Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: C Gino Gradkowski
Detroit Lions:
- Waived: CB Lenzy Pipkins
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Ben Koyack
- Waived: TE David Grinnage
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Matthew Dayes
- Waived: S Tyvis Powell
Jets Officially Cut 18 Players
The Jets’ roster is now at 71 players after the club announced 18 cuts today. Like all NFL teams, New York will need to reduce to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. Several of the following transactions were reported earlier today, but we’ll list them here as well:
Waived:
- RB George Atkinson
- OL Alex Balducci
- CB Xavier Coleman
- DL Xavier Cooper
- FB Dimitri Flowers
- T Antonio Garcia
- LB Obum Gwacham
- T Darius James
- S Kacy Rodgers II
- G Dakoda Shepley
- CB Terrell Sinkfield
- DL Mychealon Thomas
- QB John Wolford
Released:
- LB David Bass
- OL Gino Gradkowski
- WR Charles Johnson
- LB Kevin Minter
- DL Kendall Reyes
Jets Release Kevin Minter
The Jets are cleaning house in advance of Saturday’s roster deadline. On Friday, Gang Green released the following players (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, and Darryl Slater of NJ.com.):
- LB David Bass
- DL Xavier Cooper
- FB Dimitri Flowers
- OL Antonio Garcia
- OL Gino Gradkowski
- LB Obum Gwacham
- OL Darius James
- WR Charles Johnson
- LB Kevin Minter
- DL Kendall Reyes
- DL Mychealon Thomas
Minter is one of the bigger names in the bunch and one of the biggest surprises. Minter seemed likely to make the team as an inside linebacker, but evidently didn’t do enough to win the job. Minter‘s signed a one-year, $880K deal with the Jets in April, but the team won’t be on the hook for much more than his $90K signing bonus.
Bass had 3.5 sacks in 13 games for the Jets last season and did well according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, but summer injuries ultimately cost him a place on the team for the fall.
The Jets will have the opportunity to add some of these players to their practice squad if they pass through waivers, but the team is unlikely to extend the invite to James, according to Slater.
Jets Place OL Ben Ijalana On IR
The Jets have placed offensive lineman Ben Ijalana on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, according to a team announcement. To take his place on the roster, the Jets signed center Gino Gradkowski. 
Ijalana appeared in eleven games in 2017 but only played 56 offensive snaps after losing out on a starting job to Brandon Shell. However, in the previous season, he started 13 games and played 83% percent of the team’s snaps.
The injury is a tough blow, particularly when considering that left tackle Kelvin Beachum is out indefinitely with a foot injury. If Beachum misses games, the Jets will have to draw from a group of uninspiring tackles, including Brent Qvale and Antonio Garcia.
Gradkowski did not play in 2017, but he has 54 games of NFL experience under his belt with 20 starts. The bulk of his first-string experience came in 2013 when he started every game for the Ravens.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/28/17
Here are today’s workout updates, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer unless otherwise noted.
Chicago Bears
- WR Mekale McKay, WR Canaan Severin, WR Rodney Smith (Twitter link)
Cleveland Browns
- LB Lavar Edwards, LB Jayrone Elliott, LB Marcus Rush, DE Devin Taylor (Twitter link)
Detroit Lions
- WR Eric Rogers, WR Daikiel Shorts
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
- DT Mike Purcell (Twitter link)
New York Jets
- DL Marcus Hardison
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Kenneth Olugbode, TE Hayden Plinke, RB Jhurell Pressley, RB Brandon Radcliff (Twitter link)
Tennessee Titans
- DL Stefan Charles, DL Johnny Maxey
NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- OTs Javarius Leamon and Storm Norton; LB Carl Bradford (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Stephen Morris (link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com); TEs Evan Baylis and Henry Krieger-Coble; CBs Dante Blackmon (link); DB Bennett Jackson (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
Buffalo Bills
- RBs Jalen Simmons and Brandon Wilds (link)
Cleveland Browns
- RBs Josh Rounds and Kelvin Taylor; TEs Evan Baylis, Alex Ellis, Anthony Firkser, and Henry Krieger-Coble (link)
Houston Texans
- RBs Kapri Bibbs and Troymaine Pope; LBs Josh Forrest and Michael Mauti; DBs Charlie Miller, Ed Reynolds, and Andrew Williamson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Gabe Holmes; OL Anthony Fabiano, Gino Gradkowski, G Cole Toner (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Sefo Liufau; WRs Dres Anderson and Nelson Spruce; DT Woodrow Hamilton (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- P Brock Miller (link)
Miami Dolphins
- WRs Jordan Payton and Jordan Williams; OLs Willie Beavers and Jake Rodgers (link)
New Orleans Saints
- TEs Jim Dray, Gavin Escobar, and Brian Parker; OL Andrew Gardner; DT John Hughes (link)
New York Jets
- WR Tavarres King; DT Ed Stinson; S Mykkele Thompson (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- TE Cooper Helfet (link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DBs Jordan Dangerfield and Harold Jones-Quartey (link)
Tennessee Titans
- WRs Chris Harper, Anthony Nash, Tim Patrick, and Keenan Reynolds (link)
Washington Redskins
