Giants Release RB Alfred Morris
The Giants have released running back Alfred Morris, per a club announcement. In addition, the club released cornerback Chris Milton and placed cornerback Jarren Williams on IR en route to the 85-man roster limit. 
[RELATED: Texans Trade Keion Crossen To Giants]
Morris saw 55 carries for 238 yards and a touchdown with the G-Men in 2020. They re-signed him a few weeks ago to bolster the depth chart, but he wasn’t needed following the return of Saquon Barkley. With Barkley installed as the Giants’ RB1, candidates like Devontae Booker, Elijhaa Penny, Gary Brightwell, and Corey Clement will vie for the remaining spots.
All in all, Morris has 6,000+ yards to his credit over nine seasons with the Giants, Cowboys, Washington Football Team, 49ers, and Cardinals.
Chiefs Cut WR Antonio Callaway
The Chiefs are down to the 85-man limit. On Tuesday, the club dropped five players from the roster, including wide receiver Antonio Callaway (waived/injured). In addition, they’ve waived/injured tight end Evan Baylis, waived defensive back Manny Patterson, placed running back Elijah McGuire on IR, and released wide receiver Chad Williams outright. 
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Out 4-6 Weeks]
The Browns selected Callaway in the fourth round of the 2018 draft after a productive career at the University of Florida. He entered the league with plenty of red flags, and he was largely unable to overcome them in the pros, resulting in multiple suspensions. But he also displayed plenty of promise in his first season with Cleveland, playing in 16 games (11 starts) and recording 43 catches for 586 yards and five TDs.
Last year, Callaway dressed for five ‘Fins games, but registered only two grabs for 20 years and one touchdown. Now, the former Brown, Dolphin, and XFL Viper will look to catch on with another team as the 2021 season draws closer.
Jaguars Cut Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow‘s time with the Jaguars has come to an end. On Tuesday morning, the Jaguars released the former UF superstar as they work their way down to an 85-man roster.
“Thankful for the highs and even the lows, the opportunities, and the setbacks,” said Tebow on Twitter. “I’ve never wanted to make decisions out of fear of failure and I’m grateful for the chance to have pursued a dream. Thank you to the Jaguars organization and everyone who has supported me in this journey.”
Head coach Urban Meyer previously said that Tebow did a “decent job” in practice . Over the summer, 46% of PFR readers said Tebow would make Jacksonville’s 53-man roster, while another 25% said the ex-Broncos QB1 and Mets farmhand would land on the practice squad. The practice squad remains a possibility, but Tebow won’t be on the Jaguars’ varsity squad to start the year.
Tebow bulked up to 255 pounds — up ~20 from his quarterback days — to move to TE. Washington tight end Logan Thomas proved that the transition could be done, but it took him several years to find his footing. Of course, the ex-Virginia Tech quarterback made the move in his mid-20s; Tebow was trying it at the age of 33.
Due to his NFL service time, Tebow will be a full-fledged free agent by the end of the business day. However, it’s not clear if Tebow will receive — or pursue — an opportunity elsewhere.
In addition to Tebow, the Jaguars have also made the following moves to reach the 85-man max:
- CB D.J. Daniel (waived)
- WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (waived/injured)
- WR Tim Jones (waived/injured)
- DT Daniel Ross (IR)
Titans Sign S Bradley McDougald
While most teams were subtracting from their rosters today, the Titans were adding to theirs. The team signed three players today, including linebacker Nick Dzubnar (re-signed) and safeties Bradley McDougald and Clayton Geathers.
McDougald, a former undrafted free agent, started 70 games for the Buccaneers and Seahawks between 2015 and 2019. The veteran has seen time in 105 career games (82 starts), collecting 487 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 43 passes defended. He got into seven games for the Jets in 2020, finishing with 36 tackles, his lowest total since his rookie season. His 2020 campaign was cut short thanks to a shoulder injury.
Geathers had previously spent his entire career with the Colts, seeing time in 56 games. He started 22 games for Indy between 2018 and 2019, collecting 101 tackles and four passes defended. He sat out the 2020 campaign, and he found himself unsigned through most of this offseason.
Dzubnar spent the 2020 season in Tennessee, where he emerged as one of the team’s top special teams players, leading the Titans with 13 special teams tackles. He spent the first six years of his career with the Chargers, where he appeared in 65 games.
Saints Waive K Brett Maher
Cornerback Prince Amukamara and defensive end Noah Spence weren’t the only players let go by the Saints today. The team also made a notable special teams move, as they waived/injured kicker Brett Maher (via The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell on Twitter). The team also placed offensive lineman Kyle Murphy on injured reserve and waived running back Stevie Scott.
[RELATED: Saints Cut Prince Amukamara]
The Saints brought in Maher earlier this month after starter Wil Lutz suffered a groin injury. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football on Twitter, Maher suffered his own groin injury while warming up for New Orleans’ preseason opener. That injury ultimately led to his release.
Maher was looking for an opportunity to relaunch a career that paused when the Cowboys cut him late in the 2019 season. Maher, 31, did not kick in 2020. A two-year Dallas kicker, Maher had spent time with five franchises since, including stints with the Jets, Washington, Texans, and Cardinals. Arizona retained Maher via reserve/futures contract in January but cut him in March.
