Travaris Cadet

Jets Cut RB Travaris Cadet

The Jets have released running back Travaris Cadet, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Cadet was signed late last month to help provide depth in the wake of an injury to Matt ForteTravaris Cadet (vertical)

Cadet’s run with the Jets ideally should have ended when Forte returned to the lineup, but Bilal Powell suffered a calf strain just as Forte recovered from turf toe. Now, Powell is finally healthy, giving the Jets three healthy backs when including rookie Eli McGuire. Cadet, who was on the field for just 13 snaps in three contests, has been displaced. His partial season with the Jets ends after three receptions for 26 yards plus three rushing yards.

With both of their top running backs now healthy, the Jets will look to get back to their winning ways on Sunday when they face the Falcons in New Jersey. With a win, they’ll return to the .500 mark.

Jets Sign Travaris Cadet

The Jets have signed Travaris Cadet, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Cadet will help fill the gap with Matt Forte likely to miss Sunday with a toe injury. Travaris Cadet (vertical)

Cadet auditioned for the Jets on Tuesday, along with former Chiefs running back Knile Davis. Cadet, apparently, made a stronger impression on the Jets and his pass-catching acumen probably has a lot to do with that.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound tailback has only 26 carries and 84 rushing yards for his career, but he has done some damage catching passes out of the backfield. Over the years, the 28-year-old has caught 102 receptions and scored seven touchdowns through the air. Last year, he set career highs in catches (40) and receiving TDs (four) with the Saints.

After an upset win over the Dolphins, the Jets will look to keep things rolling against the Jaguars at Metlife Stadium.

Jets Work Out RB Travaris Cadet

The Jets are working out running back Travaris Cadet on Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Cadet’s familiarity with offensive coordinator John Morton could help foster a deal. Travaris Cadet (vertical)

The Jets (and rival Bills) pursued Cadet this offseason, but the Saints ultimately won out. Later, the numbers crunch led the Saints to shop Cadet over the summer and release him in early September.

The Appalachian State product played the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, where he contributed mostly in the passing and return game. In 2014, he enjoyed one of his best campaigns, finishing out with 38 receptions for 296 yards. The running back then had brief stints with the Patriots and 49ers before returning to the Saints in late 2015. In 2016, Cadet appeared in 15 games (one start), hauling in 40 catches for 281 yards and four touchdowns.

The Redskins worked out Cadet earlier this month but did not sign him.

Redskins Work Out Travaris Cadet

Travaris Cadet (vertical)

The Redskins worked out free agent running back Travaris Cadet on Monday, ESPN’s Field Yates reports (on Twitter). A signing doesn’t seem imminent, though, as Yates notes that the audition was “due diligence” on Washington’s part.

The Redskins were woeful on the ground during their 30-17 loss to the Eagles on Sunday, when quarterback Kirk Cousins led the team with 30 yards on four carries. Running backs Robert Kelley and Chris Thompson were far less successful than Cousins, combining for a mere 34 yards on 13 attempts.

Sunday’s struggles notwithstanding, Kelley and Thompson still carry more appeal than Cadet, who has barely been a factor as a rusher since breaking into the NFL in 2012 with the Saints. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has never totaled more than 11 carries in a season and has only racked up 26 tries and 84 yards in his career. The 28-year-old Cadet has been effective as a pass catcher, though, having tallied 102 receptions and seven touchdowns. He set career highs in catches (40) and receiving TDs (four), to go with 241 yards, last year in New Orleans, which released him during cutdown weekend Sept. 3. Cadet hadn’t drawn any reported interest until the Redskins took a look at him.

Saints Reach 53-Man Roster Limit

Every team had to get under the 53-man limit by Saturday’s deadline, but the Saints were the last to publicly announce their cuts. Here’s the full rundown of their moves:

Waived:

Released:

IR:

The Saints re-signed Cadet this offseason only to put him on the trade block in June. They didn’t find any takers then and they apparently couldn’t find any now. The Jets, who pursued him in free agency, could have interest in signing him.

Extra Points: Broncos, Ward, Dorsett

The Broncos did not discuss a pay cut with safety T.J. Ward before releasing him on Saturday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets. “It was a football decision,” a team source tells her, adding that the motivation was to give more playing time to Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Meanwhile, Broncos players are upset about losing Ward and his locker room presence, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

While Ward searches for a new home, here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Colts had offers for Phillip Dorsett from other teams, but those proposed swaps involved draft choices instead of netting a young player at a positional need, Mike Lombardi of The Ringer tweets. Lombardi doesn’t name teams, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says the 49ers, Jets and Cardinals were among the teams that showed preliminary interest in him.
  • The Jets are expected to be interested in running back Travaris Cadet now that he has been released by New Orleans, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Jets showed interest in Cadet during free agency but ultimately lost out.
  • T.J. McDonald‘s new deal with the Dolphins has built in protections for the team that will override his guarantees if he has another suspension issue, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. The pact includes $10MM in “guarantees,” but McDonald can’t slip up if he wants to collect on all of it.
  • Wide receiver Victor Cruz says that he got a “clean bill of health” on his MRI this week, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. He’s now a free agent after being released by Chicago.
  • Chiefs GM Brett Veach says veteran running back C.J. Spiller could still end up on the Chiefs’ roster (Twitter link via BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com). Spiller was among the Chiefs’ mass cuts on Saturday as they trimmed down to 53.

NFC Notes: Maclin, Revis, Newton

We learned earlier today that the Eagles, not the Bills, were the runners-up for Jeremy Maclin‘s services, which came as something of a surprise given last week’s report that Philadelphia did not have interest in reuniting with Maclin. Per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links), Eagles head coach Doug Pederson claims he was not being coy when he said the team was not considering Maclin, but that the Eagles did not reach out to Maclin until the weekend, when they contacted him to gauge interest. However, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets the Eagles never really got into a bidding war with the Ravens, who ultimately signed Maclin and who apparently gave him “solid money” to come to Baltimore.

