Cowboys To Meet With Brandon Boykin
6:56pm: In addition to Boykin, the Cowboys also worked out defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye, defensive backs Dax Swanson and Isaiah Frey, offensive tackles Cameron Bradfield and Bryan Witzmann, linebacker Brandon Hepburn, and tight end Nate Askew, according to Archer.
3:29pm: The Cowboys will meet with free agent cornerback Brandon Boykin, according to sources who spoke with Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Boykin was signed by the Panthers in March but he has been a free agent since being released last month.
[RELATED: Cowboys Not Interested In Dwight Freeney]
Despite not seeing significant playing time in Pittsburgh, Boykin ranked as a top-40 cornerback in 2015 (out of 111 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus. The diminutive corner has always shown flashes of upside, particularly in his six-interception 2013 campaign, but has never really gotten the opportunity to be a full-time player with just seven career starts. Now, he’ll look to join the Cowboys as a low-cost slot cornerback with upside.
While Boykin didn’t earn a spot on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, we placed him sixth among free agent cornerbacks when we broke down 2016’s top defensive free agents, placing him ahead of veterans like Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson due to his relative youth and upside. Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranked Boykin as the fifth-best free agent still left on the board, ahead of names like Mike Neal, Chris Culliver, and Antrel Rolle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Sign Eight To Futures Contracts
Having concluded their season on Sunday, the Panthers have begun to sign players to their 90-man offseason roster, inking eight players to reserve/futures contracts on Tuesday. The team’s official website has the complete list of signees, all of whom finished the season on Carolina’s practice squad:
- Chas Alecxih, DT
- Marcus Ball, S (previously reported)
- Brian Blechen, LB
- Damiere Byrd, WR
- Rakim Cox, DE
- Reese Dismukes, OL
- Ras-I Dowling, S
- David Foucault, T
With eight of the 10 Panthers practice squad players re-signing with the team, only defensive end Wes Horton and linebacker Nate Askew didn’t get new deals. It’s possible that Carolina didn’t offer either player a futures contract, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if Horton, at least, wanted to explore other opportunities.
An undrafted rookie in 2013, Horton made 15 starts for the Panthers last season in place of suspended teammate Greg Hardy. Following a rookie campaign that saw him compile eight tackles and two sacks, the former USC standout finished 2014 with 26 tackles and three sacks. However, he returned to a bench role in 2015, then was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances, before ultimately being cut from the 53-man roster in December. He signed with Carolina’s practice squad at the start of the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Practice Squad Updates: 10/26/15
Today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Nate Askew (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Tennessee Titans
- To be signed: WR Rico Richardson (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com)
Washington
- Signed: WR Corey Washington (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com)
- Cut: WR Colin Lockett
- Released from PS-IR: WR Issac Blakeney (link)
Workout Notes: Titans, Brown, Johnson, Dixon
Just over seven months after he announced his retirement from the NFL, cornerback Cortland Finnegan had a workout today with the Patriots. Finnegan, 31, was one of the league’s worst cornerbacks in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. PFF ranked Finnegan 109th out of 110 qualified corners, with a grade of -19.7 in just seven games. As such, it came as a bit of a surprise when Miami inked the former Ram to a two-year, $11MM deal in 2014. He might not be worthy of that kind of pay, but he could make for an intriguing depth option for the Pats or another team.
Here’s a rundown of today’s other workouts from around the NFL, with all links going to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post on Twitter, unless noted otherwise..
- The Titans worked out running backs Bryce Brown, Storm Johnson, George Arkinson and quarterback Michael German (link).
- Safety Ahmad Dixon worked out for the Bengals today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Falcons worked out linebackers Emmanuel Acho, Carlos Fields, Khaseem Greene, and Ronald Powell (link).
- The Panthers tried out Nate Askew, Chykie Brown, Bradley Fletcher, Connor Hamlett, Douglas McNeil, Bear Pascoe, and cornerback Cassius Vaughn (Twitter links).
- The Bears worked out defensive backs Ri’Shard Anderson, Robert McClain, Brandian Ross, and Pierre Warren (link).
- The Broncos worked out Harold Spears, Paul Browning, DaVaris Daniels, Sage Harold, John Lowdermilk, Andrew McDonald, and Ryan Murphy (Twitter links).
- The Lions worked out Desmond Martin and Corey Washington (link).
- The Colts worked out Carrington Byndom and Jeromy Miles (link).
- The Dolphins worked out defensive backs Garry Peters and Kevin White (link).
- The Jaguars worked out wide receivers Jordan Leslie, Uzoma Nwachukwu, and L’Damian Washington (link).
- The Vikings worked out defensive lineman Chigbo Anunoby (link).
- The Patriots worked out center Jared Smith (link).
- The Jets worked out Greg Scruggs and Marcus Lucas (link).
- The Seahawks worked out Darius Eubanks, Danny Gorrer, Damaris Johnson, Nick Kasa, Horace Miller, Dontay Moch, Tyler Slavin, Matthew Wells (link). They also hosted Harold Spears and Dax Swanson (link).
- Washington worked out Tommy Streeter, Nick Harwell, Anthony Johnson, Toby Johnson, Ronald Powell, Kelcy Quarles, and Julius Warmsley (link).
