Rakeem Nunez-Roches

NFL Workout Updates: 9/25/18

Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • C Dillon Day, T Gerhard de Beer, T Christian DiLauro, DT David Parry (link)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • T Christian DiLauro (link)

Tennessee Titans

Colts Cut Austin Howard, Reach 53-Man Roster

The Colts are at the 53-man roster max after making a bundle of transactions, including the release of offensive tackle Austin Howard.

[RELATED: Colts Cut John Simon]

The Colts invested $1.3MM guaranteed in Howard, but he was medically cleared until late July and struggled in camp and during the preseason. The Colts dangled him in trade talks this week, but there were no takers for him.

Despite his issues this summer, Howard had a solid 2017 with the Ravens and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 offensive tackle. If healthy, he could draw interest from other teams.

The Colts also placed defensive end Chris McCain, linebacker Jeremiah George, defensive end Anthony Johnson, and tight end Ross Travis on injured reserve.

Here’s a look at the rest of the Colts’ moves:

Waived:

Last year, Bond ascended to the starting center job when Ryan Kelly broke his foot late in training camp. Unfortunately, a torn quad landed him on IR in October. This year, he’ll be looking for work elsewhere.

Alie-Cox was a former basketball player looking to transition to tight end. Although Antonio Gates and others have successfully made the jump, Alie-Cox has yet to find similar success.

In addition to the aforementioned moves, the Colts also waived the following players with an injury designation. If they clear waivers, then they revert to the Colts’ Injured Reserve list:

AFC Notes: Condo, Colts, Jets, Kendricks

Long snapper Jon Condo spent 12 years with the Raiders, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods along the way. However, the organization moved on from the 36-year-old this offseason, opting to roll with a younger alternative in Andrew DePaola.

While Condo may have 176 games under his belt, he isn’t planning on hanging up his cleats any time soon.

“I’m a free agent right now,” Condo told Mike Boytim of the Altoona Mirror“My first year was 2005, so I’ve been in the league for 13 years. I’m happy with where I’m at, but I’m also hungry to get back out on the field. If a team comes calling, I’m definitely staying available and keeping in shape. I want to make myself ready for the opportunity.”

While Condo had a visit with the Texans earlier this offseason, he understands that his opportunities have essentially dried up. However, he’s still optimistic that a job could open up during the preseason.

“There’s definitely teams interested,” Condo said. “But with me being 36 years old, they want to give the reps to the younger guys. They know what I can do. If they want to see me, they can put on 12 years of film. I’ve spoken with my agent, and he told me a lot of teams are interested in me, but right now it’s a matter of someone getting hurt or a team losing confidence in their guy.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…

  • While Titans undrafted rookie wideout Deontay Burnett is talented, Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com believes fellow undrafted receivers Jordan Veasy and Devin Ross were more impressive during OTAs. When asked which other undrafted rookies could crack Tennessee’s 53-man roster, Wyatt pointed to running back Akrum Wadley and linebacker Sharif Finch.
  • The Colts have a number of talented offensive and defensive linemen on their roster, and Kevin Bowen of 1070TheFan.com writes that the team will have to cut bait with some notable names. For instance, offensive lineman Le’Raven Clark and Jeremy Vujnovich could end up being on the chopping block, while defensive linemen Margus Hunt, Chris McCain, Hassan Ridgeway, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches are all fighting for limited roster spots.
  • The Jets signed linebacker Avery Williamson to a three-year, $22.5MM contract back in March, but Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that there’s no certainty he’ll be a three-down player. His former team, the Titans, would take Williamson out of the game during passing downs, but Jets head coach Todd Bowles has expressed optimism that the linebacker will remain on the field in all scenarios. While Costello doesn’t sound all too bullish on that sentiment, he does believe Williamson will end up being a primary pass rusher for his new team.
  • Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com lists Mychal Kendricks as the Browns‘ “key linebacker.” The 27-year-old sat out minicamp as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, but it shouldn’t take long for him to fit in with his new team, as he has the versatility to play any of the linebacker spots. Cabot writes that Kendricks will initially contribute as the “Will” linebacker, although that means he’s behind Christian Kirksey on the depth chart. “Being more in the box, run front, blitzing, covering backs and tight ends from the Will is what he’s done,” said linebackers coach Blake Williams“That’s where he’ll definitely start out from the get-go to make sure that it’s as seamless a transition as possible. As he can take more, we can move him around more, but we want him to have confidence and success to start out with.”

Colts Claim Rakeem Nunez-Roches

Rakeem Nunez-Roches spent three seasons with the Chiefs before being waived midway through his fourth offseason, but he had a familiar voice vouching for him.

The Colts claimed the defensive lineman off waivers on Friday. Second-year Colts GM Chris Ballard was with the Chiefs when they drafted Nunez-Roches in 2015.

The 6-foot-2, 307-pound defender started 11 games for the AFC West champions last season and has played both end and tackle in his career. Prior to last season, Nunez-Roches mostly served as an off-the-bench defender for the Chiefs. He’s made 1.5 career sacks and 51 tackles.

