September 9th, 2016 at 4:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
The Chargers have reached injury settlements with wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and linebacker Shaq Petteway, per Adam Caplan of ESPN and Wilson (onTwitter). San Diego claimed Bailey on Aug. 18 after the Jaguars cut him, but the Bolts ultimately waived/injured him last weekend. The 6-foot-1, 209-pound Bailey went undrafted out of Delaware Valley a year ago and spent time with the Eagles, though he didn’t garner any regular-season experience with either them or the Jags. Petteway signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent from West Virginia on April 30.
The Patriots have waived running back Tyler Gaffney with an injury settlement, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Gaffney, who hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since the Panthers took him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, injured his foot in New England’s Sept. 1 preseason finale. He spent the first two years of his career on the Patriots’ injured reserve list with knee issues.
The Buccaneers have placed receiver Evan Spencer on the reserved/retired list, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. The Redskins used a sixth-rounder on Spencer a year ago, but he ended up spending most of the season on the Bucs’ practice squad. He was active for Tampa Bay’s regular-season finale and was slated to be on its practice squad to start 2016.
The Colts have removed cornerback Tevin Mitchel and defensive end Ron Thompson from IR with injury settlements, tweets Wilson. Mitchell, whom Washington drafted in the sixth round last year, didn’t see any action as a rookie. Thompson signed with Indy earlier this year as an undrafted free agent from Syracuse.
September 8th, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Zachary Links
The Buccaneers are doing some last-minute roster shuffling prior to their Sunday opener against the Falcons. Rookie running back Peyton Barber has been promoted from the practice squad to the team’s 53-man roster and linebacker Josh Keyes is expected to make the same jump, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Running back Mike James was waived/injured this week to make room for Barber, but a corresponding move for Keyes has not yet been announced.
Keyes, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of Boston College, spent time last season on the Bucs’ taxi squad before being promoted to the varsity squad to close out the season. He saw time in seven games, mainly on special teams.
Barber, an Auburn product, missed the 53-man cut but was quickly added to the team’s practice squad this year after clearing waivers. Barber had 99 rushing yards in the preseason, though his average of 2.5 yards per carry left something to be desired. In any case, the Bucs would rather have him instead of James on the depth chart behind Doug Martin and Charles Sims.
In a related move, wide receiver Evan Spencer has been added to the practice squad after being waived earlier this week.
September 6th, 2016 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links
4:43pm: The Bucs have confirmed the signing via Twitter. To make room for Shorts, the team waived fellow receiver Evan Spencer.
4:13pm: Cecil Shorts‘ free agent tour didn’t last long. Hours after visiting with the Buccaneers, the two sides shook hands on a deal, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. It’s a one-year deal for Shorts, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) adds that it is a “prove it” deal.
Shorts previously played under coach Dirk Koetter when both were in Jacksonville in 2011, so there is history there. And with injuries at wide receiver, it only makes sense that the Bucs would have interest in one of the biggest names out there. Shorts became a roster casualty a few days ago when the Texans dropped him on their way to a 53-man roster.
Last year was Shorts’ first season in Houston and he compiled 42 catches for 484 yards and two touchdowns. Shorts also returned 11 punts, his first special teams action since 2011. For his efforts last season, Pro Football Focus ranked him 90th among 121 eligible receivers.
Tuesdays are typically busy days for roster changes during the NFL regular season, and even with the holidays around the corner, this week is no different. Here are the latest minor transactions from around the league:
The Packersannounced that they’ve placed long snapper Brett Goode on injured reserve, signing fellow snapper Rick Lovato to take his place. Per Wes Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com (Twitter link), Goode tore his ACL during Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they’ve promoted defensive tackle D’Anthony Smith from the practice squad, waiving running back Antone Smith to create a roster spot. D’Anthony has spent time with the Jaguars, Lions, and Seahawks, while Antone had seen just one carry for Chicago this year.
With Marcus Mariota ailing, the Titans have signed quarterback Alex Tanney off the Colts’ practice squad, reports Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link). Tanney, known for his “trick-shot” Youtube videos, will back up Zach Mettenberger on Sunday. Tennessee placed defensive tackle Mike Martin on injured reserve to create a roster spot.
Earlier updates:
The 49ers have signed running back DuJuan Harris from off the Ravens‘ practice squad, cutting running back Travaris Cadet to make room, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com noted this afternoon (via Twitter) that the knee injury sustained by Shaun Draughn didn’t appear to be serious, but the club wanted to add some insurance just in case. San Francisco may get some added insurance in the form of Mike Davis, who is currently on the IR-DTR list, and will begin practicing this week, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).
