Paul Butler

NFL Workout Updates: 12/3/19

Today’s notes from the workout/visit circuit:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/19

Here’s a look at the latest workouts from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Read more

Raiders Get Down To 53 Players

The Raiders have made their slew of cuts. They placed defensive tackle Justin Ellis on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss the entire season. After starting 14 games in 2017, Oakland signed Ellis to a three-year, $15MM extension. Injuries limited him to just six games last season, so he’ll have barely played through the first two years of that extension.

Former Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks also got the boot. He started nine games for Los Angeles in 2017 and racked up four sacks. Last year he had a smaller role, although he did appear in all 16 games for the Rams. ‘Hard Knocks’ star Keelan Doss unfortunately failed to make the roster. He’s an undrafted rookie receiver from UC Davis. Additionally Keith Smith, who served as the team’s fullback last season, was released.

Waived:

WR Marcell Ateman
DE Quinton Bell
RB James Butler
LB Jason Cabinda
LB Te’von Coney
G Lester Cotton Sr.
WR Keelan Doss
LB Koa Farmer
WR Rico Gafford
WR Keon Hatcher
G/T Denver Kirkland
CB Dylan Mabin
T Justin Murray
CB Nick Nelson
WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
T Tyler Roemer
DT Anthony Rush

Released:

FB Keith Smith
DE Ethan Westbrooks
LB Kyle Wilber

Waived/injured:

TE Paul Butler

Placed on season-ending injured reserve:

DT Justin Ellis

West Notes: Hill, Wilson, Henderson

Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill had an eight-hour meeting with NFL Special Counsel for Investigations Lisa Friel yesterday, and while the league reportedly has no timetable for the conclusion of its investigation, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests a decision should be coming sooner rather than later. In defending the delayed interview of former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, the league said that it waits to interview the player until the rest of its investigation has concluded, so since Hill has now been interviewed, it’s fair to assume that the process is drawing to a close. But NFL disciplinary matters never seem to go smoothly, and the league could say that Hill’s conversation with Hill requires follow-up work, so it may be awhile before Hill hears his fate.

Now for more from the league’s west divisions:

  • Cardinals tight end Caleb Wilson, whom the club selected in the seventh round of this year’s draft, actually committed to play quarterback at Old Dominion. But he knew that his path to a pro career would not be as a QB, so he walked on as a tight end at USC and eventually transferred to UCLA. As a late-round draft choice, he needs to impress right away, and Kyle Odegard of the team’s official website says that Wilson is doing just that. New HC Kliff Kingsbury‘s spread offense emphasizes a TE’s receiving ability, and Kingsbury has praised Wilson’s route-running and hands. Wilson may be the fourth tight end on the depth chart right now, but it’s a fairly thin group, so he should have a chance to stick.
  • Vinny Bonsignore and Rich Hammond of The Athletic discussed which of the Rams‘ rookies would have the most impact on the team’s fortunes this year, and both agree that third-round RB Darrell Henderson is likely to be that guy. Henderson, a running back from Memphis, was a collegiate stud in 2018, and while LA has been adamant that its selection of Henderson has nothing to do with Todd Gurley ‘s balky knee, it’s not difficult to envision Henderson being a key component of the Rams’ offense in 2019.
  • Vic Tafur of The Athletic examines former Spring League standout Paul Butler‘s chocolate milk-fueled journey to the thick of the Raiders‘ TE depth chart, and though Butler still faces something of an uphill battle to make the club, he has a real shot. He performed well in OTAs and minicamp, and Oakland clearly thinks highly of him, as they promoted him from the practice squad late last year to prevent the Lions from poaching him. There are six TEs battling for four roster spots, but Butler’s blend of size and receiving ability give him a chance to make the 53-man roster.
  • Today, we added two more entries to our Extension Candidate series: Rams CB Marcus Peters (link) and Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner (link).

Extra Points: Murray, NFL Draft, Brown, Giants, Butler, Raiders

Kyler Murray’s Oklahoma Sooners were eliminated from the College Football Playoff last night, and the watch is officially on to see whether or not he’ll enter the NFL Draft. Murray is a two-sport athlete who was drafted ninth overall by the A’s to play baseball. The A’s gave him a nearly $5MM signing bonus to play baseball, but his Heisman winning season has left open the possibility that he’ll decide to play football instead.

Speaking before the game against Alabama, Murray didn’t shut the door on an NFL career even though his baseball agent has insisted he’ll be playing pro baseball, saying “it’s never bad to have options” according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com.. It’s unclear where Murray might go in the draft if he declares, and reports have him going anywhere from early in the first round to late on Day 2. With spring training for MLB teams set to begin in just a couple of months, we should know more about his intentions very soon.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Speaking of the draft, today’s Week 17 slate gave us some much anticipated clarity about the 2019 NFL draft order. The top 18 is officially set, per ESPN, with the Cardinals picking first overall. The 49ers, Jets, Raiders, and Buccaneers will round out the top five. The Cardinals will likely have a new coach and possibly new front office making the decision, and plenty of the top teams could be looking to trade down with teams more in need of a quarterback.
  • Guard Jamon Brown has played well for the Giants since being claimed off waivers from the Rams earlier this year, but New York hasn’t tried to negotiate a new contract with him yet, a source told Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. Brown is set to be a free agent this offseason, and could land a decent sized payday. He’s been a solid starter in his career, but was waived by the Rams shortly after returning from a two game suspension.
  • Raiders tight end Paul Butler has been inactive for both games he’s been on the 53-man roster, but the team apparently thinks highly of him. Oakland promoted him from the practice squad because the Lions were trying to sign him away, a source told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). Butler is a rookie UDFA from tiny school California University of Pennsylvania.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/18

Here are the NFL’s minor moves on Christmas Eve:

Dallas Cowboys

Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Denver Broncos

Placed on injured reserve:

Re-signed:

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Claimed:

Placed on injured reserve:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Los Angeles Chargers

Claimed:

Cut:

Practice squad:

Oakland Raiders

Claimed:

Cut:

Signed to practice squad:

* = suspended

Raiders Announce Roster Cuts

Trading Khalil Mack wasn’t the Raiders’ only order of business Saturday. They’ve also moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Waived/injured:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on PUP list:

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/7/18

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: C Tejan Koroma

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks