Patriots Release QB Brian Hoyer
The Patriots started the day with three healthy quarterbacks on their roster, and now they’re down to one. Albert Breer of TheMMQB reports (via Twitter) that the team has released veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer.
However, it doesn’t sound like Hoyer will sit in free agency all that long. Breer speculates that the veteran QB could land back in New England once the team opens a roster spot by placing another player (perhaps wideout N’Keal Harry) on short-term IR.
The Patriots surprised many earlier today when they released veteran Cam Newton, making rookie first-round pick Mac Jones the starter. Hoyer seemed liked a logical fit as a backup considering his experience with the offense. Fast forward to now, both Newton and Hoyer are off the roster while Jarrett Stidham is on PUP, leaving the rook as the lone QB on the active roster.
Hoyer has had three stints with the Patriots throughout his 12-year career, earning a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady‘s backup in 2018. Following a one-year stint with the Colts in 2019, Hoyer re-joined the Patriots last offseason following Brady’s defection to Tampa Bay. Hoyer ended up starting a single game for New England, completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 130 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a fumble. The veteran didn’t end up seeing the field again following that Week 4 loss to the Chiefs.
Raiders Trim Roster To 53
Some of the Raiders’ cuts became known earlier Tuesday, with the team parting ways with Karl Joseph and John Brown. Here are the rest of the moves Las Vegas made to reach the 53-man roster limit:
Released:
Waived:
- LB Asmar Bilal (waived/injured)
- TE Matt Bushman
- G Lester Cotton
- DT Matt Dickerson
- WR Keelan Doss
- TE Alex Ellis (waived/injured)
- RB B.J. Emmons
- DE Gerri Green
- RB Garrett Groshek
- OT Devery Hamilton
- CB Isaiah Johnson
- OL Jaryd Jones-Smith
- S Dallin Leavitt
- C Jimmy Morrissey
- OL Jeremiah Poutasi
- RB Trey Ragas
- LB Max Richardson
- DT Niles Scott
- WR Dillon Stoner
- WR DJ Turner
- DE Kendal Vickers
Several of these players will be invited to stick around on Las Vegas’ practice squad, with the NFL greenlighting a second year of 16-man taxi squads. The Raiders’ cutting Brown and Doss keeps Willie Snead and Zay Jones on their active roster. Johnson played a part-time role on the Raiders’ defense last season, while Carrier has been with the team for the past four years. The Raiders re-signed him in March. Wreh-Wilson was aiming to catch on for a ninth NFL season, and while the former Titans and Falcons cornerback may do so, the Raiders halted his effort to land on their initial 53-man roster.
Cardinals Place Malcolm Butler On Reserve/Retired List
It appears Malcolm Butler may really be walking away from the game. The Cardinals have placed the veteran corner on the reserve/retired list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
We heard yesterday that Butler was mulling retirement, and it looks like he’s made up his mind. It was reported yesterday that the former Patriot and Titan was “dealing with a personal situation,” although details were light. All we know is that Butler has been away from the team recently. Apparently both retirement and “stepping away” were both options, so it’s possible this isn’t anything permanent.
Butler is of course known for his Super Bowl heroics with the Patriots, and he spent the last three seasons in Tennessee. Even though he was cut by the Titans this offseason, he received strong marks from Pro Football Focus for his work in 2020. He landed a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth $3.25MM from Arizona, and was expected to be a starter on Vance Joseph’s defense.
The last minute change of plans will leave the Cards a bit undermanned in their secondary after they let longtime starter Patrick Peterson walk this offseason. It looks like fourth-round rookie Marco Wilson or veteran Robert Alford will now be counted on to start in Butler’s place.
Of course, we all hope that whatever Butler is dealing with off the field isn’t anything too bad, and we wish him well with whatever his future holds.
Dolphins Set Initial 53-Man Roster
The Dolphins have joined the club of teams to officially get down to 53 players on cutdown day. Here’s the list of of players from Miami that will be looking for new homes in the coming days:
Placed on season-ending IR:
Released:
- LB Josh Harvey-Clemons
- CB Cre’von LeBlanc
- OT Adam Pankey
- C Cameron Tom
Waived:
- CB Javaris Davis
- RB Gerrid Doaks
- CB Tino Ellis
- LB Shaquem Griffin
- LB Kylan Johnson
- DT Benito Jones
- RB Patrick Laird
- DE Jonathan Ledbetter
- WR Kai Locksley
- WR Kirk Merritt
- LB Calvin Munson
- TE Chris Myarick
- WR Malcolm Perry
- OG Durval Queiroz Neto
- RB Jordan Scarlett
- QB Reid Sinnett
- DE Jason Strowbridge
There are some reasonably big names on this list, including LeBlanc and Harvey-Clemons among the vested veterans getting outright released. LeBlanc played a sizable role in the Eagles’ secondary last season, and started nine games for the Bears as a rookie back in 2016. Harvey-Clemons was a decent-sized part of Washington’s defense in 2018, but his role was reduced in 2019 before he opted out of the 2020 seasons.
