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Workout Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Raiders, Bucs

September 8th, 2015 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

With 53-man rosters set, teams around the NFL will start to frequently bring in players for workouts and auditions, keeping up-to-date on which free agents are out there, in case injury replacements or practice squad fill-ins are required.

Here are a few of the latest updates on teams working out players, or bringing them in for visits:

  • The Bills, who are exploring other possible options at kicker after an underwhelming preseason from Dan Carpenter, worked out Alex Henery, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Henery’s last game in the NFL, the one that cost him his job, came last October, when he missed three field goals for the Lions against Buffalo.
  • Before they signed linebacker Adrian Hubbard, the Dolphins worked out Hubbard and several other players, according to Wilson (Twitter link). The players who earned an audition with Miami included former Raiders safety Jonathan Dowling, ex-Cardinals linebacker Glenn Carson, former Bengals linebacker Nico Johnson, ex-Cowboys cornerback Robert Steeples, and former Eagles safety Chris Prosinski.
  • The Raiders brought in a number of players for workouts, with a focus on wide receivers, quarterbacks, and defensive backs. According to Wilson (Twitter links), wideouts Phil Bates, John Harris, DeAndre Carter, and T.J. Graham, quarterbacks Jeff Tuel and Phillip Sims, and defensive backs Tommie Campbell, Phillip Thomas, B.W. Webb, and Ty Zimmerman auditioned for the club. Offensive lineman Dillon Farrell also had a tryout with Oakland.
  • Offensive lineman Austin Reiter, a 2015 seventh-rounder waived by Washington over the weekend, is working out for the Buccaneers this morning, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
  • After being waived by the Chargers last week, wide receiver Titus Davis paid a visit to the Lions, tweets Wilson.

Dolphins Cut 11 Players

August 30th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Dolphins have cut 11 players as we move closer to the Tuesday deadline to get down to a 75-man roster, announcing their cuts in a pair of tweets:

  • Calvin Barnett, DT
  • Bryant Browning, OG
  • LaRon Byrd, WR
  • Kevin Cone, WR
  • Ray Drew, DE
  • Tyler McDonald, WR
  • Kendall Montgomery, DE
  • Gerell Robinson, TE
  • Sammy Seamster, CB
  • Phillip Thomas, S
  • J.D. Walton, C/G

By Tuesday they will have to be under the limit of 75 players according to NFL rules.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/15

August 10th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest minor moves and signings from around the NFL..

  • The Dolphins signed running back Demitrius Bronson and safety Phillip Thomas, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. To make room, Miami waived/injured safety Shamiel Gary and waived receiver Tyler McDonald.
  • The Colts re-signed guard Kitt O’Brien and waived guard Dionte Savage, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. Just days ago, the Colts cut O’Brien and signed Savage.
  • The Broncos claimed Matt Hall off waivers from the Colts, Wilson tweets.
  • The Saints waived UDFA wide receiver Malcome Kennedy from their IR, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed safety Tyrequek Zimmerman, Wilson tweets.
  • The Patriots signed Tony Creecy and Logan Stokes while cutting Chris White and Mason Brodine, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Lions signed tight end Jacob Maxwell, who was briefly with the team as a UDFA, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
  • The Titans waived-injured cornerback Curtis Riley and picked up fellow corner Will Brown, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
  • The Jaguars signed defensive end Camaron Beard and waived/injured linebacker Matt Robinson, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.
  • The Eagles signed ex-Falcons wide receiver Freddie Martino and released fellow wideout John Harris, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Defensive end Frances Mays has also been waived/injured.

Earlier updates:

  • The Packers announced that they have released punter Cody Mandell, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. Mandell was in competition with fellow punter Tim Masthay, but that showdown didn’t even make it until the preseason opener.
  • The Browns worked out and signed linebacker Moise Fokou, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). To make room for Smith, the Browns have cut Rodney Smith, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks cut Robert Smith with a failed physical designation, Wilson tweets. The safety was claimed off waivers from the Colts late last week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/15

August 5th, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL moves and signings..

  • The Eagles signed rookie free agent linebacker Diaheem Watkins, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
  • The Seahawks announced that they have signed linebacker Dakorey Johnson, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. Johnson takes the place of linebacker Alex Singleton, who was cut loose earlier today.
  • The Bears have waived/injured tight end Brian Vogler with a foot injury, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
  • The 49ers agreed to terms with wide receiver Nigel King, as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com tweets.

Earlier Updates:

  • The Rams waived wide receiver Devon Wylie, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Falcons waived cornerback Michael Lee and signed nose tackle Derrick Hopkins, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Buccaneers announced (on Twitter) that they have waived long snapper Courtland Clavette.
  • The Panthers signed cornerback T.J. Heath and defensive tackle Kenny Horsley, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, Carolina released punter Matt Wile.
  • Washington announced the signings of cornerbacks Bryan McCann and DreQuan Hoskey. McCann, who first entered the league as UDFA with the Cowboys in 2010, has made multiple stops around the NFL. Hoskey, a Virginia product, was in rookie minicamp this summer and made a strong impression on coaches. Washington also cut Phillip Thomas and waived/injured Tevin Mitchel, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Steelers signed undrafted rookie wide receiver Kenzel Doe of Wisconsin and waived-injured undrafted rookie receiver Eli Rogers, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.
  • The Ravens signed defensive tackle Micajah Reynolds and waived defensive tackle Casey Walker, who just came off the PUP list on Monday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Bears are signing USC tight end Kevin Greene, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.

