RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/12/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day.
RFAs
Tendered at second-round level:
- Falcons: G Ben Garland (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution)
- Jaguars: RB Corey Grant (via John Oehser of Jaguars.com, on Twitter)
- Redskins: T Ty Nsekhe (via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
- Titans: G Quinton Spain (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky)
- Vikings: G/C Nick Easton (per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Bears: CB Bryce Callahan, WR Cameron Meredith, WR Josh Bellamy (via Rich Campbell and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, all Twitter links)
Non-Tendered:
- Broncos: WR Bennie Fowler (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, on Twitter)
- Packers: P Jake Schum (per Rob Demovsky of ESPN)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- 49ers: RB Raheem Mostert (per Mostert’s agent, Brett Tessler, on Twitter)
- Broncos: LS Casey Kreiter, WR Jordan Taylor, LB Zaire Anderson, T Elijah Wilkinson, LB Jerrol Garcia-Williams, LB Joseph Jones (Jhabvala reports, Twitter links)
- Giants: G Jon Halapio (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan, on Twitter)
- Jaguars: TE Ben Koyack, OL William Poehls (Twitter links, via Oehser)
- Packers: WR Michael Clark, OL Justin McCray, CB Donatello Brown (all Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com and Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Raiders: K Giorgio Tavecchio, LB Shilique Calhoun (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Josina Anderson of ESPN.com)
- Rams: RB Malcolm Brown, CB Troy Hill (per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
Non-Tendered:
- Bears: LS Patrick Scales (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter)
- Cardinals: TE Ifeanyi Momah (Twitter link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic)
Raiders To Place Sebastian Janikowski On IR
The Raiders will open the season with a kicker other than Sebastian Janikowski for the first time since the 20th century on Sunday, because the team placed the 18th-year veteran on IR Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Janikowski’s struggled with a back injury during the preseason. In Janikowski’s place, Giorgio Tavecchio is in line to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Titans, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets. The Raiders signed Tavecchio to their practice squad on Friday after taking him to training camp the past two years.
Schefter notes (via Twitter) the Raiders promoted Tavecchio from the practice squad. The Raiders were concerned about Janikowski’s back for some time, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the kicker hadn’t felt right in weeks.
A disc injury will shelve Janikowski for at least half the season, but the situation could be complicated. The Raiders are planning to make rookie safety Obi Melifonwu one of their IR-DTR players, and teams only have two such spots. So it’s possible this injury ends Janikowski’s season, depending on what transpires on the Oakland injury front during the first half of the season. The Raiders waited until December of last year to recall defensive end Mario Edwards, but it would certainly be interesting if they held a spot for a kicker.
This has been quite the newsworthy week involving the longest-tenured player in Raiders history. Oakland worked out three recently released kickers — Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent and Marshall Koehn — and a pay-cut agreement commenced, reducing Janikowski’s 2017 salary from $4MM to $3MM. This followed an initial impasse that involved the longtime specialist refusing to accept a pay reduction. That $3MM figure is guaranteed in this the last season of Janikowski’s latest Raiders contract.
The 2000 first-round pick has only missed four games with the Raiders, and his 268 are the most any Raider’s ever played.
