Rams Make Cuts, Reach 53-Man Max
The Rams added a player via trade on Saturday, but their real focus was on mass cuts to get down to the 53-man max. Here’s a rundown of their moves.
Waived:
- DT Omarius Bryant
- WR K.D. Cannon
- OL Parker Collins
- K Travis Coons
- CB Carlos Davis
- LB Kevin Davis (waived/injured)
- OL Michael Dunn
- OL Jake Eldrenkamp
- LB Josh Forrest (waived/injured)
- DB Tyquwan Glass
- RB Aaron Green
- DB Isaiah Johnson
- DB Michael Jordan
- OL Alex Kozan
- OLB Willie Mays
- LB Cassanova Mckinzy
- WR Paul McRoberts
- OLB Andy Mulumba
- OL Pace Murphy
- LB Folarin Orimolade
- DB Aarion Penton
- NT Mike Purcell
- FB Sam Rogers
- WR Shakeir Ryan
- DT Casey Sayles
- WR Brandon Shippen
- WR Nelson Spruce (waived/injured)
- OLB Carlos Thompson
- RB Lenard Tillery (waived/injured)
- OLB Orlovsky was signed in July, but he was facing long odds since the Rams already had Jared Goff and Sean Mannion as their top two QBs.
- G Cody Wichmann
- TE Travis Wilson
Released:
- TE Cory Harkey
- QB Dan Orlovsky
Reserve/Injured:
Reserve/PUP:
- RB Lance Dunbar
Reserve/Suspended:
- CB Troy Hill
- WR Michael Thomas
Orlovsky was signed in July, but he was facing long odds since the Rams already had Jared Goff and Sean Mannion as their top two QBs. Since being drafted in 2005, the 34-year-old has made just 12 career starts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/17
Thursday’s minor moves:
- The Texans have claimed wide receiver Devin Street off waivers from the Jets. Houston’s already the fourth team this year for Street, who had brief stints with the Patriots and Jets after the Colts cut him in May. The three-year veteran has just 10 catches in 35 games.
- While the Jets lost Street to waivers Thursday, they claimed running back Marcus Murphy from the Saints. Two years after New Orleans used a seventh-round pick on Murphy, the club cut him Wednesday. Murphy made no offensive impact with the Saints (one carry, one reception in 16 games), but he did return 34 kicks – one of which he ran back for a touchdown – and 19 punts. To make room for Murphy, the Jets waived running back Brandon Wilds, who totaled 12 touches (10 rushes, two catches) with the team as an undrafted rookie last year.
- The Redskins have signed tight end E.J. Bibbs and waived linebacker Houston Bates. Bibbs’ only action to this point came as an undrafted rookie with the Browns in 2015, when he appeared in seven games and picked up one reception. Bates is more experienced, having collected 24 appearances with the Redskins from 2015-16. Although he didn’t make a dent on defense during that time, Bates did lead the Redskins in special teams snaps (293) last season.
- The Rams made four additions on Thursday, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, signing offensive lineman Parker Collins, running back De’Mard Llorens, and linebackers Andy Mulumba and Folarin Orimolade. Mulumba is the most notable member of the group, having played 22 games with the Packers and started three from 2013-15. He
- As part of a series of moves, the Cardinals signed tight end Gerald Christian to a one-year deal and cut fellow TE Steve Wroblewski, an undrafted rookie. They also also reached injury settlements with cornerback Jumel Rolle and linebacker Tevin Floyd. Christian came into the league in 2015 as a seventh-round pick of the Cardinals, but his only game time came with Buffalo last season. He caught one pass in three contests as a Bill.
- The Patriots have signed receiver Tony Washington, who’s joining his third team since hooking on with the Colts as an undrafted free agent from Appalachian State in 2014. Washington logged six appearances with the Jaguars over the previous two seasons and caught one pass.
- The Falcons have added offensive lineman Larson Graham, an undrafted rookie from Duquesne.
- The Broncos have waived undrafted rookie O-lineman Chris Muller, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Muller signed with the team last month.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/7/17
Friday’s minor NFL moves:
- The Colts have waived wide receiver Trey Griffey off injured reserve, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). Indianapolis first waived Griffey, who’s the son of Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., three weeks ago, but he reverted to IR because no one claimed him. Trey Griffey signed with Indianapolis in May as an undrafted free agent from Arizona, where he hauled in 23 receptions for 382 yards and two touchdowns last season.