- QB Garrett Grayson (link via Pelissero); WRs Amba Etta-Tawo, Kalif Raymond, and Nelson Spruce; OTs Reid Fragel, Javarius Leamon, and Victor Salako (link)
East Notes: Eagles, Dolphins, Timmons, Pats
Now that Darren Sproles is out for the rest of the season with a broken arm/torn ACL, the Eagles will add another running back in the coming days, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters, including Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (Twitter link). Byron Marshall, who’s spent most of the past year-plus on Philadelphia’s practice squad, is presumably one option to join an Eagles backfield that currently consists of LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, and Corey Clement. If Philadelphia wants to scour the free agent market, the club will find options such as Shaun Draughn, C.J. Spiller, Travaris Cadet, and former Eagle Kenjon Barner, all of whom could help replace the pass-catching prowess of Sproles.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Lawrence Timmons is now in limbo after going AWOL and being suspended by the Dolphins, but his agent Drew Rosenhaus is “cautiously optimistic” the veteran linebacker will be able to return to Miami, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Dolphins head coach Adam Gase seemingly opened the window for Timmons last week, indicating that his situation could be forgiven. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported Sunday that Timmons visited his former club — the Steelers — during Miami’s Week 1 bye and expressed regret for signing with the Dolphins this spring.
- The Patriots worked out offensive linemen Gino Gradkowski, Nate Theaker, and Earl Watford, plus defensive back Harold Jones-Quartey, on Monday, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. The auditions of Gradkowski and Watford are particularly notable, as both offer plenty of experience and would given New England depth on the offensive line interior. The Patriots only listed tackle Marcus Cannon on last week’s injury report, however, so instead of searching for injury replacements, New England was likely just updating its emergency list of free agents.
- In case you missed it, the Redskins worked out free agent safety Shamarko Thomas today. Thomas, who has spent his entire career with the Steelers, has 48 games of experience under his belt.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/11/17
Monday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Philip Wheeler
- Waived: LB Scooby Wright
Carolina Panthers
- Released with injury settlement: WR Brenton Bersin, C Gino Gradkowski, OL Chris Scott
- Waived with injury settlement: S L.J. McCray
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Tyrique Jarrett
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Nick Bellore
- Waived: OT Storm Norton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Geremy Davis
- Waived: CB Jeff Richards
Minnesota Vikings
- Released with injury settlement: QB Taylor Heinicke
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Adam Bighill
New York Jets
- Released with injury settlement: LB Corey Lemonier
- Waived with injury settlement: WR Lucky Whitehead
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released with injury settlement: S Jordan Dangerfield
Panthers To Release OL Chris Scott
The Panthers will release offensive lineman Chris Scott and place fellow offensive lineman Gino Gradkowski on injured reserve, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
Both Scott (four) and Gradkowski (three) made starts for Carolina last season, but the Panthers will instead go with youth along the interior of their offensive line. Carolina, which boasts one of the league’s best guard/center trios in Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, and Ryan Kalil, will roll with Tyler Larsen and second-round rookie Taylor Moton as its reserve offensive linemen. Amini Silatolu has a chance to make the squad, as well.
Scott — who missed the past two weeks with a concussion, reports Person — signed a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal over the offseason, so the Panthers will incur a small total ($80K) in dead money by releasing him.
Panthers Place Ryan Kalil, Gino Gradkowski On IR
The Panthers announced that they have placed centers Ryan Kalil and Gino Gradkowski on injured reserve. Kalil is being shut down because of a shoulder issue while Gradkowski is being shut down with a knee injury. 
Kalil, a five-time Pro Bowler, was forced to exit the Week 11 game against the Saints. Since then, the team left him home for West Coast games against the Raiders and Seahawks. After thorough evaluation, the Panthers have decided that he will not be able to play again this year. Kalil is tied with the Saints’ Max Unger as the 15th best center in the NFL, according to the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus. Kalil’s overall grade puts him ahead of notables like Maurkice Pouncey, Nick Mangold, and Ryan Kelly.
Gradkowski, Kalil’s understudy, was forced to leave Sunday’s loss to the Raiders with his own knee injury. Tyler Larsen took over at center when Gradkowski went down and he may continue in that role for the rest of the season.
To fill the two spots on the active roster, the Panthers signed center Ryan Wendell and offensive tackle Dan France, France could see significant playing time this week after right tackle Daryl Williams‘ recent ankle injury.