Brandon Smith

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/14/18

Today’s minor moves (so far):

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: DE Da’Sean Downey

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: FB Zach Olstad
  • Waived/Injured: RB Aaron Green

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Bug Howard, C Kyle Friend, T/G Quinterrius Eatmon, DE Karter Schult
  • Waived/Injured: CB Zack Sanchez

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: WR Deontez Alexander, TE Marcus Lucas, CB Josh Okonye
  • Waived: WR Kyle Lewis
  • Waived/Injured: TE Brandon Barnes

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Luis Perez 

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: WR/KR Tim Wilson

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: TE Clayton Wilson

Washington Redskins

The Spring League Announces Camp Roster

Since we learned last year that there’d be a spring football league in 2017, several former NFL stars have committed to the endeavor. Today, The Spring League announced (via Twitter) their full training camp roster.

Ahmad BradshawAs was previously reported, defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., and running back Ben Tate were among the major names to have committed to the league. Former cornerback Brandon Browner was reportedly involved, but he was curiously omitted from the training camp roster. Former Giants and Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw is seemingly the biggest addition to the roster since the last update.

The Spring League is composed of four teams, with the rosters comprised of veteran free agents. Ultimately, six games will be played between April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters are not eligible to participate.

The full training camp roster can be found below:

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Fullbacks

  • Adam Cox
  • Jonathan Amosa

Read more

Kellen Winslow, Ben Tate Join Spring League

The Spring League kicks off in April and it will feature some notable names looking to resurrect their football careers. Defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., cornerback Brandon Browner, and running back Ben Tate are among the players who have been confirmed as participants, according to a press release. Greg Hardy (vertical)

Winslow has not played in an NFL game since the 2013 season and we haven’t heard much from him since he worked out for the Packers last August. Tate, a former second-round pick, showed lots of promise in Houston but could not capitalize on a starting opportunity with the Browns in 2014. Hardy and Browner first committed to the league in early March.

The Spring League consists of four teams comprised of veteran free agents. The league will conduct practices and play six games from April 5 through April 26. Players who are currently on NFL rosters will not be eligible to participate.

The league has secured five quarterbacks thus far, including Chiefs 2011 fifth-round pick Ricky Stanzi and NFL practice squad journeyman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. At wide receiver, there’s former Ram Brandon Gibson, Jets 2014 fourth-round pick Jalen Saunders, and one-time Bills WR2 David Nelson. Former Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster and Texans 2013 third-round defensive tackle Sam Montgomery will also be suiting up for The Spring League next month.

The full list of players can be found below. In addition to those listed here, Pro Football Rumors has learned that another 30 players are expected to join prior to the start of training camp.

Quarterbacks

  • Hutson Mason
  • Ricky Stanzi
  • McLeod Bethel-Thompson
  • Zach Kline
  • Jeremy Cannon

Running backs

Wide receivers

  • Jalen Saunders
  • David Nelson
  • Kenzel Doe
  • Brandon Gibson
  • Daje’ Johnson
  • Gavin Lutman
  • Tyler McDonald
  • J.D. Woods
  • Sed Cunningham
  • Lawrence Smith
  • Terrance Lewis
  • Rashon Ceaser
  • Kendrick Wiggins

Read more

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/15

Today’s minor moves, signings, and other transactions..

  • The Cowboys signed wide receivers Phil Bates and Edmond Gates as well as linebacker Dakorey Johnson, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. To make room, Dallas waived Lache Seastrunk, Reggie Dunn, Deontay Greenberry, and Brandon Smith (link).
  • The Bills have reached an injury settlement with tight end Clay Burton, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets.
  • The Broncos announced that they were awarded tight end Jake Murphy off waivers from the Bengals on Thursday. To make room, they placed nose tackle Marvin Austin Jr. on injured reserve. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Murphy, a Utah product, spent half of last year on the Bengals’ practice squad after playing for Oakland last summer. Murphy’s father is Dale Murphy, the two-time National League MVP (1982-83) with the Braves who eventually concluded his career with the Colorado Rockies. His older brother, Shawn, was with the Broncos during the 2011 preseason as an offensive lineman.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/15

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves from around the league:

  • After being waived/injured by their respective teams, DB Shamiel Gary (Dolphins), QB/WR Devin Gardner (Steelers), and LB Quinton Alston (Buccaneers) have landed on those clubs’ injured reserve lists, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
  • Several days after waiving him with an injury designation, the Steelers have removed safety Isaiah Lewis from their IR with a settlement, tweets Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • A year ago, the Patriots ignored a so-called unwritten rule when they claimed injured rookie running back Tyler Gaffney off waivers from the Panthers when Carolina was trying to sneak him through waivers and onto the injured reserve list. Today, the Patriots waived Gaffney themselves, hoping to place him on IR if he clears, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The former sixth-round pick missed the 2014 season with a knee injury, and is still looking to get fully healthy.
  • The Falcons have signed cornerback Mike Lee and waived/injured nose tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Lee, who initially signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in May, was cut by the team last week.
  • When they claimed IK Enemkpali off waivers from the Jets today, the Bills needed to make a corresponding move to clear a roster spot. According to a team release, the club waived tight end Clay Burton with an injury designation to create that opening.
  • Cornerback Brandon Smith‘s pact with the Cowboys is a two-year deal, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Smith officially signed with Dallas on Tuesday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/15

Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • The Bills have signed cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks and waived/injured receiver Caleb Holley, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
  • The Cowboys have signed defensive back Brandon Smith, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To make room for Smith, the Cowboys waived/injured Chris Whaley, who tore his Achilles on Monday (link).
  • After getting word that JaCorey Shepherd suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the season, the Eagles added another cornerback to their roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed former Ravens seventh-round pick Marc Anthony.
  • The Lions have placed tight end David Ausberry on their injured reserve list, ending his season, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Twentyman adds that the team signed cornerback Jocquel Skinner to fill the newly-created roster opening.
  • In addition to confirming their previously reported signing of defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, the Buccaneers announced several more moves today in a press release. Tampa Bay signed punter Karl Schmitz, who was cut earlier this week by Denver, and waived rookie linebackers Quinton Alston and Sammuel Lamur.
  • To make room on their roster for new kicker Garrett Hartley, the Steelers waived/injured QB/WR Devin Gardner, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Gardner, who originally signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan in May, figures to land on Pittsburgh’s IR if he clears waivers.
  • The Cardinals have made a change in their secondary, re-signing safety Ross Weaver and cutting another safety, D.J. Campbell, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
  • The Falcons have removed safety Terell Floyd from their roster, reaching an injury settlement with him, according to the team.
  • Three months after signing him as an undrafted free agent, the Packers have cut rookie wideout Ricky Collins, the club announced today in a press release. Battling a heel injury, Collins never got off Green Bay’s PUP list during camp.
  • After clearing waivers, linebacker Matt Robinson will revert to the Jaguars‘ IR with a hamstring injury, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link), the NFL reinstated the previously-terminated contract between the Cowboys and linebacker Will Smith, who is back on the team’s injured reserve list.

Audition Notes: Tuesday

Wide receiver Luke Tasker, the son former Bills receiver Steve Tasker, worked out for the Packers, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The younger Tasker, also a wide receiver, currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. We’ll keep track of today’s workouts and visits here..

Minor Moves: Friday

We’ll round up Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, including practice squad signings and cuts, in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Dolphins have claimed former Patriot defensive back Don Jones off waivers, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Patriots had waived Jones on Thursday. The Dolphins waived Lowell Rose in order to make room for Jones, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

  • The Jaguars have swapped one wide receiver for another on their 53-man roster, waiving Mike Brown and promoting Tommy Streeter from the practice squad to take his spot, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Brown, who had seven catches for 88 yards this season, had been a healthy scratch for each of the last six games.
  • After releasing him from their active roster on Wednesday, the Bills have re-signed defensive end Bryan Johnson to their practice squad, the club announced today in a press release. To accommodate the addition of Johnson, Buffalo has parted ways with practice squad cornerback Brandon Smith.
  • The Patriots have removed a pair of players from their practice squad, cutting long snapper Charley Hughlett and tight end Xavier Grimble, according to a team release. Regular Pats long snapper Danny Aiken suffered a concussion during last week’s game against the Lions, but Hughlett’s release bodes well for Aiken’s chances of playing this weekend.

Bills Sign Baccari Rambo, Put McKelvin On IR

12:29pm: The Bills have announced the signing of Rambo in a press release, confirming that moving McKelvin to injured reserve is the corresponding transaction.

10:43am: The Bills are adding a pair of defensive backs today, signing one to the 53-man roster and one to the practice squad. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing safety Bacarri Rambo to its roster, while Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets that cornerback Brandon Smith is joining the practice squad.

Rambo, 24, was a regular contributor in the Washington secondary last season, starting three games and appearing in 11. For the season, he totaled 42 tackles and added a sack. Since being released by Washington about two months ago, he has worked out for several teams, including the Saints, Titans, Bucs, Colts, Giants, and Bears, but hadn’t found a new NFL home until now.

The Bills had an open spot on their taxi squad, so no one will need to be dropped to make room for Smith, but with no openings on the 53-man roster, a corresponding move will be required to make the signing of Rambo official. It appears that move will be to place injured cornerback Leodis McKelvin on injured reserve. McKelvin fractured his ankle during last Thursday’s game, and head coach Doug Marrone indicated today that the team was “finalizing” a roster move related to the cornerback (Twitter link via Rodak).

AFC Notes: Jaguars, Bills, Pats, Texans

Through nine weeks, there aren’t many teams in the AFC that can truly be considered out of the postseason hunt. Besides the Titans, Jaguars, Jets, and Raiders, none of whom have more than two wins, no AFC club is more than two games out of first place in its division. That group also includes an impressive 11 teams over .500, which should make for a pretty interesting second half as contenders jockey for position.

Here are a few Tuesday items from across the AFC:

  • With the Jaguars prepared to play the Cowboys in England this weekend, Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union takes a look at the team’s relationship to London and how it will affect the franchise going forward. “Some people view London as a threat to the Jaguars,” said Jaguars president Mark Lamping. “I view it the exact opposite. London is going to be one of the things that protects Jacksonville as an NFL market. It stabilizes a franchise that was unstable a few years ago.”
  • Cornerback Brandon Smith, who has fully recovered from the broken leg he suffered earlier this year, worked out for the Bills this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Smith has previously spent time with both the Bills and Jets.
  • Long snapper Tyler Ott, who was with the Patriots in training camp, was among the specialists to try out for New England today, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • As first reported by Jayson Braddock (via Twitter), Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson suffered a sprained MCL and is expected to be sidelined for three or four weeks. If Houston looks to promote a player from the practice squad for depth purposes, cornerback Charles James looks like the top candidate.
  • Browns general manager Ray Farmer spoke to reporters today, but the GM’s comments about Brian Hoyer‘s and Johnny Manziel‘s futures in Cleveland weren’t too revealing. Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com has a few details and quotes from Farmer.