Lambo, Nugent and Koehn will be names to monitor, since it’s unlikely Tavecchio will have surefire job security. He’ll have to perform to stave off a potential veteran add. Also a left-footed kicker, Tavecchio kicked for Cal from 2008-11.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: T Zach Sterup
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Hakeem Valles, WR Noel Thomas
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Dee Virgin
- Released: DE Daniel Ross
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Nick Dzubnar
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Jomal Wiltz
New Orleans Saints
- Released: DL Kristjan Sokoli
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: K Giorgio Tavecchio
- Released: LB Max Valles
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Kenny Lawler
- Released: WR Cyril Grayson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: T Justin Murray
- Placed on IR: T Marquis Lucas
Raiders Cut Down To 53-Man Roster
The Raiders were among the teams to drag their feet on announcing their 53-man roster. Now that we can see their initial roster in full, we have to say that they’re looking a little thin at linebacker. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:
Waived:
- OL Kareem Are
- RB George Atkinson
- CB Breon Borders
- DT Paul Boyette
- WR K.J. Brent
- OT Chauncey Briggs
- DE Fadol Brown
- TE Pharaoh Brown
- LB Shilique Calhoun
- S Anthony Cioffi
- RB John Crockett
- CB Kenneth Durden
- LS Andrew East
- DE IK Enemkpali
- LB Najee Harris
- WR Keon Hatcher
- TE Gabe Holmes
- RB Elijah Hood
- CB Chris Humes
- DL Branden Jackson
- S Rickey Jefferson
- DE Rufus Johnson
- LB LaTroy Lewis
- S Marcus McWilson
- TE Ryan O’Malley
- G Oni Omoile
- LB Brady Sheldon
- G Ian Silberman
- G Jordan Simmons
- K Giorgio Tavecchio
- WR Issac Whitney
- LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- WR Ishmael Zamora
Released:
Waived/Injured
Waived/NFI:
- LB Ben Heeney
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/19/17
Wednesday’s minor NFL moves:
- Restricted free agent offensive linemen James Hurst and Ryan Jensen have signed their tenders with the Ravens, as has exclusive rights free agent wide receiver Chris Matthews. The Ravens tendered both Hurst and Jensen at the lowest level last month, meaning they wouldn’t have been entitled to compensation had either headed elsewhere by way of an unmatched offer sheet. Hurst, a tackle, is the more experienced of the two, having appeared in all 48 regular-season games and totaled 16 starts during his three-year career. Jensen has also been in the NFL for three years, but the interior blocker only has 19 appearances and nine starts to his name.
- The Raiders have announced the signing of kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, who was with the team in each of the previous three training camps. The Italy native, undrafted from Cal in 2012, has also spent time with San Francisco, Green Bay and Detroit, but he hasn’t seen any regular-season action yet.
- The Rams have waived defensive back Kevin Short, who spent time on their practice squad last year and then signed a reserve/futures contract in January. Interestingly, Short came to the pros directly from the JUCO level, having played at Fort Scott Community College (Kansas). He went undrafted in 2015, unsurprisingly, and suited up for the Chiefs’, Seahawks’ and Jets’ practice squads prior to joining LA’s taxi squad.
Raiders Make Cuts, Down To 75
The Raiders have cut down to 75 with roughly 24 hours to spare. The following players have been waived by Oakland:
- S Chris Edwards
- S Chris Hackett
- S Jimmy Hall
- WR Joe Hanley
- WR Max McCaffrey
- WR Nathan Palmer
- DT Leon Orr
- K Giorgio Tavecchio
- TE Colton Underwood
- DB Tramain Jacobs
- LS Andrew East
- LB Lenny Jones
- OL Terran Vaughn
- OL Ross Burbank
In addition, the Raiders also formally placed tight end Gabe Holmes on IR.
McCaffrey, of course, is the son of former Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey. Max, a Duke product, turned heads when he posted a 4.46 second 40-yard dash at his pro day earlier this year.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/5/16
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the league. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2016 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ 90-man rosters.
