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Rajion Neal

Packers Waive Derek Sherrod

November 3rd, 2014 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Fresh off their bye week, the Packers have made a slew of roster moves, with the most notable transaction being the waiving of tackle Derek Sherrod, who was the 32nd overall pick in the 2011 draft (Twitter link via Brian McIntyre). To replace him on the roster, Green Bay has activated center J.C. Tretter from the injured reserve/designated to return list, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). The club also tweaked its practice squad, signing running back Rajion Neal and linebacker Joe Thomas while cutting tight end Ike Ariguzo and defensive end Joe Kruger, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter).

The Packers’ decision to cut Sherrod ends an unceremonious run in Green Bay for the Mississippi State product, who despite his draft pedigree, started only one game during his stint with the team. He represents a rare miss by general manager Ted Thompson — as ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes (on Twitter), Sherrod joins Justin Harrell as the only Thompson first-round picks no longer on the Packers’ roster. Sherrod’s most notable performance, infamously, came during the NFL opener earlier this year, when he was routinely beaten by various Seahawks defenders on his way to registering a -6.9 grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Still only 25, Sherrod should be able to latch on somewhere else; because he isn’t a vested veteran, he will have to clear waivers before becoming a free agent. The Packers, meanwhile, will need to find another swing tackle, as there isn’t another OT on the roster outside of starters David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga. The club does have rookie tackle Jeremy Vujnovich on its practice squad, so perhaps we’ll see him be promoted if the Packers decide they need more depth along their line.

Tretter, 23, was slated to take over as Green Bay’s starting center following the offseason departure of veteran Evan Dietrich-Smith. After injuring his knee during training camp, however, the team placed the 2013 fourth-rounder on IR-DTR. His replacement in the lineup, Corey Linsley, is playing extremely well, as evidenced by his rating as the league’s third-best center per PFF, so it’s fair to wonder if Tretter will be relegated to a reserve role. As Silverstein suggests (via Twitter), Tretter is a candidate to act as a backup tackle, so perhaps his versatility would serve him well in a bench position.

AFC Notes: Ravens, Jets, Pats, Chargers

September 23rd, 2014 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

A year ago, the Patriots began the 2013 season by winning their first four games, the Broncos came out of the gates by winning six consecutive contests, and the Chiefs started 9-0 before being dealt their first loss. In 2014, however, we’re through just three weeks and only one AFC team remains unbeaten.

The 3-0 Bengals have the conference’s best point differential by far at +47, and with a bye week coming up, their loss column will remain unblemished for at least one more week. Starting in Week 5 though, the Bengals will play games against the Patriots, Panthers, Colts, and Ravens, meaning there’s a good chance their winning streak will be halted well before they have the opportunity to match last year’s Chiefs’ start.

As we look forward to seeing how long the Bengals can continue their winning ways, let’s round up a few items from around the AFC….

Late Week Workouts: Patriots, Cardinals

September 19th, 2014 at 6:36pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Patriots worked out four players on Friday, reports Mike Reiss and Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com.

They are likely only looking at these players as practice squad candidates, but the team has made a habit of bringing in these players each week.

The team worked out former Falcons’ receiver and special teamer Kevin Cone, former Buccaneers’ defensive end Steven Means, undrafted free agent running back Rajion Neal, and linebacker D.J. Smith. Smith, a former Packer, also spent time with the Texans and Panthers.

The Cardinals also brought in a semi-big name in the recently released offensive tackle Cameron Bradfield, according to Yates (via Twitter). Bradfield started the first two games of this season for the Jaguars, but struggled mightily to protect Chad Henne. The team gave up ten sacks to the Redskins’ defense this past Sunday.

None of these players were signed as of Friday evening.

Packers Place Six Players On IR

August 26th, 2014 at 5:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Losing B.J. Raji is certainly unfortunate for the Packers, but as we learned late last week, they’re not panicking. Rather than pick through the scraps on the open market, the Packers are prepared to work with a number of in-house replacements, including Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion and undrafted rookie Mike Pennel. Here’s the latest out of Green Bay..

  • According to an NFL source, the Packers will place guard Andrew Tiller on the waived-injured list, tweets Justin Felder of FOX 11 in Green Bay. Tiller injured his calf against the Raiders in preseason action. The Syracuse product has previously spent time with the Saints and Chargers and was on Green Bay’s practice squad last season.
  • As expected, the Packers will place Raji on injured reserve today, a league source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 28-year-old defensive lineman suffered a biceps tear last week.
  • Vinnie Porter, the agent to former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, tells Demovsky (link) that the Packers gave his client an eight-week regular season injury settlement. Lyerla tore his MCL and PCL and, as expected, was waived-injured by the team. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) confirmed the move earlier today.
  • In total, the Packers announced that they have placed six players on injured reserve to get down to a 75-man roster, tweets Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. The six headed to IR are: Raji, Tiller, wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, offensive lineman Don Barclay, running back Rajion Neal, and linebacker Joe Thomas.

NFC North Links: Neal, Peppers, Lions, Bears

August 16th, 2014 at 1:53pm CST by Rob DiRe

Packers‘ running back Rajion Neal has been impressive this preseason, but he must return quickly from injury if he wants a chance of making the team’s final roster, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Neal is currently behind Eddie Lacy, James Starks, and DuJuan Harris on the depth chart, even though a knee injury forced him out of the preseason opener and will cause him to miss this week’s game as well. He will have to come back and impress in the final two games if he intends to convince the Packers to keep a fourth back on the roster.

