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Check here for a full list of the New York Giants‘ roster moves.



Biggest surprise: Did anyone see Andre Brown‘s release coming? Tom Coughlin had raved about the progress of the second-year running back, but apparently returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon in last year’s training camp was too much. He looked really quick early in training camp, but then he got banged up and missed some valuable time in the preseason. Still, I thought the Giants would hold a spot for him. They may have a difficult time getting him to the practice squad because of his pedigree coming out of North Carolina State. I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised by Rhett Bomar‘s release with the arrival of Sage Rosenfels. It will be difficult to get Bomar through to the practice squad.



And the release of wide receiver Derek Hagan is mildly surprising. He’d been outstanding on special teams, but reports from training camp indicated that he’d grown tired of that label and wasn’t as enthusiastic in his approach. That will get you beat with Coughlin.



No-brainers: Some of the defensive backs on the list simply didn’t make enough plays in the preseason. When Sha’reff Rashad was given the chance to cover Santonio Holmes, it was something close to a disaster. I saw flashes from him at times in camp but he didn’t take it to the field. And you can’t be surprised to see fullback Jerome Johnson released with the presence of Madison Hedgecock on the roster. Quarterback Dominic Randolph was only around because of the Eli Manning injury.



What’s next: You had better get these young receivers — Duke Calhoun and Victor Cruz — ready for immediate action on special teams. The Giants made some tough decisions to go light in other areas because Calhoun and Cruz showed up big time in the preseason games. Now, they must reward Coughlin for his trust. At one point, the Giants liked Guy Whimper as a backup guard. But I guess they thought he was a progress-stopper now. The Giants kept all of their healthy draft picks and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact they have.

Check here for a full list of Oakland’s roster moves.



Biggest surprise: There wasn’t a lot of surprising names on Oakland’s cut list. Defensive end Jay Richardson can qualify as a mild surprise. Richardson’s departure may mean Trevor Scott will play more end. He was an end who was moved to linebacker and was supposed to start at linebacker. However, he played end in the preseason finale Thursday night. Fullback Luke Lawton was cut and Oakland doesn’t have a traditional fullback on its roster. Center Chris Morris was cut and the team announced rookie Jared Veldheer will be the starting center. The smalls-school Veldheer was drafted as a tackle and played on a limited basis at center in the preseason. But he is a better long-term player than Samsom Satele, who will be the backup. Still, Veldheer will have his hands full as a rookie playing center against NFL competition. Still, he is new blood and Oakland needs an influx talent on the line.



No-brainers: The Raiders didn’t cut any of their draft picks. Oakland really likes this class and if resurgence is under way in Oakland, this class will have a lot to do with it. Defensive tackle John Henderson was kept. There was talk he could be on the bubble. But he is too valuable. He may not be an every-down player, but he can help against the run in a limited role. Second-year receiver Nick Miller was kept. The Raiders really like this small, but tough player. With Michael Bush potentially out several weeks with a broken thumb, the team needed veteran running back Michael Bennett. He had a fine preseason.



What’s next: The Raiders could do anything. Remember, they shocked the league by trading for Richard Seymour last year the day after he roster was set. Expect Oakland to look at veteran receivers, including former Seattle receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The team could also look for a veteran center to give Veldheer more time to develop. Also, veterans Thomas Howard and Chris Johnson could still be subject to trade talks if the right deal comes along.

Check here for a full list of Cincinnati’s roster moves.



Biggest surprise: Chase Coffman was once considered the tight end of the future for Cincinnati. But the team drafted first-round pick Jermaine Gresham and re-signed Reggie Kelly, who will get all the playing time. The Bengals made a nice, last-minute acquisition by trading with the Jacksonville Jaguars for former first-round pick Reggie Nelson. Cincinnati traded cornerback David Jones, who was expendable after the team signed Adam Jones this offseason. But the Bengals were searching for depth at safety. Rookie receiver Dezmon Briscoe’s release also stood out. He didn’t immediately live up to his potential but showed flashes in the final preseason game. Cincinnati was very deep at receiver and chose Jerome Simpson instead for one of the final roster spots. Look for Cincinnati to claim Briscoe on the practice squad if he’s not claimed by another team.



No brainers: Veteran receiver Matt Jones was a predictable cut and I called this one in the AFC North blog. Jones, who was out of football in 2009 for off-the-field reasons, just never looked like the great athlete he once was when he was drafted in the first round by Jacksonville. He also had a team-friendly, one-year contract that made Jones easy to release. Mike Nugent also won the kicking competition with Dave Rayner, which made the Rayner cut predictable.



