NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/15
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed:
- RB Jahwan Edwards (press release)
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed:
- CB Charles James (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec)
- Cut:
- TE Konrad Reuland (Twitter link via Zrebiec)
Buffalo Bills
- Signed:
- CB Merrill Noel (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Cut:
- QB Alex Tanney (Twitter link via Vic Carucci)
Chicago Bears
- Cut:
- RB Paul Lasike (Twitter link via Brad Biggs)
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed (press release):
- RB Gus Johnson (previously reported)
- WR Vince Mayle (previously reported)
- QB Kellen Moore (previously reported)
- WR Rodney Smith
- LB Joe Thomas
Detroit Lions
- Signed:
- WR Saalim Hakim (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman)
- QB Ricky Stanzi (Twitter link via Twentyman)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed:
- WR Ed Williams (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed:
- LB Amarlo Herrera (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
- Released:
- G David Arkin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed:
- WR Rashad Lawrence (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed:
- DT Ashaad Mabry (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery)
New York Jets
- Signed:
- DE Mike Catapano (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed:
- TE Andrew Gleichert (press release)
- Initially announced, but not signed:
- TE Chris Pantale (press release)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed (press release):
- TE Cameron Brate
- T Reid Fragel
- WR Rannell Hall
- Cut (press release):
- T Edawn Coughman
- T Terren Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter):
- CB B.W. Webb
Washington
- To be signed:
- CB Deshazor Everett (Twitter link via Jenna Laine)
Bears Set 53-Man Roster
John Fox‘s first roster with the Bears will include three quarterbacks, but the third isn’t the one he oversaw in Denver. The Bears sent Zac Dysert back to waivers after picking up the ex-Broncos quarterback last week.
Instead, David Fales will back up Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, as the Bears made their cuts to slash their roster to 53 players, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Also among the cuts was third-year defensive end/linebacker David Bass, who played in 20 games the past two seasons. A former seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2013 with a pick-six to his credit as a rookie in Chicago, Bass has interested suitors and will land somewhere soon, per Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei (on Twitter).
Here are the rest of Chicago’s final cuts:
- Jonathan Anderson, ILB
- Qumain Black, WR
- Conor Boffeli, OL
- A.J. Cruz, WR (Waived/injured)
- Jacoby Glenn, CB
- Anthony Jefferson, DB (Injured reserve)
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Tyler Moore, OL
- Michael Ola, OL
- Ify Umodu, WR
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Matthew Wells, ILB
- Terry Williams, DT
- Kyle Woestmann, OLB
Reserve/Futures Contracts: Monday
Teams have been announcing their reserve/futures deals all day long, but not every club has made those pacts official. Here are the odds and ends from today as we await the full slate:
49ers
- Garrison Smith, DL (via agent David Canter on Twitter)
- Chris Martin, OL (via agent Brett Tessler on Twitter)
Bears
- Conor Boffeli, G
- Jonathan Brown, LB
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Jacob Maxwell, TE
- Jason Weaver, T (all via Adam Hoge of WGN on Twitter)
Broncos
- Jeremy Kelley, WR
- Curtis Marsh, CB
- Chase Vaughn, DE
- Kyle Williams, WR (all via Troy Renck of the Denver Post on Twitter)
Buccaneeers
- Matthew Masifilo, DT (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter)
- Shelton Johnson, S (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times on Twitter)
Eagles
- Josh Andrews, OL (via Tessler on Twitter)
Falcons
- Brandan Bishop, S (via agent David Canter on Twitter)
Saints
- Toben Opurum, FB
- Willie Snead, WR (via Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune on Twitter)
Washington
- Lakendrick Ross, DL (via ESPN 980 on Twitter)
Bears Waive Santonio Holmes
The Bears haven’t made any notable coaching changes or roster moves in the wake of back-to-back embarrassing blowout losses, but it appears at least one veteran player will be looking for work this week. The team announced today that it has cut wide receiver Santonio Holmes from its active roster (Twitter link).
Holmes, 31, was brought on board by the Bears in the summer in the hopes that he could fill the No. 3 receiver role in an offense that was missing injured wideout Marquess Wilson. However, the former Steeler and Jet didn’t make much of an impact in Chicago, grabbing just eight balls for 67 yards. Assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign elsewhere starting tomorrow.
Though the Bears didn’t announce a corresponding addition, the release of Holmes signals that Wilson, who is currently on injured reserve with the designation to return, may be ready to return. In addition to cutting Holmes, the club also made some practice squad changes, signing wide receiver Rashad Lawrence and parting ways with linebacker Terrell Manning.
North Notes: Cutler, Browns, Peppers
Kirk Cousins will be under center for the Redskins tonight as they host the Giants in Washington, but if things had played out differently five years ago, it could be Bears quarterback Jay Cutler wearing burgundy and gold tonight. As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com details, Cutler was very interested in being dealt to Washington when he asked the Broncos to trade him back in 2009.
