75-man roster tracker

NFL teams have until 4 PM EDT on Monday, August 27 to cut their rosters from 90 players to 75 players. We’ll track all the moves that every team makes to get down to 75 players right here.

Arizona Cardinals: Got down to the 75-player limit on Friday by putting LT Levi Brown on injured reserve, waiving fullback Jared Crank and running back Thomas Clayton with the waived-injured designation, and releasing DE Landon Cohen, WR Gino Crump, S Eddie Elder, WR Tre Gray, CB Marshay Green, WR Jaymar Johnson, FB Reagan Maui’a, LB Marcus McGraw, LB Zack Nash, CB James Nixon, K/P Ricky Schmitt and LB Paul Vassalo.

Atlanta Falcons: Got down to the 75-player limit on Saturday by putting tackle Will Svitek on injured reserve, waiving tight end Chase Coffman, linebacker Max Gruder, kicker Erik Folk, running back Richard Medlin, fullback Lee Meisner, defensive end Louis Nzegwu, receiver Kenny Stafford and tight end Aron White and reaching injury settlements with defensive tackle Elisha Joseph and cornerback Darrin Walls.  The Falcons also waived quarterback John Parker Wilson and placed defensive tackle Corey Peters on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Baltimore Ravens:  Cut nine on Sunday, including kicker Billy Cundiff, tight end Davon Drew, receiver Devin Goda, offensive lineman Addison Lawrence, cornerback Jordan Maybin, center Cecil Newton (brother of Cam), long snapper Patrick Scales, quarterback Chester Stewart, and receiver Patrick Williams. Finished things up on Monday by placing linebacker Terrell Suggs and wide receiver David Reed on reserve/PUP and placing linebacker Stevie Baggs, linebacker Darryl Blackstock, safety Emanuel Cook and defensive tackle Ryan McBean on injured reserve.

Buffalo Bills: Made 10 moves Sunday to get to the limit. They placed tight end Mike Caussin on reserve/PUP, and released nine players: Wide receiver David Clowney, cornerback Prince Miller, linebacker Danny Batten, defensive end Sean Ferguson, tight end Fendi Onobun, defensive tackle Jay Ross, wide receiver Derek Session, defensive back Nick Sukay and guard Jake Vermiglio.  Batten was waived with the designation “failure to disclose physical condition.”

Carolina Panthers: Started the process of getting down to 75 by cutting their veteran punter and their veteran kicker, Nick Harris and Olindo Mare. They also put promising wide receiver David Gettis on reserve/PUP list, and cornerback Brandon Hogan on IR, and waived wide receivers Darvin Adams, Michael Avila, Brenton Bersin and Rico Wallace (with injury settlement), running backs Josh Vaughan and Lyndon Rowells, tight end Greg Smith, guards Roger Allen and Will Blackwell and linebacker-defensive end Eric Norwood.

Chicago Bears: Made 12 moves Sunday, getting the roster to 76 the day before the deadline. They placed safety Brandon Hardin on IR, receiver Johnny Knox on reserve/PUP, and released veteran defensive tackle John McCargo. They also waived linebacker K.C. Asiodu, quarterback Matt Blanchard, safety Trevor Coston, receiver Terriun Crump, receiver Chris Summers, defensive end Derek Walker, and defensive end Thaddeus Gibson.  They also waived/injured linebacker Adrien Cole and guard Nick Pieschel. The Bears’ final move was cutting former supplemental draft pick Harvey Unga, which got them down to 75.

Cincinnati Bengals: Got down to 76 players on Friday by putting cornerback Brandon Ghee, cornerback Shaun Prater, receiver/cornerback Taveon Rodgers, safety Robert Sands, and guard Travelle Wharton on injured reserve, and releasing defensive end Luke Black, running back Aaron Brown, quarterback Tyler Hansen, and guard Matt Murphy. Wide receiver Kashif Moore was waived on Monday to complete the cuts.

Cleveland Browns:  Moved to 80 on Sunday by waiving offensive lineman Jake Anderson, offensive lineman Matt Cleveland, defensive back Emanuel Davis, linebacker JoJo Dickson, punter Spencer Lanning, receiver Carlton Mitchell, receiver Bert Reed, receiver Jermaine Saffold, and receiver Owen Spencer.  Got to 75 on Monday by waiving with the “injured” designation defensive lineman Marcus Benard, defensive lineman Auston English, and defensive back Antwuan Reed,  placing linebacker Chris Gocong and sixth-round rookie linebacker Emmanuel Acho on injured reserve, and converting defensive lineman Phil Taylor from the active/Physically Unable to Perform list to the reserve/PUP list.

