Taylor Boggs

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/15

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

Earlier today:

  • The Browns are signing linebacker Jayson DiManche off the Chiefs‘ taxi squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. DiManche will take the roster spot previously filled by running back Shaun Draughn, who has been waived, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound DiManche has appeared in 28 regular-season games with one start, all with the Bengals. Draughn appeared in five games this season for Cleveland with two carries for 10 yards.
  • The Falcons signed linebacker Philip Wheeler and released safety Charles Godfrey, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Lions have claimed guard/tackle Michael Ola off waivers from the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. Ola has yo-yo’d between the Chargers’ 53-man roster and the taxi squad all season long.
  • The Colts promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star tweets. The Colts also cut Amarlo Herrera and cornerback Shaun Prater, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed Lemuel Jeanpierre and cut Crezdon Butler, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
  • The Seahawks also placed linebacker Brock Coyle on IR-DTR, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune tweets.
  • The Chargers will sign safety Adrian Phillips from the practice squad as early as today, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
  • The Raiders re-signed strong safety Taylor Mays, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints have signed wide receiver T.J. Graham, according to a source who spoke with Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings signed Kenrick Ellis and placed Shamar Stephen on IR, Wilson tweets.
  • The Jaguars moved wide receiver Neal Sterling to the active roster and signed safety Craig Loston, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

Lions Sign 12 Players To Futures Deals

4:37pm: Twentyman (Twitter link) adds Williams, whose pending deal was noted below, to the list of Lions signees, bringing the total to 12.

3:31pm: The Lions became the latest team to announce a series of reserve/futures signings for 2015 today, confirming that they’ve inked 11 players to new deals. Here’s the complete list of signees, via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter links):

Of the 11 players signed today by the Lions, eight finished the season on the team’s practice squad, with Boggs, Cave, and Hyder representing the new additions. Cornerback Trevin Wade and offensive tackle Michael Williams have yet to officially sign new deals, though Williams is expected to re-sign soon, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Minor Moves: Thursday

We’ll keep tabs on today’s minor transactions right here, including practice squad signings and cuts, and moves at the back end of 53-man rosters. Here’s the latest:

  • The Bears announced that they have waived center/guard Taylor Boggs off of injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports.
  • The Patriots are promoting running back Jonas Gray from their practice squad to their 53-man roster today to replace Stevan Ridley, who is heading to injured reserve, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald adds that offensive lineman Chris Barker will also be promoted to the roster to replace injured linebacker Jerod Mayo. New England had been expected to make a move or two this afternoon, in advance of tonight’s game against the Jets.

Earlier updates:

  • After waiving him earlier this week, the Bengals have re-signed linebacker Khairi Fortt to their practice squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Fortt, a 2014 fourth-rounder, was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return by the Saints, but was cut before he was eligible to begin practicing again. In order to clear room for him on their taxi squad, Cincinnati has cut guard Jeff Baca.

Bears Promote DeDe Lattimore

The Bears have made a change to their 53-man roster, promoting linebacker DeDe Lattimore from their practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). The club has waived-injured offensive lineman Taylor Boggs to clear an opening for the incoming addition.

Lattimore, an undrafted free agent out of South Florida, signed with the Bears following May’s draft, and was waived during the cutdown from 75 to 53 players at the end of the preseason. He has spent some time on Chicago’s practice squad during the season, though this will be the first opportunity he gets on the 53-man roster.

As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes (via Twitter), Lattimore’s promotion may suggest that Jonathan Bostic‘s status for Sunday is in doubt. Currently, Bostic is listed as questionable with a back issue. The team has already ruled out injured veteran Lance Briggs, so reinforcements may be needed for the linebacking corps anyway.

Minor Moves: Saturday

Here are some minor transactions that have occurred this Saturday before the rest of the week two action begins:

  • The Bears have promoted three players to their active roster for Sunday’s game against the 49ers, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribute (via Twitter). Receivers Josh Bellamy and Chris Williams will be suited up tomorrow, along with center Taylor Boggs.
  • The Vikings have signed running back Joe Banyard off of their practice squad, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). The team has waived full back Zach Line to make room for Banyard.
  • The Patriots have promoted linebacker Deontae Skinner to their active roster, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). The team waived linebacker Darius Fleming to make room for the roster move.

