Chargers Cut 10 Players
The Chargers are among the teams making early cuts Monday. Teams have until 3pm CT Tuesday to trim their rosters down to 53 players. The Bolts parted ways with 10. In addition to cutting linebacker Jessie Lemonier, here are the players Los Angeles is waiving:
- LB Davin Bellamy
- LB Nate Evans
- OT Darius Harper
- WR John Hurst
- CB K.J. Sails
- TE Matt Sokol
- CB Donte Vaughn
- DL Willie Yarbary
- LS Cole Mazza (waived/injured)
- OL Tyree St. Louis (waived/injured)
None of these players has reached vested-veteran status, so the contingent will head to the wire. Mazza and St. Louis will revert to the Chargers’ IR list — with injury settlements likely — if they pass through waivers. Some of these players figure to be candidates to land on the Bolts’ practice squad. Teams can begin making those additions later this week, after waiver claims are processed.
Cardinals Place CB Darqueze Dennard On IR
Darqueze Dennard has run into another injury issue, and it will cut his time with the Cardinals short. Arizona is placing the veteran cornerback on IR, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Although teams can bring back players from IR after three weeks, that only applies to players carried through to teams’ 53-man rosters after cutdown day. Since the Cards are sending Dennard to IR now, he cannot play for them this season.
The former Bengals corner has run into some tough injury luck in recent years. A knee issue delayed the start of his 2019 season, when he re-signed with Cincinnati, and the former first-round pick also spent time on the Falcons’ IR list last year with a hamstring malady. Dennard, 29, only landed in Atlanta after a deal with Jacksonville fell through last year. He ended up playing just eight games (six starts) with the 2020 Falcons.
The Cardinals signed Dennard in June, bringing him aboard after not re-signing fellow ex-Bengals first-rounder Dre Kirkpatrick. The Cards also lost Patrick Peterson in free agency. Dennard, Daryl Worley and Malcolm Butler represented the team’s notable veteran additions at the position.
Giants To Trade B.J. Hill To Bengals For Billy Price
We’ve got another trade to report! Not too long after the Bills dealt Darryl Johnson to the Panthers, the Giants and Bengals have pulled off an interesting swap. New York has agreed to trade defensive lineman B.J. Hill, head coach Joe Judge announced to the media on Monday.
Right after Judge said Hill would be traded, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted that it was to the Bengals for offensive lineman Billy Price. The Bengals will also get a conditional seventh-round pick in the deal, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News notes in a tweet. In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes that Price has been a “key name” in trade talks recently, and that the Giants were searching for O-line depth.
Price wasn’t the only Bengals lineman on the block, as Albert Breer of SI.com tweets that Cincy also had discussions about guard Michael Jordan. He adds that the Jaguars joined the Giants as teams calling around about interior offensive line help this week.
A former first-rounder, Price was the 18th overall pick back in 2018. Cincinnati declined his fifth-year option this past offseason, meaning he’ll be a free agent after this season. The Ohio State product never lived up to his draft status, and could benefit from the change in scenery.
He was Cincy’s starter at center as a rookie, then moved to guard and only started eight games in 2019. This past season he was mostly a reserve, only starting one game. Hill was a third-round pick back in 2018, and also declined after his rookie year.
In his first pro season he had 5.5 sacks while starting 12 games, but over the past two years he’s had just two total sacks while being reduced to a rotational role. It makes sense for both sides, with each addressing an area of need.
Bills Trade Darryl Johnson To Panthers
The Bills have agreed to trade defensive end Darryl Johnson to the Panthers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In exchange, the Panthers will send a 2022 sixth-round draft pick to Buffalo. 
Johnson drew interest from multiple clubs, Rapoport hears. Ultimately, the Panthers won out, scoring a late addition from old friends Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott. New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer sees potential in Johnson, a former seventh-round pick who has 31 career games and two sacks to his credit.
Johnson was facing long odds of making the Bills’ final cut, given their surplus of talent up front. They’re already slated to start Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison at DE with support from A.J. Epenesa and rookies Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham.
Now, Johnson will fight for snaps behind Brian Burns and Morgan Fox in Carolina. Still, the 24-year-old figures to spend more time on special teams.
With Johnson in the fold, the Panthers now have 72 players on the roster. They’ll need to trim nearly 20 players between now and tomorrow’s deadline.
Buccaneers Waive Tanner Hudson
The Buccaneers are waiving tight end Tanner Hudson (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). Hudson probably won’t be out of work for too long given his recent performances. Outside linebacker Elijah Ponder and tackle Jake Benzinger will also be among the Bucs’ cuts this week, per Auman.
Hudson shined in the Bucs’ first two preseason games, finishing as Tampa’s top receiver in both contests. Unfortunately for him, he was blocked by Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate.
“Ever since we’ve been here, he’s been able to catch the ball. He gives our defense fits on the card (scout) team,” coach Bruce Arians said last week (via The Athletic). “When he’s had opportunities in ballgames, they haven’t been quite the same. I want to see him do something besides preseason, and something besides catch the ball. He’s not a wide receiver. He’s a tight end, so you’ve got to be able to block a little bit. Just see him grow in that regard and be a physical presence on special teams with his size and speed.”
