Jayrone Elliott

Steelers’ Anthony Chickillo Removed From Commissioner’s Exempt List

Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo has been taken off the Exempt/Commissioner’s List by the league office, according to a statement from Steelers GM Kevin Colbert. With that, Chickillo will return to the Steelers’ 53-man roster.

“The league will continue to conduct an investigation of the incident, and we acknowledge that Anthony could still be subject to discipline by the League Office under the Personal Conduct Policy.”

Chickillo was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief, and harassment in October after an incident with his girlfriend. He’s no longer barred from playing after being removed from the exempt list, but a six-game ban could be in his future, if the NFL’s investigation finds him at fault.

Chickillo was originally drafted by the Steelers in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft. After playing out his rookie deal, he signed a two-year, $8MM deal to remain with the team this past March. Last season, Chickillo played around 28% of the team’s defensive snaps while also serving as a core special teamer.

Elliott has been on and off of the Steelers’ roster for the last couple of months. He’s out of work yet again, but history suggests that he might want to wait things out in the Pittsburgh area for a bit.

Steelers’ Anthony Chickillo Placed On Exempt List

Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, according to a press release. To replace him, the Steelers have signed linebacker Jayrone Elliott

Recently, Chickillo was charged with simple assault, criminal mischief, and harassment after an incident with his girlfriend. He’ll be barred from playing while on the exempt list, but a minimum six-game ban could be in his future, if the NFL’s investigation finds him at fault.

Chickillo was originally drafted by the Steelers in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft. After playing out his rookie deal, he signed a two-year, $8MM deal to remain with the team this past March. Last season, Chickillo played around 28% of the team’s defensive snaps while also serving as a core special teamer.

Elliott has been on and off of the Steelers’ roster for the last couple of months, with his most recent stint ending on Oct. 11. He’s back now with an eye on adding to his career total of 42 appearances.

Steelers Promote QB Paxton Lynch

For the first time since the Broncos’ 2017 finale, Paxton Lynch will return to an active roster. The Steelers promoted him in advance of their Week 6 game in Los Angeles.

With Mason Rudolph ruled out, the former first-round pick will serve as Devlin Hodges‘ backup. Lynch caught on with the Steelers’ practice squad earlier this season. Pittsburgh has lost both Rudolph and Ben Roethlisberger to injury in five games. Both Hodges and Lynch were in-season roster additions.

One of the bigger first-round miscalculations in modern NFL history, Lynch spent 2018 out of football after the Broncos waived him in September 2018. He caught on with the Seahawks via reserve/futures contract but did not beat out Geno Smith for their backup job. The Steelers added the former No. 26 overall pick as an in-case-of-emergency option, but Earl Thomas‘ hit on Rudolph made Pittsburgh exercise its emergency scenario.

The Steelers also promoted running back Trey Edmunds and waived outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott and guard Fred Johnson. Edmunds is the brother of Steelers safety starter Terrell Edmunds.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

 

Steelers Cut Eli Rogers; Reach 53

The Steelers got down to the 53-man max by releasing wide receiver Eli Rogers and a host of other players. Among other notables released 2019 draft picks Sutton Smith (linebacker, sixth round) and Derwin Grey (offensive lineman, seventh round), as well as Marcus Allen, a fifth-round defensive back from the 2018 class.

Rogers came out of nowhere and had a breakout season in 2016, catching 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns in just 13 games. It was a promising debut, but he took a pretty big step backwards the next season when he had just 149 yards and 18 catches. Then in the playoffs, he suffered a torn ACL. The ACL took a long time to recover from, and Rogers didn’t end up making it back until Week 15 of last year.

The rest of the rundown is below.

Offensive players released:

Defensive players released:

Special teams cuts:

Steelers Sign Jayrone Elliott, Waive Lavon Hooks

The Steelers are bringing in linebacker Jayrone Elliott, according to the team’s website. To accommodate the move, the team has waived Lavon Hooks.

Elliot spent most of career with the Packers, appearing in 38 games for the franchise. He’s been a football nomad since Green Bay traded him to the Cowboys in 2017 with Dallas waiving him after just one game. Since then, he’s had stints with the Saints and Dolphins as well as an appearance in the Alliance of American Football league before it shut down.

Hooks tore his Achilles this preseason, which put the writing on the wall for his release. The 27-year-old defensive tackle has yet to play in an NFL game, instead, spending most of his time on practice squads.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/19

Here are today’s minor moves, which feature a few recognizable names:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Patriots, Draft

Here’s a look at the AFC East:

  • The Dolphins are looking to add multiple edge rushers over the next three months, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. The Dolphins took one step in that direction this week when they signed Jayrone Elliott, one of the best pass rushers from the defunct AAF, but it sounds like they’ll also scour the later waves of free agency and the draft to find defensive ends and outside linebackers.
  • Duke quarterback Daniel Jones visited with the Patriots on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. At No. 32, they’d probably have to move for him, though they have the firepower to advance up the board if they want to. The Patriots have 12 picks in this year’s draft, tied with the Giants for the most in the league. After No. 32, they own two second round picks at Nos. 56 and 64 overall.
  • The Patriots also met with West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, Rapoport tweets. Unlike Jones, Grier figures to be available in the middle rounds due to his age (24) and iffy mechanics. However, he put up monster numbers at WVU, including 3,864 yards and 37 touchdowns against eight interceptions in his final season on campus. Lauded for his leadership, Grier could be groomed to take over for 42-year-old Tom Brady while sitting behind backup Brian Hoyer.

Dolphins To Sign AAF OLB Jayrone Elliott

Former Packers outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott did not play in the NFL last season but re-established his stock in the AAF, becoming one of the league’s best players.

The Dolphins will sign the AAF refugee, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Elliott visited the Dolphins on Monday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

A member of the San Antonio Commanders, Elliott led all AAF defenders with 7.5 sacks — more than his total (four) in 39 NFL games across four years. But the Dolphins will kick the tires on the 27-year-old free agent, adding him to their much younger mix of defensive ends. Elliott likely will join the Dolphins as a defensive end.

Miami parted ways with Robert Quinn and Andre Branch this offseason and allowed Cameron Wake to defect to Tennessee. Charles Harris resides as the top name among the Dolphins’ once-stacked defensive end group. The Dolphins signed Tank Carradine but do not have too much in the way of depth at this spot.

Elliott’s NFL work came mostly in Green Bay, where he was a frequent special teams contributor and part-time pass rusher. He registered three sacks during the 2015 season. He spent part of the 2017 season with the Cowboys, playing in just one game, and was with the Saints during the 2018 season. The Toledo product did not make New Orleans’ 53-man roster, turning soon to the AAF. As a result of Elliott’s work with the now-defunct league, he will have another NFL opportunity.

Saints Announce Roster Moves

The Saints have made the following transactions as they move their roster to 53 players:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Released:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on suspended list: