Tag: Brian Winters

Cardinals release OL Brian Winters, shuffle offensive linemen on roster

They sign linemen Sean Harlow and Koda Martin from the practice squad.

The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster moves on the eve of their Week 3 matchup on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Among them, they released veteran offensive lineman Brian Winters.

Winters was not with the team with a personal issue and was ruled out of the game for this coming Sunday. He is now not on the roster as he was released.

They also placed tackle Josh Miles on injured reserve. He suffered an ankle injury during the week and was ruled out for Sunday. He will have to be out at least three weeks.

To replace them on the roster, they signed a pair of offensive linemen from the practice squad. They signed Sean Harlow and Koda Martin. Harlow plays guard and Martin can play tackle or guard.

The addition of Harlow was expected. Teams are required to have eight linemen active for games. With Martin’s promotion, it suggests that Kelvin Beachum might not be able to go. If Beachum is inactive, Justin Murray would start and Martin would be the backup tackle.

They also made two practice squad elevations. Cornerback Antonio Hamilton and safety Chris Banjo were moved up to the active roster, using standard elevations. Hamilton has been active for both games so far this season. In Week 1, he played on special teams and last week he was forced into duty on defense when Marco Wilson injured his ankle. Banjo played last week on special teams.

Both Hamilton and Banjo now have elevated using a standard elevation twice.

If the Cardinals wish to elevate them again to the active roster, they will have to clear waivers after the game to be able to re-sign with the practice squad.

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Starting RG job for Cardinals not yet determined

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to make Brian Winters, Justiin Murray and Josh Jones compete for a little while longer.

The Arizona Cardinals have claimed that the starting right guard job has been a competition all offseason between three players — free agent addition Brian Winters, 2020 starter Justin Murray and second-year pro Josh Jones. But after all the offseason, training camp and two preseason games, the job is supposedly still up in the air.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, whether he has decided on a starter or not, is still saying the job has not yet been determined.

“We’ll just continue to rep all three of those guys. Just kind of see how that plays out over the next couple of weeks,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

He indicated he did not have a clue who it might be.

“We want them to continue to work the next couple of weeks and see where it goes,” he said.

Winters would presumably be the favorite. He has taken the first team reps all offseason. However, he has been injured. Murray has, too, which has given Jones almost all the work.

Jones has looked good in practice and performed well in two preseason games, so he might have momentum, especially if Winters is not 100%.

Winters was getting limited work in practice over the last week.

However, previous comments by Kingsbury suggest Winters has been the expected starter.

On Thursday, Kingsbury spoke about some of the injuries the team has healthy with.

“The injuries we had are guys who have played a lot and we what they are about and know what they can do,” he said. “Even though some guys missed time, we know what they can accomplish.”

He didn’t name Winters by name, but he fits the profile of guys who have extensive experience and have missed time. Others include DE J.J. Watt, WR A.J. Green and DT Jordan Phillips. Winters enters his eighth NFL season.

Kingsbury also named Winters as one of the reasons why the offensive line is improved. “Rodney (Hudson)’s presence, Brian Winters’ presence — those guys on the offensive side of the ball have really done a nice job improving our physical presence up front,” he said.

The Cardinals also believe that Winters will be better than he was last season. Kingsbury suggests that the injury he had in camp is something lingering from last year.

“Last year, he played with this injury that he had the entire season, so I think he’ll come back stronger, healthier and feeling better, so I’m hopeful that he’ll be even better than he was,” he said earlier in August.

They trust Murray. Jones is promising. Winters has the track record and the mentality they want on the line.

The Cardinals will have three days of practice this week and then will have a normal game week after the holiday weekend, leading into Week 1.

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Cardinals WR Christian Kirk, OL Brian Winters missing time in training camp with injuries

Cardinals HC won’t say what either injury is but Kirk won’t be out long and Winters will be ready by the season.

The Arizona Cardinals are in their second week of training camp and, while there have been no serious injuries like with other teams, they are missing some starters.

Defensive end J.J. Watt is on PUP with a hamstring injury and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has been out for a few days.

We can add receiver Christian Kirk and guard Brian Winters.

Kirk has been absent both days of practice this week. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who has chosen not to disclose any details of any injury on the team so far, indicated that Kirk won’t be out long and that it is a “minor deal.”

Winters’ undisclosed injury is a bit more serious.

Kingsbury noted Winter’s injury is “something not too serious” but would be out a couple of weeks. They will be cautious with his return, suggesting it could be some soft-tissue injury.

When it comes to training camp and preseason injuries for expected starters and contributors, the Cardinals are always cautious. There is no need to risk further injury for the time of year that doesn’t count.

Based on what Kingsbury said, it is possible Kirk could be well enough to play a few snaps in the team’s preseason opener next Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys. As for Winters, it would seem that he might possibly be ready for their second preseason game.

