Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Javon Leake
- Waived: RB Michael Warren
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Bradley Roby
- Waived: WR Damon Hazelton
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Ethan Westbrooks
- Waived: DB Shaun Crawford
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: OT Ryan Pope
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Willie Henry, DT Elijah Qualls
- Waived: DL R.J. McIntosh, LB Cale Garrett, WR Derrick Dillon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Lakiem Williams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Gabe Holmes
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/21
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Demetrius Harris, DL Margus Hunt, DL Josh Mauro
- Waived: TE Cary Angeline, S Jamal Carter, OT Ryan Pope, CB Donald Rutledge
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from NFI list: DE Jerry Hughes
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Marquel Lee
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: FB Mikey Daniel
Chicago Bears
- Activated from NFI list: S Eddie Jackson
Houston Texans
- Claimed (from Lions): C Drake Jackson
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
- Waived: LS Mitchell Fraboni
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: QB Case Cookus
- Waived: WR Trey Quinn
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Falcons): CB Tyler Hall
- Waived: DB Jovan Grant, K Brandon Wright
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Kellen Mond
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Malik Gant
- Waived: RB Tyler Gaffney
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LB Ryan Anderson
- Waived: TE Tommy Stevens
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed (from Panthers): WR Marken Michel
- Waived/injured: WR Michael Walker
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: G Anthony Coyle
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Shilique Calhoun, CB Alexander Myres
- Waived: CB Mark Fields, OT Isaiah Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Kukayus McNeil, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams
- Waived: TE Michael Jacobson, WR Darece Roberson
Tennessee Titans
- Waived/injured: TE Donnie Ernsberger
Cardinals To Add DL Jack Crawford
Jack Crawford is now on track to play a 10th NFL season. The Cardinals are signing the veteran defensive lineman, according to his agency (on Twitter).
The 32-year-old D-lineman spent the 2020 season with the Titans, with whom he played 16 games. Originally a Raiders fifth-round pick back in 2012, Crawford has also spent time with the Cowboys and Falcons.
Arizona has now bolstered its defensive line with a few vets this year. While J.J. Watt was the team’s big-ticket move, the Cards also brought back Corey Peters. The team still has Jordan Phillips on its roster as well; Phillips suffered a season-ending injury last November but will be on track to contribute alongside Watt and Co. this season.
Crawford started nine games for a woeful Titans defense, registering two sacks in 2020. He has 18 for his career; six of those came for the 2018 Falcons. Crawford was a primary starter for a Cowboys team that earned the NFC’s top seed in 2016 and has managed to land a few free agency deals since his Dallas tenure ended after that season. Having lined up inside and on the edge in recent years, Crawford offers some versatility. That said, Pro Football Focus has graded his past two seasons poorly.
Lions Sign K Zane Gonzalez
After losing longtime kicker Matt Prater to the Cardinals in free agency, the Lions have added Arizona’s previous kicker. Zane Gonzalez agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions on Tuesday, according to his agency (Twitter link).
Detroit used Prater as its kicker from 2014-20, but he left for Arizona in March. The Lions signed former Bengals specialist Randy Bullock, but they have now added some veteran competition.
Gonzalez, 26, kicked for the Cardinals from 2018-20, catching on in the desert after the Browns cut him early in the 2018 season. The former seventh-round Browns pick fared well in 2019, making more than 86% of his field goal tries. Last season, Gonzalez was less effective (73%) and played a role in the Cards’ late-season swoon. He missed a 45-yard field goal in a three-point loss to the Patriots and saw another game-tying try — a 49-yarder — fall short of the uprights in a three-point loss to the Dolphins.
Bullock, 31, is a nine-year veteran who spent the past four years as the Bengals’ kicker. To make room for Gonzalez on their roster, the Lions are waiving kicker Matthew Wright, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
Saints CB Patrick Robinson To Retire
Patrick Robinson will stop short of playing a 12th NFL season. Midway through training camp, the veteran cornerback has told the Saints he plans to retire, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Robinson, 33, was going into the final year of his contract.
Like Malcolm Jenkins, Robinson entered the NFL as a Saints first-round pick who ended up playing a major role on the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl-winning team. Both DBs migrated back to New Orleans. While Jenkins continued to see steady time in his second Saints stint, Robinson became a part-timer. His exit will nonetheless strip the Saints of another veteran corner. The team released previous starter Janoris Jenkins earlier this year.
Robinson saw considerably more time during his first Saints go-round, playing five seasons with the team to start the 2010s. The 2010 first-rounder then made his way to the Chargers and Colts in consecutive years, before landing with the Eagles on one-year contract — his third straight — in 2017.
Robinson manned the slot in Philadelphia and joined Jenkins in helping the team upset the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The 5-foot-11 defender finished his age-30 season with four interceptions and graded as the league’s No. 6 overall cornerback that season, per Pro Football Focus. He added a pick-six in the Eagles’ NFC championship game rout against the Vikings.
