NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/15
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Ben Garland (press release)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Nick O’Leary (via Mike Rodak on Twitter)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: C Shane McDermott (Twitter link via Joseph Person)
- Cut: CB Carrington Byndom (Twitter link via Person)
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill (Twitter link)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Kendrick Ings (Twitter link via Dave Birkett)
- Cut: WR Andrew Peacock (Twitter link via Birkett)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Jonathan Dowling (Twitter link via Adam Caplan)
- Cut: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Twitter link via Caplan); RB Rajion Neal (Twitter link via Adam Beasley)
New York Giants
- Signed: QB G.J. Kinne; LB Gerald Rivers (press release), WR Myles White (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: T Martin Wallace (press release)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Jason Ankrah; LB Justin Staples (Twitter link via Terry McCormick)
Panthers Organize Regular-Season Roster
The Panthers cut 22 players to officially reduce their roster to 53, reports Max Henson of Panthers.com.
In addition to placing rookie defensive end Arthur Miley on injured reserve and reaching an injury settlement with offensive lineman Brian Folkerts, the Panthers cut Jordan Todman. This leaves Fozzy Whittaker and Cameron Artis-Payne as Jonathan Stewart‘s primary backups.
The remaining Carolina cuts are as follows:
- Chas Alecxih, DT
- Marcus Ball, S
- Brenton Bersin, WR
- Brian Blechen, LB
- Mike Brown, WR
- Carrington Byndom, CB
- Damiere Byrd, WR
- Rakim Cox, DE
- David Foucault, T
- Adarius Glanton, LB
- T.J. Heath, CB
- Ricky Henry, G
- Marcus Lucas, TE
- Jordan McCray, G
- Terry Redden, DT
- Scott Simonson, TE
- Jason Trusnik, LB
- Martin Wallace, T
- Lou Young, CB
Panthers Sign Nine To Futures Contracts
With their season now officially over, the Panthers have begun to take care of 2015 business by signing the majority of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts. Per a team release, nine of the 10 players that finished the season on Carolina’s taxi squad have now been locked up to new deals. And according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter), wide receiver Stephen Hill, the one player who hasn’t signed, is expected to do so tomorrow.
Here’s the list of players the Panthers signed today:
- Derek Dennis, OL
- Kevin Greene, TE
- Marcus Lucas, WR
- Kimario McFadden, S
- Horace Miller, LB
- Darrin Reaves, RB
- Micanor Regis, DT
- Martin Wallace, T
- Lou Young, CB
The Panthers previously signed guard Tyronne Green and tight end Mike McNeill to reserve/futures deals.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
We’re keeping tabs on today’s minor moves that affect 53-man rosters right here, but we’ll use the space below to track transactions involving teams’ practice squads:
- The Chiefs signed guard Jarrod Pughsley to the taxi squad to take the place of the released Jerel Worthy, according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star.
- Linebacker Shaq Barrett cleared waivers and is expected to be re-signed to the Broncos‘ practice squad soon, tweets Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
- The Colts announced that they have signed running back Jeff Demps and tight end Konrad Reuland to the practice squad while releasing quarterback Dominique Davis and wide receiver Chandler Jones to make room. Demps, a 2012 Summer Olympics silver medalist, was recently
- The Saints have signed offensive tackle Demarcus Love to their practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, while Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets that the club cut center Alex Parsons from the unit.
- Caplan also notes (via Twitter) that the Chiefs have cut defensive lineman Jerel Worthy from their taxi squad.
- A pair of receivers have joined the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who tweets that Kadron Boone and Devon Wylie have signed with the team. Thomas adds (via Twitter) that the club also replaced one linebacker with another, cutting Denicos Allen and signing Korey Toomer.
Earlier updates:
- The Panthers have announced a pair of practice squad additions, confirming (via Twitter) that they’ve signed safety Robert Lester and offensive tackle Martin Wallace using their two open spots.
- The Jaguars have signed cornerback Lou Young to their practice squad, filling the 10th and final opening on the unit, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have released edge defender Michael Sam from their practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. Although Sam spent several weeks on Dallas’ taxi squad, he never got the opportunity for a promotion to the 53-man unit, and figures to draw some attention around the NFL as he looks for a new job. Using the two openings on their practice squad, the Cowboys added linebacker Troy Davis and defensive tackle Ken Bishop, according to the team.
AFC Notes: Brady, Pats, Titans, Browns
Tom Brady, a Jet? It wasn’t far from happening, as a source tells Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. One scout — Jesse Kaye, now an advisor with New York — strongly argued for Gang Green to select Brady late in the 2000 draft. Even after the Jets drafted Chad Pennington in the first round, Kaye believed in Brady enough to lobby hard for head coach Bill Parcells to select the Michigan quarterback, and per Myers, almost stood on a table and yelled at Big Tuna. Ruefully, New York drafted North Carolina defensive back Tony Scott with pick No. 179; 20 picks later, the Pats selected Brady, and the rest is history. Here’s more from the AFC.
- It won’t be easy for the Patriots to replace running back Stevan Ridley, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. While New England has Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden, and James White on the roster, none is the type of power back that was Ridley. The Pats’ best bet, per Volin, might be to promote third-year running back Jonas Gray from the practice squad. At 230 pounds, Gray could act as the “thunder” to the other backs’ “lightning.”
- Before signing veteran offensive lineman Will Svitek yesterday, the Titans also worked OLs Guy Whimper and Martin Wallace, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Tennessee is attempting to bolster its offensive depth following a season-ending injury to left tackle Michael Roos.
- Brandon Marshall looks back fondly at his time with the Dolphins, writes Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Tribune. Marshall, who played in Miami from 2010-11, feels the Fins were just a solid quarterback away from being a contender. The star receiver was eventually traded to the Bears in 2012 for two third-round picks.
