Jumal Rolle

Ravens Announce Several Roster Moves

In addition to formally confirming the signing of quarterback Ryan Mallett, the Ravens have announced several other roster moves today, removing three players from their 53-man roster and filling those openings by signing Mallett and promoting two practice squad players.

Here’s the full breakdown of the Ravens’ transactions:

Signed:

  • QB Ryan Mallett

Promoted from practice squad:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

With Renner cut, the Ravens are back down to three quarterbacks – Mallett, Matt Schaub, and Jimmy Clausen – on their active roster. I would expect the team to attempt to re-add Renner to its practice squad if he clears waivers.

Canty, meanwhile, is perhaps the most notable veteran featured in today’s moves, and he technically remains under contract with the Ravens for the 2016 season. However, ’16 is an option year for the veteran defensive end, whose 2015 season is over due to a torn pectoral. Baltimore could decide to cut him before the end of the ’15 league year, avoiding paying him a $2MM base salary and a $150K roster bonus for next season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/15

Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts, with any additional moves added to the list throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Yesterday the Ravens announced that they would add cornerback Jumal Rolle to the practice squad, and today we learn that he will be taking former Alabama safety Nick Perry‘s spot, according Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Head coach John Harbaugh did say the team still has plans for Perry in their future (via Twitter).
  • The Ravens also announced they have signed offensive tackle Blaine Clausell to the practice squad, according to Zrebiec (via Twitter). The team cut offensive tackle Marcel Jones to make room.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/19/15

Earlier today, Washington made an attention-grabbing move when they signed ex-Cowboys running back Christine Michael to the taxi squad.

Michael, who turned 25 last Monday, was acquired by the Cowboys from the Seahawks in a trade earlier this year, and had been expected to get an increased workload after Joseph Randle was demoted and then released. However, it was the veteran, Darren McFadden, who ended up taking many of those carries, prompting Dallas to waive Michael and take a flier on Robert Turbin this week. In five games with the Cowboys, Michael ran for just 51 yards on 15 attempts, adding a single reception for two yards.

Here are the rest of Thursday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Washington

  • Cut: RB Mack Brown (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com)

Texans Claim QB Brandon Weeden

4:44pm: The Texans are cutting cornerback Jumal Rolle to create a roster spot for Weeden, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

4:26pm: The Texans have claimed Brandon Weeden off waivers from the Cowboys, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Weeden was waived by Dallas on Tuesday.

Weeden, 32, entered the season as Tony Romo’s backup, and looked good in relief of the injured starter in Week 2, completing all seven of his passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, as Dallas secured a 20-10 win over the Eagles. However, Weeden was up and down in his next three starts, throwing just one touchdown in those games, as the Cowboys lost all three. Eventually, Weeden lost the temporary starting gig to veteran Matt Cassel.

On the outside, Weeden is a logical pickup for Houston as starter Brian Hoyer goes through concussion protocol. On the other hand, as Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets, Weeden isn’t really a Bill O’Brien-type quarterback. Then again, competent quarterbacks are hard to find and Weeden, at the very least, has in-game experience to offer.

Texans Trim Roster To 53 Players

Warning: Hard Knocks spoilers ahead. The Texans finalized their initial regular season roster today, announcing several cuts and other transactions in order to get down from 75 players to 53. In addition to cutting defensive tackle Louis Nix, defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick, and wide receiver Damaris Johnson (as we heard yesterday), and placing quarterback Tom Savage on injured reserve (as we heard today), the club made the following moves, per a press release:

Waived:

  • OLB Kourtnei Brown
  • ILB Max Bullough
  • S Kurtis Drummond
  • T Matt Feiler
  • C James Ferentz
  • DE Tevita Finau
  • RB Kenny Hilliard
  • CB Charles James
  • S Corey Moore
  • WR EZ Nwachukwu
  • DE Dan Pettinato
  • T Joseph Treadwell
  • WR Chandler Worthy

Released:

  • DE Fili Moala

Waived/injured:

  • OLB Lynden Trail
  • OLB Tony Washington

Placed on injured reserve:

  • G Chad Slade

Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweeted earlier today that the Texans were exploring trade scenarios involving cornerbacks Jumal Rolle and Charles James. James showed up on the list above as having been cut, so it’s clear Houston didn’t find a trade partner there. For now, Rolle remains on the team’s roster.

Meanwhile, another’s team’s roster casualty, veteran quarterback Matt Cassel, could be an option for Houston, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Cassel and Texans head coach Bill O’Brien were in New England at the same time, and with Savage landing on IR, Houston is in the market for an insurance policy at quarterback behind Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett.

Texans Sign Jumal Rolle, Cut Ronnie Brown

The Texans have made a change to their 53-man roster, signing cornerback Jumal Rolle off the Packers’ practice squad and releasing running back Ronnie Brown to make room, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Rolle, 24, was cut by the Packers at the end of the preseason, but was quickly re-added to the club’s practice squad, where he has been for the last several weeks. It’s not clear whether the Texans plan to actually make him active in games – perhaps as a special-teams player – but it appears he’ll have a better opportunity in Houston than in Green Bay to see the field on Sundays.

