NFC Notes: D. Hall, Cowboys, Lions
Washington defensive back DeAngelo Hall, a longtime cornerback who has earned three Pro Bowl nods at the position, wants to play safety not just to extend his career, but to make a real impact, writes Liz Clarke of the Washington Post.
“I’m not gonna try to go play safety just to try to extend my career,” Hall said. “I’m gonna go play safety just to be a damn good safety. I’m not in the business of just trying to just tack on years. I can go home and hang with my kids and my family before I do that.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- In addition to the trio of ex-Seahawks running backs the Cowboys have acquired this year, Dallas also tried to sign Thomas Rawls as a priority free agent, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. The Cowboys are currently carrying former Seattle backs Robert Turbin and Rod Smith on their roster, having recently cut Christine Michael.
- Explaining why the Seahawks released wide receiver Chris Matthews this week, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said that the club “just didn’t feel like we got what we were looking for” from Matthews (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). The Seattle OC praised Matthews talent, but cautioned there was more to on-field success than that. “You have to be able to fit in and you have to be able to make plays when your opportunities come,” Bevell said. “You have to be able to understand the offense and do the right thing, and all those things together, it just wasn’t enough.”
- With a game against Carson Palmer‘s old team coming up this weekend, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said he can’t believe his club got the quarterback “for basically nothing,” tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Of course, Arizona’s game this week is against the Bengals, who got a much more significant return for Palmer when they sent to him to Oakland than the Raiders did when they sent him to the Cards.
- The Lions‘ search for secondary depth resulted in workouts for defensive backs Danny Gorrer, R.J. Stanford, and Brock Vereen, along with a visit from cornerback Josh Gordy, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter links). The team ultimately signed veteran corner Bill Bentley, who also had an audition this week.
Lions Release Ryan Broyles, 8 Others
The Lions have cut ten players loose, including wide receiver Ryan Broyles, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com writes. The full list is below:
- Deon Butler, TE
- Ryan Broyles, WR
- Garret Gilbert, QB
- Vernon Johnson, WR
- Desmond Martin, RB
- Roy Philon, DT
- Jocquel Skinner, CB
- R.J. Stanford, CB
- Erik Williams, DE
In addition to those moves, cornerback Chris Owens has been placed on IR with an undisclosed injury. Broyles, 27, has spend the last three years with the Lions and appared in 21 total games. In his rookie season, the second round selection hauled in 22 catches for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading many to wonder if he could be on his way to becoming a leading wide receiver. Since then, however, he has notched just 10 total catches.
Lions Sign R.J. Stanford
After working out three cornerbacks at their practice facility today, the Lions have signed veteran free agent R.J. Stanford to a contract, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. The move brings Detroit’s offseason roster back up to 90 players.
Stanford, 27, entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2010, but only appeared in 12 regular season contests for Carolina in 2011 before moving on to Miami. The Utah product spent the last three years with the Dolphins, contributing as a special-teamer and providing depth in the secondary.
The Lions are now carrying 10 cornerbacks, so Stanford will have to impress over the next few weeks to have a chance to make the regular-season roster. The team opted to sign him after auditioning a group of defensive backs that also included Javier Arenas and Ethan Davis, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor 53-man roster moves from around the NFL:
- The Vikings will sign tackle J’Marcus Webb once Phil Loadholt is placed on IR, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). Webb was brought in for a workout today along with Eric Winston.
- Per Howard Balzer of the SportsXchange (via Twitter), the Rams have tweaked their 53-man roster, cutting wide receiver Damian Williams and promoting tight end Justice Cunningham from their practice squad.
- The Giants have confirmed their signing of Terrell Manning (noted below), waiving linebacker Justin Anderson to make the move official, tweets ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.
- According to the Dolphins (Twitter link), cornerback Jalil Brown has been cut to make room for R.J. Stanford, whose signing is noted below.
