HEADLINES

Justin Hunter

Bills Claim Justin Hunter Off Waivers

September 30th, 2016 at 4:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills claimed wide receiver Justin Hunter off waivers from the Dolphins, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The team has since confirmed the move while announcing that fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins has been placed on IR. Justin Hunter (vertical)

[RELATED: Bills Place Sammy Watkins On IR]

Hunter came into the league with a ton of hype behind him as a second-round pick in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately, Hunter was never able to put it all together at the NFL level. This year, the new regime in Tennessee bounced Hunter (and other notable players from GM Ruston Webster‘s watch), leading him to be picked up by the Dolphins. However, on Wednesday, Miami opted to waive the wide receiver.

Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dolphins Waive Justin Hunter

September 28th, 2016 at 5:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Hunter‘s tenure with the Dolphins didn’t end up lasting long. The team waived the fourth-year wideout and will likely make a subsequent practice squad promotion, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

A former Titans second-round pick, Hunter was a healthy scratch for the Dolphins last week and resided as the No. 6 wideout in Miami. The Fins did not use its Nos. 4-5 wideouts, rookies Leonte Carroo and Jakeem Grant, on offense, as Jackson notes (on Twitter), making Hunter’s place on the team somewhat superfluous.

Miami claimed Hunter after Tennessee waived him coming out of the preseason. He’s played in one game thus far and does not have a reception this season. The 6-foot-4 target could coax another team to claim him, or add him as a free agent, as his athleticism has always tantalized. But he’s now been waived twice this month. Hunter has 68 career catches for 1,116 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hunter took a pay cut earlier this month as well, with the Dolphins slashing his $1.1MM salary to $675K. He was coming off a season that ended with a fractured ankle and, of course, encountered a legal dust-up last summer for which he was found not guilty.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: 49ers, Browns, Saints, Fins, Lions

September 14th, 2016 at 9:35pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis wasn’t willing to speak at length Wednesday about last weekend’s retirement rumors, offering that his absence came down to “miscommunication” (via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). “Just leave it and let it fester,” said Davis, who was a backup for the 49ers’ 28-0 win over the Rams on Monday. That was Davis’ first game since 2014, as the 26-year-old took a hiatus from football last season. It was also the only appearanced he hasn’t started in since the 49ers chose him in the first round of the 2010 draft. Davis had logged 71 consecutive starts entering Week 1.

More from around the NFL as Wednesday wraps up:

  • First-year Browns head coach Hue Jackson is at the helm of of a rebuilding team that many expect to be the NFL’s worst this season. That didn’t stop Jackson from making some bold declarations Wednesday. “The fans might not like me for a while, but they’re going to love me here pretty soon,” said Jackson (per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). “We’re going to win a championship here for the Cleveland Browns,” he added. The Browns, who are 0-1 after a 29-10 loss in Philadelphia, haven’t won a championship since 1964, haven’t made the playoffs since 2003, and haven’t finished with more than seven victories in a season since 2007. If a turnaround comes, it’s going to take time, and Marla Ridnour of Ohio.com wonders if owner Jimmy Haslam is patient enough to stick with Jackson through the club’s growing pains. Although Haslam has fired three general managers, three head coaches, two presidents and a CEO since taking over the Browns in 2012, he offered a glowing assessment of Jackson on Wednesday. “Hue relates well to everybody in the building and keeps everybody in the building fired up, which is important because your head coach is and should be the face of the organization, so he does a great job there. For the first time since we’ve been here, everybody’s on the same page.”
  • The Saints worked out return man Jeff Henderson on Wednesday, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link). Henderson, who tried to a earn a spot with the Chiefs in May, won a gold medal in the long jump at this year’s Olympics.
  • Wide receiver Justin Hunter has taken a pay cut since the Dolphins claimed him off waivers from the Titans earlier this month, tweets Field Yates of ESPN. Hunter’s new 2016 salary is $675K, down from the $1,114,656 he was supposed to rake in this season. The fourth-year man will have a chance to collect $350K in incentives, though, and he landed a $52,267 bonus.
  • Along with he previously reported Nate Washington, the Lions auditioned a pair of other receivers – Mekale McKay and Levi Norwood – and quarterback Philip Sims on Wednesday, per Balzer (Twitter link).
  • Agent Ben Dogra will serve a six-month suspension and pay $25K to the Gene Upshaw Players Assistance Trust for an undisclosed violation, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Daily. The NFLPA’s Committee on Agent Regulation & Discipline levied the punishment on Dogra, though it initially voted in January to revoke his certification and give him the right to re-apply after serving a three-year ban and paying a $200K fine. Dogra was formerly the co-CEO of Relatively Football, which relaunched as Independent Sports and Entertainment in June. It’s unclear if Dogra is with Independent, writes Mullen.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 4th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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 for the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 (all links go to Twitter unless noted otherwise):

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Dolphins Claim Justin Hunter

September 4th, 2016 at 5:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

5:48pm: The Dolphins have officially announced the move (via Twitter).

11:53am: The Dolphins have claimed wide receiver Justin Hunter off waivers from the Titans, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.Justin Hunter (vertical)

Hunter, an exceptionally talented receiver, was drafted 34th overall in 2013. Since then, the Titans have been frustrated with Hunter and there have been rumblings that his work ethic was not up to par. Days ago, the Titans shipped out another talented wide receiver with perceived motivation problems when they traded Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles.

Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.

In Miami, Hunter will join a depth chart that already includes Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, and rookie Leonte Carroo.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Titans Cut Justin Hunter, Bishop Sankey

September 2nd, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

4:00pm: The Titans have made more cuts this afternoon, including another big name. Running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster has been let go. McCluster averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season in Tennessee and averaged 8.4 yards per reception, but the Titans saw a better use for his roster spot. McCluster already pocketed a $350k roster bonus earlier this year, but the Titans will save $2.275MM in cash by cutting him.

Here is the full, updated list of Titans cuts so far:

11:07am: The Titans have jettisoned a pair of notable players from the old front office regime. Wide receiver Justin Hunter and running back Bishop Sankey have both been cut, as Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports (Twitter links). "<strong

Hunter, an exceptionally talented receiver, was drafted 34th overall in 2013. Since then, the Titans have been frustrated with Hunter and there have been rumblings that his work ethic was not up to par. Days ago, the Titans shipped out another talented wide receiver with perceived motivation problems when they traded Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles.

“It is still going to be hard (to make the team) because we have a lot of talented receivers in the group. We are fighting for spots, and you have to keep up and progress at the same time,” said the 25-year-old Hunter last month, acknowledging that his spot on the roster was not guaranteed.

Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.

Sankey was once viewed as the Titans’ best running back and was expected to break out as a rookie in 2014. Sankey, 24 later this month, appeared in all 16 games for the Titans as a rookie but amassed only 569 yards off of 152 carries. Last season, Sankey’s role was reduced even further has he had only 47 rushing attempts for 193 yards in 13 games.

The surprising cuts didn’t stop there. The Titans are going to waive guard Jeremiah Poutasi, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Poutasi was an early third-round pick of the Titans last year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Titans’ Justin Hunter On Roster Bubble?

August 18th, 2016 at 7:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was a second-round pick just a year ago, but that didn’t stop new Titans general manager Jon Robinson from trading DGB to Philaelphia on Tuesday. Now, another of Tennessee’s previous second-round picks – fellow wideout Justin Hunter – is worried about his job security.

[RELATED: Q&A with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com]

In regards to the Green-Beckham deal, Hunter told Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, “I feel like it sent a message out to everybody — you better get your stuff right. I don’t think anyone in the locker room was expecting it.”

Justin Hunter (vertical)

Hunter, whom the Titans drafted 34th overall in 2013, then admitted that cracking the Titans’ roster is going to be difficult.

“It is still going to be hard (to make the team) because we have a lot of talented receivers in the group. We are fighting for spots, and you have to keep up and progress at the same time,” said the 25-year-old.

Like the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Green-Beckham, Hunter (6-4, 203) is a big target. But that hasn’t led to much production in the NFL for the ex-Tennessee Volunteer. Hunter has an uninspiring 68 receptions and eight touchdowns in 35 career games (13 starts). While Hunter has averaged an impressive 16.8 yards per catch, that number dropped to a career-worst 12.0 on 22 grabs last season. The 2015 campaign was a short one for Hunter, who only appeared in nine games as a result of a mid-November fractured ankle.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota likes what Hunter has shown in returning from the injury.

“Coming back from an injury like that, being able to run routes, he’s been pretty clean and crisp in and out of his breaks,” the second-year signal-caller told Vignan.

Despite a vote of confidence from his QB, Hunter is wary about his status under a new regime.

“I feel like everybody is on the chopping block,’’ Hunter stated. “We have a new GM, and he didn’t draft too many people in here. Anybody could go at this point, and we are all fighting for a spot.”

It remains to be seen how many receivers will make the Titans’ initial 53-man roster in the first full season of the Mike Mularkey era, of course, but Vingan notes that they only kept four last year. As Roster Resource indicates, the club currently has free agent signings Rishard Matthews and Andre Johnson, Kendall Wright, Harry Douglas, fifth-round rookie Tajae Sharpe, second-year man Tre McBride and Hunter among its wideout options.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/15

November 17th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:

  • The Dolphins waived center Sam Brenner, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
  • The Browns waived tight end Rob Housler (hamstring) from injured reserve today, Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal tweets.
  • The Patriots waived offensive lineman Chris Barker while promoting wide receiver Chris Harper from the practice squad, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Seahawks have waived wide receiver Chris Matthews, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Matthews had just four receptions during his 12 regular-season games with Seattle, matching the four balls he caught in last season’s Super Bowl against the Pats. Per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter), the Seahawks are promoting wide receiver Kevin Smith to the active roster to replace Matthews.
  • The Dolphins will sign linebacker James-Michael Johnson, tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Johnson was just released by the Lions on Saturday, so he didn’t last long on the open market.
  • Speaking of the Lions, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that, as expected, the club will place cornerback Josh Wilson on injured reserve due to what Jim Caldwell called a “significant” knee injury. Detroit is expected to sign a new cornerback shortly to help solidify a position that has been hit hard by injuries.
  • The Titans have added two players to their 53-man roster, signing wide receiver Tre McBride from their own practice squad, along with wide receiver Andrew Turzilli from the 49ers‘ practice squad (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). The two wideouts will take the roster spots vacated by WR Justin Hunter and CB Jason McCourty, who were formally placed on injured reserve today.
  • The Bears have made a change at cornerback, waiving Terrance Mitchell and promoting Jacoby Glenn from their practice squad to fill the newly-opened roster spot, the team announced today (Twitter link).
  • The Chiefs have placed tight end James O’Shaughnessy on injured reserve due to a foot injury, creating an opening for defensive tackle David King, whom Kansas City claimed off waivers from the Seahawks, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
  • The Giants have waived linebacker James Morris, according to a team release. Morris, who was elevated from the practice squad at the end of October, played on special teams during his brief stint on New York’s 53-man roster.

Justin Hunter Fractures Ankle, Out For Season

November 16th, 2015 at 1:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

MONDAY, 1:29pm: Mularkey confirmed today that Hunter is undergoing surgery on his broken ankle, and will be placed on injured reserve (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). Practice squad wideout Tre McBride will be a candidate to be promoted to the active roster as the team determines how to replace Hunter, tweets McCormick.

SUNDAY, 6:01pm: After Titans receiver Justin Hunter had to be carted off the field with an injury during his team’s 27-10 loss to Carolina on Sunday, head coach Mike Mularkey referred to the ailment as “not good.” Mularkey was correct, as Hunter fractured his right ankle, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). As a result, Hunter will miss the rest of the season, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider reports (via Twitter).

Hunter, 24, caught four passes Sunday, giving him 22 for the season. Prior to his injury, the third-year man was on track to easily eclipse the career-high 28 receptions he amassed in 2014.

AFC Notes: Hunter, Manziel, Pettine, Luck

November 15th, 2015 at 4:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Congratulations are in order for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who, with a four-yard pass to running back Ronnie Hillman, leaped Brett Favre and took hold of the NFL’s passing yardage record with 71,840 yards (and counting). It’s been a trying season at times for Manning — in fact, he threw an interception to begin today’s contest — but the future Hall of Famer earned some deserved recognition from the crowd following today’s accomplishment.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC:

  • Titans receiver Justin Hunter had to be carted off the field during today’s game against the Panthers, and head coach Mike Mularkey said the injury is “not good,” per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link), who adds that Hunter has a cast on his right leg and is using crutches (link). Dr. David Chao of SiriusXM tweeted that the injury looks like a leg/ankle fracture, and postulated that Hunter will likely miss the remainder of the season.
  • Due to an injury to Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel started at quarterback for the Browns today, completing 33 of 45 attempts for 372 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 30-9 loss to the Steelers. However, head coach Mike Pettine‘s refusal to commit to Manziel full-time could be Pettine’s undoing, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes. Per La Canfora, there is “sweeping support” for Manziel throughout the organization, from ownership to the front office to the coaching staff. By continuing to stick with McCown, says La Canfora, Pettine is putting his job at risk. Meanwhile, owner Jimmy Haslam told Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) that there will not be any coaching changes during Cleveland’s upcoming bye.
  • The NFL is still conducting its investigation into the Colts failure to report Andrew Luck‘s rib ailment on their injury report, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Indianapolis is expected to argue that it wasn’t necessary to include Luck’s rib injury given that it was actually a shoulder problem that kept him out of game action.
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