Vikings Announce Roster Cuts
The Viking announced today that they’ve begun the process of trimming their roster by cutting 14 players. Like all NFL teams, they’ll need to get down to 53 before Saturday afternoon.
The following players were cut by Minnesota today:
- WR Cayleb Jones
- WR Korey Robertson
- WR Jake Wieneke
- QB Peter Pujals
- LB Antwione Williams
- G Kaleb Jones
- G Kareem Are
- T Dieugot Joseph
- CB Trevon Mathis
- RB Kobe McCray
- FB Luke McNitt
- LB Mike Needham
- C J.P. Quinn
- LB Brett Taylor
Jones, notably, was not only arrested for assault this week, but is now suspended for the first four games of the season after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, tweets Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com.
Extra Points: Colts, Seahawks, Marshall, Jets, Vikings
Aside from Anthony Castonzo and Ryan Kelly, the Colts will deploy a retooled offensive line this season. They added some new parts by way of draft picks and free agents but are attempting an experiment at right tackle. Second-round guard Braden Smith has worked at right tackle this week, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star notes.
This may spell trouble for Austin Howard’s chances of making the roster, with Keefer adding Indy brass is “clearly” not high on the veteran signing right now. The Colts are as of now slotting Matt Slauson at right guard, and with Smith previously serving as the free agent addition’s backup there, the team is trying him out on the outside — where less competition appears to exist.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Brandon Marshall’s played with more quarterbacks than most wide receivers of his caliber have, having now been on six teams. He’s not a lock to catch passes from Russell Wilson this season, but the 34-year-old wideout’s chances of making the Seahawks’ 53-man roster may be improving. Marshall and Wilson have developed a solid rapport over the past two weeks, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com writes. Marshall was only given $90K guaranteed and missed minicamp because of a hamstring injury, this coming after extensive rehab from ankle surgery. With Doug Baldwin out for the remainder of the preseason, Marshall’s seen plenty of reps with Seattle’s first-stringers, alongside Tyler Lockett and Jaron Brown, per Henderson.
- The Jets will have to find a new ace contract negotiator. Jets director of football administration Jackie Davidson is leaving the franchise, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports (on Twitter). Davidson negotiated contracts for the Jets. However, the team looks to have a replacement lined up. David Socie is set to replace Davidson, Costello adds. Socie worked under previous Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, per Costello (on Twitter), and also spent time at the league office.
- One of the Vikings’ backups has encountered some off-the-field trouble. Anthony Barr’s reserve option, Antwione Williams, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor careless-driving charge, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Williams was arrested in May in Edina, Minn., on suspicion of drunken driving. He spent last season on the Vikings’ practice squad and signed a reserve/futures deal in January.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/22/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Minnesota Vikings
- OT Dieugot Joseph
- OT Cedrick Lang
- DE Caushaud Lyons
- DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- CB Horace Richardson
- LB Antwione Williams.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/13/17
Today’s workout updates, with nearly all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Buffalo Bills
- QB Joel Stave; WRs Chris Brown, Marlon Brown; G Oni Omoile; T Brad Seaton; CB Makinton Dorleant (Twitter links)
Chicago Bears
- DE Praise Martin-Oguike; LBs Akeem Ayers, Chris Casher, Vontarrius Dora, Jonathan Freeny; LS Andrew East (Twitter links)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Jesse Kroll; LBs Donnie Baggs, Brooks Ellis, Christian Kuntz (Twitter links)
Indianapolis Colts
- WRs K.J. Brent, Devin Lucien, KeVonn Mabon; OTs Andreas Knappe, Javarius Leamon, Jah Reid, Brad Seaton; DEs Logan Ingle, Branden Jackson (all Twitter links)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Darius Kilgo (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CBs Alex Carter, Josh Thornton (link)
New England Patriots
- QB Mitch Leidner; WRs Daniel Braverman, Tevaun Smith, Jahad Thomas, Bryan Walters; LS Taybor Pepper; P Austin Rehkow (link here)
New Orleans Saints
- WRs Corey Brown, Josh Huff, Seantavius Jones, Anthony Nash, Myles White; Gs Dallas Thomas, Andrew Tiller, Earl Watford, Cody Wichmann; LBs Akeem Ayers, Sio Moore; OT Eric Winston; CB Jumal Rolle; S Jordan Moore (all Twitter links here)
New York Jets
- RB Lorenzo Taliaferro; WRs Jaydon Mickens, Anthony Nash, Michael Rector; TE Scott Orndoff (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- LBs Carl Bradford, Tre’von Johnson, Joseph Jones, Antwione Williams; Ks Marshall Koehn, Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent (Twitter links)
Tennessee Titans
- G Kaleb Johnson (link)
Washington Redskins
- RBs Jonathan Grimes, Daryl Richardson; G Greg Pyke; (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: T Givens Price, LB Scooby Wright
- Released: CB Ryan Lewis, RB James Summers
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Josh Rounds
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Brian Brown
- Released: S Jameill Showers
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Storm Norton
- Cut: DE Pat O’Connor
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Tyreek Burwell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Larry Pinkard
- Released: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Jeff Richards
- Released: DE Isaac Rochell
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: C Jake Eldrenkamp
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: Antwione Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Ryan Lewis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB L.J. Fort
- Released: LB Matt Galambos
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Gabe Holmes, CB Akeem King
Workout Notes: Patriots, Jets, Bills
The Patriots auditioned some players of note this week, including linebacker Akeem Ayers, quarterback Thad Lewis, and wide receiver Jeremy Ross (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com).
