Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL..
- The Dolphins released RB/KR Raheem Mostert off their roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter links). Mostert led the entire NFL in yardage this preseason while with the Eagles. If he passes through waivers, Tessler adds that he’ll be added to Miami’s taxi squad.
- The Texans signed defensive tackle Brandon Dunn to active roster off the Bears‘ practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, the Texans cut wide receiver Chandler Worthy from active roster (Twitter links). If Worthy clears waivers, Houston would like to sign him to the taxi squad.
- The Saints re-signed wide receiver Joe Morgan, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. To make room, the defensive backs waived defensive back Don Jones (link).
- The Eagles (via Twitter) announced that they signed offensive lineman Tanner Hawkinson off the 49ers‘ practice squad and released center/guard Julian Vandervelde.
- The Chiefs signed running back Darrin Reaves to their practice squad, as Adam Teicher of ESPN.com writes. The former Panthers tailback was in camp with Kansas City this past offseason.
- The Steelers released kicker Garrett Hartley off of IR, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Lions released cornerback Chris Owens off of the IR, Caplan tweets.
- The Cowboys waived wide receiver Vince Mayle, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. The Washington State product was moved from the practice squad to the active roster last week to give Dallas additional depth at the position.
- The Bears waived quarterback David Fales, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
- The Cardinals placed defensive back Chris Clemons on injured reserve, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins cut Damarr Aultman, Wilson tweets.
- The Colts cut Jalil Brown from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Wilson tweets.
- The Seahawks waived UDFA running back Rod Smith and quarterback B.J. Daniels, Caplan tweets.
- The Lions waived linebacker Kevin Snyder from the IR, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
Steelers Activate Martavis Bryant
The Steelers have activated wide receiver Martavis Bryant to their 53-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. Bryant had missed the first four weeks of the season while serving a suspension, and Pittsburgh, armed with a roster exemption for the wideout, chose not to activate him for Week 5. Now, he’ll be eligible to play in Week 6, taking safety Ross Ventrone‘s spot on the roster.
Bryant, 23, came on strong in the second half of his rookie season in 2014, acting as a deep threat for the Steelers’ offense. For the year, the Clemson product caught 26 balls for 549 yards, an average of 21.1 yards per reception. He also hauled in eight touchdowns. Bryant had been expected to take a step forward in 2015, but a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy postponed his sophomore debut.
As for Ventrone, the veteran defensive back has been with the Steelers for parts of the last three seasons, providing depth in the secondary and seeing some action on special teams. He’ll be a free agent if and when he clears waivers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/15
It hasn’t been a very active day, but there was one player cut. Here is where we will round up all of today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves, should they come:
- The Steelers have cut tight end Ray Hamilton from the injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Gates, Hardy, Others Return From Suspensions
With four weeks of the NFL season now in the books, several players – and one general manager – are eligible to return from their four-game suspensions, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes. While Yates’ list isn’t exhaustive, he includes the most notable names who will be eligible to suit up for their teams’ next games:
- Martavis Bryant, WR (Steelers)
- Antonio Gates, TE (Chargers)
- Greg Hardy, DE (Cowboys)
- Rolando McClain, LB (Cowboys)
- Sheldon Richardson, DL (Jets)
- Derek Wolfe, DE (Broncos)
- Ray Farmer, general manager (Browns)
In most cases, teams will be given a roster exemption for their returning players, so they won’t have to immediately make room for them on the 53-man roster today. However, teams will have to create an opening on their rosters by Thursday if they intend to activate these players, and there aren’t any players on this list that look like release candidates.
The Cowboys could get the biggest boost this week, with two of their best defensive players – Hardy and McClain – set to return. McClain’s career production has been somewhat up and down, and Hardy hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2014 season, so it’ll be interesting to see if either player is able to make an immediate impact for Dallas.
Richardson, meanwhile, could be a candidate for additional discipline — he’ll have his pre-trial hearing on street-racing charges today, but the legal process is expected to continue for about a month, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The NFL could step in and hand out another suspension for Richardson before his trial, but it’s more likely that the league will simply wait until after it concludes to make a decision.
