Seahawks To Add Tanner Muse To P-Squad
Former Raiders linebacker Tanner Muse cleared waivers and selected a new home shortly after. The Seahawks are signing the former third-round pick to their practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Caught in a sudden roster crunch, after the Raiders both traded for Denzel Perryman and signed K.J. Wright, Muse will receive another opportunity in Wright’s old stomping grounds. The Raiders did make an attempt to keep Muse via practice squad invite, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore (on Twitter), but the young defender opted for Seattle’s offer.
This stands to be Muse’s first healthy NFL season. He missed all of his rookie year due to a toe injury. One of a few Raiders draft picks from Clemson, Muse intercepted four passes during his senior season with the Tigers and saw regular time for the ACC powerhouse’s previous two outfits.
After playing safety at Clemson, Muse moved to linebacker this offseason. While the Raiders previously had injury-created openings for linebackers during their preseason slate, ex-Gus Bradley charges Perryman and Wright filled them. Acquired during Paul Guenther‘s defensive coordinator stay, Muse ended up being jettisoned to create roster space.
The Seahawks only kept four linebackers on their active roster, giving Muse a potential early chance to contribute as a backup. Cody Barton resides as Seattle’s fourth linebacker, behind starters Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor. Teams have until Saturday afternoon to set their active 53-man for the week.
Texans Work Out WR Danny Amendola
The Texans’ new regime added numerous veterans on short-term deals this offseason, and GM Nick Caserio will look to a familiar name to potentially continue doing so. Danny Amendola worked out for the Texans on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
A five-year Patriot who contributed heavily on two of the team’s three 2010s Super Bowl-winning teams, Amendola spent the past two seasons in Detroit under ex-New England staffers Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia.
Another reunion could be on tap for the veteran wide receiver, though the Texans would mark an interesting fit given their low expectations this season. Of course, the team has signed a host of midlevel vets this offseason. Ex-Patriots Rex Burkhead and Marcus Cannon are part of that mix. Amendola is also a Houston-area native and played collegiately at Texas Tech.
Caserio let Will Fuller walk in free agency and traded Randall Cobb back to the Packers this year. Keke Coutee, another wideout investment by a previous Houston regime, is also elsewhere. Only Brandin Cooks remains from last season’s Texans receiving corps. The Texans added Chris Conley and return man Andre Roberts in free agency, traded for Anthony Miller and drafted Nico Collins in Round 3.
Amendola, 35, exceeded 600 receiving yards in both Lions seasons. Last season, he caught 46 passes for 602 yards in 14 games. He spent the 2018 season with the Dolphins. Should Amendola catch on this season, he will be the NFL’s oldest active wide receiver. Larry Fitzgerald held that title for a bit, but the future Hall of Famer is unsigned and has not expressed an immediate desire to play in 2021.
Saints To Release RB Latavius Murray
The Saints are set to have a new backup running back. They are releasing Latavius Murray, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding that the veteran refused a pay cut Monday.
While this strips the Saints of another proven weapon, it will give other teams in need at running back an interesting option ahead of Week 1. Murray spent the past two seasons working as Alvin Kamara‘s backup. He saw extensive time during that stretch, surpassing 600 rushing yards in each season.
Murray agreed to a four-year, $14.4MM deal with New Orleans in 2019, coming over from Minnesota to replace Mark Ingram as Kamara’s between-the-tackles sidekick. The team’s pay-cut request certainly came at a late juncture; Murray, 31, was set to make $2.95MM in base salary this season.
Missing just one game during his two-year Saints stay, Murray totaled 1,293 rushing yards with the team. He scored 11 touchdowns as a Saint, filling in for an injured Kamara for short stretches in both seasons, and provided a smooth transition from Ingram. The Saints have fourth-year back Dwayne Washington and second-year UDFA Tony Jones Jr. as their active-roster backs behind Kamara. The latter appears the better bet to take over as Kamara’s primary backup. A Notre Dame product, Jones has three career carries but impressed this summer.
Texans Add K Joey Slye To Practice Squad
Not long after working out Joey Slye, the Texans will bring him into the fold. The former Panthers kicker agreed to join the Texans on a practice squad deal Tuesday. To make room, Houston released defensive back Cornell Armstrong from its P-squad.
Slye operated as the Panthers’ primary kicker for the past two seasons, succeeding Graham Gano in that capacity. After Carolina added Gano’s Giants camp competitor (Ryan Santoso) via trade, Slye landed on the waiver wire. Unclaimed, the third-year specialist will end up in Houston.
Top Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a pulled muscle, per Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), though he is still expected to kick in Houston’s opener. Slye, however, represents insurance and potential in-season competition for Fairbairn. He also stands to serve as an option for other teams in need. A team can poach Slye off Houston’s taxi squad at any point, if the Texans refuse to promote him to their active roster.
A Virginia Tech product, Slye made 29 of 36 field goals last season. Though, two of those misses came on fourth-quarter tries from 65 and 67 yards, respectively. The Texans also auditioned ex-Chargers kicker Michael Badgley. Fairbairn has been the Texans’ kicker since 2017. He signed an extension in 2020.
Texans Claim CB Jimmy Moreland
The Texans continue to add to their cornerback room ahead of their season opener. They added a former Washington slot defender to their reconfigured mix Tuesday.
Houston claimed Jimmy Moreland off waivers from Washington, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Washington waived Moreland with an injury designation, per Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson, who notes the third-year veteran is healthy as of Tuesday (Twitter link).
