Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
Signed to practice squad:
- S Chris Banjo, WR Andre Baccellia, OLB Ron’Dell Carter, WR Greg Dortch, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Kylie Fitts, OL Sean Harlow, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Koda Martin, TE Ross Travis, CB Jace Whittaker, S James Wiggins
Los Angeles Rams
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Landen Akers, RB Otis Anderson, TE Kendall Blanton, OT Chandler Brewer, DL Earnest Brown IV, DT Marquise Copeland, DB Dont’e Deayon, DB Tyler Hall, RB Buddy Howell, LB Micah Kiser, G Jeremiah Kolone, WR J.J. Koski, LB Justin Lawler, DB Kareem Orr, OT Max Pircher (international practice squad player; does not count toward L.A.’s 16-man total)
San Francisco 49ers
Signed:
- OL Jake Brendel, CB Dontae Johnson
Placed on IR:
- CB Davontae Harris, DL Maurice Hurst Jr.
Signed to practice squad:
- DL Alex Barrett, WR Travis Benjamin, WR River Cracraft, DL Darrion Daniels, OL Alfredo Gutierrez (international player; does not count against practice squad limit), FB Josh Hokit, TE Tanner Hudson, OL Corbin Kaufusi, OL Senio Kelemete, TE Jordan Matthews, S Jared Mayden, OL Colton McKivitz, QB Nate Sudfeld, LB Elijah Sullivan, CB Dee Virgin
Seattle Seahawks
Claimed:
- OT Dakoda Shepley (from 49ers), DB Nigel Warrior (from Ravens)
Signed:
- QB Jake Luton
Released/Waived:
- QB Sean Mannion
- G Phil Haynes
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Myles Adams, LB Aaron Donkor, G Greg Eiland, WR Aaron Fuller, WR Penny Hart, DT Jarrod Hewitt, WR Cade Johnson, RB Josh Johnson, G Pier-Olivier Lestage, TE Tyler Mabry, DT Robert Nkemdiche, CB John Reid, LB Jon Rhattigan, WR Cody Thompson
Vikings Cut Britton Colquitt
The Vikings have released punter Britton Colquitt, per the league’s transactional wire. It’s a surprising cut, especially since Colquitt was the sole punter on the Vikings’ roster.
Colquitt re-upped with the Vikes on a three-year, $9MM deal last year with $5MM guaranteed. The 36-year-old has suited up for every Vikings game over the last two years, averaging 45.1 yards per attempt. There’s no word yet on who might replace Colquitt. It’s also possible that he’ll be brought back on a cheaper/shorter contract.
All in all, Colquitt has eleven seasons under his belt between the Broncos, Browns, and Vikings. Given his body of work, he’ll likely find a deal from some team in the coming weeks.
Patriots Move WR N’Keal Harry To IR
The Patriots will begin their season without N’Keal Harry. They are placing the third-year wide receiver on IR, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Harry, who reported to Patriots camp after requesting a trade this offseason, suffered a shoulder injury. Because the Patriots had Harry on their 53-man roster after cutdown day, he will be eligible to return by Week 4.
Bill Belichick said he expects Harry to contribute this season; the injury is not believed to be too serious. The 22nd-year Pats coach added that he did not discuss a trade with the once-disgruntled wideout’s agent. But New England will still begin its season without Harry, whose career has hit a crossroads of sorts after two unproductive slates.
The Pats have a new-look group of pass catchers that stand to minimize Harry’s role, having signed Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor to go with tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. Former UDFA Jakobi Meyers is also expected to play a major role in the Pats’ now-Mac Jones-led offense.
Steelers Place DL Stephon Tuitt On IR
The Steelers will not have one half of their longtime defensive end duo to start the season. Stephon Tuitt will begin the year on IR.
Tuitt has battled a knee injury this summer. This move will sideline the eighth-year defensive lineman for at least the season’s first three games. The Steelers carried Tuitt through to their 53-man roster, but he will not be able to join Cameron Heyward and Co. in uniform until at least October.
Last season marked a return from a separate injury for Tuitt, who saw his 2019 slate end early because of a chest malady. Tuitt returned to have his best year as a pass rusher. The former second-round pick posted 11 sacks and 25 QB hits last season, helping the Steelers to an 11-0 start and the AFC North title.
Pittsburgh also placed offensive tackle Zach Banner and running back Anthony McFarland on IR Wednesday. After missing 15 games last season, Banner was in line to begin this year as the team’s right tackle starter. Those plans will be on hold. Banner began last season as the team’s right tackle but suffered a torn ACL in Week 1. Both players will also be eligible to return in Week 4.
To fill these roster spots, the Steelers brought back O-linemen B.J. Finney and Rashaad Coward, along with cornerback Arthur Maulet. Pittsburgh cut each on Tuesday.
Colts To Place T.Y. Hilton On IR
T.Y. Hilton recently underwent surgery, according to GM Chris Ballard. As a result, the Colts will be forced to move the wide receiver to injured reserve to start the year (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). 
