Giants Sign OL Ted Larsen
Ted Larsen will receive an opportunity to join a new team and potentially play an 11th season. Following a Friday workout, the Giants signed the veteran offensive lineman.
Larsen joins the Giants after making a late-season cameo with the Buccaneers. The longtime guard’s second Tampa Bay stint did not involve similar responsibilities, with the Bucs using him as a depth piece rather than a starter, but he collected a Super Bowl ring despite not playing in the regular season. Larsen was on Tampa Bay’s active roster during the playoffs and logged 38 offensive snaps in the team’s wild-card win in Washington.
Prior to that second Tampa Bay stay, Larsen played spent time in Miami and Chicago. The Dolphins used Larsen as a regular guard starter from 2017-18, though they cut him during their 2019 rebuilding project. The former Patriots sixth-round pick did not stick in New England but has made 88 starts with the Bucs, Dolphins, Cardinals and Bears. While Larsen has been a starting center, most of his NFL experience has come at guard.
The Giants survived an early-camp scare, when starter Shane Lemieux managed to return to practice days after being carted off. Lemieux and Will Hernandez are in position to be Big Blue’s guard starters. Larsen, who is now 34, would profile as insurance.
In other Giants roster moves Friday, the team waived running back Mike Weber and defensive back Jordyn Peters.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/21
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB James Conner, TE Darrell Daniels, DL Leki Fotu, DB Charles Washington; the four were deemed high-risk close contacts
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to IR: RB Michael Warren
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Dominique Martin
- Waived/injured: LB Randy Ramsey
Indianapolis Colts
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Gary Jennings
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed (from Giants): DL R.J. McIntosh
- Reverted to IR: WR Jalen McCleskey
New York Jets
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Brendon White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Eddie Vanderdoes
Seattle Seahawks
- Re-signed: WR Darece Roberson
- Waived: CB Bryan Mills
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Reggie Floyd
- Waived: WR Kalija Lipscomb
- Waived/injured: OL Adam Coon
49ers Place Tony Jefferson On IR
Tony Jefferson‘s season is over. On Thursday, the 49ers placed the veteran safety on injured reserve due to groin and hamstring issues. 
Jefferson hasn’t played since 2019, when he tore his ACL. Then, the pandemic slowed his rehab, keeping him off the field throughout 2020. Under normal circumstances, Jefferson would have been mostly healed by April.
“I was really getting into a groove with my workouts and my rehab,” Jefferson said in April. “Now, I’m waiting two or three weeks just to get a medicine ball.”
After spending the early part of his career with the Cardinals, Jefferson inked a four-year, $34MM contract with the Ravens in 2017. He started in all 35 of his games for Baltimore from 2017-2019, but the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus weren’t fond of his five-game 2019 season. The Ravens released Jefferson in February of 2020, but he wasn’t healthy enough to land a deal until this summer when the Niners added him on a one-year pact.
Jefferson was gearing up to support free safety Jimmie Ward and strong safety Jaquiski Tartt. Instead, he’ll have to rest, recover, and maybe even consider life beyond football. His snaps will be absorbed by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who agreed to terms on Wednesday.
To take his place on the roster, the 49ers have signed defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes. The 26-year-old (27 in October) is hoping to see his first live action since 2019, when he appeared in three games for the Texans.
Lions Cut Quinton Dunbar
The Lions have released cornerback Quinton Dunbar, per a club announcement. In a related move, they’ve added running back Craig Reynolds to the 90-man roster. 
Dunbar joined the Lions in April on a one-year contract. However, it was a veteran salary benefit deal with a modest signing bonus of just $137.5K, so the Lions won’t be on the hook for much.
Dunbar — once entangled in a bizarre legal situation with friend Deandre Baker — was traded from Washington to Seattle last year. Injuries cut his season short, but the Seahawks and Cardinals still showed interest in him as a free agent. The young corner was set to join forces with Jeff Okudah, helping to replace Desmond Trufant and Justin Coleman. Now, Dunbar could now wind up on his fourth team in three years.
Dunbar broke through in 2019, rating as one of Pro Football Focus’ top corners and nabbing four interceptions. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 61.2 passer rating that year, but saw just six games in 2020 thanks to knee surgery.
To date, the ex-UF Gator has 31 starts to his credit across six seasons.
Bucs Sign Earl Watford
The Buccaneers have signed guard Earl Watford. He’ll take the spot of defensive tackle Sam Renner, who has been waived to make room on the roster.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Extend DC Todd Bowles]
Watford was with the Bucs throughout 2019 season, starting in four of his 15 appearances. He’s a favorite of Bruce Arians, having played in 43 games (21 starts) for him in Arizona from 2014-2017. Now in his third stint with the Bucs, Watford will provide depth in the wake of several OL injuries. The team is currently practicing without Robert Hainsey, Donell Stanley, Josh Wells, and Chidi Okeke, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
“[Watford] can walk in any play four positions for us,” Arians said earlier this year “Guys that have been in this system for a while, veteran players – when you lose a guy, you try to look for veteran players rather than young guys who might not be ready.”