Titans Cut 10 Players
The Titans announced that they’ve waived 10 players in advance of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline:
- Nate Askew, LB
- Will Brown, CB
- Dezmond Johnson, LB
- Tebucky Jones, WR
- Deon Long, WR
- Derrick Lott, DE
- Justin McCray, G
- Mike Meyer, K
- Chaz Sutton, LB
- Fernando Velasco, C
The 30-year-old Velasco is the most notable name here, as he boasts 37 career starts. He began his career with the Titans, starting all 16 games at center during the 2012 season.
Titans Sign Eight To Futures Contracts
The Titans have officially re-signed eight players from off of their practice squad to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced today in a pair of tweets. Here are the players that reached agreements with Tennessee following the team’s regular-season finale on Sunday:
- Ri’Shard Anderson, CB
- Nate Askew, LB
- Justin McCray, OL
- Will Poehls, T
- Lache Seastrunk, RB
- Yawin Smallwood, LB
- Chaz Sutton, LB
- Alex Tanney, QB
Of Tennessee’s 10 practice squad players, defensive lineman Chigbo Anunoby and wide receiver Derek Moye are the two names not on this list, so they presumably remain unsigned for now.
NFC Notes: Jackson, Murray, Seahawks
Here’s a round-up of a few Thursday notes from around the NFC:
- Vincent Jackson has been cited frequently as one of the trade candidates to watch as Tuesday’s deadline approaches, but if it were up the Buccaneers wideout, he wouldn’t be going anywhere, as he tells Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. “I think bringing Lovie in and the staff that he’s brought and his mentality and his goals are aligned with mine and I think a lot of guys in this locker room,” Jackson said. “I hope for us to start the tradition here of winning football in Tampa Bay. I hope to stay in this uniform and this jersey and help bring that.”
- While having a monster season in a contract year typically bodes well for a player’s future earnings, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com examines whether DeMarco Murray‘s big numbers, buoyed by a huge workload, may actually be hurting him financially.
- Before he signed with the Titans’ practice squad, linebacker Nate Askew was one of a handful of players to work out for the Seahawks, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). In addition to Askew and players previously reported, the club also auditioned defensive end Sammy Brown and tight end Michael Egnew, as well as bringing in defensive end Austen Lane for a visit (Twitter links).
- A few more tryouts, via Wilson: The Buccaneers are working out punter Brock Miller (Twitter link), the Cowboys took a look at offensive lineman Keavon Milton (Twitter link), and Washington auditioned defensive end Lawrence Sidbury (Twitter link).
Titans Sign Richard Gordon
In addition to finalizing the trade that sent linebacker Akeem Ayers to the Patriots this morning, the Titans have also completed a handful of other roster moves. The team announced today (via Twitter) that it has added tight end Richard Gordon to its 53-man roster, and signed linebacker Nate Askew and wideout Derek Moye to its practice squad.
Gordon, 27, has spent time with the Raiders, Chiefs, and Steelers, catching four passes for 14 yards and a touchdown during his three-year NFL career. The majority of his contributions have come on special teams, where he has accumulated 19 tackles in kick and punt coverage, per Pro Football Focus. Although he takes the roster spot vacated by Ayers, Gordon is essentially a replacement for tight end Brett Brackett, who was waived by Tennessee earlier this week.
Askew and Moye, meanwhile, take the two open spots on the Titans’ practice squad, so no corresponding cuts are necessary to make room for them.
Workout Notes: Cox, Beauharnais, Stanzi
The Eagles didn’t bring in any offensive linemen for workouts today or Monday, a league source tells Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Plenty of teams are busy auditioning players, however. We did a roundup of workout news earlier today and we have a whole ‘nother batch right here..
- Defensive back Derek Cox and linebacker Steve Beauharnais are among the busiest free agents in the NFL, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cox tried out for the Saints while Beauharnais worked out for the Buccaneers, a source tells Yates.
- The Lions worked out defensive backs Chance Casey, T.J. Heath, Aaron Hester, and Kendall James, and wide receiver Ifeanyi Momah, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
- The Giants worked out quarterback Ricky Stanzi, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Giants also worked out safeties Bacarri Rambo, Corey Lynch and Jerron McMillian and wide receiver Juron Criner, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
- The Packers took a look at linebacker Nate Askew, running back Stephen Houston, running back Cameron White, and tackle Michael Philipp, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Guard Josh Walker was also part of today’s tryouts and he wound up getting signed to Green Bay’s practice squad.
- Nose tackle Ryan Pickett tried out for the Texans, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The veteran started 16 games for Green Bay last season.
Audition Notes: Titans, Giants
As we approach halftime of the late afternoon contests, we have a couple audition notes to pass along:
- Following the season-ending injury to Zach Brown, the Titans are leaving no stone unturned while searching for replacements at linebacker. Tennessee brought in 10 linebackers for a workout, according to Howard Balzer (on Twitter): James Anderson, Nate Askew, Allen Bradford, Larry Dean, L.J. Fort, Will Herring, Paris Lenon, Stephen Nicholas, Justin Staples, and Kion Wilson all auditioned on Friday.
- We already heard that Giants worked out several punters on Friday, but Balzer reports (via Twitter) that New York also brought in kicker Chris Boswell for a tryout. Boswell was released by the Texans in August.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.