Hilton suffered an undisclosed upper back/neck injury in practice recently. It’s a frustrating setback with lousy timing, but Ballard says that Hilton is already starting to feel better.
Hilton, of course, is a team icon who currently ranks third on the Colts’ all-time receiving yards list. He has spent his entire career in Indianapolis since being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft. The two sides avoided divorce this year, even after allowing Hilton to reach the open market.
While Hilton is out, the Colts will turn to Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell, and Zach Pascal for offensive firepower. They might be able to get by for now, but they’ll surely miss Hilton’s deep threat potential and experience in the coming weeks.
Zach Ertz Wants To Stay With Eagles
Zach Ertz has had a change of heart. In his first public comments of the offseason, the tight end told reporters that he wants to stay with the Eagles. 
“This is the place I want to be, this is the place I want to retire,” Ertz said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). “I’m moving on from everything that happened this offseason. There have been apologies…I love this city too much to burn it down.”
Ertz added that things have been “mended” with the team, so it sounds like all is well for the time being. It’s a huge turnaround from where things were just weeks ago. The three-time Pro Bowler pushed for a trade and, while he still reported to training camp, his Philly future was in doubt. The Eagles tried to oblige, but they couldn’t find a suitable deal for Ertz or his contract.
Ertz, 31 in November, is coming off of a down year. Now, with one season to go on his five-year, $42.5MM deal, he’s willing to stick it out. It remains to been seen whether Ertz will get an extension to help smooth things over, or whether he’ll be comfortable with his role in the long run. Once a focal point of the Eagles’ offense, Ertz figures to cede many of his targets to Dallas Goedert.
Panthers Cut David Moore
The Panthers have released David Moore, per a club announcement. The move doesn’t come as a total shock since the Panthers still have five wide receivers on the roster. 
Moore made the initial 53-man cut, but didn’t keep his spot for long. Second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr. turned in a strong camp, pushing Moore down the depth chart and, ultimately, off the team. The Panthers will give the youngin’ room to develop behind starters D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Brandon Zylstra and Shi Smith comprise the rest of the WR contingent, though Smith’s shoulder injury could allow Marshall to see extra snaps early on.
Moore’s two-year, $4.75MM deal included $1.25MM guaranteed, so the Panthers will carry some dead money here. Given his track record and relative youth (26), it’s likely that he’ll find work elsewhere. Last year, Moore notched 35 catches for 417 yards and six touchdowns for the Seahawks.
Jets Sign Josh Johnson To Practice Squad
The Jets are set to sign Josh Johnson to their 16-man practice squad, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). 
Johnson‘s second Jets stint came to an end on Tuesday, leaving Mike White as Zach Wilson‘s primary backup. White has yet to attempt a regular season pass, so it only makes sense for the Jets to keep Johnson around. The journeyman QB hasn’t had consistent playing time throughout his career (to put it mildly), but he has played/practiced with nearly half of the NFL. He’s also got an XFL stint under his belt, for what it’s worth.
The 35-year-old has famously been with nearly half the league’s teams. The 2008 fifth-round draft choice last played with Washington in 2018, and those three starts came five years after his previous game action. He will be back in free agency soon.
Johnson, a 2008 fifth-round draft pick, last played with Washington in 2018. He started in three games for D.C., ending a five-year drought of live action.
Texans Add Lane Taylor To Practice Squad
The Texans are signing offensive guard Lane Taylor to the taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (on Twitter). Taylor missed the big cut on Tuesday, but he’ll have a chance to crack the roster in Houston. 
Taylor, 32 in November, joined the Texans on a one-year deal earlier this year. Reunited with his old Green Bay OL coach, James Campen, he’s hoping to reignite his injury-derailed career.
Taylor has missed 29 games over the past two seasons due to bicep tears and knee trouble. He’s now several months removed from ACL surgery and ready to provide support for Houston’s front five.
Taylor took over as the Packers’ starting left guard when Josh Sitton was released years ago. In 2016, he graded out as the league’s No. 41 guard out of 72 qualifiers. Then, in the fall of 2017, the Packers rewarded him with a three-year, $16.5MM extension. He’s earning a lot less these days, but he has a clear path for playing time if everything goes well.
To date, Taylor has 79 games and 50 starts under his belt. However, he’s only suited up three times in the last two years.
Patriots Add LB Jahlani Tavai To Practice Squad
The Patriots are expected to sign former Lions linebacker Jahlani Tavai to the practice squad (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Tavai, a former starter in Detroit, should be a quick study on Matt Patricia‘s playbook.
The Lions couldn’t find a trade for the former Round 2 pick ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, so they waived him. This marked yet another second-round miss for the Lions, who also waived running back Kerryon Johnson earlier this year.
Tavai, the No. 43 overall pick in 2019, started 16 games during his time in Detroit, including ten in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded the University of Hawaii product as one of the worst off-ball ‘backers in the league last season. Still, the Patriots are getting him on the cheap and there’s still ample room for him to grow.