HEADLINES

Trae Elston

Eagles Claim Trae Elston Off Waivers

September 20th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles announced that they have claimed safety Trae Elston off waivers from the Bills. He’ll be on the 53-man roster when the Eagles take on the Giants on Sunday. Trae Elston (vertical)

The Bills dropped Elston on Tuesday, opting to replace him with fellow safety Robert Blanton on Wednesday morning. A UDFA out of Mississippi last year, Elston spent time with three different clubs in 2016 before Buffalo claimed him off waivers from the Browns. He is still looking for steady work, but on the plus side he has already amassed a solid jersey selection. The 23-year-old saw time in both of the Bills’ games this season with the bulk of his work coming on special teams.

The Eagles have been looking for safety depth and they initially tried to fill that void by signing safety DeAndre Houston-Carson off of the Bears’ practice squad this week, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). They were blocked on that attempt when Chicago bumped him to the 53-man roster, however.

Elston is likely to be on the active roster this weekend with starter Rodney McLeod and reserve defensive back Jaylen Watkins on the mend.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/17

September 19th, 2017 at 6:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Seattle Seahawks

Bills Claim S Trae Elston Off Waivers

April 21st, 2017 at 3:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Both defensive backs waived by the Browns on Thursday have now been claimed. The Bills have been awarded safety Trae Elston, per a club announcement.

Elston entered the league as a UDFA last year with the Saints. He missed final cuts and went on to have a practice squad stint with the Bucs before joining Cleveland’s active roster. After some roster reshuffling at the end of the year, he wound up signing back with Cleveland as a reserve/futures player before his Thursday release.

The Ole Miss product, known for his hard-hitting style, didn’t suit up for any regular-season games as a rookie.

Browns Cut Alvin Bailey, Tracy Howard

April 20th, 2017 at 4:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns have cut offensive lineman Alvin Bailey and a pair of defensive backs, Tracy Howard and Trae Elston, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (Twitter link).

Alvin Bailey (vertical)

Bailey, the most notable of the three, spent just one season with the Browns, who signed the ex-Seahawk as a free agent last March. The 25-year-old ended up playing in 14 of the Browns’ games (five starts) and ranking as one of Pro Football Focus’ worst guards. Bailey’s two missed contests came on account of a December suspension stemming from a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. That ban was the result of a September arrest on a DUI charge.

Howard, 22, caught on with the Browns last spring as an undrafted free agent from Miami. He appeared in all but one of their games and worked mostly on special teams, playing nearly 42 percent of snaps and returning seven kicks. Howard also saw a decent amount of action defensively (25.2 percent of snaps), and totaled 16 tackles.

Elston, undrafted out out of Ole Miss a year ago, didn’t suit up for any regular-season games as a rookie. He instead spent time on the practice squads of the Browns, Saints and Buccaneers.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/2/17

January 2nd, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/2016

December 7th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

  • The Browns announced that they have signed safety Trae Elston and placed rookie safety Derrick Kindred (foot) on the reserve/non-football injury list. Kindred has had an up-and-down season for Cleveland, compiling 49 tackles and five passes defended. Elston, an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi, previously spent time with the Buccaneers and Saints.
  • The Colts announced that they have elevated rookie inside linebacker Luke Rhodes to the active roster. The William & Mary product had been on the team’s practice squad since early October.

Giants Work Out Group Of Safeties

November 30th, 2016 at 9:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants auditioned safeties Cedric Thompson, Duke Thomas, Ryan Murphy, and Trae Elston today, a source tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.New York Giants (Helmet) (Featured)

[RELATED: New York Giants Depth Chart]

New York is on the lookout for defensive back depth given that top reserve Nat Berhe suffered a concussion during Sunday’s win over the Browns. At present, the club only has two other two true safeties left on the roster in the forms of starters Landon Collins and Andrew Adams. The Giants are so depleted in the secondary, in fact, that the current backups at safety are cornerback Leon Hall and linebacker Eric Pinkins.

A concussion caused Berhe to miss three games earlier this season, so it’s possible that his most recent brain injury could force him to be sidelined for even longer. None of the options worked out by the Giants today have any NFL experience, however, so they may not be able to help immediately. New York doesn’t have any safeties on its practice squad — the only defensive back on the taxi squad is Michael Hunter, a natural cornerback.

NFL Workout Notes: Bucs, Jags, Colts, Chargers

November 29th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Before signing defensive back Major Wright earlier today, the Buccaneers also worked out fellow safeties Jeron Johnson and Duke Williams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson, a career special-teamer, signed a two-year deal to become a starter for the Redskins prior to the 2015 campaign, but flamed out after only one season. He signed on with the Chiefs but was cut this summer, and has been on the workout circuit ever since. Williams, meanwhile, had started 10 games over the past four years for Buffalo, but was waived to make room for Percy Harvin earlier this month.

Here’s more on today’s NFL auditions:

  • The Jaguars tried out three wide receivers on Monday, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. DeAndre Carter (Sacramento State), Cayleb Jones (Arizona), and Mekale McKay (Cincinnati) all auditioned for Jacksonville. Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return, so Jacksonville could be looking to add a bit of depth in the meantime.
  • Linebacker Beniquez Brown, cornerback Trae Elston, tight end Gabe Hughes, and quarterback Keith Wenning worked out for the Colts today, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Indianapolis has been hit with injuries all over its roster, and Wenning, in particular, could be a safety net in case Andrew Luck suffers a setback in his recovery from a concussion.
  • The Chargers auditioned defensive backs Randall Evans and Solomon Means, tweets Balzer. San Diego is currently missing cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion), while safety Jahleel Addae just returned on Sunday after recovering from a broken collarbone.
  • The Packers tried out offensive tackle Ryker Matthews today, per Balzer (Twitter link).

Bears Audition Rueben Randle, Others

November 22nd, 2016 at 7:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears worked out a group of wide receivers which included Rueben Randle, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).Keshawn Martin, Dres Anderson, and Quinshad Davis also participated in the Monday workout. On the other side of the ball, the Bears auditioned defensive backs D’Joun Smith, Trae Elston, Tevin McDonald, Rolan Milligan, and Varmah Sonie. Rueben Randle (vertical)

The Eagles signed Randle in March with the hope that he could fulfill his potential in a different jersey. However, he disappointed in Philly just as he often did for their divisional rivals. It has been said that Randle’s work ethic was suspect while with the G-Men and he may not have been giving it his all in camp with the Eagles. Not only did Randle not make the team, but he was cut loose before the 75-man deadline. Still only 25, Randle averaged 56 receptions, 782 yards, and six touchdowns over the past three seasons with the Giants.

Smith, a 2015 third-round pick of the Colts, was waived by Indianapolis with an injury designation in September. Since then, he has had workout for the Saints, Jets, and Packers and had a cup of coffee with the Lions’ practice squad. It’s fair to wonder whether Smith is healthy given his injury history.