Buccaneers Cut 13 Players
MONDAY, 9:29am: The Bucs have made another move, releasing linebacker Damaso Munoz, tweets Rick Stoud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa’s roster is now at 77.
SUNDAY, 3:46pm: The Buccaneers have issued their first wave of roster moves, cutting 12 players, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter links):
- Jeremy Cain, LS
- Euclid Cummings, DT
- Jace Daniels, OL
- Skye Dawson, WR
- Jason Foster, OL
- Ryne Giddins, DE
- R.J. Mattes, G
- Eric Page, WR
- Tommy Streeter, WR
- Chaz Sutton, DE
- Alex Tanney, QB
- Ian Thompson, FB
With Cain, Andrew DePaola is now in line for the long-snapping job. Tanney is notable for being a “trick-shot” QB of YouTube renown. Tampa Bay still needs to make three more roster cuts before Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.
NFC Links: Panthers, Bucs, Lions, Packers
We’ve taken a look at rumors from the NFC West and NFC East this afternoon. Now let’s focus on some links from the North and South divisions…
- There is enough room on the Panthers roster for both Tyler Gaffney and Kenjon Barner, says ESPN.com’s David Newton. The running backs’ skills on special teams, in addition to the age of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, means the young players will likely stick around.
- Cornerbacks Josh Norman and Josh Thomas are in “prove-me” years and may not make the Panthers roster, Newton mentions in the same article.
- The Buccaneers have four quarterbacks in Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Mike Kafka and Alex Tanney. There’s no way all four are sticking around, and The Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings says that keeping three may even be a stretch. New coach Lovie Smith carried three quarterbacks in seven of his nine seasons with the Bears, but even Smith hinted that the Bucs’ will likely only carry two.
- Lions wideout Kris Durham‘s biggest threat for a roster spot is Kevin Ogletree, writes ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. The writer says it would be tough for both players to make the final roster.
- Keeping four running back is not out of the question for the Packers, says ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The team’s current halfbacks are Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris and Johnathan Franklin. As Demovsky points out, that’s a group with a lot of injury risk.
Bucs Sign Four Players, Cut Three
The Buccaneers have announced a series of roster moves, officially adding four players and cutting three to make room on the 90-man roster. As Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com details, the team has signed quarterback Alex Tanney, wide receiver Quintin Payton, and tight end Ian Thompson. The club also confirmed the signing of tight end Cameron Brate, whose deal was reported yesterday. To clear space on the roster, defensive lineman David Hunter, punter Jacob Schum, and quarterback Brett Smith have been waived.
Of the Bucs’ new additions, Tanney represents perhaps the most interesting name. The former Monmouth signal-caller has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game, but he has spent time with the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Browns, and was cut by Cleveland last week. While Tanney is a long shot to make the 53-man roster, given the presence of Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, and Mike Kafka, Tampa Bay liked him enough to cut loose Smith, who was just signed last week as an undrafted free agent.
Browns Cut Vince Young, Four Others
Vince Young‘s stint with the Browns was short-lived, as owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed today that Cleveland has released the veteran quarterback (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). The Browns also cut quarterback Alex Tanney, defensive back Brandon Hughes, defensive lineman Brian Sanford, and running back Fozzy Whittaker, according to the team (Twitter link).
Young, who turns 31 this weekend, signed a contract with the Browns at the start of May after participating in the team’s minicamp. The former Pro Bowler spent time in camp with the Packers in 2013 and the Bills in 2012, but was released prior to the regular season in both instances, and hasn’t seen any real NFL playing time since 2011 in Philadelphia.
With Young and Tanney out of the picture, the quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster include Brian Hoyer, Tyler Thigpen, Connor Shaw, who agreed to sign as an undrafted free agent, and, of course, 22nd overall pick Johnny Manziel.