Minor Moves: Saturday

November 1st, 2014 at 5:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s minor transactions, with the most recent updates added to the top of the list…

  • Wideout Bryan Walters has been cut by the Seahawks, who have promoted practice squad safety Terrance Parks to take his place on the roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. As Condotta observes (Twitter links), the move adds depth at safety with a couple players ailing, and leaves Seattle with five active receivers.
  • The Lions have released safety Jerome Couplin and tight end Jordan Thompson, reports Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). One of those roster spots would likely go to Kyle Van Noy who is set to return to action next week. The other could go to a defensive tackle, with Nick Fairley set to miss this Sunday’s game.
  • The Chargers have released running back Shaun Draughn, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). The team signed safety Adrian Phillips into that roster spot.

Earlier updates:

  • The 49ers have promoted cornerback Leon McFadden to their active roster, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • The Cardinals have promoted running back Kerwynn Williams to the active roster, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. To make room on the roster, the team parted ways with defensive tackle Bruce Gaston. Urban notes that Gaston could return to the team next week.
  • The Jets have promoted quarterback Matt Simms and cut wideout Chris Owusu, tweets Aaron Wilson. Simms, the son of former Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms, is likely insurance for the Jets in case Geno Smith is unable to suit up.
  • The Chiefs have promoted safety Daniel Sorensen from their practice squad, tweets Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star. To make room on the roster, the team released defensive lineman Damion Square.
  • Washington will release defensive end Clifton Geathers and will activate former fourth round pick Phillip Thomas to the active roster, reports ESPN 980 Radio (confirmed by ESPN’s John Keim). Geathers has been with seven different squads since entering the league in 2010. He signed with Washington this past offseason. Thomas still hasn’t made an NFL appearance since being selected by Washington in last year’s draft.

Sunday Roundup: Suh, Jets, Steve Smith

September 28th, 2014 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Parks

It has been fairly obvious for some time that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh would be leaving Detroit at the end of the year, and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter confirms that the Lions are preparing to move on without him. However, Schefter adds another wrinkle, writing that Suh would love to play in New York, either for the Jets or Giants.

However, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Jets have too much money tied up in their defensive line to be a serious suitor, and Mike Florio of Pro Football talk adds that there is no indication that the Giants would want Suh. Citing Schefter, Florio does add that the Bears and Cowboys will definitely be interested.

Now for some more links from around the league:

  • In a full-length piece, Cimini writes that the Jets‘ most pressing contract concern might center around linebacker David Harris, the “glue” to head coach Rex Ryan‘s defensive unit. Although Muhammad Wilkerson‘s contract situation has received more attention, Harris will be a free agent at year’s end, whereas Wilkerson will still be under club control.
  • Steve Serby of the New York Post writes that the Jets‘ worst-case scenario–that Geno Smith would continue to struggle with his turnover problem, triggering calls for Michael Vick to take over–has come true. Given that Ryan is coaching for his job, another poor showing from Smith this week could lead to Vick’s promotion. Like Serby, Cimini believes that Smith’s job could be on the line today.
  • Not only are the Jets inconsistent on the field, they are also facing internal struggles. In a separate piece, Schefter writes that some members of the Jets front office are disenchanted with the way GM John Idzik has built his roster. Not only do they believe Idzik was not aggressive enough in pursuing upgrades at cornerback, an issue that has received a lot of publicity, but they also feel that Idzik should have used his ample salary cap space to further address the wide receiver, pass rusher, and return specialist positions.
  • Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that the Ryan Tannehill/Joe Philbin dilemma is not the only player/coach rift on the Dolphins.
  • Rich Tandler of ESPNWashington.com says to look for the Redskins to promote safety Philip Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster–assuming they do not go outside the organization for help–and that one of the tight ends currently on the practice squad, Ted Bolser and Je’Ron Hamm, could also be on the way up, depending on the status of Jordan Reed and Niles Paul.
  • Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune tweets that the Buccaneers have only two players remaining from their 2010 club: Gerald McCoy and Demar Dotson.
  • In a series of tweets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes that the Panthers did not cut Steve Smith because they thought he could no longer perform at a high level. Instead, they worried that Smith would be “divisive” in the team’s young locker room. Smith refused to take a pay cut and ultimately asked for his release.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East

September 1st, 2014 at 10:20am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. 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 NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys:

New York Giants:

Philadelphia Eagles:

Washington Redskins:

Redskins Trim Roster To 53

August 30th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Ben Levine

4:54pm: The Redskins have finalized their roster, announcing the following moves via press release:

Waived:

Placed on injured reserve:

Placed on reserve/physically unable to perform list:

8:41am: We learned yesterday that the Redskins let go of eight players, and the team has continued to make cuts this morning. While none of the moves have been announced officially, here is a running list of the team’s reported cuts: