NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/17/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DB Charles Washington
- Cut: WR Jay Lee
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT Brian Price (Twitter link via Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com)
New England Patriots
- Signed: FB Glenn Gronkowski (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN.com), RB Tyler Gaffney
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Donteea Dye, WR Freddie Martino, S Trae Elston, TE Tevin Westbrook
NFL Workout Updates: 10/10/16
Well, this is a new one: The Steelers worked out Spanish rugby sevens player Inaki Villanueva, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that Villanueva will attempt to make the NFL as a tight end. Villanueva, 25 this week, was part of the Spanish rugby team that competed at the 2016 Summer Olmypics.
Here’s more on today’s tryouts and visits:
- The Patriots worked out wide receiver Donteea Dye, fullback Austin Johnson, and tight end Gannon Sinclair today, a source tells Doug Kyed of NESN. Per Kyed, the trio was likely auditioning for a spot on New England’s practice squad, which currently only has nine members.
- Jake Long wasn’t the only offensive lineman to audition for the Vikings today, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that Minnesota also took a look at Garrett Reynolds and Reid Fragel.
- The Redskins worked out defensive tackles Jermelle Cudjo, A.J. Francis, and Joey Mbu today, per Caplan (Twitter link). Washington met with fellow DTs Terrance Knighton (link) and Phil Taylor (link) today as well, but won’t be signing either one at this time, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- Although the Cowboys tried out defensive backs Rashaad Reynolds, Leon McFadden, and Richard Crawford today, the club won’t be signing any of them, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
- The Cardinals auditioned linebackers Dwayne Norman and Jayson DiManche, as well as safeties Keenan Lambert and Dezmen Southward on Monday, reports Caplan (Twitter link).
- The Eagles worked out linebackers Eric Pinkins, Lamar Louis, and James Burgess, Caplan tweets.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16
We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:
AFC
- The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
- Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
- The Ravens didn’t stop there, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link): Baltimore also worked out defensive backs Jeron Johnson and Ryan Murphy, linebackers Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba, and guard Ian Silberman.
- Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
- The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.
NFC
- The Falcons auditioned linebacker Jayson DiManche, kicker Mike Meyer, and punter Michael Palardy, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Palardy, for his part, ended up signing with Atlanta’s practice squad, which could be an indication that active roster punter Matt Bosher is banged up.
- Perhaps bracing for a Lane Johnson suspension, the Eagles today worked out former Washington offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. LeRibeus started 11 games for the Redskins in 2015, but still couldn’t make it past final cutdowns. Philadelphia also looked at guard Matt Rotheram and tackle Pearce Slater, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Lions worked out offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and DL/T Brian Mihalik today, per Caplan (Twitter link).
- Former Denver defensive lineman David Moala worked out for the Panthers today, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Carolina also auditioned DT Bruce Gaston and DE Chris McCain, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- Safety Trae Elston and Shakiel Randolph tried out for the Buccaneers today, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
- Tight ends Rory Anderson, Joel Ruiz, and De’Runnya Wilson all worked out for the Bears today, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- In addition to defensive end Sterling Bailey, whom the Seahawks signed to their practice squad, Seattle tried out defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, linebacker Deion Barnes, and defensive tackle Greg Milhouse, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Cardinals met with free agent tight end Brian Leonhardt, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/16
To cap off a transaction-packed Friday, here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Steelers released former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Wade Hansen, agent Brett Tessler tweets, and waived quarterback Dustin Vaughan with an injury settlement (Twitter link via Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review).
- The Colts waived defensive back D’Joun Smith with an injury designation, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Smith was a third-round pick in 2015.
- The Lions cut center Gabe Ikard, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Jets waived safety Dion Bailey off IR with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cowboys are releasing linebacker Derek Akunne, according to his agent David Canter (on Twitter). They’ve also waived defensive ends Gerald Dixon and Shaneil Jenkins off IR with injury settlements, Caplan tweets.
- The Saints waived linebacker Dillon Lee, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
- The Falcons will work out an injury settlement with fullback Will Ratelle, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Buccaneers reached an injury settlement with receiver Donteea Dye, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
- The Seahawks signed long snapper Tyler Ott, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Buccaneers Down To 75
With several hours to go, the Buccaneers have already trimmed down to a 75-man roster. The team announced that they’ve waived wide receiver Donteea Dye (with an injury designation) and offensive lineman Joel Hale.
Dye, who was hoping to serve as a receiver/kick returner for the Bucs, has been dealing with a hamstring issue. Dye will need roughly a month to recover, at which point it is possible that the Bucs could bring him back. Last year, Dye appeared in 10 games for the Bucs and caught 11 passes for 132 yards and one touchdown. He also returned two kicks for an average of 18.5 yards.