Earlier updates:

  • The Jaguars have waived fifth-round pick Chris Smith, reports Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). The defensive end was released to make way for the signing of safety Craig Loston.
  • The Raiders have officially promoted linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu from the practice squad to the active roster, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (via Twitter). Wilson originally reported the teams plans to do so yesterday, and it has now become official. Filimoeatu slots in the roster spot that was vacated when the team placed Taiwan Jones on the injured-reserve, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • The Lions are promoting safety Nate Ness to the active roster, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Birkett has not played in a game since 2011.

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North 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 NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Chicago Bears:

Detroit Lions:

Green Bay Packers:

Minnesota Vikings:

Bears Cut Eben Britton, Others

4:41pm: The Bears have officially announced all their cuts, so we can add the following names to the list of players no longer on the team’s active roster:

1:35pm: The Bears have also cut a duo of young defenders:

11:12am: The Bears cut down on their offensive line depth this morning, as Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune reports that Eben Britton will be released. The 26-year-old started four games for Chicago in 2013, seeing action on 235 snaps.

As Biggs notes, the only Bears backup lineman with any NFL experience is Brian De La Puente. The team appears ready to roll with rookies Charles Leno Jr. and Michael Ola.

The rest of the Bears moves are listed below:

NFC Notes: Falcons, Bears, Schilling, Riddick

The Falcons’ training-camp position battle at running back will have the attention of ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, who says soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran Steven Jackson probably has one good season left in him, but fourth-rounder Devonta Freeman was drafted with “thoughts of grooming him as the three-down back of the future.” Meanwhile, the battle for the third-down role will be between Antone Smith and Jacquizz Rodgers, whose special-teams impact might be reduced by the presence of Devin Hester.

Here’s a few more NFC Notes for your late-night or early-morning perusal:

    • The Bears want second-year man Marquess Wilson to win the No. 3 receiver job, writes ESPN’s Michael C. Wright: “unless Wilson falters significantly in camp and in the preseason, the job appears to be his to lose.
    • The Bears project to bring back nine of the 10 offensive linemen who finished last season with the team, in addition to free-agent acquisition Brian De La Puente. Consequently, someone like James Brown or Taylor Boggs could be cut in training camp, asserts ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
    • After Stephen Schilling was let go by the Chargers, the Seahawks were the first team to express interest and offer a contract, writes Bob Condotta in the Seattle Times. Schilling, a Washington state native, jumped on the opportunity, and he thinks he could latch on with the Seahawks because their zone-blocking scheme better suits his skill set.
    • Lions running back Theo Riddick has had a strong offseason, even catching the eye of head coach Jim Caldwell, and the second-year pro out of Notre Dame should benefit from coaching staff and new scheme, says Tim Twentyman on the team website.
    • Giants cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta tells NJ.com’s Conor Orr he has the deepest position group of his career thanks to “10 quality corners.”

Bears Re-Sign Derrick Martin, Taylor Boggs

6:43pm: Martin’s deal is indeed worth the $855K veteran’s minimum for an eight-year veteran. tweets Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.

1:11pm: The Bears have re-signed a pair of players eligible for free agency, inking safety Derrick Martin and center Taylor Boggs to one-year contracts, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link).

Martin, a journeyman who has spent time with the Ravens, Packers, Giants, Patriots, and Bears since 2006, rarely sees any playing time on defense, but figures to compete for a roster spot in Chicago as a special teams contributor. He had been eligible for unrestricted free agency, and will likely be back on a minimum salary contract.

As for Boggs, his options were limited, as he was set to be an exclusive rights free agent. Like Martin, he’ll probably be on a minimum salary deal, with a chance to compete for a place on the Bears’ roster this summer. The 27-year-old has yet to log a snap in a regular season NFL game.