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Jalen Saunders

Minor Moves: Saturday

October 25th, 2014 at 4:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s minor transactions, with the latest updates at the top of the list:

  • The Raiders are set to activate cornerback D.J. Hayden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The No. 12 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Hayden played in eight games as a rookie and started two. The club has filled their other remaining vacancy by signing defensive end Denico Autry to the active roster, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Rams placed Brandon McGee on the injured reserve with a foot injury while replacing him with Jemea Thomas from the practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. McGee hasn’t played since Week 2.
  • The Dolphins announced (on Twitter) that they have waived wide receiver Damian Williams to make space for Jordan.
  • The Dolphins are moving defensive end Dion Jordan to the active roster today, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. There’s no word yet on a corresponding move, but they’ll have to cut someone to make space. Jordan was recently reinstated from his six-game suspension.
  • The Cardinals signed wide receiver Solomon Patton to their practice squad while cutting fellow WR Jalen Saunders, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • The Ravens waived tight end Ryan Taylor and promoted fellow tight end Phillip Supernaw from the practice squad, tweets Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.
  • The Lions announced that they have suspended defensive tackle C.J. Mosley for two weeks for conduct detrimental to the team and subsquently sent him home from London earlier today. To fill his spot, Detroit has signed safety Jerome Couplin from the practice squad, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
  • In addition to center Daniel Kilgore, the 49ers have also placed cornerback Chris Cook on the injured reserve. The team has signed safety Bubba Ventrone to fill one of the two roster spots.
  • The Jaguars have cut wide receiver Tavarres King and signed cornerback Peyton Thompson, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The writer adds that the move was made as insurance in case injured cornerback Dwayne Gratz can’t play this weekend.
  • Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets that center Nick McDonald was activated from the Browns‘ non-football injury list. To make room on the roster, the team waived tight end Gerell Robinson.

AFC East Links: Bills, Dolphins, Jets

October 5th, 2014 at 11:31am CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this morning, we looked at some rumblings out of New England. Let’s now take a look at what is happening with the other three AFC East teams…

Minor Moves: Wednesday

October 1st, 2014 at 6:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from around the league, as well as minor 53-man roster transactions, with any additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • The Texans signed cornerbacks Charles James, a Charleston Southern product, and Kendall James, a Maine product, to their practice squad, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Chargers pulled a reverse of Monday’s move, re-signing defensive tackle Chas Alecxih to the practice squad and releasing safety Adrian Phillips, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter).
  • The Bears have signed kick returner Teddy Williams off the Cardinals’ practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). Williams had been listed as a cornerback for Arizona, but the Bears call him a receiver — teams have tried him at both positions, but the 26-year-old’s primary asset is his speed. To make room for Williams, the Bears have cut linebacker Terrell Manning.
  • Meanwhile, the Cardinals replaced Williams on their practice squad with former fourth-round wideout Jalen Saunders, who was waived by the Jets this week, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

Earlier updates:

  • Running back Lache Seastrunk, who was drafted by the Redskins and spent time on the Panthers’ practice squad, has signed with the Titans‘ practice squad, the club announced today (Twitter link). Seastrunk will fill the 10th and final opening on the unit.
  • Wideout Kevin Cone and tight end Taylor Sloat have replaced linebacker Carlos Fields and tight end Ian Thompson on the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link). With Mike Evans expected to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks, Cone could be considered for the 53-man roster at some point, particularly if any other Tampa Bay wideouts are injured this weekend.
  • As part of their practice squad shuffling, the Dolphins removed defensive end Gerald Rivers from the squad, tweets Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Sign T.J. Graham, Cut Jalen Saunders

September 29th, 2014 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Yet another one of the Jets’ 12 draftees from this past May is no longer on the roster. New York has waived fourth-round wideout Jalen Saunders, replacing him on the roster with veteran receiver T.J. Graham, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Saunders, who turns 22 tomorrow, had been returning punts for the club, but after muffing catches in the Jets’ Week 2 and Week 3 games, he was taken off return duties. In his brief stint with the team, Saunders saw just six offensive snaps, and didn’t record a single catch.

