Workout Updates: Holmes, Pryor, Lewis
After having been released by the Bears earlier this week to make room for Marquess Wilson, wide receiver Santonio Holmes passed through waivers unclaimed and is on the lookout for a new job. And according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), the veteran wideout has already paid a visit to Kansas City to meet with the Chiefs, a team that could use a receiver — through nine games, no Chiefs wide receivers have a touchdown this season.
While we wait to see if Holmes ends up signing with Kansas City or another club, let’s round up a few more Saturday updates on free agent visits, workouts, and auditions around the league….
- With Nick Foles on the shelf, the Eagles just have two healthy quarterbacks on the active roster, and while a move is unlikely, the team is keeping an eye on free agent options just in case. According to Florio (via Twitter), Philadelphia worked out signal-callers Terrelle Pryor and Thad Lewis.
- Lou Young, who was cut from the Jaguars’ practice squad earlier this week, was one of a handful of defensive backs to try out for the Cowboys, along with Robert Steeples and Jonte Green, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- In addition to the previously-reported punters that worked out for the Buccaneers this week, punter Jake Dombrowski and long snapper Charley Hughlett also auditioned for the club, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- Defensive tackle Kenny Horsley, who auditioned for the Packers earlier this week, also worked out for the Bears, per Wilson (via Twitter).
Extra Points: Goldson, Cowboys, Draft, Titans
As free agency and cap management is becoming more notable in teambuilding, Kevin Seifert of ESPN takes a closer look at six of the league’s most inflated contracts and the effects they are having on their team’s roster. He dissects the contracts of Jay Cutler, Ndamukong Suh, Joe Flacco, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Tony Romo, and how each team will likely deal with the large cap numbers going forward.
Here are some other notes from around the NFL:
- The Buccaneers put together one of the most high profile secondaries out of nowhere before the 2013 season, signing Darrelle Revis and Dashon Goldson and drafting Mark Barron at the top of the first round. Not long after, Revis was released and Barron was traded, leaving only Goldson on the roster, and he may be the next to go, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Goldson has played less as the season goes on, and with large money attached to his contract, the team may choose to go younger and cheaper at the safety position.
- Much has been made of the Cowboys as they approach their decision on what to do with offensive stars Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, with many pundits and fans expecting long-term extensions for both. Murray also seems like an obvious franchise tag candidate, but Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News could see the Cowboys surprising us and rewarding Murray with the long-term deal while franchising Bryant at the higher tag price.
- Although the 2015 NFL draft order has not even been set, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay of ESPN are already working hard to evaluate both the prospects available as well as the needs of NFL teams. They look at the possibility teams like the Raiders, Jets, Buccaneers, and Titans would take a quarterback such as Marcus Mariota of Oregon or Jameis Winston of Florida State at the top of the draft, and look at other questions surrounding the draft.
- The Titans may be in position to draft high at the top of the first round, but in no way will that be on purpose, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “It is ludicrous to me. Fans don’t understand the situation we go through as players,” said tight end Delanie Walker. “No one wants to lose games for better picks. It just doesn’t happen. It would never happen. Just the thought is ludicrous.”
Minor Moves: Friday
Since Fridays are relatively quiet days for in-season NFL transactions, we’ll round up today’s minor 53-man roster changes and practice squad signings and cuts in the same space. Here’s the latest:
- After having lost Josh Mauro to the Cardinals, the Steelers filled their newly-opened practice squad spot by re-adding defensive lineman Ethan Hemer to their practice squad, tweets Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hemer returns to the unit after having been cut earlier this month.
- Linebacker Jeremy Grable, who was just added to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad on Wednesday, has been placed on the squad’s IR list, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, who adds (via Twitter) that punter Jacob Schum has replaced Grable.
Audition Notes: Thursday
The latest workouts from around the National Football League..
- The Buccaneers worked out a trio of punters (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter): Chase Tenpenny, Jacob Schum and Tom Hornsey.
