Patriots Release Cameron Meredith
The Patriots are throwing in the towel on Cameron Meredith. New England is releasing the veteran receiver, a source told Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s another setback for the once promising wideout, who has been dealt a very tough hand in recent years. Meredith had been on the PUP list to start the season, and Yates notes that he was still unable to fully recover from his knee injury. There was an initial thought in the building that “2019 would be a year to get healthy with an eye toward 2020,” tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who notes that obviously “those plans have now changed.”
Meredith originally signed a two-year deal back in early August shortly after the Saints cut him. He initially signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State back in 2015. The small-school product burst onto the scene in 2016 as he racked up 888 yards and four touchdowns. He looked like a potential star in the making and was set to enter 2017 as Chicago’s top receiver, until he tore his ACL and suffered other damage in his knee during the preseason.
He missed the entire season, but had still shown enough the year before to earn a two-year, $9.6MM offer sheet from the Saints. His knee continued to bother him during his time in New Orleans and he never got back to full strength, appearing in just six games and making only nine catches last year. After he again struggled with his knee this offseason, New Orleans cut bait. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get back to his prior level.
After the Patriots released Antonio Brown, there was some hope that Meredith could come off PUP and provide their receiving corp with some reinforcements. They’ll now have to look elsewhere, and the return of rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry, on injured reserve with an ankle injury, just got a lot more important.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/19
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Pharoh Cooper
- Released: DT Miles Brown
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Jerry Attaochu
- Signed: OT Calvin Anderson
- Waived: LB Keishawn Bierria
Houston Texans
- Released: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Waived: DT Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: TE Stephen Anderson
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived from reserve/injured: S Isaiah Wharton
New York Giants
- Suspended (four games, PEDs): TE Isaiah Searight
New York Jets
- Waived from exempt/left squad: TE Bucky Hodges
Oakland Raiders
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: DT Eddie Vanderdoes
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Ryan Lewis
- Released: CB Ajene Harris
Washington Redskins
- Waived: WR Robert Davis
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Ahmad Thomas, OT Lukayus McNeil
- Released: P Matt Wile, DE Austin Larkin
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Nick Easley
- Released: WR Jordan Veasy
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Bradley Sowell
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Elijah Nkansah
- Released: OT Christian DiLauro
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
- Released: DT Brian Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Braxton Hoyett
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DB Quenton Meeks, TE Matt Sokol, DE Jeff Holland
- Released: OL Chris Brown, S Adarius Pickett
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Nate Meadors
New England Patriots
- Released: LB Scooby Wright
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Devante Downs, Da’Mari Scott
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Brandon Hitner
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Jaryd Jones-Smith
- Released: OT Ryan Pope, OL Will Holden
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OLB Jamal Davis II
- Released: DL Lyndon Johnson
Washington Redskins
- Released: CB Adonis Alexander
Ravens To Waive Tim Williams
The Ravens are cutting ties with Tim Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The former third-round pick played just seven snaps on Sunday, an indication that he was no longer a big part of the team’s plans going forward. 
The Ravens, who have a storied history of incredible linebackers, are still working to get the right mix at the position. The shocking defections of Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley left the Ravens with a revamped group, one that is partially responsible for 40 points allowed against the Browns and a two-game losing skid.
Williams, 26 in November, was a third-round pick of the Ravens back in 2017. Since then, he has logged 19 total appearances in two-and-a-quarter seasons with just two sacks and 18 total tackles.
Per league rules, Williams will be subject to the waiver wire, giving the league’s 31 other teams to pick him up midway through his affordable rookie contract.
Patriots To Waive OL Caleb Benenoch
The Patriots are waiving offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Garafolo notes that Benenoch worked out for three clubs before signing with the Pats, so he might not be out of work for long. 
[RELATED: Antonio Brown Likely To Win Grievance Against Patriots?]
Reportedly, there were nine NFL teams requesting workouts with Benenoch before he hooked on with the Patriots in mid-September. Plenty of teams need offensive line help, but they might have to get in line – and sweeten the pot – to bring the longtime Bucs lineman into the kitchen.
Benenoch started every game of the 2018 season at right guard for the Bucs and also offers experience at tackle. And, he’s not necessarily a world-beater, but he does have 35 appearances to his credit (22 starts) with decent size at 6’5″ and 305 pounds.
In other New England news, former Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown is set to file up to nine appeals relating to contractual matters. That’s one grievance for every team that Benenoch drew interest from earlier this year.
Giants Activate Golden Tate
Finally, the Giants will get to utilize Golden Tate. On Tuesday, the Giants announced roster moves to make way for the wide receiver as he returns from suspension. 
