NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed: LB Trevor Roach (Twitter link via Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer)- Cut: Darius Hillary
New England Patriots
- Signed: FB Glenn Gronkowski (story)
- Cut: WR Da’Ron Brown
Panthers Promote DE Larry Webster
The Panthers have promoted defensive end Larry Webster in advance of Sunday’s game against the Falcons, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Carolina opened up a roster spot by waiving wide receiver Brenton Bersin earlier today.
[RELATED: Panthers Sign Michael Griffin, Kyle Love]
Webster will act as a safety net for a Panthers defensive line that is already banged up just three games into the season. Veteran defensive end Charles Johnson is dealing with a quad injury and is questionable for Sunday’s contest after not practicing on Friday. Rookie defensive tackle Vernon Butler, meanwhile, has already been ruled out with an ankle ailment. Carolina, in turn, re-signed DT Kyle Love as insurance earlier this week.
Webster, 26, was a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 2014. He spent the first two seasons of his career with Detroit — on both the active and practice roster — but never saw a regular season snap. The Panthers snatched him up via a futures deal this winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Sign Glenn Gronkowski To Taxi Squad
The Patriots have added another member of the Gronkowski family to their organization, as they’ve agreed to sign fullback Glenn Gronkowski to their practice squad, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Glenn, of course, is the younger brother of New England tight end Rob Gronkowski.
[RELATED: Patriots Sign Greg Scruggs, Cut John Hughes]
The younger Gronkowski signed with the AFC East rival Bills this year as an undrafted free agent from Kansas State and cracked their Week 1 roster, but the team cut him after its opening loss to the Ravens. Gronkowski auditioned for the Patriots in mid-September, and the club has now decided to add him to their taxi squad.
In order to create a practice squad roster spot for Gronkowski, the Patriots have cut wide receiver Da’Ron Brown, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). New England had just signed Brown earlier this week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The 49ers cut running back DuJuan Harris and signed tight end Je’Ron Hamm, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. This represents the third time the Niners have cut Harris, a former Packer for three years, this season. Hamm could be needed for emergency duty, with Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek listed as questionable for San Francisco’s Week 4 tilt against Dallas. Hamm saw action in one game with Washington last season and spent a game on the 49ers’ active roster in 2015 as well.
- Offensive tackle Jeremy Vujnovich will join the Colts‘ 53-man roster after the team signed him off its practice squad, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 and CBS 4 reports (on Twitter). The 25-year-old tackle has yet to see action in an NFL game. Chappell notes this could be an indication right tackle Joe Reitz isn’t progressing sufficiently from a back injury.
Patriots Sign Greg Scruggs, Cut John Hughes
The Patriots exchanged one fifth-year player for another on the day before their Week 4 clash against the Bills. New England signed Greg Scruggs and cut John Hughes, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Both have spent the majority of their careers as defensive linemen, but Scruggs could be tapped to play tight end for the Patriots. He played four seasons as a reserve defensive lineman, seeing action for the Seahawks in 2012, ’13 and ’15, before moving to tight end with the Bears. The Pats worked out Scruggs on Friday.
Chicago waived Scruggs earlier this week. The 6-foot-3 former defensive end did see time in all three of Chicago’s games thus far this season but hasn’t made a catch at his new position yet. The Patriots listed Rob Gronkowski as questionable again this week. If he’s unable to go, Scruggs could have a route to being a game-day active in a Martellus Bennett-fronted group.
However, the Pats already have two other tight ends on their roster in Clay Harbor and A.J. Derby, and Doug Kyed of NESN.com (Twitter link) points out the team might want Scruggs to work at his former position.
Hughes signed with the Patriots on Monday after the Browns cut him last week to create a spot for Charlie Whitehurst. Cleveland signed the defensive lineman to a four-year, $14.4MM extension in March of 2015, but the franchise’s new regime evidently didn’t think as highly of him as the Ray Farmer– and Mike Pettine-led operation did.
The 28-year-old Hughes has played in 53 games (10 starts) since coming into the league as a third-round pick in 2012. He played in one game for the Browns this season after suiting up for all 16 in 2015. Hughes has 5.5 career sacks to his credit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints Cut Khalif Barnes, Sign Brian Dixon
For the second time in a month, the Saints made the decision to cut tackle Khalif Barnes, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Third-year cornerback Brian Dixon will return to the team’s active roster after spending time this season on the Saints’ practice squad.
The 34-year-old Barnes has spent plenty of time on the fringe for the Saints this summer, working out for the team on multiple occasions and now being cut for the second time. Sean Payton said in September, when both he and Dixon failed to make New Orleans’ 53-man roster, Barnes was not yet in football shape. The Saints then re-signed him two weeks later after he presumably worked his way into shape.
Barnes did not see action for the Saints this season after playing for the Jaguars and Raiders for 11 years. A starter of 117 games since entering the league as a second-round Jags pick in 2005, Barnes started just one game for the Raiders last season — his final year with the team he played for from 2009-15.
Dixon rejoins a Saints team in dire need of experience at corner after losing both Delvin Breaux and second-year player P.J. Williams to injuries. A third-year UDFA out of Division II Northwest Missouri State, Dixon played in all 32 of New Orleans’ contests in 2014-15 as a backup. He’ll likely function in that role again.
The Saints have Sterling Moore, whom they signed late in the summer, and UDFAs Ken Crawley and De’Vante Harris as their top three corners presently. Dixon saw action for both Rob Ryan and Dennis Allen‘s units in 2015, so system acclimation probably won’t be an issue.
The Saints, after giving up an NFL-record 45 touchdown passes last season, rank 25th against the pass this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Cut C.J. Wilson, Sign Ben Braunecker
Since his four-year stay in Green Bay — one that included a rookie-year Super Bowl ring — C.J. Wilson has not had much luck sticking with teams. This pattern persisted on the eve of the Bears’ Week 4 contest, when they cut Wilson and promoted rookie tight end Ben Braunecker from their practice squad, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (on Twitter).
No tight ends reside on Chicago’s injury report in advance of Sunday’s Bears-Lions game, but prior to Braunecker’s promotion, the team only had two on its roster — Zach Miller and Logan Paulsen. The UDFA’s been with the team since signing after the draft.
Wilson, however, spent the offseason with multiple teams, the Bears and Saints after a lengthy stay in free agency. This came after he’d suited up for the Raiders and Lions the past two seasons. The Packers did not opt to bring the defensive end back after his rookie contract expired in 2014.
The 29-year-old defender will head to waivers after bypassing that step due to the Saints cutting him before the season. The Raiders waived Wilson in November, and after he caught on with the Lions, Detroit released him in February.
Wilson has not played in a game this season after suiting up for 12 last year. He has 6.5 career sacks in 78 career games (19 starts).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Potential London Team
Naturally, the latest London game brought more discussion of where the NFL bringing a team to England on a full-time basis stands. When the subject of a London Super Bowl surfaced, Roger Goodell pumped the brakes on such a maneuver until the NFL has a team stationed in London, via James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
As far as the seemingly monumental task of relocating a team to London, or installing one there as an expansion outfit, more emerged on that front as well. Jim Irsay is in favor of a London team but notes it can only be a worthwhile venture if a forward-thinking owner runs it with an understanding of both the American and European market.
“That’s my goal as an owner, to find the right owner and the right team to come here,” Irsay told George Bremer of the Herald Bulletin (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “… We look forward to having a permanent NFL team here.”
Smith points out the NFL remains serious about a London team. Several owners believe this is the league’s popularity apex in the states and the only way for the game to grow further would be a move overseas. While the right owner would help, it wouldn’t solve the logistical issues that continue to plague it. This makes Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star doubt this long-rumored London project will happen.
We heard in June the owners discussed this issue in-depth at a meeting, right down to what a playoff bracket would look like if a London trip was involved. But what did not come out of those meetings were how a London team would affect regular seasons and the players who uprooted to Europe to play for this hypothetical franchise.
Doyel doubts a London team could field the same kind of talent due to the life-changing relocation it would require and doesn’t think the NFLPA would back the move, as it would have to. Additionally, Doyel points out the team’s division mates would be at a disadvantage in having to make the trip annually — not to mention the actual London team’s road games occurring between five and eight hours apart from its time zone, with only one bye week to help for restoration purposes.
“That would be tough,” Colts defensive end Kendall Langford told Doyel regarding being on a London-stationed team. “It would be tough for me, especially when you have to go to the West Coast. (But) anything is possible in this league.”
Nevertheless, this will continue to be a key topic in league circles, especially during weeks the league’s London showcase opens its Sunday slate.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Place Nate Orchard On IR
The Browns placed outside linebacker Nate Orchard on IR and signed linebacker Cam Johnson off the Cardinals’ practice squad to replace him on the roster.
Orchard suffered an ankle injury on the final play of the Browns’ overtime loss to the Dolphins in Miami. Due to the new IR rule, he could return this season, But given teams can only reactivate one player from IR, that’s far from certain. He couldn’t come back to practice until mid-November and would be out of any Cleveland games until December.
The second-year player arrived as a second-round draft choice. Orchard, 23, started one game this season for the Browns and played in all three. Orchard’s registered four tackles this season after making 36 as a rookie.
In addition to Orchard’s extensive absence, the Browns look to be without fellow rotational outside ‘backer Corey Lemonier, who is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s tilt in Washington. This leaves Emmanuel Ogbah and fellow rookie Joe Schobert, a fourth-rounder, as the starers for a Browns team that suddenly doesn’t have much depth outside in its 3-4 look.
Despite having resided on Arizona’s taxi squad, the 26-year-old Johnson has four years of NFL experience, seeing action in 15 games. Twelve of those came for the Colts in 2013. Johnson, though, played in one game for the Browns last season, but the former 49ers seventh-rounder has never started a game since entering the league in 2012.
The Cardinals signed Johnson to their practice squad earlier this week, nearly a month after the Browns initially released him out of training camp. Johnson spent most of the 2015 season on Cleveland’s taxi squad.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Cut Brenton Bersin
The Panthers have cut wide receiver Brenton Bersin, reports Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). No corresponding move has been made, but Person 
wonders if the team may be looking to acquire some offensive line depth. Starting left tackle Michael Oher will miss this weekend’s game with a concussion.
Bersin joined the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2012. The Wofford College product had a solid rookie campaign, hauling in 13 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also served as one of the Panthers’ return men, averaging nearly 24-yards on kickoffs and six-yards on punts. The 26-year-old played nine games (two starts) in 2015, but he’s only seen the field for one of the Panthers’ three games in 2016. Bersin also briefly spent time playing for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.
According to Roster Resource, the Panthers now have five wideouts on their roster: Kelvin Benjamin, Ted Ginn Jr., Devin Funchess, Corey Brown, and Damiere Byrd.