- The Raiders announced that they’ve waived linebackers Andy Mulumba and Neiron Ball and long snapper Anthony Kukwa. The team designated Ball as waived/injured. He and Mulumba have banked NFL experience, though neither has logged game action since 2015. Mulumba, whom the Raiders signed in January, has a longer track record than Ball, having appeared in 22 games (three starts) with the Packers from 2013-15. As a rookie in 2015, when the Raiders used a sixth-round pick on him, Ball started in two of six appearances and picked up a sack. He didn’t play last season after the Raiders waived/injured him prior to Week 1. As for Kukwa, he just signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent from Lake Erie College back in May.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/2/17
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Baltimore Ravens
- WR Kenny Bell
- OL Jarell Broxton
- RB Stephen Houston
- OL Jarrod Pughsley
- OL Matt Skura
- QB Dustin Vaughan
Carolina Panthers
- T Blaine Clausell
- DT Eric Crume
- WR Keyarris Garrett
- CB Tyler Patmon
- RB Jalen Simmons
- TE Scott Simonson
- T Pearce Slater
- T Tyrus Thompson
- TE Eric Wallace
Bears Work Out O’Brien Schofield, Three Others
The Bears tried out four defenders this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter): defensive ends Josh Boyd and Marquis Jackson, as well as linebackers Andy Mulumba and O’Brien Schofield. With starting nose tackle Eddie Goldman
expected to miss next week’s game, the team is clearly looking for some defensive depth.
Schofield, 29, is the most experienced of the bunch. The 29-year-old has bounced around since joining the league as a fourth-round pick in 2010. The defensive end has played 84 career games with the Cardinals, Seahawks, and Falcons, collecting 141 career tackles and 15.5 sacks. The veteran was released by Atlanta earlier this month, and he recently had an audition with the Lions.
Mulumba and Boyd both spent the previous three seasons with the Packers. Mulumba, 26, made 22 appearances over that three-year span, compiling 35 tackles. Boyd, 27, appeared in 26 games, including four starts.
Jackson has briefly spent time with the Vikings and Bears, although he’s yet to make his NFL debut. The 26-year-old had 18 tackles and 7.5 sacks during his tenure with the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League.
Saints Work Out Handful Of LB/DEs
The Saints auditioned a crop of front seven players today, including one — former first-round pick Bjoern Werner — that was already reported earlier today. The full list is below, all courtesy of Mike Triplett and Field Yates of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted:
- Derek Akunne, LB
- Wes Horton, DE
- Royce LaFrance, DE
- Danny Lansanah, LB
- John Lotulelei, LB
- Dezman Moses, LB
- Andy Mulumba, DE/LB (Twitter link via Herbie Teope of the Times-Picayune)
- Shaquille Riddick, LB
- Greg Townsend Jr., DE (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)
Lansanah, 31, had spent the last two seasons and change with Tampa Bay before spending a week with the Dolphins in August. Over the last two years, Lansanah appeared in every regular season game for the Bucs, making 22 total starts. In 2014, Lansanah recorded three interceptions, eight pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, and 81 total tackles. His production tailed off last season, though he still notched 47 tackles, one sack, and four pass breakups.
Horton, Lotulelei, Moses, and Mulamba also have prior NFL experience, and Moses leads the pack, as he’s appeared in 45 games with the Packers and Chiefs (mostly on special teams duty). Horton, meanwhile, started 15 games for the Panthers as recently as 2014.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16
We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:
AFC
- The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
- Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
- The Ravens didn’t stop there, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link): Baltimore also worked out defensive backs Jeron Johnson and Ryan Murphy, linebackers Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba, and guard Ian Silberman.
- Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
- The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.
NFC
- The Falcons auditioned linebacker Jayson DiManche, kicker Mike Meyer, and punter Michael Palardy, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Palardy, for his part, ended up signing with Atlanta’s practice squad, which could be an indication that active roster punter Matt Bosher is banged up.
- Perhaps bracing for a Lane Johnson suspension, the Eagles today worked out former Washington offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. LeRibeus started 11 games for the Redskins in 2015, but still couldn’t make it past final cutdowns. Philadelphia also looked at guard Matt Rotheram and tackle Pearce Slater, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Lions worked out offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and DL/T Brian Mihalik today, per Caplan (Twitter link).
- Former Denver defensive lineman David Moala worked out for the Panthers today, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Carolina also auditioned DT Bruce Gaston and DE Chris McCain, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- Safety Trae Elston and Shakiel Randolph tried out for the Buccaneers today, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
- Tight ends Rory Anderson, Joel Ruiz, and De’Runnya Wilson all worked out for the Bears today, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- In addition to defensive end Sterling Bailey, whom the Seahawks signed to their practice squad, Seattle tried out defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, linebacker Deion Barnes, and defensive tackle Greg Milhouse, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Cardinals met with free agent tight end Brian Leonhardt, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
Workout Notes: Jets, Browns, Saints, Colts
Tuesday’s workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets auditioned former Tampa Bay and Notre Dame safety Elijah Shumate, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter), and outside linebacker Ivan McLennan (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com). They also tried out wide receiver Mario Alford and safety Shamiel Gary, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
- Veteran guard Mackenzy Bernadeau worked out for the Browns, as Caplan tweets.
- The Saints took a look at tackles Robert Crisp and Reid Fragel, according to a source who spoke with Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter).
