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Panthers cutting former Saints safety Vonn Bell

The new Panthers GM is cutting many of his predecessor’s free agent signings, including former Saints safety Vonn Bell. Would a reunion make sense?

The Carolina Panthers are releasing veteran safety Vonn Bell, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who they just signed a year ago. Depending on whether or not the Panthers are designating Bell a post-June 1 cut, they’ll be paying $7.9 million to $9.8 million in dead money while Bell is playing elsewhere.

Could he return to the New Orleans Saints? Bell, who turned 29 in December, has developed into a well-rounded safety with better ball skills than he showed in his four years with the Saints. After intercepting just one pass (and breaking up 14 others) in his first 61 games, all in New Orleans, Bell has picked off opposing quarterbacks 6 times with 23 pass deflections in his last 61 games, all starts for the Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals.

Bell clearly knows the system Dennis Allen is running very well. He just had the misfortune of being stuck in Carolina during the middle of a regime change with new general manager Dan Morgan torching many of the contracts his predecessor handed out, including Bell’s. The Saints have to be looking for a replacement at free safety after deciding to release Marcus Maye, or at least competition for second-year pro Jordan Howden. Bell would fit the bill.

So this is something to watch in the days ahead. Bell is several years younger than Malcolm Jenkins was when he reunited with the Saints after a successful run on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he may still have something left in the tank. We’ll see if any interest materializes.

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Marcus Maye listed as a Saints salary cap cuts candidate

Marcus Maye was listed as a New Orleans Saints salary cap cuts candidate by Pro Football Focus:

The New Orleans Saints free agency decisions are coming up, which means bringing new players and letting go of some others. Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger recently released a list of potential cut candidates as teams consider how to save some money. For the Saints, Spielberger listed veteran safety Marcus Maye. If cut after June 1, he would carry around $2.4 million in dead money and bring $7.2 million in cap savings.

Here is what PFF had to say about Maye and why they believe he could be a cap casualty:

The Saints will have to restructure virtually every big contract on their roster, as is tradition, but Maye offers legitimate savings as a post-June 1 release. Fifth-round rookie Jordan Howden flashed some promise down the stretch after Maye was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

Maye makes a lot of sense as a potential cut for the New Orleans Saints, with Spielberger making good points in his blurb. The emergence of Howden, a 2023 draft pick, makes this decision a lot easier. The rookie provided a comparable level of play as Maye did before his injury, for much cheaper.

Giving Howden more room to grow in that bigger role and saving money on a player that has been in and out of the lineup almost seems like a no-brainer move, but Maye’s experience on the back end might be enough to save his job. At the same time he’s missed a full 17-game season’s worth of games to injuries and a suspension since signing with New Orleans, so the team must make a decision soon.

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Saints announce 5 roster moves before Week 14 matchup vs. Panthers

The New Orleans Saints announced five roster moves before their Week 14 matchup with the Carolina Panthers:

The New Orleans Saints announced five roster moves before their Week 14 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, losing two key defenders to injured reserve while parting ways with a veteran on the practice squad — and signing a couple of young defensive players to reinforce the 53-man roster. Here’s what you need to know about each move:

Broncos making roster moves ahead of Packers game

The Broncos made two roster moves earlier this week and two more moves could be on deck.

The Denver Broncos will have made several changes to the 53-man roster by the time Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers arrives.

The Broncos already made two roster moves earlier this week when wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and fellow receiver Michael Bandy was re-signed to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Bandy was cut from the practice squad last week to make room for Humphrey, who was cut from the active roster to make room for tight end Greg Dulcich to come off injured reserve.

After the team cut pass rusher Frank Clark, Humphrey is now back on the active roster and Bandy is back on the practice squad. Looking ahead, the Broncos likely have two more roster moves on deck ahead of Sunday’s game against the Packers.

Denver is expected to elevate pass rusher Baron Browning (knee) from the reserve/physically unable to perform list to the 53-man roster. To do so, the Broncos will need to create a spot on the roster for Browning.

One potential way Denver could open up a spot would be to place Dulcich back on injured reserve after he suffered another hamstring injury in Week 6. Dulcich going on IR and Browning returning to the active roster are two potential moves to watch for this weekend.

Two other players to keep an eye on are running back Hassan Hall and tight end John Samuel Shenker, who tired out for the team on Tuesday. Neither player has been signed at the time of publication, but they might be considered for the practice squad or reserve/future contracts later this season.

Broncos release WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, hope to re-sign him to practice squad

The Broncos released WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but he is a candidate to return on the practice squad.

The Denver Broncos released wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey on Wednesday, but it will be a procedural move if other NFL teams don’t get in the way.