Arizona Cardinals
- Taylor Boggs, C (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)
- Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C
- Mike Reilly, OLB
- Tyrequek Zimmerman, S
Baltimore Ravens
- Jerod Johnson, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Zach Hocker, K (Twitter link via team)
- Dezmond Johnson, DE
- Floyd Raven, S
Green Bay Packers
- QB Ryan Williams (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Burton Pierce, OT
- Ben Heenan, G
- Edwin Jackson, LB
- Kitt O’Brien, G
- Dezmen Southward, DB
- Joshua Stangby. WR
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Quanterus Smith, DE (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Kenny Cook, WR
- Dominique Davis, DE
- Cameron Gordon, LB
- Jordan Kovacs, DB
- Trey Millard, RB
- Alameda Ta’amu, DT
Miami Dolphins
- Jahwan Edwards, RB
- Robert Herron, WR
- Terrell Manning, LB
- Vinston Painter, G
- Anthony Steen, G
- Dax Swanson, DB
- Julius Warmsley, DE
- Jordan Williams, DE
New Orleans Saints
- Ashaad Mabry, DT (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)
- Chris Manhertz, TE (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)
New York Jets
- Joe Anderson, WR (link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com)
- Deion Barnes, LB
- Brandon Bostick, TE
- Jarvis Harrison, OL
- Julian Howsare, FB
- Wes Saxton, TE
- Kevin Short, DB
- Deon Simon, DL
- Julian Stanford, LB
Oakland Raiders
- Garrett Gilbert, QB (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
- Giorgio Tavecchio, K
San Diego Chargers
- Kasey Redfern, P (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)
- Torrence Allen, WR
- Michael Huey, G
San Francisco 49ers
- Corey Acosta, K (link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle)
St. Louis Rams
- David Arkin, OL (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com)
- Justice Cunningham, TE
- Zack Hodges, LB
- Zach Laskey, RB
- Deon Long, WR
- Matthew Wells, LB
Workout Notes: Jets, Giants, Pats, Colts
Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL:
- The Jets worked out kickers Corey Acosta, Michael Barnard, Tommy Frevert, Andrew Furney, Zach Hocker, Marvin Kloss, and Giorgio Tavecchio as well as wide receiver/kick returners Trindon Holliday and Damaris Johnson, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Giants worked out running back Robert Turbin (now with the Cowboys), tackle Jake Rodgers, guard Jared Smith, linebacker Kevin Snyder, guard Anthony Steen, guard Donald Thomas, quarterback Dustin Vaughan, tight end Connor Hamlett, defensive lineman Toby Johnson, linebacker Jeff Luc, linebacker Mike Mohamed, and defensive back Floyd Raven, according to Wilson (Twitter links).
- The Patriots worked out running backs Dominique Brown and Marion Grice, wide receivers Andre Davis and Antwan Goodley, defensive end Glenn Foster, defensive backs Jonathon Mincy, and tight end Justin Tukes, per Wilson (Twitter links).
- The Colts auditioned defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi and tackle John Wetzel, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins auditioned tackel Cameron Clear, tight end Blake Annen, and linebacker Curtis Grant, Wilson tweets.
- The Seahawks worked out running back DuJuan Harris, Wilson tweets.
- The Rams worked out tackle James Brewer, Wilson tweets.
- With issues at long snapper, the Eagles worked out Tyler Ott and Patrick Scales, Wilson tweets.
AFC Notes: Texans, Richardson, Bowe
With Randy Bullock looking shaky, the Texans will audition a number of kickers this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston will take a look at Nick Novak, Connor Barth, Kai Forbath, Chris Boswell, and Giorgio Tavecchio as potential replacements, though it’s not a lock that they’ll sign one of those players.
Here’s more from the AFC..
- The Jets haven’t heard from the league about more possible discipline for Sheldon Richardson and as of right now, coach Todd Bowles is operating under the assumption that he’ll be back on Monday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
- Despite the fact that he has yet to make his mark in Cleveland, Browns coach Mike Pettine says the team has not discussed cutting wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets. Â Bowe had a $9MM guarantee on his deal and the team expects him to play this season.
- Jets guard Willie Colon suffered a sprained knee on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Â Colon will likely be out this week and may miss more time beyond that.
- Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth told reporterss, including Coley Harvey of ESPN.com, that length wasn’t the most important factor for him when it came to his extension. Whitworth only wanted to be in Cincinnati again and the length of the deal was apparently secondary. Â He admitted that his family and other factors could influence decisions on future deals. Â “I want Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, Adam Jones and all these guys to know what it’s like to win a Super Bowl,” Whitworth said (link).
Minor Moves: Monday
Let’s round up today’s minor moves, with any new transactions being added to the top of the list:
- The Raiders have signed kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Oakland originally claimed Tavecchio off waivers from Detroit on August 26 of last year, but waived him just four days later as it moved down to a 53-man roster.
- The Vikings have added linebacker Brian Peters, the club announced in a press release. Peters, a Northwestern alum, has spent the past two years with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, leading the team in tackles in 2014.