What’s next: This is the most talented team I’ve seen in Cincinnati during coach Marvin Lewis’ tenure. Several Cincinnati players could find jobs with other teams soon, which is not the norm for the Bengals. That’s a credit to the depth on this year’s roster. Cincinnati also could be looking for a fullback with Fui Vakapuna waived/ injured.



Bengals players cut:



K Dave Rayner



G Isaac Sowells



S Marvin White



DT Orien Harris



S Kyries Hebert



TE Chase Coffman



TE Darius Hill



HB James Johnson



DT Clinton McDonald



S Rico Murray



WR Maurice Purify



WR Dezmon Briscoe



G Otis Hudson



OT Gabriel Manns



S Jeromy Miles



LB Vincent Rey



OT Chris Rodgers



CB Johnny Sears



FB Joe Tronzo

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Receiver Michael Clayton was among the cuts announced Saturday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers set their 53-man roster.

Check here for a full list of roster moves.



Biggest surprise: The Dolphins’ decision to release tight end David Martin isn’t surprising on account of his ability, but because of the depth chart. Joey Haynos is out with a foot injury, leaving incumbent starter Anthony Fasano and the unconvincing John Nalbone. The Dolphins also cut guard Donald Thomas, who was good enough to be their opening-day starter as a rookie in 2008 and again last year. Thomas played all 16 games last year and started 12. But the Dolphins have been trying to find the correct combination for the interior offensive line since Bill Parcells arrived at the end of the 2007 season. They signed free agents Richie Incognito and Cory Procter, drafted John Jerry in the third round and just traded for Pat McQuistan from the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas couldn’t beat out any of them.



No-brainers: Based on 2008 draft status, it’s notable that the Dolphins already have given up on quarterback Pat White (second round) and receiver Patrick Turner (third round). But they didn’t belong. Neither of them ever showed they belonged in the NFL. White was drafted to enhance the Wildcat package, but he couldn’t throw. Turner was deactivated for all but two games last year and was outplayed by undrafted rookies this summer.



What’s next: Miami has no glaring needs, but they could stand to improve at a number of positions. General manager Jeff Ireland will be scavenging for what he call “acorns” that have fallen out of other teams’ trees. Areas to look at will be the pass rush and, as always, interior O-line.

One question following the Seattle Seahawks‘ hiring of offensive line coach Alex Gibbs was whether the San Francisco 49ers would come out ahead long term.



The decision to hire Gibbs freed incumbent Seattle line coach Mike Solari to join the 49ers. Gibbs had the higher profile, but he was also much older and more volatile, raising questions about how long he might stick around in Seattle.



No one figured Gibbs would quit before the regular-season opener, however. ESPN’S Adam Schefter says that’s the case, leaving Seattle with assistant line coach Art Valero in charge with eight days remaining until the regular-season opener. The Seahawks have confirmed Gibbs’ resignation.



Why would this happen?



The early word is that the hard-charging Gibbs has burned out, which wouldn’t be the first time. Gibbs was known as a strong advocate for guard Ben Hamilton, one of his former players in Denver, and it wasn’t clear if Hamilton was going to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. It’s natural to wonder if Gibbs resigned in protest of personnel moves, but I have no indication that was the case. But assistant coaches regularly disagree with the choices his team makes. They don’t resign.



Gibbs’ departure leaves the Seahawks in a tough spot. Valero joined the Seahawks from the St. Louis Rams only this season. He hasn’t worked for Gibbs long enough to step in seamlessly.



The Seahawks did try to keep Solari onboard as insurance by offering him a job coaching tight ends, but Solari declined the switch. The 49ers hired Solari quickly after allowing Chris Foerster out of his contract for a chance to join the Washington Redskins.



Gibbs could always decide to come back. Until then, however, the Gibbs-for-Solari tradeoff is looking like a bad one for Seattle.



Update: The Seahawks acquired guard Stacy Andrews from the Philadelphia Eagles. As noted, Andrews weighs 342 pounds, making him an odd fit for Gibbs’ zone blocking scheme, which favors much smaller guards. With Gibbs resigning from the Seahawks on Saturday, it’s fair to ask whether personnel disagreements played any role in the abrupt departure. The Seahawks were withholding their list of cuts pending league approval on the Andrew trade. But if Andrews is on the team at the expense of Gibbs’ hand-picked guard, Hamilton, it’ll be tougher to believe that Gibbs walked away purely because he burned out.



Second update: The Seahawks apparently plan to use Andrews at tackle, which would diminish the Gibbs-got-mad angle.

We knew the Philadelphia Eagles had been trying to move right guard Stacy Andrews, and now it looks like we have a destination. Andrews has been traded to the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN.com’s John Clayton. It also looks like the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane has the story.



