seasons. In theory, the Eagles could circle back to him now that Burton is out of the picture, but they could just as easily forge ahead with their current group, which includes second-round pick Dallas Goedert and free agent pickup Richard Rodgers.
If Celek does return, it sounds like it will be with the Eagles. But, no matter what, he says there’s one team he’d never play for.
“Hell no,” Celek said when asked about the possibility of heading to Dallas. “Do you think I would play for the Cowboys? Philly is my home. If they offered me 10MM, I still wouldn’t go.”
Eagles' Nick Foles Injures Shoulder
- No reason to panic just yet, but the Eagles announced that quarterback Nick Foles suffered a shoulder strain in Thursday night’s preseason contest. Foles personally says that he’s not overly concerned about the injury, but he also speculate on his status for Week 1. If Foles needs time to recover, that could put the Eagles in a bad spot since Carson Wentz‘s status for the opener is also up in the air.
Latest On Eagles' Roster
- Here’s a recent projection of the Eagles’ 53-man roster including a full breakdown of long-shots, bubble players, and potential trade candidates courtesy of Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.