T.J. Fatinikun

NFL Workout Updates: 12/13/16

We’ve already passed along one batch of workout updates earlier today, but clubs with continuously taking a look at free agents as the season comes to a close — likely with an eye on futures contracts — we have a fresh listing of tryouts to share. Here’s the latest from the workout circuit:

  • Before signing Shaquille Riddick to their practice squad earlier today, the Steelers also worked out fellow linebacker Davis Tull, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Tull was waived from Atlanta’s practice squad in early November.
  • The Broncos auditioned the following 10 players, according to Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter links): linebackers Khairi Fortt, Deon Lacey, and John Lotulelei; safeties Kevin Peterson, Josh Evans, Dezmen Southward; and cornerbacks Keith Baxter, Mike Hilton, Demetrius McCray, and Corey Tindal.
  • Like Denver, the Saints also worked out a large group of players. The full list, per Nick Underhill of the Advocate (all links go to Twitter): quarterback Sean Renfree; running backs Will Ratelle, Darrel Young, and Soma Vainuku; wide receivers Max McCaffrey, Derel Walker, and Kevin Smith; linebackers Khalil Bass and Adam Bighill; defensive end T.J. Fatinikun; defensive tackle Drake Nevis; defensive backs Tony Burnett, Otha Foster, Anthony Gaitor, and Forest Hightower.
  • The Packers worked out linebacker Frank Beltre and defensive lineman David Moala today, reports Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com. The third member of that tryout, linebacker Jordan Tripp, was ultimately signed to the active roster.
  • The Buccaneers tried out cornerback Tre Jones and linebacker Raphael Kirby, per Caplan (Twitter link).

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/15

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Panthers signed defensive end Wes Horton just days after cutting him, as Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. To make room, offensive tackle offensive tackle David Foucault has been waived. If Foucault clears waivers, he will be signed to the practice squad, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Rams have re-signed linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar to the roster, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • The Bears have promoted tackle Nick Becton from the taxi squad to the 53-man roster, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune tweets.
  • The Buccaneers announced that they have promoted defensive end Howard Jones to the active roster from the practice squad.
  • Also, Buccaneers defensive end T.J. Fatinikun has been placed on IR after suffering a knee injury in the second half of Sunday’s game against Carolina. He had just returned from a shoulder injury to appear in the Bucs’ last two games, recording one tackle and two stops on special teams. Last year, his first in the NFL, Fatinikun played in ten Buccaneer games and had eight tackles and a half-sack.
  • The Saints signed veteran tackle Tony Hills, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Bucs Sign Trindon Holliday

3:24pm: In addition to confirming the moves noted below, the Buccaneers also announced that they’ve waived defensive end Scott Solomon from the active roster, promoting defensive end T.J. Fatinikun from the practice squad to take his place. Additionally, the club cut linebacker Shayne Skov from the practice squad, using the two new openings on linebacker Mister Alexander and wideout Marcus Thigpen.

TUESDAY, 10:11am: As anticipated, the Bucs are cutting wideout and kick returner Solomon Patton to make room for Holliday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

MONDAY, 9:02pm: The Buccaneers have agreed to sign wide receiver Trindon Holliday, according to Rick Stroud of WDAE (on Twitter). The team could announce the signing as early as tomorrow.

Holliday, 28, was placed on IR with a hamstring injury by the Giants in late August and released earlier this month. Since then, the Bears and the Colts auditioned him, but he’ll be joining the Bucs instead. Of course, Holliday is known mostly for his work as a kick returner. In 2012 and 2013, Holliday returned 81 punts for 752 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, he averaged a healthy 27.1 yards per kick return in those seasons and also took two of those all the way to the house.

As a member of the Broncos in the 2012 postseason, Holliday became the first player to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the same playoff game. The addition of Holliday is probably bad news for former Florida UDFA Solomon Patton, Stroud tweets.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

Here’s the latest practice squad news from around the NFL..

  • The Jaguars have re-signed two players to their practice squad in receiver Kerry Taylor and tight end Marcel Jensen, reports John Oehser of the O-Zone (via Twitter). The team has waived tight end Michael Egnew and linebacker Marcus Whitfield to make room for the new additions.
  • The Cardinals have re-signed punter Drew Butler to the practice squad, reports Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). They have released defensive tackle Christian Tupou to make room for Butler.
  • The Jets are continuing to upgrade their cornerback position, signing LeQuan Lewis to the 53-man roster from their practice squad, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Another cornerback, Marcus Williams, took Lewis’ spot on the practice squad, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

  • The 49ers re-signed tight end Asante Cleveland to the practice squad, according to CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Barrows (on Twitter).
  • The Saints signed center Alex Parsons to their practice squad and released guard Antoine McClain to make room, according to Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Advocate (on Twitter).
  • The Giants announced that they have added former Raiders wide receiver Juron Criner to their practice squad, according to Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). To make room, they have released fellow wide receiver L’Damian Washington.
  • The Buccaneers have filled their practice squad openings by adding fullback/tight end Ian Thompson, linebacker Shayne Skov, and defensive end T.J. Fatinkun, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). Skov was expected to sign with Tampa Bay following a successful workout.
  • The Titans announced on Twitter that they have added quarterback Brad Sorensen to their practice squad and released cornerback Ri’Shard Anderson to make room.