Earlier updates:
- The Patriots auditioned running back Dion Lewis, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Lewis worked out for the Giants late last month during their bye week.
- Before signing D.J. Smith to the taxi squad, the Browns also worked out linebacker Dan Fox, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
NFC South Notes: Goldson, Hardy, Soliai
The latest from the NFC South..
- In Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, Bucs safety Dashon Goldson was replaced on numerous passing downs by Bradley McDougald. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times rightly notes that this doesn’t bode well for the former Pro Bowl safety who has no guaranteed money left on his five-year, $41.25MM deal beyond 2014.
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera is quick to admit that the absence of Greg Hardy has been partially to blame for an inconsistent defense, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s a part of it. He’s a guy that impacts the way that people approach you. People have got to game plan for him and do certain things with protections. It would help to have him. We don’t. So, unfortunately, we go on and do the best that we can without him,” Rivera said.
- Falcons free agent signings Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson are eager to show that they’re worth the big bucks, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Atlanta invested $25MM in the duo with the expectation that they would spark a defensive turnaround, but so far that hasn’t happened. Soliai has an average grade of -1.0 for run defense from Pro Football Focus so far this season.
Workout Notes: Wednesday
The latest workouts and auditions from around the NFL..
- The Seahawks worked out Mister Alexander and Fred Evans, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- The Chargers worked out offensive lineman Michael Huey, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Huey had a brief stint with the Chargers in August of 2011 and has also spent time with the Seahawks. The 26-year-old has also racked up a slew of awards during his time in the Arena Football League with the Arizona Rattlers. Washington also took a look at Huey (link).
- The Bucs worked out wide receiver Chandler Jones, running back LaDarius Perkins, guard Jon Halapio, quarterback Garrett Gilbert, wide receiver Jeremy Gallon, and running back David Fluellen, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Titans worked out quarterback B.J. Coleman and wide receiver Ja-Mes Logan, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
As usual, plenty of practice squad players are on the move again this week, being signed, cut, or promoted as teams prepare for Week 11 games. Here are Wednesday’s latest practice squad additions and subtractions:
- Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter), linebacker D.J. Smith has joined the Browns‘ practice squad, replacing fellow linebacker Allen Bradford, who was signed by the Seahawks’ active roster today.
- A day after being cut by the Jaguars, cornerback Peyton Thompson has cleared waivers and re-signed with the team’s practice squad, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com.
- The Ravens have replaced tight end Phillip Supernaw, who signed with the Chiefs earlier this week, with tight end Konrad Reuland, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Seahawks have added fullback Stanley Havili to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- After promoting linebacker Max Bullough to their active roster, the Texans got their practice squad back up to the maximum 10 players by signing former Central Florida tackle Chris Martin, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Buccaneers have filled the two openings on their practice squad by signing linebacker Jeremy Grable and offensive lineman Jeremiah Warren, both of whom have previously been with the team, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
- Another club with two openings on its taxi squad has also filled them — the Bears announced today (via Twitter) that wide receiver B.J. Cunningham and guard Antoine McClain have signed with the team.
- The Cardinals have swapped out an offensive player for a defender, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com, who tweets that the team has signed cornerback Darren Woodard to its practice squad to replace running back Zach Bauman.
- After seeing tight end Rashaun Allen signed off their practice squad by the Seahawks, the Vikings have filled the newly-created vacancy by re-adding tight end Ryan Otten, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Wednesday
As teams make minor adjustments to the backs of their 53-man rosters, we’ll keep tabs on today’s minor moves right here, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Texans have maxed out their active roster at 53 players once again, promoting linebacker Max Bullough from their practice squad to fill their final opening, tweets Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. Bullough represents a replacement for veteran linebacker Zac Diles, who was cut by the team yesterday.
Earlier updates:
- On the heels of waiving safety Jerome Couplin yesterday, the Bills have made a corresponding roster move, announcing in a press release that they’ve promoted defensive end Bryan Johnson from their practice squad to their active roster. The addition of Johnson may signal that injured defensive end Jarius Wynn won’t be able to play in tomorrow night’s game against the Dolphins.
