NFL Workout Updates: 10/21/19
Here is the latest from the workout circuit:
Carolina Panthers
- CB Andre Chachere, WR/TE Caleb Smith
Cleveland Browns
- TE Drew Belcher, LB Ukeme Eligwe, TE Tyree Mayfield, S Montrel Meander, LB Silas Stewart, DB Kyle Wilson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Browns Reach 53-Man Limit
After making a couple of trades, the Browns have made a boatload of cuts to reach the 53-man max. Here’s the breakdown:
Contract Terminated:
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
P Britton Colquitt
DT Carl Davis
T Bryan Witzmann
Waived:
WR Dorian Baker
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Stephen Carlson
TE Seth DeValve
T Brian Fineanganofo
RB Trayone Gray
LB Willie Harvey
S J.T. Hassell
WR Ishmael Hyman
CB Robert Jackson
K Greg Joseph
CB Donnie Lewis Jr.
S Montrel Meander
WR Braxton Miller
RB A.J. Ouellette
DE Jarrell Owens
CB Lenzy Pipkins
DT Brian Price
DE Wyatt Ray
S Tigie Sankoh
T Brad Seaton
WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
LB Anthony Stubbs
T Travis Vornkahl
LB Dedrick Young II
WR Derrick Willies
G Willie Wright
DE Anthony Zettel
Waived/Injured:
G Kyle Kalis (concussion)
FB Joe Kerridge (concussion)
IR:
CB Phillip Gaines (concussion)
More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: P Sean Smith
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Brandon Bell, OL Tyler Catalina
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jonathan Celestin, G Norman Price
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers: S Montrel Meander
- Placed on injured reserve: WR D.J. Montgomery
Denver Broncos
- Waived/injured: LB Aaron Wallace
New York Giants
- Waived: WR Da’Mari Scott
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Andrew Lauderdale, S Tyree Robinson
- Waived: OL Christian DiLauro, WR Shawn Poindexter, RB Brandon Wilds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Elijah Qualls
- Waived/injured: DT Shane Bowman
Jets Claim S Derrick Kindred
The Jets have claimed Derrick Kindred off waivers from the Colts, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This marks the second time in 2019 that Kindred has been plucked from the waiver wire.
Kindred, who was selected by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, was waived by Cleveland on April 1. The Colts claimed him but elected to cut ties yesterday after rostering him for nearly five months.
The Jets have elected to give the TCU product a chance, and they liked him enough to put themselves on the hook for his $2MM 2019 salary. While the club has Marcus Maye and Jamal Adams entrenched at the safety positions, Kindred could provide quality depth there, especially since Maye was only recently removed from the PUP list. Theoretically, Kindred could also see some action at corner — which is currently a glaring weakness for Gang Green — and he is likely to be deployed on special teams as well.
Kindred appeared in 42 games over three years in Cleveland. Last year, he had a perfect attendance record and registered 45 tackles, one interception, and a forced fumble. In New York, he will reunite with Gregg Williams, who served as the Browns’ defensive coordinator in 2017 and the first part of 2018 before taking over as the club’s interim head coach.
The Jets waived DB Montrel Meander in a corresponding move.
Browns Notes: Kitchens, Monken, Mayfield, Johnson
New Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens hired former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken for the same role this offseason, but Monken’s transition has reportedly not gone well, according to Mike Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link). In turn, Kitchens has been forced to play a larger than expected role in “spearheading” Cleveland’s offense, per Silver. Kitchens had already been planning to call offensive plays in 2019, so it’s unclear what the issue regarding Monken might be. Speculatively, it’s possible Monken’s Air Raid background hasn’t meshed well with the offense that Kitchens is installing for the Browns.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- More from Silver, who indicates several Browns veterans weren’t pleased quarterback Baker Mayfield publicly criticized running back Duke Johnson, who is still asking for a trade out of Cleveland. Regarding Johnson, Mayfield said (among other things) “you’re either on this train or you’re not, it’s moving.” An unwritten NFL rule typically dictates that players don’t comment on teammates’ contractual situations, and it sounds like Mayfield was made aware of that concept. Per Silver, Mayfield and the Browns players who disagreed with his comments have “hashed things out.”
- The Browns tried to claim cornerback Montrel Meander off waivers from the Raiders before the Jets beat them to the punch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). Meander spent most of the 2018 campaign on Cleveland’s practice squad, and will now join former Browns/current Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in New York.
