Steelers Claim Zach Mettenberger
4:16pm: The Steelers announced they placed Bruce Gradkowski on IR to clear a roster spot for Mettenberger. Gradkowski re-signed with Pittsburgh in May on a one-year, $965K deal with $80K guaranteed. The 33-year-old passer spent last season on IR as well, with a thumb injur
y derailing his season. This time, a torn hamstring will end his season early.
3:25pm: Zach Mettenberger is now with his third team of the 2016 offseason. The Steelers have claimed the quarterback off waivers from the Chargers, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.
Mettenberger now joins Landry Jones and Bryn Renner on the depth chart behind Ben Roethlisberger. It’s possible that the Steelers are looking at Mettenberger as a third-string option instead of Renner, a player who could probably be snuck through waivers and stashed on the taxi squad.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in the 2014 draft. In his rookie season, Mettenberger saw time in seven games (six starts) and threw for eight touchdowns with seven interceptions. Early on this offseason, the Chargers claimed Mettenberger off waivers from the Titans. Days ago, the Bolts dropped him as they trimmed down to a 75-man roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Claim Gaston From Chargers
We’ve had quite a busy day as teams worked feverishly to get under the 75-man roster maximum before the afternoon deadline. Here are the rest of the roster moves made so far:
- The Packers have released punter Tim Masthay to make room for fellow punter Jacob Schum, whom they claimed on waivers from the Buccaneers, Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel tweets.
- The Browns have signed punter Michael Palardy and waived free safety Tim Scott, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. Palardy will battle it out with new acquisition Kasey Redfern.
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The Eagles announced that they have claimed defensive tackle Bruce Gaston off waivers from the Chargers. The Purdue product has played with five teams to date. Philadelphia also signed defensive end Jake Metz, according to a team announcement. Metz previously played with the Arena League’s Philadelphia Soul.
- The Buccaneers moved guard J.R. Sweezy and receiver Louis Murphy to the PUP list, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. In related moves, linebacker Jeremiah George and safety Kimario McFadden have been re-signed.
- Contrary to previous reports, the Saints are not cutting linebacker Jeff Schoettmer (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune).
- The Steelers have moved their roster to 75 men by waiving safety Jacob Hagen, defensive tackle Devaunte Sigler and cornerback Kevin White, the club announced.
- The Colts had one open roster spot, and they’ve filled by signing safety Alden Darby, per a team announcement.
- The Bears have waived rookie cornerback Kevin Peterson, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Chargers Get Roster Exemption For Joey Bosa
The Chargers announced that they’ve received a roster exemption for the recently-signed Joey Bosa, so while they technically have 76 players under contract, they are in compliance with the league’s roster requirements.
Waived
- QB Zach Mettenberger (story)
Waived/Injured:
- WR Javontee Herndon (story)
- DT Zamir Carlis
- T Tyler Johnstone
- RB Dreamius Smith
Placed on injured reserve:
- G Donavon Clark
- RB Branden Oliver (story)
Chargers WR Javontee Herndon Likely Done For Year
Chargers wide receiver Javontee Herndon recently suffered a non-contact knee injury and was forced to undergo surgery last week, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. As such, Herndon is likely to miss the entire season.
[RELATED: Chargers Waive Zach Mettenberger]
Herndon, 23, had spent most of the past two seasons on San Diego’s practice squad, but saw action in eight games on the active roster last season, and posted 195 yards on 24 receptions. Additionally, Herndon was a factor on special teams, averaging 7.4 yards per punt return and 22.4 yards per kick return.
Herndon had been battling for a roster spot amid a WR depth chart that has already lost Stevie Johnson for the season, and saw the release of veteran James Jones yesterday. Herndon’s injury should be a boon to the chances of recent waiver claim Rasheed Bailey making the Bolts’ roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Waive QB Zach Mettenberger
Zach Mettenberger is now on the hunt for his third NFL team. Today, the Chargers will release the quarterback, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. 
Mettenberger, a one-time starter for the Titans, was waived by the team earlier this offseason. The Chargers used their high waiver priority to snag him, beating out other claiming teams like the Giants and Bengals. Apparently, he didn’t do enough to impress San Diego coaches in recent weeks. The Chargers will head into the season with Philip Rivers, Kellen Clemens, and Mike Bercovici at quarterback.
The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick of the Titans in the 2014 draft. In his rookie season, Mettenberger saw time in seven games (six starts) and threw for eight touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Joey Bosa's Agent Switch Helped Talks
Joey Bosa‘s switch in lead agents helped end the stalemate between him and the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes. Bosa’s camp shifted from Brian Ayrault to Todd France — each of whom work for CAA — after Ayrault rejected San Diego’s most recent offer. Because the club said it would only reduce its proposal from there, the agency decided to try a new strategy. “Good cop, bad cop,” one source told Gehlken.
