Jumal Rolle

NFL Workout Updates: 9/13/17

Today’s workout updates, with nearly all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Bills Release Bacarri Rambo, Others

The Bills are getting a head start on their roster cuts in advance of the Saturday deadline. The team announced that the following six players have been waived:

Rambo, 27, had his first stint with the Bills in 2014 and 2015, appearing in a combined 19 games with eight starts. Last year, he joined the Dolphins midway through the year and racked up 39 total tackles, one interceptions, and three passes defensed in nine games (five starts). He returned to the Bills this July, but he was not able to stick for long.

Metz, 26, spent the bulk of last year with the Qingdao Clipper of the China Arena Football League. He’ll presumably try to find another NFL gig, but he could also wind up getting a new stamp in his passport.

Buffalo’s roster now stands at 83 players, meaning that they still have to cut 30 guys by Saturday afternoon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/17

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • Ryan Tannehill‘s season is officially over. The Dolphins placed the quarterback on IR and signed linebacker Junior Sylvestre. Tannehill, who will have knee surgery next week, is expected to be ready for the 2018 season. Sylvestre spent time with the Ryan Grigson-era Colts for two years but was cut after Indianapolis’ 2016 training camp. He signed with the Bills earlier this year but was cut after a month.
  • The Panthers signed defensive lineman Connor Wujciak, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Wujciak was an Eagles UDFA signing on in 2016, but an injury wiped out his would-be rookie season. The Chiefs worked out Wujciak last week. Panthers defensive tackle Vernon Butler will miss some time, Ron Rivera revealed Friday — via David Newton of ESPN.com — opening the door for an extra defensive line opportunity. Rivera said Butler’s target date for a return is Week 1. The Panthers waived defensive tackle Drew Iddings with an injury designation to open a roster spot, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer reports (on Twitter).
  • Carolina also brought back offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, Person reports. The Panthers made room by cutting offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, who had spent time with them since last season (Twitter links). A three-year backup blocker who played in 16 games for the 2014 Panthers, Folkerts last played for the 2015 Rams. Los Angeles cut him when paring its roster down to 75 players last summer.
  • Cornerback Jumal Rolle signed with the Bills and will replace Charles James, whom the team released, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Both players have at least two years’ experience and both previously played for the Texans. The 27-year-old Rolle was a Houston UDFA in 2014 and has played in 18 games. Rolle also intercepted three passes as a rookie before becoming mostly a special teams player in the time since. James played in 21 games with Houston between the 2015-16 seasons; Buffalo claimed him on waivers in May.
  • The Broncos relocated defensive lineman Billy Winn to IR after his ACL tear diagnosis emerged Friday. They signed linebacker Nelson Adams, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.
  • Linebacker Reshard Cliett negotiated an injury settlement with the Chiefs, becoming a free agent after being removed from Kansas City’s IR list, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
  • The Giants waived linebacker Jimmy Herman, whom they signed Friday. James Kratch of NJ.com tweets Herman was given a “left squad” designation.
  • The Saints and linebacker Sae Tautu agreed on an injury settlement to trigger Tautu’s release from New Orleans’ IR, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.
  • Rookie wide receiver Keevan Lucas signed a three-year contract with the Eagles, the team announced. Philadelphia waived linebacker Steven Daniels to make room. A Tulsa product, Lucas declared early but was not signed by a team after the draft.
  • Washington signed wide receiver Jamari Staples and waived/injured left tackle Kevin Bowen, per John Keim of ESPN.com. The Chiefs waived Staples in June after initially signing him in May. The Redskins also placed Trent Murphy on IR. Murphy tore his ACL in Washington’s preseason opener Thursday night.

Cardinals Sign CB Jumal Rolle

The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent cornerback Jumal Rolle, the club announced today. Rolle was originally tendered by the Ravens as a restricted free agent in March, but Baltimore quickly rescinded its original round offer, making Rolle a free agent.Jumal Rolle (Vertical)

Despite the fact that finding a cornerback to play opposite Patrick Peterson was a glaring need for the Cardinals this offseason, Arizona surprisingly didn’t add a corner during the free agent period or during the draft. Additionally, only two of the Cards’ 17 undrafted free agent signings were cornerbacks. Having lost free agent Marcus Cooper to the Bears, Arizona’s options at cornerback behind Peterson now include Justin Bethel, Harlan Miller, Brandon Williams, Eli Bouke, and Trevon Hartfield.

Rolle, admittedly, probably isn’t the top-notch starting option the Cardinals may be looking for, as he’s never started a contest during his three-year NFL career. But Rolle does offer experience (18 career games) and can also to Arizona’s depth on special teams, where the club ranked a paltry 30th in DVOA last season.

Originally an undrafted free agent out of Catawba, the 26-year-old Rolle bounced around the league before landing in a stable reserve role for the Texans in 2014. After joining the Ravens late in the 2015 campaign, Rolle tore his Achilles during the following offseason and missed the entirety of the 2016 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/17

Today’s minor moves:

