Pro, college star, war hero Eddie LeBaron dies at 85
College football Hall of Famer, former NFL quarterback and war hero Eddie LeBaron Jr. has died. He was 85.
The University of the Pacific said LeBaron died of natural causes Wednesday.
LeBaron played at Pacific for coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and also helped lead the Tigers to an undefeated season in 1949.
He later served as a U.S. Marine in the Korean War and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for heroism.
LeBaron played 11 seasons in the NFL for Washington and Dallas. He threw for 13,399 yards and 104 touchdowns and was selected to four Pro Bowls.
He later served as general manager for the Atlanta Falcons from 1977 to 1982 and was the league’s Executive of the Year in 1980. He also served on the NFL’s Competition Committee.
ROSTER MOVES
Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have signed quarterback Mike Kafka and defensive end Caesar Rayford.
The deals were finalized on Thursday, and the Vikings waived quarterback Pat Devlin to make room on the roster.
Kafka was a fourthround draft pick out of Northwestern by Philadelphia in 2010. He played in four games for the Eagles in 2011 and spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Devlin was the only other quarterback on the roster behind starter Teddy Bridgewater and veteran Shaun Hill.
Rayford came from the Canadian Football League, where he played last year after appearing in seven games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2013.
Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have signed free agent tackle J’Marcus Webb.
Webb has played 55 games over five seasons with Chicago and Minnesota. He has experience playing both right and left tackle and provides depth for the Raiders’ line.
Webb played on the Vikings in 2013 under offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. Musgrave is now running the offense in Oakland.
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons have waived safety Zeke Motta, who missed the 2014 season with a neck injury.
Motta was placed on the physically unable to participate list before the 2014 season. He was a team captain at Notre Dame.
Denver Broncos: Dove Valley is beginning to look like a class reunion. Veteran defensive lineman Antonio Smith is the fifth player to reunite with coach Gary Kubiak in Denver.
The 12th-year pro who signed a one-year deal Thursday recorded 27 of his 44½ sacks in his five seasons (2009-13) in Houston, where Denver’s new coach was in charge of the Texans from 2006-13.
Smith played in Oakland last year. He also played in Arizona from 2004-08.
Miami Dolphins: Freeagent linebacker Spencer Paysinger has signed with the Dolphins, bolstering one of the problem positions on an aging defense last season.
Paysinger, who signed Thursday, is a four-year veteran with 14 career starts, all for the New York Giants in 2011-14. He has seen significant action on special teams.
The Dolphins also signed quarterback Josh Freeman to a one-year contract after sitting out last season. The 2009 first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have a difficult challenge unseating Matt Moore as the backup to Ryan Tannehill.
New York Jets: The Jets’ quarterback competition this summer will include Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Simms and perhaps someone else not yet on the roster.
Smith has been the Jets’ starter the last two seasons, and Fitzpatrick was acquired from Houston last month to add a veteran presence but won’t be fully healthy until training camp after breaking a leg last season.
Coach Todd Bowles didn’t specify whether the Jets want to add a quarterback from the draft or free agency, but the team holds the No. 6 pick and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota could be available.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals signed quarterback Josh Johnson on Thursday to compete with AJ McCarron next season to be Andy Dalton’s primary backup.
Johnson was Dalton’s backup in 2013, when he appeared in two games but didn’t throw a pass. He signed with San Francisco last season and was inactive for each game. He left the 49ers as an unrestricted free agent.
Johnson was Tampa Bay’s fifth-round pick in 2008. He has also played for Cleveland.