Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday
Today’s practice squad moves:
- One cornerback has replaced another on the Chargers‘ practice squad, as the team announced today that it has signed Kendall James and parted ways with Aaron Hester.
- Offensive lineman Chris Barker, who was cut when the Patriots acquired Jonathan Casillas, has cleared waivers and will rejoin the club’s practice squad, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The Pats will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Barker.
- One last update from Charean Williams (Twitter link) on Jeff Baca: the Cowboys have indeed signed the offensive lineman to their practice squad, releasing guard Rishaw Johnson to do so.
Earlier updates:
- After being cut by the Rams to accommodate the addition of safety Mark Barron, quarterback Case Keenum has cleared waivers and re-signed with the team’s practice squad, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Linebacker Justin Anderson is signing with the Giants‘ practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The team had been carrying just nine players on its squad, so no corresponding move was necessary to clear room for Anderson, who spent time with the Giants during the preseason.
- The Seahawks appear to have filled one of their practice squad openings by adding offensive lineman Keavon Milton, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
- Charean Williams had issued an addendum to her earlier report, tweeting that apparently Baca hasn’t signed with the Cowboys after all. Instead, the team has replaced Davis with another linebacker, Will Smith.
- The Cowboys have signed offensive lineman Jeff Baca to the taxi squad, replacing linebacker Troy Davis, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Quarterback Mike Kafka has been signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Kafka, 27, was released by the Bucs on Monday. He did not take a snap with the Bucs during his short stint on the active roster and his only NFL experience came in 2011 with the Eagles where he appeared in four games.
Audition Notes: Wednesday
The Cowboys scheduled a visit for linebacker Will Smith, a source tells Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. However, there might not be a spot for Smith after Tim Dobbins was picked up earlier today. The Cowboys have needs at offensive guard and at linebacker with injuries to starting left guard Ron Leary and starting weakside linebacker Justin Durant. Durant is done for the year while Leary is out with a groin strain. A look at today’s auditions from around the NFL..
- The Titans worked out defensive backs Malcolm Bronson, Deveron Carr, Marcus Cromartie, Keelan Johnson, Bacarri Rambo, and Trevin Wade this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
- Former Jaguars safety Chris Prosinski is visiting the Eagles today, a league source tells Wilson (on Twitter). The Jets auditioned Prosinski last week.
- The Broncos tried out defensive backs C.J. Barnett, Kip Edwards, and Jerron McMillian, Wilson tweets.
- The Texans, who signed Zac Diles and Ben Malena, also worked out Moise Fokou, Shayne Skov, and Scott Solomon, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Raiders worked out Michael Egner, tight end D.C. Jefferson, and Jacob Pedersen, Wilson tweets. Jefferson, a Rutgers product, entered the school as a well-regarded quarterback and left as a tight end.
- The Bucs worked out Marvin McNutt before signing Tavarres King to the practice squad, Wilson tweets. King ostensibly took the spot that McNutt was in the mix for.
Jets Notes: Smith, Idzik, Ballard, Revis
Geno Smith‘s former teammate and current FOX broadcaster Brady Quinn came to his defense in a chat with Chris Strauss of USA Today. While Smith has struggled mightily, Quinn pointed to the lack of consistency in his receiving corps and the media’s focus on the quarterback competition training camp as factors that have held him back. Something tells me that most Jets fans aren’t quite as sympathetic. More on Gang Green…
- Smith says he can “without a doubt” be a franchise quarterback in the NFL, but in a sit down with SNY earlier this week, Jets GM John Idzik wasn’t quite as confident, Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday writes. “I don’t know that. Don’t know that. That’s still to be determined. You don’t want to try to answer that question too prematurely, especially when you’re dealing with a younger quarterback in Geno,” Idzik said of Smith, whom the organization drafted 39th overall in 2013.
- If the Jets are in the market for a GM, they might look into Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, who will be the hottest GM candidate after the season, two sources tell Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. Ballard was a candidate at Tampa Bay last offseason but bowed out because coach Lovie Smith would have had final say over him in personnel matters. Myers, meanwhile, thinks former Jets exec and current Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli would be a strong fit for Gang Green.
