Greg Dortch

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/20

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/12/20

The Vikings added a group of players on reserve/futures contracts today, and we also missed some of the Rams’ from earlier in the week. For a primer/refresher on what exactly these deals entail, click here.

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

Polite is the most well-known of the bunch. A highly regarded talent, he fell to the Jets with the 68th pick this past draft because of off-field concerns. He was shockingly cut by New York despite being an early third-round pick, and eventually ended up on the Rams’ practice squad.

Panthers Release Greg Dortch

For the second time in 2019, the Panthers have released kick returner Greg Dortch. The move comes two days after Dortch fumbled a return in the Panthers’ loss to the Falcons.

Dortch, listed as a wide receiver, has yet to catch a pass at the NFL level. With the Panthers, he’s served as the kick and punt return specialist on two separate occasions. His first opportunity came in Week 9, when he returned two kickoffs and two punts against the Titans.

Then, on Sunday, he coughed up the ball on a third quarter kickoff return. The Falcons turned that change of possession into a field goal, en route to a 40-20 win.

The 5-8 Panthers will have someone else fielding kickoffs and punts as they wrap up the year against the Seahawks, Colts, and Saints.

Panthers Waive WR Donte Moncrief

Weeks after claiming Donte Moncrief, the Panthers will send him back to the waiver wire. Carolina cut Moncrief and will replace him with another wide receiver — practice squad promotion Greg Dortch — providing another sign the veteran is running out of chances.

The Panthers became the second team this season to cut bait on the sixth-year receiver, following the Steelers’ lead. Pittsburgh benched the 6-foot-4 talent, despite giving him its No. 2 wideout job after the preseason, early in the year before waiving him in early November.

A former third-round pick, Moncrief did not catch a pass in three outings with the Panthers. He caught four for 18 yards as a Steeler. This represents a steep descent for the former Colts and Jaguars cog, who caught 48 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns as a Jaguar last year. That prompted the Steelers to give him a two-year, $9MM deal. If no one claims Moncrief by Monday afternoon, he will be a free agent.

A 5-foot-7 rookie UDFA claimed by the Panthers in September, Dortch has played in one game with the Panthers. He served as Carolina’s return man in Week 9 against the Titans.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/13/19

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: C Nate Trewyn

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Read more

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/19

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Alex Singleton

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/19

We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:

Atlanta Falcons

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Davion Davis

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers 

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots are noted below.

Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets 

* = International Pathway Program player

Jets Sign 16 Undrafted Free Agents

The Jets had a relatively small 2019 draft class with only six selections, but they’ve supplemented those prospects by adding 16 undrafted free agents:

Gil Brandt of NFL.com named Tyler Jones as the fourth-best undrafted free agent interior lineman available, and the Jets don’t exactly have the league’s strongest guard/center situation. If he’s able to play center, Jones could be factor in New York, where only Jonotthan Harrison and Jon Toth are ahead of the NC State product on the depth chart. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com lauded Jones’ pass-blocking acumen and noted his abilities in a zone scheme, which should play well in Adam Gase‘s new system.

Extra Points: Wilks, Cardinals, Goodell, Haskins, Draft

As the season has gone on, it’s become clear that Steve Wilks faces increasingly long odds of being retained by the Cardinals for a second season. Wilks drew rave reviews during his one season as Panthers defensive coordinator, but Arizona’s season has been disastrous right from the get-go, and it was reported by Adam Schefter yesterday that the team was planning to move on. Larry Fitzgerald and other players have expressed support for the embattled coach, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be enough. In an interesting piece, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN recently took a look at the arguments both for and against firing Wilks.

Weinfuss lists the concerning lack of progress from Josh Rosen as one compelling reason to make him a one and done, as it doesn’t appear Wilks and his staff have done a good job developing him or putting him in position to succeed. As far as reasons for keeping him, Weinfuss lists some injuries, bad offensive coaching from the fired Mike McCoy, and the summer suspension of GM Steve Keim that kept the two from collaborating on the roster. Mike McCarthy is reportedly interested in the job, and it will be very interesting to see how this all plays out. We should know Wilks’ fate for certain by next Monday.

Here’s more from around the league on Christmas Eve:

  • It’s been rumored that Roger Goodell’s latest contract extension, signed in December of 2017, could be his last, and now we have news of a possible successor. The league recently “created a new title for rising executive Christopher Halpin”, and he’s considered “a frontrunner to take over as commissioner” once Goodell eventually steps down by many within the league, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Goodell faced some rare public criticism from owners in the wake of the anthem controversy and other issues, but has always managed to maintain a tight grip on the league.
  • Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been one of the fastest rising NFL draft prospects this season, and he recently received a first round projection from the NFL’s college personnel advisory board, league sources told Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link). Haskins finished third in the Heisman voting after a sensational first year as a starter, and has a very good chance to be the first quarterback taken this April, if not the first overall pick. He hasn’t formally announced one way or the other, but Haskins is widely expected to declare for the draft following the Buckeyes’ bowl game.
  • Speaking of the draft, Wake Forest wide receiver Greg Dortch announced he was leaving school early and declaring for the draft via Twitter. Dortch caught 89 passes for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns this year, and was one of the best players in the ACC. In addition to being a very talented receiver, he was also a first team All-American as a punt returner. While he’s a bit undersized at only 5’9, he should have a good shot to go early in the draft if he tests well in Indianapolis.