Today’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
New Orleans Saints
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward is expected to miss two-to-three weeks as he recovers from a hamstring issue that forced him from yesterday’s game against the Jets, reports Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, Heyward is aiming to return ahead of that timeline, and would like to play before Pittsburgh’s Week 8 bye, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, linebacker Ryan Shazier is dealing with a sprained MCL and is also hoping to return to the field before Week 8, tweets Fowler.
[RELATED: Steelers Place Senquez Golson On IR]
Heyward, 27, had already incurred injuries earlier this year, as an ankle ailment limited him in early September. Still, through five games, Heyward had been one of the Steelers’ best defenders, posting three sacks and four passes defensed while grading as the league’s No. 19 interior defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus. Heyward is signed through 2020 thanks to a 2015 extension that will pay him roughly $10.5MM annually.
Shazier, meanwhile, hasn’t ranked well according to PFF’s grades, but it’s fair to assume that his lingering knee issues have affected him. Through three games, the 24-year-old Shazier posted 12 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recover, and an interception. He’s signed through next season, but the Steelers will have the option of exercising a fifth-year option to lock up Shazier through 2018.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Dolphins weren’t the only club interested in cornerback Bene Benwikere. Both the Titans and Redskins put in claims for Benwikere, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), but Miami and its higher waiver priority were able to land the defensive back.
[RELATED: Redskins Host Terrance Knighton On Visit]
Neither Tennessee nor Washington has been particularly poor against the pass this year, as the clubs rank 14th and 18th, respectively, in pass defense DVOA, and ninth and 22nd, respectively, in passing yards allowed. As such, it seems as though each club was simply trying to inject youthful talent into its defensive backfield, and Benwikere, who just recently turned 25, fits that bill.
A starting cornerback for Carolina this year, Benwikere was waived after Julio Jones exploded for a 300-yard game in Week (228 of those yards coming against Benwikere). After the game, Benwikere admitted to reporters that he was gassed, and that may have played a role in his release. The Panthers were expected to shake things up in the secondary, but few expected them to drop one of their top cornerbacks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Today’s minor moves:
After being hospitalized on Sunday night with a complex migraine, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak won’t lead the club on Thursday night against the Chargers, Denver announced today. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis will serve as the Broncos’ interim head coach for that contest.
[RELATED: Trevor Siemian Expected To Start Week 6]
“We’re really kind of leaving [the timeline] up to the doctors,” general manager John Elway said. “The process for Gary is to worry about Gary this week, so he’s got some different appointments set up, and we want to make sure that Gary takes care of himself.
“He’s going to take this week and take care of some of those issues, and find out if there are some different triggers, or what-not,” Elway said. “But when it comes down to Gary’s health, everybody’s excited about what the prognosis is.”
According to the Broncos, doctors want Kubiak to recuperate through next Monday, meaning he wouldn’t have been in a position to coach even if Denver was playing a typical Sunday game. Kubiak has already gone through one health scare during his coaching career, as he suffered a “transient ischemic attack” and collapsed during halftime in a 2013 contest.
PFR extends its best wishes to Coach Kubiak as he recovers, and hopes to see him back on the field very soon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Cardinals announced that they have released quarterback Zac Dysert, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic tweets. The release of Dysert is likely a sign that the Cardinals believe Carson Palmer will be healthy enough to take on the Jets on Sunday. The Cardinals also signed tackle Martin Wallace to the practice squad. 
The Cardinals promoted Dysert from the p-squad earlier this month when Palmer was knocked out of action with a concussion. Dysert held the clipboard for Drew Stanton while Palmer was sidelined, but he won’t be needed now that the veteran is once again ready for action.
Dysert, 26, has now been on six different rosters after being chosen in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. Dysert has yet to attempt a regular season pass.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Bills announced that they have activated offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson. To make room, safety Colt Anderson has been placed on injured reserve. 
Henderson was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The tackle started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started ten games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s. In May, head coach Rex Ryan and some of Henderson’s teammates indicated that they had not heard from him in some time.
This offseason, there were also rumblings that Henderson’s heart wasn’t in playing football and some teammates indicated that he had a problem with marijuana. The 24-year-old now has a chance to silence his critics as he joins the Bills this week.
Anderson suffered an arm injury in Buffalo’s 30-19 victory over the Rams. After spending the first six years of his career with the Eagles and Colts, Anderson joined Buffalo this offseason to beef up their special teams unit. He’ll be eligible for free agency after the season.
The Bills host the Niners on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Vikings worked out Jake Long today, as Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press tweets. Coach Mike Zimmer confirmed the workout to reporters at a press conference earlier today. 
Long, 31, could be a good pickup in the wake of Andre Smith‘s elbow injury. Smith was placed on IR earlier today, meaning that he will be out for at least eight weeks.
Long, a former No. 1 overall pick, spent the 2015 season with the Falcons after signing on midway through September. The veteran was hoping to have a bounce-back season in Atlanta, but he wound up only appearing in four games and he didn’t start in any of those contests. In the year prior, Long saw time in just seven games for the Rams last season due to a torn ACL. In the year before that, Long also tore his ACL in St. Louis.
In 2014, Long’s last season which could be measured by advanced metrics, Pro Football Focus ranked Long as just the No. 36 tackle out of 84 qualified players. In 2013, however, Long graded out as the seventh-best tackle in the league with a strong 22.5 overall score, based on PFF’s advanced metrics. Those numbers suggest that Long could still be a productive player if he can return to full health.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Browns have added a former first-round pick to the roster. Cleveland claimed offensive lineman Jonathan Cooper off waivers from the Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Cooper, the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 draft, was part of the deal that sent Chandler Jones to the Cardinals this offseason. After having started 11 of his 24 career games in Arizona, the 26-year-old was expected to slide in as the Patriots’ starting right guard. However, the guard suffered a foot injury early in camp and did not take the field for the Patriots this season.
It’s unlikely that Cooper will fulfill his first-round potential, but he could be a useful piece for the Browns if he is able to get healthy.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
The Dolphins have claimed cornerback Bene Benwikere off waivers from the Panthers, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). Benwikere was a surprise cut by Carolina earlier this week. 
A starting cornerback for Carolina this year, the team decided to part ways with “Big Play Bene” after Julio Jones exploded for a 300-yard game with 228 of those yards coming against the young corner. After the game, Benwikere admitted to reporters that he was gassed and that may have played a role in his release. The Panthers were expected to shake things up in the secondary, but few expected them to drop one of their top cornerbacks. Once he was cut, however, it was expected that Benwikere would be claimed on waivers.
The 1-4 Dolphins had a high waiver priority and they took advantage of it this week to grab the 25-year-old. Given Xavien Howard‘s knee injury and Byron Maxwell‘s shortcomings, Benwikere makes a lot of sense for Miami.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.