Giants Worked Out Felix Jones, 14 Others
4:31pm: The Giants worked out 15 players in total, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, who provides the full list of participants. Here are the 11 new names:
- Jonathan Baldwin, WR
- Ted Bolser, TE
- Travis Coons, K
- Jack Cornell
- Jake Dombrowski, P
- Nate Freese, K
- Dion Lewis, RB
- Robert Malone, P
- Antoine McClain, G
- Tyler Ott, LS
- D.J. Williams, TE
12:00pm: After losing back-to-back divisional matchups against the NFC-leading Cowboys and Eagles, the Giants are entering their bye week, and are taking the opportunity to look at a handful of free agents. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), running backs Felix Jones and Alex Green are working out for the team.
Green, a former third-round pick who started his career with the Packers, was cut by the Jets in August and has auditioned for the Lions and Panthers since then. As for Jones, there haven’t been many reports on the former Cowboy this year, which is somewhat surprising — while he didn’t do much in limited action for the Steelers last season, he had recorded over 100 carries in each of his previous four seasons in Dallas, and is still just 27 years old.
The fact that the Giants are working out running backs shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a sign that Rashad Jennings‘ recovery is moving slowly, or that the team is looking to add a player at the position. It’s more likely that New York is simply gauging the options in the market at several spots in case the club needs to dip into free agency later in the season.
In fact, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that quarterback Terrelle Pryor is also visiting the club today, while Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post adds tight end Tony Moeaki to the list of players auditioning. The Giants’ workout group this work is expected to be large, as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets, so several more participants will likely be reported soon.
Workout Notes: Beauharnais, Brown, Lewis
With injuries piling up and rosters changing, a number of players have had workouts with various teams in anticipation of week four action.
Here are some of the players who have had workouts with teams recently:
- Free agent linebacker Steve Beauharnais worked out for the Chargers today, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The linebacker has worked out for six clubs since being waived by the Patriots, including an audition for the Bucs yesterday.
- The Ravens worked out cornerback Jalil Brown, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Brown has formerly played for the Dolphins and the Chiefs. They also worked out two former Bears’ tight ends, Kellen Davis and Matthew Mulligan, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Seahawks worked out M.D. Jennings, Tommie Campbell, R.J. Stanford and Jerome Murphy, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The Panthers worked out Marcus Davis, LaDon Hudson, and Willie Snead, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Vikings worked out running back Dion Lewis, tight ends Jake Stoneburner and Ryan Otten, and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ve devoted one Tuesday post to the practice squad shuffling being done by teams today, but many clubs around the league are also tweaking their 53-man rosters. We’ll round up a handful of those transactions right here, with new moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Cardinals have cut linebacker Marcus Benard, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Benard was added to the roster last week when John Abraham left the team, so Abraham will assume his old roster spot now that he’s returning to the club.
- The Cardinals have also signed outside linebacker Victor Butler and cut punter Drew Butler, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Ricky Sapp has replaced fellow linebacker Jason Ankrah on the Texans‘ 53-man roster, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- In addition to the moves noted below, the Bears have also promoted defensive back Isaiah Frey to their active roster from their practice squad, and cut running back Shaun Draughn, as well as tight end Matthew Mulligan (Twitter link). The series of transactions leaves the club with 52 players on its roster.
- Former Vikings linebacker and special-teamer Larry Dean has signed with the Bills, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Dean, Buffalo placed safety Jonathan Meeks on injured reserve with a neck injury.
- A week after placing tight end Tyler Eifert on IR with the designation to return, the Bengals have placed another tight end on injured reserve, and Alex Smith won’t be eligible to return the season (Twitter link). The team also announced that tight end Kevin Brock has been signed to take Smith’s roster spot.
- The Bears have promoted practice-squad wideout Rashad Ross to the 53-man roster, cutting receiver and returner Chris Williams to clear room, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- Linebacker Dan Fox is set to be called up to the Giants‘ active roster from their practice squad, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News, suggesting that placing Jon Beason on injured reserve may end up being the corresponding move.
- The Colts announced in a press release that they’ve signed defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles off the Patriots‘ practice squad, waiving running back Dion Lewis to create roster space.
Colts Sign Dion Lewis
The Colts have signed running back Dion Lewis, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Lewis, who last played for the Browns, gets a two-year deal with Indianapolis (link). The Colts have the powerful Trent Richardson at the top of their running back depth chart with veteran Ahmad Bradshaw in support and Lewis adds a little bit more talent and depth to the backfield.
Meanwhile, the Colts also picked up outside linebacker Chris Carter, who has played in 29 games and made four starts for the Steelers, according to Mike Chappell of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In related moves, running back Zurlon Tipton has been waived and quarterback Jeff Matthews has been dropped from the practice squad (Twitter links). Meanwhile, quarterback Dominique Davis will join the Colts’ taxi squad and linebacker Cam Johnson will head to the IR with a triceps injury.
Browns Cut Nate Burleson, Others
5:31pm: The Browns have confirmed the previous roster moves noted below in this post, and have announced their other 14 moves to reach the 53-man roster limit. Here’s the list of players cut from the active roster:
- Josh Aubrey (DB)
- Calvin Barnett (DL)
- Zac Diles (LB)
- Reid Fragel (OL)
- MarQueis Gray (TE/FB)
- Donald Hawkins (OL)
- Emmanuel Ogbuehi (TE)
- Alex Parsons (OL)
- Abasi Salimu (OL)
- Willie Snead (WR)
- Isaiah Trufant (CB): Placed on injured reserve
- Jamaal Westerman (LB)
Additionally, Josh Gordon and Marlon Moore have been placed on the reserve-suspended list.
1:20pm: The Browns have also let go of their third-round pick from last season, among other players:
- Jacobbi McDaniel (DT) (via Ohio.com)
- Leon McFadden (CB) (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Twitter)
- Connor Shaw (QB) (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
10:00am: The Browns have released veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson, Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports on Twitter. The 33-year-old signed with Cleveland in April after having spent the past four seasons with the Lions.
It wasn’t a sure thing that the veteran would make the roster, considering he’s only appeared in 15 games over the past two years. Burleson also hinted that he was considering retiring following the 2014 season. However, at the very least, Burleson was expected to be a veteran leader to the team’s group of young wideouts. As Brian McIntyre tweets, $285K of Burleson’s base salary is full guaranteed.
The Browns will also let go of running back Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Cabot (via Twitter). The 28-year-old has compiled 130 carries since joining the Browns in 2011.
The rest of the Browns moves will be listed below:
- Nate Burleson (WR)
- Chris Ogbonnaya (RB)
- Dion Lewis (RB) (via ProFootballTalk.com on Twitter)
- Garrett Gilkey (OG) (via Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter)
- Justin Staples (OLB) (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
Browns Expected To Sign Ben Tate
Free agent running back Ben Tate is expected to sign with the Browns today, according to John Telich of Fox 8 News in Cleveland. The deal, contingent on Tate passing a physical, is reportedly performance-based, says Telich (via Twitter).
Tate, 25, has played 40 games over three seasons (nine starts in place of injured starter Arian Foster) and totaled 421 carries for 1,992 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns with 58 receptions for 287 yards (4.9 yards per catch) and zero touchdowns. However, he has been on IR twice in his young career. He missed 2010 because of a broken ankle and dealt with foot, hamstring and rib injuries in 2012.
Tate would join a crowded, albeit undistinguished, Cleveland backfield which includes Edwin Baker, Dion Lewis, Chris Ogbonnaya and Fozzy Whittaker.