Now, after two years in Tampa Bay, Hudson could be claimed by another TE-needy team this week. The Giants — who are awaiting word on Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph — would be a logical landing spot.
Buccaneers Release Antonio Hamilton
The Buccaneers have cut cornerback Antonio Hamilton (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Hamilton was vying for one of the team’s final CB spots, but he won’t be a part of the team’s initial 53-man roster.
Hamilton signed with the Raiders as a UDFA out of South Carolina State in 2016. He went on to play a full 16-game slate with the Giants in 2019 before joining the Chiefs last year where he also turned in perfect attendance. According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, Hamilton turned down a more lucrative offer to sign with Kansas City and compete for a Super Bowl ring. He was undoubtedly thrilled to switch sides and join the Bucs earlier this year.
Most of Hamilton’s work has come on special teams, as he has played a total of 335 defensive snaps in his five-year career. He could offer ST prowess for another team in need and perhaps get some action as a backup corner.
Cardinals Cut 10 Players
The Cardinals got a jump on their roster housekeeping today. In advance of Tuesday’s 53-man deadline, they cut:
- OL Shaq Calhoun
- RB Tavien Feaster
- WR KeeSean Johnson
- OL Michal Menet
- DL Cam Murray
- CB Picasso Nelson
- WR A.J. Richardson
- LB Evan Weaver
- P Ryan Winslow
- LB Bryson Young
Johnson, a 2019 sixth-rounder, was pushing for the final wide receiver slot on the Week 1 roster. Instead, he was leapfrogged by Andy Isabella, Greg Dortch, and Antoine Wesley. All three are still on the roster as of this writing, but nothing is guaranteed for any of them beyond tomorrow. Johnson, 25 in October, registered 15 catches for 173 yards in eight games last year.
Lions Cut Breshad Perriman
The Lions have released wide receiver Breshad Perriman (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). This was the expected move given Perriman’s injury-riddled camp.
“There just hasn’t been enough out there,” head coach Dan Campbell said recently. “He had the hip injury and then he comes back, he was solid the other night for the plays that he had, but yet he had an OPI, which he knows better than. … I think he’ll be better coming off of this hip. But I think that room right now is still up for grabs. I think there is a heavy competition going on in that room right now.”
The move leaves the Lions with Tyrell Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quintez Cephus, and Kalif Raymond as their top four wide receivers. There aren’t a ton of high-impact options left on the market, so the Lions will be paying close attention to the transactions wire over the next 48 hours. Another team’s discarded vet could easily step into a key role for Detroit and they still have some cap room to work with.
Perriman will leave Detroit with his $2MM guarantee in hand. Next, the 28-year-old pass catcher will try to heal up and hook on elsewhere. He could be en route to his sixth NFL team, after stints with the Ravens, Browns, Bucs, Jets, and Lions.
In his 2020 with the Jets, Perriman caught 30 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.
Colts Cut Sean Davis
The Colts have released safety Sean Davis (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Davis, who joined the Colts back in April, was slated to support starters Khari Willis and Julian Blackmon.
Davis entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2016. He spent his first four years in Pittsburgh, making 31 starts between 2017-18. Then, he missed almost all of 2019 due to injury. In 2020, he was set to play for the Washington Football Team, but missed the cut. Davis then found his way back to Pittsburgh where he dressed for all 16 of their games. With Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick playing in front of him, Davis finished 2020 with just 12 tackles and one pass defensed.
Davis seemed to have a chance at significant time in Indy given the departures of Malik Hooker and Tavon Wilson. Now, he’s back on the market with days to go before the start of the season.
Titans Cut John Simon
The Titans got an early jump on their housekeeping. On Sunday, the club released veteran defensive end John Simon, per a club announcement. They’ve also cut defensive back Clayton Geathers, waived linebacker Cassh Maluia, and placed running back Brian Hill on injured reserve. 
Simon joined the Titans in July, replacing fellow pass rusher Tuzar Skipper on the offseason roster. Before that, he spent three years with the Patriots. In 2020, he started in all 16 games and registered 53 stops with two sacks. All in all, he’s got 97 appearances and 52 career starts to his credit for the Ravens, Texans, Colts, and Patriots. Now, he could be en route to yet another NFL club.
Simon is perhaps best known for the three-year, $14MM deal he signed with the Colts in 2017. That deal didn’t make it to Year Two, but he’s quietly put together a solid career in the NFL. Few knew Simon’s ability better than Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who has coached the veteran at multiple stops.
Geathers is another ex-Colt; he spent his entire career with Indy up until recently. He saw time in 56 games for the Colts and started 22 games combined in 2018 and 2019. During that stretch, he posted 101 tackles and four passes defended. He sat out the 2020 campaign and only just reemerged this month when he inked a deal with the Titans. As a vested veteran, he’ll be free to sign with any club straight away.