Dallas Cowboys: Dallas got down to 76 players after releasing tackle Levy Adcock, punter Delbert Alvarado, tight end Harry Flaherty, receiver David Little, tackle Tyrone Novikoff, receiver Raymond Radway, running back Javarris Williams and cornerback C.J. Wilson. They also waived/injured receiver Donavon Kemp and linebacker Caleb McSurdy, and put guard/center Kevin Kowalski on the physically unable to perform list. They got to 75 by releasing long snapper Charley Hughlett, who had a partially guaranteed contract.

Denver Broncos: Got down to 75 by cutting veteran long snapper Lonnie Paxton, putting defensive end Jason Hunter on injured reserve and waiving linebacker Elliot Coffey, wide receiver Mark Dell, wide receiver Cameron Kenney, tight end Anthony Miller, defensive end Cyril Obiozor, running back Xavier Omon, safety Anthony Perkins, tackle Mike Remmers, cornerback Ramzee Robinson, fullback Austin Sylvester and guard Austin Wuebbels.

Detroit Lions: The Lions got down to 80 players after waiving fullback James Bryant, receiver Jarett Dillard, running back Stephfon Green, safety Sean Jones, guard Jacques McClendon, linebacker Slade Norris (injured), guard J.C. Oram, defensive tackle Bobby Skinner, kicker Derek Dimke and receiver Terrence Toliver. Running back Jahvid Best’s slow recovery from a concussion landed him on the PUP list where he’ll join cornerback Chris Greenwood. Offensive linemen Jonathan Scott and Bill Nagy were placed on injured reserve and wide receiver Dominique Curry and wide receiver Isaac Madison were released.  Also, an injury settlement was reached with defensive back Don Carey, who had been on injured reserve.

Green Bay Packers: Got down to 75 on Monday by placing linebacker Desmond Bishop, running back Du’ane Bennett, tight end DeMarco Cosby, guard Ray Dominguez, defensive end Johnny Jones and receiver Shaky Smithson on injured reserve. Tight end Andrew Quarless and linebacker Frank Zombo were placed on reserve/physically unable to perform. The Packers also released fullback Jon Hoese and defensive end Jarius Wynn. Green Bay began the cuts on Friday by releasing DE Anthony Hargrove, WR Andrew Brewer, S Micah Pellerin, T Herb Taylor and CB Dion Turner.

Houston Texans: Made their moves Sunday, cutting veteran LB Omar Gaither and WR Bryant Johnson among others. They also put rookie kicker Randy Bullock on injured reserve, and waived-injured nose tackle Sunny Harris and linebacker Greg William. Linebacker Darryl Sharpton was placed on reserve-PUP, and they released the following: Tackle Nick Mondek, center Thomas Austin, punter Brett Hartmann, receiver Mario Lewis, running back Davin Meggett, defensive end Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, fullback Derrell Smith, guard Kasey Studdard and cornerback Torri Williams.

Indianapolis Colts: Got the ball rolling on Sunday by waiving cornerback Chris Rucker, cornerback Cameron Chism, cornerback Terrence Johnson, cornerback Antonio Fenelus, safety Matt Merletti, safety David Caldwell, linebacker Mike Balogun, wide receiver Quan Cosby, running back Alvester Alexander, guard Jason Foster and punter Brian Stahovich. They got to the limit Monday by placing defensive tackle Brandon McKinney and offensive tackle George Foster were placed on injured reserve, along with wide receiver Griff Whalen. Rookie defensive tackle Josh Chapman and guard Justin Anderson were placed on the reserve/PUP list, which will keep them on the shelf for at least the first six weeks.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cut eight players on Saturday: cornerback Ashton Youboty, quarterback Nathan Enderle, receiver Chastin West, linebacker Nate Bussey, running back DuJuan Harris, cornerback Mike Holmes, tackle Dan Hoch, and linebacker Donovan Richard.  Finished the move to 75 on Monday by placing guard John Estes, guard Drew Nowak, guard/center Jason Spitz, and tight end Matt Veldman on injured reserve.  Also, fullback Brock Bolen was waived with the injured designation, and defensive end John Chick and linebacker Clint Session were shifted from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs cut 14 players Sunday to get to the limit. They released second-year wideout Jeremy Horne, who had yet to record a regular season catch, as well as former Army linebacker Caleb Campbell. Also released were: Fullback Shane Bannon, tight end Tim Biere, wide receivers Brandon Kinnie, Zeke Markshausen and Aaron Weaver, offensive linemen Justin Cheadle and Cam Hollland, defensive end Ethan Johnson (waived for failure to disclose physical condition), linebacker Dexter Heyman, defensive backs Dominique Ellis and Jean Fanor and kicker Matt Szymanski.