- In a video from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Browns general manager Ray Farmer discusses the differences between scouting college prospects and evaluating potential free agent fits.
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Falcons, Saints
The NFC South has been one of football’s less predictable divisions so far, with the Saints – everyone’s preseason pick to win the division – sitting at 1-2, while the popular postseason sleeper Buccaneers look like the NFL’s worst team at 0-3. All four teams, including the 2-1 Panthers and Falcons, are on the road this week, as Carolina and Atlanta try to continue their winning ways in Baltimore and Minnesota respectively. Meanwhile, the Bucs will try to get in the win column in Pittsburgh, while the Saints will look to halt the Cowboys’ winning streak in Dallas.
Here’s the latest out of the NFC South:
- With offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford away from the team indefinitely for health reasons, don’t expect the Buccaneers to hire an offensive consultant to work with Marcus Arroyo, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. According to Marvez, “it’s Arroyo’s show” in Tampa Bay.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds defensive backs Roc Carmichael and Tommie Campbell to the list of players to work out for the Buccaneers this week.
- Reid Fragel was the offensive lineman to ultimately sign with the Falcons‘ practice squad this week, but the club also took a look at tackles Kevin Murphy and Martin Wallace, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Saints also auditioned a handful of players this week, and Wilson provides several new names (via Twitter). The team signed offensive lineman Alex Parsons to its practice squad, but also tried out linemen Lemuel Jeanpierre and Eric Olsen, as well as cornerback Brandon Ghee.
Extra Points: Green-Ellis, Rice, Bengals, Bucs
A few NFL teams are starting to see their backfields thin out a little as the season progresses, whether due to suspensions (Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson) or injuries (Mark Ingram, Jamaal Charles, Knowshon Moreno, and others). While most of those clubs have relied on in-house replacements so far, veteran free agent BenJarvus Green-Ellis has received some inquiries from teams, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
According to La Canfora (via Twitter), the former Bengal, who is coming off a preseason hip injury, continues to rehab and work toward full health. When he’s ready to play, Green-Ellis should be able to find a job, since there are plenty of potential suitors monitoring him now.
Here are a few more Wednesday odds and ends from around the NFL:
- The league issued a statement today indicating that commissioner Roger Goodell never intended to hear Rice’s suspension appeal, and that a neutral arbitrator will make the decision on Rice, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), a handful of offensive players worked out for the Bengals this week, including tight ends Richard Gordon, Michael Higgins, and David Paulson, as well as offensive linemen Martin Wallace and Travis Bond.
- Paulson was also one of several free agents to try out for the Buccaneers, says Wilson (via Twitter). Tampa Bay also worked out defensive backs Brandon Taylor and Malcolm Bronson, along with tight end Cameron Morrah.
- In addition to signing rookie Lache Seastrunk to their practice squad yesterday, the Panthers also auditioned running backs Alex Green, Alfonso Smith, and Kerwynn Williams, tweets Wilson.
Extra Points: Giants, Patriots, Hardy, Rice
Steve Weatherford was out punting during the portion of Giants practice that was open to the media on Friday, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. The veteran had suffered a high left ankle sprain during Big Blue’s 35-14 Monday Night season-opening loss in Detroit and said that he wanted to test things out on Friday. He’s still listed as questionable, but today’s session is probably a good sign.
Nonetheless, the Giants seem to be preparing a backup plan just in case Weatherford is unable to go on Sunday. Per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has worked out punters Zoltan Mesko, Brian Moorman, and Kasey Redfern.
- The Patriots worked out defensive tackle Fred Evans this week, as well as a handful of offensive linemen, including Conor Boffeli, Caylin Hauptmann, and Martin Wallace, according to Yates (Twitter link).
- Despite a rumor to the contrary, coach Ron Rivera says the Panthers plan to let the legal process play out with Greg Hardy and he will not be released before there’s a resolution in the courts, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Roger Goodell made a serious error in how he handled the Ray Rice case, but Panthers owner Jerry Richardson still has time to get it right when it comes to Hardy, writes Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. For now the NFL and the Panthers are respecting the legal process, but they have the right to punish Hardy before things get underway in court, and Fowler thinks they should take advantage.
- There’s a strong possibility that the NFLPA will file a grievance on behalf of Rice even without his approval, a source tells Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
- With Josh Gordon‘s suspension set to be reduced to 10 games, it could “open a can of worms” with others who tested positive in 2013 fighting for a revised suspension, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Audition Notes: Patriots, Cardinals, Chiefs
We passed along the latest tryout updates from the East and South divisons earlier today, and we’ll close out the night updating workout lists from around the league:
- After allowing 191 rushing yards to the Dolphins on Sunday, the Patriots might be looking to beef up their defensive line by taking a look at veteran tackle Fred Evans. The 30-year-old ex-Viking, who started three games last season, worked out for New England today, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. The Pats play Minnesota on Sunday, so Bill Belichick might be trying to glean some inside information on the Vikings’ scheme from Evans.
- The Cardinals tried out offensive tackles Winston Justice, Martin Wallace, and Edawn Coughman, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Justice has the highest pedigree of the three — he was a second-round pick in 2006. Arizona’s offensive line came out of Monday’s win unscathed, so the Cards are probably just updating their emergency list.
- After losing Derrick Johnson to a season-ending injury, the Chiefs are looking to upgrade their linebacking unit, trying out Nick Barnett, Desmond Bishop, and Marvin Mitchell. Barnett, a veteran of 11 NFL seasons, spent 2013 with Buffalo, but is most known for his time in Green Bay. Bishop is also an ex-Packer, but was with the Vikings last year. Kansas City also auditioned offensive tackles Jason Weaver and Curtis Feigt, per Wilson (Twitter link).