Steelers Cut Eli Rogers; Reach 53
The Steelers got down to the 53-man max by releasing wide receiver Eli Rogers and a host of other players. Among other notables released 2019 draft picks Sutton Smith (linebacker, sixth round) and Derwin Grey (offensive lineman, seventh round), as well as Marcus Allen, a fifth-round defensive back from the 2018 class.
Rogers came out of nowhere and had a breakout season in 2016, catching 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns in just 13 games. It was a promising debut, but he took a pretty big step backwards the next season when he had just 149 yards and 18 catches. Then in the playoffs, he suffered a torn ACL. The ACL took a long time to recover from, and Rogers didn’t end up making it back until Week 15 of last year.
The rest of the rundown is below.
Offensive players released:
- QB Devlin Hodges
- RB Trey Edmunds
- RB Travon McMillian
- RB Malik Williams
- WR Trey Griffey
- WR Johnny Holton
- WR Tevin Jones
- WR Brandon Reilly
- WR Diontae Spencer
- TE Micky Crum
- TE Kevin Rader
- TE Christian Scotland-Williamson
- TE Trevor Wood
- OL Garrett Brumfield
- OL J.C. Hassanauer
- OL Patrick Morris
- OL Damian Prince
Defensive players released:
- DB Dravon Askew-Henry
- DB Marcelis Branch
- DB Jhvonte Dean
- DB P.J. Locke
- DB Trevon Mathis
- LB Jayrone Elliott
- LB Christian Kuntz
- LB Tegray Scales
- LB Robert Spillane
- DL Winston Craig
- DL Greg Gilmore
- DL Henry Mondeaux
- DL Casey Sayles
- DL Conor Sheehy
Special teams cuts:
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/19
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots
- DT David Parry
New York Jets
- WR Tim White
Philadelphia Eagles
- T Tyreek Burwell, DB Mercy Maston
Pittsburgh Steelers
- TE Kevin Rader, DL Conor Sheehy
Packers Move Roster To 53
The Packers have trimmed their roster to 53 by making the following transactions:
Waived/Injured:
- RB Devante Mays
- T Kyle Murphy
- CB Quinten Rollins
Placed on suspended list:
- RB Aaron Jones
Cut:
- G Kofi Amichia
- LB Vince Biegel
- RB Joel Bouagnon
- CB Donatello Brown
- TE Emanuel Byrd
- RB LeShun Daniels
- C Austin Davis
- C Dillon Day
- LB Kendall Donnerson
- S Marwin Evans
- CB Demetri Goodson
- CB Josh Hawkins
- LB James Hearns
- RB Bronson Hill
- LB Naashon Hughes
- WR Adonis Jenings
- FB Joe Kerridge
- DL Tyler Lancaster
- WR Kyle Lewis
- DL James Looney
- LB Greer Martini
- DL Joey Mbu
- LB Chris Odom
- G/T Adam Pankey
- LB Marcus Porter
- TE Kevin Rader
- FB Aaron Ripkowski
- DL Conor Sheehy
- TE Ryan Smith
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- LS Zach Triner
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
Packers Sign 14 UDFAs
The Packers have officially signed 14 undrafted free agents in advance of their rookie minicamp. Here’s the full rundown:
- Jacob Alsadek, OL (Arizona)
- Parris Bennett, LB (Syracuse)
- Tim Boyle, QB (Eastern Kentucky)
- Austin Davis, C (Duke)
- Raven Greene, S (James Madison)
- Naashon Hughes, LB (Texas)
- C.J. Johnson, LB (East Texas)
- Tyler Lancaster, DT (Northwestern)
- Alex Light, OL (Richmond)
- Kyle Meadows, OT (Kentucky)
- Filipo Mokofisi, DT (Utah)
- Marcus Porter, LB (Fairmont State)
- Kevin Rader, TE (Youngstown State)
- Conor Sheehy, DE (Wisconsin)
Boyle began his collegiate career at UConn and started for the Huskies as a true freshman. Then, thanks to injuries and coaching changes, Boyle wound up on the bench for his sophomore and junior seasons. For his final NCAA year, he transferred to Eastern Kentucky and put himself on the NFL radar.
“It’s truly a dream come true,” Boyle said of signing with the Packers (via the team website). “I’ve been thinking about this moment pretty much the whole time I’ve been playing football. It’s been a long journey. A lot of ups and downs, but I’m finally here and it’s up to me now to make the most out of my opportunity.”
The Packers have Brett Hundley and DeShone Kizer behind Aaron Rodgers on the depth chart, but they did not select a QB in the draft, so Boyle may have a chance at sticking on the roster if he impresses this offseason. Hundley went 3-6 as a starter last year in Rodgers’ absence last year and coach Mike McCarthy was critical of his performance – as well as the staff’s job in preparing Hundley – when asked about the backup in February.
“Brett Hundley wasn’t ready for what he needed to be ready for,” the coach said (via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky). “That’s something that we have to learn from, and that stings.”