Tag: release

May 23, 2022; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ronald Darby (23) during OTA workouts at the UC Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Broncos release Graham Glasgow, Ronald Darby, Chase Edmonds

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Denver Broncos made a series of cap-saving moves Friday by releasing offensive lineman Graham Glasgow, cornerback Ronald Darby and running back Chase Edmonds, several outlets reported.

The release of Glasgow saves Denver $11 million, Darby saves the franchise $9.6 million and Edmonds saves it $5.9 million, according to reports.

Glasgow, 30, was entering the final year of a four-year, $44 million contract. He has played guard and center during his seven-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions (2016-19) and Broncos (2020-22). He appeared in all 17 games for Denver last season, starting 13.

Darby, 29, was a starting cornerback for the Broncos before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 5. In two seasons with the Broncos, Darby had 67 tackles, a forced fumble and no interceptions across 16 games (all starts). He previously played for the Buffalo Bills (2015-16), Philadelphia Eagles (2017-19) and Washington (2020).

The Broncos acquired Edmonds, 26, from the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 1 in the trade that sent outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to Miami. Edmonds then suffered a high ankle sprain during Week 11 and returned in late December.

Edmonds only made five appearances and one start for the Broncos, taking 26 carries for 125 yards and catching six passes for 61 yards without a touchdown. In 70 career games (18 starts) with the Arizona Cardinals (2018-21), Miami and Denver, Edmonds has 401 rushing attempts for 1,796 yards and 11 touchdowns along with 144 receptions for 1,078 yards and six scores.

–Field Level Media

Feb 3, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donovan Smith during NFL football practice, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Zedaker/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Buccaneers to release veteran T Donovan Smith

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will release veteran left tackle Donovan Smith, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The team selected Smith with a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he’s started all 124 games he’s played in. He missed four games to injury in 2022 — eight games in all in his eight seasons in Tampa.

By releasing Smith, the Buccaneers will save nearly $10 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.

The Buccaneers are $58.3 million over the salary cup, per OvertheCap.com.

Smith, 29, was entering the final season of a two-year, $31 million contract extension he signed in March 2021.

The Buccaneers also reportedly will release running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate when the new league year begins March 15.

–Field Level Media

Jul 29, 2022; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Cameron Batson (80) runs against defensive back Mike Ford (28) during training camp at IBM Performance Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons cut WR Cameron Batson after arrest

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The Atlanta Falcons released practice squad receiver Cameron Batson on Monday following his weekend arrest on five charges.

Batson, 27, was booked Saturday morning on charges of assault, battery, aggravated assault against an on-duty law enforcement officer, removal of weapon from a public official and driving/fleeing to elude capture, according to Fulton County jail records.

Atlanta police pulled Batson over on Interstate 75 at about 2 a.m. Saturday for allegedly speeding and failing to maintain his lane. Police attempted to take him into custody after determining he was inebriated and he “resisted and violently fought with the officer,” police said.

The officer fired his weapon during the altercation, hitting no one, before Batson returned to his truck and left the scene. Police say he crashed the vehicle a short time later and attempted to flee on foot before being arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2018, Batson spent four years with the Tennessee Titans (2018-21) and caught 22 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns in 27 games.

He was on Atlanta’s practice squad all season but was never activated for a regular season game.

–Field Level Media

Las Vegas Raiders safety Johnathan Abram (24) warms up before facing the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. Nfl Las Vegas Raiders At Tennessee Titans

Report: Raiders release former starter Johnathan Abram

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The Las Vegas Raiders released safety Johnathan Abram, relegating the former starter to the waiver wire, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

NFL Network said the team tried to trade Abram but couldn’t complete a deal before the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

Abram, 26, started the first six games of the season but lost his starting job, coming off the bench the past two games. On the season, he has 48 tackles and one pass defensed.

In 36 career games with the Raiders (34 starts), Abram has 255 tackles, 12 passes defensed and three interceptions.

The Raiders selected Abram, who played at Mississippi State, with the No. 27 overall pick in 2019. He was one of three first-round selections that year, after defensive end Clelin Ferrell (fourth overall) and running back Josh Jacobs (24th). The team also had declined Abram’s option.

At the conclusion of this season, the Raiders will have nothing to show for six first-round selections from the three drafts beginning in 2019.

Las Vegas declined the fifth-year options of both Jacobs and Ferrell. Their two first-rounders in 2020, Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette, were released amid off-field issues, and 2021 pick Alex Leatherwood also was cut for lack of production.