- Myers also hears from a source that Jets owner Woody Johnson began his interviews with GM candidates by saying that cornerback Darrelle Revis had to go. If a candidate disagreed and made a point that it might be in the Jets’ best interest to keep their best player, even if he was coming off ACL surgery with contract issues ahead, “Woody didn’t want to hear it,” the source said. Idzik, who traded Revis to the Bucs three months into his tenure, likely agreed with Johnson during the interview.
- Idzik may have talked his way out of town with his bizarre press conference earlier this week, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.
Extra Points: Romo, Rams, Keenum, Broncos
Tony Romo left last night’s game against the Redskins during the third quarter with a back injury, but ultimately returned to play the fourth quarter and overtime. Per Ian Fitzsimmons of ESPN Radio in Dallas (via Twitter), Romo’s season is not in jeopardy. However, the Cowboys’ quarterback’s short-term health could be a concern, and he will be labeled “questionable,” at best, for Sunday’s contest against the Cardinals. Here’s more from around the league.
- The Rams took on about $902K in 2014 cap charges when they acquired Mark Barron from the Bucs earlier today, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes, St. Louis only had roughly $540K in cap room, meaning the club likely had to restructure another player’s contract in order to fit Barron on the roster. Fitzgerald also writes that the new CBA was central to this trade — though Barron was a first-round pick, his guarantees are still relatively low, enabling Tampa Bay to take on his dead money without causing much financial discomfort.
- Quarterback Case Keenum was waived by the Rams in order to clear a spot for Barron, but it’s fair to wonder if he could soon find another job with the Ravens. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com points out (Twitter link), Keenum has a familiarity with Baltimore offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak from the duo’s time in Houston. The Ravens were rumored to be looking for an upgrade over backup QB Tyrod Taylor during the offseason.
- Sources tell Mike Klis and Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post that although several teams were interested in trading for Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, no club was willing to part a “significant draft pick” in order to acquire the defensive back. We first heard last Friday that carter was drawing interest around the league, but the 28-year-old will finish out the season with Denver.
- A torn biceps is a season-ending injury for most players, but Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans will attempt to play through the ailment, write Jeff McLane and Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce should return to the Birds’ line soon, so if Herremans can manage his health concern, Philadelphia should have its Week 1 starting offensive line together again soon.
- Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News wasn’t impressed with Jets general manager John Idzik’s Monday state-of-the-franchise press conference, and doesn’t believe Idzik should be allowed to hire a new coach if Rex Ryan is let go.
Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday
They may not be the sort of deadline-day transactions we’re hoping for, but some teams around the league are making roster moves, adding and subtracting players from their respective practice squads. We’ll track the latest updates below:
- The Broncos have added receiver Douglas McNeil to their practice squad, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. An Arena League standout, the 26-year-old McNeil caught 66 balls for 858 yards and 18 touchdowns in 11 games for the Portland Thunder. He takes the practice squad spot of John Boyett, who was released last week following his arrest for assault.
- The Colts announced receiver Chandler Jones was signed to their practice squad at the expense of running back Jeff Demps. This will be Jones’ second stint with the Colts this season, while Demps’ stay with the team lasted just a week. Jones is an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, where he is the school’s all-time leading receiver.
- The Giants have cut linebacker Carlos Fields from their practice squad, according to NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter).
- Running back Ben Malena has replaced cornerback Kendall James on the Texans‘ practice squad, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
- The Rams have signed offensive tackle Steven Baker to their taxi squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The club had plenty of space to add Baker without cutting a player, but released quarterback Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad nonetheless, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- Wideout Tavarres King has signed to the Buccaneers‘ practice squad, says Caplan (via Twitter). The team doesn’t have any openings on its PS, but after today’s trades, there are two spots available on the active roster, so I imagine at least one player is in line for a promotion.
Earlier updates:
- The Dolphins performed a bit of an overhaul on their practice squad today, adding tight end Evan Wilson, tight end Gerell Robinson, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin to replace quarterback Seth Lobato, tight end Jake Murphy, and defensive back Rod Sweeting, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links).
- With backup running back Stepfan Taylor expected to be sidelined for the near future, the Cardinals have added some backfield insurance via their practice squad, signing running back Zach Bauman, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Cornerback Anthony Gaitor has been waived to make room for the new addition.
- Wide receiver Jace Davis, who was with the Ravens during training camp and the preseason, has re-signed with the team’s practice squad, according to a press release. Davis takes the 10th and final spot, which had been vacated after tight end Phillip Supernaw was promoted to the active roster on the weekend.
Pats Acquire Jonathan Casillas From Bucs
3:59pm: The Bucs are getting a 2015 fifth-round pick in the deal in exchange for Casillas and a 2015 sixth-rounder, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the Pats have waived offensive lineman Chris Barker to make room on the roster for Casillas, says Field Yates of ESPN Boston (via Twitter).
3:02pm: After acquiring one linebacker (Akeem Ayers) from the Titans last week, the Patriots are finalizing a deal for another, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers are sending Jonathan Casillas to New England. The move is being completed in advanced of today’s 3:00pm CT trade deadline.
Casillas, 27, began his NFL career with the Saints in 2009 after going undrafted out of Wisconsin. He joined the Bucs in 2013 and has played for the team since then, starting seven of his 17 games with the club. In parts of five seasons, Casillas has accumulated 127 tackles in 55 contests, defending five passes and recovering a pair of fumbles. While he has played 109 defensive snaps so far this season, the Wisconsin product’s playing time has been on the decline since 2011.
Several Buccaneers had been cited as potential trade candidates, but according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), running back Doug Martin isn’t going anywhere, and it sounds as if Vincent Jackson will stay put as well.
Rams Acquire Mark Barron From Bucs
The NFL’s trade deadline is now behind us, but it didn’t pass without at least one noteworthy and somewhat surprising move. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Buccaneers are finalizing a deal to send former first-round safety Mark Barron to the Rams.
Schefter adds (via Twitter) that St. Louis is parting with its fourth- and sixth-round picks for 2015 in the swap. The team will also clear an opening on the 53-man roster for the incoming defender by cutting quarterback Case Keenum, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Barron, who turned 25 yesterday, was the seventh overall pick in the 2012 draft, having notably been selected two spots ahead of Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly. While it would be unfair to label the Alabama product a total bust, he has been underwhelming during his two and a half seasons in Tampa Bay, ranking 70th among safeties in 2012, 55th in 2013, and 66th in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). In 37 games (all starts) for Tampa Bay, Barron has totaled 226 tackles, three interceptions, 19 passes defended, and a pair of sacks.
Because he was a first-round pick in ’12, Barron’s rookie contract will expire after the 2015 season, though the Rams will have the opportunity this spring to decide whether or not to exercise his fifth-year option for 2016. There’s not much risk in picking up that option, since it’s initially guaranteed for injury only, but given Barron’s average play to date, and the pricey salary attached to the option, I’d be surprised if the Rams exercise it, barring a huge 2014 second half from their new safety. As for Barron’s 2015 salary, the Bucs will carry about $2.24MM in prorated bonus money on their cap, while the Rams will be on the hook for the safety’s $2.363MM base, which is fully guaranteed.
For the Rams, Barron represents a player with some upside at a position where the team has been struggling to find reliable production. T.J. McDonald has manned the strong safety spot in St. Louis for most of this year and last, but his -9.8 grade places him 80th among 83 qualified safeties, per PFF. By acquiring Barron, the Rams will have another fairly low-cost option under team control for the next year and a half.
Meanwhile, having parted ways with Barron and linebacker Jonathan Casillas at the deadline, the Bucs have added a few extra picks to their arsenal as they continue their rebuild. It’s unlikely that the Casillas deal with the Patriots netted the team much in return, but acquiring a fourth- and sixth-rounder for Barron isn’t insignificant, even if it represents a huge loss in value for a recent top-10 selection. Although Barron and Casillas were on the move today, the Bucs held onto several other potential trade candidates, including Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times first reported early this morning that the Bucs were listening to offers for Barron.
