HEADLINES

D’Shawn Jamison

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

August 30th, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • OL Josh Miles

Signed to practice squad: 

Carolina Panthers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Panthers Waive QB Matt Corral

August 30th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:40pm: Being impressed with the progress Corral made, Reich said he would like to bring Corral back on a practice squad deal (via ESPN’s David Newton). Corral must clear waivers, which will process Thursday afternoon, in order for Corral to become available on a P-squad pact.

1:10pm: Matt Corral made the Panthers’ 53-man roster, but the team will move him off the roster to make room for an addition elsewhere. Carolina is waiving the former third-round pick, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report.

This move comes after Corral missed all of his rookie season. Many things Panthers have changed since they traded up for Corral last year. Frank Reich is now in place as head coach, and the team is rolling with a Bryce Young–Andy Dalton depth chart.

The Panthers claimed three players Wednesday — tackle Calvin Throckmorton, linebacker Claudin Cherelus, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison — and used Corral’s roster spot to make room. Carolina also waived wide receiver Derek Wright and linebacker Chandler Wooten. The team announced the moves.

After a Lisfranc injury last year, Corral recovered and played during Carolina’s preseason slate. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 249 yards, throwing no touchdown passes and an interception. The Panthers have moved on from many Matt Rhule-era players, partially evidenced by only one Temple alum remaining on the team, and they will jettison Corral.

It is possible Corral could return on a practice squad agreement, but the team dangled the Day 2 draftee in trades in March. Three years remain on Corral’s rookie contract. A team claiming the QB would have him tied to an $870K base salary this season. Corral’s rookie deal does not include a base salary north of $1MM until 2025. The deal only contained $884K guaranteed.

Unless a P-squad spot is offered, this marks an abrupt end to Corral’s Panthers run. The GM who traded up for Corral (under Rhule), Scott Fitterer, remains in place. The 2022 draft will also see two more of its maligned QBs — Desmond Ridder (Round 3) and Sam Howell (Round 5) — join Kenny Pickett as full-time starters to open the season. While Malik Willis‘ rookie-year form showed a sizable gap to bridge before he can be considered a starter-caliber passer, Corral has dropped well below his peers early in his career.

49ers Place Nick Bosa On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Pare Roster To 53

August 29th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers joined the Chiefs in placing their best defensive player on the reserve/did not report list due to a holdout and joined the other 30 teams in finalizing their 53-man roster. Some changes are expected, with veterans pledged to stay. But here is how the 49ers reached 53:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/did not report list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

The 49ers are planning to re-sign Hyder and Bryant once they make other roster moves, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Both are vested veterans who are not subject to waivers. With Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu gone, Hyder figures to be a key piece as a rotational defensive end. He is with the 49ers for the third time in four seasons. After an 8.5-sack slate in 2020, Hyder signed with the Seahawks. But Seattle released him in 2021, leading the veteran back to the Bay Area.

San Francisco’s 53-man roster will include Bosa soon, and this holdout does not appear as contentious as the Chris Jones-Chiefs standoff. John Lynch has indicated the 49ers will waive Bosa’s fines for missing training camp — an option the 49ers have due to Bosa being tied to a rookie contract. While the 49ers changed defensive coordinators, bringing in Steve Wilks to replace DeMeco Ryans, D-line coach Kris Kocurek remains in place. Bosa should be able to hit the ground running once he returns, though the 49ers are running short on time here.

Gonzalez suffered a calf injury Kyle Shanahan said would keep him out a few weeks. With the veteran landing on IR, an injury settlement is likely. The 49ers used a third-round pick on Michigan kicker Jake Moody, but Barrows notes the strained quadriceps injury he suffered may keep him out of Week 1. On that note, the 49ers worked out Tristan Vizcaino and Taylor Russolino, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Robbie Gould, the 49ers’ kicker for the past six seasons, remains unsigned.

49ers Sign 12 UDFAs

May 4th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are the latest team to announce their undrafted free agent class. Here are the 12 signees now on San Francisco’s 90-man roster:

The 49ers signed Winstead not long after he tweeted no team had extended him a UDFA offer or invited him to a rookie minicamp. After transferring from Toledo, Winstead posted a 1,085-yard season at East Carolina last year. That total more than doubled the 6-foot-3 receiver’s previous single-season best mark. He will attempt to stick with the 49ers. While the NFL has not revealed if the 16-man practice squad limit will remain in place for a fourth season, it represents a good bet teams will still have 69 spots (53 active roster, 16 P-squad) to use in 2023.

Fisher received a $130K guarantee to sign, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets. The 6-foot-4 lineman lined up at right tackle at Division II Shepherd from 2019-22, earning All-American acclaim. He also impressed at his pro day, performing 40 bench-press reps of 225 pounds. That bettered this year’s top O-lineman Combine mark (38). Fisher is also coming off a broken hand sustained during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

A Florida State transfer, Laborn is coming off a 1,513-yard rushing season at Marshall. Manning made a whopping 60 starts at Hawaii. Working as a tackle, Manning earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors last season. Young started 54 games for the Scarlet Knights; Jamison made 40 starts for the Longhorns. Spencer finished last season as a first-team Division I-FCS All-American, tallying nine sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for the FCS powerhouse program.

Awatt and Laborn join a 49ers team that did not draft a running back but still carries their top backups — Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price — from last season. Christian McCaffrey‘s Panthers-constructed extension runs through 2025.

Every member of San Francisco’s UDFA class was born in the 1990s. Teams’ UDFA classes are flooded with players who used the additional eligibility year that came about because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but five members of this contingent will be at least 25 by year’s end. Awatt and Fisher will turn 26 as rookies.