49ers Working Out CB Leon Hall
The 49ers are auditioning veteran defensive back Leon Hall today, a source tells Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Hall also worked out for San Francisco in May.
Clearly, two workout sessions in the span three months indicates the 49ers have a relatively serious level of interest in signing Hall. Waiting until September to (potentially) sign Hall means the 49ers were able to give more practice reps to their younger defensive backs during the summer, while holding off on inking Hall until after Week 1 would ensure that his 2017 salary doesn’t become fully guaranteed.
San Francisco is scheduled to field one of NFL’s most youthful secondaries, as starting cornerbacks Rashard Robinson and Dontae Johnson will be backed up by Keith Reaser, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Adrian Colbert. At age-32, Hall would easily become the oldest member of that crew, and add some much-needed experience to the 49ers’ back-end.
Hall, who’s shown the ability to play safety in addition to his natural cornerback position, spent the 2016 season with the Giants after nearly a decade in Cincinnati. In 12 appearances, Hall played on roughly a third of New York’s defensive snaps and managed 30 tackles, one interception, and two sacks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Jordan Tripp
- Placed on IR: LaRoy Reynolds
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR: S Chris Prosinski
Detroit Lions
- Released from IR: DB Tramain Jacobs
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Marcus Burley
- Released from IR: WR Wendall Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Nick Dzubnar
Los Angeles Rams
- Released from IR: WR Nelson Spruce
New England Patriots
- Released from IR: DE Corey Vereen
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Bryce Harris
New York Giants
- Released from IR: S Duke Ihenacho, S Mykkele Thompson
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Neal Sterling
- Waived: FB Julian Howsare
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: S Erik Harris, LB Xavier Woodson-Luster
- Placed on IR: OL Denver Kirkland, S Obi Melifonwu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DE Alex McCalister, S Tre Sullivan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DL Will Clarke, LS Garrison Sanborn
- Placed on IR: QB Ryan Griffin
- Waived: DL Channing Ward
Jets To Sign Jeremy Kerley
He’s back. The Jets have signed wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
The Jets auditioned Kerley on Tuesday morning and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’ll now return to the team with which he spent his first five seasons.
Kerley was a staple of the Jets’ offense for multiple seasons, but he fell off the radar in 2015. The next season, he landed in San Francisco where he flourished. The Niners re-signed him to a lucrative contract only to release him prior to this year’s 53-man deadline.
In 16 games last year, Kerley caught 64 of 115 targets for 667 yards and three scores. Those are solid numbers and they look a little more impressive when considering that he was playing in one of the league’s most putrid offenses. He might have a similar experience now that he’s back in New York. The good news for him is that he should have ample opportunities to showcase his skills. Kerley is arguable the most talented receiver on a Jets team that is without Quincy Enunwa this year.
Kerley can also be a contributor on special teams as a punt returner.
Packers Sign Quinton Dial
The Packers have signed former San Francisco defensive lineman Quinton Dial, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
The Packers have now added two former Niners front seven players in the last week. At the end of August, Green Bay also inked linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Brooks wound up on the curb as a cap casualty while Dial was not a scheme fit for SF’s new look defense.
Now back in a 3-4, the Packers are hoping that Dial can produce. He started 26 games for SF over the last two years and he’s still only 27, so there’s reason for hope. He’ll likely start off the year in a reserve role but he has an opportunity to get some real playing time with the Packers..
The Packers start their season at home against the Seahawks on Sunday.
Broncos Add Jonathan Williams To P-Squad
The Broncos have signed running back Jonathan Williams to the practice squad, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’s receiving a sizable salary that equals out to $510K over the course of the season, which indicates that there was a healthy market for him after the Bills cut him loose. The minimum practice squad salary is just over $7K per week. 
Early on this offseason, Williams seemed poised to step into Mike Gillislee‘s role as LeSean McCoy‘s top backup. He lost ground in that competition, however, and the Bills decided to cut him loose rather than pay out the full value of his contract. The Broncos and 30 other teams declined to pick him up off of waivers, thereby picking up his deal and giving him a roster spot, but multiple teams wanted him on the taxi squad. The Broncos won out over the competition.
The Broncos will roll into the season with C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Jamaal Charles, and De’Angelo Henderson at running back. Booker’s status is up in the air to start the season, so there’s already a potential roster opening for Williams if that injury lingers.