During his time in Dallas, Maher became the first kicker in NFL history to make three 60-plus-yard field goals, accomplishing this feat during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. However, after he made more than 80% of his field goals in 2018, Maher was just 20-for-30 a year later. Maher first broke into the NFL as a UDFA in 2013, but after failing to secure a role, he moved to the CFL for a four-season run.
Murphy, 27, joined the Saints earlier this offseason. The former sixth-round pick has seen time in six career games (three starts). Scott was a 2021 undrafted free agent out of Indiana University.
Raiders Cut Seven Players
The Raiders made a series of transactions today to reduce their roster, with a handful of notable players earning their walking papers. Per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez (on Twitter), the Raiders released cornerback De’Vante Bausby and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks. The team also waived quarterback Case Cookus, kicker Dominik Eberle, long snapper Liam McCullough, running back Bo Scarbrough, and wide receiver Caleb Scott.
Bausby joined the Raiders earlier this offseason after spending the 2020 season with the Broncos (two stints) and the Cardinals. He actually had his most productive NFL season, collecting 20 tackles and five passes defended in 10 games (three starts). The 28-year-old previously got some playing time with the Bears and Eagles, appearing in 26 career games.
Westbrooks signed with the Raiders just last week, but his second stint with the organization has already come to an end. The 30-year-old defensive lineman appeared in 61 games for the Rams between the 2015 and 2018 seasons, collecting 51 tackles, nine sacks, and one forced fumble. However, he hasn’t seen the field since that 2018 campaign.
Scarbrough made a name for himself following a five-game stint as a starter with the Lions in 2019. He collected 382 yards from scrimmage that season, but he only saw the field for one game with the Seahawks in 2020.
49ers Cut James Burgess
As teams trim down to 85 players, it’s mostly been smaller-name UDFA types getting let go so far. But some relatively well known veterans are also getting the boot, including James Burgess.
The 49ers announced they were cutting the linebacker on Monday. Burgess signed with the team back in May, but the addition over the weekend of fellow inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks made him expendable. A 2016 UDFA from Louisville, Burgess became a nine-game starter for the Browns in 2017.
He eventually latched on with the Jets as a waiver claim, and started 10 games in New York in 2019. Let go again at final cuts in 2020, he spent some time on the Falcons’ practice squad and played in a few games with the Packers. Despite having already been on the roster for nine different NFL teams, Burgess is still only 27.
He’s always managed to resurface quickly in the past, so don’t be surprised if he does again this season.
Texans To Trade Keion Crossen To Giants
A trade! On a day where a bunch of bottom of the roster guys are getting let go as NFL teams trim their rosters to 85 players, the Texans and Giants made time to work out a deal.
Houston is sending cornerback Keion Crossen to New York, a source told Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (Twitter link). In exchange the Giants will send back a 2023 sixth-round pick, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. Crossen originally entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2018. He won Super Bowl LIII with the team, but was traded to the Texans the following August.
Although he’s a cornerback and actually started four games on defense for Houston this past year, he’s mostly known as a special teams standout. As many were quick to point out, Giants head coach Joe Judge was Crossen’s special teams coordinator his rookie season in New England.
His first two years as a pro he was almost exclusively a special teams guy, but last season he was pressed into some action for an undermanned Houston defense and finished with 46 tackles and five passes defended.
Cardinals Cut RB Ito Smith, 3 Others
As teams are required to cut their rosters down to 85 players by tomorrow, more guys are getting shown the door. Veteran running back Ito Smith was one of the latest casualties as the Cardinals announced his release on Monday.
Arizona also cut receivers Aleva Hifo and JoJo Ward, and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo. Smith was released by the Falcons back in April, and only latched on with the Cardinals last week. He had previously worked out for the Giants. The 2018 fourth-round pick spent his first four professional seasons in Atlanta, and operated as their lead back for stretches during the 2018 and 2020 seasons.
As a rookie he got his most extensive run, carrying the ball 90 times for 315 yards and four touchdowns, adding 27 receptions for another 152 yards. This past season he rushed 63 times for 268 yards and one touchdown, with 17 catches for 75 yards. Hifo and Ward are both 2020 UDFAs, from BYU and Hawaii respectively.
Kilgo is a 2015 sixth-round pick of the Broncos who is notable for winning back to back rings in Super Bowl 50 and then LI with the Broncos and Patriots. He also just signed in the desert last week.
Chargers Cut P Lachlan Edwards, 2 Others
The Chargers trimmed down the roster a bit on Monday, making a couple of special teams moves. Los Angeles has cut punter Lachlan Edwards, kicker Alex Kessman, and receiver Michael Bandy, the team announced.
Edwards was drafted by the Jets in the seventh round in 2016, and spent the next four seasons as New York’s punter. He wasn’t re-signed after the 2019 season, and after a short stint with Buffalo landed on the Chargers’ practice squad late last year. His release means that Los Angeles will be rolling with Ty Long as their punter for the third straight season.
Meanwhile, the release of Kessman doesn’t ensure Michael Badgley has won the kicking job, because he still has Tristan Vizcaino to compete with. Kessman was a rookie UDFA from Pitt.
Bandy played college ball at the University of San Diego, but then began a career in rugby after finding no pro opportunities. Time in The Spring League earned him the opportunity with the Chargers.