Cowboys Place DT Neville Gallimore, CB Kelvin Joseph On IR
Two young Cowboys contributors will miss at least the team’s September portion of the season. Both defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph will begin their seasons on IR.
Gallimore is recovering from a dislocated elbow, while Joseph suffered a groin injury during Dallas’ preseason finale last week. While each is expected to return this season, neither can do so before Week 4. Gallimore’s timeline lines up with that return date.
The Cowboys made Joseph one of their top additions this offseason, one in which numerous resources went to a defensive repair effort. Dallas selected Joseph 44th overall. The 20-year-old defender who played at LSU and Kentucky was unlikely to begin the season in the Cowboys’ starting lineup, but this represents a setback to start his pro career.
Dallas also placed tackle Josh Ball, wide receiver Malik Turner and tight end Sean McKeon on IR. This batch of moves will free up roster spots for a few players coming off the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. CeeDee Lamb, safety Damontae Kazee and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins are coming off the coronavirus list Thursday.
Vikings Re-Sign Britton Colquitt
Britton Colquitt wasn’t gone for long. The Vikings re-signed their punter on Thursday morning (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press).
[RELATED: Vikings Add Mannion To Practice Squad]
Colquitt was cut on Wednesday — a real eyebrow-raiser since he was the sole punter on Minnesota’s roster. But, as we’ve seen before in the NFL, this was a short-lived hiatus.
Colquitt re-upped with the Vikes on a three-year, $9MM deal last year with $5MM guaranteed. It’s likely that his new contract is cheaper, and possibly shorter. The 36-year-old has suited up for every Vikings game over the last two years, averaging 45.1 yards per attempt. He’ll look to keep up the good work this year as he enters his 12th NFL season.
Vikings Add Sean Mannion To Practice Squad
Sean Mannion is returning to Minnesota. Kirk Cousins‘ former backup will rejoin the Vikings but do so as a member of their practice squad. This comes a day after the Seahawks cut the veteran reserve.
Minnesota was linked to re-upping Mannion earlier this year but opted against doing so, leading the former third-round quarterback pick to Seattle this summer. The Seahawks, however, released Mannion to clear a roster spot for Jake Luton on Wednesday.
The Vikings selected Kellen Mond in this year’s third round, but the Texas A&M product can be viewed as a project. The team has only Cousins and Mond on its active roster. Mannion represents veteran insurance in the event of a Cousins injury or other unavailability this season. Teams can have up to six vested veterans on their 16-man practice squads this year.
A former Rams draftee, Mannion signed two one-year deals with the Vikings over the past two years. Cousins did not miss any time due to injury, keeping Mannion in a similar role to the one he held behind Jared Goff in Los Angeles, but the six-year vet’s presence certainly provided some stability for the Vikings. After both Mond and Cousins missed time due to placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list in August, veteran QB insurance certainly makes sense for the Vikes.
Lions Re-Sign TE Darren Fells, Place QB Tim Boyle On IR
As expected, the Lions will begin their season without backup quarterback Tim Boyle. A thumb injury will sideline him into October, with the team placing the former Packers reserve on IR Thursday.
The team also stashed defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand on IR. Players placed on IR after roster cutdown day are eligible to return after three games. This is Hand’s fourth IR stay in four seasons.
Detroit also brought back one of its offseason additions, re-signing tight end Darren Fells a day after releasing him. Fells made it through to the Lions’ 53-man roster after cut day but was dropped on Wednesday. The former college hoops standout-turned-red zone target signed with the Lions in May.
Fells joins T.J. Hockenson as the only tight ends on Detroit’s active roster. This will be Fells’ age-35 season and second with Detroit. He was on the 2017 Lions before relocating to Cleveland and then Houston. With the Texans, Fells caught 11 touchdown passes over the past two years.
Boyle’s injury leaves David Blough as the only QB behind Jared Goff on the Lions’ active roster. This marks Blough’s third year with the team.
Additionally, the Lions also re-signed safety Dean Marlowe on Thursday. A Bills contributor from 2018-20, Marlowe joined Fells in being dropped from the roster for procedural purposes Wednesday.
Rams, Johnny Hekker Rework Deal
Johnny Hekker is staying put. This week, the punter agreed to rework his contract in order to remain with the Rams in 2021 (via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). 
[RELATED: Rams Trade Bojorquez To Packers]
The Rams had another option in Corey Bojorquez, who spent the previous three seasons with the Bills. However, on Tuesday, they shipped him to the Packers, paving the way for Hekker to stick for a tenth season. The Rams also sent the Packers a 2023 seventh-round draft pick in the deal and received a 2023 sixth-rounder in return.
This isn’t the first time that the four-time first-team All-Pro had to rework his contract. Ultimately, he was willing to sacrifice a little bit in order to stay with the only team he’s ever known.
“What Johnny’s done here…long before I got here, is something that doesn’t go lost on me, doesn’t go lost on us,” head coach Sean McVay said recently. “And I am confident that he’s going to be the productive player he’s been throughout the course of his career.”
Hekker, 31, still stands as the Rams’ longest-tenured player.
Giants To Add Matt Skura To Practice Squad
The Giants continue to scoop up former AFC North O-linemen. After making two trades to bolster their front, they are planning to add Matt Skura to their practice squad, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.
Skura spent four seasons as a Ravens starter, working at center and guard. He operated as Baltimore’s starting center for most of Lamar Jackson‘s tenure, helping the team to historic rushing totals. The Ravens, however, did not re-sign him in free agency this year.
The Dolphins released Skura earlier this week, doing so after acquiring Greg Mancz from the Ravens. The Giants will give Skura, 27, another opportunity. This move comes after the Giants acquired center Billy Price from the Bengals and guard Ben Bredeson from the Ravens.
