Jake Knott

Jets Sign Josh Johnson

The Jets announced that they have signed quarterback Josh Johnson, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. To make room, quarterback Jake Heaps has been waived.

Johnson, 29, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Andy Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013. This week, the Bengals cut Johnson loose, effectively naming AJ McCarron as their new No. 2 QB. All in all, the veteran hasn’t seen much time on the field in recent years, seeing no active game duty in 2014 and a total of 3 games since 2012.

Johnson now joins a quarterback depth chart that includes Ryan FitzpatrickMatt Flynn, and rookie Bryce Petty. As you already know, unless you spent the month of August on the moon, presumptive starter Geno Smith was knocked out for the start of the season when a locker room punch broke his jaw.

Minor Moves: Monday Night

The latest minor moves..

  • The Bears signed wide receiver Ify Umodu, who was a tryout player at the team’s rookie minicamp in May, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Umodu takes the place of linebacker Jamil Merrell, who was placed on waivers. Umodu, an undrafted rookie free agent from Northern Arizona, had 47 catches for 692 yards and 5 touchdowns last season.
  • The Rams removed Bud Sasser from the non-football illness list, making him a free agent, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets. The sixth-round wide receiver was signed to a deal but waived just two days later to ensure that he would still receive his signing bonus despite his heart condition.
  • The Dolphins reached an injury settlement with Jake Knott, Wilson tweets.

Minor Moves: Friday

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Browns have cut outside linebacker Keith Pough, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Pough had been cut with an injured designation last month, so today’s move removes him from the roster entirely.
  • Having signed him to their roster in April, the Giants have waived/injured linebacker Ryan Jones less than two months later, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
  • After being waived with an injury designation by the Raiders yesterday, linebacker Jacoby Hale has reverted to the team’s IR list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Earlier updates:

  • Offensive lineman Jon Halapio, drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round in 2014, has signed with the Cardinals, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). To make room for the guard, the Cards parted ways with another offensive lineman, tackle Tavon Rooks.
  • As expected, sixth-round wide receiver Bud Sasser, who wasn’t cleared physically due to a heart condition, went unclaimed on waivers and has been placed on the Rams‘ non-football illness list, tweets Howard Balzer of TheSportsXchange. For what it’s worth, Sasser’s agent, Scott Thiel, tells David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune that doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota said the young wideout is “at little to no risk,” and should be able to play football. For now though, he’ll remain on St. Louis’ NFI list.
  • The Cowboys have waived former Fresno State linebacker Kyle Knox, just a few days after signing him, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), the club will add another linebacker to its roster next week.
  • The Dolphins have waived linebacker Jake Knott, the team announced today (via Twitter). The 24-year-old, who played his college ball at Iowa State, has had stints with the Eagles and Dolphins over the last couple seasons.

Dolphins Sign Six To Futures Contracts

The Dolphins signed a half dozen players to reserve/futures contracts today, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (via Twitter):

All six players were previously on Miami’s taxi squad. The only player left out was wide receiver L’Damian Washington, who joined the practice squad in early December.

Minor Moves: Saturday

We will keep track of all of Saturday’s minor transactions here. As usual, newest moves will be added to the top as they come in:

  • The Seahawks have made a change to their 53-man roster, placing tight end Rashaun Allen on waivers and promoting offensive lineman Keavon Milton from their taxi squad, tweets Brian McIntyre. Milton will provide some depth on Seattle’s offensive line as the team prepares to be without Russell Okung and Max Unger this weekend in Arizona.

Earlier updates:

  • Earlier today, the Raiders placed Tarell Brown on injured reserve. The team has signed linebacker Spencer Hadley off of its practice squad to fill Brown’s roster spot, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).
  • The 49ers have placed rookie inside linebacker Chris Borland on the injured reserve, reports Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). The team has promoted outside linebacker Chase Thomas from its practice squad.
  • The Buccaneers have placed safety Major Wright on injured reserve, reports Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter). The team has promoted cornerback C.J. Wilson from the practice squad to the active roster to fill his spot.
  • The Dolphins have signed wide receiver Matt Hazel off of the practice squad to the active roster, reports James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). The team has released linebacker Jake Knott to make room for Hazel.

Minor Moves: Monday

Here are Monday’s minor transactions, including practice squad signings and cuts, from around the NFL:

  • As Cowboys defensive back Tyler Patmon continues to improve from a sprained knee, the team has parted ways with another cornerback. Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Cowboys have waived Micah Pellerin. The 26-year-old has appeared in three games this season with Dallas.
  • The Chargers placed offensive lineman Ryan Miller on their reserve/non-football injury list last week, but the team changed course today. Miller was moved to the injured reserve list and subsequently waived with an injury settlement, tweets Howard Balzer.
  • Less than a week after he joined the Dolphins practice squad, linebacker Jake Knott has been promoted to the team’s active roster, the 24-year-old announced on Twitter. Knott previously spent time with the Eagles, where he made 12 appearances last season.
  • Even though running back Marcus Lattimore announced his retirement last month, the 49ers continued to keep him on their non-football-injury list. That ended today, as Aaron Wilson tweets that the team has cut the former fourth-rounder.
  • The Broncos have signed returner Isaiah Burse to their practice squad, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. To make room, Denver waived guard Mark Asper. Burse, who has returned 29 of the team’s 30 punt returns this season, was waived on Saturday to make room for kicker Brandon McManus.

Earlier updates:

  • After being cut last week by the Panthers, veteran linebacker Jason Williams has a new home, catching on with another NFC South team. The Buccaneers announced that they’ve signed Williams, placing fellow linebacker Brandon Magee on injured reserve in order to accommodate the new signing.
  • The Packers have signed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston from off the Cardinals‘ practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. To make room for Gaston, the club placed rookie defensive tackle Luther Robinson, who sustained a calf injury, on the injured reserve list.
  • The Chargers have parted ways with a pair of players, releasing center Jeff Baca from their 53-man roster and cutting cornerback Kendall James from their practice squad, tweets Eric Williams of ESPN.com.
  • Having lost wide receiver Deonte Thompson off their practice squad to the Bills earlier today, the Ravens filled the opening by re-signing tight end Allen Reisner to the unit, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Wideout Rashad Ross has signed to Washington‘s taxi squad, the club announced today (Twitter link).

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

We’ll use this space to round up Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league. Here’s the latest:

  • Confirming the previously-reported signing of linebacker Jake Knott to their practice squad, the Dolphins also added wide receiver L’Damian Washington, parting ways with safety Ahmad Dixon and tight end Jake Stoneburner to make room, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

Earlier updates:

  • The Ravens‘ practice squad underwent some turnover today, with the team cutting tight end Allen Reisner and signing tight end Phillip Supernaw and wide receiver LaQuan Williams, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • With three spots open on their practice squad, the Patriots got the unit back up to 10 players by signing defensive back Justin Green, linebacker Deontae Skinner, and defensive back Daxton Swanson, the team announced today in a press release.
  • Tight end Kevin Greene, who worked out for the Panthers several weeks ago, has now signed with the team’s practice squad, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
  • Having promoted tight end Anthony Denham from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, the Texans quickly filled the open spot on their taxi squad by adding wide receiver Jace Davis, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
  • Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Kona Schwenke has signed with the Jets‘ practice squad, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). No corresponding move was necessary, since New York had been carrying nine players.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

  • The Giants signed former Chiefs guard Rishaw Johnson to their practice squad, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Johnson worked out for Big Blue last week.
  • After promoting multiple players from their practice squad to their active roster, the Giants added linebacker Paul Hazel to the taxi squad, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
  • Defensive back Lowell Rose has rejoined the Dolphins‘ practice squad, with the club placing wideout LaRon Byrd on the PS-IR list in a corresponding move, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Linebacker Marshall McFadden, who was released by the Rams over the weekend, has cleared waivers and signed back to the team’s practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Wide receiver Eric Thomas has replaced fellow wideout Travis Harvey on the Bills‘ practice squad, according to a team release.

Earlier updates:

  • Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that former Eagles linebacker Jake Knott is set to sign with the Dolphins‘ practice squad. Miami, with a full 10-man unit, will have to make a corresponding move before the addition becomes official.
  • After losing Solomon Patton off their practice squad to the Buccaneers, the Cardinals have replaced him by signing wide receiver Ryan Spadola, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • Cut by the Jaguars over the weekend, wide receiver Mike Brown cleared waivers and rejoined the team today, signing with Jacksonville’s practice squad, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter).
  • The Panthers promoted a pair of players to their active roster from the practice squad today, and began filling the newly-created openings by signing safety Kimario McFadden to the unit, the team announced (Twitter link).
  • Defensive end Jordan Stanton, who was cut from the Giants‘ practice squad back in September, re-signed with the unit today, per agent Landon Betsworth (via Twitter). The team has yet to announce the move that will create an opening for Stanton.

AFC East Notes: Ryan, Tannehill, Goodwin

Rex Ryan‘s days are numbered as the head coach of the Jets and Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com wants to give him some advice on what to do next. Rather than go for a defensive coordinator’s job, he suggests that Ryan should go to TV and present himself as someone who can talk authoritatively about offense. And, when those head coaching offers come rolling in, O’Connor says that he should wait for a team with an established winning quarterback. More from the AFC East..

  • The Dolphins have to decide on Ryan Tannehill‘s fifth-year option this spring and it won’t be an easy call, writes Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald. Miami can skirt the hefty $15MM cap hit with a long-term deal, but they have to figure out first if he deserves one. Statistically, in 2014, he has graded out as a top-15 quarterback and coach Joe Philbin has been full of praise for the young signal caller.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders what’s next for Marquise Goodwin after the Bills claimed Marcus Thigpen, a return specialist, off waivers. Goodwin has struggled to emerge with the team since being drafted in the third round last season. On Monday night against the Jets, Goodwin was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.
  • The Dolphins worked out cornerbacks Dominique Franks and Marc Anthony and linebacker Jake Knott, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter).
  • Jets owner Woody Johnson needs to replace John Idzik with a competent GM, opines Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Mehta outlines some of Idzik’s biggest gaffes and says that the team needs to address its issues at quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver, outside linebacker, and on the offensive line.

North Notes: Steelers, Tate, Peterson

Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reported earlier today (via Twitter) that someone on the Steelers staff called someone with the Browns to ask about Ben Tate‘s release, but Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Pittsburgh has no interest in picking up Tate to replace LeGarrette Blount. More out of the North divisions..

Luke Adams contributed to this post.