Minor NFL Transactions: 4/6/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Ravens announced that running back Terrance West has signed his exclusive rights tender, as Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com tweets. West, 25, was the Browns’ leading rusher in his rookie season, accumulating 673 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, on 171 carries. However, the 2014 third-round pick was sent to the Titans prior to the 2015 season, and he didn’t have much of a role in Tennessee. The Ravens scooped him up in November and quickly promoted him from the taxi squad to the varsity team.
- The Buccaneers announced that ERFA linebacker Jeremiah George has inked his qualifying offer. George was claimed off waivers from Jacksonville prior to the start of the 2015 season and mostly appeared on special teams for the Bucs. Between the two teams, George has appeared in 21 regular season games total.
- The Ravens announced (on Twitter) that wide receiver Daniel Brown has signed his exclusive rights tender.
- Seantavius Jones, a wide receiver who never actually played or practiced with the Eagles, has been released with a non-football injury, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets.
- Texans linebacker John Simon has signed his restricted free agent tender, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/16
Here are Tuesday’s minor tender decisions from around the NFL on potential restricted and exclusive-rights free agents:
- The Texans have assigned the low tender to both cornerback A.J. Bouye and linebacker John Simon, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Both players will earn a $1.671MM non-guaranteed base salary next year.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers have assigned the low-end tender to RFA wide receiver Russell Shepard, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Shepard, 25, hasn’t been a major part of the offense since joining the team in 2013, catching just seven total passes, but he has been a key contributor on special teams.
- The Texans will not tender an offer to running back Jonathan Grimes, nor will they re-sign him to a lesser deal, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
- The Ravens have begun extending contract tenders to their ERFAs, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (all Twitter links), who reports that wide receiver Daniel Brown, running back Terrance West, and cornerback Sheldon Price all received offers from the team. Cornerback Jumal Rolle — another ERFA — also received a tender, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
- The Packers have issued a tender to safety Chris Banjo, who was an exclusive rights free agent, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Press Gazette tweets.
AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Jets, Texans
Some assorted notes from around the AFC…
- Wideout Dwayne Bowe has yet to take the field after having joined the Browns this offseason, but the veteran is confident that he’s ready to make an impact. “People in this building know in practice from watching every day the plays I make, and I’m just waiting for it to be called in the game,” Bowe told Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “I’m getting back to where I need to get, and it’s going to happen. Just have patience.”
- The Browns worked out a handful of players yesterday, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The attendees included defensive tackle Davon Coleman, offensive linemen Reese Dismukes, Vince Kowalski, Ron Patrick and Aundrey Walker, and defensive ends Joe Kruger and Julius Warmsley.
- Former USF wideout Andre Davis told Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 The Team that he has a workout with the Ravens this week. The receiver spent this past preseason with the Bills.
- Jets linebacker Demario Davis was fined $8,681 for his hit on running back Darren Sproles last weekend, reports Dom Cosentino of NJ.com.
- A pair of Texans linebackers were fined for their actions during last weekend’s game against the Buccaneers, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle: John Simon ($17,363) and Akeem Dent ($8,681).
Texans Sign John Simon, Put Sapp On IR
3:22pm: The Texans have confirmed the moves noted below in a press release, adding that fullback Toben Opurum has been cut to clear space on the practice squad for Ankrah.
8:36am: Ricky Sapp will be placed on injured reserve to make room on the Texans’ roster for Simon, according to Jayson Braddock, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is also signing outside linebacker Jason Ankrah to the practice squad.
8:13am: The Texans are set to snatch a player off the Ravens’ practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, who reports (via Twitter) that Houston will sign outside linebacker John Simon to its 53-man roster. As Wilson observes (via Twitter), the move reunites Simon with Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel, after the two spent time together at Ohio State.
Simon, 24, was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Ravens, and spent some time on the club’s active roster last season, contributing primarily on special teams. After failing to earn a spot on the 53-man roster this year, Simon re-signed to Baltimore’s practice squad, and had some incentive to do so — his $10K weekly salary was more than most taxi squad players earn, though he’ll still be in line for a nice raise now that he’s making the move to an active roster.
The Texans don’t currently have an opening on their 53-man roster, so a player will have to be cut or placed on injured reserve in order to clear room to officially sign Simon.
