Frank Kearse

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/15

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves…

  • The Packers have removed wide receiver Larry Pinkard from their IR with an injury settlement, and the Chiefs have done the same with tight end Richard Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Not long after claiming him off waivers from the Bears, the Cowboys have cut offensive tackle Jordan Mills, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), taking Mills’ spot on the roster is another offensive tackle, Charles Brown, who worked out for Dallas last week.
  • The Bears have made a change on defense, re-signing outside linebacker Sam Acho and placing defensive end Cornelius Washington on injured reserve, according to Caplan (Twitter links). Acho was cut by Chicago on Saturday with a non-football illness designation, but it didn’t take him long to make his way back to the roster.
  • The Saints are signing safety Kenny Phillips, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Phillips was with New Orleans all summer before being released last week as a late cut. After free safety Rafael Bush suffered a chest injury on Sunday, Phillips will help provide New Orleans with additional depth.
  • The Saints have also re-signed two players they cut on Saturday, adding running back Tim Hightower and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn back to their roster, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune. New Orleans waived fullback Toben Opurum and wide receiver Seantavius Jones to accommodate the returning players.
  • In a reversal of the team’s weekend transactions, Washington signed defensive end Frank Kearse and cut linebacker Houston Bates, as John Keim of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Jets have officially activated backup offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their reserve/suspended list after he missed Week 1 due to a substance abuse violation, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. For now, the Jets have a roster exemption for Aboushi, but they’ll have to decide this week whether to cut him or to move him to their 53-man roster, removing someone else.
  • According to Caplan (Twitter links), the Raiders have released safety Brandian Ross off their injured reserve list, and the Lions have done the same with wide receiver Greg Salas, giving him an injury settlement.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/15

Latest minor moves:

  • The Eagles released wideout Jeff Maehl with an injury settlement, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).
  • As mentioned below, the Saints placed LB Davis Tull on IR on Saturday. The reason is now known: Tull has a left shoulder tear. It’s unrelated to earlier labrum surgery he had on his right shoulder. (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com).

Earlier:

  • In opening a spot for Bates, Washington cut defensive end Frank Kearse, per Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (via Twitter). Kearse, the fifth defensive end on Washington’s depth chart, has played in 29 career games and started eight since entering the league in 2011 as a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins. He’s accrued 4.5 career sacks. Boyer notes (on Twitter) Kearse dealt with a shoulder injury since training camp. He played 15 games for Washington last year.
  • To make room for Seantavius Jones, Opurum and defensive back Don Jones, who joins his practice squad teammates in receiving weekend promotions to the active roster, the Saints cut Tim Hightower and guard Mike McGlynn, and placed rookie linebacker Davis Tull on injured reserve, Evan Woodberry of NOLA.com reports. McGlynn, dubbed the worst guard in football in two of the past three seasons as a member of the Colts and Chiefs, was not going to be active Sunday, and New Orleans needs special teams contributors, reports Woodberry (on Twitter). Hightower was serving as the Saints’ third-string running back in C.J. Spiller‘s absence.
  • In bringing LeGarrette Blount back to the 53-man roster after his one-game suspension, the Patriots waived linebacker Eric Martin, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Martin played on special teams for New England in its season-opening win over Pittsburgh.
  • New Orleans added a second player from its practice squad to the active roster in promoting fullback Toben Opurum, according to Woodberry. The Saints, notes Woodberry (on Twitter), are stockpiling special-teamers, with five of their own talents out due to injuries.
  • The Saints are promoting wideout Seantavius Jones to the active roster, reports Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. Terrell notes Jones will likely play as the team’s fifth receiver with a special teams role. A corresponding roster move hasn’t been announced.
  • Washington will promote outside linebacker Houston Bates off its practice squad for Week 1 due to the team having concerns about Jackson Jeffcoat‘s thigh ailment, according to Boyer (on Twitter). Boyer looks to serve as the backup to Trent Murphy on the right side after being one of the team’s last cuts this preseason, joining Washington as an undrafted free agent from Louisiana Tech.
  • The Browns are promoting Shaun Draughn to their active roster from their practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The 27-year-old Draughn played 16 games for the Chiefs in 2012, rushing for 233 yards. He’ll sit behind Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson and Robert Turbin on the depth chart.
  • The Texans agreed to injury settlements with outside backers Lynden Trail and Tony Washington to take them off injured reserve, Wilson reports. Both undrafted rookies, Trail’s preseason ended after a quadriceps injury, with Washington’s concluding after a chest malady in the team’s preseason finale.

Redskins Sign Four More Free Agents

SATURDAY, 6:09pm: The team announced the signings of four free agents today:

  • Frank Kearse, DE, Alabama A&M
  • Courtney Bridget, CB, Hampton
  • Ross Madison, S, Toledo
  • Blake Sailors, CB, Georgia

Kearse was a seventh-round pick by the Dolphins in 2011, and most recently spent time with the Panthers in 2013. The latter three players attended rookie minicamp practices on a tryout basis.

In corresponding moves, the team also announced the release of four players: Rees, Davenport, Perry and FS Jose Gumbs.

THURSDAY, 11:03am: Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees rounds out the Redskins’ list of undrafted free agent signings, according to the team.

WEDNESDAY, 4:10pm: Coming into today, the Redskins were one of just three teams that had yet to formally announce their class of rookie free agents. The league has remedied that, officially revealing that Washington has added nine UDFAs to the roster. Courtesy of Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (all Twitter links), here’s the list:

  • Chris Davenport, DT, Tulane
  • Lee Doss, WR, Southern
  • Kofi Hughes, WR, Indiana
  • Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU ($7.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Rashad Lawrence, WR, Northwestern
  • Kevin Perry, TE, UTEP
  • Silas Redd, RB, USC
  • Bryan Shepherd, CB, North Dakota State
  • Robert Thomas, DT, Arkansas

Minor Moves: Seahawks, Cowboys, Colts, Chiefs

With teams adding draft picks and undrafted free agents, cuts may have to be made in order to clear spots on 90-man rosters for the new arrivals. We can expect those cuts to dominate today’s list of minor transactions. Here are the latest moves, with updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

Earlier updates:

  • The Colts have waived four players, according to Craig Kelley of Colts.com (via Twitter): Linebacker Alan Baxter, fullback Stephen Cambell, tight end Martell Webb, and kicker Carson Wiggs.
  • Wideout Rashad Ross has been waived by the Chiefs, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
  • After adding a quarterback (A.J. McCarron) in the draft, the Bengals have released Josh Johnson, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
  • The Dolphins have also parted ways with a quarterback, cutting Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Aaron Rodgers, the team announced today (via Twitter). In addition to Rodgers, wide receiver Michael Rios was also waived.
  • The Bills have released running back Anthony Allen, according to a team release. Allen had signed a futures contract with the club in January.
  • The Bills are waiving offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Johnson-Webb spent some time on Buffalo’s practice squad last season and signed a futures contract with the club after the season.
  • The Chiefs are cutting fullback Eric Kettani, according to Wilson. Like Johnson-Webb, Kettani didn’t actually see any playing time for his club, having signed a futures contract following the 2013 season. Wilson notes that the Navy product is expected to draw some interest in free agency, however.
  • Defensive back Charles Mitchell has been waived by the Broncos, the team announced today (via Twitter). The former Falcon didn’t appear in a regular season game for Denver.