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Sean Weatherspoon

Minor Moves: Texans, Chargers, Pats, Titans, Falcons

June 16th, 2014 at 6:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any new moves added to the top of the page throughout the evening:

  • The Texans have signed offensive tackle Will Yeatman to a two-year deal, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link). Yeatman is a converted tight end who has spent the past three seasons with the Dolphins; he’ll compete for a backup position in Houston.
  • The Chargers added a little camp depth to their secondary today by signing former Texas safety Adrian Phillips to a contract, the team announced in a press release. Running back D.J. Adams was waived by San Diego to create an opening on the team’s roster.
  • The Patriots have cut tight end Kyle Auffray, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). The New Hampshire alum, who also has experience at quarterback and punter, only lasted a week on New England’s roster after signing with the club last Monday.
  • Linebacker James Gayle, who was cut by the Titans on Friday, has been added to the team’s injured reserve list after clearing waivers, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Gayle is recovering from shoulder surgery.
  • Another more notable name also hit injured reserve today: The Falcons placed linebacker Sean Weatherspoon on their IR list, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

NFC South Notes: Weatherspoon, Newton, Bucs

June 10th, 2014 at 8:31pm CST by Zachary Links

A quick look at the NFC South..

  • Poor Sean Weatherspoon. The Falcons linebacker has missed 12 games over the past two years and today he learned that he’ll miss 16 more in 2014. The team announced today that Weatherspoon ruptured his Achilles tendon and will have to miss all of the 2014 season. “During Sean’s run today with our medical staff, he suffered an injury,” head coach Mike Smith said. “We sent Sean to the doctor for some additional testing and evaluation and unfortunately the results showed that he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Sean had been working extremely hard to get back on the field, but regrettably he will miss the entire 2014 season. He will have a procedure done in the near future and we expect him to make a full recovery.”
  • Talks between Cam Newton and the Panthers on a deal still have yet to get underway, but there’s a fear that teams will look to impose the Colin Kaepernick structure moving forward, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. However, a deal for Newton may be for a higher average annual value and, as one source told Rapoport (link), guaranteed money is what really matters.
  • Buccaneers rookie Kadeem Edwards is looking to make an immediate impact, writes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. The guard was taken in the fifth round out of I-AA Tennessee State.

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Jones, Saints

May 18th, 2014 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints have been busy today — New Orleans not only became the third team to sign its first-round pick (receiver Brandin Cooks), but added two undrafted free agents, upping its total UDFA haul to 20. Let’s look at some more notes from New Orleans and the rest of the NFC South:

  • Falcons seventh-round linebacker Tyler Starr (who signed a contract today) impressed during Atlanta’s rookie minicamp, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, and did so while utilizing a four-point stance (both hands on the ground). “In college…I just kind of started thinking [about] the four-point, and it gave me a little more weight in the back of my hips so I could get a little more torque out of my stance,” Starr said. “And it also helped me come out at more of a horizontal level so I could play with my hands out in front of me.” The Falcons are transitioning to a 3-4 base defense in 2014, so Starr’s versatility could come in handy.
  • Running back Devonta Freeman (like Starr, a Day 3 pick of the Falcons) could also prove useful in 2014, and Orlando Ledbetter of the Orlando Journal-Constitution labels the fourth-rounder “a keeper.” “Devonta is a fast and quick guy,” said head coach Mike Smith. “He has very good vision and he’s able to stick his foot in the ground and transition into a different direction.”
  • In a separate piece, Ledbetter passes along some Falcons injury news, noting that receiver Julio Jones and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will both be held out of team activities until the start of training camp.
  • Several notable players with NFL experience were included in the Saints’ rookie minicamp over the weekend on a tryout basis, with defensive end Jamaal Anderson (the No. 8 pick in 2007), receiver Armanti Edwards, and center Samson Satele among them, according to Andrew Lopez of the Times-Picayune.
  • Rookie Kelvin Benjamin is the closest thing the Panthers have to a No. 1 receiver, writes David Newton of ESPN.com in his latest mailbag. I would expect Carolina to run quite a bit of “11” personnel (one RB, one TE, three WRs), with Benjamin and Jerricho Cotchery on the outside, and Jason Avant in the slot.