Cowboys To Audition Ponder, Flynn, Johnson
8:30pm: In addition to Johnson, the Cowboys will also audition Christian Ponder, sources tell Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Matt Flynn will also audition on Tuesday, per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, Kyle Orton is not a real possibility for the Cowboys thanks to his fractured relationship with the club and his own bad personal relationship with Romo, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
5:05pm: The Cowboys have reached out to a few veteran quarterbacks, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). Dallas called reps for both Jason Campbell and Josh Johnson, among others, per La Canfora. Johnson will work out for Dallas, but Campbell will remain in his state of quasi-retirement for now.
While Dallas scopes out the market for signal callers, La Canfora (link) hears that the Saints do not plan to do the same at this time. Of course, that could change with starter Drew Brees potentially out for several games.
In related news, coach Jason Garrett says they’ll consider putting Tony Romo on IR-DTR as the week goes on, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. Nothing is decided on that front yet, however, and the upside right now is that Romo’s tests revealed zero ligament damage. Romo fractured his clavicle on Sunday, the same injury that caused him to miss the final 10 games of the season in 2010.
Workout Notes: Eagles, Giants, Jets, Saints
The Eagles, who parted ways with the polarizing Tim Tebow last week, auditioned a pair of quarterbacks on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Josh Johnson and Thad Lewis, who were both let go by their respective teams on September 5th, both worked out for Chip Kelly & Co. Johnson, 29, made an appearance during the Jets’ final preseason game, passing for 82 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground. Lewis, a 27-year-old signal caller recently released by the Browns, didn’t appear in a game with the Texans in 2014, but he did start in five games for the Bills in 2013.
Here are the latest auditions from around the NFL..
- The Giants worked out former Eagles quarterback/wide receiver/running back G.J. Kinne on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger. The Giants also worked out punters Brandon Fields and Kasey Redfern.
- The Jets had former Giants safety Stevie Brown in for a tryout today, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- Field Yates of ESPN.com reports that the Saints worked out tight ends Bear Pascoe and Gerell Robinson and wide receiver Austin Pettis (via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune on Twitter).
- Ross Scheuerman worked out for Buccaneers today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Patriots auditioned two players today: defensive back Floyd Raven (formerly of Texas A&M and the Bengals) and linebacker Alex Singleton (formerly of Montana State and the Seahawks), according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter).
Jets Release Matt Flynn, Josh Johnson
The Jets have released a pair of quarterbacks this afternoon, parting ways with Matt Flynn (via player’s tweet, confirmed by NFL Network’s Albert Breer) and Josh Johnson (via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News on Twitter). That leaves the team with three quarterbacks on their roster: veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, rookie Bryce Petty, and Geno Smith, who is recovering from a broken jaw.
The Jets inked Flynn to a deal in August following his release from the Patriots. The 30-year-old never saw the field with New England, but he did throw for 136 yards and two scores during Thursday night’s preseason game. The former Packers draft pick has bounced around a bit since leaving Green Bay in 2011, having also spent time with the Seahawks, Raiders and Bills.
The team also added Johnson in late August following his release from the Bengals. The 29-year-old made an appearance during the Jets’ final preseason game, passing for 82 yards while adding 76 yards on the ground. Johnson has only appeared in three games since 2012.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets that Flynn’s entire salary would not have been guaranteed had he been on the roster for Week 1, noting the previously claimed termination pay. The reporter notes that this wasn’t the case for Johnson.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com wonders (via Twitter) if the Jets may take a week-by-week approach for their veteran third-stringer. By taking this approach, they could avoid paying guaranteed money to a player who will likely be gone once Smith returns.
Jets Sign Josh Johnson
The Jets announced that they have signed quarterback Josh Johnson, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. To make room, quarterback Jake Heaps has been waived.
Johnson, 29, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Andy Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013. This week, the Bengals cut Johnson loose, effectively naming AJ McCarron as their new No. 2 QB. All in all, the veteran hasn’t seen much time on the field in recent years, seeing no active game duty in 2014 and a total of 3 games since 2012.
Johnson now joins a quarterback depth chart that includes Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Flynn, and rookie Bryce Petty. As you already know, unless you spent the month of August on the moon, presumptive starter Geno Smith was knocked out for the start of the season when a locker room punch broke his jaw.
Bengals Release Josh Johnson
The Bengals announced (via Twitter) that they have released quarterback Josh Johnson. With Johnson out of the picture, AJ McCarron is virtually guaranteed to start the season as Andy Dalton‘s primary backup.
Johnson, 29, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013. All in all, he hasn’t seen much time on the field in recent years, seeing no active game duty in 2014 and a total of 3 games since 2012. McCarron, meanwhile, was a fifth round pick of the Bengals in 2014. However, he did not play last season due to shoulder tendinitis.
In addition to the release of Johnson, the Bengals announced that they have waived safety Erick Dargan and Kalafitoni Pole.
Bengals Waive Pryor, Who Will Convert To WR
8:15pm: Pryor is converting to wide receiver, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk). Teams will be interested in Pryor’s services, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, as he has ideal size (6-foot-4, 233 pounds) and speed (sub-4.4 40-yard dash) to succeed at wideout.
Making Pryor’s position switch all the more interesting is a comment he made when he signed with the Bengals last month.
“If I can’t play quarterback, I can’t play football – I’m pretty much done,” Pryor said, per ESPN’s Coley Harvey (Twitter link).
Nevertheless, Pryor will try his hand at a new spot in hopes of extending his football career.
4:26pm: The Bengals have waived quarterback Terrelle Pryor, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter).