As for Graham, the ex-Bill logged 54 total receptions during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but after being shopped in trade talks this summer, was waived during preseason cutdowns. Although the 25-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Titans, he wasn’t used in Tennessee’s offense, and was cut by the club last week. The Jets were the only club Graham was reported to have auditioned for during his brief stint as a free agent.

Of the 12 players the Jets drafted in 2014, only five are on the team’s current active roster. Saunders becomes the fifth draftee cut by the team, while two others are on season-ending injured reserve.

AFC East Links: Gronk, Dolphins, Saunders

June 28th, 2014 at 9:15am CST by Matt Feminis

Rob Gronkowski‘s impact on the Patriots’ offense is undeniable, but ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wonders, “Are we obsessing over the right issue? Rather than trying to pinpoint Gronkowski’s return to full strength, perhaps it would be more productive (and realistic) to gauge whether the Patriots are any better equipped to play without him than they were last season.” Seifert spoke to colleague Matt Williamson, who is optimistic the Pats are better prepared this year if/when they’re without a healthy Gronk.

Here’s a handful more AFC East links:

  • Dolphins defensive tackle Jared Odrick is a bargain, says ESPN’s James Wilder, but it doesn’t appear the fifth-year defensive tackle should expect a contract extension this season.
  • Rookie defensive tackle Anthony Johnson hopes to be a teammate of Odrick. While the undrafted free agent faces an uphill battle to secure a roster spot, MiamiDolphins.com’s Alain Poupart profiles Johnson and calls him one of team’s most intriguing rookies. A highly coveted recruit out of high school, Johnson looked like a budding star as a sophomore at LSU, but he did not have a strong junior season. Additionally, concerns about his character and work ethic contributed to him tumbling out of the draft despite being considered a second- or third-round talent by some evaluators. If there’s a silver lining for Johnson’s outlook, by virtue of his status as an undrafted free agent, the “boom-or-bust” prospect now becomes a low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Dolphins.
  • The Jets are hoping fourth-round receiver Jalen Saunders establishes himself as a dangerous punt returner, writes ESPN’s Rich Cimini. A smallish, underpowered slot receiver/punt returner, Saunders flashed speed and quickness to flip the field in college. However, Cimini cautions fans there’s no guarantee Saunders’ skills will translate: “I remember when Aaron Glenn came out in 1994 and everybody was raving about his punt-returning prowess in college. Well, he was a bust as a returner.” While Glenn, a first-round pick, was a much more ballyhooed draftee, the Jets will be satisfied if Saunders can provide a spark on special teams and allow Jeremy Kerley to focus on his slot receiver duties.
  • On the Bills website, A.J. Devine looks at five training camp position battles to watch, including the offensive line, where “An influx of young, powerful linemen was one of the highlights of the Bills offseason. It seems as though head coach Doug Marrone has left every position along the line open for competition and will give everyone the opportunity to fight for a starting spot.”

AFC East Notes: Wilkerson, Tuel, Moreno

June 22nd, 2014 at 11:34am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a swing around the AFC East on this Sunday afternoon:

  • There are a number of Patriots items today. Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes that, with all the attention being directed towards Dominique Easley and Jimmy Garoppolo, fourth-round running back James White–whom coach Bill Belichick has compared to Shane Vereen–has quietly put together a very impressive spring.
  • Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes that the Patriots made eight personnel moves between the end of minicamp and the beginning of training camp last year, and similar roster tweaks could be on the way this season. For instance, a veteran tight end like Jermichael Finley or Dustin Keller might be added to the roster, and there has been some speculation as to the team’s interest in recently-released players like Jason Babin and Brandon Flowers (though Price sees New England as something of an unlikely destination for Babin and Flowers).
  • Eric Frenz of Boston.com looks at a number of Patriots-related topics, including his opinion on what he believes to be the team’s strongest position (cornerback), and weakest (tight end).
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com expects the Jets to make a run at signing Muhammad Wilkerson to an extension before training camp, and he advises fans to keep an eye on the J.J. Watt situation in Houston as a measuring stick for Wilkerson negotiations.
  • In the same piece, Cimini adds that the Jets are unlikely to add a veteran corner, and that Jalen Saunders was the rookie wideout that most impressed in minicamp.
  • Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com writes that Bills‘ quarterback Jeff Tuel has made significant strides and will push Thaddeus Lewis for the backup quarterback spot.
  • Andrew Abramson of The Palm Beach Post writes that Dolphins‘ running back Knowshon Moreno has a knee injury that could require arthroscopic surgery, but he would be expected to heal in time for the regular season, if not training camp.
  • Christopher L. Shelton of The Sun-Sentinel describes the path that undrafted defensive tackle Anthony Johnson has taken to the Dolphins’ roster. Shelton believes Johnson, who has impressed this spring, could make the club as a reserve behind Randy Starks, Jared Odrick, and Earl Mitchell.

