Jimmie Hunt

Extra Points: Browns, Ravens, Redskins

With the Browns’ minicamp in the books, head coach Hue Jackson said Thursday he’s “not even close” to naming a starting quarterback and acknowledged that there will be an open competition in training camp, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Offseason free agent pickup Robert Griffin III seems like a good bet to win the job, but he’ll have to beat out a group headlined by fellow veteran Josh McCown – who was impressive last season.

Elsewhere around the NFL…

  • Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore believes he’s a member of the premier TE corps in the NFL. “I’m not afraid to say it. It’s hands down [the best group],” he said, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. New England undoubtedly has the preeminent one-two punch at the position with Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, but from the top down, Hensley writes that Gillmore has a valid argument. The Ravens also employ Ben Watson, Maxx Williams and Dennis Pitta, though Pitta missed most of the last two seasons because of hip injuries. Gillmore, Watson and Williams, meanwhile, combined for 139 receptions, 11 touchdowns and 1,500-plus yards in 2015.
  • Redskins defensive lineman Chris Baker is entering a contract year and would like to sign an extension, but he told JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic that he hasn’t discussed a new deal with the team. “If you go out and you’re producing, they’re gonna keep me,” he said. As Finlay notes, with quarterback Kirk Cousins also going into a contract year and tight end Jordan Reed having signed a mega-deal last month, Baker could end up out of the Redskins’ price range. The 28-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he amassed career highs in appearances (16, to go with 11 starts), tackles (53), sacks (six) and forced fumbles (three). Thanks to his output in 2015, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Baker a solid 22nd out of 83 qualifying interior defenders.
  • The Ravens worked out two free agents – receiver Jimmie Hunt and running back/linebacker/safety Cabrinni Goncalves – on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Hunt joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri last year, but the team cut him in September and he didn’t latch on elsewhere. Goncalves, formerly of Maine, went undrafted this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/8/15

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

  • The Jaguars have released safety Matt Daniels from injured reserve with an injury settlement, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Daniels, 26, spent his first two years in the league with the Rams before hooking on with the Jaguars in 2014 as a practice squad member.
  • The Saints reached an injury settlement with wide receiver Nick Toon, who will be waived off injured reserve, Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets. Toon hopes to be ready to play in a couple of weeks, Woodbery adds.
  • Marion Grice and Jimmy Legree of the Cardinals and Jimmie Hunt of the Packers were removed from IR with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Packers Cut Down To 75-Man Roster

The Packers announced that they are down to a 75-man roster. The full list of moves is presented below:

Placed On IR:

  • WR Jordy Nelson

Waived/Injured:

  • WR Javess Blue
  • WR Jimmie Hunt

Released:

  • QB Matt Blanchard
  • WR James Butler
  • LB Adrian Hubbard
  • DB Kyle Sebetic
  • TE Harold Spears

Of course, we’ve known for a while that Nelson would be placed on IR. The loss of Nelson, 30, is a body blow to a Green Bay offense that ranked first in offensive DVOA last season. Nelson was a major part of that success, catching 98 passes for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to being named a second-team All Pro.

Packers Sign 17 Undrafted Free Agents

FRIDAY, 11:36am: Having officially signed and announced their undrafted free agent class, the Packers did indeed sign 17 UDFAs. However, a couple of the names on the official list are different than those initially reported.

A pair of running backs, Agnew and Maples, didn’t formally sign with the team. They were replaced on Green Bay’s list of UDFAs by two linebackers — Louisiana State’s Jermauria Rasco and Stanford’s James Vaughters.

SUNDAY, 5:02pm: The Packers have also added Miami CB Ladarius Gunter, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link).

1:26pm: After adding eight draft picks over the past three days, the Packers have agreed to terms with another 16 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full list, courtesy of Wes Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media:

  • Malcolm Agnew, RB, Southern Illinois
  • Bernard Blake, CB, Colorado State
  • Javess Blue, WR, Kentucky
  • Ricky Collins, WR, Texas A&M-Commerce
  • Adrian Coxson, WR, Stony Brook ($5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun)
  • John Crockett, RB, North Dakota State
  • Tavarus Dantzler, OLB, Bethune-Cookman
  • Fabbians Ebbele, OL, Arizona ($2K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Alonzo Harris, RB, Louisiana-Lafayette ($3,500 bonus, per Wilson)
  • Mitchell Henry, TE, Western Kentucky
  • Lavon Hooks, DT, Mississippi
  • Jimmie Hunt, WR, Missouri
  • Raymond Maples, RB, Army
  • Larry Pinkard, WR, Old Dominion ($3K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Marcus Reed, OL, Fayetteville State
  • Matt Rotheram, OL, Pittsburgh