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T.J. Graham

Sunday Transactions: AFC South

August 31st, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Houston Texans:

Indianapolis Colts:

Jacksonville Jaguars:

  • Claimed off waivers: Mickey Shuler, TE (via Ryan O’Halloran on Twitter)
  • Cut: Marcel Jensen, TE (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
  • Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Cody Booth, T; DeAndre Coleman, DT; Henry Josey, RB (via Adam Caplan on Twitter); Craig Loston, S; Stephen Morris, QB; Kerry Taylor, WR; Tony Washington, WR; Marcus Whitfield, LB. The team has also added cornerback Peyton Thompson, reports Michael DiRocco (via Twitter), although the team has not officially announced the signing.

Tennessee Titans:

Bills Sign Colton Schmidt, Cut T.J. Graham, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 4:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have signed punter Colton Schmidt, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Schmidt, a California-Davis product, has also spent time with the 49ers. Additionally, the team announced it has trimmed its roster to 53 by cutting the following 10 players:

T.J. Graham On Bills’ Trade Block

August 28th, 2014 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills wideout T.J. Graham has been on the trade block for several months, sources tell Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The timeframe provided by Caplan suggests that Buffalo has been willing to move Graham for most or all of the offseason, but has yet to find a suitor. Tonight’s preseason game may be the receiver’s last opportunity to audition for potential suitors.

Graham, a third-round pick in 2012, started 11 games for the Bills in his rookie season and caught 31 balls, but took a step backward in his sophomore year. Despite seeing more offensive snaps, Graham tallied just 23 receptions in 2013, and figures to play a reduced role in Buffalo this season if he remains on the roster, given the presence of newcomers like Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams.

Even with most teams having yet to suffer too many injuries to their receiving corps, there are a handful of clubs around the league that could use receiving help. The Browns and Panthers are among the wideout-needy teams that immediately come to mind, though it’s not clear if either club would have any interest in Graham.

AFC Notes: McPhee, Hurns, Amaro, Mack

August 23rd, 2014 at 12:43pm CST by Matt Feminis

Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee is a player to watch in tonight’s third preseason game against the Redskins, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun: “Healthy this year after having no surgeries this offseason — unlike previous years when he’s undergone groin and knee procedures — the Ravens’ outside linebacker has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL this preseason with one sack and five quarterback hurries. McPhee appears to have recaptured his rookie form from 2011 when he finished second on the Ravens with six sacks.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jaymison Hensley points out that McPhee is in the final year of his rookie deal, meaning the Ravens should benefit from healthy, motivated player seeking a contract extension.

Here’s a roundup of more links from around the AFC:

  • T.J. Graham is the Bills’ top “bubble” player, says ESPN’s Mike Rodak: “With six receivers already considered locks for the 53-man roster, Graham might need an injury to make the cut. However, he can make a strong push for a job with another team with a good outing Saturday. Graham saw more time with the first-team offense as training camp progressed, and with Sammy Watkins not expected to play Saturday, Graham should have chances to catch passes from starting quarterback EJ Manuel. The Bills will need to make a decision on Graham shortly after Saturday’s game. Would they release him early and allow him time to catch on elsewhere? Or do they hold onto him and try to get him back on their practice squad, now that he is eligible under the NFL’s new rules?”
  • With Donald Stephenson facing a four-game suspension and Joe Mays injured, the competition for replacement snaps at right tackle and inside linebacker is something to watch in the Chiefs’ third preseason game, writes Terez Paylor in the KC Star.
  • The Broncos are in need of a punt returner following the torn ACL suffered by Jordan Norwood. Isaiah Burse will get the first chance to claim the role, according to an AP story.
  • The Jaguars used a pair of second-round picks on receivers, but undrafted free agent Allen Hurns has been the best rookie in camp, writes Hays Carlyon in the Florida Times-Union: “The question now isn’t if Hurns makes the 53-man roster. He’s a virtual lock, a difficult position for an undrafted rookie to work his way to after three games. . . Hurns has put himself in position to perhaps start opposite Cecil Shorts when the Jaguars open the regular season at Philadelphia on Sept. 7.”
  • Jace Amaro is impressing Rex Ryan. Speaking about the rookie tight end, Ryan told the New York Post’s Brian Costello, “I told you guys he reminds me of [Mike] Ditka the more I see him. The kid gets better and better and better. That’s the thing you love about this guy.” Amaro had four catches and a touchdown last night against the Giants.
  • Raiders outside linebacker Khalil Mack looked worthy of the No. 5 overall selection last night, according to Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury-News.
  • Raiders running back Kory Sheets (Achilles) is out for the season. Sheets broke the news himself via Twitter. As a result, Latavius Murray will begin the season as the team’s primary kick returner.
  • A pair of young veterans — Dontay Moch and Orson Charles — could be candidates for the Bengals’ practice squad, speculates ESPN’s Cole Harvey, who says “coaches have grown tired of the Charles experiment and are all-in on undrafted rookie free agent Ryan Hewitt.”

Bills Notes: Roster, Ownership, Sale

August 14th, 2014 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Wide receiver T.J. Graham, tight end Tony Moeaki, and linebacker Jimmy Gaines are among the players whose roster spots are in jeopardy for the Bills as August’s cutdown dates approach, writes Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. Still, even as Buffalo prepares for the regular season, its play on the field is taking a back seat in the news these days to the sale of the franchise, so let’s check out the latest reports on that process….

  • The Buffalo Fan Alliance, a Bills fan group, has discovered documents referring to Rogers Communications consultant, Roger Rai, as part of the ownership group “attempting to acquire and move the Buffalo Bills to Toronto,” writes John Wawrow of The Associated Press. The Rogers family is part of the Toronto-based group led by Jon Bon Jovi pursuing the Bills, but Rai that he’s not involved with that group, and that any references connecting him to an attempted purchase of the franchise is “a mistake on my behalf.”
  • Whether or not Rai is involved, and whether or not that Toronto group wants to move the Bills to Canada, things aren’t looking particularly good for Bon Jovi and company. Tim Graham of the Buffalo News tweets that there’s “major tension” within the group lately, with the partners not getting along.
  • Meanwhile, multiple sources who spoke to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun about the Toronto group’s meeting with the Bills sellers described the sitdown as “purely perfunctory.” According to Kryk, defeat for Bon Jovi’s group seems “more inevitable than ever.”
  • At least two Los Angeles-based parties signed the Bills’ non-disclosure agreement, but abandoned any pursuit of the franchise once they found out how difficult it would be to relocate the team to L.A., says Graham in a story for the Buffalo News. According to Graham, philanthropist Eli Broad, who is worth an estimated $6.9 billion, was one potential suitor who signed the non-disclosure agreement but was discouraged about his chances of moving the club west.

AFC East Notes: Williams, Thomas, Johnson, Kelly

July 19th, 2014 at 3:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Bills newcomer Mike Williams sat out portions of minicamp to rest his troubled hamstring, but the veteran wideout has no worries heading into training camp.

“I’m fully ready to go,” Williams told Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News. “I trained this whole offseason. There was really no offseason for me. I kinda had to get my leg better. I had to get back to feeling like Mike again, like my mom always tells me. Today running that conditioning test made me feel like I was Mike again.

“At the start of camp, just did the conditioning test and I feel real good. I feel great. I feel I got an A-plus, if there was a grade for it. I feel I’m ready to go.”

Williams finished 2013 with 22 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns – all career lows. The Buccaneers traded the wideout to the Bills in early April for a sixth-round pick.

Let’s look at some more notes from the AFC East…