Sterling Hofrichter

Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant, Josh Gordon, Marquette King On XFL Rosters

By Sam Robinson | at February 9, 2023 3:46 pm

The XFL will begin its third try next week. The rebooting league’s latest season will begin Feb. 18, nearly two months before USFL 2.0’s second season is scheduled to start.

This setup will make for a strange winter-spring period in which two minor leagues of sorts will be in operation. Considering the short tenures of XFL 2.0 (2020) and the Alliance of American Football (2019), this will be one of the more interesting years for non-NFL football.

Numerous former NFLers line the XFL’s season-opening rosters. Here are some of the players who will be part the league’s latest eight-team configuration. The full rosters can be found here.

Arlington Renegades

King has not punted since the 2018 season, when the Broncos waived him not long after signing the veteran specialist to a multiyear deal. King, 34, punted for the Raiders for five seasons.

D.C. Defenders

Armstead received workout opportunities and landed with multiple teams, but the former Jaguars backup has been unable to regain his footing since missing all of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 complications. A former Packers second-round pick, Murphy has six NFL seasons under his belt. Reid, 31, played eight NFL seasons — most recently suiting up in 2021 — and was a regular for the Lions early in his career. Brice started 10 games for the Packers in 2018; he has not played since.

Houston Roughnecks

DB Sean Davis
QB Cole McDonald

Davis started 42 games for the Steelers from 2017-19; he played with three teams during the 2021 season. A

Orlando Guardians

S Matt Elam
WR Cody Latimer
QB Paxton Lynch
WR Eli Rogers
P Johnny Townsend

Elam logged 26 starts for the Ravens, but his NFL run stopped after the 2016 season. A former Broncos second-round pick, Latimer played six NFL seasons and ended up a 10-game starter for the Giants in 2019. Lynch was part of the 2016 and ’17 Broncos squads along with Latimer but, despite his first-round status, flamed out of the league after two seasons. He has since spent time in the CFL and USFL.

San Antonio Brahmas

RB Kalen Ballage
QB Reid Sinnett
P Brad Wing
TE Deon Yelder

Ballage did not play in the NFL this season but saw action in 17 games for the Steelers in 2021. Wing served as the Giants’ punter for three seasons. Sinnett was with the Dolphins this season, joining the team following Tua Tagovailoa‘s Week 4 concussion.

Seattle Sea Dragons

QB Ben DiNucci
WR Josh Gordon
DT Treyvon Hester
LB Tuzar Skipper

The biggest name in this XFL edition, Gordon became a journeyman in recent years. He was most recently with the Titans, catching on with Tennessee this year before being released in October. The former All-Pro spent the 2021 season with the Chiefs. Suspensions hijacked the 31-year-old pass catcher’s career. The Cowboys cut DiNucci just before this season, and while workout opportunities came, the former emergency Dallas starter will try his hand in the XFL.

St. Louis BattleHawks

Although McCarron’s most recent action came with the Texans, he was on the 2021 Falcons. A path toward being Matt Ryan‘s final backup in Atlanta closed after a preseason ACL tear. Workouts in 2022 did not lead to a signing.

Vegas Vipers

WR Geronimo Allison
OLB Vic Beasley
WR Martavis Bryant
QB Brett Hundley
RB Rod Smith

A former top-10 pick and NFL sack leader, Beasley has been out of the league since the 2020 season. The ex-Super Bowl starter’s one-year, $9.5MM deal did not work out for the Titans, who cut the edge rusher during the ’20 campaign. Bryant has been out of the league longer, with suspensions altering his path. The talented ex-Steeler spent time in Canada recently. Hundley was on the Ravens’ practice squad until season’s end this year, signing with the team after Lamar Jackson‘s ankle injury.

Dolphins Place Mackensie Alexander On IR

By Sam Robinson | at August 23, 2022 8:33 am

Mackensie Alexander‘s time with the Dolphins may be short-lived. The team placed the veteran cornerback on injured reserve Tuesday.

Due to the IR placement coming before roster cutdown day, the former Vikings and Bengals cover man cannot come off the injured list four games into the season. Players carried through to the 53-man roster can do so, but IR placements at this point on the calendar prevent such transactions.

The team also waived punter Sterling Hofrichter, linebacker Deandre Johnson and safety Sheldrick Redwine. Fullback John Lovett joins Alexander in being IR-bound. Teams have until 3pm CT today to pare their rosters from 85 to 80 players.

The Dolphins signed Alexander eight days ago. An injury settlement could lead the seventh-year defender off Miami’s IR list and back into free agency at some point this year — that is, if this is not viewed as a season-ending injury. Alexander, 28, could rejoin the Dolphins post-settlement. For now, however, he is off the team’s 80-man roster.