Earlier updates:
- The Titans have swapped one offensive lineman for another, placing starting center Brian Schwenke on injured reserve and signing interior lineman Eric Olsen to replace him, says Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter links). Presumably, Chris Spencer, who replaced Schwenke on Sunday after the second-year starter suffered a knee injury, will be the starting center going forward, with Olsen providing depth.
- The Dolphins have added a cornerback, according to agent David Canter, who tweets that his client R.J. Stanford has signed with Miami. The move has yet to be announced by the team, so it’s not clear yet what the corresponding cut will be, but there’s a decent chance that it could involve Jamar Taylor landing on injured reserve — the cornerback left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury and at least one report indicated it could end his season.
- We heard earlier today that Chargers center Rich Ohrnberger was expected to miss the rest of the season with a back injury, and the team has confirmed as much, announcing in a press release that Ohrnberger has been placed on injured reserve. San Diego has promoted linebacker Cordarro Law from the club’s practice squad to the active roster to fill the newly-created opening.
- The Bengals announced another team’s roster move today, tweeting that linebacker Terrell Manning had been signed off their practice squad by the Giants. For their part, the Giants haven’t yet made the signing official by announcing a corresponding move.
- Washington has released linebacker Akeem Jordan from its injured reserve list, making him a free agent, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
Workout Notes: Bengals, Titans, Giants
The Bengals signed one former Raider earlier today, reportedly adding wideout Greg Little to their roster. And according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Cincinnati recently took a look at another ex-Raider as well, working out free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Here are a few more notes on workouts, visits, and auditions from around the NFL:
- With Michael Roos out for the season, the Titans are working out veteran offensive lineman Winston Justice, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (Twitter link). Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2006, Justice has had some injury problems and provided inconsistent production, but he has also logged 43 starts, primarily at right tackle.
- As the Giants try to determine how to plug the hole left by Victor Cruz‘s season-ending patella tendon tear, the team is working out free agent wideout Kevin Ogletree, says Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link). Ogletree had his best season in 2012 for one of the Giants’ divisional rivals, when he grabbed 32 balls and four touchdowns for the Cowboys.
- Cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks, who was drafted in the seventh round in May by the Bengals and was subsequently cut by the team, visited the Jaguars this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
- Josh Thomas was the first cornerback to sign with the Jets in the wake of Dee Milliner‘s season-ending injury, but the team has considered other options as well. Wilson tweets that Drayton Florence, Jacob Lacey, and R.J. Stanford all auditioned for the club.
- In addition to considering Justin Jones, whose workout with the team was previously reported, the Dolphins are also taking a look at tight end Jamie Childers, writes Wilson for the National Football Post.
- Wilson also reports (Twitter links) that several players visited and/or worked out for the Buccaneers this week. That list includes fullback Lonnie Pryor, defensive end George Uko, and defensive backs Brandon Burton, Richard Crawford, Isaiah Frey, and Trevin Wade.
North Notes: Peterson, Rice, Lions, Browns
Adrian Peterson‘s trial date was set today for December 1, and could happen even sooner than that if Peterson’s camp can expedite the process. With the case likely to be resolved during the season, it could create a predicament for the Vikings and the NFL, whether or not Peterson is found guilty, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Since the use of the exempt/commissioner’s permission spot for players facing charges is a new development, there’s no blueprint for how to proceed once the legal proceedings wrap up.
If Peterson is acquitted, will the Vikings reactivate him immediately? If Peterson is found guilty, will he face an immediate suspension from the league, and will the time he missed count toward that ban? It’s new territory for the league, and as Florio points out, it will be interesting to see how cases like Peterson’s and Greg Hardy‘s play out, and when we’ll see those players back on the field.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Having already appealed the indefinite suspension handed down by the NFL, Ray Rice also may pursue a grievance against the Ravens for terminating his contract after the public release of the elevator video, sources tell Florio. As Florio explains, Rice’s camp would make a similar argument to the one being made in the appeal of the suspension, pointing out that the running back had already been punished for the incident, and that the league and team should have already known all the relevant facts.
- While the Lions were the only team reported to have Matt Prater in for a workout, the veteran kicker tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) that “five or six” clubs had some interest after he was released by the Broncos.