As for Farmer, the Browns GM, who was suspended for texting coaches on the sideline during games last season, will be able to resume making roster decisions today, though Cleveland wasn’t exactly closed for business over the last four weeks — with interim GM Bill Kuharich at the helm, the team locked up quarterback Austin Davis to a two-year extension last week.
Steelers Sign Chris Boswell
1:47pm: Boswell’s deal runs for two years, with the Steelers retaining his rights through the end of 2016, according to Caplan (on Twitter). Although he’s obviously no lock to make it to the end of 2016, considering the volatile status of this spot.
1:35pm: Pittsburgh made it official in cutting Scobee and signing Boswell, per CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (Twitter link). The Steelers will now have more than $6MM worth of commitments to kickers no longer on the active roster, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
12:04pm: The Steelers are set to sign kicker Chris Boswell, reports ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). It’s uncertain what the signing will mean for incumbent kicker Josh Scobee, who missed a pair of crucial field goals on Thursday night. As Caplan notes in a separate tweet, Boswell will be the team’s fourth kicker this season, as Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley are both on the injured reserve.
Boswell has yet to make an NFL appearance after going undrafted out of Rice in 2014. He previously spent time on both the Texans and Giants practice squad. During his four seasons at Rice, the 25-year-old converted 51 of his 67 field goal attempts and 117 of 123 extra point chances.
Scobee was traded to Pittsburgh this offseason after having spent his entire career with the Jaguars. The 2004 fifth-round pick has made over 80-percent of his field goal attempts during his career, which is 23rd among active kickers. In his first season with the Steelers, Scobee has made six of ten field goal attempts and six of his seven extra point chances.
Steelers Release Josh Scobee
1:41pm: Since no offset language existed in Scobee’s contract, the 12-year veteran is free to recoup the $1.91MM left on his deal on top of whatever he would receive if he signed with another team, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
1:26pm: The other end of the Steelers’ addition of Chris Boswell came down in the form of the team releasing Josh Scobee, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).
Boswell will serve as Pittsburgh’s fourth kicker in two months, after Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley both wound up on injured reserve, inducing the team’s September trade for Scobee.
The longest-tenured kicker in this merry-go-round, Scobee did not have a successful Steelers stint, which culminated in two missed field goals in Thursday night’s overtime loss to the Ravens. Those nationally televised misfires on a windy night led to Mike Tomlin eschewing longer tries for fourth-down conversion attempts, both of which failed.
Scobee, an 11-year member of the Jaguars and the north Florida franchise’s all-time scoring leader, also missed two field goals in the Steelers’ opening-night loss to the Patriots. He missed just eight kicks from 2011-13, but has now missed 10 since the start of the 2014 season.
He fetched a sixth-round pick in the trade, but after a sputtering start will now give way to the least-experienced kicker in this shuffle.
Workout Notes: Bullock, Sims, Drew
Through three weeks of the season, teams are re-evaluating their rosters due to injuries and performance, and are always tinkering with the back end of their roster and practice squads.
Here are a few players who are being called in for workouts with a chance to make a roster:
- We already heard the Steelers will be working out Kai Forbath and Chris Boswell on Saturday in the wake of Josh Scobee‘s rough Thursday night. They are also bringing in former Texans kicker Randy Bullock, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
- Undrafted free agent quarterback Philip Sims, who spent time with the Cardinals earlier this season, has a workout scheduled with the Packers on Tuesday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Former Georgia defensive end Ray Drew worked out for the Browns earlier today, writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter). She adds the team could sign him to the practice squad next week.
Extra Points: Cassel, Bryant, Cruz, Los Angeles
In a chat with for the Dallas Morning News, columnist Kevin Sherrington guesses that the Cowboys will dress Kellen Moore as the backup this week while Matt Cassel continues to learn the offense. He does note that if Brandon Weeden doesn’t turn things around, Cassel will eventually get the chance to start, which is key since he is doubtful Tony Romo will be ready to return as soon as he comes of the IR-DTR.
- Sherrington also believes the Cowboys could be in the market to add a wide receiver, specifically one who could threaten to take the top off the defense. He cites the team’s inability to get the ball to any wideout other than Cole Beasley since the injuries to Romo and Dez Bryant.
- Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant has had his suspension ended after the team played their fourth game last night, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team will still have a roster exemption until Tuesday, October 13th.
- Free agent wide receiver A.J. Cruz has been suspended for the next four games of the regular season, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). He has previous experience with the Arena Football League and was on the Bears’ 90-man roster this offseason.
- The league office has informed teams that they will be discussing “relocation guidelines” surrounding a potential Los Angeles franchise at next week’s owners’ meeting in New York, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). It is unclear if they will discuss relocation fees and a timetable for the move (via Twitter).
Kai Forbath To Work Out For Steelers
3:13pm: Kicker Chris Boswell will also participate in the Steelers’ kicker audition, according to James Palmer of the NFL Network (Twitter link)
2:18pm: After a pair of missed Josh Scobee field goals paved the way for the Ravens to knock off the Steelers in overtime last night, Pittsburgh is bringing in veteran kicker Kai Forbath for a workout, according to J.P. Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
Forbath, 28, made 94.4% of his field goals (17 of 18) in his first season with Washington back in 2012, and while he never matched that accuracy mark in subsequent years, his career percentage remains a solid 87.0%. Forbath was cut after Week 1 this season by Washington, with the team signing Dustin Hopkins to take his place.
Since his release, Forbath has worked out for multiple teams, and was said to be the second choice for both the Eagles, who signed Caleb Sturgis, and the Texans, who signed Nick Novak. Perhaps the third audition will be the charm for Forbath, though he’s unlikely to be the only kicker the Steelers consider.
It would be a little surprising if Pittsburgh decides to move on from Scobee, despite his early-season struggles. After Shaun Suisham went down with a season-ending injury, the Steelers sent a sixth-round pick to the Jaguars to acquire Scobee, and his $2.5MM salary for the 2015 season should be fully guaranteed at this point.
Scobee missed field goals of 41 and 49 yards in last night’s loss to the Ravens, his third and fourth missed field goals this year. The 33-year-old also missed an extra point in Week 2.
AFC Notes: Mohamed, Steelers, Davis, Pats
The Texans placed linebacker Mike Mohamed on injured reserve this week, despite the fact that he says he has almost recovered from his calf injury. Mohamed tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that he’ll talk to his agent, Ken Landphere, to determine what happens now — they may pursue an injury settlement with Houston, allowing the linebacker to reach free agency.
“I want to play this season,” Mohamed said. “It won’t be here, but I want to play somewhere and get back on the field. I’m almost back from the injury, so it’s kind of frustrating to go on injured reserve, but I understand that they didn’t feel like they could wait.”
While the Texans would like to bring back Mohamed when he’s healthy, an injury settlement prevents a player from re-signing with his old team for at least six weeks. During that time, Mohamed is a good bet to find a new job with another team.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- After missing a pair of field goals in the Steelers‘ loss last night, Josh Scobee has now missed four field goals and an extra point through four games with his new team. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that finding someone who can convert kicks on a consistent basis should be a top priority for Pittsburgh moving forward. Meanwhile, longtime Steelers kicker Jeff Reed, who hasn’t played an NFL game since 2010, still wants to make a comeback and says he’d love a shot to try out for Pittsburgh (link via CBS Pittsburgh).
- Less than two weeks into his stint with the Ravens, cornerback Will Davis already looks better than he ever did with the Dolphins, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero outlines, it’s the latest case of a player becoming more productive with a new team after leaving Miami, a worrisome trend for the Dolphins.
- The Patriots have been active on the trade market during the last few weeks, and acquired two more defensive players this week. With the November 3 trade deadline just over a month away, Andy Hart at CSNNE.com wonders if Bill Belichick will look to land some help at cornerback as well.