We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DE Martin Ifedi
Detroit Lions
- Placed on the Reserve/Retired List: OT Emmett Cleary
Oakland Raiders
- Waived: LS Andrew East
The Falcons have moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:
Placed on commissioner exempt list:
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
Waived:
- WR Reggie Davis
- WR Marvin Hall
- WR Deante Burton
- RB Jhurell Pressley
- TE Joshua Perkins
- C Cornelius Edison
- T Daniel Brunskill
- DE Joe Vellano
- DE J’Terius Jones
- DE Chris Odom
- DT Taniela Tupou
- S Marcelis Branch
Waived/injured:
- DE Martin Ifedi
- LB Josh Keyes
- QB Matt Simms
Released with injury settlement:
Placed on IR:
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the league:
- The Bills announced that they have released tight end Blake Annen. The 26-year-old joined the team’s practice squad back in 2015, but he failed to play for the big-league club in either of his two years with the organization. Annen hasn’t recorded a reception in five career games.
- The Cowboys have signed undrafted wideout Lance Lenoir, reports ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. The Western Illinois product set several school records during his four-year collegiate career, including receptions, yards and touchdown catches. To make room on the roster, the team has released tight end M.J. McFarland. The 24-year-old was an undrafted free agent out of Texas-El Paso in 2016.
- The Titans announced that they have signed linebacker Victor Ochi and cornerback Manny Abad. Ochi, a former Stony Brook standout, appeared in a pair of games with the Jets in 2016, and he’s also spent time with the Chiefs and Ravens. Abad, a Florida Tech product, previously participated in the team’s rookie minicamp. To make room on the roster, the team released defensive back Trevon Hartfield and defensive end Caushaud Lyons. Hartfield appeared in two games with the Cardinals in 2016, while Lyons had brief stints with the Buccaneers and Steelers.
- The Falcons announced (via Twitter) that they have waived linebacker/defensive end Darius English. The former South Carolina standout finished his college career with 134 tackles and 15 sacks in 41 games. English previously played at McEachern High School, where he won AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of AJC).
- The Falcons have added Martin Ifedi, according to Ledbetter (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The former seventh-round pick was waived by the Rams prior to the 2015 season, and he also had a brief stint with the Buccaneers. The Memphis product initially joined the Falcons’ practice squad late last season.
- To make room for wideout Jeremy Maclin, the Ravens are waiving tight end Barrett Burns, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The Appalachian State product joined the organization less than a week ago. Over the past two season, the tight end hauled in 11 touchdowns.
Today’s minor moves:
- The Chargers have waived OT Tyler Johnstone, per Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (via Twitter).
- The Falcons announced that they’ve waived guard Blake Muir, defensive end Martin Ifedi, and tight end Brian Vogler. Atlanta is clearing out roster space in order to sign its draft class and a crop of undrafted free agents. None of Muir, Ifedi, and Vogler has ever appeared in an NFL game.
Following a devastating Super Bowl loss, the Falcons have begun their offseason by inking six players to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced. The following players were inked to futures deals, which will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective club’s offseason 90-man rosters:
- OL Carter Bykowski
- WR B.J. Daniels
- OL Kevin Graf
- DE Martin Ifedi
- TE Darion Griswold
- DT Jimmy Staten
Atlanta had previously inked center Trevor Robinson (link) and wide receiver Anthony Dable (link) to futures contracts, bringing the club’s total to eight.
Tuesday’s practice squad changes:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DE Martin Ifedi, TE Darion Griswold
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Dustin Vaughan
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Antwan Goodley
- Placed on P-Squad IR: TE Devon Cajuste
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Brandon Shippen
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Keith Wenning, RB Jacob Huesman, S Ryan Murphy
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks, with a below-average rushing attack and Thomas Rawls nursing a shoulder injury, worked out five free agent running backs Tuesday, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Stevan Ridley, Jonas Gray, Dan Herron, LaMichael James and Dominique Williams all auditioned for the club. The most established member of the group is Ridley, who has been available since Atlanta released him Nov. 23. The 27-year-old has just one appearance and three carries to his name this season and has seen his playing time sharply decline since a 1,263-yard campaign with New England in 2012. Gray, also an ex-Pat, has made little impact since averaging 4.6 yards per attempt on 89 carries in 2014, his rookie year. He hasn’t found an employer since the Jaguars waived him Aug. 17.
Along with those rushers, defensive back L.J. McCray visited the Seahawks, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The Seahawks agreed to acquire McCray from the 49ers back in early September, but the deal fell through after he failed his physical. San Francisco then cut McCray, who hasn’t landed anywhere since.
More workouts from Tuesday:
- The Patriots auditioned linebacker Arthur Brown, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Both the Jaguars and Jets have cut Brown this month. He entered the league in 2013 as Baltimore’s second-round pick.
- Cornerbacks Tharold Simon and Steve Williams tried out for the Ravens, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Simon made nine appearances earlier this season with the Cardinals, who cut him last week. He’s better known for his 11-appearance, five-start tenure with Seattle from 2014-15. Williams, meanwhile, moved on and off the Rams’ roster multiple times this year. He has totaled six appearances this season (five with San Diego) after playing in 14 games with the Chargers and intercepting two passes last year.
