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Kenbrell Thompkins

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/30/15

September 30th, 2015 at 6:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically the most active time during the NFL season for teams to make changes to their practice squads, so we should expect another busy day today. Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington:

  • Signed: OLB Sage Harold (Twitter link via Mike Jones of the Washington Post)

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 6th, 2015 at 5:08pm CST by Luke Adams

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 11:00am 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

  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad:

New York Jets

  • Signed:
  • Claimed off waivers:
  • Cut:
  • Signed to practice squad (press release):
    • LB Deion Barnes
    • FB Julian Howsare
    • LB Taiwan Jones
    • CB Keon Lyn
    • WR Walter Powell
    • TE Wes Saxton
    • T Wesley Johnson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
    • DL Jordan Williams

Raiders Down To 75-Man Limit

September 1st, 2015 at 4:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders announced a ton of moves on Tuesday to get down to the 75-man roster maximum. Some of the moves, like the release of running back Trent Richardson and wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, were previously announced. The full list is below:

Waived:

  • Steven Clark, P
  • Rob Daniel, CB
  • Cody Fajardo, QB
  • Josh Jarper, WR
  • Lamar Mady, G
  • Trent Richardson, RB
  • Kenbrell Thompkins, WR
  • Milton Williams III, WR

Released:

  • James Dockery, CB
  • Ras-I Dowling, CB
  • Trindon Holliday, WR/RS

Waived/Injured:

  • Jimmy Hall, S

Placed on IR:

  •  Menelik Watson, OT

Holliday, 29, was a dynamic return man for Denver in 2012 and 2013, bringing back a total of four kicks and punts for touchdowns over the course of those two regular seasons. As a member of the Broncos in the 2012 postseason, Holliday became the first player to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the same playoff game. The Broncos decided not to tender a contract to Holliday when he was eligible for restricted free agency a year ago, leading to a 2014 campaign in which the former sixth-round pick bounced around from team to team and battled injuries along the way. Holliday had stints with the Giants, Buccaneers, and 49ers in 2014, and was ultimately cut by San Francisco in April. In June, he landed with Oakland, but his time there has ended as well.

 

Raiders Waive Kenbrell Thompkins

August 31st, 2015 at 6:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders waived wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The move will go on tomorrow’s transactions, meaning that he could be claimed on Wednesday at 3pm CT.

Thompkins, 26, stuck with the Patriots in 2013 after being signed as an undrafted free agent, impressing at times during his rookie campaign. He caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns in eight starts last season, but wasn’t a major part of New England’s passing attack in early 2014, and was cut just a few weeks into the season. The Raiders then acted quickly to claim him. In 12 games for Oakland, Thompkins caught 15 passes for 209 yards.

The Raiders will also waive UDFA quarterback Cody Fajardo, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).

AFC Links: Colts, Titans, Raiders

October 30th, 2014 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson spoke to the media on Thursday and addressed a number of subjects, including the return of owner Jim Irsay, who had been suspended six games for an OWI conviction. Via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells…

“With Jim gone, things are pretty well structured. Jim is always there for input, but he never forces anything down our throats. Just his presence, it’s great to see. Got alumni back. Taking a team picture, and everyone’s walking over, everyone’s walking over to talk to him. that’s something you can’t fake. These guys are beaming at seeing him, and hugging him, and he was the same way. Great for our players to see. That relationship goes back years and years, because that’s real. If you play for the horseshoe, you’re family.”

Let’s see what else is happening around the AFC…

  • Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean examines the Titans recent drafts, and attributes the team’s lack of success to their inability to pick good players. Wyatt notes that only two of the team’s 20 draft picks from the 2009-2010 draft are still with the team.
  • Meanwhile, Josh Glennon of The Tennessean opines that the Titans have not been getting their money’s worth from their free agent signings. The writer is particularly displeased with the performance of Dexter McCluster, Michael Oher and Shaun Phillips.
  • Kenbrell Thompkins is making the most of his opportunity with the Raiders after he was waived by the Patriots. ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson attributes the wideout’s determination to being released, and the 26-year-old is making sure that never happens again. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Thompkins said. “But it happened and I have to learn from it. Hard working and becoming a big part of this team is what I’m focused on.”

Extra Points: Foster, Angelo, Thompkins

October 9th, 2014 at 10:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The observation of the night comes courtesy of ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter). Two teams invested a first round pick on Colts running back Trent Richardson, yet no one used a draft pick on Texans star Arian Foster. As he says, both facts are hard to believe. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL as we enjoy the conclusion of the first exciting Thursday night game of the season..

  • The NFL and the NFLPA will meet Tuesday to discuss potential changes to the league’s personal conduct policy, a source told ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. The union is open to changes but wants neutral arbitration for appeals of violations of the policy.
  • Former Bears GM Jerry Angelo says that NFL teams hid “hundreds” of abuse incidents over the years, writes Josh Peter of USA Today Sports. Angelo himself said he did not report to the league cases of domestic violences involving players because disciplinary action would have put his team at a competitive disadvantage.
  • Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson says new wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins is playing at “a little bit of higher speed” than everyone else on the field, tweets Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle. The Raiders plucked Thompkins off waivers earlier this week after he was dropped by the Patriots. The 26-year-old caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns in eight starts last season, but wasn’t a major part of the Pats’ offense this year.