After somehow playing through a fractured fibula for three quarters on Sunday, safety David Bruton will head to injured reserve, officially ending his season, the Broncos confirmed today in a press release. Safety Shaun Prater will take the open spot on the roster, with Bruton expected to require four to six weeks to recover from his injury.
As expected, the Browns formally placed starting right guard John Greco on injured reserve today, per a team release. Cleveland has re-signed wide receiver Darius Jennings to the roster, after waiving him last week.
The Buccaneers have filled the opening on their 53-man roster by promoting wide receiver EvanSpencer from their practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. Spencer was selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft by Washington.
The Bills are elevating wide receiver Walter Powell to their active roster from the practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Powell figures to replace Robert Woods, who is expected to land on IR.
Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock is headed to the injured reserve list, reports Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Whitlock suffered a knee injury that isn’t expected to be a long-term issue, but it will keep him sidelined for the club’s last couple games of the season.
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:26pm CST by Zachary Links
Two-way UCLA star Myles Jack has a $5MM insurance policy that pays out if he’s not a first-round pick, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets. Jack, who is done for the season after suffering a torn meniscus, might have an easier time entering the draft this year with that financial security backing him. Prior to the injury, Jack was widely considered to be a top ten prospect. Now, his stock is very much up in the air. Here’s more from around the NFL..
The Buccaneers tried out cornerback Tay Glover-Wright, wide receiver Donatella Luckett, defensive back Ryan Murphy, wide receiver Evan Spencer, and safety Pierre Warren, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if cornerback Josh Gordy resurfaces with another team this year. The Giants cut the cornerback from IR with an injury settlement on Wednesday.
Phillips, 34, played nine seasons for the Chargers before joining the Broncos in 2013 and then signing with the Titans last March. The veteran inked a two-year, $5MM contract with Tennessee, but wasn’t overly effective in a part-time role, recording just a pair of sacks after reaching double-digits in 2013. With the Colts in 2014, Phillips made even less of an impact, recording seven tackles and no sacks in his five regular-season contests with the team.
Here are more notable NFL workouts from today..
We learned earlier today that Terrelle Pryor worked out for the Patriots. Pryor, making the transition from quarterback to wide receiver this summer, impressed Browns coaches in training camp. However, after the team set its 53-man roster prior to Week 1, Pryor was essentially the 53rd man, making him expendable when other holes needed to be filled.
Former Patriots cornerback Robert McClain was one of three cornerbacks who worked out for the Rams today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
The Colts worked out former Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Jets worked out a number of outside linebackers today, including former Falcon Jonathan Massaquoi, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Massaquoi, 26, was selected by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, and has since played 40 games for the team, starting seven of them.
The Patriots had wide receiver Evan Spencer in for a tryout on Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.
September 9th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Zachary Links
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
The Eagles have signed reserve offensive lineman Dennis Kelly to a one-year extension through 2016, according to a league source who spoke with Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Kelly will earn a $760K base salary with a $30K workout bonus.
The Seahawks waived running back Robert Turbin off of their IR with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The 25-year-old Turbin was a fourth-round pick of Seattle in 2012. Since then, he’s amassed 928 yards on 231 carries (4.0 YPC), also adding 43 catches and two receiving touchdowns. Seattle waived Turbin shortly after adding Fred Jackson last week.
Washington gave wide receiver Evan Spencer (concussion) an injury settlement and released him from injured reserve, Zac Boyer of The Washington Times tweets.
The following players reached injury settlements with their respective teams, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter): Jerome Smith (Falcons), D.J. Tialavea (Falcons), Josh Martin (Chiefs), Christion Jones (Dolphins), Melvin Meggs (Chargers), Josh Allen (Buccaneers).
The Seahawks worked out an injury settlement with Triston Wade, Wilson tweets.
Washington is now down to 53 players, having made a series of cuts in advance of this afternoon’s deadline. Here, according to a press release, are the club’s moves:
Washington has agreed to terms with nine of 10 picks from its 2015 draft class, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Eight of the nine have signed their contracts, according to ESPN’s John Keim (Twitter link). The only member of the class without a deal is first-rounder Brandon Scherff. Here’s the full list of picks with whom Washington has reached agreements:
Preston Smith, linebacker, Mississippi State (second round, 38th overall)
Matt Jones, running back, Florida (third round, 95th overall)
Jamison Crowder, wide receiver, Duke (fourth round, 105th overall)
Evan Spencer, wide receiver, Ohio State (sixth round, 187th overall)
Austin Reiter, center, South Florida (seventh round, 222nd overall)
Additionally, Washington has re-signed offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe and waived cornerback Courtney Bridget, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (via Twitter). The team waived Nsekhe last week before deciding to bring him back.