  • After originally non-tendering him as a restricted free agent, the Packers have re-signed linebacker Jayrone Elliott to a one-year, $1.6MM deal, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link) and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. The original round tender is worth $1.797MM, so Green Bay will retain Elliott — who played on 40% of the club’s special teams snaps in 2016 — at a slightly cheaper rate. Before re-signing with the Packers, Elliott took free agent visits with the Bills and Steelers.
  • The Panthers announced that they’ve re-signed reserve offensive lineman Chris Scott to a one-year pact. Scott, 29, has appeared in 43 games during his four-year run in Carolina, and started four contests last season. In sum, he played on roughly a quarter of the Panthers’ offensive snaps in 2016, and chipped in with 64 special teams plays. Scott has agreed to minimum salary benefit contracts in the past several seasons, and likely inked a similar deal for the 2017 campaign.
  • The Browns announced they’ve claimed wide receiver James Wright, whom Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link) yesterday reported had been waived by the Bengals. Wright, a former seventh-round draft pick, is entering the final season of his rookie deal. Afflicted by a nagging knee injury, Wright managed to appear in only 24 games with the Bengals, primarily serving as a special teams player during that span. The 25-year-old will now reunite with former Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson in Cleveland.
  • The Seahawks announced that they’ve re-signed defensive back Neiko Thorpe, whom the club originally acquired from Oakland last offseason. While Thorpe didn’t play much on defense (just 97 snaps), he did see a good deal of time on special teams, where he managed over half the club’s plays.
  • The Buccaneers have a new long snapper, as they’ve agreed to sign Garrison Sanborn to one-year deal after working him out today, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Sanborn, 31, had appeared in 128 games for the Bills from 2009-16, but was released last week. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, recently non-tendered restricted free agent long snapper Andrew DePaola, who is recovering from an ACL tear.
  • The Rams have signed long snapper Andrew East, per Field Yates of ESPN.com. East, 25, went undrafted in 2015 and has since spent time with Oakland, Seattle, and Kansas City. As Yates notes, Los Angeles already has a Pro Bowl long snapper in Jake McQuaide, so East will merely be an emergency option.
  • The Chargers have waived linebacker Brock Hekking, tweets Yates. Hekking joined the Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2015, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.
  • The Ravens have withdrawn their restricted free agent tenders to cornerback Jumal Rolle and safety Marqueston Huff, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Both players were tendered at the original round level ($1.797MM), but those tenders are non-guaranteed. As such, Rolle and Huff are now unrestricted free agents, and Baltimore has cleared about $3.6MM in cap room.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/17

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/16

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Eagles announced that they have waived linebacker Travis Long. The 25-year-old tore his right ACL in college and suffered two left ACL tears in the NFL They’ve also signed receiver David Watford, bringing them to capacity on the 90-man roster, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
  • The Broncos have waived running back Cyrus Gray to make room for newly signed receiver Marlon Brown, per Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
  • The Bengals signed former Nebraska defensive end Jack Gangwish to his first rookie deal, as Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals now have 87 players on the roster.
  • The Buccaneers have cut cornerback Joel Ross, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). They’ve also been awarded corner Daniel Davie off waivers from the Colts, per Wilson.
  • The Vikings announced the signings of tackle Sean Hickey and linebacker Jason Whittingham.
  • The Patriots signed blocking tight end Bear Pascoe and guard Jon Halapio, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Redskins announced the signing of two receivers: Utah’s Kendal Thompson and Virginia’s T.J. Thorpe. With Thompson and Thorpe now in the mix, the Redskins are currently up to 13 wide receivers on the roster
  • The Ravens have waived-injured cornerback Jumal Rolle and linebacker Cavellis Luckett, tweets Wilson. They’ve also signed receiver Dobson Collins, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).

Ravens’ Jumal Rolle Tears Achilles, Out For Year

The Ravens have suffered their first season-ending injury of 2016, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, who reports that cornerback Jumal Rolle tore his Achilles tendon recently while participating in a workout. Rolle is expected to be sidelined until 2017, per Zrebiec.

Rolle, who turns 26 later this month, may not have played a huge role in Baltimore this season even if he had stayed healthy, but he had the opportunity to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and see some action on special teams, if not in the Ravens’ secondary.

The former undrafted free agent appeared in 10 games for the Texans in 2014, recording 19 tackles and three interceptions. Rolle was cut by Houston last season, at which point the Ravens picked him up, adding him to their practice squad. He received a promotion to the 53-man roster in December, and was active for one game down the stretch.

As an exclusive rights free agent, Rolle had been on a one-year contract, so if the Ravens intend to bring him back when he’s healthy, they’ll have to sign him to a new deal for 2017.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/19/16

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Buccaneers have signed quarterback Dan LeFevour, writes Scott Smith of their official website. LeFevour was a sixth-round pick of the Bears in 2010 and ended up spending time with three other NFL organizations, never logging a regular-season appearance, before heading to the CFL in 2012. LeFevour played in Canada through last season and will now try to earn a roster spot in Tampa, which already had a stocked QB depth chart consisting of Jameis Winston, Mike Glennon and Ryan Griffin before its latest addition. As Jenna Laine notes (on Twitter), Bucs quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian was Central Michigan’s offensive coordinator for three seasons when LeFevour was its signal-caller.
  • Giants tight end Larry Donnell, whose 2015 season ended in November because of what looked like a career-threatening neck injury, has re-signed with the team after receiving clearance from Big Blue’s medical staff, according to Michael Eisen of the team’s website. In eight appearances prior to the injury, Donnell racked up 29 catches, 223 yards and two touchdowns. The 27-year-old amassed an impressive 63 receptions for 623 yards and six scores in 2014.
  • The Seahawks have re-signed cornerback Marcus Burley, who was their last remaining exclusive rights free agent without a contract, reports Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). Burley joined the Seahawks in 2014 and has since appeared in 26 games, totaling 53 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions along the way.
  • The Bills have released linebacker Tony Steward, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Steward, whom the Bills took in the sixth round of last year’s draft, appeared in seven games and made two tackles as a rookie.
  • The Ravens announced that defensive backs Jumal Rolle and Jermaine Whitehead have signed their exclusive rights tenders with the club. Rolle has bounced around the league since going undrafted from Catawba in 2013, playing in 19 career games with the Texans and Ravens. Whitehead, undrafted out of Auburn last year, spent most of 2015 on the 49ers’ practice squad before the Ravens signed him in December.

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.