Now for more from the NFC:

  • Cowboys WR Dez Bryant tweeted free agent corner Darrelle Revis yesterday and told him to consider signing with the Cowboys, leading some to speculate that the club could be interested in relocating Revis Island to Texas, despite earlier reports to the contrary. Nonetheless, Clarence Hill, Jr. of the Star-Telegram, citing a team source, tweets that there is “nothing going on with Revis.”
  • We heard earlier today that Eddie Lacy passed his weigh-in with the Seahawks, which netted him a $55K bonus, but he was not the league’s biggest loser this week. As Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes, Cowboys offensive lineman Byron Bell picked up $150K by weighing in at less than 320 pounds on Monday, and he can earn another $300K if he meets his weight requirements at the start of training camp and the first week of the regular season. And, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), if Falcons NT Dontari Poe weighs 340 pounds or less tomorrow, he earns $125K.
  • Panthers QB Cam Newton will not throw at this week’s minicamp, but the quarterback is still on schedule with his recovery and is expected to be ready for training camp, as Edward Lewis of NFL.com writes.
  • The Saints may be shopping Travaris Cadet, but Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune does not believe they can realistically expect to get any takers, so the team will probably be forced to release him.
  • We learned earlier tonight that Rams DT Aaron Donald could miss this week’s mandatory minicamp as he continues to push for a long-term deal.

Saints Shopping RB Travaris Cadet

Travaris Cadet may have re-signed with the Saints this offseason, but it’s sounding like the running back may not be sticking in New Orleans long term. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter), the Saints are currently “exploring trade scenarios” for the veteran prior to training camp.

Travaris Cadet (vertical)The Appalachian State product has spent the majority of his five-year career with the Saints. He played the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, where he contributed mostly in the passing and return game. 2014 was arguably his most productive campaign, as Cadet finished that season with 38 receptions for 296 yards.

The running back had brief stints with the Patriots and 49ers before returning to the Saints in late 2015. This past season, Cadet appeared in 15 games (one start), hauling in 40 catches for 281 yards and four touchdowns. He ended up re-signing with the organization this past offseason.

The Saints are loaded at running back, so it would have been an up-hill battle for Cadet to make the roster, anyway. The 28-year-old will be competing with Alvin KamaraDaniel Lasco, and Marcus Murphy for carries behind Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram.

Cadet was reportedly choosing between the Saints, Jets, and Bills during the offseason. New Orleans might be able to find a trade partner in one of those two squads, although it’s uncertain if New York or Buffalo still have interest.

Contract Details: Foles, Carr, Poe, Cowboys

Here’s a fun fact from Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter links): Of the 155 free-agent contracts that have been filed since March 9, only 23 have more than $3MM fully guaranteed in post-2017 money. In essence, that means 85.2% of the contracts done over the last ten days are one-year deals with team options.

Now for the latest contract details:

  • Cornerback Brandon Carr‘s four-year, $23MM Ravens contract comes with $6MM in 2017 – most of which is by way of a $4MM signing bonus – and then the Ravens will have a 2018 team option, reports Breer (on Twitter).
  • Falcons defensive tackle Dontari Poe‘s one-year, $8MM accord features a $500K signing bonus and incentives for playing time, sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance (Twitter link via Breer).
  • Quarterback Nick Folespreviously reported two-year, $11MM deal with the Eagles is actually a five-year, $27.5MM pact, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. However, the final three years of the contract will void if Foles is still on Philadelphia’s roster 23 days before the start of the 2019 league year. The arrangement comes with $5MM in incentives and an esclator for 2018 worth as much as $6MM (Twitter links).
  • Panthers defensive tackle Kyle Love‘s two-year contract is worth $2.2MM and features a few bonuses – $200K for signing, $25K for workouts and $10K per game active – as well as $500K in annual incentives, tweets Wilson.
  • Cowboys running back Darren McFadden‘s one-year contract is a minimum salary benefit deal worth $980K (a salary of $900K and an $80K signing bonus). Guard Jonathan Cooper‘s single-year accord is worth $2MM and has a $31,250 bonus per game active, $500K in incentives and a $100K workout base de-esclator (Twitter links via Wilson).
  • Cardinals running back/wide receiver Andre Ellington will earn a $775K base salary on his one-year agreement, tweets Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910.
  • Redskins defensive tackle Ziggy Hood’s two-year, $2.7MM deal includes a $300K signing bonus, per-game active bonuses of $15,625 each, $600K in incentives and a $600K escalator. Meanwhile, the Redskins gave linebacker Chris Carter a minimum salary benefit deal worth $855K, including $775K in salary and a signing bonus of $80K, relays Wilson (Twitter links).
  • Saints running back Travaris Cadet also got a minimum salary benefit contract for 2017, says Wilson (Twitter link). It’s worth $855K ($775K in salary and an $80K signing bonus).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Saints To Re-Sign Travaris Cadet

Travaris Cadet is re-signing with the Saints, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Jets and Bills were also in the mix for the running back, though a Wednesday morning report indicated that the final decision came down to the Saints and Jets. "<strong

Ultimately, the Saints won out even though the Jets were said to be offering more money. His connection with Jets offensive coordinator John Morton also didn’t lure him to New York. Cadet, in all likelihood, stayed in New Orleans because he had a greater degree of comfort and chance to win.

Cadet he has spent the bulk of his five-year career with the Saints. Last year, he caught 40 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns in black and gold. The pass-catching specialist will slot in behind Mark Ingram, who is more of a traditional tailback. Fellow Saints running back Tim Hightower remains in free agent limbo.