NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Rory Anderson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Luke Rhodes (Twitter link via Mich Chappell of CBS4)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: CB Tre Roberson (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
- Cut: LB Quentin Gause
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, LB Darnell Sankey (via Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Josh Keyes
Raiders Move Lee Smith To IR
The Raiders will be without their top blocking tight end for most likely the rest of the season after making the decision to place Lee Smith on IR, Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Suffering a broken bone in his lower leg during the first half against the Ravens, Smith will be out at least eight weeks. He’s likely going to miss the rest of the year, with the Raiders already having starting defensive end Mario Edwards on IR. They are expected to bring him back when he’s eligible.
To take Smith’s place on the roster, the Raiders signed Ryan O’Malley, a rookie UDFA out of Penn, off their practice squad.
Smith’s been Oakland’s primary blocking tight end since coming over from Buffalo last year. He’s started all 19 games in which he’s played, and although the sixth-year veteran isn’t a prolific receiver (18 total receptions with the Raiders since the start of the 2015 season), he’s their primary tight end.
Pro Football Focus rates Smith as the No. 5 run-blocking tight end through the 3 1/2 games he played this season. Receiving tight ends Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera are not near the top of said list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers CB Jason Verrett Done For Season
Today’s tests revealed some bad news for Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett. The starter has suffered a partially torn ACL and will undergo surgery to fix the issue, Verrett told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). Verrett added that his “season is done with.” 
Earlier today, it was reported that Verrett feared that he had been playing on a torn ligament in his knee for the last two weeks. While his toughness is admirable, that’s obviously unsustainable. Verrett will face a lengthy rehab process after going under the knife with an eye on playing in 2017.
Verrett, who is often assigned to the other team’s top receiver, earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2015. In 14 games last year, Verrett had 47 total tackles, three interceptions, and 12 passes defensed.
Through four games, Verrett has 13 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception. The advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus pegged him as just No. 71 out of 114 qualified corners in the NFL. That’s an indication that Verrett has been held back quite a bit by his injury.
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Extra Points: RG3, Packers, Cardinals, Texans, Hawk
RG3‘s shoulder will be re-evaluated this week to gauge where he is in his recovery, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. The evaluation may determine whether surgery is needed for the Browns quarterback.
In the Browns’ season opener against the Eagles, Griffin completed 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and added 37 rushing yards, but suffered a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder. He could technically return around the middle of the season, but early word is that he likely won’t see the field until 2017.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Packers plan to stand pat with Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo at tight end for the time being, as ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes. Starter Jared Cook will be sidelined from 4-to-6 weeks, but the Packers feel they can get by if Cook’s layoff is on the early end of that range. “That’s the plan as I stand here today,” coach Mike McCarthy said.
- Punter Drew Butler — whom the Cardinals waived on Tuesday — can re-sign with Arizona in six weeks, reports Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That means Butler and the Cards must have agreed to three-week injury settlement, because a player cut with a settlement must wait an additional three weeks on top of the time of the original settlement before re-signing with the club.
- Texans running back Jonathan Grimes (fractured fibula) will likely be out at least a few more weeks, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- A.J. Hawk‘s one-year deal with the Falcons is for the veteran’s minimum, but does contain a $15K signing bonus, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Hawk will play middle and outside linebacker for Atlanta, per McClure.
- The Texans’ one-year deal with defensive end Antonio Smith is for the veteran’s minimum, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Prorated for 13 games, Smith will count for just under $500K on Houston’s salary cap
- Former Green Bay defensive end Josh Boyd will work out for the Seahawks on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Boyd suffered an ankle injury in 2015 that limited him to just two games. In 2014, Boyd tallied 22 tackles and one pass deflection in 15 games (four starts).
Bengals TE Tyler Eifert Dealing With New Injury
Uh oh. Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, who was slated to return action on Sunday, did not practice with the team today. Apparently, his absence was not related to his injured ankle but instead is tied to a new malady (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The Bengals have since confirmed that Eifert is being evaluated for a back injury. His status for Week 5 (and potentially beyond) is now up in the air. 
[RELATED: Bengals “Blow Off” Report Criticizing Kevin Coyle]
The former first-round pick missed 15 games in 2014 with an elbow injury and played in 13 games last season. This offseason, he had ankle surgery and his recovery cost him a good chunk of summer practices as well as the first month of the season. The Bengals have been anxiously awaiting Eifert’s return and the impact that he could have in the red zone, so they are keeping their fingers crossed as team doctors examine him.
