HEADLINES

Kenjon Barner

Panthers Claim RB Kenjon Barner

November 14th, 2018 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers claimed former Patriot Kenjon Barner off waivers, according to a team announcement. To make room, the club waived cornerback Josh Hawkins.

This marks Barner’s third career stint with the Panthers. He’ll provide depth behind star running back Christian McCaffrey, filling a spot vacated by the recent release of veteran C.J. Anderson.

Barner came into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Panthers in 2013 and played eight games for them as a rookie. The Panthers traded him to the Eagles in 2014, but he circled back to Carolina in the offseason. When he failed to make the Panthers’ first cut, Barner hooked on with the Patriots where he cycled through the roster for a couple of months.

Barner, 28, has 19 carries for 71 yards on the season. His best offensive seasons came in 2015 and 2016 with the Eagles when he averaged 4.6 yards per carry in a limited sample of 55 total attempts.

Barner figures to serve as the fourth running back on the depth chart behind CMC, Cameron Artis-Payne, and Travaris Cadet.

Patriots Activate Duke Dawson From IR

November 13th, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have officially activated second-round cornerback Duke Dawson from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In corresponding moves, the team released running back Kenjon Barner and linebacker Nicholas Grigsby. 

The Patriots were forced to place the rookie on IR in September due to a hamstring injury. Now, after a few weeks of practice, the former Florida Gator is good to go.

Dawson was in the mix to become New England’s slot cornerback early in camp but will likely rejoin the team as depth piece behind Jonathan Jones. In time, Dawson may overtake Jones, who Pro Football Focus grades as the league’s No. 57 ranked corner this year.

If he’s on the gameday roster, Dawson will have a chance to make his debut against the Jets in New Jersey on Nov. 25.

AFC East Notes: McCoy, Bills, Wake, Pats

October 14th, 2018 at 12:58pm CST by Rory Parks

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the odds of the Bills trading any veterans — like RB LeSean McCoy, whose name has recently surfaced in trade rumors — are very slim. La Canfora writes that it would take a “bounty” to pry McCoy or Jerry Hughes away from Buffalo, as the team considers both players, who are both signed beyond this season to club-friendly deals, to be vital veteran components of its rebuild. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com agrees, saying it could take as much as a second-round draft pick to land McCoy.

Now let’s round up a few more notes from the AFC East, starting with more from Orchard Park:

  • This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but Rapoport tweets that the Bills have no intention of playing newly-acquired signal-caller Derek Anderson, barring injury. Anderson is with the club to tutor rookie QB Josh Allen, not to take any of his playing time.
  • From the “something to keep an eye on” department, Jenna Cottrell of 13 WHAM tweets that Allen asked wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin if he wanted to work on routes during pregame warm-ups today, and Benjamin told him no. The Bills acquired Benjamin at the trade deadline last year but have not gotten much production out of him, and he does not appear especially motivated to perform well in his platform year.
  • Dolphins DE Cameron Wake recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery but could be back as soon as next week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Normally such a procedure would require a four-week recovery period, but Wake is such a quick healer that he may make it back in a fraction of that time.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes that Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty is on pace to recoup the money that he lost when he agreed to a pay cut before the regular season. New England gave him the opportunity to make up the difference via incentives, and McCourty is well on his way to hitting those incentives. The same cannot be said for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, however.
  • Reiss also notes that Kenjon Barner, who has been shuttled on and off of the Patriots‘ roster several times since September 12, may have a little more job security right now. Barner’s former club, the Eagles, are very much in need of RB help, and the Pats know that if they cut Barner again, they may not get him back.
  • Darryl Slater of NJ.com tweets that Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers, who is dealing with a serious illness, is on the sidelines for the team’s game against the Colts today. It does not sound as if he has resumed his coordinator responsibilities yet, but it is a good sign nonetheless.

Patriots Bring Back RB Kenjon Barner

October 8th, 2018 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots agreed to sign Kenjon Barner for the third time in a month. The two-time Pats cut will again serve as the team’s No. 3 back behind James White and Sony Michel.

Barner initially signed with New England on Sept. 12 before being released a week later. He came back to join the team on Sept. 26 before being released Oct. 4, prior to the Pats’ Week 5 game against the Colts. Heading into the Patriots’ high-profile clash with the Chiefs, the nine-time reigning AFC East champions will have three running backs on their roster.

Although depth has been Barner’s primary purpose in New England, he did play in the Pats’ Week 4 win over the Dolphins, taking three handoffs. He has not been used as a return man, which has been his primary NFL responsibility. Barner, 28, played the past three seasons with the Eagles. He served as the Super Bowl champions’ primary kick and punt returner last season.