–Field Level Media

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) gestures downfield in the second quarter during Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-20. Nfl Super Bowl 56 Los Angeles Rams Vs Cincinnati Bengals Feb 13 2022 1393

Bills-Rams season opener among highlights of 2022 NFL schedule

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The defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams will open the 2022 NFL season at home against a leading contender in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills.

That was one of many missing pieces finalized Thursday when the NFL revealed the complete 272-game regular-season schedule. For the second straight season, the slate covers 18 weeks.

Teams have known the 17 opponents they will face since the end of the 2021 season, but the schedule reveal, complete with bye weeks and primetime broadcast assignments, has become a made-for-TV offseason event for the league.

The league announced a series of select games in the week-plus leading up to Thursday, including five international games to be played across London, Munich and Mexico City, and the Rams’ game against the Denver Broncos as part of the first-ever Christmas Day tripleheader.

Among other Week 1 fixtures, the unretired Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hit the road to play the Dallas Cowboys for the first “Sunday Night Football” game of the year, and the Broncos will visit the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football,” making quarterback Russell Wilson’s first game with the Broncos coincide with his return to Seattle after 10 seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Bills in Week 8 in a rematch of the 2020 AFC Championship Game and a 2021 AFC Divisional Round playoff game, both of which were high-scoring instant classics. The Chiefs won both meetings, the latter in overtime.

The Chiefs will also get another swipe at the Buccaneers when they play at Tampa Bay in Week 4 on “Sunday Night Football” in a rematch of Super Bowl LV, in which Brady’s Bucs defeated Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs.

The rest of the Christmas tripleheader will contain the Green Bay Packers at the Miami Dolphins and the Buccaneers at the Arizona Cardinals. Broncos-Rams will be the second game of the three.

The full Week 1 schedule is below (all times ET):

Sept. 8
Buffalo at L.A. Rams, 8:20 p.m.

Sept. 11
New Orleans at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Carolina, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Philadelphia at Detroit, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Houston, 1 p.m.
New England at Miami, 1 p.m.
Baltimore at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Washington, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Tennessee, 4:25 p.m.
Kansas City at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.
Las Vegas at L.A. Chargers, 4:25 p.m.
Green Bay at Minnesota, 4:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Dallas, 8:20 p.m.

Sept. 12
Denver at Seattle, 8:15 p.m.

–Field Level Media

Jan 3, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Jarvis Landry (80) gains six yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Browns release WR Jarvis Landry

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The Cleveland Browns released wide receiver Jarvis Landry on Monday, per multiple reports.

The move comes after ESPN reported Saturday the Browns are set to acquire wideout Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth- and sixth-round selection. That trade cannot become official until Wednesday, the start of the NFL league year.

Landry was entering the final season of a five-year, $75.5 million contract extension signed in April 2018. Per Spotrac, the Browns will free $14.8 million in salary cap with his release.

Last month, Landry said he’d like to stay with the Browns. But reports emerged Sunday that the team had given Landry permission to seek a trade.

Landry, 29, wasn’t at full strength in 2021.

He said he suffered a “high-grade MCL Sprain” in Week 2 as well as a partial quad tear and bone bruise. He started 12 games and finished with career lows in receptions (52), receiving yards (570) and touchdown catches (two) in 2021, his fourth season with the Browns following four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection has 688 catches for 7,598 yards and 37 TDs in 123 games (113 starts) since Miami drafted him in the second round in 2014 out of LSU.

Landry said he didn’t talk to the media during Cleveland’s 8-9 campaign because he was “focused on getting on the field as healthy as possible during the week and after games.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 17, 2021; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Le'Veon Bell (17) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

RB Le’Veon Bell says Ravens releasing him

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The Baltimore Ravens are releasing running back Le’Veon Bell, the former All-Pro announced on social media Tuesday.

The Ravens, who saw their top three running backs go down to injury before the season started, signed Bell as a free agent in October.

He wrote: “this hurts, but it’s been a blessing to be here to say the least, i’ve enjoyed every second of this short period & gotta whole new meaning of what this city is like & it’s a great place to be.” He added that he appreciated head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta giving him the opportunity.

Bell was sparingly used by the Ravens, who also signed free agents Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray after injuries to J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards before Week 1.

The 29-year-old Bell appeared in five games for Baltimore. He carried the ball 31 times for 83 yards (2.7 yards per carry) and scored two touchdowns.

