The Colts have eight tryout players on hand this week, including cornerback Keenan Lewis and defensive end Jacquies Smith (Twitter link via George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin). Wide receiver Paul McRoberts, cornerback Juante Baldwin, running back Jordan Huff, safety Tim Scott, defensive end Evan Panfil, and defensive end Christian French are also among those looking to hook on in Indy.
Lewis, 32, has not played since the 2015 season when he suffered a leg injury. In 2016, the Saints released him as he was slow to recover from a hip malady. He nearly rejoined the Steelers in 2017, but a medical red flag kept him from signing. Pittsburgh doctors reportedly found that Lewis had undergone a “failed surgery” and he filed a grievance against the Saints this year to recoup some of his lost salary.
Lewis, a 2009 third-round pick of the Steelers, spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. After serving as a reserve through his first few seasons, he started all 16 games for the Steelers in 2012, compiling 71 tackles and one forced fumble. He ended up signing a five-year, $26.3MM deal with New Orleans during the 2013 offseason, and he started all 32 games for the Saints in 2013 and 2014. However, he suited up just six times in 2015.
Smith, 28, established himself as a serviceable edge rusher for the Bucs (13.5 sacks from 2014-15) before a torn ACL ended his 2016 campaign after only one game. After working his way back to full health, Smith had played in his first contest of the year during Week 4 last year, but saw action on only seven snaps. Smith wound up signing with the Lions during their bye week in 2017, but did not play in any games for them. A second stint with Detroit later in the year resulted in two appearances for Smith, but he recorded only one tackle.
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
November 7th, 2017 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links
The Giants announced that they have reinstated cornerback Janoris Jenkins. It was just one week ago that Jenkins was handed an “indefinite” suspension by head coach Ben McAdoo.
Jenkins was banned from the team when he missed last Monday’s meeting. Initially, the Giants said that Jenkins’ absence was excused. Later, McAdoo told reporters that wasn’t the case.
Jenkins’ act-out marked the second time a Giants star has publicly disrespected McAdoo. Just weeks ago, fellow starting corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie butted heads with the coach. He too was handed an “indefinite” suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. And, he too was reinstated after just one week. We know that DRC had some issues with McAdoo specifically, but it’s not immediately clear why Jenkins missed last Monday’s practice.
The Giants are 1-7 after a 51-17 drumming at the hands of the Rams. In the midst of a disastrous season, it’s fair to wonder whether McAdoo will be brought back for another.
In related moves, the Giants signed linebacker Deontae Skinner off the Raiders’ practice squad and waived defensive end Jordan Williams and defensive back Tim Scott. Linebacker Nigel Harris (ribs) was placed on injured reserve.
Weston Richburg‘s season is over. The Giants announced that they have placed the center on the injured reserve. The team has promoted cornerback Tim Scott to take his spot on the roster.
Richburg, a 2014 second-round pick, has started 50 of his 51 games over the past three-plus seasons. The 26-year-old was productive in four games this season, as Pro Football Focus ranked him 14th among 36 eligible center candidates, and he had similar grades in 2015 and 2016. Richburg hadn’t played since early October as he recovered from a concussion, with Brett Jones taking his spot in the starting lineup. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets that the center is set to be an unrestricted free agent following the season, and he may have played his final game for the organization.
Scott, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of the University of North Carolina, has spent the entire season on the Giants practice squad. With Janoris Jenkins suspended and Donte Deayon dealing with an ankle injury, the team was certainly seeking reinforcement at the position. This weekend, Scott could theoretically slide in as the team’s fourth cornerback behind Eli Apple, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Ross Cockrell.
September 3rd, 2017 at 3:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East 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 for the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
