Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/19
Today’s minor transactions:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB A.J. Ouellette
- Waived: OT Ka’John Armstrong
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Moral Stephens
- Waived: P Justin Vogel
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Bengals: RB Darrin Hall
- Waived: OG Larry Williams
Houston Texans
- Waived: S A.J. Hendy
- Waived/injured: WR Isaac Whitney
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
Philadelphia Eagles:
- Waived: DT Anthony Rush
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Jordan Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jawuan Johnson
Tennesse Titans
- Signed: DB Jonathan Crawford
Cardinals Release Robert Nkemdiche
Robert Nkemdiche‘s time with Arizona is officially over. The Cardinals announced they were releasing the former first-round defensive lineman on Saturday night. 
The move is hardly surprising, as the writing has been on the wall for a while now. The Cardinals drafted Nkemdiche 29th overall back in 2016, and he never panned out. Nkemdiche was the top recruit in the nation coming out of high school a handful of years ago, and he didn’t quite live up to the hype at Ole Miss either. Nkemdiche was due a roster bonus this week, so the timing makes sense.
The defensive lineman is coming off an ACL tear, and we heard just yesterday that he showed up to camp out of shape, which was likely the final straw. Nkemdiche’s health will determine how much cap space the Cards will save with this move, as we’ve heard that he could be able to recoup more of his money if he qualifies for the CBA’s injury protection. Making matters even worse for Nkemdiche, he’s facing a possible suspension stemming from a June arrest.
Still, because of his draft pedigree, Nkemdiche will likely resurface somewhere relatively quickly. He’ll be labeled as a bust for now though unless he’s able to reinvent himself elsewhere, as he only appeared in 27 games over three years for Arizona. He made just six starts during his time in the desert, all of which came last year. He finished 2018 with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks, the first sacks of his NFL career.
Seahawks Sign DeShawn Shead
DeShawn Shead is coming home. The defensive back is returning to the place he made a name for himself and signing with the Seahawks, his agency announced on Twitter. 
It’s a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. In a separate tweet, Condotta notes that Shead visited with the team on Friday and had a workout earlier today, and that the plan is to play him at safety. Shead originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Portland State in 2012, and he turned into quite the diamond in the rough for Seattle.
After playing sparingly his first couple of years in the league, Shead became a big part of the defense at cornerback. Between 2015 and 2016 he started 21 games, racking up 129 tackles, two interceptions, and 22 passes defended. He was a full-time starter in 2016, but suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs.
That injury limited him to just two games in 2017, and he ended up signing a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions last offseason. Snead was cut by Detroit right before the start of the season, but then re-signed a couple weeks later. He ended up appearing in 12 games, making one start. He had a quiet market this offseason, as the first we heard of him was when he worked out for the Saints a few days ago. Shead will have the chance to carve out a role as a safety, and if nothing else he’ll be a nice nostalgia piece for the fans, as he’ll be one of the only players still on the team from Seattle’s legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defense.
Eagles To Sign Orlando Scandrick
The Eagles are adding some secondary depth. Philadelphia is signing veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Garafolo points out, the back-half of the Eagles’ defense is a bit banged up at the moment, so the move makes some sense. We hadn’t heard anything about Scandrick all offseason, and then suddenly his market started heating up. He worked out for the Vikings a few days ago, and we heard earlier this morning he was visiting Philly. The Eagles apparently liked what they saw enough to offer the 32-year-old a contract.
After playing the first ten years of his career with the Cowboys, Scandrick signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Redskins last offseason. He didn’t even make it out of camp with them before he was released, and he was then scooped up by the Chiefs. He played out the year in Kansas City’s league-worst secondary, making seven starts.
Eagles corners Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby both haven’t been cleared to play yet, so Scandrick will get plenty of reps in camp for the time being. In an ideal world, he won’t have to play much once the regular season starts. Injuries have sapped most of Scandrick’s effectiveness, and he can’t be counted on to play a large role anymore.
Giants Sign T.J. Jones
In the wake of Golden Tate’s four-game suspension and Corey Coleman’s season-ending injury, the Giants have added reinforcements. On Saturday, they signed fifth-year wide receiver T.J. Jones and former practice squad player Amba Etta-Tawo, per a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Reactions, Notes On Golden Tate’s Suspension]
Jones, 27, had 64 total catches for 814 yards and four touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons with the Lions. Etta-Tawo, 25, spent some time on the Giants’ practice squad and played for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football League.
To make room, the Giants formally placed wideout Coleman on injured reserve and waived kicker Joey Slye in corresponding moves to free space.
Texans Sign S Tyvis Powell, LB B.J. Bello
The Texans have added a pair of defenders. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed safety Tyvis Powell. Meanwhile, Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston tweets that the Texans also added linebacker B.J. Bello.
