Workout Notes: 2/9/16
NFL’s 2016 free agent period doesn’t officially open until March 9th, but players who didn’t finish the season on a roster – or who have since been cut – are free to work out with teams and sign contracts right away. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has several updates on those free agents who are visiting and/or auditioning for NFL teams, so let’s round up the latest:
- Before he agreed to sign a reserve/futures contract with Washington, former Steelers first-round defensive lineman Ziggy Hood tried out for the Raiders. Oakland also brought in former Fresno State edge defender Tristan Okpalaugo for a visit (Twitter links).
- Veteran defensive back Jeromy Miles and ex-Broncos tight end Dan Light recently auditioned for the Chiefs (Twitter link). Miles, who has appeared in 67 career regular-season games for the Bengals and Ravens, was cut last September by the Giants, while Light lost his practice squad spot in Denver following the team’s AFC Championship win over New England.
- The Bengals recently worked out – but did not sign – offensive tackle Sean Donnelly, safety Zach Elias, running back Alonzo Harris, running back Storm Johnson and wide receiver Rico Richardson (Twitter link). Those players were part of a larger group of eight, with the remaining three players earning contracts.
- Former Cowboys defensive tackle Ken Bishop, a seventh-round pick in 2014, worked out for the Buccaneers (Twitter link).
- Former Pitt offensive guard Jason Pinkston recently visited the Steelers (link). The Steelers also recently worked out linebacker Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo, wide receiver Issac Blakeney, long snapper Matt Dooley, defensive back Montell Garner, offensive guard Cole Manhart, wide receiver Tobais Palmer, cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz, and defensive tackle Josh Watson (Twitter links).
Workout Notes: Bills, Boykin, Little
Here are Wednesday’s workouts from around the NFL. All links go to the Twitter feed of The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless noted otherwise:
- The Bills worked out wide receivers Jarrett Boykin and Greg Little (link).
- The Jets worked out tackle Cameron Bradfield, tackle Jesse Davis, tackle Sean Donnelly, guard Matthew Masifilo, defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy, and guard Craig Watts, Wilson tweets.
- The Falcons worked out linebacker Cameron Gordon, defensive back Chris Greenwood, guard Michael Huey, and defensive back Brandon McGee (link).
- The Eagles worked out defensive lineman Freddie Bishop, wide receiver Issac Blakeney, wide receiver Jeff Fuller, linebacker Cameron Gordon, offensive lineman Colin Kelly, wide receiver Eric Rogers, and defensive back Jordan Sullen (link).
- The Titans worked out defensive tackle Davon Walls (link).
- The Falcons tried out linebacker Mike Mohamed, linebacker James-Michael Johnson, and guard Shelley Smith (link).
- The Vikings worked out wide receivers Terrell Sinkfield and Eric Rogers (link).
- The Broncos tried out cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, linebacker Thomas Keiser, and linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi, Wilson tweets.
- The Browns worked out guard Jared Smith (link).
- The Browns worked out kickers Carey Spear and Zach Hocker (link).
- The Bears worked out punter Brock Miller (link).
- The Cardinals worked out defensive backs Dexter McCoil and Joel Wilkinson (link).
Workout Notes: 12/16/15
It’s been a busy last couple of days around the NFL, with teams still looking to fill up their squads for the rest of the season. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweeted a whole bunch of workout notes this afternoon, which we’ve compiled for you below…
Arizona Cardinals
- CB Mitchell White (link)
Atlanta Falcons
- OT Cody Booth (link)
- DE Xzavier Dickson (link)
- OG Cole Manhart (link)
Buffalo Bills
- TE Andrew Gleichert (link)
- LB James-Michael Johnson (link)
- TE Jacob Maxwell (link)
Carolina Panthers
- OG Al Bond (link)
- DT Eric Crume (link)
- CB Travell Dixon (link)
- QB Zac Dysert (link)
- TE Joseph Fauria (link)
- NT Ishmaa’ily Kitchen (link)
- C Tyler Larsen (link)
- OG Matthew Masifilo (link)
- OG Shelley Smith (link)
- S Usama Young (link)
Giants Trim Roster To 53 Players
The Giants have been one of the more interesting teams to watch, as cuts are made from 75 players to 53 — New York released several notable veteran players, including wide receiver James Jones, fullback Henry Hynoski, punter Steve Weatherford, and linebackers Jameel McClain and Ashlee Palmer.