This will be Nunez-Roches’ first time working in a 4-3 scheme, and he’ll likely play defensive tackle under Matt Eberflus. The Colts cut Johnathan Hankins this offseason and added three defensive ends in the form of Denico Autry, Chris McCain and second-rounder Tyquan Lewis.

Chiefs Release Rakeem Nunez-Roches

The Chiefs have released defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, as Terez A, Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Southern Miss product was due $1.9MM this year as a backup, which was apparently too much for KC’s liking. 

Nunez-Roches was a restricted free agent this offseason and was retained with the original-round tender. The 24-year-old (25 in July) took a while to explore his options and did not ink his tender until the last week of April. The deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets was on April 20, but Nunez-Roches did not sign an offer sheet and – to our knowledge – did not draw serious interest elsewhere. As a former sixth-round pick, a team would have had to sacrifice an equivalent choice in the event of an unmatched offer sheet.

Ultimately, Nunez-Roches was pushed out of a defensive line that added RFA Xavier Williams from the Cardinals and will return Allen Bailey to complement its Chris Jones-centered unit. The Chiefs also bolstered the D-Line through the draft by taking Mississippi’s Breeland Speaks in the second round and FSU nose tackle Derrick Nnadi in the third round.

Nunez-Roches started eleven games for the Chiefs last season and five in the 2016 campaign. He played 390 snaps in 2017 and registered a half-sack and made 24 tackles.

Rakeem Nunez-Roches Signs RFA Tender

A rotational presence on recent Chiefs defensive lines, Rakeem Nunez-Roches signed his RFA tender, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter), and will return to Kansas City for a fourth season.

The Belize native’s signing leaves Falcons safety Ricardo Allen as the only unsigned restricted free agent. Allen was given a second-round tender, while the Chiefs tagged Nunez-Roches with an original-round tender worth $1.9MM.

Nunez-Roches started 11 games for the Chiefs last season and five for the 2016 version. He played 390 snaps last season and registered a half-sack and made 24 tackles. Entering his age-25 season, he’ll rerejoin a Chiefs front that figures to see some augmentation in the draft. Kansas City, though, signed RFA Xavier Williams from the Cardinals and still has Allen Bailey to complement its Chris Jones-centered defensive line.

The deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets elsewhere has passed, leaving Allen in limbo. The Falcons can withdraw their $2.9MM tender after June 15, so some action in this process should be expected by then.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18

Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

RFAs

Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):

Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

Chiefs Make Several Roster Moves

The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves in advance of their game against the Saints this Sunday, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports. The club has signed four players – defensive linemen Kendall Reyes and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, linebacker Ramik Wilson and cornerback Terrance Mitchell – to its active roster. Additionally, the Chiefs have waived defensive lineman Nick Williams, and placed both defensive end Allen Bailey and linebacker Justin March-Lillard on injured reserve (links to Twitter).

Kendall Reyes

Of the four newest Chiefs, Reyes is the most notable. A second-round pick in 2012, Reyes was a starter on San Diego’s defensive line from 2013-2015. Reyes then joined the Redskins on a one-year, $2.5MM deal during the offseason. He cracked their roster to begin the year, but the team cut him earlier this month after a groin injury limited him. In total, the 27-year-old has racked up 66 appearances, 50 starts and 13.5 sacks in his NFL career.

Both Wilson and Nunez-Roches were member of the Chiefs’ 2015 draft class who are now returning to their roster (the former had been on their practice squad). Kansas City selected Wilson in the fourth round, and the ex-Georgia Bulldog appeared in 11 games, made two starts and amassed 13 tackles in his rookie year.

Nunez-Roches, formerly of Southern Miss, went in Round 6. He saw action in seven games last year and remained with the Chiefs at the outset of this season, but they cut him after Week 1. Notably, Nunez-Roches is the first Belizean-born player in league history.

Mitchell landed with the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2014 draft and will now join his fifth organization. He debuted last season and garnered eight appearances with the Cowboys and Bears, also adding an interception.

Williams, 26, went to Pittsburgh in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, but he didn’t suit up until the next season as a member of the Chiefs. He picked up 21 appearances with KC before the club cut him.

Allen Bailey (Vertical)

Not to be lost in the shuffle are the long-term injuries to Bailey and March-Lillard, both of whom started the Chiefs’ first five games of the season.

Bailey, a sixth-year man, has started in all 31 of his appearances dating back to 2014. He was on the field for 54.9 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps before going on IR with a shoulder injury, but Pro Football Focus ranks his overall performance just 93rd among 117 qualifying interior D-linemen through five weeks.

Having played in 49.9 of their defensive snaps, the Chiefs have also relied a fair amount on March-Lillard. In his first pro action, the 2015 undrafted free agent from Akron has accrued 22 tackles. PFF rates his output 49th among 85 LBs.

Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/16

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Cut: DE Nordly Capi and DB Devonte Johnson (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: DT Leon Orr (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald)

New York Giants

  • Signed: OT Laurence Gibson (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes
  • Cut: S Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Mark Kaboly of DK Pittsburgh Sports)

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed: TE Austin Traylor (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego)

Seattle Seahawks