The Pats could have brought back Mike Gillislee, whom the Saints released over the weekend, but they’re going with their more recent employee in Barner.

Patriots Activate Edelman, Cut Barner

October 4th, 2018 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

New England will venture into its Week 4 game thin at running back, though the Patriots’ wide receiver situation will be in as good of shape as it’s been all year.

Julian Edelman‘s return Thursday night forced the Patriots to make a roster move, and they’re opting to release running back Kenjon Barner, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Barner’s bounced on and off the Pats’ roster this season, but his latest departure leaves them thin in the backfield.

With Rex Burkhead and Jeremy Hill on IR, the Patriots will go into their Week 5 Colts matchup with just James White and Sony Michel healthy. That’s a thin contingent of able backs, but both played well last week. Barring injury, the Patriots should be able to navigate this situation. However, either White or Michel going down would bring about some problems.

Barner saw action against the Dolphins, taking three handoffs for 11 yards. He has not, however, worked as a kick or punt returner this season. Those have been his primary responsibilities as an NFLer. That said, the Patriots will surely make a running back transaction in the near future — possibly bringing Barner back again — to round out their roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/18

September 25th, 2018 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Patriots Sign CB Cyrus Jones

September 19th, 2018 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots signed cornerback Cyrus Jones off the Ravens practice squad, a source tells Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). To make room for their 2016 second-round pick, the Pats released running back Kenjon Barner. It’s a two-year deal for Jones, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter), so the youngster can be controlled through the 2019 season.

Jones was released earlier this month during the Pats’ final roster cuts, but it wasn’t an easy call for New England. Now that he’s back in the fold, he figures to handle return punt returns while also seeing some reps at cornerback.

As a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2016, Jones saw time on special teams as a kick and punt returner. Last year, however, a torn ACL and partially torn meniscus cost him the season.

Barner, 28, was expected to handle some return work for the Pats when he was signed last week. The former Eagles running back will now look to hook on elsewhere.

Patriots Expected To Sign RB Kenjon Barner

September 11th, 2018 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots will attempt to fill the void Jeremy Hill‘s injury created in their backfield by signing Kenjon Barner, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Barner worked out for the Patriots last week. The sixth-year running back’s spent his NFL days with the Panthers and Eagles. He and Hill’s skill sets don’t exactly overlap, however, with the 28-year-old soon-to-be Patriot known mostly for his return acumen.

Barner could well replace Riley McCarron as the Pats’ punt returner. The Patriots waived McCarron after a game that featured a fumbled punt. Barner served as the Eagles’ kick- and punt-return specialist last season, marking his first season of sustained punt-return work. He returned 27 punts in 2017, averaging 8.9 yards per return. Cordarrelle Patterson is a two-time All-Pro return man, but he’s been strictly a kick returner in his NFL career.

The Panthers released Barner after the preseason, despite signing him in May. The former sixth-round draft pick began his career with the Panthers before spending four seasons with the Eagles.

Patriots Work Out WR Kendall Wright

September 5th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots hosted wide receiver Kendall Wright and a host of other free agents for workouts on Wednesday, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New England currently only has four wide receivers on its roster (excluding special-teamer Matthew Slater), and the club is counting on Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and the recently-claimed Chad Hansen to shoulder the load until Julian Edelman returns from suspension in Week 5. In addition to Hansen, the Patriots claimed former Seahawks pass-catcher Amara Darboh off waivers on Sunday, but waived him with an injury designation on Tuesday.

Wright inked a one-year, $1MM deal with the Vikings this spring that contained $400K guaranteed, but he was cut loose on Sunday. Scheduled to be Minnesota’s slot receiver between Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, Wright was beaten out by former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell for a starting spot. Given his lack of special teams prowess, Wright didn’t hold much appeal as a reserve for Minnesota.

That Wright doesn’t play special teams (he has only four career ST snaps) could present a problem for his chances to earn a Patriots roster spot, as well, but New England’s dire need for receiving weapons could trump Wright’s weakness on teams. A former first-round pick, Wright spent five years with the Titans before landing with the Bears in 2017. The lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal passing attack, Wright posted a team-leading 59 receptions and 614 yards in his only season with Chicago.

Here’s the full list of free agents that were on hand for New England today, per Reiss:

Panthers Announce Roster Moves

August 31st, 2018 at 5:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers are the latest team to announced their initial wave of roster cuts. Carolina will need to make further transactions in order to comply with the 53-man roster maximum on Saturday.

The following players were cut by the Panthers today:

Released:

Waived:

None of Carolina’s cuts should come as much of a surprise, although there was some thought Clausell might stick on the club’s roster given its injuries along the offensive line.

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