Brandon Thompson

Free Agent Visits: McLendon, Coples, Hairston

Free agent nose tackle Steve McLendon is taking a visit today with the Jets, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), citing agent Richard Kopelman of KLASS Sports. New York has a hole at the nose tackle position after Damon Harrison signed a five-year deal with the Giants, and while McLendon could be a nice fit, the Jets don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, so we’ll see if they can make something work.

The Steelers, meanwhile, still have interest in retaining McLendon, who has spent his entire six-year career in Pittsburgh. However, the veteran defensive lineman wants to test the market, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.

Here’s more on free agents around the NFL:

  • The Rams are hosting Quinton Coples on a visit today, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The Rams’ defensive line has been one of the NFL’s best for the last few years, but with Chris Long and Nick Fairley no longer under contract, the team could use some help up front to complement Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, and William Hayes.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that offensive lineman Chris Hairston is scheduled to meet with the Steelers later in the week. However, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says (via Twitter) that the team doesn’t currently have a meeting set up with Hairston. It’s not clear whether the visit isn’t happening at all, or whether it still needs to be formally scheduled.
  • Free agent defensive tackle Brandon Thompson is visiting the Seahawks today, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Thompson has been a solid reserve for the Bengals so far in his career, but suffered a torn ACL in January, so he’s unlikely to be healthy for a few more months.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/16

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

  • The Vikings put tight end Rhett Ellison on IR, promoted defensive end B.J. DuBose from the practice squad, and signed Toby Johnson to the practice squad, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets.
  • The Bengals put defensive tackle Brandon Thompson on IR with a knee injury and promoted defensive tackle DeShawn Williams to the 53-man roster, as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
  • The Panthers signed defensive end Wes Horton to the practice squad, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. Horton was suspended by the league for four games this year for violating the substance abuse policy.