Jets’ Avery Williamson Done For Season
Avery Williamson‘s season ended before it could start. The Jets linebacker is done for the year with a torn ACL, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Williamson was on the field for the Jets in Thursday night’s preseason game and calling signals for the defense. He was set to continue in a similar veteran leadership this season, but he’ll have to wait until 2020 to pick things up again.
This opens up a major hole for the Jets’ D at the weakside linebacker spot alongside C.J. Mosley. One has to imagine the Jets are on the hunt for a new three-down ‘backer who can work in Gregg Williams‘ defense, but there aren’t a ton of great options out there.
Last year, Williamson totaled a career-high 120 tackles and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 18 traditional linebacker.
Eagles Sign Brett Toth
The Army has granted offensive tackle Brett Toth permission to join the Eagles (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Under the previous guidelines, Toth would have been locked into his service requirement. However, he’ll be able to put all of that on hold as he pursues his NFL dream.
Toth made history as the first player from West Point to play in the Senior Bowl and he’ll look for new watermarks with the Eagles. Toth’s entry into the NFL, along with the recently cleared-to-play Austin Cutting, could boost recruiting for all of the U.S. service academies and open doors for current Army, Navy, and Air Force football players.
Toth played 31 games for the Black Knights and seamlessly transitioned from tight end to an offensive line role.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: DT Elijah Qualls
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Demetrius Rhaney, DT Roderick Young
- Placed on injured reserve: DT Robert Thomas
- Waived: OL Nico Siragusa
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: DT Tracy Sprinkle, C John Yarbrough
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
- Waived/injured: RB Roc Thomas
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Micky Crum, LB Christian Kuntz
- Waived: LB J.T. Jones, CB Jermaine Ponder
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
- Waived: CB Isaiah Langley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Shane Bowman
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Bryant Mitchell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB James Folston
- Waived/injured: LB Jordan Williams
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/19
Here are today’s minor moves, which will be updated throughout the night:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed: DE Dare Odeyingbo
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Ben Johnson
- Waived: LB Josh Corcoran
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Drew Lewis
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Terrell Sinkfield
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived off IR: CB Davante Davis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed: WR Emanuel Hall
- Waived: S Micah Abernathy
Giants Re-Sign TE Scott Simonson
How can a team re-sign someone who’s still on the roster? The Giants sort of answered that question today, as they re-signed veteran tight end Scott Simonson, though Simonson was ostensibly under contract with Big Blue already.
Simonson appeared on the league’s transaction wire Wednesday afternoon, leading a number of beat writers to report that he had been cut. But according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, Simonson’s previous contract didn’t “register” for the current league year, so he appeared on the wire not because the Giants cut him, but because they re-signed him (Twitter link). Raanan speculates (via Twitter) that there was simply an error in filing the previous contract.
Simonson was a quality blocking TE for the Giants last season, so his “release” was something of a surprise. He remains in the fold, though, and Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com believes New York will carry four TEs, including Simonson (Twitter link). It seems that UDFA C.J. Conrad is the favorite to be the fourth tight end on the roster.
Simonson, who has also suited up for the Raiders and Panthers in his career, has never been much of a receiving threat. He posted nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown for New York in 2018, all of which represented professional high-water marks. But it seems as if his blocking ability will earn him a second season in the Big Apple.
Falcons Claim QB/WR Danny Etling
Danny Etling did not clear waivers after his Patriots departure. The Falcons made a successful claim and will bring in the quarterback-turned-wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
It is possible, with the Falcons losing quarterback Kurt Benkert for the season, Etling will be given a chance to show his passing skills again. He profiles as a potential developmental player behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub.
This could well break up the Falcons’ three-Matt quarterback room. Atlanta reacquired Matt Simms shortly after Benkert’s Hall of Fame Game injury. Simms, however, is not a developmental arm. He is now 30 and last threw a regular-season pass in 2014. Etling has never played in a regular-season game, either, but as a 2018 seventh-round pick, the Purdue/LSU product profiles as a long-game prospect.
Giants Claim P Johnny Townsend
3:52pm: The Giants, as expected, waived Anderson to return to a two-punter setup, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.
3:30pm: For the time being, the Giants are set to carry three punters on their 90-man roster. That could soon change. Waived on Tuesday after losing the Raiders’ punting competition, Johnny Townsend is now a Giant after the team claimed him, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The Giants sit sixth in the waiver order and used their position to change their punter competition. Townsend joins incumbent Riley Dixon and rookie UDFA Ryan Anderson as Giants punters. Anderson’s run as a Giant could be over soon after Wednesday afternoon’s transaction.
A 2018 fifth-round pick, Townsend lost his previous job to Raiders rookie UDFA A.J. Cole. The Giants obtained Dixon in a 2018 trade with the Broncos, and his 41.8 net yards per punt ranked seventh in the league last season. Anderson, a Rutgers alum, joined the Giants shortly after the draft.
Dixon’s 45.4 gross yards per punt was 12th in the league; Townsend’s 43.2-yard per-boot figure ranked 32nd. But the Giants will still give the former Florida Gator a look. Dixon has one season remaining on his rookie contract; Townsend has three.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/13/19
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the night.
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: P Sean Smith
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR Emanuel Hall
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: T Kent Perkins
Green Bay Packers
- Waived/failed physical: CB Derrick Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Josh Corcoran
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Jake Powell
- Placed on IR: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
- Waived: DE Alex Jenkins
- Waived/injured: TE Isaiah Searight
New York Jets
- Waived: TE Nick Truesdell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Aziz Shittu
- Waived/injured: S Blake Countess
- Reverts to IR: WR Shelton Gibson
Seattle Seahawks
- Released from IR: TE Tyrone Swoopes
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: DE Dare Odeyingbo
Jets Sign CB Marcus Cooper
So much for the Jets standing pat at cornerback. On Tuesday, the Jets signed veteran Marcus Cooper, per a team announcement.
Cooper was released on Tuesday by the Lions. The 29-year-old was a seventh-round of the 49ers in 2013 but has already played for four different NFL teams. In total, he has 74 appearances and seven interceptions to his credit.
This isn’t the major CB upgrade that Jets fans were hoping for this season, but it will provide the Jets with depth for however long Trumaine Johnson needs to recover from his hamstring injury. Currently, Darryl Roberts, Arthur Maulet, and Brian Poole stand as the Jets’ three best healthy corners.
Raiders End Punting Competition
The Raiders’ punter competition is over. On Tuesday, the Raiders waived Johnny Townsend, which effectively anoints undrafted rookie A.J. Cole as the team’s punter moving forward.
The Raiders used a fifth-round pick to select Townsend last year, but he didn’t do much in his rookie season or training camp this summer. Cole, meanwhile, managed to put two punts inside the 20 against the Rams on Saturday. Quickly, Cole earned a fan in head coach Jon Gruden.
“[Cole] put on an orbital display the other day against the Rams [in joint practices last week],” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said Saturday night (via Scott Bair of NBC Sports). “We haven’t seen kicks like that since [Shane] Lechler was here or [Marquette] King. He has a live leg and it looks like he can directional punt and hold, so Townsend has his hands full.”
In related moves, cornerback Hamp Cheevers was waived. Meanwhile, the club signed defensive backs Makinton Dorleant and Joshua Holsey.