Minnesota Vikings: Got down to 75 players on Saturday by waiving guard Bridger Buche, running back Derrick Coleman, guard Grant Cook, linebacker Soloman Elimimian, defensive back Corey Gatewood, tackle Levi Horn, defensive end Anthony Jacobs, receiver Kamar Jorden, receiver A.J. Love, linebacker Tyler Nielsen, defensive end Ernest Owusu, defensive tackle Tydreke Powell, cornerback Chris Stroud, receiver Kerry Taylor, and receiver Bryan Walters. The Vikings previously waived rookie receiver Greg Childs and rookie defensive back Nicholas Taylor, both of whom reverted to the team’s injured reserve list.

New England Patriots: Cleared out some veteran receivers, including Donte’ Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney. They also released were defensive linemen Gerard Warren and Tim Bulman and safety Ross Ventrone. Defensive back Will Allen, safety Josh Barrett and fullback Spencer Larsen were placed on injured reserve, and tight end Jake Ballard and defensive lineman Myron Pryor were placed on the reserve-PUP. Rookie offensive lineman Markus Zusevics was placed on the reserve-Non Football Injury list. The Patriots also claimed first-year WR Kerry Taylor off waivers from the Vikings.

New Orleans Saints: Beat the storm and made their cuts Monday, releasing veteran defensive tackle Remi Ayodele and quarterback Luke McCown. The Saints also waived the following players: Tight end Jake Byrne (who had a partially guaranteed contract), wide receivers Marques Clark, Kevin Hardy and Derek Moye, offensive linemen Hutch Eckerson, Paul Fenaroli and Brian Folkerts, defensive end Donavan Robinson, defensive tackle Swanson Miller, linebacker Aaron Tevis, cornerbacks Kamaal McIlwain and Cord Parks and safety Johnny Thomas (who had a partially guaranteed contract).

New York Giants: Reached the 75-man limit on Monday by placing tight end Travis Beckum and defensive tackle Chris Canty on reserve/PUP, placing offensive lineman Brandon Mosley on injured reserve, releasing cornerback Antwaun Molden and waiving tight end Ryan Purvis, defensive tackle Carlton Powell, defensive back Chris Horton, wide receiver Julian Talley, wide receiver Brandon Collins, tight end Christian Hopkins, defensive back Brandon Bing, defensive back Jojo Nicolas, running back Joe Martinek, tackle Joel Reinders and defensive tackle Oren Wilson.

New York Jets: Got down to 80 players on Saturday by cutting receiver Dexter Jackson, guard Terrence Campbell, long snapper Derek Chard, defensive tackle Matt Hardison, cornerback LeQuan Lewis, safety Marcus Lott, and receiver Raymond Webber.  Cut to 74 Monday by dumping linebacker Ambrose Damario, receiver Stanley Aruke, receiver Wes Kemp, running back Jeremy Stewart, and kicker Josh Brown, and by waiving fullback/tight end Josh Baker with the “injured” designation.

Oakland Raiders: Made 12 moves Monday to get to the limit. They waived linebacker Korey Bosworth (nephew Brian) along with the following players: Defensive ends Mason Brodine and Wayne Dorsey, safeties Aaron Henry and Chaz Powell, cornerback Terrail Lambert, wide receivers Thomas Mayo and DeAundre Muhammad, quarterback Kyle Newhall-Caballero and fullback Manase Tonga. They also waived-injured fullback Rashawn Jackson and offensive lineman Ed Wang.