11 PS Players Earning More Than The Minimum
Players on NFL practice squads are eligible to receive a minimum salary of $6,300 per week, which works out to a 17-week salary of about $107K if a player remains on his team’s practice squad for the entire season. In most cases, teams don’t pay more than the minimum to fill those practice squad spots, since clubs have much more leverage than the players vying for those 320 total openings.
In some cases though, if a team really likes a player, or if he’s drawing interest from several teams for their practice squads, a club will increase that weekly rate. So far this year, with all 32 teams having filled up their 10-man squads, at least 11 players are known to be receiving salaries worth more than the minimum. NFL writer Brian McIntyre rounded up all those players and their salaries for us in a series of tweets, so let’s check out the full list, sorted by weekly salary:
- Brandon Magee, LB (Buccaneers): $29,117 (link)
- Josh Bynes, LB (Ravens): $15,000 (link)
- Rodney Austin, G (Lions): $11,765 (link)
- Zac Dysert, QB (Broncos): $10,000 (link)
- Charles Johnson, WR (Browns): $10,000 (link)
- John Simon, OLB (Ravens): $10,000 (link)
- Ahmad Dixon, S (Vikings): $9,300 (link)
- Brandon Dixon, CB (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
- Solomon Patton, WR (Buccaneers): $7,500 (link)
- Jamell Fleming, CB (Ravens): $6,500 (link)
- Ryan Jensen, C (Ravens): $6,500 (link)
Magee’s practice-squad salary is the most notable on this list — his weekly figure adds up to just below $495K for the full season, which is the minimum salary for a second-year player on an active roster. In other words, if he spends the entire season on the practice squad, Magee could still earn more money than some players on active rosters, which is a sign of how much the Bucs want to keep him around.
Sunday Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Tramain Jacobs, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ryan Jensen, OL (via Wilson on Twitter); Jamie Meder, DT (via Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter); Deji Olatoye, CB (via Zrebiec on Twitter); A.J. Pataiali’i, DT (via Wilson); John Simon, OLB (via Zrebiec on Twitter); Phillip Supernaw, TE (via Wilson on Twitter); Fitz Toussaint, RB (via Wilson on Twitter); Keith Wenning, QB (via Wilson)
Cincinnati Bengals:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Dan France, T; Kevin Greene, TE; David King, DT; Colin Lockett, WR; Onterio McCalebb, CB; Sam Montgomery, DE; Trevor Robinson, G/C; Devon Still, DT; James Wilder, RB
Cleveland Browns:
- Claimed off waivers: LaRon Byrd, WR (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Caylin Hauptmann, G (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Ryan Seymour, T (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter); Glenn Winston, RB (via Matt Maiocco on Twitter)
- Cut: Rex Grossman, QB (via Pelissero on Twitter); Charles Johnson, WR (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad: Kiero Small, FB (via Wilson on Twitter); Connor Shaw, QB (via Mary Kay Cabot on Twitter)
Pittsburgh Steelers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rob Blanchflower, TE; C.J. Goodwin, WR; Josh Harris, RB; Howard Jones, LB; Josh Mauro, DL; Derek Moye, WR; Shaquille Richardson, DB; Ross Ventrone, DB; Alejandro Villanueva, OL; Nick Williams, DL
Ravens Cut Derek Cox, Dominique Franks
3:56pm: The Ravens have announced their last few moves, which are as follows:
Cut:
- Derek Cox, DB
- Dominique Franks, CB
- Parker Graham, OT
- Jamie Meder, DT
Placed on reserve-PUP list:
- Terrence Cody, DT
Placed on reserve-suspended list:
1:15pm: The Ravens have waived two more players:
- John Simon (LB) (via Wilson on Twitter)
- Tramain Jacobs (CB) (via Wilson on Twitter)
9:37am: After letting go of offensive lineman Reggie Stephens yesterday, the Ravens have cut two more offensive lineman this morning. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that lineman A.Q. Shipley has been released while NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala tweets that Ryan Jensen has been released. Below is a running list of the team’s moves:
- Fitz Toussaint (RB) (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
- A.Q. Shipley (OL)
- Ryan Jensen (OL)
- Keith Wenning (QB) (via Wilson on Twitter)
- A.J. Pataiali’i (DT) (via Wilson on Twitter)
- Phillip Supernaw (TE) (via Wilson on Twitter)
- Sammy Seamster (CB) (via Wilson on Twitter)