The 25-year-old Pryor joined the Bengals, his fourth team, in May and was hoping to win a backup job behind Andy Dalton. However, the ex-Ohio State star lost out to A.J. McCarron and Josh Johnson. With Pryor out of the picture, McCarron is likely to be Dalton’s primary backup, tweets Dehner.
Pryor has appeared in 14 games – all with the Raiders – since his NFL career began in 2011, combining for 12 touchdowns (nine passing, three rushing) and 12 interceptions.
Minor Moves: Thursday
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with any additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:
- Raiders defensive back Neiko Thorpe has signed his exclusive right free agent tender, placing him back under contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Earlier updates:
- The Bengals have brought back former backup signal-caller Josh Johnson, signing him to a new contract today, according to the team (Twitter link). Johnson, who visited Cincinnati today, spent time with the 49ers in 2014 after serving as Andy Dalton‘s backup for the Bengals in 2013.
- Zeke Motta, a 2013 seventh-rounder who played sparingly for the Falcons in his rookie year, was cut by Atlanta today, according to a team release. Matta missed the entire 2014 campaign due to a neck injury, and will have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent.
- Safety Anthony Walters, who played in 37 regular season contests during four seasons with the Bears, has been cut, the team announced today (via Twitter). Walters had primarily contributed on special teams for Chicago. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link) wonders if Walters’ release opens up the door for the team to re-sign Danny McCray, which had been previously considered.
- After adding Mike Kafka to their roster, the Vikings have parted ways with another quarterback, formally announcing that they’ve waived Pat Devlin. The ex-Dolphin had signed a futures contract with Minnesota after spending some time on the team’s practice squad in 2014.
- Having visited Minnesota and Tampa Bay this week, tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi will be signing with the Buccaneers, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Ogbuehi, who spent time on the practice squads for the Ravens and Browns during the 2014 season, is getting a two-year deal, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Former Miami Hurricanes linebacker Shayon Green has signed with the Steelers, according to PR rep Burt Lauten (via Twitter).
FA Notes: Ravens, Paysinger, Fins, Bengals
The Ravens have accumulated more compensatory draft picks than any other NFL team over the past two decades, and Peter King of TheMMQB.com notes (via Twitter) that the Matt Schaub signing this week is a good example of how the team does it. Schaub, who was cut by the Raiders, won’t count toward the compensatory draft pick formula, but former backup Tyrod Taylor, whose contract expired, will count toward that formula. In other words, by swapping out one backup QB for another, the club could net a seventh-round comp next year.
Here are a few more notes on free agency, including some updates on players who remain unsigned:
- The Dolphins are hosting free agent linebacker Spencer Paysinger for a visit today, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Paysinger, who has spent his first four NFL seasons with the Giants, was a regular contributor on defense in 2013, but returned to a backup and special teams role last season.
- Quarterback Josh Johnson, who spent a good chunk of the 2014 season with the 49ers, is visiting the Bengals today, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora notes that Johnson’s athleticism and experience in different offensive systems should bode well for his chances of signing with Cincinnati or another team.
- As shown by their apparent interest in veteran guard Dan Connolly, the Buccaneers haven’t given up on the idea of signing an interior offensive lineman in free agency, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. It’s not clear yet if the Bucs will shift their focus to another veteran if they don’t land Connolly, or if they’ll simply wait and address the spot in the draft.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wonders if the NFL’s decision to move up a key free agency date from June 1 to May 12 will affect the Seahawks‘ pursuit of a veteran center.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ll track today’s 53-man roster signings and cuts from around the NFL right here, adding the latest moves to the top of the list throughout the day….
- The Seahawks claimed tight end Brett Brackett off waivers from the Titans, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- The Saints signed guard/center Eric Olsen, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That could indicate that they’re preparing to be without center Jonathan Goodwin for some time.
- The Browns cut Jonathan Krause from injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Seahawks cut tight end Rashaun Allen, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Linebacker Marshall McFadden has replaced wideout Austin Pettis on the Rams‘ 53-man roster, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The move leaves two openings on St. Louis’ practice squad, so the team will likely add some new players there soon.
- In what’s becoming a weekly ritual, the 49ers have re-signed quarterback Josh Johnson and released safety Bubba Ventrone, the team announced today (via Twitter). The team made the same pair of transactions last Tuesday, then re-signed Ventrone to replace Johnson later in the week.
- Running back Antonio Andrews announced (via Twitter) that he has been promoted to the Titans‘ roster from their practice squad, filling the opening created yesterday when the team cut tight end Brett Brackett. Per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Andrews had an offer to sign elsewhere, perhaps with the Bills, so the Titans made the move to avoid losing him.
- The Browns have confirmed a move that was reported yesterday, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve cut defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel. Tight end Gerell Robinson takes his spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
49ers Re-Sign Ventrone, Cut Josh Johnson
The carousel that is the 49ers’ 53rd roster spot continued to spin today, as the 49ers re-signed safety Bubba Ventrone to a one-year contract, cutting quarterback Josh Johnson to clear room (Twitter account). The Niners released Ventrone on Tuesday when they re-signed Johnson.
Johnson has been serving as the 49ers’ third quarterback, but with both Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert healthy, he hasn’t needed to be active on game day, and now the team has gotten into the habit of removing him from the roster entirely on the weekend. The veteran signal-caller will likely be re-signed next week for practice.
Assuming he’s active on Sunday against the Broncos, Ventrone, who turns 28 next week, will likely play exclusively on special teams, so it wasn’t absolutely necessary for the Villanova product to be with the team this week during practice.