Jets Notes: Amaro, Pryor, Boyd, Saunders

May 17th, 2014 at 7:07pm CST by Peter Sowards

Jace Amaro, the consensus All-American tight end from Texas Tech whom the Jets took with their second-round pick, caught 106 passes in 13 games his junior season. Extrapolate that to 16 games — a full regular season in the NFL — and that’s over 130 receptions.

Now, college football is not pro football, but that doesn’t stop Amaro from setting his goals high, saying he hopes to catch 100 balls on a consistent basis, reports Kimberley A. Martin of newsday.com.

One player Amaro hopes to pattern his game after is Tony Gonzalez. “He’s kind of old-school, but he did some great things, too, and I definitely feel like I’d like to [model] his game,” Amaro said. “That’s someone I’d love to ultimately be. He’s supposedly the greatest tight end ever to play the game and that’s somewhere I want to be, too.”

Amaro and the team agreed to terms on a four-year contract yesterday.

More links below on the goings-on from Gang Green…

  • Coach Rex Ryan is going to love his new safety, Calvin Pryor. Nicknamed “The Louisville Slugger,” Martin writes that Pryor doesn’t wear a mouthpiece so he can better talk trash to opponents, and that he hopes to walk the walk on that talk with big hits and loud play, similar to Seattle’s Kam Chancellor and Tampa Bay’s Dashon Goldson.
  • Pryor joined the New York Post’s Steve Serby for a Sunday Q&A, touching on Pryor’s twitter narratives and his desire to prove the doubters wrong.
  • Working out of the shotgun nearly every snap of his college career, Jets quarterback Tajh Boyd focused on proper footwork in rookie minicamp, Martin notes.
  • With a host of new receiving threats acquired — Eric Decker and David Nelson through free agency, and Jalen Saunders, Shaq Evans and Quincy Enunwa through the draft — Ryan called the group much better from top to bottom than at any point last season, said Martin.
  • On that note, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the receivers have had a case of the dropsies in rookie camp.

Draft Signings: Jets, Pats, Saints, Chiefs

May 16th, 2014 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

With many rookie minicamps underway, it’s clear that a good portion of the players drafted last week have been eager to get their contract situations taken care of so they can focus solely on football. Several more draftees reached agreements or signed their deals today, so let’s round up the latest….

  • No team drafted more players than the 12 the Jets selected last week, and few clubs have been more proactive about getting those draftees under contract. The club announced today in a press release that Jalen Saunders, a fourth-rounder, is the latest player to sign on the dotted line, meaning only first-round safety Calvin Pryor and two other Jets draft picks still need to ink their deals.
  • Fourth-round running back James White and seventh-round receiver Jeremy Gallon have signed with the Patriots, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. We heard earlier today that Cameron Fleming had also signed, so New England is putting a dent into its draft class.
  • In addition to confirming the previously reported signing of sixth-rounder Tavon Rooks, the Saints announced today that they’ve also locked up a pair of fifth-round picks, safety Vinnie Sunseri and linebacker Ronald Powell. Both players should receive four-year deals worth a little less than $2.4MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, and their signings mean New Orleans has secured half of its 2014 draft class.
  • Fourth-round running back and receiver De’Anthony Thomas is the latest draftee to sign with the Chiefs, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Thomas should be in line for a signing bonus of about $420K, per Fitzgerald.
  • Safety Ahmad Dixon became the fourth Cowboy taken in the seventh round to sign his rookie deal, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • According to Robert Herron himself (via Twitter), the former Wyoming receiver officially put pen to paper today for the Buccaneers, making him the first Tampa Bay draftee to sign his deal. The club has since confirmed Herron’s tweet, and noted that fifth-round pick Kadeem Edwards has also signed (Twitter link).