NFL News

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

• The Dolphins announced (via Twitter) that they have signed running back Jonas Gray off of the practice squad. The Dolphins first added Gray to their taxi squad earlier this month and since then he has been promoted, cut outright, and re-signed to the practice squad before finally being brought back up to the 53-man roster today. Gray emerged as a potential starter for the Patriots during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts during the 2014 season, but was leapfrogged on New England’s depth chart by LeGarrette Blount and others down the stretch. In early September, several running backs in New England got ahead of him in line, leading to his release.
• The Giants cut Josh Gordy from injured reserve with an injury settlement, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
• The Bills promoted safety Jonathan Meeks to the 53-man roster, per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter).
• The Steelers released wide receiver Tyler Murphy to make room for the returning Le’Veon Bell, as Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.

The Cowboys have restructured the contract of tight end Jason Witten, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. The Cowboys were facing a salary cap crunch following the acquisition of quarterback Matt Cassel but they now have a little bit of breathing room after moving some money around with their star tight end.

Witten, earning a base salary of $5.1MM this year, was set to make $4.5MM during the final 15 weeks of the season. To create some cap space for 2015, the Cowboys turned $3.6MM of the remaining base salary into a signing bonus. The move adds $1.2MM to Witten’s cap figures in 2016 and 2017.

By acquiring Cassel, the Cowboys took on $1.76MM in base salary plus $2.15MM in playing time/postseason incentives, although those bonuses are not likely to be earned. Dallas will also owe $5.78MM to Greg Hardy for ten game roster bonuses once his suspension ends. Now that Witten’s money has been moved around a little bit, the Cowboys won’t have to sweat either one of those charges.

Right now, Witten is focusing on getting healthy for Sunday’s matchup with the Falcons. The tight end sprained both ankles and one of his knees in Sunday’s win against the Eagles and his status for this upcoming week is uncertain.

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

• Former Broncos cornerback Tony Carter had a workout with the Ravens, who have liked him for a while. Of course, up until very recently, Carter was under contract with Denver.
• In addition to Matt Huffer, whose workout was reported yesterday, offensive linemen Kevin Graf, Antonio Johnson, and Travis Bond, along with defensive ends Matt Conrath and Xzavier Dickson, were among the players who auditioned for the Broncos this week.
• We already heard that the Jets brought in multiple receivers this week for workouts, and we can add a few more names to that list: DaVaris Daniels, Titus Davis, and Josh Lenz got a look from New York.
• It was a linebacker-heavy workout group this week in Jacksonville, as the Jaguars auditioned Jeff Luc, Alex Singleton, and Jordan Tripp, in addition to Jayson DiManche, whose workout was previously reported.
• We can add tight end Nick Kasa, guard Joe Looney, wide receiver Marcus Lucas, ex-Niners tackle Sean Hooey, and former Titans tackle Byron Stingily to the list of players who tried out for the Dolphins this week. We learned yesterday that tight end Adrien Robinson also visited the team.
• The lengthy roster of players who auditioned this week for the Titans: cornerbacks Robert McClain, Robert Steeples, Shaun Prater, and Carrington Byndom; safeties Jean Fanor and Robert Lester; and wide receiver Nick Toon.

NFC:

• The Panthers brought in several defensive backs for tryouts, taking a look at Richard Crawford, Ras-I Dowling, and Tajh Hasson.
• Wide receiver Deonte Thompson turned an audition with the Bears into a practice squad spot this week, but he wasn’t the only player to work out for the team. The club also brought in wide receiver DeVier Posey, quarterback Alex Tanney, and QB Justin Worley.
• The Lions were eyeing veteran defensive backs this week, with ex-Giants safety Stevie Brown, longtime Panthers safety Charles Godfrey, and former Raiders DB Brandian Ross all coming in for auditions. The club also worked out tight end Mickey Shuler.
• Defensive tackle Deandre Coleman, cut from the Dolphins’ practice squad last week, and former Broncos defensive end Quanterus Smith both worked out for the Seahawks this week.
• After being removed from the Patriots’ injured reserve list last week, wide receiver Jonathan Krause tried out for the Eagles.
• Washington auditioned two linebackers who hit the open market within the last few weeks, bringing in ex-Bengal Nico Johnson and former Seahawk Alex Singleton. It’s been a busy week for Singleton, who also worked out for the Jaguars, as noted above.
• The Packers took a look this week at tight end Blake Annen, defensive tackle Justin Hamilton, CFL linebacker Henoc Muamba, and linebacker Josh Shirley.

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

• Signed: TE Joseph Fauria (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com)

Buffalo Bills

• To be signed: QB Dustin Vaughan (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)

Dallas Cowboys

• Signed: DE Efe Obada (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com)

Detroit Lions

• Signed: WR/KR Kaelin Clay (link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
• Cut: WR Kendrick Ings

Houston Texans

• Signed: T Edawn Coughman; RB Daryl Richardson (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
• Cut: QB Zac Dysert; T Joseph Treadwell

Miami Dolphins

• Signed: WR Damarr Aultman; LB Terrell Manning (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald)
• Cut: WR Deon Long

New Orleans Saints

• Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)

Tennessee Titans

• Signed: OL Dillon Farrell (link via Associated Press)
• Cut: TE Tevin Westbrook