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Spencer Ware

AFC Notes: Brock, Ware, Bell, Raiders, Colts

August 30th, 2017 at 1:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The odds of the Browns releasing quarterback Brock Osweiler and eating his fully guaranteed $16MM salary have seemingly increased in recent days, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk contends. Cleveland saved $15.25MM – nearly the sum of Osweiler’s salary – by releasing defensive lineman Desmond Bryant and cornerback Joe Haden in the past week-plus, which could make it easier to part with the QB now that he won’t be its starter, Florio posits. Osweiler is unlikely to garner any trade interest, so cutting the 26-year-old would enable the Browns to recoup a bit of his salary ($775K) if he signs elsewhere for the league minimum.

More from around the AFC:

  • Chiefs running back Spencer Ware did indeed suffer a torn PCL and LCL in the team’s preseason game against the Seahawks last week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms (on Twitter). Ware will undergo surgery and miss the entire season, leaving him in line for an “intense rehab,” Rapoport notes.
  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell will end his holdout Friday specifically to avoid landing on the roster exempt list, Florio reports. If Bell were to show up after cuts occur Saturday, the Steelers would be able to place the franchise-tagged star on the list for up to two weeks and pay him a lesser salary than his $711K game check during that period. It’s unlikely Pittsburgh would’ve done that, per Florio, but Bell will remove the possibility by showing up before cutdown day.
  • The Raiders may attempt to acquire a linebacker via trade or waiver claim in the coming days, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. As Gehlken writes, the club didn’t invest much in the position in the offseason – it signed Jelani Jenkins for $1MM and used a fifth-round pick on Marquel Lee – and Cory James is now dealing with an undisclosed injury.
  • The Colts have worked out fullback Jody Webb, Alex Marvez of Sporting News tweets. Webb went undrafted out of Youngstown State in the spring and hasn’t signed with a team since then.

Chiefs’ Spencer Ware Likely Done For Season

August 27th, 2017 at 10:50am CST by Dallas Robinson

Chiefs running back Spencer Ware is expected to require season-ending surgery for a torn PCL and a damaged LCL, Kansas City head trainer Rick Burkholder told reporters, including B.J. Kissel of Chiefs.com (Twitter link) and Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).Spencer Ware

Initial reports indicated Ware would only be sidelined for two-to-eight weeks, a timeline that would have allowed him to return during the 2017 campaign (the Chiefs would have had the option to designate Ware as an injured reserve/return player). Ware will get a second opinion on his health status, but the outlook isn’t positive.

Kansas City has the depth to withstand the loss of Ware, and rookie third-round selection Kareem Hunt will likely step into the starting lineup. Charcandrick West figures to serve as a reserve, while Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also said veteran back C.J. Spiller will likely be part of Kansas City’s roster (Twitter link via Paylor). If Kansas City searches for an external addition, free agents such as DeAngelo Williams, Rashad Jennings, and Ryan Mathews could come into play.

Ware, 25, has spent the past two seasons with the Chiefs, and was the club’s full-time starter for the 2016 season. Last year, he managed 4.3 yards per carry on 214 rushes and scored three times, adding 33 receptions, 447 yards, and two more touchdowns through the air. Ware is signed through 2018 as part of a three-year extension he signed prior to the 2016 campaign.

Chiefs RB Spencer Ware Injures PCL, LCL

August 26th, 2017 at 10:52am CST by Ben Levine

It certainly didn’t look good when Chiefs running back Spencer Ware was carted off the field during his team’s preseason game against the Seahawks last night. Fortunately, the injury doesn’t sound as bad as it looked.

According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, Ware suffered a PCL injury and will undergo a MRI today to determine the damage and how much time he’ll miss. Schefter notes that the recovery timetable could range anywhere from two to eight weeks, although he also notes that Ware avoided injuring his ACL, so the injury shouldn’t be season-ending.

Ware also damaged his LCL, Ian Rapoport notes (on Twitter), adding the tests on his knee proved inconclusive. This stands to further complicate the presumptive Chiefs starter’s status.

Spencer Ware“Ware sprained his knee,” coach Andy Reid said after the game (via Matt McMullen of Chiefs.com). “The X-rays were negative and he’ll have an MRI tomorrow. We’ll just see how that turns out.”

