Patriots Waive Ricky Jean-Francois
The Patriots’ pre-Week 13 roster rearrangement included more Ricky Jean-Francois transactions in what’s been a busy 2017 for the veteran defender.
New England waived Jean-Francois on Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Pats also cut offensive lineman Jason King. These moves will clear roster spots for defensive end Geneo Grissom and wide receiver Bernard Reedy, both of whom will join the 53-man roster from the Pats’ practice squad.
Three teams have now cut Jean-Francois in 2017. The Patriots acquired him after the Packers parted ways with him, with Jean-Francois only making his way to Green Bay after his Washington tenure concluded with an offseason release.
He’s now on waivers. The 31-year-old defensive lineman played in two games for the Patriots after seeing time in just one contest with the Packers this season. He has three tackles this year, one that’s featured far less participation compared to his age-30 campaign. Jean-Francois played in 16 Redskins games in 2016 and started in seven.
Reedy caught on with the Patriots’ practice squad last week after the Bucs ended his lengthy Tampa Bay stay earlier this month. Despite being with the Bucs since the 2015 season, the former 2014 UDFA only saw action in 2017. A 2015 third-round Pats pick, Grissom’s played in four games this season after serving as a backup presence for most of the 2015 and ’16 slates.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Alonzo Russell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Demarcus Ayers
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OLB Stansly Maponga
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Adairius Barnes
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Bernard Reedy
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/17
Here are today’s minor transactions:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Waived: WR Bernard Reedy
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Signed from practice squad: WR Freddie Martino
Today’s practice squad updates:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
- Waived: OT Jake Rogers
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/22/16
The latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Falcons waived two defenders – lineman Malliciah Goodman and safety Robenson Therezie – and promoted linebacker Josh Keyes and tight end D.J. Tialavea to the active roster. With the exception of the 2014 season, in which he appeared in all 16 of the Falcons’ games and started 10, Goodman hasn’t seen much action during his four-year career. Therezie, a second-year man, has 25 appearances with the Falcons to his name, though he didn’t make much of an impact with the team before it cut him.
- The Redskins waived wide receiver Rashad Ross, a source tells Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post (on Twitter). To take his place, the team promoted cornerback Dashaun Phillips from the practice squad. Ross has just nine receptions in three seasons (one this year), but he did catch a touchdown and score on a kick return in 2015.
- The Titans promoted cornerback D’Joun Smith to their active roster Tuesday. Smith played in four games as a rookie last year for the Colts, who chose him in the third round (65th overall) of the draft.
- The Rams waived cornerback Steve Williams and placed defensive back Marqui Christian on reserve/injured Tuesday. The club also signed safety Isaiah Johnson from the practice squad. Williams, the most notable member of the trio, has moved on and off the Rams’ roster multiple times this year. He has racked up six appearances this season (five with San Diego) after playing in 14 games with the Chargers and intercepting two passes last year.
- The 49ers signed offensive lineman Andrew Gardner and waived center Josh Allen. Gardner, whom the Dolphins selected in the sixth round of the 2009 draft, most recently took the field with the Eagles from 2014-15. During that two-year span, he started in 11 of 19 appearances.
- The Buccaneers promoted wide receiver Bernard Reedy from the practice squad to the active roster and placed fellow wideout Donteea Dye on IR.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/2016
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: P Matt Wile
- Cut: LB Reshard Cliett
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Stephen Houston
Clevleand Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
New Orleans Saints
- Cut: LB Lamar Louis
New York Giants
- Signed: DE Jordan Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Darius Jennings
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Shaniel Jenkins
- Cut: WR Kevin Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Bernard Reedy
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB J.R. Tavai
Buccaneers Down To 53 Man Roster
The Buccaneers have trimmed down to 53 with more than 24 hours to go before the deadline. According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, the following players have been dropped from the roster: 
- CB Javien Elliott
- LB Luke Rhodes
- TE Dan Vitale
- DT Cliff Matthews
- S Kimario McFadden
- RB Russell Hansbrough
- WR Bernard Reedy (waived/injured, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com on Twitter)
- LB Josh Keyes
- LB Jeremiah George
- LB Micah Awe
- C Ben Gottschalk
- RB Peyton Barber
- WR Kenny Bell (injured)
- WR Freddie Martino
- WR Jonathan Krause
- OL Josh Allen
- OL Kelvin Palmer
- OL Kyler Kerbyson
- DE Kourtnei Brown
- DE A.J. Francis
- DE Isaiah Johnson
- TE Kivon Cartwright (injured)
Among the cuts, Vitale’s is one of the most surprising. The Bucs are planning on carrying five tight ends, yet the sixth-round pick out of Northwestern apparently did not show enough to make the cut. The Bucs will have Cameron Brate, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Luke Stocker, Brandon Myers, and UDFA Alan Cross on the roster to open up the season instead. Myers and Cross were both considered to be on the bubble somewhat, but they have impressed Dirk Koetter & Co. to the point where they are going to carry five tight ends and bounce a sixth-round pick in order to keep both of them. Myers was inactive for the Bucs’ final five games of 2015 as a healthy scratch.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/5/16
The NFL offseason hasn’t yet officially begun, but clubs are still making small moves as they wait for the beginning of the new league year. Let’s dive into the latest:
- The Buccaneers have signed four players to reserve/futures deals, inking defensive tackle Davon Coleman, defensive tackle Cliff Matthews, defensive end Jermauria Rasco, and receiver Bernard Reedy, the club announced. Matthews, 26, has the most experience of the bunch, having played in 32 games over the past three seasons with the Falcons (former Atlanta head coach Mike Smith, notably, is Tampa Bay’s new defensive coordinator).
