August 31st, 2018 at 6:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson
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:
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.
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.
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)
September 25th, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson
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 Redskinsworked 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.
September 2nd, 2017 at 8:22am CST by Dallas Robinson
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 (Twitterlinks).
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.
November 29th, 2016 at 1:40pm CST by Zachary Links
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.