The 2013 sixth-round pick had a breakout campaign last season, leading the Chiefs running game with 921 yards and three touchdowns on 214 carries. The 25-year-old was also productive in the passing game, hauling in 33 receptions for 447 yards and two scores. After the team released veteran Jamaal Charles back in February, it was assumed that Ware would be the team’s bona-fide top running back heading into the season.

Now, the team will at least have to eye some alternative options for the time being. The Chiefs are rostering a pair of veterans in Charcandrick West and C.J. Spiller, although it sounds like rookie Kareem Hunt may be the favorite for the interim starter role. The third-round pick was relatively productive in last night’s preseason loss, compiling 39 rushing yards on nine carries.

“Kareem got good work last week and he learned how fast this thing can change where all of a sudden you become that starter and in a position to do that,” said Reid, perhaps confirming that Hunt will indeed be the starter.

Spencer Ware Carted Off With Knee Injury

August 25th, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Chiefs running back Spencer Ware left the field on a cart during the first quarter of their game against the Seahawks on Friday after suffering a right knee injury on a 6-yard reception. The Chiefs confirmed the injury, but the severity remains unknown.

Spencer Ware

The Seahawks were the first NFL employer for Ware, who entered the league as a sixth-round pick of theirs in 2013. He joined the Chiefs a year later and, after a strong 2015 campaign in reserve, became their go-to to running back last season amid now-Bronco Jamaal Charles‘ injury troubles. Ware ended up rushing for 921 yards on 214 carries and adding five touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving), to go with 33 catches and 447 yards. If healthy, he’s likely to reprise his role as their starter this year, though whether he’ll be physically up to it is now in question.

The Chiefs, who will seek their third straight playoff berth in 2017, did attempt to bolster their backfield behind Ware in the offseason. The team spent a third-round pick on former Toledo star Kareem Hunt, who came in after Ware departed Friday, and signed onetime 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Spiller. Charcandrick West is also on hand, but he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 88 attempts last season.

Chiefs Extend Charcandrick West, Spencer Ware

March 31st, 2016 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

1:53pm: Interestingly, West and Ware appear to have signed to the exact same terms, according to Rapoport, who tweets that both deals are two-year extensions worth $3.6MM, with $2.35MM guaranteed.

11:19am: The Chiefs have locked up a pair of running backs to new contract extensions, the team announced today in a press release. As first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, who teamed up to replace Jamaal Charles after his ACL injury last season, have signed new deals with the team.Charcandrick West

“Charcandrick and Spencer both stepped in and were very effective for us offensively last year,” Chiefs GM John Dorsey said in a statement. “These guys have different styles and abilities, and together they provide us quality depth at the running back position.”

The timing of the extensions for West and Ware is interesting, since neither player would have even be eligible for restricted free agency until 2017, meaning they weren’t on track to become unrestricted free agents until 2018. Nonetheless, the Chiefs clearly liked what they saw from the duo last season, and are perhaps preparing for the end of the Jamaal Charles era in Kansas City.

Although Charles – who has a $5.3MM+ cap charge – is expected to remain on the Chiefs’ roster in 2016, his cap hit increases to $7MM in 2017, the final year of his current deal. He’s coming off another major knee injury, and will turn 30 later this year, so it makes sense that Dorsey and the Chiefs would be looking ahead to the future.

West, who turns 25 in June, was the first man up for the Chiefs in 2015 when Charles went down, and ultimately carried the ball 160 times for 634 yards and four touchdowns. He added another 20 receptions and a TD through the air.

As for Ware, he earned a couple starts when West got hurt, and averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 72 attempts, for 403 yards and six touchdowns for the season. According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link), Ware’s extension is for two years, so he’ll be under contract through the 2018 campaign. Rapoport tweets that the two-year extension is heavy on incentives — the base value is $3.6MM, with $2.35MM guaranteed, but it can be worth up to $9.6MM via yardage and TD incentives.

With Charles, West, and Ware all in the mix for 2016, Knile Davis finds himself buried on Kansas City’s depth chart, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that the team is working on a trade involving Davis. Details on those talks aren’t known yet, and it’s not clear if anything will get done, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Dolphins, who have been in the market for running back help all month, have some interest in Davis — we heard last week that Miami was exploring trade options for a back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Bennett, Kaepernick, Chargers

February 25th, 2016 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett and Chiefs running back Spencer Ware have both hired Relativity Sports for representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links). Ware isn’t even eligible for restricted free agency until 2017, so Bennett is the more notable name here, since the standout pass rusher wants Seattle to rework his deal.

