NFC South Notes: Saints, Newton, Bucs
After missing two meetings and subsequently being waived, former Saints linebacker Khairi Fortt is going to be evaluated for the sleep problems that he suspects he has, according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate (via Twitter). Is it too late for Geno Smith to change excuses? Here’s tonight’s look at the NFC South..
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera isn’t sweating a new contract for quarterback Cam Newton, saying everything will come in due time, tweets Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer. Rivera also referred to Newton as the team’s “franchise quarterback.”
- The Panthers worked out Harvey Unga, Doug Worthington, Michael Brooks, Richard Clebert, Justice Cunningham, and Maurice Hagens, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- Safeties Anderson Russell and Bacarri Rambo worked out for the Buccaneers, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Rambo has been busy lately, working out for the Colts, Giants, Bears, and other teams.
- The Saints worked out Edgar Jones, Lawrence Sidbury, Kellen Davis, Moise Fokou, and Paul Hazel this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Tight end Tom Crabtree also auditioned for New Orleans and was quickly signed.
East Auditions: Bills, Pats, Jets, Eagles
While not every NFL team is making adjustments to its 53-man roster this week, many clubs are at least auditioning free agents to get a sense of which players might be worth revisiting later in the season, as injuries begin to take their toll. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has passed along word of several of those auditions, via Twitter, so let’s take a look at which free agents are working out for teams in the NFL’s two East divisions….
- The Bills tried out quarterback Tajh Boyd, running backs Maurice Hagens and Franklyn Quiteh, wide receiver Jeremy Kelley, tight end Kyle Auffray, tackle Michael Bamiro, linebackers James Davidson and Jerrell Harris, defensive backs Ross Weaver and Junior Mertile, and defensive tackles Jeremy Towns, Derek Landri, and Abe Koroma.
- A handful of defensive players auditioned for the Patriots, including defensive tackles Sione Fua and George Uko, defensive end Brian Sanford, and linebackers Moise Fokou, Chris Young, and Adrian Tracy.
- The Jets took a look at a few special teams players, including punters Bobby Cowan and Jake Dombrowski, along with long snapper Patrick Scales.
- We heard yesterday that the Eagles hosted Eric Winston and Wade Smith, and ultimately decided to sign Smith. The team also had a few other players in: linebackers Brandon Hepburn and Jake Doughty, as well as tackle Tyler Hoover.
- Wide receiver Devon Wylie and defensive back Keelan Johnson worked out for the Cowboys.
- Finally, a long list of players tried out for the Redskins this week. We’ve heard a few names reported already, but there are plenty of new ones from Wilson, including defensive tackles Isaako Aaitui and Ricky Heimuli, and wide receivers Marcus Davis, Chris Matthews, Mike Davis, Je’Ron Hamm, and L’Damian Washington.
Falcons Release Pat Angerer, Others
3:17pm: The Falcons have issued a press release announcing their first wave of final cuts. In addition to confirming the cuts noted below, the team also parted ways with the following players:
- Nosa Eguae (DE)
- Jordan Mabin (CB)
- Freddie Martino (WR)
- Kimario McFadden (S)
- Jacob Pedersen (TE)
- Adam Replogle (OL)
- Donte Rumph (DT)
- Josh Vaughan (RB)
1:27pm: Fullback Maurice Hagens is the Falcons’ latest roster casualty, per McClure (via Twitter).
12:51pm: The Falcons have also released offensive lineman Pat McQuistan, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (on Twitter).
12:09pm: The Falcons are set to release linebacker Pat Angerer, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter). Fellow linebacker Yawin Smallwood, who was taken in the seventh-round of this year’s draft, will also get cut.
Angerer, a 2010 second-round pick, underwent microfracture surgery in December. At the time, the veteran was told that his chances of returning were slim, but he was healthy enough to be a consideration for the Falcons this offseason.
“It was about 50-50 but more like 20 percent chance of coming back (with) the way my knee was,” Angerer told Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was pretty beat up. To come back and to even be on the field, that’s a pretty big accomplishment and something I’m really proud of. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Angerer, 27, racked up 226 tackles in his first two NFL seasons but has played more sparsely over the last two years, in part due to foot and knee injuries. Many expected Angerer to be a shoe-in for the Falcons after they lost Sean Weatherspoon for the year, but it was not meant to be.
Falcons Sign 20 Undrafted Free Agents
The Falcons are the latest team to make their undrafted free agent class official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed 20 new rookies to contracts. Here’s the complete list:
- Geraldo Boldewijn, WR, Boise State
- Brenden Daley, LB, Hawaii
- Nosa Eguae, DE, Auburn
- Devonta Glover-Wright, CB, Utah State
- Maurice Hagens, FB, Miami (FL)
- Julian Jones, WR, Arkansas State
- Freddie Martino, WR, North Greenville
- Jeff Mathews, QB, Cornell
- Walker May, OLB, Vanderbilt
- Kimario McFadden, S, South Carolina State
- Roosevelt Nix, FB, Kent State ($15K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Jacob Pedersen, TE, Wisconsin
- Bernard Reedy, WR, Toledo
- Donte Rumph, DT, Kentucky
- Jacques Smith, OLB, Tennessee
- Jerome Smith, RB, Syracuse
- James Stone, C, Tennessee
- Tramaine Thompson, WR, Kansas State
- Brian Wozniak, TE, Wisconsin
- Matt Yoklic, P, Pittsburgh