Another key in ending the negotiations was the Chargers agreeing to language that would protect Bosa’s roster bonuses, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). The former Ohio State Buckeye will receive 85% of his signing bonus in 2016, and the rest in 2017, per Breer, which represents a compromise between the two sides.
Chargers Release James Jones
8:16pm: The Chargers have confirmed the move.
7:25pm: For the second year in a row, James Jones will be without a team as final cutdowns approach, as the veteran wide receiver has been released by the Chargers, a source tells Annie Heilbrun (Twitter link).
Jones, 32, sat on the free agent market until earlier this month, when he agreed to a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with San Diego after fellow receiver Stevie Johnson was lost for the season. However, given that he signed so late in camp, Jones was never able to get comfortable with the Chargers’ offense, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Moreover, Jones figured to play behind Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and possibly Dontrelle Inman on San Diego’s depth chart.
Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
In other Chargers news, the club has claimed running back Gus Johnson off waivers from the Falcons, according to James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Move Roster To 83
The Chargers have dropped their roster to 83 players, as the club announced several roster moves on top of the already-reported release of James Jones and waiver claim of running back Gus Johnson. San Diego will still need to make eight cuts before 3pm Tuesday.
Placed on reserve/PUP:
Waived:
- WR Torrence Allen
- C Bruce Johnson
- CB Michael Lee
- LB Zach Hodges
- DT Bruce Gaston
- CB Greg Ducre
Watt, a former third-round pick, will miss the first six weeks of the season before being eligible to return to the field. The 26-year-old has started eight games during his first two years in the league, but with free agent signee Matt Slauson poised to start at center, Watt will merely serve as depth unless an injury strikes.
Chargers Sign Joey Bosa
Finally – the Joey Bosa saga is over. The Chargers announced that they have inked their first-round pick to a contract with just a couple of weeks to go before the season opener. Bosa now has 13 days to prepare for Week 1 against the Chiefs. 
[RELATED: Bosa’s Agent Change Led To Deal]
The Chargers gave Bosa the largest upfront signing bonus in club history, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The two sides compromised on cash flow in years 2, 3, and 4 while the Chargers got the offset language they were seeking. The Chargers and Joey Bosa agreed to a four-year, $25.8M contract, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). He gets a $17MM signing bonus and it is all fully guaranteed.
“We look forward to having Joey join us and getting him prepared as quickly as possible for the 2016 season,” said GM Tom Telesco in a press release.
The Chargers selected Bosa with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft. The Ohio State product was widely projected to be a top 10 pick in this year’s draft, but few pundits saw the Chargers pouncing on him at No. 3. While teams traded into the top two picks to select quarterbacks, the Bolts were more than happy to stay put and grab Bosa. Although it is common for the first two or three teams on the board to discuss contract quirks with prospective picks, the Bolts apparently did not do that with Bosa or his CAA reps.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers RB Branden Oliver Tears Achilles
3:25pm: Chargers head coach Mike McCoy confimed to reporters, including Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter links), that Oliver does have a torn Achilles and will miss the year.
2:59pm: The Chargers announced that running back Branden Oliver left today’s preseason game with an Achilles injury, and following initial tests, it appears that Oliver did indeed tear his Achilles, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). While Rapoport cautions that Oliver will undergo more tests, Oliver would clearly miss the 2016 season if the Achilles is torn.
[RELATED — Chargers Owner: Joey Bosa’s Holdout Is “Absolutely Asinine”]
Oliver, who also ended the 2015 campaign on injured reserve, was set to return as San Diego’s third running back behind Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead. Serving in that role last season, Oliver rushed 31 times for 108 yards, and added 112 yards via 13 receptions. Additionally, Oliver was once again scheduled to act as the Chargers’ primary kick returner — he averaged 24.6 yards per return last year.
Oliver’s injury would seem to solidify a roster spot for 2015 undrafted free agent Dreamius Smith, who spent most of last season on the Chargers’ practice squad but did see one game of regular season action. Kenneth Farrow, the only other running back on San Diego’s squad, could now see an opening to make the club, while the Chargers also boast two fullbacks — Derek Watt and Chris Swain.
San Diego could look to claim a back off waivers in the coming days as other clubs trim their rosters, or it could venture into the free agent market. Joique Bell, Ahmad Bradshaw, Zac Stacy, Pierre Thomas, and former Charger Donald Brown are all available, as is Karlos Williams, whom I recently listed as a fit for the Chargers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.