Saints To Sign LS Zach Wood
The Saints have signed long snapper Zach Wood, a source tells Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Wood will replace veteran Jon Dorenbos, who has been placed on the non-football injury list following the revelation that he’ll need heart surgery.
[RELATED: Saints Working To Rescind Jon Dorenbos Trade]
Wood, who spent four years as a defensive lineman at Southern Methodist University, transitioned to long snapper during his second camp with the Cowboys in 2017. While he was waived during final cutdowns after failing to overtake 13-year veteran L.P. Ladouceur, Wood will now get a chance to snap for the Saints.
Wood worked out for New Orleans today, but he wasn’t the only long snapper to do. John DePalma, Colin Holba, and Tanner Purdum all auditioned for the Saints today, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, as did Jeff Overbaugh, whose inclusion was reported earlier today.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/22/16
Tuesday is workout day in the NFL, and today was no different. Due to the sheer volume of today’s auditions, we’ll split up the reports by conference:
NFC
- The Bears worked out four offensive lineman today, according to ESPN’s Brad Biggs (via Twitter): Reid Fragel, Jeff Linkenbach, Dillon Farrell, and Dallas Thomas. Biggs tweets that the team also worked out defensive end Lawrence Okoye, who is a former British track and field athlete.
- The Buccaneers auditioned cornerback D’Joun Smith, Cody Riggs and Duke Thomas, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The team also worked out wideouts Corey Washington and Myles White. Riggs and White were ultimately signed to the practice squad.
- The Falcons worked out former Tennessee defensive end Ropati Pitoitua, Caplan tweets.
- The Lions worked out quarterbacks Keith Wenning and Logan Thomas along with wide receivers Dres Anderson, Tyler Murphy, and Andrew Turzilli, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. Anderson has since signed with Chicago’s practice squad.
- The Packers were busy today, according to Caplan (via Twitter). The team auditioned receiver B.J. Daniels, cornerback Darryl Morris, and linebackers Derrick Mathews, Beniquez Brown, Dwayne Norman and Darnell Sankey.
- The Panthers worked out guard Josh LeRibeus and former Patriots center Ryan Wendell, tweets Caplan.
AFC
- As Clark Harris recovers from an injury, the Bengals worked out long snappers John DePalma, Ryan DiSalvo, Thomas Gafford, and Tyler Ott, according to Caplan (via Twitter). The team ended up signing Ott to the practice squad.
- The Dolphins worked out offensive tackles Jesse Davis and Marquis Lucas, tweets Caplan.
- The Jaguars worked out a trio of tight ends in Justin Perillo, E.J. Bibbs, and Orson Charles, tweets Caplan. Bibbs ultimately landed on the team’s practice squad. The Jaguars also worked out linebacker Earl Okine.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Trades, Falcons, Bills, Bouye, Pats
With the league’s trading deadline less than 24 hours away, Mike Sando of ESPN Insider and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com try to guess where certain players might end up in the coming days. The Seahawks would make a perfect fit for Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, opines Sando, who also suggests the Packers try to acquire Torrey Smith and the Bears attempt to find a taker for Alshon Jeffery. Meanwhile, La Canfora focuses solely on Thomas, laying out the case for clubs such as the Cardinals, Broncos, and Colts to go after the future Hall of Famer.
Let’s take a quick spin around the league on this Halloween night:
- Speaking of the deadline, two head coaches broached the subject today while speaking with reporters. The Falcons‘ Dan Quinn told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that while there are some “behind-the-scenes whispers about stuff” happening over the next day or so, Atlanta is unlikely to make a move. Bills head coach Rex Ryan, meanwhile, said he “doesn’t necessarily see” Buffalo working out a trade before tomorrow, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Looking ahead to 2017 free agency, Peter King of TheMMQB.com identifies Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye as one underrated player who could potentially score a hefty contract next spring. Bouye, whose role with Houston will grow even larger given that Kevin Johnson is now on IR, grades as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 corner, leading King to speculate that Bouye could be worth $8MM on the open market.
- The Patriots worked out punter Brandon Fields, kicker Matt Wile, long snappers Tyler Ott and John DePalma, and wide receivers Wendall Williams and Bralon Addison, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Giants tried out rookie undrafted free agent linebacker Myke Tavarres , per Caplan (Twitter link). This marks the second time they have worked him out.
- The Cowboys auditioned guard Kadeem Edwards, Caplan tweets. Edwards, who was cut by Jacksonville at the end of the summer, worked out for Kansas City last week.