Trade Notes: Tuck, Seahawks, Chargers
The 2014 trade deadline is less than four hours away, and while we saw one major deal completed this month, when the Seahawks sent Percy Harvin to the Jets, it remains to be seen whether any other notable names will be on the move before 3:00pm central time today. While we wait to find out what happens, let’s round up a few trade-related items from around the NFL….
- In addition to trade candidates we’ve already heard about, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) identifies veteran pass rusher Justin Tuck as one player who could be on the move today. Tuck just signed a two-year deal with Oakland in the offseason, but with the team still winless and Tuck owed as much as $5MM next season, it’s only logical that the Raiders would listen to any offers they receive.
- In his latest piece for CBSSports.com, Jason La Canfora takes a look at several non-contending teams, suggesting which players he’d make available if he were the general manager of the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Raiders, Falcons, and others. In many cases, La Canfora names the Seahawks as potential suitors for the trade candidates he mentions, pointing out that Seattle is one of the league’s most aggressive teams and is actively trying to improve its roster at the deadline.
- The Chargers, having not executed a midseason trade since 2007, are unlikely to be active at today’s deadline, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Workout Notes: Chargers, Eagles, Jags, Bucs
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has passed along a few updates on free agents working out for teams this week, so let’s round up the highlights….
- Cornerback Roc Carmichael, who saw a decent amount of action last season for the Eagles, tried out for the Chargers (Twitter link). Carmichael was waived by Philadelphia during this summer’s cutdowns to 53-man rosters.
- Speaking of those Eagles, they had running back Kenjon Barner in for a workout recently (Twitter link). The team traded for Barner in the summer and has now brought him in for multiple looks since cutting him with an injury settlement in August, so it’s clear the Eagles see something they like, even if they’re not ready to use a 53-man roster spot on the back at this point.
- In addition to safety Matt Daniels, who the team signed to its practice squad, the Jaguars worked out linebacker Justin Jackson and safety Jeremy Deering (Twitter link). Jackson most recently spent time with the Vikings, while Deering was on the Raiders’ roster this summer.
- Former Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Siddoway, who went undrafted in May, worked out for the Buccaneers (Twitter link).
Poll: Who Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4pm eastern time, and a number of prominent players have been the subject of swirling trade rumors over the past several weeks. After a nightmarish start to the season, the Buccaneers may be entertaining the idea of a fire sale, with Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, and Dashon Goldson all potentially on the trading block.
The Titans, meanwhile, appear ready to usher in a new era with the insertion of Zach Mettenberger into the starting lineup, and they are reportedly taking calls on veterans Nate Washington, Michael Griffin, and Wesley Woodyard. The Bengals, who have regained control over the AFC North without much help from Jermaine Gresham, may be waiting for someone to meet what should be a fairly low price for Gresham’s services. And the Rams, who suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Chiefs yesterday after a surprising upset of the Seahawks in Week 7, could be shopping players like Kendall Langford and Zac Stacy.
We also learned yesterday that the Vikings could be taking calls on Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings. However, all of those players, for various reasons, are probably less likely to be on the move than some of the other names mentioned above.
Indeed, given the level of interest in his services, the struggles of his current team, and his potential impact on a new club, the player who may be the most likely to be dealt is Jackson. This is despite NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport’s belief that Tampa Bay would not settle for less than a second-round pick in exchange for its top wideout.
But that’s just one person’s opinion. Odds are, of course, that no one will be traded; that’s simply the status quo when it comes to the NFL trade deadline. And several head coaches whose teams were rumored to be active participants in the trade market said today that they did not expect their clubs to pull the trigger on a deal. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, even though he lays out a number of trades that he thinks would be beneficial for teams who appear destined for losing records in 2014, acknowledges that seeing one of those trades come to fruition would be very surprising.
However, reality is not always exciting. So, with that in mind, which of the above players do you think are mostly likely to be traded? Do you think a different player will be on the move? Or do you live so relentlessly in the real world that you think all of this smoke will fail to give rise to a single fire?