As Gregg Bell of The News Tribune details (via Twitter), head coach Pete Carroll said today that he has spoken to Bennett about his situation, though it’s probably on the back-burner for now. Unless the Seahawks feel they could rework Bennett’s contract in a way that would create some cap space for free agency, the team likely won’t address it until the spring.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:

  • A day after GM Trent Baalke insisted that Colin Kaepernick will “absolutely” remain on the 49ers’ roster beyond his April 1st salary guarantee deadline, head coach Chip Kelly told reporters, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, that he has spoken to the QB several times, and believes Kaepernick want to be in San Francisco. “I don’t know what the narrative is that, ‘Is he on the team? Is he not on the team?'” Kelly said. “It’s never been a question. I’m excited to work with Colin. I’ve never thought that, ‘Hey, I’m going to go to San Francisco and he’s not going to be there.'”
  • In addition to discussing Kaepernick, Kelly also said he’d like the 49ers to re-sign running back Shaun Draughn (Twitter link), and refuted the assumption that fullback Bruce Miller will be let go because he won’t have a role in Kelly’s offense.
  • According to GM Tom Telesco, the Chargers‘ tight end position is “in flux” (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego). Both Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green are among San Diego’s free agents and Telesco said he’ll meet with their agents at the combine this week.
  • Telesco also said today that the Chargers‘ wide receiver depth is “not as strong with Malcom [Floyd] not being there” (Twitter link via Gehlken). Needless to say, San Diego is firmly in the market for more help at the position, and is hunting specifically for a deep threat.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Chiefs Place Jamaal Charles On IR

October 13th, 2015 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have officially ended Jamaal Charles‘ season, placing their star running back on injured reserve due to a torn ACL, the team announced today (via Twitter). To replace Charles on the roster, running back Spencer Ware has been elevated from Kansas City’s practice squad.

With Charles out, Knile Davis and Charcandrick West are expected to vie for carries in Kansas City. However, once Charles landed on IR, Davis and West were the only running backs on the roster, so it made sense that the Chiefs would want to add a third back for depth purposes.

Initially, it appeared that the Chiefs might opt for a free agent, as the team brought in notable veterans like Ben Tate and Pierre Thomas for workouts. Head coach Andy Reid indicated yesterday though that the club would look in-house first, and that’s what led to the promotion of Ware from the practice squad.

Ware, who turns 24 next month, was originally selected in the sixth round of the 2013 draft by the Seahawks. The LSU product started his NFL career as a fullback, but attempted to transition to tailback before he was cut by Seattle in 2014. To date, Ware has only totaled 10 yards on three carries in his NFL career.

AFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

September 7th, 2015 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s AFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed (press release):

    • WR Daniel Brown
    • TE Dominique Jones
    • WR Jeremy Ross

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed (press release):
    • OLB IK Enemkpali
    • T Chris Martin
    • DE Cedric Reed
    • QB Alex Tanney

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB Kapri Bibbs
    • TE Arthur Lynch
    • T Kyle Roberts
    • DE George Uko

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed:

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed (press release):
    • DT Hebron Fangupo
    • T Laurence Gibson
    • CB Jeremy Harris
    • DL David Irving
    • TE Ross Travis
    • FB Spencer Ware

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • OL Chris Barker
    • T Blaine Clausell
    • OL Cameron Fleming (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
    • LB Darius Fleming
    • LB Brandon King
    • WR Nathan Palmer
    • DB Daxton Swanson
    • DT Jimmy Staten
  • Signed and subsequently released:

New York Jets

  • To be signed:

Oakland Raiders

  • Signed:
    • George Atkinson III, RB
    • Mitch Bell, G
    • SaQwan Edwards, CB
    • Shelby Harris, DE
    • Dan Kistler, T
    • Tevin McDonald, S
    • Josh Shirley, LB

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed (Twitter link via Burt Lauten + team transactions page):
    • WR Isaiah Burse
    • LB Anthony Chickillo
    • T Matt Feiler
    • CB Doran Grant
    • TE Xavier Grimble
    • OL Barrett Jones
    • RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
  • Released:
    • RB Dominique Brown
    • OL Reese Dismukes
    • LB Shayon Green
    • DE Ethan Hemer
    • OL Antonio Johnson
    • TE Harold Spears
    • WR Jarrod West

San Diego Chargers

  • Signed:
    • OL Michael Ola (link via Michael Gehlken)

Tennessee Titans

Chiefs Deal Kelcie McCray To Seahawks, Set Roster

September 5th, 2015 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs announced 22 roster moves today, and one of them was of particular interest — according to a team release, the club sent safety Kelcie McCray to the Seahawks in a trade for an undisclosed draft pick. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com fills in the details, tweeting that Kansas City gets a fifth-rounder in the deal.