- The Buccaneers have filled their open roster spot by promoting cornerback C.J. Wilson from the practice squad, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link). The team created that opening yesterday by sending rookie guard Kadeem Edwards to the injured reserve list.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
In addition to tweaking their 53-man rosters in preparation for Week 11’s games, teams around the NFL are also making changes to their practice squads. Here are Tuesday’s practice squad signings and cuts:
- The Browns signed defensive lineman Jamie Meder to their taxi squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). Meder, an Ohio native, was recently cut from the Ravens’ practice squad.
- Brian McIntyre (on Twitter) has the goods on the Seahawks‘ latest taxi squad moves. Seattle has signed defensive end Ryan Robinson and running back Cierre Wood while placing running back Demitrius Bronson and defensive tackle Julius Warmsley on the IR. Linebacker L.J. Fort, who was being looked at as a possible fullback option, has been released.
- The Giants released safety Kyle Sebetic from the practice squad, tweets Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger.
- The Packers have re-signed wideout Alex Gillett to their taxi squad, releasing Jordan McCray in a corresponding move, a source tells Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Confirming a Monday report, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com tweets that center Darren Keyton has formally been added to the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing linebacker Jerrell Harris.
Earlier updates:
- After placing linebacker Patrick Willis on injured reserve today, the 49ers signed another linebacker, Shayne Skov, to their practice squad, the team announced (via Twitter). Skov, who spent the summer with the Niners, was cut from the Buccaneers’ taxi squad last month.
- Looking to add depth at the tight end position, the Chiefs not only added Phillip Supernaw to their active roster today, but also signed tight end Adam Schiltz to their practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Schiltz takes the spot vacated by running back Charcandrick West, who was promoted to the 53-man roster today.
- The Browns have released defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel from their practice squad, leaving an opening on the unit, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link).
- Linebacker Denicos Allen has been cut from the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
- Amidst a flurry of other roster moves, the Jaguars released cornerback Lou Young from their practice squad today, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Tuesday is typically the busiest day of the week during the NFL season for transactions, so we’ll round up several of the day’s less notable 53-man roster changes in this space, adding the latest moves to the top of the list throughout the day:
- After placing defensive tackle Brandon Mebane on injured reserve, ending his season, the Seahawks signed tight end Rashaun Allen to take his spot on the 53-man roster, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Allen had been on the Vikings’ practice squad.
- The Saints have reinstated wide receiver Joe Morgan from his suspension and have a roster exemption for him that expires tomorrow, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange.
Earlier updates:
- A week after claiming him off waivers, the Bills have let go of safety Jerome Couplin, the team announced today in a press release. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets, the team could replace Couplin with a defensive end, since Jarius Wynn wasn’t able to practice today.
- Linebacker Zac Diles has been cut by the Texans, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Diles had been signed when Houston was dealing with several injuries at the linebacker position, and it seems he’s no longer needed now that the club is getting a little healthier.
- The Buccaneers have placed rookie guard Kadeem Edwards on their injured reserve list due to a season-ending foot injury, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter). The team has yet to announce an addition to the roster, so for now there’s an open spot on the squad.
- The Chiefs have signed tight end Phillip Supernaw to their active roster from the Ravens’ practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Demetrius Harris broke his foot during the team’s Sunday win over Buffalo, and Anthony Fasano was banged up as well, so more depth at the tight end position was necessary.
- In addition to signing Supernaw, the Chiefs also announced several more roster moves, promoting running back Charcandrick West from their practice squad and placing Harris and running back Cyrus Gray on injured reserve.
- The Browns have reversed a roster move they made a few weeks ago, re-signing fullback Ray Agnew to their active roster and waiving fullback Kiero Small (Twitter link). The team had previously promoted Small to replace Agnew, who was the starting fullback earlier this season.