Patriots sign WR Donte Moncrief, DT Ryan Glasgow to practice squad

Could Moncrief make an impact?

For the second straight day, the New England Patriots have added a receiver and a defensive tackle. The Patriots signed wideout Donte Moncrief and defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow to the practice squad on Wednesday.

New England also traded for receiver Isaiah Ford and signed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack off waivers on Tuesday. It seems to be a signal that they’re attempting to address their biggest weaknesses so far this year, with the passing offense and the rushing defense looking unimpressive.

Moncrief was a Colts’ 2014 third-round pick. He has played for five teams before joining New England, and he has 204 career catches, 2,561 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns. His best season came in 2015 when he had 64 catches, 733 yards and six touchdowns.

Glasgow was a 2017 fourth-round pick, who landed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has 41 career tackles, four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits in 24 games played. He spent some time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad this year, but they cut him on Sept. 28.

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Jets sign LB Alec Ogletree, WR Jaleel Scott to practice squad

The Jets signed Alec Ogletree and Jaleel Scott to their practice squad.

The New York Jets have a full 16-man practice squad after their latest roster moves.

The Jets announced that they have signed LB Alec Ogletree and WR Jaleel Scott to the practice squad. They also placed WR Donte Moncrief on practice squad injured reserve. The Jets still have one roster spot left on their 53-man active roster.

Ogletree has some familiarity with Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The two spent three seasons together with the Rams with Williams as the defensive coordinator and Ogletree as a starting linebacker. After spending five seasons with the Rams, Ogletree was traded to the Giants, where he stayed for two years. A former first-round pick, Ogletree is a player the Jets could plug in as a starting linebacker in case of injuries down the road.

As for Scott, he was drafted in the fourth round out of New Mexico State by the Ravens in 2018. Scott missed all of the 2018 season due to injury. He returned in 2019 only to make one catch for six yards in three games. The Ravens cut Scott on Saturday.

7 notable cuts from the AFC East

Cut-down day is the toughest day of the year for many coaches. This year was especially challenging, as teams had to make final decisions about their roster without the benefit of preseason games.

Teams reduced their rosters to 53 players Saturday. The AFC East saw several players dropped from rosters who were thought to be contributors in the regular season.

Here are seven notable cuts from the AFC East:

New England Patriots

Texans running back Lamar Miller. Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

RB Lamar Miller

Miller missed the 2019 season with an ACL injury. He signed with the Patriots on August 14. Miller was expected to provide depth for the Patriots, as starter Sony Michel is returning from foot surgery.

K Justin Rohrwasser

New England drafted Rohrwasser in the fifth round of last April’s draft. After making news off the field with a controversial tattoo, the rookie could not do enough to make the roster. It seems as if the Patriots wasted a draft pick this year. The Bills selected their starting kicker, Tyler Bass, 30 picks after Rohrwasser.

K Nick Folk

Not only did the Pats cut Rohrwasser, they currently don’t have a kicker at all. Their veteran in Folk was released on Saturday as well.

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9 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

Storylines that Buffalo Bills fans will want to know from the last week on the AFC East.

You’re probably all on top of the latest news surrounding the Buffalo Bills and we hope Bills Wire helped you get there. But let us keep you up to date with the Bills news, just outside the Bills’ realm.

The upcoming 2020 NFL season has many thinking the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East. But Buffalo isn’t just going to stroll into that title. The Dolphins, Jets, and of course the Patriots, will all have something to say about that.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are nine news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

Miami Dolphins

Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Xavien Howard returns

Bad news for the rest of the AFC East… one of the division’s best cornerbacks is finally back in the fold for the Dolphins. Xavien Howard was activated by Miami and he joined his teammates at practice late last week. But here’s the curve ball: He was on two different designations. The Dolphins removed him from both the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and the COVID-19/reserve list.

Howard was one of just three NFL players to be on the COVID-19 reserve list at the time of his activation, he spent more than two weeks designated as a COVID-19 reserve. There is no confirmation of whether or not Howard did test positive for the virus. But we do know he suffered from lingering knee issues, which had him on the PUP list. Dolphins Wire writes that Miami has to “tread carefully” with Howard’s knees. He’s got to get back into playing shape and not re-injure himself.

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Jets release kicker Brett Maher, leaving them with Sam Ficken

With Brett Maher’s release, Sam Ficken has won the Jets’ kicking competition.

The Jets’ kicking competition has come to an apparent close.

Brett Maher was released on Monday with the Donte Moncrief signing becoming official. That means Sam Ficken has won the kicking competition and will be the Jets’ place kicker in 2020.

Ficken was the Jets’ kicker for all but one game in 2019. He was 19-27 on field goal attempts last season. Ficken was strong from 20-39 yards out, only missing one field goal on 10 attempts. However, beyond 40 yards is where Ficken struggled.

Ficken was 7-11 on field goals between 40-49 yards and 3-6 on field goals from 50+ yards out. His longest make last season came from 54 yards out. On extra points, Ficken was 23-26.

Ficken has bounced around the league since going undrafted out of Penn State in 2016. He spent time with Jaguars and Chiefs in 2016 and 2017 before joining the Rams from 2017-2018. In Los Angeles, he was 3-6 on field goals.

Ficken then moved on to the Seahawks and Packers in 2019 before joining the Jets after they released Kaare Vedvik following their Week 1 game.

As for Maher, he kicked in Dallas in 2018 and 2019. He was 49-66 on field goals before ultimately getting released.

4 things to know about new Jets WR Donte Moncrief

Here are four things to know about new Jets wide receiver Donte Moncrief.

Injuries are piling up at wide receiver for the Jets, leading them to bolster their depth at the position by signing Donte Moncrief.

Moncrief has bounced around the league after spending his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He spent 2018 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and split 2019 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers before landing in New York. He has yet to take the practice field for the Jets, but has an opportunity to earn playing time given the current state of the wide receiver room.

With that being said let’s get to know the Jets’ latest free agent signing.

Former Jet Killer

Going up against the Jets has always brought out the best in Moncrief.

In three games against New York, Moncrief has racked up 16 receptions for 257 yards and three touchdowns, including a five-catch 109-yard performance in 2018 in which he torched Trumaine Johnson for a long touchdown reception.

The Jets are hoping that Moncrief can put up those types of numbers playing for them. If he can replicate his latest performance against New York on a weekly basis, Sam Darnold will have a dangerous weapon to work with.

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Report: Jets to sign veteran WR Donte Moncrief

The Jets will sign veteran free agent WR Donte Moncrief as the team’s injuries at wide receiver start to pile up.

The Jets are making another move to add some depth to their wide receiver room.

New York is planning to sign veteran wideout Donte Moncrief once he passes through the team’s COVID-19 protocols, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

A former starter in Indianapolis, Moncrief has since bounced around with detours in Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Carolina. The 27-year-old will provide some much-needed depth for Gang Green, as the team has just seven healthy wide receivers at the moment. Both Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman are still nursing injuries, while Lawrence Cager recently went down with a knee injury. Jeff Smith was also added to the injury report Saturday.

Jets fans may remember Moncrief for when he totaled five receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown lining up against Trumaine Johnson in 2018.

After recently working out for both the 49ers and Jets, Moncrief has found a new home in New York.

Report: Free agent WR Donte Moncrief to work out for Jets

According to reports, free-agent wide receiver Donte Moncrief will try out for the Jets later this week if he passes COVID-19 protocol.

It looks like the Jets are in the market for another wide receiver.

Less than a week after signing Chris Hogan to address its lack of depth at the position, New York will put free agent wide receiver Donte Moncrief through COVID-19 protocol with the hope of working him out, according to the Daily News’ Manish Mehta. If Moncrief passes the protocols, he will have his tryout.

