Browns G Joel Bitonio Done For Season
Browns guard Joel Bitonio had surgery on Monday to repair the Lisfrance injury in his right foot, ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon tweets. The surgery rules Bitonio out for the 2016 season but he should be able to take part in all of the team’s offseason work prior to the 2017 season. 
Bitonio was placed formally placed on IR last week. A late-season return was on the table thanks to the new IR rules, but it’s not possible now after the offensive lineman went under the knife. Of course, when your team is winless through six games, there’s not much incentive to rush back and risk further injury.
In other Browns news, safety Jordan Poyer has been placed on IR, per a team announcement. Taking his place will be fellow safety Ed Reynolds who was promoted from the practice squad. Poyer suffered a lacerated kidney against the Titans on Sunday and had to be transported to a hospital before halftime. Through six games, Poyer recorded 37 tackles, matching his career high set in 2015.
Eagles’ Roster At 53
The Eagles have cut the following four players in advance of today’s deadline:
- QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Caplan)
- LB Myke Tavarres (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com)
- DE Jake Metz (Twitter link via Shorr-Parks)
- DT Aziz Shittu (Twitter link via Shorr-Parks)
- LB Quentin Gause (Twitter link via Shorr-Parks)
- WR David Watford (Twitter link via Shorr-Parks)
- CB Blake Countess (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- RB Byron Marshall (Twitter link via Shorr-Parks)
- S Ed Reynolds (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
- LB Don Cherry
- DT Bruce Gaston
- LB Najee Goode
- G Darrell Greene
- WR Marcus Johnson
- C Barrett Jones
- WR Cayleb Jones
- TE M.J. McFarland
- RB Cedric O’Neal
- TE Chris Pantale
- K Cody Parkey
- CB JaCorey Shepherd
- WR David Watford
Philadelphia just signed Metz, a former Arena League standout, several days ago. Bethel-Thompson, meanwhile, will seek to continue what has been a nomadic professional career.
As Shorr-Parks observes, Gause’s release indicates that the club is prepared to open the season with only five linebackers, unless a trade is in the works.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Minor Transactions: 11/20/15
Let’s check in on the latest minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL….
- The Panthers have cut offensive tackle Davonte Wallace, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have placed safety Jerome Couplin on injured reserve, according to the team’s official Twitter account. The team has signed safety Ed Reynolds to the active roster to replace Couplin.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Washington 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys
- Acquired via trade:
- RB Christine Michael, from Seahawks (link)
- Cut:
- DL Lavar Edwards (Twitter link via Charean Williams)
- Signed to practice squad:
- RB Gus Johnson (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- QB Jameill Showers (Twitter link via Brandon George)
- QB Kellen Moore (Twitter link via Chadd Cripe)
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers:
- Cut:
- DT Kenrick Ellis (link)
- CB Mike Harris (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DE Brad Bars (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- OL Emmett Cleary (via press release)
- CB C.J. Conway (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan)
- LB Cole Farrand (via press release)
- OL Adam Gettis (via press release)
- WR Julian Talley (Twitter link via Raanan)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers:
- QB Stephen Morris (link)
- Signed to practice squad (via press release)
- T Brett Boyko (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- G Malcolm Bunche
- CB Randall Evans (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- WR Freddie Martino
- DE Brian Mihalik
- RB Raheem Mostert (Twitter link via Brett Tessler)
- TE Chris Pantale
- WR Quron Pratt
- S Ed Reynolds (Twitter link via Caplan)
- LB Deontae Skinner (Twitter link via Tony Pauline)
Washington
- Signed to practice squad:
- FB Ray Agnew (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- LB Houston Bates (via press release)
- OT Takoby Cofield (Twitter link via John Keim)
- DE Corey Crawford (via press release)
- CB Quinton Dunbar (via press release)
- TE Je’Ron Hamm (via press release)
- LB Terrance Plummer (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir)
- RB Trey Williams (Twitter link via Mike Jones)
Eagles Reduce Roster To 52 Players
Their decision to cut Tim Tebow will make the biggest headlines today, but the Eagles have made many more roster moves, and have not only reduced their roster to the maximum 53 — they’ve gone one further, getting down to 52 players.
As Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, there’s a good chance that 53rd spot will be filled in the coming days with a quarterback. After having cut Tebow and traded Matt Barkley, the club is carrying just two signal-callers, and wouldn’t mind adding some insurance for the oft-injured Sam Bradford.
Here are the rest of the Eagles’ cuts, per a press release:
- WR Rasheed Bailey
- G Brett Boyko
- G Malcolm Bunche
- CB Randall Evans
- TE Andrew Gleichert
- LB Najee Goode
- WR Jeff Maehl
- WR Freddie Martino
- DE Brian Mihalik
- G John Moffitt
- RB Raheem Mostert
- WR Quron Pratt
- S Chris Prosinski
- DE Travis Raciti
- S Ed Reynolds
- LB Deontae Skinner
- P Kip Smith
- TE Eric Tomlinson
- C/G Julian Vandervelde
- LB Diaheem Watkins
- CB Jaylen Watkins
Eagles Sign Nine To Reserve Contracts
The Eagles have agreed to terms with nine players from their practice squad on reserve/futures contracts, the team announced today. Here’s the list of players who are now locked up for the coming offseason, according to the club (Twitter links):
- Josh Andrews, G
- Kenjon Barner, RB
- Kevin Graf, T
- Wade Keliikipi, DT
- G.J. Kinne, QB
- Will Murphy, WR
- Quron Pratt, WR
- Ed Reynolds, S
- Matthew Tucker, RB
Of the 10 players on the Eagles’ practice squad, only linebacker Brandon Hepburn wasn’t among the players whose futures contracts were announced today.