Here are some other links from around the NFC North:

  • New Packer Julius Peppers saw limited action in the preseason opener, and failed to make his impact known, writes Demovsky. He has vowed to improve on his performance. “It matters, it matters,” said Peppers. “We all are going to need these reps to get ready for the season, which is going to be upon us pretty soon. It’s a chance to get better. We have a couple more opportunities to try to accomplish those goals.” 
  • The Lions have a running back who is also looking to make a 53-man roster, in George Winn, who has been impressive this offseason according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Winn has a reputation as a hard runner, scoring a touchdown from the one-yard line, and had two special teams tackles against the Raiders.
  • The wide receivers competing to make the Lions‘ roster after Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate will likely come down to some extremely tough decisions, writes Twentyman. Jeremy Ross, Kris Durham, Ryan Broyles, and Corey Fuller have all made a case for a roster spot during the preseason thus far.
  • The Bears have transformed from a defensive minded team to an offensive force over the years, but they could see an improvement on defense from linebackers Jon Bostic and Shea McClellin, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times.

NFC Links: Saints, Bucs, Cardinals, Vikings, Packers

August 11th, 2014 at 10:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints’ 2014 roster isn’t likely to match or exceed the total of eight undrafted free agents who earned spots on the roster or practice squad a year ago, but the team prides itself on finding hidden gems, as GM Mickey Loomis tells Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.

“Our college scouting staff takes a lot of pride in finding guys that no one’s heard about, or small college guys, and finding a trait that each one has that transfers to the NFL,” Loomis said. “It’s also a great credit to our coaching staff being willing to look at player and not worry about how we acquired them but just go by what we see and going by what their potential is to fit within our scheme offensively and defensively. We’ve had a lot of success with undrafted free agents, and I think that’s going to continue.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

  • Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Buccaneers have real interest in 49ers guard Alex Boone if the price is right (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). However, another source told Rapoport that there’s been no “real” conversations between the two sides.
  • The Buccaneers could use some help on the offensive line, and coach Lovie Smith was asked if the team would consider Richie Incognito. “[A]ll players are looked at and [if] we think they could fit we bring them in,” he told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud (via Twitter). 
  • Rookie wide receiver John Brown continues to make a “buzz” at Cardinals camp, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora. Considering the team’s depth at the position, La Canfora suggests that the team could carry six wideouts on their final roster.
  • ESPN’s Ben Goessling tweets that Vikings tight end Chase Ford is getting close to a return and may not need to start the season on the PUP list.
  • Packers running back Rajion Neal caught the eyes of coaches after he ran for 39 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, on five carries in the team’s preseason opener. Unfortunately, the undrafted rookie suffered a knee injury in the third quarter, and he understands that he has to get healthy quickly if he hopes to make the squad. “I’ve got to play; there ain’t no way around it,” Neal told ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “Being in the position I’m in, I can’t afford it.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Packers Announce 14 UDFA Signings

May 16th, 2014 at 11:11am CST by Rob DiRe

FRIDAY, 11:11am: The Packers have announced one more UDFA signing, revealing today that they’ve also signed Iowa safety Tanner Miller.

TUESDAY, 4:18pm: Add one more undrafted free agent to the Packers’ list. Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette tweets that Washington State offensive lineman John Fullington passed his physical and signed with the team, and today’s NFL transaction wire confirmed the move. Fullington received a $5K signing bonus, according to Dougherty.

MONDAY, 7:28pm: The Packers have officially announced that they have signed 12 undrafted free agents, according to the team’s official website.

Here are all of the Packers’ new players:

  • Jake Doughty, LB, Utah State ($5K bonus, per Pete Dougherty)
  • Jayrone Elliott, LB, Toledo ($5K bonus)
  • Carlos Gray, DE, North Carolina State ($4K bonus)
  • Adrian Hubbard, LB, Alabama ($5K bonus)
  • Jordan McCray, OG, Central Florida ($3.5K bonus)
  • Rajion Neal, RB, Tennessee ($2K bonus)
  • Mike Pennel, DT, Colorado State-Pueblo ($3.5K bonus)
  • Justin Perillo, TE, Maine ($2K bonus)
  • LaDarius Perkins, RB, Mississippi State ($3K bonus)
  • Chase Rettig, QB, Boston College ($3.5K bonus)
  • Joe Thomas, LB, South Carolina ($5K bonus)
  • Ryan White, CB, Auburn ($2K bonus)

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Panthers, Cards, Saints

April 15th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

After hosting prospects such as defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Kony Ealy on Monday, the Cowboys are being visited by the likes of Florida State’s Timmy Jernigan, UCLA’s Anthony Barr, and Boise State’s Demarcus Lawrence today, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com adds (via Twitter) that Northwest Missouri State cornerback Brandon Dixon is also visiting the club today.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

  • A player like Donald may not be available at No. 16, but there’s no guarantee the Cowboys will be keeping that pick, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who points out that in the 25 drafts Jerry Jones has overseen, the team has traded up or down 20 times.
  • The Panthers worked out LSU receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry today in Baton Rouge, according to David Newton of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) provides the specifics on Thomas DeCoud‘s two-year contract with the Panthers, which has a base value of $3.525MM. That includes a $500K signing bonus and base salaries of $900K (2014) and $1.675MM (2015). Meanwhile, Alex Hall‘s one-year deal with the Panthers is for the minimum, but included a modest $10K signing bonus, tweets Wilson.
  • Colorado State center Weston Richburg visited with the Cardinals on Monday, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
  • Ohio State’s Bradley Roby and Lindenwood’s Pierre Desir are among the five cornerbacks visiting the Saints today, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. The other three – Justin Gilbert, Aaron Colvin, and Demetri Goodson – had been previously reported.
  • Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that Stanford offensive tackle Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins today, while ESPN.com’s John Keim tweets that Demarcus Lawrence is also scheduled to visit Washington.
  • D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution lists more than a dozen players who worked out at the Falcons‘ local prospect day today, including Tennessee running back Rajion Neal and Georgia Tech safety Jemea Thomas, among others.