- Former Lions running back Mikel Leshoure is back in professional football, but it’s with the CFL as opposed to the NFL. The 25-year-old Leshoure has signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League, reports Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (link). A former second-round pick, Leshoure’s best season came in 2012, when he ran for nearly 800 yards and nine touchdowns with Detroit.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/15
Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Falcons have made a change on offense, signing offensive lineman Eric Lefeld and waiving wide receiver Bernard Reedy, the team announced today in a press release. Reedy, who joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2014, spent last season on the team’s practice squad.
- After cutting their roster down to 74 players on Tuesday, the Jaguars have filled the lone opening by re-signing tight end Connor Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter links). O’Halloran adds that the club also reached an injury settlement with wide receiver Greg Jenkins, so he has been removed from the injured reserve list.
- The Giants also left an open spot on their 75-man roster following Tuesday’s cuts, and they’re using that spot to re-sign kicker Chris Boswell, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). As Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), Josh Brown has been dealing with a leg injury, so Boswell will handle the job in New York’s final preseason game on Thursday night.
- The Ravens released linebacker Steven Means (groin) with an injury settlement, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
Falcons Sign 11 Players To Futures Deals
The Falcons have signed 11 players to reserve/future contracts for next season, according to a list compiled by Mike Wilkening of ProFootballTalk.com. The full list is below:
- Reid Fragel, OT
- Mickey Shuler Jr., TE
- Brandan Bishop, DB
- Ricky Havili–Heimuli, NT
- Jordan Mabin, DB
- Freddie Martino, WR
- Kyle Miller, TE
- Bernard Reedy, WR
- Adam Replogle, OG
- Jacques Smith, LB
- Ronnie Wingo, RB
The organization retained its entire practice squad. The only new addition is Shuler. The former seventh-rounder has bounced around a bit since entering the league in 2010, including a brief stint with Atlanta. The son of former All-Pro tight end Mickey Shuler, the 28-year-old has two receptions for 44 yards in his brief career.
Sunday Transactions: NFC South
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Claimed off waivers: Nate Stupar, LB (via Vaughn McClure on Twitter)
- Cut: Tim Dobbins, LB (via Adam Caplan on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Ricardo Allen, CB; Sean Baker, S; Harland Gunn, G; Terren Jones, T; Bernard Reedy, WR; Travian Robertson, DT; Jacques Smith, OLB; Jerome Smith, RB
Carolina Panthers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Carrington Byndom, CB; Adarius Glanton, LB; Tavarres King, WR; Robert Lester, S; Marcus Lucas, WR; Andrew McDonald, OT; Darrin Reaves, RB; Micanor Regis, DT; D.J. Smith, LB; Casey Walker, DT
New Orleans Saints:
- Signed to practice squad: Brandon Coleman, WR (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter); Terrence Frederick, CB (via Larry Holder on Twitter); Seantavius Jones, WR (via Nick Underhill on Twitter); Tavon Rooks, T (via Woodbery on Twitter); Trevin Wade, CB (via Woodbery on Twitter); Todd Davis, LB (via Mike Triplett on Twitter)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Garrett Gilkey, G (via Gilkey on Twitter)
- Cut (officially announced): Josh Allen, OL
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Cameron Brate, TE (via Roy Cummings on Twitter); Jeff Demps, WR (via Cummings on Twitter); Mike Kafka, QB; Brandon Magee, LB (via Cummings on Twitter); Matthew Masifilo, DT (via Cummings on Twitter); Solomon Patton, WR (via Cummings on Twitter), Brandon Dixon, CB (via Rick Stroud on Twitter)