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 Longtime Chicago Bears center Roberto Garza was released Thursday in
the latest move in a roster makeover by new general manager Ryan
Pace.
Garza, 36, will be replaced by Will Montgomery, the former Denver
Broncos center who played for current Bears coach John Fox and
offensive coordinator Adam Gase in 2014. Montgomery started eight
games for the Broncos last season following five seasons with the
Washington Redskins.
Garza signed a contract extension on Dec. 26, 2014, under former
general manager Phil Emery, who was fired in January.
A 14-year veteran with 176 career starts, Garza began his career
with the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted him in the fourth round in
2001, and signed with the Bears in 2005. He had started every game
in seven of his 10 seasons with the Bears.
The Bears also released safety Anthony Walters, who played in 37
games for the Bears from 2011 to 2014.
---The Broncos agreed to terms with defensive lineman Antonio Smith
on a one-year contract, reuniting him with the staff that coached
him in Houston.
Smith, 33, was released by the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday -- a move
that saved $4 million in salary cap space for the Raiders.
Smith started all 16 games for the Raiders last season and had 20
tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.
Smith played under new Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, defensive
coordinator Wade Phillips and defensive line coach Bill Kollar in
Houston from 2009 to 2013. Smith recorded 27 of his 44.5 career
sacks during his five seasons in Houston.
---The Miami Dolphins signed linebacker Spencer Paysinger to a
one-year contract and agreed to a one-year deal with quarterback
Josh Freeman.
Freeman is returning to the NFL after being out of the league last
season. He last played in 2013 with the Minnesota Vikings, starting
one game before he was benched.
Freeman began his career in Florida with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The former first-round draft pick turned in his best season in 2010
with 25 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Paysinger is expected to fill a vacated spot on special teams after
the Dolphins lost Jason Trusnik to the Carolina Panthers earlier
this week.
---The Minnesota Vikings signed a pair of veteran combine
participants, quarterback Mike Kafka and defensive end Caesar
Rayford, and waived quarterback Pat Devlin.
With Kafka replacing Devlin, the Vikings still have three
quarterbacks on the roster, including starter Teddy Bridgewater and
backup Shaun Hill.
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Kafka spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, backing up
Josh McCown and Mike Glennon.
---Quarterback Josh Johnson, who was a member of the Cincinnati
Bengals in 2013, returned to the team on Thursday.
The Bengals did not announce terms of his contract.
Johnson was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in 2008 and has bounced around the league, spending time with the
Cleveland Browns, Bengals and San Francisco 49ers.
Johnson was on the 49ers' roster for 13 games last season, although
he was inactive for every game.
---The Oakland Raiders signed offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb.
A seventh-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2010, Webb has played
55 games, starting 45, for the Bears (2010-12) and Minnesota Vikings
(2013-14).
Webb signed with the Kansas City Chiefs last year but did not make
the team and returned to the Vikings in November.
He will be reunited with Bill Musgrave, who was the Vikings'
offensive coordinator in 2013 and is now the Raiders' coordinator.
---The Atlanta Falcons waived safety Zeke Motta.
Motta was a seventh-round pick by the Falcons in 2013, and recorded
16 tackles while starting one game as a rookie. He missed last
season with a neck injury that landed him on the reserve/physically
unable to perform on Aug. 25.
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