The veteran parlayed that standout season into a four-year, $20MM deal to return to New Orleans. However, a broken ankle three games into the 2018 season sidetracked Robinson’s return. Although the Saints kept him on their roster in 2019 and 2020, Robinson topped out at just a 24% snap rate — in 2020 — during his second New Orleans tenure. He was a healthy scratch in the Saints’ divisional-round loss to the Buccaneers. The 11-year vet wraps his career with 16 interceptions — including a 99-yard pick-six in 2012 — and 83 passes defensed in 123 games.
The Saints have been on the lookout for cornerback help this offseason, attempting to trade up for Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II and now being linked to Jaguars 2020 first-rounder C.J. Henderson. Robinson’s retirement underscores the team’s need at the position.
Jets Claim G David Moore
The Jets snagged David Moore off the waiver wire, but they weren’t the only club interested in the rookie guard. The Bears, Browns, and Raiders also submitted claims for him (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com), but the Jets won out due to their higher priority.
Moore was projected as a Round 4 or 5 prospect but wound up going undrafted. After that, he was one of the most coveted UDFAs in the NFL. The Panthers picked him up, but didn’t have room for him. Earlier this week, Moore was waived along with defensive end Austin Larkin (injured). To replace them on the roster, the Panthers added defensive end Kendall Donnerson and defensive back LaDarius Wiley.
Moore made some noise at Grambling over the course of three years, including two years as a full-time starter. He then opted out of the 2020 season, which may have slowed his momentum. Still, his Senior Bowl opponents voted him as the game’s top offensive lineman and teams still haven’t forgotten about that performance.
He’ll have an opportunity to showcase himself with the Jets who just placed Alex Lewis on the exempt/left squad list. If Moore makes the final cut, he’ll support starting guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and Greg Roten.
To make room for Moore, the Jets dropped fellow UDFA OL Teton Saltes.
Giants Cut Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson won’t be playing for the Giants in 2021 after all. The outside linebacker signed with New York in the second wave of free agency, but was cut on Monday, the team announced.
Anderson signed a one-year deal worth $1.125MM, only slightly above the $990K minimum for a player with his service time, back in March. The 49th overall pick of Washington back in 2017, Anderson never really lived up to his draft status. The Alabama product was mostly a reserve during his four years in Washington, but he did make a big impact in 2019.
That season he appeared in all 16 games with four starts, finishing with 44 tackles, four sacks, and five forced fumbles. In 2020, he played in only nine games and had just nine total tackles. Anderson “was expected to compete for a role on the edge,” previously, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, while noting that he “missed the first two weeks of camp with a back injury.”
When he gets healthy he should be able to latch on elsewhere. Anderson will turn 27 later this week.
Lions To Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
After Monday’s workout, the Lions are signing Nickell Robey-Coleman, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will reunite the veteran slot cornerback with new Lions front office bosses Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew.
The new Lions GM and assistant GM were with the Rams during Robey-Coleman’s three-year Los Angeles stay, with Agnew serving as the team’s director of pro personnel when Robey-Coleman signed there in 2017. The Lions were the only team connected to Robey-Coleman this offseason, and the 28-year-old cover man will attempt to stick with a fourth NFL franchise.
Robey-Coleman played last season with the Eagles, and while he did not fare as well in Philly as he did in L.A., the Lions will pair him with 2020 No. 3 overall pick Jeff Okudah and recently added vet Quinton Dunbar. Detroit dismantled its 2020 cornerback crew, cutting Desmond Trufant and slot defender Justin Coleman this offseason. The Lions have now added two ex-Rams defensive regulars this year, with Robey-Coleman following Michael Brockers to the Motor City.
Pro Football Focus ranked Robey-Coleman as a top-20 overall corner from 2017-19, when he manned the slot for Wade Phillips-led Rams defenses. The eight-year veteran will transition to first-year DC Aaron Glenn‘s unit in Detroit.
Robey-Coleman began his NFL career with four Bills seasons, arriving in Buffalo as a UDFA. He has done well to beat the odds and stick around in the league, and the rebuilding Lions will provide another opportunity.
Saints To Sign K Brett Maher
The Saints have moved quickly to land a Wil Lutz replacement. After their kicker suffered a groin injury, the Saints agreed to terms with Brett Maher, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
Maher worked out for the Saints on Monday. He will have the 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 spent time with four franchises since. He went to camp with the Jets last year but bounced to Washington, Houston and Arizona. The Cardinals retained Maher via reserve/futures contract in January but cut him in March.
While the Cowboys parted ways with Maher late in 2019, moving to Greg Zuerlein the following offseason, he displayed historic long-range accuracy during his short stint 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.
Lutz has been New Orleans’ kicker for the past five seasons. He is likely to undergo core muscle surgery, and the procedure would sideline him for a few months. An IR move before the season starts would knock Lutz out for the year. If the Saints want to use Lutz this season, they would need to carry him onto their 53-man roster before placing him on IR ahead of Week 1.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Darius Kilgo
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: CB Tyler Hall
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Siaosi Mariner
- Waived/injured: TE Jacob Breeland
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from PUP list: TE Dominique Dafney
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: LS Rex Sunahara
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Warren Jackson
New England Patriots
- Waived: QB Jake Dolegala
- Signed: LS Brian Khoury
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Blake Countess
- Waived/injured: S Obi Melifonwu
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from PUP list: TE Cameron Brate
Washington Football Team
- Signed: C Jon Toth