Pittsburgh Steelers:  Moved to 75 on Monday by releasing linebacker Ryan Baker, defensive tackle Mike Blanc, wide receiver Paul Cox, cornerback Andre Freeman, kicker Daniel Hrapmann, offensive lineman Kyle Jolly, long snapper Matt Katula, tight end Jamie McCoy, cornerback Walter McFadden, tight end Justin Peelle, safety Myron Rolle, wide receiver Juamorris Stewart, defensive tackle Kade Weston, and wide receiver Jimmy Young. Also waived linebacker Mortty Ivy with the “injured” designation.  (They’ve since reached an injury settlement with Ivy.)

Philadelphia Eagles:  Cut to 80 on Saturday by releasing receiver Elvis Akpla, safety Wade Bonner, defensive end Xavier Brown, receiver Brian Hernandez (injured), receiver McKay Jacobson, receiver Tiger Jones, guard Alfred McCullough, safety Tom Nelson (injured), cornerback Kevin Thomas, and tackle Thomas Welch.  On Sunday, the Eagles moved to 79, by releasing former Oregon All-American cornerback Cliff Harris. They got down to 75 by placing tackle Jason Peters on the reserve/non-football injury list, defensive tackle Mike Patterson on the reserve/non-football illness list, guard Mike Gibson on injured reserve and waiving wide receiver Jamel Hamler.

San Diego Chargers: Released wide receiver Roscoe Parrish, placed guard Johnnie Troutman on reserve/non-football injury list, placed offensive lineman Brandyn Dombrowski on reserve/non-football illness list and waived wide receivers Jason Barnes, Taylor Embree and Phillip Payne, defensive tackle Eddie Brown, long snapper Nick Guess, running back Michael Hayes, tight end Brad Taylor and offensive tackle Phil Trautwein. The Chargers also reached injury settlements with defensive tackle Garrett Brown and tackle Michael Toudouze to get to 75 players.

San Francisco 49ers: Got to 75 players on Monday by placing linebacker Darius Fleming on the PUP list and running back Jewel Hampton on the reserve/non-football injury list. They also waived tackle Jason Slowey, running back Cameron Bell, linebacker Kourtnei Brown (injured), wide receiver Brian Tyms, safety Cory Nelms, wide receiver Joe Hastings (injured), wide receiver Ben Hannula, kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, defensive tackle Matt Masifilo, cornerback Deante’ Purvis , tight end Joe Sawyer and defensive tackle Patrick Butrym.

St. Louis Rams: Got down to 80 players on Monday by waiving defensive lineman John Gill, linebacker Noah Keller, fullback Todd Anderson, kicker Garrett Lindholm, running back Nicholas Schweiger, wide receiver Charles Gilbert, wide receiver Brandyn Harvey, offensive lineman Kevin Hughes, linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis and running back Calvin Middleton. The Rams got to 75 by waiving-injured wide receiver Danario Alexander, placing defensive tackle Trevor Laws on injured reserve and waiving tight end Brody Eldridge, offensive lineman Ryan McKee and long snapper Travis Tripucka.

Seattle Seahawks: Released on Sunday receiver Terrell Owens, guard Deuce Lutui, tackle Alex Barron, receiver Phil Bates, tackle Edawn Coughman, cornerback Donny Lisowski, cornerback Ron Parker, and running back Tyrell Sutton. Also waived the following players with the “injured” designation: linebacker Jameson Konz, defensive tackle Lazarius Levingston, cornerback Roy Lewis, and tight end Cameron Morrah.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:   Reduced to 75 on Monday by waiving running back De’Anthony Curtis, long snapper Andrew DePaola, receiver Greg Ellingson, tight end Collin Franklin, receiver Ed Gant, punter Eric Guthrie, tackle Mike Ingersoll (injury settlement), linebacker Brian Smith, safety Tramain Thomas, and cornerback Marquese Wheaton.  Also placed guard Davin Joseph on injured reserve and shifted defensive end Da’Quan Bowers to reserve/PUP list.

Tennessee Titans: Got the to 75-man limit Sunday by placing receiver Marc Mariani on IR, safety Markelle Martin on reserve/PUP, and releasing the following players: running back Herb Donaldson, center William Vlachos, quarterback Nick Stephens, kicker Will Batson, tight end Joey Haynos, offensive linemen George Bias and Jonathan Palmer, safety Christian Scott, and receivers Chase Deadder, LaQuinton Evans, and Marcus Harris.