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OL Brian Winters’ contract counts less than $1M against salary cap

The Arizona Cardinals signed OL Brian Winters to a one-year deal. He gets the league minimum salary with a signing bonus of $137,500.

The Arizona Cardinals added veteran offensive lineman Brian Winters this offseason as a free agent. He will be in the mix to compete for the starting right guard job. His deal is for very little.

According to Over the Cap, his contract qualifies for a veteran exemption and counts less against the salary cap than the value of the contract.

He gets $137,500 in a signing bonus and his salary will be the league minimum for his experience in the league — $1.075 million. $850,000 of his salary is guaranteed.

In all, he will be paid a little more than $1.2 million in actual cash. However, because of the veteran exemption, his contract will only count $987,500 against the cap, a savings of $225,000 in cap space.

His guarantees all but ensure a spot on the roster for him as at least a backup. Whether he starts or whether he is a backup, his presence adds experience to the roster at a small cost.

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Cardinals sign former Bills OL Brian Winters

Former Buffalo Bills, New York Jets OL Brian Winters signed with Arizona Cardinals.

Brian Winters was not expected to return to the Bills in 2021, and now he’s officially not going to.

According to Cards Wire, the veteran offensive lineman signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals this week.

After starting his career with the New York Jets in 2013 as a third-round pick, Winters was signed by the Bills last offseason when he was cut by New York. Winters’ signing came soon after Jon Feliciano suffered a torn pectoral muscle during offseason workouts.

Winters preformed below average with the Bills as a replacement. Lining up at right guard, Pro Football Focus only graded Winters a 54.6 overall in 2020, much below their average marks handed out.

Once healthy, Feliciano took back over for Winters. He made nine total starts with the Bills last season.

The Bills will likely have to replace Winters’ depth he provided on the offensive line at some point this offseason. It would make more sense for the team to do so with a draft prospect eventually.

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Cardinals add veteran OL Brian Winters in free agency

Winters spent last season with the Buffalo Bills after seven years with the New York Jets. He has started 88 games in his career at guard.

The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of free agent roster moves on the offseason. One was the return of veteran offensive lineman Max Garcia. The other is a newcomer.

The Cardinals have agreed to terms with veteran guard Brian Winters, who spent last season with the Buffalo Bills.

Winters enters his ninth year in the NFL. He spent seven seasons with the New York Jets and last season with the Bills.

He has been a starter at both guard positions throughout his career but mostly has played right guard. In 105 career games, he has started 88 of them. He played in 16 games last season, starting nine at right guard for the Bills. He also started all three playoffs games for Buffalo.

His addition makes things interesting at guard for the Cardinals. Justin Pugh remains on the roster at left guard. Justin Murray took over the starting job last season at right guard and 2020 third-round pick seems to be in the plans at guard as well.

The Winters signing is reminiscent of the J.R. Sweezy addition two seasons ago. Sweezy was effective in 2019 but declined last season.

This addition creates competition at right guard or makes it so the Cardinals can move Pugh and allow Jones and Murray to compete at left guard.

Winters is known for his toughness, much like Sweezy was.

This will be interesting to see play out as the offseason progresses.

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Updated list of Bills free agents as tampering period opens

List of Buffalo Bills 2021 free agents as the legal tampering period opens.

The Bills have been movers and shakers prior to free agency even opening, keeping several of their key pieces on the roster.

The team re-signed linebacker Matt Milano, tackle Daryl Williams and guard Jon Feliciano over the course of the past few days.

But that trio is not alone. Buffalo still has several other free agents they could potentially re-sign, but those guys are about to hit the open market. As of noon on Monday, these players can now entertain offers from other teams,

With that legal tampering period in the NFL now open, here’s an updated list of pending free agents for the Bills:

Buffalo Bills roster analysis: Interior offensive line

Buffalo Bills roster analysis of guards and centers and look ahead to 2021 including Mitch Morse, Jon Feliciano.

The Buffalo Bills had an excellent 2020 season as a team, but position-by-position is a different story. Some were better than others and as the offseason is now in full swing, Bills Wire will give a quick analysis of the team’s current roster by reflecting on the season that was and looking ahead to 2021.

Next up, here is our breakdown on the team’s interior offensive line units:

14 ex-Jets are a win away from the Super Bowl

Jets Wire takes a look at former Jets players and coaches, who will be getting their shot to play in the Super Bowl on Championship Sunday.

While the Jets recently hired a new head coach in Robert Saleh and have gotten a head start on their offseason, there is still football left to be played.

As Championship Sunday commences this weekend, there is a mix of former Jets players and coaches in the two championship games. Two ex-Jets coaches are leading the defenses of the NFC’s two best teams, while Le’Veon Bell headlines a list of former Gang Green players hoping to play in The Big Game.

Here’s a look at all the former Jets who are a win away from the Super Bowl.