Titans To Sign Tedric Thompson
Another veteran defender is getting signed. Free agent safety Tedric Thompson has agreed to terms on a deal with the Titans, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
A fourth-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2017, Thompson spent his first three years in Seattle. He became a starter for them in his second season, and started 10 games in 2018. He entered 2019 as a starter, but missed over half the season after going down with a shoulder injury after six games.
Despite starting 16 games over those two seasons, Thompson was cut in March of 2020 after they failed to find a trade partner. For what it’s worth, he received very poor marks from Pro Football Focus during that 2019 campaign, and the team’s secondary improved after he left the lineup.
Thompson latched on with the Chiefs, but was cut after appearing in eight games with no starts. He then had brief stints with the Browns and Broncos, who cut him over the weekend. It didn’t take him too long to land on his feet. The secondary was a weakness for Tennessee last season, and they made overhauling it a priority.
They added high profile corners like Janoris Jenkins and first-rounder Caleb Farley, and are now adding a depth piece at safety. Thompson turned 26 in January.
49ers To Sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix auditioned for the 49ers yesterday, and it apparently went well. He’ll be signing a deal with San Francisco, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Clinton-Dix also had a workout with the Colts last week, and tried out for the Panthers back in June. Now with training camps well underway, he finally found a home. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan “did not sound optimistic” when discussing the health of fellow safety Jaquiski Tartt yesterday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports tweets, which could help explain this signing.
Tartt is still recovering from a turf toe injury he suffered last season. The 21st overall pick of the 2014 draft, Clinton-Dix spent his first five pro seasons in Green Bay. He made the Pro Bowl, and was a second-team All-Pro, with the Packers in 2016. Traded to Washington midway through the 2018 campaign for a fourth-round pick, he then was with Chicago in 2019 where he started all 16 games.
Even though he had started 16 games for five straight seasons he didn’t have a super hot market last offseason, eventually signing a one-year, $3.75MM deal with Dallas. Despite having a couple million in guarantees the Cowboys cut him right before the start of the season and he spent the rest of the year out of football.
Clinton-Dix is still only 28, so he should be in good shape physically. It’s not a bad depth signing at this stage in the process for the 49ers.
49ers Cut Kevin White, Sign Donald Payne
The 49ers have released wide receiver Kevin White, per a club announcement. In a corresponding move, they’ve added linebacker Donald Payne to their offseason roster.
[RELATED: 49ers Working Out Clinton-Dix, McDougald]
White, a former No. 7 overall pick by the Bears, came out of West Virginia in 2015 with tons of hype. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to just 17 games since then. Even though the Niners were decimated by injuries last year, White was jockeyed on and off the roster last year. He appeared in three games for SF in 2020 without recording an official statistic. For his career, White has 25 catches for 285 yards and zero touchdowns.
The 49ers will move ahead with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel as their leading receivers, plus support from Trent Sherfield, Mohamed Sanu, Jauan Jennings, and others vying for the final WR spots on the depth chart. White was near the bottom of the team’s ~12 WR hopefuls in camp, so his release doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Payne, meanwhile, has not seen live action since he was with the Jaguars in 2019. That year, he recorded 61 total tackles with one sack, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery.
Panthers Sign LB Josh Bynes
The Panthers have signed linebacker Josh Bynes, per a club announcement. To make room on the roster, the Panthers released safety Lano Hill. 
Bynes was one of a handful of veterans the Ravens added to their defense in the middle of the 2019 season. In 2019, he recorded 46 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions, and Pro Football Focus gave him high marks for his coverage and run-stopping abilities.
After helping to stabilize Baltimore’s front seven, the Bengals picked him up last year and made him a first-stringer for all 16 games. Bynes finished out 2020 with some of the best numbers of his career — 99 tackles, a sack, and two passes defensed.
Bynes, 32 later this month, isn’t an elite stopper, but he could provide valuable veteran experience for the Panthers. He’s got 117 career appearances under his belt and a championship ring on his finger after securing the final tackle of Super Bowl XLVII.
Seahawks Cut Aldon Smith
The Seahawks have released defensive end Aldon Smith (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). He’ll be a full fledged free agent this week, but his off-the-field situation and conditioning might keep him off the field for a while. 
Smith joined the Seahawks in April but was booked on a battery charge just days later. On top of that, Smith wasn’t in good enough shape to participate in minicamp this summer. The Seahawks were disappointed to say the least – Smith could have been a valuable addition to the front seven at a reasonable rate. His one-year deal was worth only $1.12MM with just $137K guaranteed.
With the former All-Pro edge defender out of the picture, the Seahawks will move forward with Carlos Dunlap, Benson Mayowa, and former 49er Kerry Hyder. They’ve also got former first-round pick L.J. Collier to help at defensive end.
Smith seemed to be on the right track after starting in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season. After missing full four years due to suspension, he finished out with five sacks, two fumble recoveries, and 14 quarterback hits.