Yesterday, the Bucs got most of the heavy lifting done as they cut a dozen players. For an in-depth recap of the Buccaneers’ offseason, check out our Offseason In Review.
Injury Notes: Lewis, Pruitt, Cooper, Marshall
The Steelers are still considering free agent cornerback Keenan Lewis, but it will take him at least a month to recover from hip and groin injuries, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That news jibes with at least one report earlier this month that indicated Lewis would need as much as six weeks to heal from his ailments. However, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently reported that the Steelers were troubled by the medicals on Lewis’ hip when he visited the team recently.
Here’s more on the injury front:
- Although tight end MyCole Pruitt looked to have suffered a serious injury during yesterday’s preseason games, the second-year Viking will only miss two-to-four weeks with a sprained MCL, tweets Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. As such, Pruitt will likely miss at least the season opener, but he’ll return as Minnesota’s No. 2 tight end at some point early in the campaign.
- Rams rookie wide receiver Pharoh Cooper has a shoulder injury and will miss “a few weeks,” head coach Jeff Fisher yesterday told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. At minimum, Cooper will probably miss the season opener. Cooper, a fourth-round pick, had apparently been the favorite for the LA’s third receiver role (and could still be when he gets back to action).
- The Redskins will also lose a rookie for a short period of time, as seventh-round running back Keith Marshall will likely be out for three weeks, according to coach Jay Gruden (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post). However, Gruden added that Marshall could be placed on injured reserve, which would likely allow Washington to stash Marshall until 2017.
- The Buccaneers are expected to place WR/KR Donteea Dye on the waived/injured list with a hamstring issue, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Dye will need roughly a month to recover, but there’s a possibility could bring Dye back into the fold, tweets Laine (though it’s unclear if that means the club would bring him back off IR, or re-sign him after releasing him with an injury settlement).
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/15
Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Colts announced that they have signed free agent cornerback Shaun Prater. Prater will take the roster spot vacated by quarterback Josh Johnson. Prater was originally signed by the Colts as a free agent on September 29, 2015 and was waived on October 2. He has played in 19 career NFL games (three starts) and registered six tackles, seven passes defensed, one interception and five special teams tackles
- The Cowboys waived linebacker Keith Smith and defensive tackle Ken Bishop, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. With Lance Dunbar sidelined with a knee injury, the Cowboys will use two of their three open roster spots for the returns of Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain.
- The Buccaneers waived wide receiver Adam Humphries, according to Pat Yasinskas of WalterFootball.com (on Twitter). In a related move, wide receiver Donteea Dye has been promoted to the 53-man roster, as Jenna Laine of FOX Sports 1 tweets.
- Washington announced the signing of defensive end Frank Kearse and the release of linebacker Terrance Plummer.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed off waivers:
- T Bryce Harris (press release)
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Mike Gillislee (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- TE Marcel Jensen (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure)
- LB Stanlsy Maponga (Twitter link via McClure)
- DT Joey Mbu (Twitter link via Tony Pauline)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Chas Alecxih (press release)
- WR Brenton Bertsin (Twitter link via Wilson)
- LB Brian Blechen (press release)
- WR Carrington Byndom (press release)
- WR Damiere Byrd (press release)
- DE Rakim Cox (Twitter link via Joseph Person)
- T David Foucalt (press release)
- LB Adarius Glanton (press release)
- TE Scott Simonson (Twitter link via Wilson)
- CB Lou Young (press release)
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed off waivers:
- DE Obum Gwacham (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- LB Michael Mauti (Twitter link via Rapoport)
- Cut:
- DT Ashaad Mabry (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery)
- S Kenny Phillips (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR R.J. Harris (Twitter link via Katherine Terrell)
- OL Sean Hickey (Twitter link via Stephen Bailey)
- WR Seantavius Jones (Link via Woodbery)
- G Cyril Lemon (Twitter link via Wilson)
- TE Chris Manhertz (Twitter link via Woodebery)
- FB Toben Opurum
- CB Sammy Seamster (Twitter link via Wilson)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers:
- LB Kourtnei Brown (Twitter link via Rapoport)
- LB Jeremiah George (Twitter link via Rapoport)
- QB Ryan Griffin (Twitter link via Rapoport)
- LB James-Michael Johnson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- C Eric Kush (Twitter link via Rapoport)
- Cut (press release):
- TE Cameron Brate
- G Kadeem Edwards
- T Reid Fragel
- WR Rannell Hall
- LB Jason Williams
- Signed to practice squad:
- DB Jude Adjei-Barimah (link via Greg Auman)
- CB Imoan Claiborne (link via Auman)
- WR Kaelin Clay (Twitter link via Auman)
- WR Donteea Dye (link via Auman)
- LB Howard Jones (Twitter link via Wilson)
- LB Josh Keyes (link via Auman)
Bucs Announce Remaining Cuts, Down To 53
The Buccaneers have confirmed a number of previously-reported transactions, including the release of kicker Connor Barth and defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, and have announced the rest of their moves to get their roster down to 53 players.