Washington Redskins: Kicker Neil Rackers was let go after losing kicking competition to Graham Gano.  The Redskins also released veteran offensive linemen Tony Moll and James Lee; waived running back Antwon Bailey, offensive lineman Chris Campbell, running back Lennon Creer, quarterback Jonathan Crompton, receiver Samuel Kirkland, linebacker Monte Lewis, guard Nick Martinez, and tight end Beau Reliford; waived receiver Lance Lewis with the injured designation; waived cornerback Morgan Trent with an injury settlement; traded cornerback Kevin Barnes to the Lions; and placed right tackle Jammal Brown on reserve/PUP.

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For fans of Da Bears, there won’t be another Ditka.

And for the Bears, there won’t be another 89.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears will retire Mike Ditka’s number during a Dec. 9 Monday Night Football appearance against the Cowboys at Solider Field.

Ditka coached the team to its only Super Bowl title 27 years ago, but was a tremendous player for them prior to that, playing for their 1963 NFL title team.

The 73-year-old ESPN analyst will be the 14th Bearts player to have his number retired, the first since Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers. That’s the most retired numbers of any NFL team.

Ditka hasn’t always had the best relationship with Bears ownership, but his relationship with the fans of the team is undeniable, as is his place in history now.

AP

Though it took him a little longer than his self-proclaimed five minutes, Rob Ryan found a job this offseason.

And considering his personality, it might have been in the perfect spot.

Ryan talked to reporters in New Orleans for the first time Thursday, and said he was fortunate to land with a team that had the worst defense in league history last year, because they both have something to prove.

He referred back to his firing by the Cowboys, and the Super Bowl he won in New Orleans as a member of the Patriots staff, calling himself “lucky” to be where he was.

“These guys have been well-coached before. They’re smart. They’re just ready to win,” Ryan said, via Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I think we all have a chip on our shoulder after last season. . . .

“I know everybody is on the same path. That big sign that used to be up there [in the Saints' indoor practice facility] — ‘Do Your Job’ — I’ve heard those words before. I plan on doing it. I’ve got two Super Bowl rings, one of them won out here in sweet, live ass New Orleans as part of a great organization.”

Yeah, he should fit right in.

The Saints could use a shot of confidence, after allowing a league-record 7,042 yards last year. Ryan can provide that.

He admitted he “got my feelings hurt” when he was fired, but said he was “very fortunate” to land with Sean Payton, and he clearly enjoys the challenge ahead of him.

“I like his passion,” Payton said. “You know, he’s someone that I spent a lot of time researching and arriving at that decision, guys that I know very well that have worked with him.

“I like the way players respond and I think he’s a perfect fit for what we’re looking for.”

Now all he has to do is find enough players to adapt to his scheme, and he might finally end up a coordinator for a team with a winning record.

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A mere five months have passed since Buffalo Bills tight end Scott Chandler suffered a torn ACL in a loss against the Miami Dolphins in December. Yet, Chandler is already back on the practice field running routes, making cuts and catching passes.

Chandler isn’t participating with the rest of the team during OTAs. He had an individual workout away from the team Thursday catching passes from undrafted rookie quarterback Jeff Tuel. But for being just over four months removed from reconstructive surgery on his knee, it was a strong showing of the progress he’s made in his rehab process.

“The knee feels really good,” Chandler said, via the team’s official website. “I feel great. Running routes you could probably tell it’s not 100 percent, but it’s better than most so I feel good.”

Chandler said he’s been running routes for the last three weeks. Despite his progress, the Bills will likely choose to be cautious and continue to hold him out of team activities through the team’s mini-camp in June. For Chandler, being ready for training camp was always the goal anyway.

“I feel it’s realistic,” Chandler said. “It’s kind of what I expected. Honestly I just wanted to be ready to go when training camp and the season came around. I’m not a guy who is going to sit there and hope that it gets better. I’m going to be proactive.”

Chandler appeared in 15 games last season for the Bills before the injury and made 13 starts. He caught 43 passes for 571 and six touchdowns.

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Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Wilson played through a labrum injury at the end of last season. The injury was substantial enough to require surgery over the offseason and the it turned out to be more severe than first realized.

According to Rich Campbell of the Washington Times, the injury also required repairing of Wilson’s pectoral muscle when the extent of the damage was fully known. Despite the severity of the injury, Wilson hopes to be ready for the start of training camp in July. Per Mike Jones of the Washington Post, Wilson’s surgery occurred two months ago.

Wilson has played for the Redskins the last two seasons and started all 32 games over that span. He’s recorded 136 tackles with four interceptions, four forced fumbles and a sack.

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The Seattle Seahawks have signed another player who tried out with the team during their rookie mini-camp two weeks ago.

The team announced they have signed wide receiver Justin Veltung on Thursday. Veltung played at the University of Idaho and battled injuries his final two years. Veltung appeared in 43 games with 62 catches for 901 yards and eight touchdowns for Idaho.

The Seahawks were apparently intrigued by Veltung’s athleticism. As seen in the video below, Veltung can complete a 56-inch standing box jump. Veltung fills the roster spot of quarterback Josh Portis, who was released earlier this week after he was arrested and charged with suspicion of DUI.

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One Thursday, the Colts signed one linebacker and waived another.

So why the post about the arrival of Caesar Rayford and the departure of Jake Killeen, two players who have never appeared in an NFL game?

It is a reminder there are various ways to be discovered by pro football’s most prestigious league.

Rayford, 27, has been a defensive end with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League the last four seasons, notching 27.5 sacks. The Colts will try the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Washington product at outside linebacker.

The 27-year-old Killeen, meanwhile, is a former Indoor Football League standout whom the Colts signed in January. Like Rayford, the Colts listed him at outside linebacker.

The Colts aren’t the only NFL team to scout the other professional leagues, not by a longshot. But this is a uniquely Colts transaction. General manager Ryan Grigson played and scouted in the Canadian Football League, and he had a stint in the Arena League as a coach and evaluator.

While Rayford certainly is no lock to make the Colts, it’s notable he’s getting a chance. He had just 5.5 sacks in four seasons at Washington, and he is six years removed from college. He had to earn his way onto the NFL’s radar, and then he had to hope someone would notice him on the screen.

The Colts apparently did.

AP

The Falcons have moved carefully and specifically this offseason, not adding many players, but adding veterans at positions of need.

They may be about to again.

According to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com and John Manasso of FOXSportsSouth.com, the Falcons have been in contract talks with former Riaders defensive tackle Richard Seymour.

That would fit with the signings of running back Steven Jackson and defensive end Osi Umenyiora, as the Falcons make a Super Bowl push.

The Falcons don’t have a glut of cap room, but still would be interested in adding a player such as Seymour, a four-time Pro Bowler who would add some gravity to a defense that needs it.

AP

According to multiple published reports, Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent faces a court date Friday as Dallas County District Attorney’s office alleges he has violated his bond conditions in connection with the auto accident that took the life of teammate Jerry Brown last year.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the district attorney’s office alleges Brent either has been in close proximity of alcohol or has consumed alcohol; either is forbidden according to the conditions set after Brent was charged with intoxication manslaughter in December. Per multiple reports, Brent faced a $100,000 bond.

An unnamed source told ESPN Dallas that Brent did not consume alcohol.

Also, the Associated Press, citing prosecutors, reported that Brent is alleged to have tampered with an alcohol-detection monitor he is to wear.

Brent is slated to go to trial in September.

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Despite only being in existence since 1996, the Ravens have won two Super Bowls.  Which will make it difficult to limit the pantheon of franchise greats to only four.

Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden can safely be installed in two of the spots.  For the other two, consider candidates like Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Peter Boulware, Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, Matt Stover, Ozzie Newsome, John Harbaugh, Steve Bisciotti, Art Modell, Jamal Lewis, Chris McAlister, Haloti Ngata, Matt Birk, Willis McGahee, and Shannon Sharpe.

Nominate your favorites below.

The unveiling of team-by-team Mt. Rushmores will commence on June 2, on NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk.

What else are you gonna do in June?  Watch baseball?

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After his appearance at Redskins’ OTA practice on Thursday, quarterback Robert Griffin III said he has “only” two hurdles left in his recovery from a torn ACL:  (1) clearance for “explosive” sprinting; and (2) clearance to cut.

Those are both fairly significant hurdles.