As for Brown, with Arian Foster healthy again and Alfred Blue serving as his backup, there weren’t many touches available for the veteran. So far this season, he has accumulated just four yards on six carries. With Brown out of the mix, Jonathan Grimes will be the Texans’ No. 3 running back.

Practice Squad Updates: Monday

We rounded up the first wave of practice squad additions in a series of posts by division yesterday, which you can check out on our Transactions page. Several more teams have announced new practice squad players today, or made slight changes to their units, so we’ll round up that news right here:

6:33pm:

  • The 49ers have filled out their practice squad by adding cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins, the team announced in a press release.

4:37pm:

  • The Browns have added wide receiver Charles Johnson and offensive lineman Karim Barton to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
  • Cornerback Khalid Wooten will be the 10th man on the Titans‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

4:07pm:

  • The Seahawks have added defensive end Julius Warmsley and defensive back Josh Aubrey to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
  • The Redskins have finalized their practice squad by adding safety Akeem Davis and linebacker Chaz Sutton, the club announced today (Twitter link).
  • Cornerback LeQuan Lewis has been added to the Jets‘ practice squad, according to the team (via Twitter).

2:46pm:

  • The Rams have finalized their practice squad by adding linebacker Denicos Allen, wideout Emory Blake, safety Christian Bryant, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That means Michael Sam isn’t among the 10 players on St. Louis’ squad.
  • The addition of Henry Josey to the Jaguars‘ practice squad has officially been announced by the team in a press release. We had noted below that although his signing had been previously reported, Josey wasn’t among the first list of names released by the club.
  • The Ravens have announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

1:31pm:

  • The following players are now on the Browns‘ practice squad: James Brown, OL; Jacobbi McDaniel, DL; Emmanuel Ogbuehi, TE; Keith Pough, LB; Justin Staples, LB; and Patrick Lewis, C. The first five names are listed on the team’s official site, while the addition of Lewis was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Alex Gillett‘s time on the Packers‘ practice squad didn’t last long — he was replaced today by cornerback Jumal Rolle, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
  • The Buccaneers have signed safety Kimario McFadden, cornerback Derrius Brooks, and linebacker Carlos Fields to their practice squad, according to the team’s official site.
  • Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides the last few names to be added to the Saints‘ practice squad: safety Pierre Warren, guard Antoine McClain, nose tackle Lawrence Virgil, and tight end Nic Jacobs.
  • The Eagles have signed quarterback G.J. Kinne for their practice squad, per the team’s official site.
  • Fullback Nikita Whitlock is the latest addition to the Cowboys‘ practice squad, the team announced today.
  • The Vikings filled the final spot on their practice squad by adding cornerback Chris Greenwood, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  • Defensive end Zach Thompson is now on the Broncos‘ practice squad, according to the club.
  • The Chiefs filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • Wide receiver Freddie Martino and tight end Kyle Miller have joined the Falcons‘ practice squad, per the team’s official site.
  • One more housekeeping note: Yesterday, running back Henry Josey and fullback Kiero Small were reported as having joined the Jaguars‘ and Browns‘ practice squads, respectively. However, when those teams announced their PS rosters, those players weren’t included. There haven’t been any reports indicating those agreements fell through, so we’ll keep an eye on both situations. For now though, we won’t be including those players in our master list of practice squad rosters, which will be published this afternoon.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

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

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings:

Packers Cut Roster Down To 53

5:50pm: The Packers have formally announced their last few transactions to get down to 53 players. The team placed tight end Jake Stoneburner and defensive end Khyri Thornton on injured reserve, and cut center Garth Gerhart, tight end Justin Perillo, defensive end Luther Robinson, and tackle Jeremy Vujnovich. Additionally, Hubbard has been fully cut from the roster rather than being placed on IR, as indicated earlier.

1:30pm: The Packers are not finished making moves, as they’ve parted ways with five more players in addition two placing a duo on injured reserve:

Cut:

Placed on injured reserve:

10:55am: The Packers have released eight players this morning. You can find a running list of the team’s moves below:

  • Ryan White (CB) (via Rob Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Michael Hill (RB) (via Tom Silverstein on Twitter)
  • John Fullington (OT) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Jordan McCray (OG) (via Ryan Wood on Twitter)
  • Jake Doughty (LB) (via Demovsky on Twitter)
  • Alex Gillett (WR) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
  • LaDarius Perkins (RB) (via Silverstein on Twitter)
  • Tanner Miller (S) (via Silverstein on Twitter)

A handful of these players have an opportunity to catch on with the Packers’ practice squad. As mentioned in each player’s respective tweet, White and Doughty have a chance of sticking around. The team could also bring back Hill or Perkins, but Silverstein indicates that the team won’t bring back both.