Andrews never nailed down the right guard spot and the Eagles had reportedly been shopping him as an option at right tackle. Hopefully we’ll have the compensation soon. It looks like Jonathan Wells and Nick Cole will compete for the starting job at right guard.



We’ll keep you posted. I’ll have some analysis on both the Giants’ and Eagles’ cuts in a bit.

Check here for a full list of Pittsburgh’s roster moves.



Biggest surprise: Although it was somewhat expected this week, Justin Hartwig‘s release is the biggest for the Steelers. There is no doubt Hartwig was one of the team’s top 53 players, but he was released after losing his job to first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey. Hartwig also made starter money, an estimated $2 million. Kick returner Stefan Logan was solid last year, but his lack of versatility made him expendable. Pittsburgh will be looking for a new kick returner as a result. Both rookie receivers, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, made the team. Most projected Pittsburgh would only keep one and try to get the other on the practice squad.



No-brainers: Running back Justin Vincent showed a few flashes, particularly early in the preseason. But a crowded group of running backs in Pittsburgh made Vincent expendable. There were also a pair of recent draft picks who never panned out in cornerback Joe Burnett and offensive guard Kraig Urbik. Because of need, both players had chances to contribute to their respective positions but never developed. Rookie defensive lineman Doug Worthington is considered a project, and he’s a candidate for the practice squad.



What’s next: Pittsburgh’s veteran-laden roster is pretty much set. It doesn’t appear the team will make any major moves at quarterback following Byron Leftwich‘s injury. But the team could search the waiver wire for depth on the offensive line, which was inconsistent this preseason. With Frank Summers’ release, the team may also be in search for a fullback.

Check here for a full list of roster moves.



Biggest surprise: The Jets’ roster was about as set as you could get heading into training camp. Only a couple reserve roles and special-teams spots were available. So there weren’t any surprises, unless you want to count the development from earlier in the week. Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens avoided being released by restructuring his contract to remain on the roster behind Mark Sanchez and Mark Brunell. That meant the Jets cut Kevin O’Connell, which wasn’t a surprise regardless of what Clemens did.



No-brainers: With the Jets keeping two fullbacks (Tony Richardson, John Conner) on the 53-man roster, there was no room for Jason Davis despite a strong summer. Linebacker Brashton Satele never got on the field, resulting in the memorable “Hard Knocks” quote from special teams coach Mike Westhoff: “Let him open up his freakin’ pizza shop in the Bronx and leave me alone.”



What’s next: Aside from convincing cornerback Darrelle Revis to end his holdout and figuring out who they’ll dump once receiver Santonio Holmes‘ four-game suspension is up, there’s not much to address. General manager Mike Tannenbaum and head coach Rex Ryan will comb the waiver wire to see if they can improve the bottom of the roster. They also could bring back receiver Laveranues Coles after the season opener to avoid guaranteeing his salary for the year.

Check here for a full list of Minnesota’s roster moves.



Biggest surprise: Veteran receiver Javon Walker had a difficult task: proving he was back to his playmaking self after three years of relative inactivity. Two touchdowns in two preseason games suggested he was on his way, but ultimately the Vikings weren’t willing to risk a roster spot — and, because he is a vested veteran, guarantee his base salary for the season. If nothing else, Walker seemed likely to make the team as a No. 5 receiver. But the move leaves the Vikings with four receivers on their 53-man roster. For me, it was also a minor surprise that the Vikings apparently will keep cornerback Cedric Griffin on the active roster, rather than place him on the physically unable to perform list. Griffin hasn’t practiced since the end of last season because of a knee injury, but he must be close to returning. For now, he counts against their 53-man limit. Finally, the Vikings kept rookie Mickey Shuler among four tight ends. But that could be an attempt to pass him through waivers on a delayed basis for the purposes of getting him on the practice squad.



No-brainers: Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd didn’t have a touchback until the fourth preseason game, and his roster spot was simply too valuable. The only reason to keep a kickoff specialist is if he consistently puts the ball into the end zone. Lloyd didn’t do that, and give some credit to the Vikings for eating the $200,000 bonus they gave him this spring. No sense throwing good money after bad. Ryan Longwell isn’t the NFL’s leading kickoff man, but he is good enough to prevent the Vikings from forcing this issue.



What’s next: You have to assume the Vikings will add a cornerback, either through waivers or via trade. Cutting DeAndre Wright and Marcus Sherels leaves the team with three healthy cornerbacks. It’s almost mandatory that the Vikings find at least one more. Walker’s departure makes you wonder if the Vikings have another receiver targeted, but it’s also possible they will keep four until Sidney Rice returns at midseason. Finally, Friday’s trade of Darius Reynaud to the New York Giants means the Vikings need to identify a punt returner.