Minor NFL Transactions: 5/25/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers have signed undrafted free agent Javien Elliott, formerly of Florida State, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Elliott accrued 37 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Seminoles last season.
- Offensive lineman Darius Johnson, whom the Lions cut on Tuesday, has cleared waivers, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State earlier this month.
- The Buccaneers have waived cornerback C.J. Wilson, according to Auman (Twitter link). Wilson missed all of last season after losing two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident. Prior to that horrific accident, he appeared in a total of four games from 2013-14 – his first two seasons in the league. Wilson will continue his career in a vastly different climate, per Auman, who reports that he has signed with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
- Wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived/injured Tuesday, cleared waivers and has reverted to injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Titans have been awarded tight end Jerome Cunningham off waivers, reports Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. Cunningham, whom the Jets waived Tuesday, appeared in nine games last season and caught eight passes for 59 yards.
- The Broncos have an agreement with second-round defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. As per his slot, Gotsis’ deal comes with a signing bonus of just over $1MM. Gotsis, a Georgia Tech product, is currently sidelined due to the torn ACL he suffered last year.
- The Bengals signed fourth-round defensive tackle Andrew Billings, as Wilson tweets. In related news, the team signed fullback Andrew Bonnet and waived-injured kicker Jonathan Brown.
- The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Jarrett Grace, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. To make room, fellow linebacker Danny Mason has been placed on waivers.
- The Falcons announced that they have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz was signed as a college free agent following the draft. Even after cutting Elenz, Atlanta has 15 offensive linemen on their 88-man roster.
- The Packers released guard/tackle Vince Kowalski, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
Bucs Place Lowdermilk On Reserved/Retired List
- The Raiders announced that they have signed free agent wide receivers Robert Herron and Nathan Palmer. To make room, the Raiders have waived/injured wide receiver Andre Debose and waived quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Palmer auditioned for New Orleans last week alongside a handful of notable names, including Hakeem Nicks. Herron was originally selected by the Bucs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played in eight games his rookie season, posting six receptions for 58 yards (9.7 avg.) and one touchdown.
- The Buccaneers have placed safety Johnny Lowdermilk on the reserved-retired list, creating a second opening on the 90-man roster, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
Bucs OL Coach Not High On Team's Performance
- Buccaneers offensive line coach George Warhop did not consider the team to have deployed a good offensive line last season. Although the Bucs employed now-retired Logan Mankins and potentially promising Day 2 pick Ali Marpet, the team allowed an NFL-high 124 quarterback hits. “Too many quarterback hits, regardless. I don’t care whose fault it is,” Warhop said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We all have a hand in that. It’s one of our points of emphasis this year. First meeting, ‘Hey, listen, guys. Everybody’s telling me what a great job you did. I thought we were just average, really.” Pro Football Focus graded tackles Donovan Smith and Gosder Cherilus as two bottom-tier performers at the position, but now-healthy Demar Dotson and newly signed J.R. Sweezy should bring some much-needed reinforcements to the group.
Bucs Had First Round Grade On K Roberto Aguayo
Draft evaluations are subjective and tend to vary greatly from team to team. This week, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht reminded us of that fact when he explained that he had first-round grades on three of his rookies this year, including kicker Roberto Aguayo. The Bucs thought enough of the FSU product to trade into the second round for him and apparently it’s a move that the Bucs made with confidence. Along with Aguayo, the GM feels that he snared first-round talents in cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and defensive end Noah Spence. In 2015, Licht says he also hit it big.
- New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Todd Monken admits that he wasn’t a big fan of Winston prior to the 2015 draft. Today, the former Southern Miss head coach isn’t afraid to admit that he has had a change of heart. “It’s who he is, how he’s wired,” Monken said, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I think that’s one thing that’s a misnomer. I think from the outside you would’ve looked at it with all the things that were publicized in the past about him and who he is. I was dead wrong. He wants to win as much as we do. He’s a competitive joker, man, he’s smart, he’s intelligent…you can win a lot of games with guys like that.”
Buccaneers Waive Patrick Murray
- The Buccaneers have waived kicker Patrick Murray, reports Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Murray spent last season on IR after the Bucs waived him with an injury designation, as Laine notes. In his only year of action, 2014, Murray converted 20 of 24 field goals.
Bucs Sign A.J. Francis
- The Buccaneers announced that they have signed A.J. Francis, as Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com writes. The defensive tackle now joins his fourth team after beginning his career in Miami and later seeing time in Seattle and New England. To make room, second-year defensive tackle Davon Coleman has been waived.
Buccaneers Sign Noah Spence
- The Buccaneers announced that they’ve signed second-round defensive end Noah Spence, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The only Tampa Bay pick that has yet to sign his rookie deal is perhaps the most controversial pick of the draft — second-round kicker Roberto Aguayo.
Bucs Claim Johnny Lowdermilk From Vikings
- The Buccaneers have claimed safety Johnny Lowdermilk off waivers from the Vikings, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The team also waived rookie safety Traveon Henry and rookie wide receiver Dez Stewart (injured).
- The Buccaneers signed receiver Freddie Martino, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Kiper: Buccaneers Have Multiple UDFAs To Watch
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, draft guru Mel Kiper identifies 30 undrafted free agents to keep an eye on this summer. The Bills, Panthers, Bears, Broncos, Colts, Saints, Jets, 49ers each have two signees on the list, while the Buccaneers have an impressive four of the 30.
Bucs Add Four, Cut Three
- The Chiefs cut offensive lineman Mike Liedtke, according to freelance reporter Jenna Laine (on Twitter).
- The Buccaneers signed three tryout players (link): Texas Tech linebacker Micah Awe, Kansas State defensive tackle Travis Britz, and Louisville tackle Kelby Johnson. The team also welcomed back wide receiver Andre Davis. To make room, UDFAs tight end Tim Brown (West Chester), linebacker Tyson Coleman (Oregon), and defensive tackle Jontavius Morris (Western Kentucky).
- Kutztown wide receiver Anthony Kelly, signed last week by Buccaneers as undrafted free agent, is no longer with team due to an issue with his knee, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.