Moncrief, 27, has bounced around the NFL since putting together an impressive 2018 season (48 receptions, 668 yards, three touchdowns) with the Jaguars. He signed a two-year deal with the Steelers in free agency last offseason but lasted only five games in Pittsburgh before being released in November. Moncrief caught on with the Panthers to end 2019, but did not catch a single pass in three games.

Prior to 2018, Moncrief spent four years with the Colts after they drafted him in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He totaled 152 receptions, 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns in Indianapolis, his best season coming in 2015 (64 receptions, 733 yards six touchdowns).

With Denzel Mims sidelined due to an ankle injury and Vyncint Smith sidelined 5-8 weeks after undergoing core surgery, the Jets are without two of their top four wide receivers early in training camp. In all likelihood, Smith will not be ready to go for the beginning of the regular season, while there is currently no definitive timetable for Mims’ return. Signing Hogan somewhat bolstered the Jets’ wide receiver depth chart, but New York needs more than just one veteran and a bunch of unproven free agent wideouts to fill out the group.

Jets fans might remember Moncrief as the Jaguars receiver who torched Trumaine Johnson for five catches, 109 yards and a touchdown just two years ago. If all goes well in his tryout, he could be burning opposing corners while donning green and white in 2020.

Report: 49ers to work out trio of WRs and QB

Tavon Austin, JJ Nelson, Donte Moncrief and Luke Falk are all set to work out for the 49ers.

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The 49ers’ question marks at wide receiver have only gotten bigger thanks to a pair of offseason injuries and an opt-out. Deebo Samuel suffered a Jones fracture in his left foot that’s expected to sideline him for all of training camp. Richie James Jr. broke his hand and isn’t expected back until later in camp, and Travis Benjamin opted out. In response to those new developments, San Francisco will work out a trio of wide receivers and a quarterback on Friday according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. WRs Tavon Austin, Donte Moncrief and JJ Nelson, along with quarterback Luke Falk, will all participate in the workout.

Austin was a No. 8 overall pick by the Rams in the 2013 NFL draft. He has 215 receptions, 2,006 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in five years with the Rams and two with the Cowboys. He also has 196 carries for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Austin has also served as a punt returner in all seven of his NFL seasons.

Moncrief was a third-round selection of the Colts in the 2014 draft. He spent four seasons there before playing in Jacksonville for a season and splitting his 2019 campaign between Carolina and Pittsburgh. Moncrief had an impressive first five years when he averaged 40 catches, 509 yards and four touchdowns per season. Last year he put together a disappointing campaign in which he caught four balls for 18 yards in eight games.

The Cardinals selected Nelson in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. He played four years in Arizona before spending last season in Oakland. Nelson has 1,475 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 85 receptions across 58 games.

Falk’s inclusion in the workout could mean San Francisco is aiming to add another quarterback for training camp, although that’s difficult to imagine given that snaps are already limited and the 49ers have three quarterbacks on the roster. The Titans took Falk in the sixth round in 2018 out of Washington State. He lost both of his starts for the Jets last year and tossed three interceptions with no touchdowns.

While all three receivers are vertical threats with good speed, Austin is probably the most intriguing option for the 49ers because of his ability to return punts. Nelson has four punt returns in his career and Moncrief doesn’t have any. With James sidelined, it stands to reason San Francisco would add a player who can contend for a roster spot as a receiver while also providing special teams value.

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Panthers waive WR Donte Moncrief, promote Greg Dortch from practice squad

Donte Moncrief, we hardly knew ye.

Donte Moncrief, we hardly knew ye. The Panthers have released the wide receiver only a few weeks after claiming him off waivers from the Steelers. Moncrief appeared in three games for Carolina, playing just 25 total snaps on offense. He saw zero targets and did not record a stat.

The move was made to make room for return specialist Greg Dortch, who has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.

Dortch is listed as a wide receiver as well, but if he sees the field it will be on special teams. This is his second run on the roster this year. He previously played against the Titans and looked strong as a returner.

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