In a press release today, the club confirmed those moves, along with the decision to place safety Nat Berhe on injured reserve, and announced the rest of the transactions made to get the roster down to 53 players. Here are those moves:
Released:
- CB Chykie Brown
- S Jeromy Miles
Waived:
- DL Brad Bars
- K Chris Boswell
- OL Emmett Cleary
- DB C.J. Conway
- OL Sean Donnelly
- LB Cole Farrand
- DB Chandler Fenner
- OL Adam Gettis
- DL Dominique Hamilton
- RB Kenneth Harper
- TE Adrien Robinson
- WR Julian Talley
Waived/injured:
- WR Corey Washington (shoulder)
Placed on injured reserve:
- OL Brett Jones (knee)
NFC Notes: Collins, J. Smith, Giants, Davis
In a piece for TheMMQB.com, Robert Klemko details La’el Collins‘ unusual draft journey, from the death of his former romantic partner Brittany Mills to his decision to sign with the Cowboys. Klemko’s story is full of interesting details, including a reveal that, despite telling teams their client would refuse to sign and would re-enter the 2016 draft if he was selected on Day 3, Collins’ agents were probably bluffing.
“We can put it on the record now: We were never going back in the draft,” Rick Smith of Priority Sports said of waiting for the 2016 draft. “If someone had drafted him, we would’ve had a long, long discussion about it, but at the end of the day you can’t go back in the draft. He could get injured, gain weight, or 10 great tackles could come out. Too many risks.”
Smith also revealed that a team – one that had already drafted four offensive lineman – told Collins’ camp it planned to select him in the seventh round, but ultimately decided against it after being informed again by Smith that it would be a waste of a pick. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes, the only team that drafted four offensive linemen was the Rams.
Here’s more on Collins, along with a few more items from around the NFC:
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) has the specific details on Collins’ three-year, $1.599MM contract with the Cowboys, which includes a $21K signing bonus.
- Speaking on Thursday to Pro Football Talk, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said he should have “more of a feel” for defensive end Justin Smith‘s future today, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Smith has been mulling either returning for another season or retiring, and is expected to make his decision soon.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com passes along signing bonus and salary info for the Giants‘ undrafted free agent class. The team’s biggest UDFA investment was Tulane offensive lineman Sean Donnelly, who received $15K in guaranteed salary, along with a $15K signing bonus.
- Asked again about his contract negotiations with the Panthers, linebacker Thomas Davis referred to those talks as “a work in progress,” though he expressed optimism that “it’ll eventually get done.” Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer has the full quotes and details.
- Defensive tackle Josh Brent has decided to end his playing career, but that doesn’t mean his ties to the Cowboys will be severed, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, who writes that owner Jerry Jones plans to continue to support Brent in different ways.
Giants Sign Six UDFAs
The Giants announced the signing of six undrafted free agents this evening. The newest prospective members of Big Blue are listed below, along with contract information from Jordan Raanan of NJ.com:
- Justin Currie, S, Western Michigan ($5K signing bonus)
- Sean Donnelly, OT, Tulane ($15K bonus, plus $15K guaranteed salary)
- Cole Farrand, LB, Maryland ($5K bonus)
- Brad Harrah, DE, Cincinnati ($5K bonus)
- Akeem Hunt, RB, Purdue ($12.5K bonus, plus $7.5K guaranteed salary)
- Matt LaCosse, TE, Illinois ($5K bonus, plus $5K guaranteed salary)
As senior in 2014, Currie started in 13 games and led the Broncos in both total (105) and solo (69) tackles. Harrah’s uncle, Toby Harrah, played for the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers and is in the Rangers Hall of Fame.
In related moves, the Giants bid farewell to Kevin Ogletree and Terrell Manning earlier today.