Moreland will join newcomers Desmond King, Terrance Mitchell and Tavierre Thomas among the Texans’ cornerback contingent. A former seventh-round pick, Moreland played steadily with Washington over the past two seasons. He played 599 snaps with Washington’s top-five-ranked defense last year (518 in the slot) and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 75 overall corner. Moreland, 26, also played 470 defensive snaps as a rookie for Washington’s previous regime.
While the Texans submitted a successful claim, Fowler adds (via Twitter) the Eagles were planning to sign Moreland had he cleared waivers. Washington made Moreland one of its final cuts to move their roster down to 53 last week. Two years remain on the James Madison alum’s rookie contract.
Raiders To Host D’Onta Foreman
Released from the Falcons’ practice squad on Friday, D’Onta Foreman is already drawing some new interest. The free agent running back is visiting with the Raiders on Tuesday, veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweets.
Foreman worked out for Atlanta at the beginning of August, and signed to the team’s practice squad after roster cuts. He lasted just a couple of days on the practice squad before getting the boot. Foreman also had a workout with the Seahawks back in April, his only other publicly reported visit this offseason. Foreman was highly regarded coming out of Texas, and the Texans drafted him 89th overall in 2017.
He flashed potential as a rookie, and was viewed as the future starter in Houston. Unfortunately, midway through his first pro season he tore an Achilles, an injury he struggled to recover from. He started the following year on the PUP list, and only ended up appearing in one game in 2018.
Foreman quickly fell out of favor with the team, with the organization accusing him of having poor work habits, and he was released in 2019. He latched on with the Colts, but then tore a bicep and sat out all of that season.
Signed to the Titans’ practice squad last season, he ended up appearing in six games for Tennessee, rushing 22 times for 95 yards. Jalen Richard was recently placed on injured reserve, which left the Raiders a bit thin at running back. They did just sign Peyton Barber a few days ago, but they still only have three active guys in the backfield for now. Despite being around for a while, Foreman only turned 25 back in April.
Seahawks To Sign CB John Reid To Active Roster
It’s been a rollercoaster of a couple weeks for John Reid, but he’s back on a 53-man roster. The Seahawks have signed the cornerback from their practice squad to their active roster, his agency announced on Twitter.
A Penn State product, Reid was a fourth-round pick of the Texans just last year. He appeared in 13 games for Houston as a rookie and started one, but was traded to Seattle for a 2022 seventh-rounder toward the end of training camp. Just a week after trading for him the Seahawks waived him, quickly adding him back on the practice squad.
Now after a week on the practice squad, he’s back on the active roster. Seattle had a lot of turnover at cornerback this offseason, most notably letting Shaquill Griffin walk in free agency. The same day they waived Reid, they also traded for former Eagles and Jags corner Sidney Jones.
They also drafted Tre Brown out of Oklahoma in the fourth-round, and now have a pretty young group of cornerbacks. It wouldn’t be surprising if Reid gets a crack at some point.
Seahawks, Duane Brown Reach Agreement
Right before the start of the regular season, the Seahawks have taken care of one of their last remaining orders of business. Seattle has agreed to a deal with Duane Brown for him to play the 2021 season under, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Seahawks will be “converting per game roster bonuses to guarantees” for this season while the veteran offensive tackle also gets an “injury protection benefit for 2022,” Rapsheet writes. We heard a couple of weeks ago the team was looking for a compromise, and they were able to get something done. Brown skipped training camp, staging a hold-in, in search of a new contract.
He didn’t get the extension he was hoping for, and will still become a free agent after this season, but at least he now has some injury protection for next year. For what it’s worth, Russell Wilson was vocal in his support for Brown this summer, not really giving the Seahawks much of a choice.
Brown will make around $10MM this year, a bargain for a blindside protector of his caliber. Despite turning 36 last month, the five-time Pro Bowler has remained a quality starter.
Brown isn’t any stranger to contract disputes, or to holding his ground. His holdout with the Texans in 2017 saw him sit out the first six games of the season, and eventually led to his trade to Seattle.
Texans Work Out Michael Badgley, Joey Slye
The Texans auditioned free agent kickers Joey Slye and Michael Badgley, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. Current kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is still expected to play against the Jaguars, but Slye or Badgley could get the call if any issues arise.
As evidenced by Matt Rhule trying 65- and 67-yard yard field goals against the Saints and Chiefs last season, Slye has one of the strongest legs in the NFL. This year, however, he lost out on the kicking competition. Over the last two years, he’s made 54-of-68 FGs while going 64-of-71 on XPs.
Badgley, meanwhile, has appeared in 36 games for the Chargers over the last three years. He’s nailed 52-of-65 of his field goal attempts with 82-of-86 extra points made.
In other Texans news, Tyrod Taylor will begin the year as the team’s starting quarterback. He’ll be backstopped by rookie Davis Mills while Deshaun Watson remains in professional limbo.
Jaguars Work Out Reuben Foster
The Jaguars auditioned Reuben Foster on Monday, per the league’s official workout announcement. If he lands a deal, Foster will have a chance to play for the first time since October 2018.
[RELATED: Jaguars Sign Duke Johnson To Practice Squad]
The 49ers dropped Foster roughly three years ago and he was quickly claimed by Washington. However, the talented linebacker but never ended up using him. Foster suffered an ACL tear in 2019, further pushing his career off course. He also spent 2020 on IR. Between the suspensions and injuries, the 27-year-old has played just 16 total games as a pro.
Foster’s best on-the-field work came as a rookie in 2017, when Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-10 linebacker. Now said to be back at 100%, he’s also drawn interest from the Jets and former Niners coach Robert Saleh. If the Jaguars see him as a fit, he could become this week’s second high-profile signing, after running back Duke Johnson agreed to join the 16-man practice squad.
All in all, Foster has registered 101 tackles and two passes defensed in 16 total NFL games.