The Broncos already created an open spot for Humphrey on their practice squad when they released wide receiver Michael Bandy on Tuesday. Now, so long as no other teams sign him, Denver can re-sign Humphrey to the practice squad with the open spot created by Bandy’s release.

The timing of Humphrey’s demotion to the practice squad likely suggests that a pass-catcher is about to return to the 53-man roster. Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) is still on injured reserve at the time of publication, but he’s listed as questionable on the injury report for Thursday’s game.

After releasing Humphrey, Denver now has an open spot on the active roster for Dulcich to officially return from IR in time for a Week 6 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs. That move could become official on Thursday.

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Broncos made several roster moves this week

The Broncos will make several moves this week: Tre’Quan Smith and Dwayne Washington are in. Randy Gregory and Essang Bassey are out.

Story update: Before the Randy Gregory release became official, the team instead traded him to the 49ers for a late-round draft pick. See our original post below.

The Denver Broncos have had a busy week of transactions.

The moves started Tuesday when the team signed wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith to the practice squad and released receiver Michael Bandy to make room for him. Denver also waived cornerback Essang Bassey on Tuesday.

After that, the Broncos promoted running back Dwayne Washington from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, then they re-signed Bandy to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Denver also plans to release outside linebacker Randy Gregory, but that move is not official at the time of publication.

Additionally, Denver designated pass rusher Baron Browning safety P.J. Locke to return to practice, opening a 21-day window for both players to return to the active roster.

More roster moves might be on the way later this week as offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (hand) and cornerback K’Waun Williams (ankle) are also eligible to return from injured reserve.

If any players are activated from IR or the PUP list to the 53-man roster, the Broncos will have to make corresponding moves to make room for them. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at the roster moves the club made between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Broncos to part ways with OLB Randy Gregory

The Broncos have decided to part ways with outside linebacker Randy Gregory.

Story update: Before the release became official, the Broncos agreed to trade Randy Gregory to the 49ers in exchange for a late-round draft pick. See our original post below.

After failing to find a trade partner, the Denver Broncos are releasing veteran outside linebacker Randy Gregory, according to multiple reports.

The release was a mutual decision, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com first reported Wednesday. After being benched in favor of Nik Bonitto against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Gregory asked for his release on Tuesday, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

The Broncos tried to trade Gregory before ultimately granting his request to be cut, according to The Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel. The 30-year-old veteran will now become a free agent.

Denver meanwhile, will move forward with Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, who combined to total 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, a strip-sack and a fumble returned for a touchdown against the Bears in Week 4.

The Broncos are also expected to have Baron Browning return to practice this week after he spent the first four weeks of the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Frank Clark seems to be on track to return to practice this week as well.

Gregory ended up being a big free agent bust for Denver — he signed a five-year, $70 million contract in 2022 — but the Broncos shouldn’t struggle to replace him this season. Gregory totaled three sacks in 10 games with Denver dating back to last season.

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Bleacher Report: Saints may regret cutting cornerback Bradley Roby

Bleacher Report says the New Orleans Saints may regret cutting veteran cornerback Bradley Roby:

Few teams made as many surprising moves at the NFL roster cuts deadline as the New Orleans Saints this week, with the black and gold trading Pro Bowl kicker Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos (for a reunion with his old coach Sean Payton) while releasing third-year punter Blake Gillikin (who is already getting tryouts with other teams as a free agent).

But Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport writes that veteran cornerback Bradley Roby, not either of those specialists, is the roster cut that could come back to haunt the Saints:

“In Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor, the Saints have a quality trio of cornerbacks. Roby’s release was as much about his cap hit as his performance—he made 10 starts last season for the Saints and allowed a passer rating against of less than 80.

Roby may be the wrong side of 30, but he’s still a quality player with a Super Bowl win on his professional resume who will generate interest on the open market.

The problem for the Saints is that while Taylor showed promise as a rookie, he’s still an unproven commodity at the NFL level. Cornerback is one of the positions where NFL teams can never have too much depth.

All it will take is one injury for Saints head coach Dennis Allen to wish that Roby was still in the Big Easy.”

Roby may have been worth keeping around even if he wasn’t starting. The Saints didn’t really need the $3.3 million in salary cap savings (they were already under the cap by more than $11 million), even if that’s a lot to pay a backup. But as Davenport absorbed, depth suddenly looks like a vulnerability at cornerback.

Lattimore (who missed 10 games last year with injuries) is anchoring one side of the field. Paulson Adebo (who missed 4 games last season with his own injury) is manning the other sideline, with Alontae Taylor (also down 4 games in his rookie year) picking up a new position in the slot. It’s worth acknowledging that Roby had to sit out 4 games with an injury, too, but now instead of having him come off the bench the Saints are left with veteran backup Isaac Yiadom and undrafted rookie Anthony Johnson as their reserves.

