Jonas Gray

Patriots Waive Jonas Gray

3:14pm: The Patriots have officially cut Gray, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

12:32pm: The Patriots are expected to part ways with running back Jonas Gray, tweets Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal. The move will save the Patriots $510K.

ESPN’s Field Yates confirms (via Twitter) that the team is looking to move on from the running back, but he expects the Patriots to explore a trade prior to today’s roster deadline.

The undrafted rookie bounced around between the Dolphins and Ravens before landing with New England. The 25-year-old finished last season with 412 yards and five touchdowns on 89 attempts, much of which came during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts.

With LeGarrette Blount sitting out the first week of the season, the Patriots will rely on a rotation of Brandon Bolden, James White, Travaris Cadet and Dion Lewis.

East Notes: Carr, Brady, Blount, Jets

Brandon Carr will miss time after breaking a bone in his right hand during practice, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. The highly paid Cowboys cornerback will have surgery Monday in Dallas.

Although Jason Garrett didn’t want to speculate on a timetable, Moore doesn’t anticipate the ailment will keep him out out of Week 1.

We don’t think it’s serious. It’s a similar injury to what DeMarco Murray had last year when he played in the game, four or five days later,” Garrett told media from Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif.

Murray did not miss any games when he broke his hand last December, though the Cowboys were gunning for an NFC East title as the running back aimed toward a rushing crown. So Carr’s recovery probably won’t be as expedited.

Here are some more notes from the Eastern divisions.

  • LeGarrette Blount sustained an MCL sprain and will undergo surgery, according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe. Since Blount’s regular season doesn’t start until Week 2 due to a suspension, the Patriots‘ top rusher is expected to be ready for his mid-September debut.
  • With the Patriots juggling their starting backfield frequently, Blount’s injury does open up time for its younger, slimmer ball-carriers. The returning starter still has the leg up in the competition, but after failing a conditioning test due to showing up for camp out of shape and now suffering an injury, Blount could be challenged for the spot, Ben Volin of the Globe writes. The player Blount replaced last year due to an alarm clock-related absence, Jonas Gray, could push Blount while he’s out, per Volin. James White remains the favorite to take on the Shane Vereen passing-down role, but free agent acquisition Travaris Cadet has outshined each of the backs in camp, Volin writes.
  • Volin also notes that Article 46, the now-controversial inclusion that continued to grant the commissioner disciplinary powers, now on full display in Deflategate, will replace player safety as the primary debate point in the next CBA negotiations in 2021.
  • With Antonio Allen now jettisoned after his Achilles’ tendon injury, the Jets are going to give cornerback Darrin Walls some work at safety, reports Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Supplanted at corner by Gang Green’s splurge at the position this offseason, Walls join Jaiquawn Jarrett and Rontez Miles as back-line backups to gain some reps in case of another blow to the Jets’ secondary.

Minor Moves: Thursday

We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor transactions right here, including practice squad signings and cuts, and moves at the back end of 53-man rosters. Here’s the latest:

  • The Bears announced that they have waived center/guard Taylor Boggs off of injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.
  • The Patriots are promoting running back Jonas Gray from their practice squad to their 53-man roster today to replace Stevan Ridley, who is heading to injured reserve, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald adds that offensive lineman Chris Barker will also be promoted to the roster to replace injured linebacker Jerod Mayo. New England had been expected to make a move or two this afternoon, in advance of tonight’s game against the Jets.

Earlier updates:

  • After waiving him earlier this week, the Bengals have re-signed linebacker Khairi Fortt to their practice squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Fortt, a 2014 fourth-rounder, was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return by the Saints, but was cut before he was eligible to begin practicing again. In order to clear room for him on their taxi squad, Cincinnati has cut guard Jeff Baca.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: AFC East

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Buffalo Bills:

Miami Dolphins:

New England Patriots:

New York Jets:

Patriots Cut Boyce, Worthy, Others

4:03pm: The Pats have announced three more cuts, in a press release:

The team’s official website now lists the team’s active roster at 55 players, so we’ll have to wait and see if there are another pair of announcements today. Presumably, the last two players removed from the roster will be Brandon Browner and Brian Tyms, who will be placed on the reserve-suspended list.

1:50pm: The Patriots continue to make moves, as they’ve cut three more players:

  • James Morris (LB) (via Young on Twitter): Placed on injured reserve
  • Eathyn Manumaleuna (DL) (via Young on Twitter)
  • Chris Martin (OL) (via Young on Twitter)

11:42am: The Patriots have released 14 players this afternoon, including a player they acquired only two weeks and a fourth-rounder from 2013. The list is below: