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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/15

September 25th, 2015 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

With this weekend’s games just around the corner, here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

New England Patriots

San Diego Chargers

Washington

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/13

September 24th, 2015 at 7:01pm CST by Zachary Links

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

NFL Could Move Only One Team To L.A.

September 23rd, 2015 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

For the last few months, it has been widely reported that the NFL wanted to move two franchises to Los Angeles. At first, that appeared to be a positive for the joint Chargers/Raiders effort, though there were also rumblings that the Bolts and Rams could hook up on a stadium project.

Now, the NFL may ultimately move only one team to Los Angeles, a league source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT. That would not be a short-term plan, either – it would be an indefinite move that could result in a second team never going to L.A. If only one team goes, that team likely would be the Rams, since owner Stan Kroenke already has plans in place to fund privately a one-team stadium. Florio writes that the league is concerned that they might not be able to connect with Angelenos if they come in cold with two teams after a 20+ year absence from the market. Instead, they may choose to ensure that they get things right with just one club.

Here’s more on Los Angeles and even news on a possible London team..

  • Things could be getting more serious as the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, comprising six owners, along with Commissioner Roger Goodell, will be taking a more prominent role in the L.A. proceedings, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times writes. While that might not seem like a big change, it is noteworthy since things have been fairly stagnant since the spring.
  • When asked on Twitter when there will be an NFL franchise in London, mayor Boris Johnson responded, “We are working hard on deal – high hopes for Tottenham in the next few years…watch this space.”
  • The L.A. committee was scheduled to discuss a potential relocation fee in detail last week, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The committee is expected to set the fee and structure of the payment at an October meeting in New York.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/15

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:08pm CST by Luke Adams

As usual, plenty of teams around the NFL are shaking up their rosters a little on the Tuesday following a full slate of games. Here are today’s minor moves:

  • Cowboys defensive tackle Terrell McClain is done for the season with a badly sprained big toe, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link). Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that the team has placed McClain on injured reserve.
  • The Cardinals have cut running back Kerwynn Williams in order to make room for offensive tackle Bobby Massie, who is returning from a two-game suspension, says Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). We’ll see if Arizona re-adds Williams or another running back to the roster before the club’s Week 3 game, with Andre Ellington likely to be sidelined again. The Cardinals also cut Travis Harvey from injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets.
  • With Jay Cutler injured, the Bears activated quarterback David Fales from the taxi squad to the active roster, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, the Bears waived Bryce Callahan, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Washington linebacker Martrell Spaight, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, has been placed on injured reserve due to a concussion, tweets Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com. The move opens up a roster spot for reinstated cornerback Chris Culliver.
  • Besides Massie, Culliver, and Vikings cornerback Jabari Price, whose reinstatement we noted yesterday, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell and Chargers offensive lineman Craig Watts are returning from suspensions this week, per Wilson (Twitter link). Pittsburgh and San Diego will have roster exemptions until tomorrow afternoon for those players.
  • The Colts have made a change at the cornerback spot, signing veteran free agent Josh Thomas and waiving Eric Patterson, owner Jim Irsay announced today (via Twitter). Perhaps more notably, the team an injury settlement with running back Vick Ballard, officially removing him from the roster. Ballard, who hasn’t played a game since the 2013 season, will become a free agent if and when he clears waivers.
  • The Dolphins are signing linebacker and special-teamer Terrell Manning, according to Wilson. The 25-year-old has already appeared in regular season games for five different NFL teams since entering the league in 2012.
  • With Austin Seferian-Jenkins set to miss some games, the Buccaneers are signing tight end Cameron Brate off the Saints‘ practice squad, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Brate started the season on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad before he landed on New Orleans’ unit last week.
  • The Buccaneers have also have also signed free agent defensive end Josh Martin and waived defensive end Kourtnei Brown, Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune tweets.
  • The Ravens waived running back Terrence Magee to open up spot for newly-acquired cornerback Will Davis, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • The Raiders cut Tevin McDonald, Wilson tweets.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/15

September 21st, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are today’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL..

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: RB Paul Lasike (Twitter link via Brad Biggs)
  • Cut: RB Bronson Hill

Philadelphia Eagles

San Diego Chargers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/15

September 19th, 2015 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest minor moves from across the NFL:

  • The Patriots released wide receiver Jonathan Krause, who was on injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Krause went undrafted out of Vanderbilt and has spent time with both the Cleveland and New England organizations.
  • The Eagles reached an injury settlement with defensive end Brian Mihalik, per Wilson (Twitter link). Mihalik, formerly of Boston College, was a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in this year’s draft.
  • The Raiders signed safety Tevin McDonald from their practice squad, according to their website. McDonald is an undrafted rookie from Eastern Washington.
  • Washington cut defensive end Frank Kearse and signed linebacker Terrance Plummer from its practice squad, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Kearse amassed career highs in games (15), tackles (12) and sacks (three) as a member of Washington’s defense in 2014. He appeared in 16 games from 2011-13 with the Panthers and Cowboys. Plummer is an undrafted rookie from Central Florida.
  • The Bears cut defensive back Demontre Hurst and promoted defensive lineman Brandon Dunn from their practice squad, according to ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson (Twitter link). Hurst totaled 39 tackles and an interception as an undrafted rookie last year, and added a tackle in the Bears’ loss to Green Bay last week. Dunn, also in his second year, spent most of last season on the Bears’ practice squad. He appeared in three games and made one tackle.

Earlier updates:

  • In order to make room for Phillips, San Diego cut wide receiver Tyrell Williams, per Gehlken (on Twitter). Williams, who will traverse the waivers process, had a standout preseason as a rookie. This cut leaves the Chargers thinner at receiver. Gehlken estimates only four dressing Sunday, with Dontrelle Inman residing as the Bolts’ only backup.
  • The Chargers added Adrian Phillips from their practice squad, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). They will make a corresponding move later today, per Gehlken. An undrafted rookie safety in 2014, Phillips suited up for three games last year for the Chargers.
  • The Jaguars moved cornerback Peyton Thompson to their active roster and cut wideout Bryan Walters to make room, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports (on Twitter). A fourth-year veteran, Thompson played two games for the Jags last season after spending 2012 in Atlanta and 2013 with Washington. Walters, 28, played one game in Jacksonville last season while playing the previous two with the Seahawks. He booked a start for the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks after starting his career in San Diego two years prior.
  • The Panthers also swapped out a wide receiver for another position in cutting Damiere Byrd, an undrafted rookie from South Carolina, from their practice squad to make room for offensive tackle Pierce Burton on their 10-man unit, David Newton of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Falcons released Burton from their practice squad last week.
  • Rookie UDFA wide receiver Javess Blue received an injury settlement from the Packers, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Due to the settlement, Blue cannot re-sign with Green Bay for at least six weeks.
  • The Vikings reached an injury settlement with 2015 sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson, per Wilson (on Twitter). The 23-year-old from Oklahoma took first-team reps with the Vikings at right guard this summer before the team moved tackle Mike Harris inside, where he starts now.

Breer’s Latest: Colts, Maxwell, Los Angeles

September 18th, 2015 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A week after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota – the top two picks in the 2015 draft – squared off in Tampa Bay, Albert Breer of the NFL Network spoke to Buccaneers GM Jason Licht and Titans GM Ruston Webster, and both executives are still very happy with the choices they made back in April. Of course, there wasn’t much to dislike about Mariota’s Week 1 performance for Webster, and even though Winston struggled, Licht says the team “saw some flashes of great play” and still has a lot of faith in the No. 1 overall pick.

As Breer notes, history suggests that a rookie quarterback’s performance in the first week of the regular season doesn’t necessarily reflect what kind of career – or even what kind of season – he’ll have, so it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from Mariota winning round one over Winston.

Let’s round up a few more of Breer’s items of interest….

  • Colts owner Jim Irsay wants to make the most out of Andrew Luck‘s time in Indianapolis after the Colts only won one championship in 14 years with Peyton Manning, and there’s a belief that Irsay will have an itchy trigger finger with his decision-making as a result. If the 2015 season ends the same way the last three seasons have, Irsay will look to make changes, according to Breer, who says the Colts’ owner may go “big-game hunting” if he decides to replace Chuck Pagano as head coach.
  • In examining Byron Maxwell‘s unsteady start with the Eagles, Breer cites one NFC executive who has said in the past that teams’ biggest free agent mistakes often involve projecting players into bigger roles. In Maxwell’s case, he was surrounded by Pro Bowl caliber defensive backs in Seattle, but is being relied upon as the No. 1 option in Philadelphia after inking a lucrative long-term contract. It remains to be seen whether Maxwell’s poor performance vs. the Falcons was a one-week blip or a sign of things to come.
  • St. Louis and San Diego reps won’t get an opportunity to make presentations at the NFL’s owners meetings in October, but that doesn’t mean the subject of Los Angeles won’t be discussed. As Breer writes, owners could address and agree to a relocation fee, and figure out how it would be paid. The league may also try to finalize a temporary stadium for 2016 and a new window for applying for relocation, since the current window (January 1 to February 15) is expected to be moved up.
  • Within his L.A.-related observations, Breer also says that Dean Spanos and his Chargers have garnered the most sympathy around the NFL based on his situation, so it seems extremely unlikely that any relocation scenario would leave the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium — the franchise figures to either move to L.A. or get a stadium solution worked out in San Diego.