Although Skura is a Duke alum, his last year as a Blue Devils blocking cog (2015) came before Daniel Jones became the team’s starting quarterback. Still, this will bring a 51-game starter to Big Blue’s practice squad. Skura lost his starting job late last season, when Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s worst centers, but he was coming off a severe 2019 setback. Skura, who started 16 games for the Ravens in 2018, tore his ACL, MCL and PCL late in the 2019 regular season.
The offensive line has been a sticking point for the Giants for years, and this preseason was no exception. At center, the team has Nick Gates in place as a starter, with Price on the active roster as a backup. Price has not been a full-time starter at center since his 2018 rookie season.
Jets To Work Out LB Reuben Foster
For the first time in over a year, Reuben Foster has re-emerged on the NFL radar. The former first-round pick booked a Thursday workout with the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Foster has not played since back in October 2018, when the 49ers dropped him amid his latest legal issue. Washington claimed the talented linebacker but never ended up using him. Foster suffered an ACL tear in 2019, further pushing his career off course.
This would be a reunion between Foster and former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is on the verge of his first season as Jets HC. Saleh was in place as San Francisco’s DC throughout Foster’s stay with the team. The 49ers drafted Foster 31st overall in 2017, and he ripped off an impressive rookie season. Pro Football Focus graded Foster as a top-10 linebacker that year — Saleh’s first as 49ers DC. Though, the Alabama alum only played 10 games that year and saw his second season stop at six.
Altogether, Foster has played just 16 games. The NFL suspended him to start the 2018 season, following a turbulent offseason that involved multiple arrests — including one for domestic violence. Charges in that case were dropped, but the 49ers waived Foster midway through the ’18 season after he was arrested on DV charges again. The NFL placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list shortly after. Foster spent nearly two years in Washington, landing on season-ending IR in both the 2019 and ’20 seasons.
The former Crimson Tide standout is still just 27 but has obviously hit a career crossroads. The Jets placed fellow ex-first-round linebacker Jarrad Davis on IR Wednesday, shelving him for at least the season’s first three games. C.J. Mosley, who has missed much of his New York tenure due to injury and a 2020 opt-out, leads Gang Green’s linebacking corps.
DL Jurrell Casey Announces Retirement
Jurrell Casey‘s 2020 season came to an early end, and the Pro Bowl defensive lineman will not return for an 11th NFL campaign. The former Titans and Broncos defender announced his retirement Thursday morning.
The former third-round pick’s string of Pro Bowls ran through the 2019 season, when the Titans defensive end received his fifth such nod. Casey played nine seasons with Tennessee and was a starter from the outset. One of the top interior D-linemen of the 2010s, Casey ended up making 140 career starts.
The Titans made Casey an integral defensive component throughout the 2010s, signing him to two extensions. The USC product inked his first new deal — a four-year, $36MM pact — in 2014 and continued to play at a high level to the point the Titans gave him a third contract in 2017 (four years, $60MM).
Casey finished his career with 51 sacks — second-most in the franchise’s Tennessee years, one behind Jevon Kearse‘s total — and 85 tackles for loss. Casey is by far the Titans’ TFL king, registering 20-plus more than any other player in the franchise’s 22-season Tennessee stay.
Although the Titans struggled for much of Casey’s career, he contributed on two playoff-bound teams after signing his second extension. In the 2019 slate, Casey returned from injury to factor into Tennessee’s upset wins over New England and Baltimore. He dropped Lamar Jackson for two sacks in the latter victory, which cemented the Titans’ first AFC championship game trip in 17 years.
Tennessee traded Casey to Denver in 2020, but a biceps tear ended his season after three games. Injuries to Casey, Von Miller and other starters did well to sink Denver’s 2020 season. The Broncos released Casey in February, and although he popped up on teams’ radars this offseason, the accomplished defender changed course to lead to Thursday’s announcement.
Giants Place WR John Ross On IR
John Ross is heading to the IR. The Giants placed the wide receiver on injured reserve today, keeping their offseason acquisition sidelined through at least the first three weeks of the season.
Ross is well known for being the ninth overall pick in 2017, as well as his legendary NFL Combine 40-time of 4.22. Things didn’t go as planned with the Bengals, as his four years in Cincinnati were an abject disaster. He struggled with injuries, playing in three, 13, eight, and three games during his four seasons there. He finished his run with 51 catches for 733 yards and ten touchdowns, a pitiful sum for a top ten pick.
The 25-year-old inked a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Giants this offseason. He was sidelined throughout August with a hamstring injury, and that ailment will keep him on the shelf through September. Ross likely would have slotted in as the team’s fourth receiver behind Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton.
The Giants made a long list of moves today, including additions to their practice squad. See all of their transactions here.
Patriots Add K Nick Folk, QB Garrett Gilbert To Practice Squad
We previously learned that the Patriots had added quarterback Brian Hoyer and linebacker Jahlani Tavai to their practice squad, and the team has made two more notable additions. The Patriots added kicker Nick Folk and quarterback Garrett Gilbert to their taxi squad today, according to the team.
The Patriots parted ways with Folk earlier this week, making rookie Quinn Nordin their new starting kicker. However, the veteran, who connected on 26 of 28 field goals and 30 of 33 extra point attempts for New England in 2020, will stick around on the practice squad. Folk entered the league back in 2007 and spent his first few years as the Cowboys’ kicker, although he’s most well-known for being the Jets’ kicker for seven seasons from 2010-16.
The Cowboys moved on from Gilbert this week, and now the quarterback will land back with his former organization. The 30-year-old spent parts of the 2014 and 2015 seasons with New England. He got his first NFL start in 2020 with the Cowboys, completing 21 of his 38 pass attempts for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The rest of New England’s practice squad players can be found here.