Deonte Thompson

NFL Workout Updates: 9/17/19

Here are Tuesday’s updates from the workout circuit, all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted.

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • T Gerhard deBeer, Christian DiLauro, Brandon Hitner, C James Murray (link)

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

Jets Reach 53-Man Max

The Jets did more than just cut a 2019 third-round pick on Saturday, making nearly 40 moves to reach the Week 1 roster limit. Here’s the complete rundown of cut players:

Another spot was freed up when the Jets placed corner Austin Bless on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Bills Bring Back WR Deonte Thompson

The Bills signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson to a one-year contract, according to a team announcement. The deal marks Thompson’s third stint in Buffalo.

Before Robert Foster went off for 105 yards against the Jets on Sunday, Thompson was the Bills’ most recent 100-yard receiver. Foster’s performance snapped a 19-game streak without a 100-yard performance dating back to when Thompson pulled it off on Oct. 22, 2017.

Thompson was cut by the Cowboys last week and became a free agent after clearing waivers. The Bills made a play to keep Thompson in the offseason, so they’re undoubtedly happy to have him back in the fold.

Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos also expressed interest in him in the offseason before he hooked on with Jerry Jones & Co.

Cowboys To Cut Thompson, Activate Brown

Deonte Thompson‘s eight-game Cowboys run will come to an end. The team will cut the veteran wide receiver and return man in order to make room on the 53-man roster for fellow wideout Noah Brown‘s activation, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets.

The Cowboys also cut defensive back Treston Decoud, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Dallas designated Brown — a 2017 seventh-round pick — as an IR-return player last week. An Ohio State product, Brown caught four passes for 33 yards last season.

Thompson signed a one-year, $1.8MM contract with the Cowboys after drawing interest from other teams in free agency. He’ll head to the waiver wire. A 2017 fifth-round Texans pick, Decoud played in one game with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys deployed Thompson as a backup wide receiver and used him on kick returns this season. The former Ravens, Bears and Bills pass-catcher snared 14 passes for 124 yards this season. Thompson initially didn’t make Dallas’ roster but was re-signed shortly after that post-preseason release, setting up what may well turn out to be a brief run with the Cowboys.

Cowboys Re-Sign WR Deonte Thompson

Just two days after being cut, receiver Deonte Thompson is signing back with the Cowboys, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Thompson inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Dallas in March. The pact included a $1MM signing bonus, so it was surprising when the team let him go at final cuts on Saturday. Perhaps the plan was to bring him back all along, once space was made on the roster.

Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in the late bloomer before he hooked on with Jerry Jones & Co.

Thompson, who entered the league as an UDFA in 2012 with the Ravens, will have a chance to make a real impact in 2018. With Dez Bryant and Jason Witten both gone, the Cowboys have a lot of production from last year’s pass-catchers to replace.

Cowboys Announce Roster Cuts

In addition to releasing veteran kicker Dan Bailey, the Cowboys have made several other moves in order to move their roster to 53 players:

Cut:

Green, a former third-round pick, has struggled mightily in his effort to become Dallas’ third offensive tackle. Ward, for his part, was acquired in exchange for wide receiver Ryan Switzer earlier this year.

Cowboys Cut WR Deonte Thompson

The Cowboys have released Deonte Thompson, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). With limited options at wide receiver this year, Thompson seemed likely to make the cut.

Thompson inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Dallas in March. The pact included a $1MM signing bonus, so he walks away with a decent chunk of change despite never playing in a meaningful game for the Cowboys.

Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in the late bloomer before he hooked on with Jerry Jones & Co.

Cowboys Sign WR Deonte Thompson

The Cowboys have signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson, agent David Canter tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He gets a one-year, $2.5MM deal with a $1MM signing bonus. 

Thompson met with the Cowboys on Thursday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He joins a wide receiver group that is in serious flux from the top to bottom. The Cowboys are expected to ask Dez Bryant to take a pay cut, but they have yet to do so, which makes his future a bit murky. Meanwhile, Terrance Williams flopped last year and Brice Butler continues to float in free agent limbo.

Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. At the age of 29, he appears to be coming into his own. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in signing him this month.

The Cowboys may continue to shop for wide receivers. Allen Hurns met with Dallas yesterday and they have also shown interest in Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter.

Cowboys To Meet With WR Deonte Thompson

The Cowboys met with wide receiver Deonte Thompson and linebacker Joe Thomas on Wednesday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Dallas’ wide receiver depth chart is fluid at the moment, as the Cowboys haven’t yet asked No. 1 pass-catcher Dez Bryant to accept a pay cut in order to remain on the roster. It’s unclear if Bryant will even be forced to take a pay reduction, but the Cowboys have other problems at receiver beyond Bryant. Terrance Williams managed only 568 yards in the first year of a four-year extension, while Brice Butler is an unrestricted free agent.

Thompson played for two teams in 2017, as he signed with the Bills in October after being released by the Bears. Overall, last season marked Thompson’s best campaign to date, as he set career-highs in both receptions (38) and yards (555). Thompson, 29, has also reportedly drawn interest from the Broncos and the incumbent Bills, but his visit with the Cowboys will mark his first official free agent meeting.

Thompson wasn’t the only receiver scheduled to meet with the Cowboys today. Former Jaguars wideout Allen Hurns is taking the first visit of his free agent tour with Dallas, while Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter were also expected to be in Arlington.

Thomas, not to be confused with the former Browns tackle of the same same, is now on the open market after the Packers declined to tender him as a restricted free agent last week. The 26-year-old started seven games and played 60% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in 2016, but saw his playtime drop to 13% last season. Thomas would serve as depth and contribute on special teams if signed by the Cowboys.