“[He] wanted to come,” said Vinny Cerrato, Washington’s VP of football operations at the time. “He figured [Mike] Shanahan was coming anyhow, and so he wanted to come, too. And for the agent and everybody, it would have been a very smooth transition.”
Although Washington was willing to deal multiple top picks and a veteran quarterback (Jason Campbell) for Cutler, the Broncos ultimately preferred the Bears’ offer of two first-rounders, a third-rounder, and Kyle Orton. Still, it was a close race — one Bears source tells La Canfora that “there was a period” during negotiations where he thought Washington would ultimately land the young signal-caller.
As we contemplate how the Redskins’ fate over the last several seasons may have changed if they’d traded for the current Bears quarterback, let’s round up a few Thursday items out of the NFL’s two North divisions….
- Once Adrian Peterson‘s $10MM+ per year deal comes off the Vikings‘ books – one way or another – it could be quite some time before there’s another running back making eight figures annually, writes Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The former agent takes a look at the extinction of the high-priced running back, and which players might have a shot at signing big contracts within the next few years.
- As they count down the weeks until Josh Gordon‘s return, the Browns continue to work out wide receivers. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that B.J. Cunningham and Rashad Lawrence auditioned for the club this week.
- Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke to former Bear Julius Peppers about how he has made the transition from one NFC North mainstay to another after signing with the Packers this offseason.
Patriots Notes: FA Tryouts, Worthy, Mallett
The Patriots were busy today trimming their roster down to 53 players. However, the team was still actively scouting the free agent market, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss reports that 12 players were actually in for tryouts:
- Armon Binns, WR
- Omar Brown, S
- Deveron Carr, CB
- Jermelle Cudjo, DT
- Hebron Fangupo, DT
- Cam Henderson, DE
- Aaron Hester, CB
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Jeff Matthews, QB
- Kevin Reddick, LB
- Jerome Smith, RB
- McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB
Let’s check out some more notes out of New England…
- Since Jerel Worthy failed to make the Patriots roster, the team doesn’t owe the Packers a draft pick, explains ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The Patriots acquired Worthy from the Packers earlier this month for a conditional seventh-rounder.
- The Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe tweets that the Cowboys could be a landing spot for quarterback Ryan Mallett. The writer also suggests that the Texans and Rams could get involved.
- The Patriots won’t be provided with any additional cap relief since Isaac Sopoaga failed to make the Cardinals roster, tweets Howe.
- Following the release of Danny Aiken, the Patriots don’t have a long snapper on the roster. As the Boston Globe’s Shalise Manza Young notes (via Twitter), if the team doesn’t carry a long snapper, it would be the first time they’ve gone without one during Bill Belichick‘s tenure.
Redskins Release 10 Players
12:50pm: In addition to Gettis, the Redskins announced (via Twitter) that they have cut CB Bryan Shepherd.
MONDAY, 12:43pm: The Redskins have also cut offensive lineman Adam Gettis, reports Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
SUNDAY, 4:27pm: In addition to linebacker Rob Jackson, the Redskins have released eight more players, the team announced on Twitter:
- Stephen Campbell, DB
- Cody Hoffman, WR
- Jeremy Kimbrough, LB
- Rashad Lawrence, WR
- Ross Madison, S
- Jake McDonough, DE
- Adrian Robinson, LB
- Jeremy Towns, DE
Washington will need to release another four players by 3pm on Tuesday in order to be in compliance with the league’s 75-man roster limit.
Redskins Sign Four More Free Agents
SATURDAY, 6:09pm: The team announced the signings of four free agents today:
- Frank Kearse, DE, Alabama A&M
- Courtney Bridget, CB, Hampton
- Ross Madison, S, Toledo
- Blake Sailors, CB, Georgia
Kearse was a seventh-round pick by the Dolphins in 2011, and most recently spent time with the Panthers in 2013. The latter three players attended rookie minicamp practices on a tryout basis.
In corresponding moves, the team also announced the release of four players: Rees, Davenport, Perry and FS Jose Gumbs.
THURSDAY, 11:03am: Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees rounds out the Redskins’ list of undrafted free agent signings, according to the team.
WEDNESDAY, 4:10pm: Coming into today, the Redskins were one of just three teams that had yet to formally announce their class of rookie free agents. The league has remedied that, officially revealing that Washington has added nine UDFAs to the roster. Courtesy of Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (all Twitter links), here’s the list:
- Chris Davenport, DT, Tulane
- Lee Doss, WR, Southern
- Kofi Hughes, WR, Indiana
- Cody Hoffman, WR, BYU ($7.5K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Rashad Lawrence, WR, Northwestern
- Kevin Perry, TE, UTEP
- Silas Redd, RB, USC
- Bryan Shepherd, CB, North Dakota State
- Robert Thomas, DT, Arkansas