For a refresher on how reserve/futures deals work, be sure to check out our glossary entry.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Dallas Cowboys:
- Signed to 53-man roster (officially announced): Korey Toomer, LB (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
- Claimed off waivers: Donald Hawkins, G (via Todd Archer on Twitter)
- Cut: John Wetzel, OT (via Archer on Twitter); Ahmad Dixon, S (via Charean Williams)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Micah Pellerin, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ryan Williams, RB (via Archer on Twitter); Tim Benford, WR; Kenneth Boatright, DE; Ronald Patrick, C; Keith Smith, LB; Will Smith, LB.
New York Giants:
- Signed to practice squad (officially annoucned):Nick Becton, OT; Michael Cox, RB; Chandler Fenner, CB; Dan Fox, LB; Bennett Jackson, CB; Jordan Stanton, DE; Julian Talley, WR. The team has also added offensive lineman Mark Asper, reports Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (via Twitter), though the team has yet to officially announce the signing.
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Emmanuel Acho, LB; Josh Andrews, OL; Kevin Graf, OT; Wade Keliikipi, DT; Will Murphy, WR; Quron Pratt, WR; Ed Reynolds, S; Matthew Tucker, RB. The team has also signed wide receiver Teddy Williams, reports Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter), though the team has not officially announced the signing.
Washington Redskins:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Duke Ihenacho, S
- Cut (officially announced): Akeem Davis, S
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Ted Bolser, TE; Richard Crawford, CB; Chase Minnifield, CB; Tevita Stevens, OL; Phillip Thomas, S ; Robert Thomas, DT; Chris Thompson, RB; Nick Williams, WR
Eagles Reduce Roster To 53 Players
The Eagles have officially finalized their 53-man roster, according to the team. In a press release, the Eagles announced the roster moves they made to get down to the regular-season limit. They are as follows:
- Kenjon Barner, RB (waived with injury settlement)
- Roc Carmichael, CB (cut)
- Kevin Graf, OL (cut)
- Alex Henery, K (cut)
- Damaris Johnson, WR (cut)
- Keelan Johnson, S (cut)
- Lane Johnson, OT (placed on reserve-suspended list)
- Josh Kaddu, LB (cut)
- Wade Keliilipi, DT (cut)
- Curtis Marsh, CB (cut)
- Will Murphy, WR (cut)
- Ed Reynolds, S (cut)
- Damion Square, DT (cut)
- Matthew Tucker, RB (cut)
The Eagles’ other eight roster-trimming moves were reported yesterday.
Draft Signings: Vikings, Chiefs, Eagles, Jags
We’re dedicating full posts to first- and second-round picks who sign their rookie contracts, but we’ll be recapping the remaining mid-to-late round signings in posts like this one. Here are the latest draftees to agree to terms with the clubs that selected them earlier in May:
- Vikings third round pick Scott Crichton tweeted out a picture of himself signing his rookie deal. The Oregon State defensive end racked up 22.5 career sacks in three seasons. With Crichton in the fold, Minnesota has just one unsigned rookie remaining: third-round running back Jerick McKinnon.
- The Chiefs have signed fifth-round quarterback Aaron Murray, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Kansas City is now one player away from locking up its modest six-player draft class, with only first-rounder Dee Ford left to sign.
- Fifth-round safety Ed Reynolds has agreed to terms with the Eagles on his four-year rookie contract, the club announced today (via Twitter). The Stanford product is in line for a signing bonus worth about $184K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
- The Jaguars have also signed a fifth-round pick, securing defensive end Chris Smith, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com. Smith went three spots ahead of Reynolds, at 159th overall, meaning he figures to receive a slightly larger bonus of about $187K.
- The Bengals inked a pair of draft picks today, signing sixth-round linebacker Marquis Flowers and seventh-round wideout James Wright to four-year deals, says Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Flowers and Wright are the first two draftees that have reached agreements with the Bengals so far this month.
Draft Rumors: Bishop, Webster, Archer, Carr
Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop is set to work out for the Dolphins, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Bishop, an All-Mid-American conference selection projected as a later-round draft pick, had 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and an interception last season. Here’s the latest draft news..
- The Lions are hosting defensive end Larry Webster for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Webster, who stands at 6’6″, 252 pounds, had 12.5 sacks for Bloomsburg University in 2013 and boasts a 4.58 second 40-yard-dash time.
- Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter) spoke with Kent State running back Dri Archer, who says that he has workouts scheduled with the Dolphins, Patriots, Cardinals, and Colts.
- Fresno State standout quarterback Derek Carr has met with Raiders, Titans, Vikings, and Browns since last night, tweets Marek Warszawski of the Fresno Bee (on Twitter).
- Stanford safety Ed Reynolds has meetings scheduled with the Lions and Falcons, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Reynolds has a 38-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash earlier today at his pro day.
- The Giants will work out Maine outside linebacker/defensive end Michael Cole on April 10th, a league source tells Aaron Wilson. Cole had eight sacks last season and finished his career with 29 sacks, making him the all-time sack leader for the Black Bears.
- One scouting director gave Albert Breer of NFL Network (Twitter link) a rundown of what he was looking for from Michael Sam today at the linebacker’s Pro Day. “He needs to show good movement in linebacker drills — Bend quickness and good feet and quickness in pass rush drills. Hopefully he is staying in good shape and not letting that go.”