HEADLINES

Isaac Fruechte

NFL Workout Updates: 11/14/17

November 14th, 2017 at 8:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • T Laurence Gibson (link)

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • TEs Brandon Barnes, Gabe Holmes (link)

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • LSs Ryan DiSalvo, Andrew East, Drew Ferris (link)

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Redskins

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/16

December 31st, 2016 at 5:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves NFL teams made on New Year’s Eve.

  • Another Saints cornerback will head to IR, with the team placing Ken Crawley on the season-ending list, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. Crawley will join Delvin Breaux, P.J. Williams, Damian Swann and Kyle Wilson as IR-stationed corners in New Orleans. The team promoted cornerback Taveze Calhoun, a rookie UDFA, from its practice squad to fill the roster spot. Crawley started in five games for the Saints this season.
  • The Bears promoted Josh Shirley from their practice squad, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter). Chicago will be without Leonard Floyd and Pernell McPhee in its Week 17 game against Minnesota. Shirley resided on the workout circuit for much of this season before catching on with the Bears’ practice squad earlier this month. The 24-year-old UDFA edge defender played in five games for the Buccaneers last year.
  • The Vikings promoted wide receiver Isaac Fruechte from their practice squad, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Minnesota moved safety Andrew Sendejo to IR (Twitter link, via Tomasson) to make room for the UDFA second-year man. Both Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell are doubtful for the Vikes’ season finale, creating the need for some pass-catching depth. A knee issue will end Sendejo’s season prematurely. He finished his seventh NFL campaign with 66 tackles and a career-high two interceptions.
  • It appears the Chargers are going to finish with an even 20 players on IR this season after the team placed cornerback Craig Mager on the season-ending list, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (on Twitter). Inside linebacker Carlos Fields received a promotion from the practice squad as a result.

Vikings Promote OL Willie Beavers

September 27th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are set to promote offensive lineman Willie Beavers from the practice squad to the active roster, according to a team press release. In related moves, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte and guard Sean Hickey were added to the practice squad. Defensive back Julian Wilson was cut from the p-squad to make room. Willie Beavers (vertical)

Beavers, a guard out of Western Michigan, was selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft. However, he did not make the Vikings’ cutdown to 53. Upon clearing waivers, he was signed to a practice squad deal. Now, he may be on the active roster this weekend if Alex Boone‘s hip keeps him from playing.

Beavers played left tackle in college, but the Vikings would like to use him at multiple spots. With Boone hurting, Beavers’ first shot could come on the interior line.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ameer Abdullah Placed On IR, Done For Season?

September 25th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:05am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted earlier this morning that the Lions were hopeful that Abdullah would return from IR shortly after the team’s Week 10 bye. However, a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter shortly thereafter indicated that the Lions believe Abdullah has a torn ligament in his left foot and will miss the remainder of the season.

WEDNESDAY, 08:38am: The Lions have placed running back Ameer Abdullah on injured reserve, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. The Lions have confirmed the news via press release. Ameer Abdullah (vertical)

Abdullah injured his foot on Sunday and it was initially believed to be a sprain. Yesterday, the tailback visited Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte and apparently received some bad news. It’s not necessarily known if Abdullah suffered a fracture, but – at minimum – his sprain was more severe than initially thought. Thanks to the league’s new IR rules, Abdullah is not necessarily done for the season, of course. In theory, Abdullah could come back in two months and suit up as soon as Week 11.

With Abdullah out, the Lions will give more carries to Theo Riddick. Of course, Riddick is more of a pass-catching specialist than a workhorse back, so we can expect to see additional work for rookie Dwayne Washington as well. Washington is a bit of an unknown, but coach Jim Caldwell has been talking him up all summer.

The Lions also announced that they have signed running back George Winn and linebacker Zaviar Gooden to the practice squad. To make room, guard Chase Farris and wide receiver Isaac Fruechte have been cut.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings’ Roster Stands At 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 5:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have trimmed their roster down to 53 by making the following moves:

Placed on IR:

Placed On NFI:

  • QB Taylor Heinicke

Moore, who turns 26 next week, appeared in eight games for the Pats in 2014 after being taken with a sixth-round pick. In 2015, he found his way to Minnesota where he appeared in one regular season contest.

Boehringer, a native of Germany, became the first international player to go straight from a European league to the NFL when the Vikings chose him in the sixth round. He ultimately failed to earn a roster spot, though he could land on the Vikings’ practice squad, per Rapoport.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/11/16

January 11th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Zachary Links

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

  • The Vikings announced that they have inked the following seven players to reserve/future deals: guard Isame Faciane, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte, defensive tackle Toby Johnson, safety John Lowdermilk, linebacker Terrance Plummer, running back Blake Renaud, and linebacker Alex Singleton. Renaud has had several stints with the Vikings’ taxi squad since coming out of Boise State.
  • The Jets announced (on Twitter) that they have signed tackle Jesse Davis and tight end Adrien Robinson to reserve/future contracts. The Jets also signed offensive lineman Lawrence Okoye to a futures deal, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
  • The Bears announced (Twitter link) that they have signed linebacker Keith Browner to reserve/futures contract. Browner appeared in three games for Houston in 2014. The 6’4″, 288 pound athlete played college football at Cal and has also been listed as a defensive end in the past.
  • The Texans signed guard Karim Barton, center Dalton Freeman, running back Kenny Hilliard, wide receiver Josh Lenz, cornerback Robert Nelson, defensive end Dan Pettinato, outside linebacker Gerald Rivers, linebacker Tony Washington, and tight end Eric Tomlinson to reserve/future deals, per Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Titans signed former Vanderbilt cornerback Steven Clarke to a futures deal, Jim Wyatt of Titans Online tweets.
  • The Bengals announced that they have signed the following players to futures deals: wide receiver Michael Bennett, linebacker Jayson DiManche, guard Trey Hopkins, wide receiver Jake Kumerow, tight end Matt Lengel, and linebacker Jeff Luc.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

September 6th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North 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 Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Vikings Reduce Roster To 53 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 5:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Having acquired offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles from the Chargers earlier today, the Vikings needed to remove 23 players from their active roster, as the league moved from 75-man rosters down to 53-man squads. Minnesota announced all of its moves in one go, issuing a press release that features 22 cuts, along with cornerback Jabari Price heading to the reserve/suspended list.

Here are the players cut today by the Vikings:

  • T Babatunde Aiyegbusi
  • DT Chigbo Anunoby
  • DE B.J. Dubose
  • G Isame Faciane
  • C Tom Farniok
  • WR Donte Foster
  • WR Isaac Fruechte
  • S Anthony Harris
  • RB DuJuan Harris
  • DT Greg Hickman
  • DE Leon Mackey
  • LB Michael Mauti
  • LB Brian Peters
  • CB Shaun Prater
  • FB Blake Renaud
  • CB Josh Thomas
  • T Tyrus Thompson
  • C Bobby Vardaro
  • LB Brandon Watts
  • WR Ryan Whalen
  • RB Dominique Williams
  • OL David Yankey