Cardinals Sign G Alex Boone
Free agent guard Alex Boone has agreed to terms with the Cardinals, according to his agents at Schwartz & Feinsod. Arizona announced the deal as a one-year pact.
Boone was a surprise cut by Minnesota prior to the 53-man deadline this weekend. Just last year, the Vikings inked him to a four-year, $26.8MM deal with $10MM guaranteed. After a so-so year, the Vikings decided to cut ties and save some dollars.
In Arizona, Boone could displace Evan Boehm as the team’s starting right guard. If he does, he’ll once again start opposite of Mike Iupati.
A 14-game starter for Minnesota in 2016, Boone ranked as the NFL’s No. 37 guard among 75 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned him high marks for his pass blocking but poor scores in the run game. During his best years as a member of the Niners, Boone was regarded as an above-average starter and even earned a second-team All-Pro selection in 2012.
This week, Boone expressed interest in signing with the Dolphins and reuniting with ex-Niners offensive line coach Chris Foerster. He’s a long way from Miami, but he is still joining a team with playoff potential.
Bengals WR John Ross Suffers Knee Sprain
Bengals first-round pick John Ross suffered a knee sprain in Cincinnati’s final preseason game. The sprain is expected to keep him out of the season opener and likely for the team’s short turnaround in Week 2, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He could potentially return for Week 3. 
Cincinnati starts the 2017 campaign at home against the division-rival Ravens, and then faces the Texans just four days later. That quick turnaround could hypothetically force Ross to miss multiple games, especially if he suffers a setback of some sort. After the Bengals’ Thursday night game versus Houston, the club doesn’t play for 10 more days, so September 24 at Green Bay should represent a worst-case return date for Ross.
Ross, the ninth overall selection in this year’s draft, will add an element of speed to Cincinnati’s offense when healthy, but the Bengals have the wide receiver depth to withstand a short absence from their first-year wideout. A.J. Green, clearly, is one of the best receivers in the league, and Cincinnati also boasts secondary options such as Brandon LaFell, Tyler Boyd, Cody Core, and fourth-round rookie Josh Malone.
Bills Place QB T.J. Yates On IR
The Bills announced that they have placed quarterback T.J. Yates on injured reserve. In other QB news, the Bills confirmed that Tyrod Taylor will be ready to go for Week 1 against the Jets. 
Both Yates and Taylor suffered concussions in August, putting the team’s QB depth in serious jeopardy. The team signed Joe Webb on Monday to brace for the possibility that rookie Nathan Peterman would be left as the team’s only other healthy signal caller. Now that Taylor has been given the green light, Webb may or may not stick on the roster as the QB3. Yates will be eligible to return after eight weeks, if the Bills want to use one of their two IR-DTR spots on him.
In other news, the Bills signed safety Colt Anderson and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton. Defensive tackle Deandre Coleman has been released.
Ezekiel Elliott Ruling To Come Down Today
The Ezekiel Elliott saga could be coming to a close. Hearing officer Harold Henderson has informed all parties that he will render his ruling by the close of business on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
After a yearlong investigation into domestic violence accusations made against him, Elliott was slapped with a six-game suspension this summer. Both Elliott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have said that the allegations are without merit and the running back’s camp has vowed to fight the ban until all options have been exhausted. That includes appealing through the highest levels of the justice system, so Elliott’s battle could continue if the suspension is not overturned or significantly reduced today.
If Elliott does not win his appeal or at least have the suspension reduced, he will miss games against the Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, and 49ers. Because the Cowboys have a Week 6 bye, an upheld suspension would delay his 2017 debut until October 29th when the Cowboys take on the Redskins.
Jets Work Out WR Jeremy Kerley
The Jets’ decimated receiving corps might finally get some help. Wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is working out for the team, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears.
Kerley spent the first five years of his creer with the Jets. He broke out with 56 catches for 827 yards in 2012, but his production declined in each following year with Gang Green. He reemerged in 2016 with the Niners as he hauled in 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. San Francisco re-signed him to a three-year, $10.5MM deal in March, but he wound up as a surprise cut on Sept. 2.
The 28-year-old (29 in November) wasn’t good enough to reprise his role on one of 2016’s worst teams, but he could wind up as the leading receiver for what projects to be 2017’s worst squad. Robby Anderson, the newly-acquired Jermaine Kearse, and rookie ArDarius Stewart currently profile as the team’s best WRs.