Buccaneers Waive CB M.J. Stewart
The Buccaneers are parting ways with a recent high draft choice. Tampa Bay is waiving cornerback M.J. Stewart, whom the club selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Stewart was named second-team All-ACC during his final season at North Carolina, and he was expected to be a valuable long-term contributor to a Tampa Bay secondary that desperately needed reinforcements. But injuries continually kept Stewart off the field — a foot problem cost him six games during his rookie campaign, and he missed five more games in 2019 while dealing with a knee issue.
Still, Stewart is still only 25 years old and has played 614 snaps over the past two seasons. Thanks to his second-round pedigree and his rookie contract, it’s entirely possible Stewart could be claimed off waivers, or if not, at least find a new club in the near future.
Falcons Expected To Re-Sign J.J. Wilcox
The Falcons are expected to re-sign free agent safety J.J. Wilcox, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). It will be a one-year deal, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Wilcox will first need to pass both a physical and a COVID-19 test. 
Wilcox, 29, originally signed with Atlanta last spring, but a torn ACL prematurely ended his season in July. Presumably, he’s know healthy enough to resume play in 2020. A third-round pick in the 2013 draft, Wilcox began his career with the Cowboys (appearing in 58 games over four years), but has since bounced around the league, spending time with the Buccaneers, Steelers, Jets, and Colts.
Atlanta is already three-deep at safety with Ricardo Allen, Keanu Neal, and Damontae Kazee, so Wilcox will likely be viewed as depth. However, he boasts enough experience that he could be called into action due to injuries on the Falcons’ depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Bryce Hager
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/NFI: DB Javaris Davis
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Quentin Poling
- Waived: WR Bralon Addison
New York Giants
- Waived: LB Dominique Ross
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: WR Marcus Green
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: Aca’Cedric Ware
Jaguars’ Rashaan Melvin Opts Out
Jaguars cornerback Rashaan Melvin has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With three hours to go before the NFL’s deadline, more than 60 players have opted out.
Melvin, a veteran who has spent time with eight different teams, joined the Jaguars in free agency after spending 2019 with the Lions. His one-year deal – worth $2.25MM – will toll in 2021.
The former UDFA started 12 games for Detroit last year. In Jacksonville, he was set to start opposite of D.J. Hayden in the club’s new-look secondary. With Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye playing elsewhere, the Jaguars will need first-round pick C.J. Henderson to get up to speed fast.
Melvin’s best season came with the Colts in 2017 and some weren’t sold on the Jaguars’ signing of him in March. Still, they’ll be worse off without him, and they only have a matter of weeks to explore out-of-house options.
Chiefs Rookie Lucas Niang To Opt Out
Chiefs offensive tackle Lucas Niang will opt out of the 2020 season, according to a source who spoke with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). With hours to go before the deadline, the third-round pick becomes the 61st player to make the call.
[RELATED: PFR’s 2020 Opt Out Tracker]
It’s yet another blow to the Chiefs’ offensive line, following guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s opt out decision. As of this writing, the Chiefs are down three players in total between Niang, LDT, and running back Damien Williams.
Niang was set to support starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. The TCU product is green, but the Chiefs saw big potential for the 6’6″, 315-pound lineman. Heading into his senior year, Niang was widely projected as a first-round pick, but a torn labrum brought his final collegiate campaign to an early end. In turn, his stock tumbled, bringing the Chiefs a potential mid-round steal.
For the full list of opt out decisions around the NFL, check out PFR’s 2020 Opt Out Tracker.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: LB Ahmad Thomas
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Isaiah Zuber
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Marcus Green
Seattle Seahawks
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): DB D.J. Reed
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jaydon Mickens
Cardinals Sign Kentrell Brice, Two Others
The Cardinals are expected to sign safety Kentrell Brice to a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Brice needs to pass a physical and a COVID-19 test before officially signing a pact.
Brice joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and appeared in 36 games over the next three seasons, including 10 starts in 2018. Since then, the 25-year-old has struggled to find playing time, but he’s been with the Buccaneers, Bears, and even had a short stint with the XFL’s Seattle Dragons.
The Cardinals already boast Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, and Deionte Thompson atop their safety depth chart, so Brice will likely compete with fellow veteran Chris Banjo for special teams/reserve duty. Brice played nearly 300 special teams snaps back in 2016.
Arizona is also signing wide receiver Andre Patton and guard Koda Martin, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), respectively.
Raiders To Release RB Jeremy Hill
Less than a week after agreeing to terms with Jeremy Hill, the Raiders are moving on. They are releasing the former Bengals starting running back, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.
Hill has not played in a game since Week 1 of the 2018 season. The Raiders’ running back room will return to its previous setup. This move also comes shortly after the team removed offseason addition Devontae Booker from its reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Raiders’ backfield depth chart consists of Josh Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Rod Smith and Booker. Hill may well have been insurance in case Booker was sidelined for an extensive period. As a vested veteran, Hill will not have to pass through waivers.
A former Bengals second-round pick, Hill signed with the Patriots after an injury-marred 2017 season. He suffered an ACL tear in Week 1 of the 2018 slate and was out of football last season.
While Hill is still just 27, he is running out of chances. The LSU product worked out for the Lions and Titans last season but went unsigned. Hill amassed 29 touchdowns in his first three seasons and eclipsed 1,100 rushing yards as a rookie. He has not, however, cleared 4.0 yards per carry since his 2014 debut campaign.
49ers To Sign Dion Jordan
The 49ers are expected to sign Dion Jordan, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
[RELATED: 49ers Meet With Ziggy Ansah]
Jordan’s NFL career has taken some odd turns, to say the least. After being selected No. 3 overall by the Dolphins, Jordan did little to justify his pre-draft hype. After some underwhelming seasons, missed seasons, and a number of suspensions, Jordan found his way to the Seahawks in 2017. In 2018, he showed some promise as a rotational piece, and he parlayed that into a one-year deal with the Raiders. Now, instead of moving to Vegas, he’ll stay in California and switch conferences.
Jordan met with the Niners on Tuesday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. The league has largely discouraged teams from meetings and workouts during the pandemic, so most visits in recent weeks have led to deals.
Jordan, who registered a pair of sacks in seven games last year, will slot behind Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa in SF’s edge rushing corps.
Dolphins’ Albert Wilson Opts Out
The Dolphins are down another wide receiver. One day after Allen Hurns opted out of the 2020 season, teammate Albert Wilson has made the same call.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
“It was a very tough choice,” said Wilson in a statement (Twitter link). “I will stand by my teammates and brothers to support them 100% throughout the season and will be counting the days until I can join them again.”
Wilson joined the Dolphins on a three-year, $24MM deal in 2018. He got off to a good start with his new team, catching 26 passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. Two of those touchdown grabs were from at least 70 yards out, and he even threw a 52-yard TD pass. Unfortunately, he was derailed by a serious hip injury in October of that year. He returned in 2019, but couldn’t reprise that performance – he finished out with 43 catches for just 351 yards in 13 games, averaging out to 8.2 yards per catch.
This year, Wilson agreed to drop his base salary to $3MM, plus $1MM in incentives. Now, that deal will be pushed into next year.