Recent reports had suggested that Seattle was seeking depth at its safety position, with Kam Chancellor still holding out and Earl Thomas returning from a serious injury. In McCray, the Seahawks get a solid backup who primarily served as a special-teamer last season for the Chiefs.

Here are Kansas City’s 21 other moves that get the tea down from a 75-man roster to just 53 players:

Cut:

  • WR Da’Ron Brown
  • DE Mike Catapano
  • S Sanders Commings
  • LB Ja’Gared Davis
  • DT Hebron Fangupo
  • C Garrett Frye
  • DL David Irving
  • LB James-Michael Johnson
  • C Eric Kush
  • WR Donatella Luckett
  • C Daniel Munyer
  • DB Deji Olatoye
  • G Jarrod Pughsley
  • RB Darrin Reaves
  • DB Kevin Short
  • T Derek Sherrod
  • TE Ryan Taylor
  • FB Spencer Ware
  • WR Fred Williams

Placed on injured reserve:

  • TE Richard Gordon

Reserve/suspended:

  • CB Sean Smith

Minor Moves: Tuesday

December 30th, 2014 at 10:10pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL right here, including transactions by teams still in the playoffs as well as clubs looking ahead to next year:

10:10pm:

  • The Lions have signed TE Ifeanyi Momah to a 2015 reserve/future contract, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).

3:57pm:

  • The Chiefs signed former Seahawks tailback Spencer Ware, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
  • Jets quarterback Matt Simms reworked his contract today to avoid becoming an exclusive rights free agent in 2015, according to a team release. The club also added kicker Andrew Furney and running back Daryl Richardson on reserve/futures deals, in addition to the six players whose reserve contracts we heard about yesterday.
  • In addition to confirming reserve/futures contracts for Garrison Smith and Chris Martin, as was reported yesterday, the 49ers announced in a press release that they’ve signed running back Kendall Gaskins, tight end Xavier Grimble, wide receiver Lance Lewis. All five players finished the season on San Francisco’s practice squad.
  • Running back Terrance Cobb announced (via Twitter) that he has signed a futures deal with the Raiders. Cobb initially signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie in May, and was cut in the preseason.
  • The Bears may not have a head coach or GM, but they’re still adding players to their roster — Chicago signed defensive end Jamil Merrell to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • Former Canisius College basketball player Chris Manhertz announced (via Instagram) that he has signed a contract with the Bills. According to Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (via Twitter), the ex-hoopster projects as a tight end. The Bills have since confirmed the signing of Manhertz, and announced a deal for fullback Corey Knox as well.

2:19pm:

  • Offensive tackle Justin Renfrow has been released from the Packers‘ practice squad, creating an opening on the unit, according to the team.
  • The Steelers have also made a change to their taxi squad, signing wide receiver Tim Benford and releasing cornerback Jordan Sullen, per Burt Lauten (via Twitter). The addition of Benford provides some insurance for the receiving corps, after the team cut wideout Justin Brown from its active roster today.
  • The Browns signed a pair of kickers, Travis Coons and Carey Spear, to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced today, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). The two kickers join seven other players who signed futures deals yesterday with Cleveland.
  • The Jaguars have signed offensive lineman Cody Booth, tight end Marcel Jensen, defensive back Peyton Thompson, and wide receiver Tony Washington to reserve/futures contracts, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. All four players spent time on the club’s practice squad this season.
  • The Saints signed five more players to reserve/futures deals, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune, who lists running back Edwin Baker, kicker Dustin Hopkins, tight end Orson Charles, and offensive linemen Mike Brewster and Andrew Miller as the latest recepients. We learned yesterday that the club also signed wideout Willie Snead and fullback Toben Opurum to futures contracts.
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