Patriots Waive QB/WR Danny Etling
The Patriots have waived quarterback/wide receiver Danny Etling, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. Etling worked at wide receiver this offseason to try to increase his roster chances, but the experiment is now over. 
After the trade to acquire tight end Eric Saubert from the Falcons, someone in New England had to go. Etling, who had some trick play potential, was the victim of the roster shuffle.
The Patriots drafted Etling in the seventh-round of the 2018 draft and there was some buzz about him occupying a creative Tayson Hill role for the Pats. Still, he was never viewed as a sure thing to make the team.
Buccaneers Sign S Darian Stewart
The Buccaneers have signed safety Darian Stewart, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). When completed, it’ll be a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum salary, plus incentives, Auman hears.
Stewart, 31, has spent the last four years as a starter for the Broncos. With the Bucs, he’s expected to provide veteran guidance to a young secondary group.
The Broncos released Stewart in March in order to save roughly $3.6MM against the cap. Prior to that, the veteran started in nearly all of his 58 games for the Broncos and recorded a forced fumble and a sack in the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory.
Stewart saw some time at cornerback and free safety in ’17, but he played mostly at strong safety last year. He graded out as just the No. 77 ranked safety in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. His 59.6 overall score was a massive step back from his first two seasons in Denver, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.
The Colts met with Stewart earlier this summer but did not sign him.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers from Broncos: LB Jeff Holland
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: FB Tommy Bohanon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Manasseh Garner
- Waived: RB Josh Caldwell
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DE Thomas Costigan
- Waived/injured: TE Andrew Vollert
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Cole Croston
- Waived/injured: CB D’Angelo Ross
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Shane Smith
Saints Sign T Chris Clark
Chris Clark will make his way to a third NFC South team. The former Buccaneers UDFA and 2018 Panthers starter signed with the Saints on Monday.
Also known for his stints as a Broncos and Texans starter/swing tackle, the 33-year-old blocker is a New Orleans native. He stands to compete for one of the Saints’ jobs behind starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. Clark joins Marshall Newhouse and Michael Ola as veteran tackle options for New Orleanns.
Clark said (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just) he declined three other offers, including one from the Bucs, but agreed to come in for a Saints workout. This marks the second straight late-summer signing for Clark, who landed in Carolina after Week 1 of last season. He ended up starting 13 games and playing more than 77% of the Panthers’ offensive snaps.
Signed as a swing man in multiple places, Clark found his way into both Denver and Houston’s starting lineups in full-time capacities. Injuries to Ryan Clady, Derek Newton and Duane Brown kept Clark a frequent Broncos and Texans starter between 2013-17. Overall, the former UDFA has made 66 starts since 2011.
Lions Release CB Marcus Cooper
The Lions announced that cornerback Marcus Cooper has been released. To take his place, the club has signed fellow CB Jamar Summers. 
Cooper arrived in Detroit via waiver claim in November and re-signed with the team in March. He didn’t play much with the Bears early on in 2018, but he did suit up for four games with the Lions. The 29-year-old defender has made 28 starts in a six-season career, having intercepted seven passes. All of those picks came during his two most prominent years as a corner — 2013 in Kansas City and 2016 in Arizona.
Summers, meanwhile, was in the now-defunct AAF before a short stint with the Dolphins. He’ll now push to make the Lions’ 53-man cut.
Falcons Trade TE Eric Saubert To Patriots
The Patriots have yet another tight end. On Monday, the Falcons shipped Eric Saubert to the Pats in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. 
Saubert, a fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft, has just five catches to his credit over the last two seasons. However, he’s known for his blocking ability and has been a special teams regular for the Falcons. Last year, Saubert appeared in 66% of the club’s special teams plays, and he could fill a similar role with New England.
It’s also possible that bigger things could be in store for Saubert as he joins the Rob Gronkowski-less Patriots. The Pats will be without Ben Watson, their would-be Gronk replacement, for the first four weeks of the season, so there’s a clear opportunity for Saubert to make the cut and see the field.
For the Pats, it’s an extremely low-cost opportunity to bolster a weakened position. Sitting dead last in waiver priority, they might not have landed the third-year pro out of Drake if they waited for him to be released.
49ers To Sign Sam Young
Former Dolphins offensive tackle Sam Young will sign with the 49ers on Monday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Niners just lost fellow tackle Shon Coleman to injured reserve, so Young should be able to step in and fill a major need for the team. 
