NFL Workout Notes: Falcons, Lions, Redskins
Former New England defensive end Rufus Johnson worked out for the Falcons today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson has made the rounds on the workout circuit since getting waived off the Patriots’ practice squad in September. Atlanta also took a look at quarterback Ricky Stanzi, wide receivers Max McCaffrey and Anthony Dable, and defensive ends Lawrence Okoye and Arthur Miley, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the workouts happening around the league today, all courtesy of Caplan unless otherwise noted:
- The Redskins worked out running backs Storm Johnson, Brandon Ross, Dreamius Smith, and Cedric O’Neal, as well as centers Trevor Robinson and Shane McDermott (Twitter link). Washington is taking a look at backs after Matt Jones was forced to miss Week 9 with a knee injury.
- The Lions worked out tight ends Ryan Malleck and Gannon Sinclair, defensive ends Rakim Cox and Jordan Williams, and linebacker Tristan Okpalaugo (Twitter link).
- Tight end Kennard Backman, who appeared in seven games with the Packers last season, auditioned for the Ravens today (Twitter link).
- The 49ers worked out wide receivers Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com) and Mose Frazier (Twitter link).
- The Texans worked out tight end Kyle Carter, who went undrafted out of Penn State earlier this year (Twitter link).
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/2016
Today’s minor moves:
- The Jets waived tight end Brian Parker with a failed physical, as Seth Walter of the Daily News tweets. The Jets claimed Parker off waivers on Sunday. New York also reached injury settlements with linebacker Trevor Reilly and running back Matthew Tucker, and removed them from injured reserve, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).
- The Packers reached injury settlements with tight end Kennard Backman and center Jacob Flores, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
- The Giants reached an injury settlement with offensive tackle Emmett Cleary, reports Vacchiano (Twitter link).
- The Panthers hammered out an injury settlement with defensive tackle Rakim Cox, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Seahawks worked out an injury settlement with wide receiver Deshon Foxx, the club announced.
Packers Bring Roster Down To 53
The Packers have announced the cuts that will bring their roster down to 53. The club has made the following moves:
Cut:
- G Josh Sitton (story)
- TE Casey Pierce (Twitter link via Michael Cohen of the Journal-Sentinel)
- DL Brian Price (Twitter link via Cohen)
- FB Alstevis Squirewell (Twitter link via Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette)
- OL Lucas Patrick
- RB Brandon Ross (Twitter link via Cohen)
- ILB Carl Bradford (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- OLB Reggie Gilbert (Twitter link via Ryan Wood of Green Bay Press-Gazette)
- CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Wood)
- WR Herb Waters (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- TE Kennard Backman (waived/injured; Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- LB Sam Barrington (Twitter link via Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
- WR Geronimo Allison
- LB Beniquez Brown
- CB Warren Gatewood
- LS Rick Lovato
- S Jermaine Whitehead
- QB Marquise Williams
Placed On IR:
- C Kyle Steuck
- DT Tyler Kuder
Reserve/Suspended:
- DT Mike Pennel
- CB Demetri Goodson
Packers Trade Lerentee McCray To Bills
The Bills are set to acquire linebacker Lerentee McCray from the Packers in exchange for draft pick compensation, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The Packers will receive a conditional 2018 seventh-round draft choice, per an announcement from the Bills. The Packers have also made a handful of roster moves, bringing them down to 75 in advance of the deadline.
Released:
- WR Harvey Binford
Placed on IR:
- TE Kennard Backman
- RB John Crockett
- C Jacob Flores
- TE Mitchell Henry
- G Josh Walker
McCray appeared in 24 regular season games for the Broncos over the last two years. This offseason, he was a restricted free agent but he was not tendered an offer. In April, he hooked on with the Packers.
Draft Signings: Dolphins, Jets, Ravens
Here at PFR, we’re giving individual posts to players from the first and second-round that sign with their respective clubs. You’ll find news on the guys from rounds 3-7 in the roundups. Here are the latest..
- The Ravens agreed to a deal with fourth-round running back Buck Allen, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Packers signed another sixth-round pick in tight end Kennard Backman, Silverstein tweets. Green Bay now has five picks under contract with three to go.
- The Giants announced the signings of fifth-round pick Mykkele Thompson and seventh-round choice Bobby Hart, according to Dan Graziano of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- The Dolphins have agreed in principle on a deal with fifth-round cornerback Bobby McCain, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). McCain will receive roughly $2.5MM over the course of his four-year deal and a $228K signing bonus.
- Not long after that, the Dolphins wrapped up their entire draft class by signing fourth-round guard Jamil Douglas, fifth-round safety Cedric Thompson, and fifth-round wide receiver Tony Lippett, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
- The Jets announced that they have signed fifth-round offensive guard Jarvis Harrison, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
- The Ravens inked fifth-round tight end Nick Boyle, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Boyle also auditioned for the divisional rival Browns during the draft process.
- The Packers have signed Christian Ringo, a defensive tackle taken in the sixth round, according to Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
AFC Notes: Chargers, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
The Chargers appear to be contemplating the post-Philip Rivers era in San Diego, as they take a closer look at Oregon signal-caller Marcus Mariota today. After working out Mariota, the team’s brass will head to Los Angeles to put UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley through a workout of his own, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
GM Tom Telesco and head coach Mike McCoy have repeatedly stated they want Rivers to retire as a Charger, so there may be no need to identify his successor quite yet. But Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune believes this offseason is the prime time for San Diego to trade Rivers in a deal to snag Mariota, arguing that all the factors in play point to it being a win-win move for the franchise and for the veteran quarterback, who is entering the final year of his contract.
We still have a little more than two weeks until the draft gets underway, so it will be interesting to see if the Rivers trade rumors pick up steam or die down as April 30 approaches. In the meantime, here are a few more notes from across the AFC:
- Free agent wide receiver Brad Smith is paying a visit to Buffalo to meet with the Bills, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details. Smith played for Rex Ryan on the Jets, but it’s not clear if there’s a spot for him on Ryan’s new club, with players like Percy Harvin, Marcus Easley, and Marcus Thigpen already in the mix as potentially versatile offensive weapons, returners, or special-teamers.
- Given where we’ve seen running backs drafted in the last couple years, it would be surprise to see one go as high as No. 14 overall this year. Nonetheless, the Dolphins, who hold that pick, are hosting Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon for a visit next week, per Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
- Outside pass rushers Bud Dupree and Shane Ray will be visiting the Jets, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Although there has been plenty of chatter linking Mariota to New York, the team is in a good spot at No. 6 to add a top pass rushing prospect.
- The Steelers hosted Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper, Ohio State tight end Jeff Heuerman, and UAB tight end Kennard Backman on pre-draft visits today, tweets ESPN.com’s Scott Brown. Cooper met with the Saints in New Orleans yesterday, but we haven’t heard much to date about the tight ends.
- Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby is visiting the Colts today, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).
- On the heels of the Raiders‘ agreement with free agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com shares a few initial thoughts on the deal, outlining why the former Niner is worth the risk on a one-year investment.