Defensive end Sam cut by Rams

Defensive end Michael Sam (left) was released Saturday by the St. Louis Rams despite recording 11 tackles and three sacks during the preseason.
Defensive end Michael Sam (left) was released Saturday by the St. Louis Rams despite recording 11 tackles and three sacks during the preseason.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Michael Sam smiled and shook hands at Missouri's season opener against South Dakota State on Saturday shortly before he was cut by the St. Louis Rams.

In the first quarter, the Tigers introduced Sam to fans in the end zone right at the deadline for NFL teams to make their final roster cuts ahead of the regular season. The 24-year-old defensive end from Hitchcock, Texas, blew a kiss and waved while receiving a standing ovation.

He then walked back to Missouri's sideline and posed for photographs before heading into the Tigers' locker room while looking at his phone. Sam was hoping to become the first openly gay player to make an NFL team after the Rams drafted him in the seventh round of May's draft.

Sam recorded 11 tackles and three sacks during the preseason. He played at Missouri from 2010-13 and was the co-defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference last season.

CHIEFS

Kicker Succop waived

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs have waived veteran kicker Ryan Succop and placed quarterback Tyler Bray and wide receiver Kyle Williams on injured reserve as they trimmed to the 53-man roster limit.

Succop was engaged in a heated competition for the kicking job with undrafted free agent Cairo Santos.

Ultimately, Succop's contract may have played a big part in the decision. He was due $2 million this season while Santos will make just $422,000 with the Chiefs.

Bray and Williams were hurt in the Chiefs' preseason finale against Green Bay.

Other players cut Saturday were defensive backs Malcolm Bronson, Jonathon Amaya, DeMarcus Van Dyke and Justin Rogers; linebackers Alonzo Highsmith, Devan Walker and Nico Johnson; defensive linemen Kyle Love, Kona Schwenke and Dominique Hamilton; offensive linemen Ricky Henry and J'Marcus Webb; wide receivers Mark Harrison and Fred Williams; fullback Jordan Campbell; and running back Charcandrick West.

REDSKINS

Hocker fails to make team

ASHBURN, Va. -- Incumbent kicker Kai Forbath held off draft pick Zach Hocker, and undrafted rookie Silas Redd claimed the final running back spot Saturday as the Washington Redskins trimmed their roster to 53 heading into the first week of the regular season.

The Redskins cut nine players and placed linebacker Darryl Sharpton (ankle) and nose tackle Chris Neild (knee) on injured reserve. They also designated defensive end Stephen Bowen (knee) and receiver Leonard Hankerson (knee) for the physically unable to perform list.

Washington used a seventh-round selection on Arkansas kicker Hocker in April's draft, and he appeared to have a solid lead after Forbath missed badly on a 46-yard field-goal attempt and put a kickoff out of bounds in the first preseason game.

But Forbath finished stronger, hitting a 45-yarder in the final preseason game while Hocker missed from 39.

Redd, from the University of Southern California, led the team in rushing in preseason with 157 yards on 34 carries and outperformed a trio of drafted competitors to join starter Alfred Morris and backup Roy Helu on the team. Evan Royster (sixth round, 2011), Chris Thompson (fifth round, 2013) and Lache Seastrunk (sixth round, 2014) were among those waived.

Another notable cut was Phillip Thomas, who was seen as a potential long-term solution at safety when he was drafted in the fourth round a year ago. Thomas couldn't stay healthy, however, and he fell behind fellow second-year player Bacarri Rambo on the depth chart.

BROWNS

Grossman kept as 3rd QB

CLEVELAND -- The Browns released veteran wide receiver Nate Burleson and running backs Dion Lewis and Chris Ogbonnaya to get to the 53-player roster limit.

Rex Grossman will begin the season as Cleveland's third quarterback behind starter Brian Hoyer and backup Johnny Manziel. Grossman recently signed with the Browns, who are hoping he can help Hoyer and Manziel with the team's new offensive system.