Through four games, the Bengals are 2-2 with wins over the Jets and Dolphins and losses to the Steelers and Broncos. On Sunday, they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cardinals’ Carson Palmer Won’t Play Thursday
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer won’t play on Thursday night against the 49ers, coach Bruce Arians told reporters moments ago. Backup Drew Stanton will get the nod when Arizona takes on San Francisco at Levi’s Stadium. 
Palmer suffered a concussion in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. Palmer is said to be doing better, but the team does not want to chance things by putting him into live action so soon. Palmer won’t make the trip with the team, so he won’t be available as a backup option should Stanton be removed from the game.
Through four games this year, Palmer has lobbed five interceptions against six touchdowns. Stanton – 7-5 as a starter in the NFL – will aim to do better. Quarterback Zac Dysert was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster yesterday and he’ll serve as Stanton’s understudy this week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Sign Josh Evans
The Redskins are signing safety Josh Evans, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Evans joins a Redskins’ secondary that has lost both David Bruton and DeAngelo Hall to injury. Evans is currently on the practice field with Washington, so it would appear that his deal is official. 
Evans auditioned for the Redskins late last month and apparently made a good impression on team brass. Cut by Jacksonville before the 53-man deadline, Evans played a significant role during his three years with the Jaguars. He appeared in 47 of a possible 48 regular-season games and tallied 36 starts, with at least 11 coming in each individual campaign.
Evans, 25, amassed 201 tackles – including a career-high 90 in 2014 – with the Jags. For his performance last season, he ranked just 77th among Pro Football Focus’ 89 qualified safeties.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins To Place David Bruton On IR
The Redskins will place safety David Bruton on IR, according to Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear what the injury is or if Bruton will be a candidate to return later this season. 
[RELATED: Redskins Sign Donte Whitner]
Bruton’s injury would explain the Redskins’ signing of Donte Whitner earlier today. With Bruton out, the Redskins are down one starter and Whitner should provide some valuable veteran depth. Since he is just getting acclimated to the system, it is fair to assume that Whitner will start out on the bench with Duke Ihenacho stepping into the starting role. The Bruton injury is yet another bad break for the Redskins secondary after DeAngelo Hall tore his ACL.
Bruton signed on with Washington in mid-March on a three-year, $9MM deal. Bruton spent the first seven years of his NFL career in Denver, playing a key role for the Broncos team that won the Super Bowl last month. A special-teamer and a backup for most of his career, Bruton saw more action on defense in 2015 due to injuries, and set career highs in several categories, including tackles (43), interceptions (two), and passes defended (seven).
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Bears To Place Kevin White On IR
The Bears announced that they are placing Kevin White on IR. White suffered a severe high-ankle sprain over the weekend that resulted in a fractured fibula. 
The second-year wide receiver – who is effectively in his first year after missing his whole rookie season – will weigh his options over the next couple of months. If he can avoid surgery, then White may be a candidate to return for the final month or so of the season. If he goes under the knife, then he’s likely done for the year. The team also will have to weigh the prospect of bringing White back against bringing another player off of IR. Cornerback Kyle Fuller, another first round talent, is also considered to be a candidate to return.
White asserted himself as a part of the offense with Jay Cutler early on in the season. When Cutler suffered a thumb injury, he showed that he had a good rapport with Brian Hoyer as well. White drew a whole bunch of targets in the last two weeks of action, but it will be a while before we see him on the field again.
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Redskins To Sign Donte Whitner
It took a little while, but Donte Whitner has found himself an NFL home for this season. The Redskins signed the safety after a workout on Tuesday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Whitner’s deal will be a one-year accord, which makes sense given his age and the fact that this is a mid-season deal. 
The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had Whitner pegged as a top 30 safety in 2015, but teams apparently did not agree with that assessment. Whitner met with multiple teams but found a very mild market this offseason. Now, Whitner will presumably be playing with a chip on his shoulder to show the rest of the league what they missed out on.
The Giants also auditioned Whitner this week given the rash of injuries they have had at the safety position, but he’ll be suiting up for a divisional rival instead.
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