September 2nd, 2016 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links
The Bills announced that they’ve moved their roster to 53 players by cutting 21 players. That list of cuts includes notable names like fullback Jerome Felton, linebacker Manny Lawson,versatile cornerback Sterling Moore, and linebacker Randell Johnson.
The Bills will save $2.35MM against the cap by releasing Lawson and $1.55MM by cuttingFelton. By freeing up that cash, the Bills will have a little more room to work with as they negotiate a new deal with cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Felton was signed as a free agent last offseason to a four-year pact worth $9.2MM, with $4MM guaranteed. Considering how the fullback position has been phased out by many NFL teams, that was a steep price to pay for the former Viking. With Minnesota, Felton acted as the lead blocker for Adrian Peterson‘s 2012 MVP campaign, paving the way for Peterson to nearly break the all-time rushing record. Felton himself went to the Pro Bowl that season, and was named second-team All Pro. The team is saving money by dropping the 30-year-old, but his release is also a sign of their confidence in Glenn Gronkowski.
Over the last three seasons, Lawson has appeared in all but one regular season game for the Bills. In 2015, Lawson appeared in every contest and started 14 games, racking up 45 tackles, 1 sack, and 5 pass deflections. Lawson is facing a one-game ban as a result of a domestic violence incident and that was thought to be a big blow in the season opener considering that the team will also be without top rookies Reggie Ragland and Shaq Lawson plus reserve linebacker IK Enemkpali. For one reason or another, the Bills have decided that they are better off without him.
Moore, 26, came over from Tampa Bay during the offseason, and has also spent time with the Patriots, Cowboys, and Raiders. Johnson, meanwhile, has been with Buffalo for the past two seasons, starting one game during that time.
Cornerbacks Isaiah Frey and Dax Swanson signed with the Cowboys, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Both players tried out for Dallas last week and apparently made a good impression.
The Bills have signed offensive lineman Chris Martin to a one-year contract, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Martin, 26, has been a member of seven NFL teams and spent time on the Bills’ practice squad last season.
After being waived by the Cowboys, cornerback Terrance Mitchell will latch on with the other NFL club in Texas, as the Texans have claimed him off waivers, reports Mark Berman of FOX26 (Twitter link).
The Lions waived wide receiver Austin Willis and signed defensive back Keith Lewis today, as Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press tweets.
The Chargers cut safety Matt Daniels from injured reserve, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). the two sides presumably reached an injury settlement.
The Chiefs have signed former Akron defensive back Bryce Cheek (Akron) while the Rams have inked former San Diego State long snapper Jeff Overbaugh (San Diego State), Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports tweets.
3:40pm: The Bills announced that they have signed Douzable along with tackle Chris Martin. Martin spent some time on the Bills’ taxi squad in 2015 and other practice squads. To make room, defensive end Claudell Louis and tackle Keith Lumpkin have been let go.
8;37am: Former Jets defensive lineman Leger Douzable is visiting the Bills today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Douzable, of course, has history with current Bills coach Rex Ryan after playing for him in 2013 and 2014.
As Joe Buscaglia of WKBW notes (on Twitter), Douzable would be a five-technique defensive end in Ryan’s scheme. Douzable, 30, has inked one-year deals with the Jets in each of the last three offseasons. This time around, coach Todd Bowles & Co. apparently decided to go in a different direction at bookend. We haven’t heard much in the way of Jets interest in Douzable this offseason – or much about any other team’s interest in him.
In 322 defensive snaps as a part-time contributor in 2014, the Central Florida product recorded 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In 2015, Douzable saw only 207 snaps and recorded a total of 14 tackles. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Douzable as the No. 89 edge defender in the NFL last season out of 110 qualified players.
It’s been a busy last couple of days around the NFL, with teams still looking to fill up their squads for the rest of the season. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweeted a whole bunch of workout notes this afternoon, which we’ve compiled for you below…
While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.
We’ll have updates on Monday’s AFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:
In addition to cutting quarterback Ryan Lindley and signing cornerback Justin Colemanon Friday, the Patriots announced nine other moves, reducing their roster to 66 players. Here’s the list of players who were waived by the team, according to a team release:
RB Tony Creecy
WR Zach D’Orazio
WR DaVaris Daniels
OL Ryan Groy
OL Caylin Hauptmann
OL Chris Martin
LB James Morris
DL A.J. Pataiali’i
DL Casey Walker
New England also released tight end Jake Bequette from the club’s injured reserve list, making him a free agent.
The Patriots will move running back LeGarrette Blount to the reserve/suspended list for Week 1 as part of their cutdown to 53 players, so the team will have to make 12 more roster moves by today’s deadline.
Earlier today, we rounded minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the league. Here’s the latest batch..
The Giants announced that they have claimed defensive tackle Jimmy Staten off waivers from the Seahawks and waived rookie defensive tackle Carlif Taylor, Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News tweets.
The Jetsannounced that they have acquired tight end Arthur Lynch off waivers from the Dolphins. Lynch was the fifth-round pick (No. 155 overall) of Miami in the 2014 draft out of Georgia. He had 56 career receptions for 907 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bulldogs and was an All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection as a redshirt senior.
The Raidersannounced that they have signed free agent receiver Devon Wylie. Wylie, originally drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, appeared in six games during his rookie campaign, recording six receptions for 53 yards.
Offensive tackle Chris Martin, who was waived by the Dolphins recently, was awarded to Patriots, Wilson tweets. Martin, who is 6’5″ and 305 pounds, has had two prior stints with the Patriots.
The Patriots cut tight end Logan Stokes, Wilson tweets.
The Saints will sign defensive tackle David Hunter, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press (on Twitter). Hunter joins New Orleans after DT Austin Brown went down with an injury.
The Lions released David Ausberry with an injury settlement, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
The Lions waived/injured center Darren Keyton, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets.