- Outside linebacker Andy Mulumba and cornerback Corey Tindal worked out for the Colts, Caplan tweets.
- The Packers auditioned linebacker Brandon Chubb, per Caplan (Twitter link).
- The Titans tried out ex-Green Bay running back Brandon Burks and former Navy fullback Chris Swain today, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets.
- The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Lenny Jones and defensive end Ryan Russell, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
- The Seahawks auditioned running back Kerwynn Williams, outside linebacker Cam Johnson, and cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Demetrius McCray, Caplan tweets.
Chiefs Release Jamell Fleming, Others
6:43pm: In addition to the previously mentioned players, the Chiefs have released safety Jamell Fleming, tweets Paylor. Fleming, whom the Cardinals selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, joined the Chiefs in 2014 and appeared in 23 games in his two seasons in Kansas City. Fleming took the field for all of the Chiefs’ contests in 2015 and picked up 21 tackles.
5:06pm: The Chiefs are cutting safety Jeron Johnson, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Johnson is the latest to go today as KC works down to a 53-man roster.
After serving as a backup DB and a special-teamer for several years in Seattle, Johnson signed with Washington last year and appeared poised to get the opportunity to play more. However, things didn’t work out in D.C., and Johnson was cut by them this offseason.
Here is the updated list of cuts made by the Chiefs today:
- S Jamell Fleming
- S Jeron Johnson
- CB Deveron Carr (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star click for Twitter links)
- WR Da’Ron Brown
- LB Andy Mulumba
- OT Reid Fragel
With the exception of Mulumba and Johnson, each player signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chiefs in January. Mulumba inked a one-year deal with the club in April after spending the first three years of his career in Green Bay. The 26-year-old was delayed in signing anywhere because of citizenship issues, as detailed at the time by of USA Today. The native of the Democratic Republic of Congo is a Canadian citizen and had been working to attain U.S. citizenship and residency, but he had to return to Canada after his work visa expired. Mulumba met with the Chiefs on a visitor visa before signing with them.
Extra Points: Hardy, Robison, Knighton
Greg Hardy is frustrated that Aldon Smith received a sizable contract from the Raiders while he continues to sit on the shelf, sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Hardy’s camp is still expecting to land an incentive-laden deal, but interest has not been strong up until this point. According to league sources who spoke with Cole, teams are more concerned about Hardy’s attitude in Dallas last season and stories of his partying than they are about his domestic-abuse allegations.
Here’s some more news from outside the draft realm.
- Family members are pestering Vikings defensive end Brian Robison to find out about his NFL future and while he’s not certain of what will come next, he does have an idea of what he’d like to do. Robinson says his “ultimate hope” is to play out the remaining two years on his deal, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. The veteran is due to earn a base salary of $3.75MM in 2016 and $5.25MM in 2017. Robison racked up at least eight sacks per season from 2011-13. After that, he recorded 4.5 sacks in 2014 and 5.0 sacks last season. For his efforts in 2015, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus rated him as the 19th-best defensive end out of 48 qualified players.
- Terrance Knighton consulted Vince Wilfork before signing his one-year deal with the Patriots, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. A Windsor, Conn., native, Knighton grew up a Patriots fan and followed Wilfork’s career closely. Despite being released last year after 11 seasons in New England, Wilfork expressed consistent praise for the Patriots in a long conversation with Knighton, Reiss reports.
- The Pats have set Knighton up with a nutritionist and included weight clauses in the defensive tackle’s contract, Reiss reports. Washington listed Knighton at 354 pounds last season, and the eighth-year veteran wouldn’t disclose if that was accurate. Although Knighton told media (including Reiss) he weighs less than that now, he doesn’t have an issue with the Patriots‘ weight clauses. “It’s something I’ve paid a lot of attention to this offseason, and it won’t be a problem,” said Knighton, whose weight has likely played a part in failing to secure a long-term deal the past two offseasons. Last year, I was obviously heavier than I am right now. Contractually, I’ll have weights that I need to hit. Whatever the coaches want me to play at, that’s what I’ll be. [Weight concerns are] something that obviously has been an attack on me my whole career.”
- Andy Mulumba‘s one-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $620K, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The outside linebacker’s deal is only guaranteed for $10K, however. Mulumba also gets a $10K workout bonus to go along with his $600K base. The native of the Democratic Republic of Congo became a free agent when Green Bay declined to extend him the low-round tender.
- In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune whether the Bears would give up their first-round pick for Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. The Jets are willing to entertain trade offers from Wilkerson, but they’re not desperate enough to move him cheaply. Chicago, meanwhile, likely needs to build through the draft for a few years to put their plan in motion, and a Wilkerson deal would probably weaken its stockpile.
- Before Ifo Ekpre-Olomu was claimed off waivers by Miami, the Saints, Bills, and Steelers all tried to claim him, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Sam Robinson contributed to this report