Freeman (223 yards) and Murray (212 yards) have emerged as the top running backs, but the ground game in Baltimore still runs through quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has gained 639 rushing yards and scored two TDs this season.

Bell was a two-time All-Pro with the Steelers before forcing his way out of Pittsburgh by sitting out the entire 2018 season. He ultimately signed with the Jets in 2019 but lasted just 1 1/2 seasons in New York before he was cut in October 2020.

The Kansas City Chiefs added him to their roster in 2020, and he played in nine games, gaining 254 yards.

–Field Level Media

Jan 3, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) looks up during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Texans agree to release DE J.J. Watt

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The Houston Texans are parting with All-Pro defensive end J.J. after he asked for his release.

The team announced the decision on Friday after Watt posted a video on social media.

“I have sat down with the McNair family and I have asked them for my release and we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time,” Watt said. “I came here 10 years ago as a kid from Wisconsin who’d never really been to Texas before. And now I can’t imagine my life without Texas in it. The way that you guys have treated me, besides draft night. I mean, you guys booed me on draft night. But every day after that, you treated me like family. And I truly feel like you’re my family.

“…I’m excited and looking forward to a new opportunity, and I’ve been working extremely hard. But at the same time, it is always tough to move on. And I just want you guys to know that I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate the McNair family for drafting me and giving me my first opportunity in the NFL.”

He can sign as a free agent with another team when the new league season begins next month.

Watt will leave a legacy in Houston. In 10 seasons with the franchise, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, was a first-team All Pro five times and won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2017 after raising more than $37 million for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

He is the team’s all-time leader in sacks with 101, tackles for loss (172), quarterback hits (282) and forced fumbles (25). He has 531 career tackles, 61 passes defensed and 16 fumble recoveries since the Texans made him the No. 11 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.

“Change is never easy, especially when it involves the ones you love. J.J.’s impact on not only our organization, but the entire Houston community, is unlike any player in our franchise’s history,” Texans CEO Cal McNair said in a team-released statement. “I told J.J. earlier this week that we will forever consider him a Texan.”

Watt played in 128 games with the Texans, despite losing chunks of three seasons to injuries. He played in just three games in 2016, five in 2017 and eight in 2019.

While Watt, who turns 32 next month, has been synonymous with Houston, the departure from the franchise was expected. He said in November he didn’t want to be part of a rebuilding effort, and the Texans face numerous questions leading into the 2021 season.

Among those questions is the future of franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has asked to be traded.

Watt was entering the final year of a six-year, $100 million contract extension he signed in 2014 and was due to earn $17.5 million.

–Field Level Media

Sep 13, 2020; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell (26) walks off the field following the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Injury guarantee helped spur Jets’ release of Bell

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A hefty injury guarantee for 2021 helped to spur the New York Jets to release running back Le’Veon Bell, ESPN reported Sunday.

Bell’s contract carried an $8 million guarantee for 2021, adding to the buyer’s remorse the team had over signing him to a four-year, $52.5 million deal as a free agent in March 2019.

Rather than take the risk, the Jets decided to release him. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Bell to a one-year deal on Thursday.

Bell, 28, was a two-time All-Pro while spending 2013-17 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, for whom he had three 1,200-plus-yard rushing seasons. He sat out the 2018 season in a salary dispute.

Bell wound up playing 17 games and amassing just 863 rushing yards and four total touchdowns for the Jets, who paid him $28 million.

In two games for New York this season, Bell gained 74 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 39 yards.

–Field Level Media

May 20, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Cody Latimer (12) makes a catch during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostic Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Washington releases WR Latimer

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The Washington Football Team cut wide receiver Cody Latimer on Sunday without him ever playing a down for the team.

The NFL placed Latimer on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on July 27, following an incident in May in which gunshots were fired in an apartment in Colorado. Latimer, 27, received felony charges of assault in the second degree, menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm, as well as two misdemeanors — prohibited use of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

His release follows that of Derrius Guice on Aug. 10 after the running back was charged in Virginia with one felony count of strangulation, three counts of assault and battery, and one count of destruction of property. The Washington Post, citing charging papers in the case, reported that Guice, 23, was accused of strangling his girlfriend to the point of unconsciousness.

Washington signed Latimer to a one-year, $1.05 million free-agent deal in March, with $137,500 of it guaranteed.

Latimer played collegiately at Indiana. The Broncos selected him the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he spent four seasons in Denver, followed by two with the New York Giants.

In 66 career games (15 starts), he has 70 catches for 935 yards with six touchdowns.

–Field Level Media