As to these obstacles, perhaps the most important maneuver for an athlete with a new ACL, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that there is no timetable for said clearance.

“It is still a ways off,” the source said.  “No one is going to rush anything.”

That’s the most important thing for Griffin, the Redskins, the media, and the fans to remember.  Griffin got into this mess because not enough attention was being paid to his health.  This time around, despite anything anyone says, they’re going to be careful.

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The Texans have agreed to a contract with third-round pick Sam Montgomery, Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.

The 6-foot-3, 262-pound Montgomery will play outside linebacker in the Texans’ 3-4 scheme. He recorded 19 sacks in three seasons for LSU.

After the selection of Montgomery, Texans linebackers coach Reggie Herring called the rookie linebacker a “big, strong, powerful, explosive individual.”

“His play strength is (the) exception, it’s about average,” Herring said, according to a transcript from the club. “As far as the run game, he has that play strength that you need to play early in this league. I think he’ll blend in well as far as the run game and setting the edge in our package.

“The other thing is when we look at our outside backers, we look at pass rush as a priority in our defense. He does bring an element of rush off the edge that is, once again, probably undeveloped and raw, but he has the basic ingredients, and that is, he can rush speed to power.”

Montgomery, who garnered first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors from league coaches in 2012, declared for the draft with one season of eligibility remaining.

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The 49ers have signed rookie tight end Vance McDonald, the club said Thursday.

McDonald, whom the 49ers selected in the second round, could compete for playing time right off the bat for San Francisco, which lost Delanie Walker in free agency. According to Pro Football Focus, Walker played 589 regular-season snaps a season ago for the 49ers, with Vernon Davis — the Niners’ top tight end — logging 942 snaps, per PFF data.

A Rice product, the 6-foot-4, 267-pound McDonald caught 120 passes for 1,513 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons with the Owls. He was the No. 55 overall pick.

Adam Caplan of TheSidelineView.com first reported McDonald’s signing.

The 49ers also confirmed the signing of defensive lineman Tank Carradine, their other second-round selection in the 2013 draft.

AP

We noted before the draft that Terrell Brown was a 6-foot-10, 388-pound defensive lineman from Ole Miss who had drawn some interest from NFL teams. But that’s not quite right.

Actually, Rams coach Jeff Fisher says, Brown is a 6-foot-10, 403-pounder. And Fisher says that after the Rams signed Brown as an undrafted free agent, they decided that his future is on the offensive line.

“Actually, we weighed him in at 403,” Fisher told reporters today. “We had him in for the tryout and he had some issues that we had to clear up from a physical standpoint. But he got that put behind us. We worked him out on both sides of the ball, defensive line and offensive line, and we felt like his best position would be right tackle. [Rams offensive line coach Paul Boudreau] said he’d love to have him. He’s a defensive lineman that we’ve converted to offensive lineman.”

Fisher also noted that with Brown’s height, the Rams might be able to put him on the field goal block team.

“He might be able to block some kicks,” Fisher said.

And if he can’t do that, he might have a future in the WWE, which is looking for some big-bodied football players. And it might help Brown make it in professional wrestling that he already has experience with folding chairs.

AP

It sure looks like a lot of NFL contract negotiators are heading to the beach this weekend, given the dizzying pace of rookie signings.

According to Adam Caplan of TheSidelineView.com, the 49ers joined the parade by signing second-round defensive end Tank Carradine.

Carradine’s coming off a torn ACL last November at Florida State, but they think he could be cleared to return by training camp.

Considering he ran a 4.75-second 40 at his pro day at 265 pounds, there is evidence to back up that belief.

The 49ers have shown a tendency to draft guys a year away (or more) from when they’re needed, but Carradine’s skills, along with age and some departures on the 49ers defensive line could push him forward.

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The Chiefs have signed rookie defensive back Sanders Commings, the club said on its official website Thursday.

A fifth-round pick from Georgia, the 6-foot, 216-pound Commings has gotten a look at safety early in his NFL career, a position where the Chiefs have Eric Berry and Kendrick Lewis as starters. He can also line up at cornerback, the position he primarily played at Georgia.

Commings, 23, notched 51 tackles and intercepted three passes in 2012, his senior at Georgia. He started 35 games in his final three seasons for the Bulldogs. Commings was timed at 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.