Burleson was slowed by a hamstring injury during training camp and missed three preseason games.

Lewis was coming back after breaking his leg last year. Ogbonnaya started seven games for Cleveland in 2013, rushing for 240 yards with 48 receptions. With the moves, undrafted free agent Isaiah Crowell made Cleveland's roster.

SAINTS

New Orleans releases Champ

METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints included 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey, veteran receiver Robert Meachem and both kickers among their final preseason roster cuts Saturday.

Receiver Nick Toon was among several young, relatively unproven players who survived the last round of cuts before the Saints begin preparations for their Sept. 7 regular-season opener at Atlanta. Others still with the club include undrafted rookie cornerback Brian Dixon; linebackers Kyle Knox and Kasim Edebali; and offensive lineman Senio Kelemete.

New Orleans also held onto to veteran defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick.

The Saints brought in Bailey after he was released by Denver and general manager Mickey Loomis said after the move that Bailey was expected to compete for a starting cornerback job. However, Bailey struggled with a foot injury and saw limited action in only the final two preseason games. Meanwhile, Patrick Robinson, a 2010 first-round draft choice, came back strong from a knee injury and apparently won the job.

The younger cornerbacks the Saints kept over the more accomplished 36-year-old Bailey have been healthier and also contribute on special teams.

The Saints did not immediately indicate what their intentions were at kicker after their decision to cut both veteran Shayne Graham and rookie Derek Dimke, but they could have in mind one of a number of proven kickers cut by other clubs.

The Browns also waived cornerback Leon McFadden and guard Garrett Gilkey, a pair of 2013 draft picks.

BILLS

Buffalo signs QB Orton

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Quarterback Kyle Orton agreed to sign with the Buffalo Bills in addressing the team's lengthy search for an established veteran to play behind second-year starter EJ Manuel.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the agreement on Saturday, and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the move.

Orton is a nine-year veteran, who spent the past two seasons with Dallas. Orton was cut by the Cowboys in mid-July after he skipped the team's offseason workouts amid reports that he was considering retirement.

He was Chicago's fourth-round pick in 2005, and also played in Denver and Kansas City. He has a 35-35 career record and completed 1,326 of 2,265 for 15,019 yards passing with 83 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.

Orton's addition becomes Buffalo's latest quarterback shuffle this week. It began with Buffalo cutting backup Thad Lewis and signing fifth-year player Jordan Palmer. It ended with the Bills cutting Palmer after he threw three interceptions in a 23-0 preseason-closing loss to Detroit on Thursday.

ODDS & ENDS

The Houston Texans have cut 22 players, including cornerback Brandon Harris and linebacker Quentin Groves, to get their roster down to the 53-man limit. The 5-foot-10 Harris was a second-round pick in 2011 and played in 16 games last season, recording a career-high 20 tackles and four passes defensed. Groves, a second-round pick in 2008, has career totals of 157 tackles and 8½ sacks for four teams. ... The Tennessee Titans have picked a kicker for now, waiving Maikon Bonani and keeping undrafted rookie Travis Coons as they trimmed down their roster by the NFL's deadline. The Titans also traded defensive end Lavar Edwards, a fifth-round draft pick in 2013 out of LSU, to Dallas for an undisclosed future draft pick in moves announced Saturday. Tennessee placed defensive lineman Antonio Johnson on injured reserve and waived a total of 20 players. ... The New York Jets have released suspended cornerback Dimitri Patterson, ending a bizarre week that began when he left the team before its preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 22. The move Saturday came as the Jets got down to the mandatory 53-player roster limit. Patterson was suspended Tuesday for the rest of the preseason after he left the team, according to the Jets, and went missing before the preseason game without speaking to anyone in the organization. In a statement to ESPN on Thursday, Patterson said the Jets' claims that he went missing for 48 hours without notifying the team were "completely false."

Sports on 08/31/2014

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