[RELATED: Jerick McKinnon’s Week 1 Availability In Question]
Young spent the last three seasons with the Dolphins and has also played for the Bills and Jaguars. Over the years, the 2010 Cowboys sixth-round pick has appeared in 88 games with 21 starts in those contests. Prior to joining Miami, Young also drew attention from the Saints, Jets, and Bills.
The 49ers project to start Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey on the outside of the line with sixth-round rookie Justin Skule, Willie Beavers, Najee Toran, and Ross Reynolds also in the mix for reserve roles.
Vikings To Cut LS Kevin McDermott
The Vikings will have a new long snapper this season. They informed their snapper of the previous four years, Kevin McDermott, he will be released, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
McDermott was signed through the 2020 season, via a 2016 extension, but the Vikings’ offseason changes will lead him elsewhere. Minnesota drafted snapper Austin Cutting in the seventh round, doing so after hiring a new special teams coordinator in Marwan Maalouf.
This news comes hours after the team traded a fifth-round pick to the Ravens for kicker/punter Kaare Vedvik. Now, Vedvik, Dan Bailey and Matt Wile will catch snaps from the same player. McDermott and Cutting had been competing for the gig this offseason. This became a full-on competition in mid-July, when the rookie out of Air Force was cleared to play. The Vikings can turn their attention to their now-intriguing special teams competitions.
The Vikings’ new ST boss advocated for the Cutting pick, per KSTP’s Darren Wolfson (on Twitter), who adds Maalouf would be in favor of starting over completely on special teams. That would help explain the Vedvik deal.
McDermott, 29, played in every Vikings game since the start of the 2015 season. Initially, the UDFA out of UCLA caught on with the 49ers in 2013. He spent seven games with the Ravens in 2014.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/19
Here are Sunday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Pasoni Tasini
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: OL Dillon Gordon
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Rashard Causey
- Waived: LB Jeff Holland
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Deontez Alexander
- Waived/injured: LB Tre Lamar
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Jets: CB Derrick Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Isaiah Langley
- Waived: TE Zach Conque
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Terrance Smith
- Waived/injured: DL Jonathan Woodard
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Nate Wozniak
- Waived: G Tyler Catalina
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed off waivers from Falcons: DB Hamp Cheevers
- Placed on IR: CB D.J. Killings
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Sojourn Shelton
- Waived/injured: WR Shelton Gibson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Micah Abernathy
Washington Redskins
- Signed: QB Jalan McClendon, DB DeJuan Neal, LB Darrell Williams
- Placed on IR: QB Josh Woodrum
- Waived: WR T.J. Rahming
- Waived/injured: LB Garrett Sickels
Jaguars Sign T Ben Ijalana
Doug Marrone revealed Saturday the Jaguars’ tackle situation may not be optimal until after the regular season begins. A day later, the Jags added an experienced blocker.
Former Jets tackle Ben Ijalana agreed to a Jaguars deal Sunday. The team also released running back Benny Cunningham with an injury designation. Cunningham, who signed with the Jaguars in April, is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Left tackle starter Cam Robinson, who is in the final stages of recovering from the ACL tear he suffered last September, may not be ready in time for Week 1. The Jags signed former Bengals first-round pick Cedric Ogbuehi and Buccaneers UDFA Leonard Wester this offseason. They drafted Jawaan Taylor in Round 2; the former Florida Gator is expected to be Jacksonville’s opening day right tackle, with the other two vying to be the Robinson stopgap on the other side. Ijalana, 30, may now be in that mix while also representing a depth option.
The Jets used Ijalana in 30 games from 2014-17. His most notable work came as New York’s starting left tackle for 13 games in 2016. He wound up on Gang Green’s IR list in August of 2018. Ijalana’s NFL action has come in spurts, with the former Colts second-round pick not playing in the 2013, ’15 or ’18 regular seasons.
Cunningham has played six NFL seasons, for the Rams and Bears. He will exit a Jaguars running back room headed by Leonard Fournette but also housing Alfred Blue, Thomas Rawls, Roc Thomas and fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead.
The Jags also signed rookie offensive lineman Ka’Jahn Armstrong and tight end Ethan Wolf. They waived fellow blockers Jordan Agasiva and Andrew Lauderdale, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com notes.