Extra Points: Pats, Julio, Fluker, Cooper

September 17th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The DeflateGate scandal reentered the news Thursday when Mark Baltz, the NFL’s head linesman from 1989-2013, voiced his suspicion regarding recently reinstated Patriots employee Jim McNally. In response, Jim Daopoulos – the league’s ex-supervisor of officials and one of Baltz’s former bosses – defended McNally.

“In all my years working with locker-room attendants, Jim McNally, without a doubt, is probably one of the most professional of all the locker-room attendants in the National Football League,” Daopoulos said, according to CSNNE.com. “And that can be attested by all the officials working in the National Football League.”

“I really don’t know what Mark’s agenda is right here,” Daopoulos added.

Other news from around the league:

  • Although Falcons star receiver Julio Jones has been limited this week with a hamstring injury, head coach Dan Quinn says there’s “zero” chance he’ll miss their game Sunday, per The Associated Press. Jones lit up the Eagles for nine catches, 141 yards and two touchdowns in Monday’s win. He’ll look to do something similar against the Giants this week.
  • Chargers guard D.J. Fluker was carted off the field with an ankle injury during the team’s Week 1 win over Detroit, and there was concern that he’d miss anywhere from four to six weeks. Instead, Fluker will only miss a couple weeks, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. In the meantime, Chris Hairston will take his spot as the starting right guard.
  • Raiders receiver Amari Cooper harbors no ill will toward Bengals cornerback Adam Jones, who avoided a suspension after ripping Cooper’s helmet off his head and slamming his head against the ground in Cincy’s win last week. “I didn’t want him to get suspended,” Cooper said, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “He was just playing football and playing physical like you’re supposed to. I’m past all that now. I’m trying to focus on the Ravens.” (Twitter links: 1; 2).
  • Seahawks rookie defensive end Frank Clark is a situation player – for now, anyway – and using Richard Sherman in the slot enables the team to get its three best cornerbacks on the field, D-coordinator Kris Richard said (Twitter link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta).
  • The Colts’ decision to waive/injured running back Vick Ballard prior to Week 1 remains a curious one, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. They did it to open up a spot for inside linebacker Josh McNary, but they have a logjam of ILBs. On the other hand, they’re lacking at running back behind starter Frank Gore.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/15/15

September 15th, 2015 at 7:09pm CST by Zachary Links

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

  • The Jets waived Oday Aboushi, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Aboushi was suspended without pay for the first game of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
  • The Bears cut quarterback David Fales, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots cut undrafted rookie wide receiver Chris Harper, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
  • The Chargers signed offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins and dropped tight end Kyle Miller, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
  • The Eagles placed center David Molk on IR, according to the team transactions page.
  • The Cowboys officially signed Charles Brown and waived Darrion Weems, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. Brown went to training camp with the Jets and was a former second round pick of the Saints.
  • The Buccaneers announced today that they have waived (injured) linebacker James-Michael Johnson.
  • The Texans placed tight end Ryan Griffin on IR-DTR with a sprained medial collateral ligament, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Titans reached injury settlements with Zaviar Gooden and Yawin Smallwood, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.
  • The Colts signed Josh McNary to the active roster, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes.
  • The Raiders will release tight end Gabe Holmes but they’ll try to re-sign him to the taxi squad, Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports tweets.

AFC Notes: Kitchen, Texans, Workouts, Fluker

September 15th, 2015 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Browns nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, who was cut by Cleveland earlier this month, will pay a visit to the Texans this week, a source tells Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. With 2014 third-rounder Louis Nix no longer on their roster, and sixth-round rookie Christian Covington backing up Vince Wilfork, the Texans may be seeking some veteran depth to help complement J.J. Watt on their defensive line.

As we wait to see if anything materializes between Kitchen and the Texans, let’s check in on a few other items from across the AFC….

  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along some workout updates, reporting (via Twitter) that the Jets are auditioning former Broncos defensive end Quanterus Smith today, and that linebackers Troy Davis, Quayshawn Nealy, and Nick Moody recently worked out for the Chiefs. Moody has since signed to Seattle’s practice squad.
  • Chargers offensive lineman D.J. Fluker is expected to miss “considerable time” due to an ankle injury, writes Bernie Wilson of The Associated Press. Johnnie Troutman would likely be the next man up to replace Fluker as San Diego’s right guard.
  • The trial for Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter, who was charged with assault and battery following a July bar brawl, is set to begin today in Virginia Beach, according to an Associated Press report.
  • Examining A.J. Green‘s new extension with the Bengals, Bryce Johnston of Over the Cap observes that even though Green’s second-year base salary isn’t fully guaranteed at the time of his signing and he trails other star wideouts in terms of fully guaranteed money, his contract looks just as strong as those other deals.
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