Tag: cut

Larry Warford says his goodbyes to the Saints

New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford said goodbye to his teammates and fans after being released on Friday afternoon.

[jwplayer AihxPLHO-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints released right guard Larry Warford on Friday, parting ways with the three-time Pro Bowler to open a spot in the starting lineup for first-round draft pick Cesar Ruiz — though it’ll take a training camp competition to determine whether Ruiz or Erik McCoy (who played center last year) will directly replace the veteran.

Warford’s release also clears the Saints of about $7.75 million in spending room beneath the 2020 salary cap and opens a spot on the 90-man roster. The Saints will likely look to add another veteran player to fill that vacancy, so stay tuned for a follow-up move.

It’s a disappointing end to Warford’s tenure with the Saints. He reached the Pro Bowl in each of his three years in New Orleans after coming over from the Detroit Lions as a free agent contract. But poor performance last season and a bloated contract spelled the end of his Saints career after the team drafted Ruiz.

Warford took time to thank Saints fans for their support in a post from his official Twitter account:

[vertical-gallery id=33239]

Saints cut three-time Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford

The New Orleans Saints released starting right guard Larry Warford, who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three years with the team.

 

The writing was on the wall after the 2020 NFL Draft, but now it’s apparent that Larry Warford will not be in the team’s plans for 2020. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported that the New Orleans Saints cut their starting right guard, which was confirmed by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. The team itself later made the move official.

Warford was nominated to the Pro Bowl As an alternate in each of his first three years in New Orleans, but inconsistent play and poor conditioning in 2019 saw him end up on the chopping block. It’s disappointing that the team failed to find a trade partner for him during or after this year’s draft, but that likely speaks to his perceived value around the league.

This opens the door for either first-round pick Cesar Ruiz or last year’s standout rookie Erik McCoy to start in Warford’s place. Both players have started at guard at the college level, though they’ve played the majority of snaps at center. It’ll be interesting to see who lines up where this season, but at least the Saints will get the opportunity to field each of their highly-drafted players.

Cutting Warford also opens up a vacancy on the 90-man roster and frees up $7.75 million in salary cap space. Expect additional moves to follow.

[vertical-gallery id=33239]

ESPN pegs RB Adrian Peterson as most likely Redskin to be cut in 2020

In a detailed piece that laid out the 32 players most likely to get cut or traded in the NFL, ESPN nominated Adrian Peterson for Washington.

It’s a harsh world in the NFL. The Washington Redskins may have stated as such during the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft over the weekend.

With the selection of Memphis RB Antonio Gibson with the No. 66 pick, Washington added yet another running back to their stable, giving them six players in total on the depth chart. Gibson, however, brings a new set of skills that nobody else on the roster has — he can be a shifty runner who is highly-capable of catching passes out of the backfield and even lining up out wide at points.

So as we start to get into the offseason and eventually training camp, predictions on the final 53-man cut will be made, and the running back room gets dicey. Gibson is arguably the only clear-cut RB who is guaranteed a spot on the roster, while Guice should have a spot as well, should he stay healthy. But what about the others, and more notably, what about Adrian Peterson? In a piece that outlined a single player from each team who is most likely to be cut heading into the 2020 season, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell nominated AP as tribute. 

Washington’s backfield is a crowded mess, with Peterson joined by Derrius Guice, Bryce Love, Peyton Barber, and third-round pick Antonio Gibson. The rookie is the only lock to make the active roster, but I don’t really see any reason for a rebuilding Washington team to stick with the 35-year-old Peterson.

Ownership seemed to keep Peterson on the roster last season, and he came in handy after Guice went down with an injury in Week 1, but new coach Ron Rivera should have enough personnel power to make tough decisions. Peterson could earn a reprieve if one of the backs ahead of him gets hurt, but the Barber signing seemed to point to Peterson’s eventual release.