NFC East Notes: Jackson, Giants, Cowboys

With the Eagles and Redskins set to meet for the first time this season in Week 3, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer revisits the Eagles’ decision to cut wideout DeSean Jackson in the offseason. As McLane writes, Jackson’s former Philadelphia teammates still aren’t entirely sure why the explosive receiver was cut.

“I didn’t see it coming at all,” linebacker Mychal Kendricks said last week. “It’s really none of my business, but I still ask the same question a lot – ‘Why? Why would that happen?'”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Several linebackers auditioned for the Giants this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), who identifies Stephen Nicholas, Kion Wilson, Moise Fokou, and James Davidson as free agents to work out for the club.
  • The Cowboys are also eyeing free agent options on the defensive side of the ball, having worked out linebacker Paul Hazel this week, along with defensive ends Steven Means and T.J. Fatinikun, tweets Wilson.
  • Offensive tackle Chris Faulk tried out for the Redskins this week, per Wilson (via Twitter).

Bucs Release Barth, English, Others

2:02pm: Connor Barth is the latest Buccaneer to be cut, according to Stroud (via Twitter). Barth had been owed a $2MM base salary, along with up to $1.15MM in per-game roster bonuses for the coming season, so it appears the Bucs will opt for a less expensive option at the position. For now, Patrick Murray is the only kicker left on the roster.

12:53pm: Tackle/guard Jamon Meredith will also be let go, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

12:24pm: Linebacker Nate Askew, cornerbacks Marc Anthony and Kip Edwards, defensive back Anthony Gaitor, defensive end Larry English, offensive tackle Edawn Coughman, and offensive linemen Jeremiah Warren and Andrew Miller have also been cut, according to Auman (Twitter links).

9:49am: The Buccaneers have released four players in advance of tomorrow’s deadline, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Tampa Bay will bid farewell to linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud, fullback Lonnie Pryor, rookie cornerback Keith Lewis, and defensive end T.J. Fatinikun on their way to trimming to a 53-man roster.

Lewis, a cornerback out of Virginia-Lynchburg, intercepted a pass from Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy in last night’s preseason finale, but it apparently wasn’t enough to convince Bucs coaches to keep him on the roster. Glaud, who has a tie to former coach Greg Schiano thanks to his time at Rutgers, signed with the Bucs as a UDFA in May 2013. Pryor, a local Florida State product, hooked on with Tampa Bay last season after he was let go by the Jaguars. Fatinikun hooked on with the Buccaneers earlier this month after spending time in the Arena Football League last season.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Dolphins signed tight end Evan Wilson, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
  • Less than two weeks after signing tight end Raymond Webber, the Dolphins have waived him, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
  • Tight end Dorin Dickerson has been removed from the Titans‘ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • With the open spot on their 90-man roster, the Buccaneers have signed former Toledo defensive end T.J. Fatinikun, who participated in the club’s minicamp in June, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.

Earlier updates:

  • The Steelers placed veteran punter Adam Podlesh on their reserve/did not report list, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Podlesh isn’t in attendance at Pittsburgh’s camp after his wife underwent a complicated – but successful – delivery of their child. He can be reinstated when he reports, but for now the Steelers are also free to sign someone else to take his roster spot.
  • Offensive lineman Stephen Goodin has signed with the Cowboys, taking the roster spot of guard Andre Cureton, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter links). Goodin, a former Giant, was waived earlier in the offseason by New York with an injury settlement.
  • The Jets have swapped one defender for another, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the club signed defensive back LeQuan Lewis and cut linebacker Tim Fugger. Per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Lewis, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash during his tryout, received a two-year contract from the Jets.

Bucs Auditioning David Gettis, Five Others

Six non-roster players are auditioning for the Buccaneers this week at the team’s minicamp, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). Wide receiver David Gettis and defensive tackle Ronald Talley are perhaps the most notable names among a group of players that also includes safety Tony Dye, cornerback Kip Edwards, linebacker T.J. Fatinikun, and punter Kirby Van Der Kamp.

Gettis, 26, had a productive rookie season for the Panthers in 2010, hauling in 37 passes for 508 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, injuries have derailed his career in recent years. The Baylor product had a solid preseason in 2013, but a hamstring injury prompted Carolina to waive him before the regular season began. If he’s healthy, Gettis would seem to be the most likely player among the six to sign a contract with Tampa Bay.

Among the other recognizable names is Talley, who spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals as a reserve defensive lineman. Arizona elected not to submit an RFA tender to Talley in March, so the 28-year-old became an unrestricted free agent and paid a visit to the Titans in April.