Powell went undrafted out of Ohio State back in 2016, and he’s bounced between five different teams (including separate stints with the 49ers) over his three years in the league. The 25-year-old has appeared in 18 career games, including seven this past season with the 49ers. He finished 2018 with six tackles and one forced fumble.
Bello went undrafted out of Illinois State in 2017. After spending his entire rookie campaign with the Browns, he spent 2018 with the Cardinals and Eagles. The 24-year-old has appeared in 19 career games (including 16 games during his rookie year), compiling eight total tackles.
The Texans are currently dealing with a handful of injuries on their defense. J.J. Watt is sitting on the active/physically unable to perform list, while Jamal Davis and Walter Palmore are on the active/non-football illness list and active/non-football injury list, respectively.
Lions Release RB Theo Riddick
The Lions have moved on from one of their longest-tenured players. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team has released running back Theo Riddick. His roster spot will be taken by defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who signed with Detroit yesterday.
The Notre Dame product has been with the Lions since he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. The running back soon became one of Matthew Stafford‘s favorite targets, as Riddick has finished with at least 50 receptions per season since 2015. Actually, as our own Dallas Robinson pointed out, the 28-year-old has garnered more pass targets than rush attempts in half of his NFL seasons, and his career 3.6-yards-per-carry indicates that he’s much more dangerous in the passing game.
Despite his production, there was some speculation that the Lions could move on from the veteran. Riddick agreed to a three-year, $11.5MM extension with Detroit back in 2016, and he was set to count for $4.625MM on the team’s 2019 salary cap. Now, the Lions will only be left with ~$963K in dead cap.
Furthermore, the running back had one of his worst NFL seasons from a statistical standpoint, and the Lions added veteran C.J. Anderson and rookie Ty Johnson to pair with Kerryon Johnson and Zach Zenner. While none of those players possess the pass-catching prowess of Riddick, it was clear that the veteran was the odd man out.
Riddick is still relatively young, and plenty of teams could use a top-notch third-down back. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the running back quickly catch on with a brand-new organization.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/19
A batch of minor transactions on a busy day across the league:
Atlanta Falcons:
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
- Waived: OT Lanard Bonner
- Placed on IR: DL Michael Bennett
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Corey Grant
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers from Saints: WR Chad Hansen
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Drew Lewis
- Waived: LB Tre Thomas
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: DE Tashawn Bower (Achilles)
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL J.J. Dielman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers from 49ers: CB Alex Brown
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Dillon Day
- Released: DL Cedric Thornton
Seahawks Extend LB Bobby Wagner
The Seahawks have locked up one of the best defensive players in football. Seattle is signing linebacker Bobby Wagner to a three-year extension worth $54MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
In a follow-up tweet, Rapoport notes that Wagner will get $40.2MM in guaranteed money. At $18MM annually, Wagner is now the highest-paid inside linebacker in the game, eclipsing the $17MM that C.J. Mosley got from the Jets earlier this offseason. Wagner made it clear a few days ago he would attend training camp on time even though he didn’t have the new deal he wanted yet, as he wanted to be a good leader and locker room presence.
Wagner has been standing off to the side and observing practice at the first few days of camp, clearly waiting for this deal to get done. The Utah State product had been set to enter the final year of a four-year, $43MM extension he signed back in 2015. There’s now a huge gap between Wagner and Mosley at the top and the rest of the inside linebackers. Deion Jones is in third place with the extension he recently signed with the Falcons, which will pay him a tick over $14MM annually.
Wagner originally entered the league as a second-round pick back in 2012. He’s since firmly established himself as the league’s best off-ball linebacker, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last five seasons and being named a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three. One of the last remaining pieces of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl winning defense, Wagner is the team’s next most important player after Russell Wilson. He’s been a rock for them, starting at least 15 games in each of the past four seasons.
Redskins To Sign OT Corey Robinson
The Redskins are adding some offensive line depth. The team is signing offensive tackle Corey Robinson, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
Trent Williams didn’t report to training camp and his status with the team is uncertain at best, so it makes sense why they made the move. It’s unclear if this will impact their interest in free agent tackle Donald Penn, who we heard yesterday they planned on working out. In a separate tweet, Keim writes that sources told him there’s “still a chance” the team signs Penn.
Robinson originally entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Lions back in 2015. He spent the next three seasons with Detroit, and started eight games for them between 2016 and 2017. He got traded to the Panthers just before the start of last season, but was released a few weeks later. He was picked up by the Jaguars in November, and ended up starting a game for them.
The Redskins lost swing tackle Ty Nsekhe in free agency this offseason, which makes the Williams situation all the more unsettling for them. Williams is apparently seeking a new contract, and hopefully they can get him back in the fold soon. Ideally, Robinson won’t be seeing the field very much.