Best known for his role as Minnesota’s slot corner, Alexander spent five months in free agency this offseason. The former second-round pick is coming off a season in which Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s worst full-time corner. Alexander, however, has been a regular throughout his career. The Vikings made the Clemson product a key part of Mike Zimmer‘s quality defenses throughout his rookie contract during the late 2010s, and the Bengals gave him $4MM to sign in 2020.

The Dolphins signed the 28-year-old defender to a league-minimum accord, guaranteeing him $138K. The team has not seen 2020 first-rounder Noah Igbinoghene step up as a reliable slot player alongside veterans Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Miami also did not re-sign Justin Coleman this offseason; Coleman is back in Seattle. The team did place a second-round tender on Nik Needham, however. This Alexander move could prompt the team to resume a search for corner depth. Dozens of defensive backs will become available next Tuesday, when teams trim their rosters from 80 to 53.

0 comments Miami Dolphins Transactions Deandre Johnson John Lovett Mackensie Alexander Sheldrick Redwine Sterling Hofrichter

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/22

By Ely Allen | at August 5, 2022 7:04 pm

Here’s today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Chicago Bears

Signed: DL Trevon Coley
Waived: DT Auzoyah Alufohai, S Jon Alexander

Cleveland Browns

Signed: CB Lavert Hill
Waived: CB Reggie Robinson (with injury designation)

Dallas Cowboys

Placed on active/PUP list: LB Anthony Barr

Detroit Lions

Activated from active/PUP list: S C.J. Moore

Kansas City Chiefs

Waived: DL Cortez Broughton (with injury settlement)

Miami Dolphins

Signed: P Sterling Hofrichter
Waived: P Tommy Heatherly

New Orleans Saints

Placed on IR: S Smoke Monday

New York Giants

Signed: OT Will Holden
Waived: DE Niko Lalos, CB Jarren Williams

Philadelphia Eagles

Placed on IR: TE Jaeden Graham

San Francisco 49ers

Waived: WR Taysir Mack

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: LB Joel Dublanko
Released: TE Jake Hausmann

Washington Commanders

Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Tre Walker

0 comments Chicago Bears Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans Transactions Washington Commanders Anthony Barr Auzoyah Alufohai C.J. Moore Chris Williams (DB)Cortez Broughton Jaeden Graham Jake Hausmann Jarren Williams Joel Dublanko Jon Alexander Lavert Hill Niko Lalos Reggie Robinson Smoke Monday Sterling Hofrichter Taysir Mack Tommy Heatherly Tre Walker Trevon Coley Will Holden

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/22

By Sam Robinson | at July 29, 2022 5:04 pm

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Signed: CB Duke Dawson

Chicago Bears

Activated from active/PUP list: DL Sam Kamara

Cleveland Browns

Claimed (from Jets): S Jovante Moffatt

Dallas Cowboys

Activated from active/PUP list: CB Quandre Mosely

Green Bay Packers

Activated from active/NFI list: WR Sammy Watkins
Activated from active/PUP list: LB Randy Ramsey, OL Rasheed Walker

Indianapolis Colts

Signed: DT Caeveon Patton
Released: DE Bryan Cox Jr.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Signed: K Elliott Fry
Waived: K Andrew Mevis

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: RB Trey Ragas
Waived/injured: RB Xavier Jones

New England Patriots

Signed: WR Josh Hammond
Activated from active/PUP list: C David Andrews, P Jake Bailey

New York Jets

Waived: LB Javin White

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: DL Tomasi Laulile

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed: TE Bug Howard
Waived: P Sterling Hofrichter
Activated from active/PUP list: G Sadarius Hutcherson

Tennessee Titans

Signed: CB Shakur Brown

Signed as a UDFA shortly after the draft, Mevis fared rather poorly in a Thursday workout. The rookie kicker missed badly on three warmup kicks, one of which drilling ex-Cowboys HC Dave Campo (of Hard Knocks 2002 fame), per ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco. Mevis had struggled during the start of Jaguars camp. This is Fry’s seventh NFL team since he entered the league in 2019. The workout-circuit regular has played in three regular-season games — one-offs with the Falcons, Bengals and Chiefs. The Jags also have kicker Ryan Santoso on their roster.

A hamstring injury, sustained during a workout shortly after a flight to Green Bay, sidelined Watkins for the start of Packers camp. The veteran will try to shake a well-earned injury-prone label in Green Bay, though the former top-five pick’s roster spot may not be 100% secure. Andrews, who returned in 2020 after missing all of the 2019 season due to blood clots, underwent offseason shoulder surgery. He is back for a seventh season as the Patriots’ starting center.