The biggest argument for keeping AP around is loyalty, which doesn’t get you much in the NFL anymore. Peterson is a well-respected veteran who has been one of the better locker room guys over the past two years in Washington. He also has acted as the biggest safety net that the Redskins could ask for, stepping in and shouldering the load for an injured Derrius Guice in both of the last two seasons. During both of his stretches as the RB1 in Washington, AP proved that he still has what it takes, too, racking up 1,042 yards in 2018, and 898 yards in 2019. They may not think that they have a need for him now, but should anything go awry, it’s always nice to be able to lean on a time-tested veteran.

The harsh truth is that AP may, in fact, be on the way out in Washington, as he continues to age, and his contract is easily moveable. However, if you gave fans a vote, this would be one player who is absolutely untouchable, and I hope Ron Rivera knows that.

[vertical-gallery id=34998]

Seahawks confirm release of center Justin Britt, guard D.J. Fluker

The Seahawks have officially confirmed the team has released starting center Justin Britt and right guard D.J. Fluker, both cap casualties.

The Seattle Seahawks have officially confirmed the release of two veteran, starting offensive linemen – center Justin Britt and guard D.J. Fluker. News broke Sunday afternoon that both had been cut, with each player sharing his goodbye on social media.

Britt spent six seasons in Seattle after he was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. After a couple of years at tackle and guard, Britt found his place at center in 2016 where he remained the starter.

Only quarterback Russell Wilson was a longer-tenured member of Seattle’s offense and the Seahawks quarterback penned his own goodbye to his center via his Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_dyMa-luiJ/?utm_source=ig_embed

“Thanks for all the focus and hard work and love you brought to the game,” Wilson posted. “You laid it on the line for many years together and I will be forever grateful for your work ethic, passion, and love for the game, but most importantly others.”

Fluker, another cap casualty this season, spent two years in Seattle as the starting right guard. He will likely be replaced by Damien Lewis, who the Seahawks selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

[lawrence-related id=60326]

Report: Seattle Seahawks release starting center Justin Britt

The Seattle Seahawks have released starting center Justin Britt, the second of two offensive linemen cut on Sunday, according to reports.

The 2020 NFL Draft was the first glimpse of a sporting event American fans had seen since the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping the nation. But with all the new players added to the roster, cap casualties around the league began to emerge.

Sunday afternoon Seahawks guard D.J. Fluker penned a classy goodbye to Seattle fans, indicating that he had been released by the team. Seattle added right guard Damien Lewis to the squad via the draft to join the numerous offensive linemen added to the roster via free agency.

The next domino to fall was Seattle’s starting center, Justin Britt. While the Athletic’s Aaron Fentress was the first to tweet the news, the move was confirmed by numerous reporters citing sources close to the Seahawks.

Britt himself posted a simple “Thank you” via his Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

Thank You.

A post shared by Justin Britt (@justinbritt68) on

Britt had been a likely cut candidate all offseason, saving the Seahawks roughly $8.5 million against the salary cap.

A six-year starter in Seattle, Britt appeared in only eight games last season after suffering an ACL injury midway through the year.

With Britt and Fluker no longer on the squad, the offensive line will be one of the position battles to watch closely when things finally open up and the new players can take the field.

[lawrence-related id=60265]

Broncos are running out of roster spots

The Broncos will likely make some moves during and after the draft to create more roster space.

Broncos general manager John Elway has had a busy offseason.

Elway’s list of new additions includes offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, running back Melvin Gordon, cornerback A.J. Bouye, defensive lineman Jurrell Casey and punter Sam Martin.

After making a few splashes in free agency, Denver now has 79 players under contract for the 2020 season. NFL teams are allowed to carry 90 players during the offseason so the Broncos have 11 open roster spots.

Denver will have 10 picks to use in the NFL draft (April 23-25) — if Elway uses all of those picks, the Broncos would be left with just one open spot on the roster. Elway will want to add some undrafted free agents so fans in Denver should expect several moves during the weekend of the draft.

The Broncos might make several trades during the draft, trading away draft picks to move up for prospects they covet. Denver could also include several players in trades (perhaps Jeff Heuerman or Royce Freeman) and the team might also release a few bottom-of-the-roster players after the draft to make room for UDFAs.

With few roster spots available, expect the Broncos to make some moves.

[vertical-gallery id=636596]

6 possible landing spots for Todd Gurley

Todd Gurley was cut by the Rams, and the Bears, Broncos, Bills, Bucs and some other teams should be interested.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Todd Gurley was cut by the Los Angeles Rams after only two seasons after signing a four-year $60 million extension. He’s at least taking it in stride.

Now Gurley is free to sign with whatever team he would like. The problem for teams looking to land the former All-Pro running back is that he simply hasn’t shown the burst that used to make him such an amazing player. His knee isn’t going to get any better and he will have to be on a proverbial pitch count. Basically, win-now teams will be interested in Gurley, and he won’t get a long-term deal.

Still, some teams should be interested in bringing Gurley in. He’s a three-down running back who is talented as a pass catcher and when healthy is one of the best backs in the league. Let’s take a guess at what team’s will be in the market.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Panthers cut DB Rashaan Gaulden after Saints loss

The Carolina Panthers released DB Rashaan Gaulden, their third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, after his role in a New Orleans Saints loss

[jwplayer jcPYpmHE]

The Carolina Panthers released defensive back Rashaan Gaulden, their third-round pick in the 2018 draft. The Panthers announced his release on Monday; it followed a rough day against the New Orleans Saints in which Gaulden ran into teammate D.J. Moore on a punt return, disrupting the catch and giving the ball back to New Orleans. He later started a brief fight after a kickoff return by shoving Saints safety Justin Hardee to the ground after the whistle.

These mistakes were the latest in a series of problems Gaulden has had this year, per a report from The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. Gaulden at one point walked out of practice and did not travel with the team to a road game against the Arizona Cardinals. At the end of the day, his growing list of unforced errors and lacking discipline became too much for Panthers coach Ron Rivera to put up with.

It’s not the first time a bad outing against the Saints made an opposing team show a defensive back the door. The Houston Texans released cornerback Aaron Colvin after Saints quarterback Drew Brees victimized him in an end-of-game sequence to set up a last-second Wil Lutz field goal (sound familiar?). It’s just further proof that opponents need to be on top of their game when facing New Orleans, because the Saints won’t hesitate to take advantage of players who can’t keep a cool head.

[vertical-gallery id=23127]

Bucs cut former first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves before Saints game

WR Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without top CB Vernon Hargreaves, who was released Tuesday.

[jwplayer sXmBDaQ3]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a big move at cornerback, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter reported that Tampa Bay cut starting cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, their former first-round pick in 2016 out of Florida. Hargreaves had played the third-most defensive snaps of all Buccaneers this season (582), including 46 snaps last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Hargreaves will now go on waivers.

Their pass defense was ranked worst in the league, so some change was inevitable. It’s just strange to outright cut someone who led his position in playing-time at this point in the season, even if Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians benched Hargreaves late in the game for a perceived lack of hustle.

Hargreaves’ release might look as if it’s coming at a strange time, but it makes some sense; at a distant third-place in the NFC South with a 3-6 record, the Buccaneers are shifting their focus towards self-evaluating and figuring out which players will still be here next year. Cutting a former top draft pick sends a clear message that no one is safe, and lacking effort won’t be tolerated.

So what does this mean for the New Orleans Saints? They’re inbound for Tampa Bay, bringing a receiving corps that’s pretty much been a one-man show. Michael Thomas has caught 86 passes this year, while the other wide receivers (Ted Ginn Jr. Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, and Austin Carr) have combined for 30 receptions. New Orleans has had to get creative in its use of pass-catching tight ends, running backs, fullbacks, and quarterback Taysom Hill to try and pick up the slack.

Sunday should be another big game for Thomas. He dropped a season-high 182 receiving yards on Tampa Bay in their last meeting inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, outmuscling every defensive back they tried to assign to him. And he did that with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Without Hargreaves on the field and with Drew Brees throwing to him, there’s no reason Thomas should slow down any time soon.

[vertical-gallery id=22101]