Erik Williams

Lions Release Ryan Broyles, 8 Others

The Lions have cut ten players loose, including wide receiver Ryan Broyles, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes. The full list is below:

  • Deon Butler, TE
  • Ryan Broyles, WR
  • Garret Gilbert, QB
  • Vernon Johnson, WR
  • Desmond Martin, RB
  • Roy Philon, DT
  • Jocquel Skinner, CB
  • R.J. Stanford, CB
  • Erik Williams, DE

In addition to those moves, cornerback Chris Owens has been placed on IR with an undisclosed injury. Broyles, 27, has spend the last three years with the Lions and appared in 21 total games. In his rookie season, the second round selection hauled in 22 catches for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading many to wonder if he could be on his way to becoming a leading wide receiver. Since then, however, he has notched just 10 total catches.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/15

The latest minor moves from around the NFL:

  • Former USC wideout George Farmer will sign with the Seahawks, and the team intends on converting the receiver to defensive back, the organization announced. Farmer was cut by the Cowboys last week, and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says Dallas won’t be obligated to the $5oK in guaranteed money if he ends up sticking in Seattle.
  • To make room, the team waived/injured Kona Schwenke, who suffered a knee injury on Friday evening.
  • Receiver Michael Preston tweeted that he has been cut by the Dolphins (as passed along by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald on Twitter). The reporter notes that Matt Hazel‘s four-catch, 47-yard performance in last night’s game may have made Preston expendable.
  • The Lions filled two open roster spots by signing former Central Michigan linebacker Justin Cherrocci and former Bethune Cookman defensive end Erik Williams, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Detroit had two vacant slots after releasing Taylor Mays and Jarred Haggins yesterday.

Bills Place Jarius Wynn, Ty Powell On IR

The Bills have made a handful of roster moves in the wake of a pair of season-ending ACL injuries, the team announced today in a press release. In addition to confirming the previously-reported signing of linebacker Quentin Groves, the Bills announced they’ve signed running back Ricky Seale, waived defensive lineman Erik Williams, and placed defensive end Jarius Wynn and linebacker Ty Powell on injured reserve.

Wynn and Powell both suffered ACL injuries that will prematurely end their 2015 seasons, creating some depth issues among the Bills’ front seven. Groves, a former second-round pick, will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot and could be a solid veteran backup for Rex Ryan‘s squad. The 31-year-old has played in 100 regular season games for a total of five teams in his NFL career.

Although the Bills removed three players from their active roster and added just two, it doesn’t appear there will be a new opening on their 90-man roster. Prior to the first set of roster cutdowns, players with less than four years of NFL experience must pass through waivers before they can be placed on injured reserve. Since there’s no indication that Powell was waived/injured, which would have given another team the chance to claim him, it seems he’ll still count against the Bills’ 90-man roster for now, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/15

Here are Sunday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Bills re-signed defensive Erik Williams and waived/injured receiver Justin Brown, ESPN’s Mike Rodak tweeted.
  • The Colts have signed former Ball State cornerback Eric Patterson, according to Indy PR man Matt Conti (Twitter link). Patterson, who went undrafted earlier this year, was cut by the Patriots in June.
  • The Browns signed CB Joe Rankin yesterday, and according to Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal, the team has also signed TE Manasseh Garner. To make room for the new additions, Cleveland has cut LB Darius Eubanks and TE Kevin Haplea.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/16

We rounded up some of the minor signings and moves in the NFL earlier today. Below, we’ll round up the very latest..

  • The Bills are signing former Eastern Michigan running back Bronson Hill, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Hill should provide Buffalo with more depth as they get set to install a run-heavy offense. To make room, the Bills cut defensive end Erik Williams, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Colts were awarded cornerback Tevin Mitchel off waivers from Washington and waived safety Robert Smith to make room for him, Wilson tweets.
  • The Steelers waived-injured Rob Blanchflower and claimed tight end Ray Hamilton off waivers from the Cowboys, Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots announced today that they have signed offensive lineman Mark Asper and tight end Mason Brodine. To make room, offensive lineman Harland Gunn has been let go. Asper, 29, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2012.
  • The Cardinals waived/injured guard John Fullington (knee) and released tight end Ted Bolser, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The 49ers have waived/injured offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
  • The Saints waived defensive end Glenn Foster with a failed physical designation, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. To fill his spot, New Orleans inked undrafted rookie cornerback Travis Manning.

Bills Sign 12 Undrafted Free Agents

FRIDAY, 12:49pm: The Bills’ deal with Barton fell through, leaving the club with one empty roster spot, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 3:17pm: The Bills have officially announced their UDFA signings, confirming the 11 players listed below and adding defensive end Erik Williams (Bethune-Cookman) and offensive tackle Jermaine Barton (Illinois State)

SUNDAY, 11:38am: Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News provides a list of the 11 undrafted free agents who have agreed to sign with the Bills (all Twitter links). There are no quarterbacks in the group:

  • Clay Burton, TE, Florida
  • Tyson Chandler, OT, N.C. State ($7,500 signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Andre Davis, WR, Southern Florida
  • Justin Hamilton, DL, Louisiana Lafayette
  • Andrew Hudson, DE, Washington
  • B.J. Larsen, LB, Utah State
  • Merrill Noel, DB, Wake Forest
  • Cedric Reed, DE, Texas
  • Spencer Roth, P, Baylor
  • A.J. Tarpley, LB, Stanford
  • Cam Thomas, CB, Western Kentucky