HEADLINES

R.J. Mattes

Buccaneers Cut 13 Players

August 25th, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 9:29am: The Bucs have made another move, releasing linebacker Damaso Munoz, tweets Rick Stoud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa’s roster is now at 77.

SUNDAY, 3:46pm: The Buccaneers have issued their first wave of roster moves, cutting 12 players, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter links):

With Cain, Andrew DePaola is now in line for the long-snapping job. Tanney is notable for being a “trick-shot” QB of YouTube renown. Tampa Bay still needs to make three more roster cuts before Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline.

Minor Moves: Thursday

August 21st, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the following players are now on their respective teams’ injured reserve lists: Darnell Dockett (Cardinals), Greg Latta (Broncos), Fendi Onobun (Jaguars), Jeremy Deering (Raiders), and Mike Caussin (Redskins). Because he has four or more accrued seasons, Dockett can be placed on IR without passing through waivers, and we heard previously that Latta, Onobun, and Deering were waived-injured by their clubs. Caussin’s case is less clear — he doesn’t appear to have four accrued seasons, so he should have to be waived before landing on IR. For what it’s worth, the Redskins’ official site still lists him as on the team’s active roster.

Earlier updates:

  • Former Falcon Eric Weems has returned to the team, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com, who tweets that wideout Jabin Sambrano has been cut to make room for the veteran receiver and return specialist. Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who reported earlier this week that Weems wanted to sign with Atlanta but appeared headed to the Titans, said today (via Twitter) that the ex-Bear took a physical in Tennessee, but it hit a snag. The Falcons, who entered the picture last night, signed Weems to a one-year, minimum-salary contract, per McClure (Twitter link).
  • The Saints have begun making cuts in advance of next Tuesday’s first deadline, parting ways with four players today. As Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune details, the club waived outside linebacker Chidera Uzo-Diribe, running back Tim Flanders, tight end Je’Ron Hamm and wide receiver Tobais Palmer.
  • Defensive tackle Anthony McCloud has been waived by the Cardinals, opening up a second spot on the team’s 90-man roster, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • The Buccaneers have swapped a pair of players at the back of their roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed guard R.J. Mattes and waived defensive end James Ruffin.
  • The Patriots have made two cuts, letting go of defensive lineman Marcus Forston and tight end D.J. Williams, according to a team release.

Minor Moves: Cowboys, Falcons, Pats, Colts

June 11th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Today’s minor moves include a veteran defender heading to IR, a CFL signing, and other smaller signings and cuts from around the NFL. Let’s dive in and round up Wednesday’s minor transactions, with additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Former Bethel cornerback Jocquel Skinner, who signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in May, has been waived-injured by the club, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Per Wilson, the Cowboys have also removed Marvin Robinson from their IR with an injury settlement.

Earlier updates:

  • Tight end Andrew Szczerba and punter Matt Yoklic have been cut by the Falcons, according to a team release. Szczerba spent last season on injured reserve, while Yoklic was signed by Atlanta a month ago as a rookie free agent.
  • The Patriots have waived offensive lineman R.J. Mattes, the team announced today in a press release. It’s the third time since last May that the former North Carolina State lineman has been cut by New England.
  • The Colts have placed defensive end Fili Moala on injured reserve, tweets Craig Kelley of Colts.com. Moala, who missed half of the 2012 season with a torn ACL, has suffered a similar injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Per Rapoport, the 28-year-old’s ACL is only partially torn, but it’s enough to sideline him for the 2014 season. To replace Moala, the Colts have signed former Arizona State defensive end Gannon Conway, who was waived by the Dolphins last month.
  • A former Valdosa State wideout with a presidential name has signed with the Dolphins, according the team, who announced today (via Twitter) that Gerald Ford has been added to the roster. Tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has been cut to clear space on the roster for Ford.
  • Offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. was cut by the Saints recently, has signed with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).

Pats Rumors: Blount, Edelman, Talib

January 20th, 2014 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

LeGarrette Blount is headed for unrestricted free agency, but he indicated today that he’d like to return to the Patriots, according to Mary Paoletti of CSNNE.com (via Twitter). While Blount’s comment came with the caveat that “we’ll have to see what happens in the offseason,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) gets the sense that the Pats have interest in re-signing the 27-year-old this winter. Here’s more on the AFC’s runner-up:

  • The Pats signed everyone on their practice squad except Marcus Forston to a futures contract, tweets Howe. So in addition to signing Mattes and McGuffie, who are mentioned below, the Pats also inked offensive linemen Jordan Devey and Braxston Cave, receivers Reggie Dunn and Greg Orton, and linebacker Taylor Reed to deals.

Earlier updates:

  • During his weekly appearance on WEEI in Boston, Tom Brady had nothing but praise for his top receiver, saying that Julian Edelman, a free agent this offseason, “deserves the best” (link via CSNNE.com). Still, Brady suggested that free agency and personnel decisions will be in the hands of New England’s front office and head coach.
  • Speaking of those decisions, Bill Belichick told reporters today, including Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), that it will likely take four to eight weeks to make decisions on the club’s in-house free agents like Blount and Edelman.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines the decisions facing the Patriots’ in the next couple months, including whether or not to re-sign Blount, Edelman, and Aqib Talib.
  • Offensive lineman R.J. Mattes and wide receiver Sam McGuffie have signed futures contracts with the Pats, tweets Howe. Both players had been on New England’s practice squad.