The good news is that Ugo Amadi is backing up Taylor in the slot, so if there is an injury at another position the Saints can move some guys around and get a veteran on the field who they have some confidence in; Amadi’s summer was as impressive as anyone in New Orleans. But they’re another injury away from thrusting someone into a starting role who isn’t ready for it. That’s closer to the reality for most NFL teams than the position of strength they enjoyed last season. Hopefully injuries aren’t a problem on the back end so this won’t be an issue.

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Broncos’ updated 53-man roster after Thursday’s roster moves

Here is a look at the Broncos’ updated 53-man roster after a flurry of roster moves on Thursday.

The Denver Broncos set an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but after six transactions on Thursday, that roster has already seen a few changes.

To view a gallery showing photos of each player on the 53-man roster, click here. To view the roster as a list of names and no photos, see below.

Number	Position	Player
3	QB	Russell Wilson
4	QB	Jarrett Stidham
33	RB	Javonte Williams
25	RB	Samaje Perine
38	RB	Jaleel McLaughlin
20	FB/TE	Michael Burton
82	TE	Adam Trautman
80	TE	Greg Dulcich
84	TE	Chris Manhertz
45	TE/FB	Nate Adkins
10	WR	Jerry Jeudy
14	WR	Courtland Sutton
83	WR	Marvin Mims
89	WR	Brandon Johnson
77	OL	Quinn Meinerz
74	OL	Ben Powers
79	OL	Lloyd Cushenberry
69	OT	Mike McGlinchey
72	OT	Garrett Bolles
73	OT	Cam Fleming
75	OL	Quinn Bailey
60	OL	Luke Wattenberg
76	OL	Alex Forsyth
99	DL	Zach Allen
98	DL	Mike Purcell
91	DL	Matt Henningsen
93	DL	D.J. Jones
92	DE	Jonathan Harris
95	DL	Elijah Garcia
5	OLB	Randy Gregory
0	OLB	Jonathon Cooper
55	OLB	Frank Clark
42	OLB	Nik Bonitto
59	OLB	Thomas Incoom
47	ILB	Josey Jewell
49	ILB	Alex Singleton
41	ILB	Drew Sanders
40	ILB	Justin Strnad
2	CB	Pat Surtain
27	CB	Damarri Mathis
36	CB	Fabian Moreau
35	CB	Ja’Quan McMillian
21	CB	Essang Bassey
37	CB	Riley Moss
23	CB	Tremon Smith
31	DB	Justin Simmons
30	DB	Caden Sterns
22	DB	Kareem Jackson
22	DB	Delarrin Turner-Yell
34	DB	JL Skinner
16	K	Wil Lutz
19	P	Riley Dixon
48	LS	Mitchell Fraboni

The Broncos are also building a 17-player practice squad. We are tracking the team’s practice squad signings on this page.

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Chiefs GM Brett Veach reveals status of QB Shane Buechele

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed the status of quarterback Shane Buechele in comments to the media on Wednesday. | from: @EdEastonJr

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs made a flurry of moves to accommodate the 53-man roster limit deadline. The parting ways with several players that helped play roles on the team over the last few seasons were brutal for fans but even tougher for the front office in charge of making the decisions.

Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, is charged with making the big personnel decisions for the franchise and was faced with the tough call not to retain backup quarterback Shane Buechele following an improved preseason performance. He spoke with reporters on Wednesday for a press conference to explain the critical decision.

“Yeah, that was a tough one,” Veach said of his decision to cut the former SMU Mustang. “We’ve gone in different directions in different years. We just try to keep some young guys, too; it’s difficult. You do try to project some guys that you can get in the practice squad and, you know, keep in six linebackers with something that is a little bit of an oddity in some regards.

“Still, when you have these young guys that are likely to be gone, you want to see that through. I think sometimes you have to make tough decisions. Obviously, Shane is a good football player. And you know, we love having him around. You know, certainly gonna miss him.”

Buechele played well in the first two preseason games but struggled with two interceptions as the starter for last Saturday’s preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns.

“It was just one of those things where at the end of the day, we always say this all the guys at the end of the day, like make our jobs easy and put it on tape, and that’s where Blaine (Gabbert) came out and won the job,” Veach continued. “It doesn’t make it any easier because I think there was a lot of trust and belief in Shane Buechele and loved him as a player but it wasn’t an easy decision. I think just from a roster management standpoint, and trying to navigate through the D-Line and (Charles) Omenihu suspension and wanting some extra corners because they’re young. They’re just sometimes rostered. As soon as Yeah, decisions you have to make. And that was what we felt was best at this time.”

Buechele finished the preseason and quite possibly his Chiefs career with 349 passing yards, three touchdowns, and as many interceptions.