- In case you missed it, the Browns last week added a former Raiders executive to their front office.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/12/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from injured reserve: WR Mose Frazier
Chicago Bears
- Waived: K Chris Blewitt
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: CB Jalin Burrell (non-football illness)
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on non-football injury list: LB Chase Hansen
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers: CB Montrel Meander
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/11/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Sione Teuhema
- Waived: DT T.J. Barnes
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: TE Pharoah McKever (from Jaguars)
New York Jets
- Released: TE Neal Sterling
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Chad Hansen
- Waived: CB David Simmons
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Montay Crockett
- Signed: CB Isaiah Langley
- Waived: CB Makinton Dorleant
- Waived: CB Montrel Meander
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Ashton Lampkin
- Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates
Raiders Place Leon Hall On IR
The Raiders placed cornerback Leon Hall on injured reserve with a back injury. Hall missed the club’s Week 12 game and the ailment is serious enough to rule him out for the rest of the year. 
Hall, 34 in December, was one of several veteran players to join Jon Gruden’s Raiders in the offseason. Hall is no longer the player that he was during his Bengals heyday, but he did serve as a positive force in the locker room and a mentor to rookie nickelback Nick Nelson.
Hall’s season ends after ten games, four of which he started. He recorded 25 total tackles with three passes defensed and one quarterback hit. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try to play again in 2019.
In a corresponding move, the club signed cornerback Montrel Meander off of the Browns’ practice squad. Meander spent the preseason with the Browns and appeared as a safety in their exhibition games. As noted by Pro Football Focus (on Twitter), he was targeted seven times in 48 coverage snaps and allowed one catch for 12 yards with one pass breakup.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, S Demetrious Cox, CB Chris Jones
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Christian LaCouture
Chicago Bears
Signed:
- OL Dejon Allen
- DL Abdullah Anderson
- QB Tyler Bray
- WR Tanner Gentry
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- RB Ryan Nall
- OL James Stone
- LB Josh Woods
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
- OL Christian DiLauro
- DL Daniel Ekuale
- DL Zaycoven Henderson
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- OL Kyle Kalis
- TE Pharoah McKever
- DB Jeremiah McKinnon
- DB Montrel Meander
- DB Tigie Sankoh (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- WR Da’Mari Scott
- LB Brady Sheldon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Bo Scarbrough
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT John Atkins, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, DE Eric Lee
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Avery Gennesy, OLB Jeff Holland
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Mike Tyson
Indianapolis Colts
Signed:
- G Jamil Douglas
- RB Jeremy McNichols
- DE Carroll Phillips
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- DE Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Thomas Duarte, QB Cardale Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, T Eric Smith
New York Jets
Signed:
- WR Deontay Burnett
- C Nico Falah
- OT Dieugot Joseph
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- DL Bronson Kaufasi
- QB John Wolford
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G/T Denver Kirkland, DB Terrell Sinkfield, DB Rico Gafford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Zack Golditch
Seattle Seahawks
Signed:
- RB Lavon Coleman
- DT Frank Herron
- CB Akeem King
- TE Marcus Lucas
- QB Alex McGough
- T Elijah Nkansah
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- G Jordan Roos
- WR Caleb Scott
- LB Antwione Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed:
- OL Cole Boozer
- CB Javien Elliott
- DE Demone Harris
- TE Tanner Hudson
- S Godwin Igwebuike
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- LB Eric Nzeocha (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- DE Pat O’Connor
- RB Dare Ogunbowale
- LB Azeem Victor
- WR Bobo Wilson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Coleman Shelton, WR Austin Proehl, DL Deon Simon, QB Logan Woodside
Browns Make Minor Trade With Saints
The Browns have reached the 53-man roster maximum by making a whole lot of cuts and acquiring one player just before the bell.
On Saturday, the Browns announced that they acquired defensive lineman Devaroe Lawrence from the Saints in exchange for a 2019 seventh-round pick. Lawrence, 26 in October, overcame legal trouble as a youngster to achieve his dream of making it to the NFL. Injuries have held him back in the pros, but the Saints stuck by him even after ACL surgery in December of 2016.
“We felt he was athletic, explosive and we felt like he could recover,” said Saints coach Sean Payton (via Luke Johnson of The Times-Picayune). “In other words, he was battling an injury and we saw traits that are hard to find sometimes for defensive tackles, and it’s hard to find that position, especially after the draft.”
So, with Lawrence in the fold, the Browns waived the following 19 players to get down to the limit:
- LB B.J. Bello
- DL Caleb Brantley
- TE Devon Cajuste
- RB Matthew Dayes
- OL Christian DiLauro
- OL Spencer Drango
- DL Daniel Ekuale
- DL Zaycoven Henderson
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- WR Blake Jackson
- DB Mike Jordan
- DB Montrel Meander
- DL Nate Orchard
- DB Tigie Sankoh
- WR Da’Mari Scott
- LB Brady Sheldon
- DB Simeon Thomas
- P Justin Vogel
- FB Danny Vitale (waived/injured)