Ayers has some history with New England after playing on their 2014 Super Bowl championship team. Last year, Ayers appeared in all 16 games for Indianapolis and recorded two sacks.
Linebackers Nicholas Grigsby and Antwione Williams also showed their stuff for the Pats.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s other workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out former Maryland cornerback Alvin Hill, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Canadian defensive tackle Stefan Charles worked out for the Giants on Tuesday, John Kryk of The Toronto Sun tweets.
- The Cardinals worked out wide receivers Donteea Dye, Cobi Hamilton, and Rashad Ross, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
- The Bills auditioned defensive backs Ironhead Gallon, Lee Hightower, Rickey Jefferson, Marcus McWilson, Orion Stewart, and Jack Tocho, linebackers Kenneth Olugbode, defensive tackle Marcus Hardison, running back Connor Harris, and tackle De’Ondre Wesley, according to Balzer (via Twitter links).
- The Buccaneers auditioned quarterback Trevor Knight, wide receivers C.J. Board and Jake Lampman, and tackles Justin Murray and Avery Young, Balzer tweets.
- The Packers took a look at running back Jacob Huesman, Balzer tweets.
- The Colts auditioned linebacker Travis Feeney and defensive backs Jordan Moore, Taurean Nixon, Ezra Robinson, and Deron Washington, Balzer tweets.
- The Giants auditioned defensive backs B.W. Webb Brandon Dixon, and Jeremiah McKinnon, Balzer tweets.
Giants Work Out Dan Williams, John Greco
The Giants worked out defensive tackle Dan Williams, offensive lineman John Greco, and linebacker Akeem Ayers on Tuesday, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New York also took a look at former Lions linebacker Antwione Williams, tweets Dan Duggan of NJ.com.
[RELATED: Giants Work Out LB Jonathan Freeny]
New York already boasts perhaps the league’s best nose tackle in Damon Harrison, so Williams — if signed — would serve as a backup, as he isn’t a three-technique. Williams hasn’t drawn a lick of interest since being released by the Raiders, and that’s probably a reflection of the declining need for 330-pound defensive tackles and Williams’ age (30). However, Pro Football Focus was a fan of Williams’ work in 2016, ranking him a solid 44th among 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.
The Giants could use help along the offensive line, but that’s mostly at tackle, as the club is presumably set at guard/center with Justin Pugh, Weston Richburg, and John Jerry. Greco could perhaps unseat Jerry at right guard, but he doesn’t play offensive tackle, which is where New York is truly below-average. Released by the Browns last week, Greco has dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons (six total missed games) but has performed well when on the field.
Ayers, 28, signed with the Colts just before the 2016 season got underway, and ultimately spent the entire season with the club. He appeared in all 16 games and posted two sacks. Williams, a 2016 fifth-round pick, played 203 defensive snaps for Detroit a season ago, and also saw plenty of special teams action (196 snaps). The 24-year-old wasn’t claimed on waivers over the weekend, and he’d be a youthful reserve option for New York.
Lions Release LB Antwione Williams
Antwione Williams is now seeking a new gig, as ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter) that the Lions have released the linebacker.
The 2016 fifth-round pick was plenty productive during his rookie campaign. Williams ultimately appeared in 14 games (three starts) last season, compiling 27 tackles. Prior to that, Williams was a standout at Georgia Southern, where he finished his collegiate career with seven sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.
ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein notes (via Twitter) that Williams was originally expected to slot in as one of the team’s starting linebackers. However, his lackluster preseason (10 tackles, one pass defended in four games) likely lead to his demise. Roster Resource listed Williams as a projected starter alongside Jarrad Davis and Tahir Whitehead. Now, the team will presumably eye one of their many reserve options, including Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Paul Worrilow, Thurston Armbrister, Steve Longa and Nick Bellore.
Lions Sign Taylor Decker, Eight Draftees, 12 UDFAs
The Lions have officially locked up nearly all of their draft class, along with a dozen undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a pair of press releases. The most notable name in the group is Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who was Detroit’s first-round pick, but the team has also signed eight other draftees to go along with its 12 new UDFAs.
Of Detroit’s 10 draft picks, only second-round defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson remains unsigned for now. Here’s the complete list of draft picks secured by the Lions:
- 1-16: Taylor Decker, T (Ohio State)
- 3-95: Graham Glasgow, C (Michigan)
- 4-111: Miles Killebrew, S (Southern Utah)
- 5-151: Joe Dahl, T (Washington State): (previously reported)
- 5-169: Antwione Williams, LB (Georgia Southern)
- 6-191: Jake Rudock, QB (Michigan)
- 6-202: Anthony Zettel, DT (Penn State): (previously reported)
- 6-210: Jimmy Landes, LS (Baylor): (previously reported)
- 7-236: Dwayne Washington, RB (Washington)
And here are the 12 undrafted free agents who signed contracts with the Lions:
- CB Adairius Barnes (Louisiana Tech)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Eastern Oregon)
- WR Quinshad Davis (North Carolina)
- DE James DeLoach (Georgia)
- G Chase Farris (Ohio State) ($20K guarantee, per Aaron Wilson)
- TE Adam Fuehne (Southern Illinois)
- DE Deonte Gibson (Northwestern)
- WR Jay Lee (Baylor)
- DB Charles Washington (Fresno State)
- CB Ian Wells (Ohio)
- TE Cole Wick (Incarnate Word) ($10K bonus, per Dave Birkett)
- G Andrew Zeller (Maryland)