- The Falcons worked out three tight ends – Orson Charles, Darion Griswold and Joel Ruiz – and defensive end Martin Ifedi, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Griswold and Ifedi ended up signing with their practice squad.
- The Dolphins also took a look at the aforementioned Tharold Simon, who joined fellow corner Demetrius McCray and two tight ends – Gabe Hughes and Chris Pantale – tweets Caplan.
- Tight end Rob Housler showcased himself to the Colts, relays Caplan (Twitter link). The five-year veteran has 109 catches, nearly all of which (105) came with Arizona from 2011-14.
- The Eagles auditioned wide receiver Greg Ellingson, cornerback Tay Glover-Wright and Canadian Football League punter Richie Leone, according to Caplan (Twitter links).
- Defensive ends Rufus Johnson and Rakim Cox worked out for the Lions (Twitter links via Caplan and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Linebackers Deon Lacey and Glenn Love tried out for the Cardinals, per Balzer (Twitter link).
Tuesday is workout day in the NFL, and today was no different. Due to the sheer volume of today’s auditions, we’ll split up the reports by conference:
AFC
- The Dolphins worked out players on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets that the team auditioned running back Jonas Gray and defensive end Martin Ifedi.
- Besides signing Bishop Sankey, the Chiefs also worked out running backs Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Caplan tweets that the team also worked out defensive end Rakim Cox and wideout Marcus Johnson.
- The Colts worked out a trio of defenders today, according to Caplan (via Twitter): defensive tackle Jordan Hill, inside linebacker Nate Irving, and linebacker Danny Lansanah.
- Three offensive tackles worked out for the Jets, according to Caplan (on Twitter): Rob Crisp, Pierce Burton, and Jesse Davis.
- The Titans auditioned three wideouts and two guards, according to Caplan (on Twitter). Receivers Jeremy Ross, Dres Anderson, and Jonathan Krause were in for workouts, as were offensive guards Dallas Thomas and Josh LeRibeus.
NFC
- The Bears worked out a pair of defensive backs, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter): Rashaad Reynolds and Ryan White. The team also worked out former Patriots offensive lineman Bryan Stork, as well as running back Daniel Davie.
- Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the Lions hosted a number of players this afternoon: tight end Matthew Mulligan, linebackers Ben Jacobs and Trevor Bates, and cornerbacks Crezdon Butler and Jeremiah McKinnon.
- Three cornerbacks worked out for the Packers, according to Caplan (on Twitter): Duke Thomas, Cleveland Wallace, and Larry Scott.
- Before adding Vinnie Sunseri to the practice squad, the 49ers took a look at former Saints defensive back Marcus Ball (via Nick Underhill on Twitter). Caplan adds that the team also auditioned defensive tackle Lars Koht and defensive end Mike Rose.
- The Seahawks worked out cornerback Pierre Desir, reports Caplan (via Twitter).
The Buccaneers have announced a series of roster cuts in advance of Tuesday’s cutdown deadline, and they now have 77 players on their rosters. Two more players must be waived or released by 3pm CT on August 30.
The following Tampa Bay players have been cut:
- Travis Britz, DT
- Daniel Davie, CB
- Andre Davis, WR
- Taylor Fallin, T
- Jeremiah George, LB
- Martin Ifedi, DE
- Storm Johnson, RB
- Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, DT
- Kimario McFadden, S
- Jacob Schum, P
- Tevin Westbrook, TE
- Major Wright, S
As a vested veteran, Wright will not have to pass through waivers (as the rest of the players listed will). As such, he is now a free agent and is free to sign with any team.
Jahri Evans‘ contract suggests he’ll have to compete for a spot with the Seahawks, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes. With just $80K guaranteed on his ~$1MM deal, it’s a low-risk move for Seattle and they know that they can press the escape button with minimal consequences if he does not resume his old form. If Evans does look strong in practice, then he could possibly earn a starting job and bump rookie Germain Ifedi from right guard to right tackle. If he doesn’t provide much of an upgrade, then he won’t be on the 53-man roster.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis still isn’t practicing with the starting unit, but he’s not complaining, despite his predilection for blasting the team in the past. “I’ve never played third team. It’s an experience,” Davis said (via Cam Inman of the Mercury News). “I don’t mind it. Coach (Tom) Higgins used to say at Piscataway (New Jersey) High School: ‘The cream always rises to the top.’ That’s how it always works out.” Speaking of New Jersey, some within the Giants have reportedly pushed for the team to deal for Davis, though we haven’t heard much on that front in the last week.
- Seahawks offensive lineman Germain Ifedi and Buccaneers defensive lineman Martin Ifedi have hired Tory Dandy and Jimmy Sexton of CAA Football for representation, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
- With Earl Watford out at least two weeks, the Cardinals‘ second unit ls lacking consistency in camp and Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (on Twitter) opines that the team could use some veteran depth on the O-Line.
- Earlier this week, we interviewed Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times about Marshawn Lynch and other key storylines from the Seahawks‘ offseason.
- The Rams are concerned about running back Tre Mason.