You’ll likely recognize some of the waiver cuts as well, including Griffin. The brother of star cornerback Shaquill Griffin, the linebacker was attempting to make the team after a few years with the Seahawks. Laird started four games for the Dolphins in 2019 and received 62 carries that year, but he was mainly a special teams guy last season.
Chiefs Reach 53-Man Limit
The two-time defending AFC champions pared their roster to 53 players Tuesday. Following some early cuts Monday, here are the rest of the moves the Chiefs made to get there:
Released:
- WR Gehrig Dieter
- WR Marcus Kemp
Waived:
- DB Dicaprio Bootle
- QB Shane Buechele
- DB Marlon Character
- DT Tyler Clark
- DB Rodney Clemons
- LB Omari Cobb
- DE Austin Edwards
- DE Demone Harris
- DB Devon Key
- DB BoPete Keyes
- OT Wyatt Miller
- WR Cornell Powell
- WR Dalton Schoen
- WR Darrius Shepherd
- LB Emmanuel Smith
- OT Prince Tega Wanogho
- DE Tim Ward
Placed on reserve/NFI list:
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
Long will miss the Chiefs’ first six games. The recently unretired offensive lineman suffered a knee injury in June. While Long was part of the Chiefs’ extensive offseason offensive line puzzle, the team made several moves to create O-line depth after its Super Bowl LV blocking debacle. Kansas City traded for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., signed guard Joe Thuney and center Austin Blythe, and drafted center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. Long and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who opted out last year and came up in trade calls this week, are not expected to start but would stand to provide high-end depth on Kansas City’s retooled line.
The Chiefs took Powell in the fifth round. The Clemson alum would make sense as a practice squad candidate, but the Chiefs will run the risk of anther team claiming the rookie wideout and preventing such a scenario. Kansas City lost Sammy Watkins but returns the likes of Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson as supporting-cast receivers.
Ravens Reduce Roster To 53
The Ravens cut down their roster to 53 players today, with the team making the following transactions:
Released
- OT Adrian Ealy
- DT Justin Ellis
- DB Anthony Levine
- TE Ben Mason
- RB Nate McCrary
- LB Pernell McPhee
- QB Trace McSorley
- WR Jaylon Moore
- TE Tony Poljan
- OT Foster Sarell
- DT Jovan Swann
- WR Binjimen Victor
- DB Nigel Warriors
Waived/Injured
- LB Otaro Alaka
- DT Aaron Crawford
Placed on Reserve/NFI
The team also announced a handful of previously reported transactions, which you can find here.
Obviously Pernell and Levine are the two major names on this list, but there’s a chance the veterans land back in Baltimore once the team places a handful of players on IR.
Pernell spent the past two seasons in Baltimore, starting 20 of his 22 appearances. In those 22 games, the 32-year-old collected 53 tackles and six sacks. The veteran also started his career with the Ravens before bouncing between the Bears and Washington. Levine, meanwhile, isn’t a stranger to bouncing on and off the Ravens roster, but he’s still managed to miss only one regular season game for the organization since 2013. That missed game actually came in 2020, when the special teams ace finished with only seven tackles.
Titans Reduce Roster To 53
The Titans have officially trimmed their roster to 53 players. Tennessee made the following moves:
Waived
-
- OL Cole Banwart
- DB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- WR Fred Brown
- DB Jamal Carter
- FB Tory Carter
- OL Christian DiLauro
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- TE Miller Forristall
- OL Derwin Gray
- DL Woodrow Hamilton
- RB Javian Hawkins
- LB Jan Johnson
- DL Naquan Jones
- WR Mason Kinsey
- TE Jared Pinkney
- LB Wyatt Ray
- OL Jordan Roos
A pair of wideouts headline this list of waived players. Fitzpatrick was a fourth-round pick by the organization in this past year’s draft. The 6-foot-2 receiver was a standout during his stint at Louisville, leading to the Titans trading three picks to move up and select him. The rookie could end up falling through to the practice squad, but considering his draft stock, there’s a chance another team will claim him.
Meanwhile, Kinsey was an unheralded acquisition, but he made a name for himself following a strong preseason. The wideout finished August with 14 receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown.
Broncos Trim Roster To 53
The Broncos joined the fray Tuesday in moving their roster down to 53 players, after cutting ties with several players Monday. Here is how new GM George Paton constructed his initial 53-man roster:
Released:
- OT Cameron Fleming
- CB Nate Hairston
- DL Shamar Stephen
Waived:
- RB Damarea Crockett
- S Trey Marshall
- CB Parnell Motley
- WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
- DE Marquiss Spencer
- LB Barrington Wade
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- CB Essang Bassey
- CB Duke Dawson
The Broncos are expected to bring back both Fleming and Stephen, Paton said (via Denver7’s Troy Renck, on Twitter), with running back Mike Boone and cornerback Michael Ojemudia bound for the regular-season IR list. Both backups are set to miss time to start the season, but the Broncos carried each onto the 53-man roster and will plan for their in-season returns.
Because Fleming and Stephen are vested veterans, they do not need to clear waivers in order to re-sign with the Broncos. Denver signed both Fleming and Stephen this offseason. While Fleming competed with fellow addition Bobby Massie, the latter won the Broncos’ right tackle job. Bassey and Dawson can return after six weeks, though the Broncos’ cornerback contingent is much deeper than last season — to the point the roster may not have room for both. Ojemudia would stand to be Denver’s No. 5 corner upon returning.
Cowboys Get Down To 53
More roster cuts to pass along! The Cowboys have now gotten their roster down to 53 as well, making a slew of cuts in the process. Here are the latest cutdown day casualties out of Dallas:
Released:
- S Darian Thompson
- CB Deante Burton
- LS Jake McQuaide
- OT Eric Smith
- TE Jeremy Sprinkle
- DT Justin Hamilton
Waived:
- WR Johnnie Dixon
- WR Osirus Mitchell
- WR Reggie Davis
- WR Aaron Parker
- S Steven Parker
- RB Brenden Knox
- RB JaQuan Hardy
- S Tyler Coyle
- FB Nick Ralston
- TE Nick Eubanks
- TE Artayvious Lynn
- DE Austin Faoliu
- OT Isaac Alarcon
- C Braylon Jones
- WR Brandon Smith
- DE Ron’Dell Carter
Thompson played in 15 games with the Cowboys last year and started seven, but wasn’t able to crack the 53-man roster this time around. The safety started four games for Dallas the year before in 2019. Sprinkle flashed some potential with Washington in 2019 when he had 241 yards, but he was a non-factor in the passing game last year.
Hamilton also started a couple of games for the Cowboys last year, and the release of several significant contributors shows Mike McCarthy was serious about overhauling that side of the ball. Hardy is the undrafted rookie who has been featured on this year’s season of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’ He’s expected to be added to the practice squad if he clears waivers, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Eagles Cut 20+ Players, Down To 53
The Eagles are ready to fly into Week 1. On Tuesday, they made a series of moves to get down to the 53-man roster max. Here’s the full rundown:
Released
- S Andrew Adams
- T Le’Raven Clark
- RB Jordan Howard
- DT Hassan Ridgeway
- TE Richard Rodgers
- CB Kevon Seymour
Waived
- S Grayland Arnold
- G/T Kayode Awosika
- WR Travis Fulgham
- WR John Hightower
- RB Jason Huntley
- CB Michael Jacquet
- CB Craig James
- DE Matt Leo
- G Sua Opeta
- WR Andre Patton
- C/G Ross Pierschbacher
- S Elijah Riley
- LB JaCoby Stevens
- DT Raequan Williams
Placed on IR
Placed on Reserve/COVID List
- DT T.Y. McGill
The Birds also freed up a spot earlier today by trading offensive lineman Matt Pryor (and a 2022 seventh-round pick) to the Colts for a sixth-round choice.
The release of wide receiver Travis Fulgham was one of today’s more notable moves. Fulgham played a big role for the Eagles last year as the team was decimated by WR injuries. However, they didn’t see enough this summer to keep him on the 53-man roster. With Fulgham gone, the Eagles are left with J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Jalen Reagor, DeVonta Smith, Greg Ward, and Quez Watkins as their Week 1 receivers.