[RELATED: Giants’ Ryan Connelly Done For Year]
To clear spots for Tate, and new linebacker Josiah Tauaefa, the G-Men have released wide receivers Bennie Fowler and T.J. Jones. The adjustment leaves the Giants with five active WRs – Tate, Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Darius Slayton, and Cody Core – rather than six.
Tate inked a four-year, $37MM deal with the Giants this offseason as they moved on from superstar Odell Beckham Jr. The hope for GM Dave Gettleman & Co. is that Tate will provide the Giants with the locker room stability and veteran guidance that they were perhaps not getting from OBJ, even though Tate cannot realistically match his production.
Tate’s big debut was stalled in the offseason when he was suspended four games for PEDs. The veteran claims that his positive test was the result of fertility drugs he was taking in an effort to grow his family. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to get the suspension overturned, delaying his 2019 season by a full four weeks.
When Tate joined up with the Giants, he probably assumed that he would be catching passes from Eli Manning. Instead, Manning has been given the hook in favor of No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones. If they can sync up on Sunday, and if the Giants’ defense can handle the Vikings as well as the Bears just did, the G-Men could advance to 3-2 behind a three-game winning streak.
Panthers Place Kawann Short On IR
Kawann Short‘s season is already over. On Tuesday, the Panthers placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve, per a club announcement. 
“KK has done everything he could possibly do to try to play these past two games,” general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement. “But, we have made the decision that it is in the best long-term interest of KK and the team that he undergo surgery to fix his shoulder and focus on his rehab and get ready for next season.”
Short has suffered a partially torn rotator cuff, and those injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from. The surgery, hopefully, will allow short to bounce back in 2020, without the risk of aggravating the injury this year.
Short has been absent for the Panthers’ last two games and wasn’t looking like his usual self in the club’s first two games. It’s a frustrating setback for obvious reasons, but Short has been fairly lucky so far throughout his career – he did not miss a single game through his first five campaigns and missed just two last year.
Thanks to the monster five-year extension he inked in 2017, Short is under contract through the 2023 season. The Panthers, in reality, are only truly locked in with him through 2021: releasing Short in the offseason would saddle them with $17.35MM in dead money and they’d be looking at an $11MM/$9.8MM dead/savings split prior to the 2021 season. After that, there are two low-cost seasons slated for 2022 and 2023.
To take his place on the roster, the Panthers have promoted fellow DL Bryan Cox, Jr. from the practice squad. Cox, the son of three-time Pro Bowler Bryan Cox (duh), has appeared in 18 games for the Panthers over the last two seasons.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are 2-2 with back-to-back wins under the guidance of quarterback Kyle Allen. There’s still no word on when Cam Newton might be able to return.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/30/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR A.J. Richardson
- Placed on PS-IR: WR Johnnie Dixon
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Jonathan Wynn
- Released: DT Ray Smith
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello
- Released: LB Brady Sheldon
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Jonathan Owens
- Released: S Austin Exford
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB D.J. White
49ers Sign CB Teez Tabor
The 49ers have signed former Lions cornerback Teez Tabor to the practice squad, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To make room, they’ve released tackle Ryan Pope. 
Tabor, a second-round pick in 2017, lasted just two seasons in Detroit. He showed great promise coming out of Florida and earned All-SEC accolades in back-to-back years, but the 23-year-old logged just five total starts, 39 total tackles, and no interceptions before being released by the Lions in late August.
Tabor won’t turn 24 until December and is said to have strong zone coverage skills. With the Niners, he could be a backstop for Ahkello Witherspoon and Jason Verrett, who are both dealing with injuries. On a related note – the Niners were also said to be considering their old friend Dontae Johnson, former Raider David Amerson, and eight-year NFL veteran Coty Sensabaugh this week, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
Colts Cut Jalen Collins
The Colts have released former Falcons second-round pick Jalen Collins from the practice squad, per a team announcement. To fill his spot, they’ve signed cornerback Shakial Taylor. 
Collins joined the Colts’ practice squad on September 1 after he missed the 53-man cut in late August. In the previous year, he moved between the Colts’ p-squad and active roster, but did not see live action. For his career, he has played in 24 games (all for the Falcons) with 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, ten passes defensed, and with a pair of ten-game bans for PEDs.
Taylor, a 5’11” corner, first joined the Colts as a UDFA in May of 2019. While at Kansas for his final two collegiate seasons, he tallied 55 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and three picks, including one returned for a touchdown.
The Colts presently carry two corners on their practice squad between Taylor and Deante Burton.