Here’s the full list of Tampa Bay’s transactions that weren’t included in our story from this morning, as announced by the team in a press release.
Placed on injured reserve:
- DE Larry English
Released:
- DE Lawrence Sidbury
Waived:
- CB Jude Adjei-Barimah
- WR Kaelin Clay
- T Edawn Coughman
- DE Ryan Delaire
- WR Donteea Dye
- LB Josh Keyes
- DT Caushaud Lyons
Waived/injured:
- OL Garrett Gilkey
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest minor moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The Lions signed three tryout players – safety Nathan Lindsey and receivers Erik Lora and Jarred Haggins – and released wideout Desmond Lawrence, Tim Twentyman of the team’s website writes.
- Washington has signed undrafted receiver Quinton Dunbar, formerly of Florida, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
- The Dolphins signed one tight end – Tim Semisch, undrafted out of Northern Illinois – and released another in Ryan Taylor, writes Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk. Taylor, a Packers seventh-round pick in 2011, has eight career catches.
- The Cardinals have signed three tryout players – a quarterback (Phillip Sims) and two safeties (Brandon Person and Harold Jones-Quartey) – per their official website. To make room, they released tackle Kelvin Palmer, wide receiver Travis Harvey, and cornerback Ross Weaver.
- The Bears signed quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive tackle Terry Williams, and linebacker Kyle Woestmann, tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. They also waived linebacker Khaseem Greene and cut fellow LB Austen Lane.
- The Buccaneers have cut safety Shelton Johnson, wide receivers Chandler Jones and Josh Reese, offensive lineman Matt Patchan, and linebacker Michael Reynolds (Twitter: Roy Cummings, Tampa Tribune).
- The Packers will release defensive lineman Luther Robinson, according to Bill Huber of Packer Report. Robinson appeared in five games last year.
- The Bills signed undrafted free agent safety Wes Miller, formerly of UTEP, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
- The Raiders signed ex-Auburn running back Michael Dyer, who tried out for them over the weekend, tweets Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Twitter link). They also signed Emporia state wideout Austin Willis, the player told Rick Peterson Jr. of the Topeka Capital-Journal. Additionally, running back Terrance Cobb wrote on Instagram that the team released him.
- The Vikings waived wide receiver Kain Colter and guard Jesse Somsel, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. Colter was on the Vikings’ practice squad last year, while they recently signed Somsel as an undrafted free agent.
- The Giants released three players – running back Chris Ogbonnaya, linebacker James Davidson, and defensive back Thomas Gordon – according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link).
- The Buccaneers signed linebacker Jared Koster, who tried out at their rookie minicamp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
- The Steelers signed tryout players Cameron Stingily (running back) and Mike Thornton (defensive line) to their 90-man roster, reports Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link). To make room, they cut punter Richie Leone, defensive tackle Nigel Crawford-Kinney, defensive end Brandon Prate, long snapper Brandon Hartson, wide receiver Brelan Chancellor, and guard Collin Rahrig (Twitter).
- The Broncos waived guard Jon Halapio, whom they signed to their practice squad last December, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Additionally, the team waived wide receiver Matt Miller after signing him as an undrafted free agent earlier this month (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
- The Buccaneers have signed three tryout players from rookie camp, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The team agreed to deals with wide receivers Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries and offensive tackle Edawn Coughman.
- Offensive tackle Antonio Richardson, whom the Vikings waived last week, has retired because of knee issues, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Richardson signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee and saw some action in the preseason.
- The Panthers have cut defensive tackle Darious Cummings, reports ESPN’s Joe Person (via Twitter). Cummings signed with the Panthers last week as an undrafted free agent from Florida.
- The Buccaneers will cut return man Solomon Patton today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Patton, who went undrafted out of Florida last year, appeared in seven games for the Bucs as a rookie. He has had two stints with Tampa and one with the Cardinals during his short career.
- Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Andy Phillips signed with the Packers, the player tweeted. Phillips earned a spot with the Pack after impressing team brass as a tryout player at rookie minicamp over the weekend.