Workout Notes: Pats, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets
Now that cutdowns are completed, teams have begun auditioning players that are still on the free agent market, either in an effort to upgrade their current roster or to update their emergency free agent lists. Let’s take a look at the workouts that have been reported today:
- Over the last day or so, the Patriots have auditioned offensive tackle Clay DeBord, tight end Nic Jacobs, wide receiver Mitch Mathews, wide receiver K.J. Maye, defensive back Tyler Patmon, and running back David Cobb, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Chiefs also worked out Cobb, and also took a look at running back Zac Brooks, who was waived by the Seahawks this week, tweets Howard Balzer. Kansas City also worked out offensive lineman Anthony Fabiano, defensive lineman David Moala, guard Ian Silberman, and defensive end Quanterus Smith, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Broncos auditioned wide receiver/return specialist Brandon Tate, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tate was released by the Bengals last week after several years with the club.
- The Jets worked out cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Patmon, as well as guard Kristjan Sokoli and tight end Brian Leonardt, report Yates and Balzer (Twitter links). Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, New York also looked at tight ends Nic Jacobs and Steven Scheu.
- Long snapper Brett Goode worked out for the Packers today, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Goode, who had been with Green Bay since 2008, is expected to sign tomorrow if he checks out medically. The Packers don’t currently have a long snapper on their roster.
- The Seahawks also auditioned long snappers, according to Balzer (Twitter link), who says Seattle looked at Tyler Ott, John DePalma, Reid Ferguson, and Jeff Overbaugh.
- Tight end RaShaun Allen took a visit with the Steelers, per Wilson (Twitter link).
Extra Points: Broncos, Hillman, Solomon, Jets
When asked about Ronnie Hillman‘s trade value, two NFL GMs told Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he doesn’t have much because he doesn’t play special teams. The Broncos running back is said to be on the bubble as the 53-man deadline approaches.
Denver has already handed Hillman $600K through a signing bonus and workout bonuses, but his $1.4MM base salary is non-guaranteed. By most accounts, Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs have leapfrogged the one-time Broncos starter.
Here’s more from around the NFL on this busy day:
- Former Cleveland outside linebacker Scott Solomon recently worked out for the Chiefs, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Solomon appeared in just two games last season before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was a restricted free agent this offseason and Cleveland initially picked up his $1.671MM tender. Less than one month later, however, he was cut.
- Jonathan Freeny‘s two-year extension with the Patriots is worth $4.1MM, including a $1.3MM signing bonus, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. He’ll bring cap hits of $1.74MM in ’16, $1.87MM in ’17, and $2.03MM in ’18.
- The Jets worked out former Harvard center Anthony Fabiano on Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
- Long snapper John DePalma is working out for the Seahawks today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). DePalma was previously in Philly.
Eagles Cut Rueben Randle
The Eagles have announced a series of roster moves today, and the most surprising transaction is the release of wide receiver Rueben Randle, who was signed to a one-year deal over the offseason. Randle, who is still only 25 years old, was thought to be a clear starter for Philadelphia after averaging 56 receptions, 782 yards, and six touchdowns over the past three seasons with the Giants.
But after the Eagles acquired Dorial Green-Beckham, Randle’s roster spot became tenuous, especially given his lackluster performance during the preseason. Philadelphia handed Randle $500K in guarantees plus a $25K roster bonus, so the club will incur $525K in dead money. Because he’s a vested veteran, Randle will not have to clear waivers and will become a free agent immediately.
The Eagles also made the following transactions:
Cut:
- John DePalma, LS
- Randall Evans, CB
- Andrew Gardner, OL
- Chris Givens, WR
- Mike Martin, DT
- Nick Perry, S
- Denzel Rice
Placed On Injured Reserve:
- Alex McCalister, DE
- Joe Walker, DE
Eagles Agree To Terms With 16 UDFAs
The Eagles are the latest NFL team to announce their undrafted free agent class, tweeting out the names of 16 new additions to their roster today. Philadelphia’s list of rookie free agents includes four wide receivers, three defensive tackles, and a pair of running backs. Here’s the full breakdown:
- LS John DePalma (West Virginia) ($25.5K guarantee, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- LB Quentin Gause (Rutgers) ($5K signing bonus, per Wilson)
- TE Dillon Gordon (LSU)
- G Darrell Greene (San Diego State) ($105K guarantee, per Wilson)
- C Bruce Johnson (Maine)
- WR Marcus Johnson (Texas)
- WR Cayleb Jones (Arizona) ($20K guarantee, per Wilson)
- RB Byron Marshall (Oregon) ($20K guarantee, per Wilson)
- RB Cedric O’Neal (Valdosta State)
- WR Hunter Sharp (Utah State)
- DT Aziz Shittu (Stanford)
- CB C.J. Smith (North Dakota State)
- LB Myke Tavarres (Incarnate Word) ($95K guarantee, per Wilson)
- WR Paul Turner (Louisiana Tech)
- DT Destiny Vaeao (Washington State)
- DT Connor Wujciak (Boston College)