- Former Raiders linebacker Kaelin Burnett worked out for the Browns this week, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Wilson also has the details on the free agents who tried out for the Lions and have yet to be reported. We already heard about a few kickers and defensive backs to audition for the club, but Wilson adds the following names to the list of participants (via Twitter): DB Bryan McCann, DT Kheeston Randall, LB Caesar Rayford, CB R.J. Stanford, and CB Trevin Wade.
- In addition to their workouts reported yesterday, the Bengals also took a look at guard Antoine McClain and linebacker Troy Davis, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- Former Packers safety Jerron McMillian auditioned for another NFC North team this week, visiting the Vikings, tweets Wilson.
AFC South Notes: Titans, Texans, Colts
We’ve got plenty of news to round up today on teams working out free agents, including updates from all four AFC South clubs. Here’s a look at which players the Titans, Texans, Colts, and Jaguars have been auditioning recently:
- We heard yesterday that the Titans were eyeing cornerbacks, having brought in Derek Cox, Brandon Ghee, and Curtis Marsh. However, those weren’t the only players to audition for the club. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Tennessee also worked out fullbacks Brian Leonard and Chris Pressley.
- The Texans are exploring the defensive back market, having tried out Charles James, Kendall James, R.J. Stanford, and Robert Steeples this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Colts worked out a pair of wide receivers, bringing in Jeremy Gallon and Austin Franklin.
- In addition to trying out Tommy Streeter, who signed to their practice squad, the Jaguars also took a look at tight end Matthew Mulligan, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Workout Notes: Beauharnais, Brown, Lewis
With injuries piling up and rosters changing, a number of players have had workouts with various teams in anticipation of week four action.
Here are some of the players who have had workouts with teams recently:
- Free agent linebacker Steve Beauharnais worked out for the Chargers today, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The linebacker has worked out for six clubs since being waived by the Patriots, including an audition for the Bucs yesterday.
- The Ravens worked out cornerback Jalil Brown, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Brown has formerly played for the Dolphins and the Chiefs. They also worked out two former Bears’ tight ends, Kellen Davis and Matthew Mulligan, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Seahawks worked out M.D. Jennings, Tommie Campbell, R.J. Stanford and Jerome Murphy, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- The Panthers worked out Marcus Davis, LaDon Hudson, and Willie Snead, reports Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Vikings worked out running back Dion Lewis, tight ends Jake Stoneburner and Ryan Otten, and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
South Notes: Titans, Watt, Jags, Bucs
Let’s round up a few Wednesday items from out of the NFL’s two South divisions….
- The Titans appear to be eyeing secondary help. In addition to hosting Crezdon Butler for a tryout, as we heard yesterday, the team also auditioned veteran defensive backs Dominique Franks, Julian Posey, R.J. Stanford, and Terrell Thomas, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). In a separate tweet, Wilson adds that Tennessee had interest in signing cornerback Derek Cox before he returned to the Ravens.
- Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link) provides the details on the contract that kicker Ryan Succop signed with the Titans. According to Kuharsky, it’s a minimum-salary pact with a $15K roster bonus.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap provides a full year-by-year breakdown of what J.J. Watt‘s new contract extension with the Texans should look like, based on a report from John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
- After auditioning for the Dolphins yesterday, tight end David Paulson has a tryout scheduled with the Jaguars for next Tuesday, tweets Wilson.
- Wide receivers Joe Anderson and Chris Williams, along with defensive backs Jordan Mabin and C.J. Wilson, worked out for the Buccaneers, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Bengals Cut Five Players
The Bengals have cut five players in advance of the 75-man roster limit, the team announced on Twitter. The following players were waived:
- Larry Black, DT
- Isaiah Lewis, LS
- Quinn Sharp, K
- Ryan Whalen, WR
CB R.J. Stanford had his contract terminated, meaning he is a free agent immediately. Cincinnati’s roster now stands at 81 — it needs to make six more cuts before 3pm tomorrow.