East Notes: Rolle, Giants, Thompkins, Eagles

October 7th, 2014 at 8:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Giants safety Antrel Rolle is slated to hit the open market after this season but he’s not going to make a lot of noise about it right now, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets. “I’ve never been a guy to speak about contracts. I’ll let my play do the campaigning for me,” said Rolle. More out of the East divisions..

  • Patriots coach Bill Belichick says that he hoped to re-sign wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins to the practice squad, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “It’s always tough to release a player, especially one like KT who works extremely hard and is really a dedicated athlete and certainly had a lot of good moments of performance for us,” Belichick said. “We have other players at that position that also work hard that are talented. In the end, we had to . . . in order to get a guy on the roster, we had to take a guy off. It’s just getting down to that decision. It’s a hard decision to make, you know?“
  • Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis has no plans to make a change at cornerback, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. The play of starting corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher has many Eagles fans wishing they would go out-of-house for an upgrade after the team’s ugly near-collapse at home against the Rams on Sunday.
  • Former LSU product Spencer Ware was among the running backs auditioning for the Giants today, writes Jordan Raanan of The Star-Ledger. Terrance Cobb and Stephen Houston also worked out for Big Blue. With Rashad Jennings banged up and Michael Cox promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster, the Giants could have a spot for another tailback.

Raiders Claim Kenbrell Thompkins

October 6th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders have claimed Kenbrell Thompkins off waivers from the Patriots, a league source tells Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). At 0-4, Oakland was near the top of the waiver priority list, so it’s possible that the club beat out other interested teams for Thompkins’ services.

Thompkins, 26, stuck with the Patriots in 2013 after being signed as an undrafted free agent, impressing at times during his rookie campaign. He caught 32 passes for 466 yards and four touchdowns in eight starts last season, but wasn’t a major part of New England’s passing attack early this season, and was cut on Saturday.

Weekend reports suggested the move was the result of the Patriots’ roster crunch rather than Thompkins’ talent, and indicated that New England may have interest in re-signing the wideout to its practice squad. However, Bill Belichick and the Pats didn’t receive that opportunity.

As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), Oakland was in need of a receiver with speed, and Thompkins fits that bill nicely. No corresponding roster move will be necessary for the Raiders, since they had been carrying just 52 players on their roster.

AFC Notes: Ryan, Revis, Thompkins, Harbaugh

October 5th, 2014 at 9:39pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jets were on the wrong side of a 31-0 beat down earlier today, and head coach Rex Ryan has his work cut out for him if the team is going to turn the season around. Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report doesn’t see the Jets improving, and believes Ryan will be fired because the roster isn’t up to par.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • Darrelle Revis is showing he is at his best during Sunday Night Football by harrassing A.J. Green, but even if he plays at this level all year the Patriots will not be able to pick up the $20MM option, writes Andrew Brandt of MMQB.com (via Twitter). This will serve as a contract year for the star cornerback.
  • Since Kenbrell Thompkins was released by the Patriots, he is looking for a new job. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald sees the Steelers as a potential fit (via Twitter). In addition to the fit on the field, he is the cousin of superstar receiver Antonio Brown.
  • The rumors of a potential trade between the Browns and 49ers that would have sent Jim Harbaugh to coach Cleveland could have been for as little as two third-round draft picks, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Harbaugh’s wife was reluctant to leave the Bay Area, which strengthens rumors that he could be interested in the Raiders’ vacancy.

Patriots Notes: Brady, Thompkins, Mankins

October 5th, 2014 at 10:28am CST by Ben Levine

Cardinals defensive tackle Tommy Kelly was cut by the Patriots in late August, but the veteran doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings. In fact, he actually sounds like he’s happier not playing in New England, and the 33-year-old questioned the team’s motivation in an interview with Darren Urban on the Cardinals website:

“I couldn’t take busting my tail every day getting to a game and them taking me out of the game for someone who I know isn’t better than me, because he’s a cheaper option. Are we worried about money here? Or are we worried about winning?”

Kelly isn’t the only player reportedly questioning the Patriots decision-making. Read below to find out who else may have issues with Bill Belichick and company…

  • According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com), quarterback Tom Brady is “uncomfortable” with some of the Patriots’ personnel and coaching changes.
  • If the Patriots continue to scuttle, the team will have an interesting decision to make with their franchise quarterback, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. If Brady is on the roster for the last game of this season, the final three years of his contract become fully guaranteed. When that inevitably happens, the Patriots will have to decide how much longer they want to roll with the future Hall of Famer.
  • According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Patriots asked Logan Mankins to take a pay cut not long before ultimately trading the Pro Bowler. The writer questions whether Belichick was “exacting a measure of payback” for Mankins’ 2010 holdout.
  • The decision to cut Kenbrell Thompkins was less about the player’s talent and more about flexibility for the Patriots, writes CSNNE.com’s Tom E. Curran.
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