Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Verone McKinley
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Matt Overton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Colby Gossett
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Vitaliy Gurman
D.J. Humphries had bounced back from an injury-limited 2022 season, lining up at left tackle in 15 games this year. But his 2024 offseason will include extensive rehab after another injury.
Jonathan Gannon confirmed Wednesday (via ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss) the ninth-year blocker suffered a torn left ACL. Humphries will head to IR and need surgery. The timing of this injury, as Kyler Murray‘s 2022 ACL tear did, creates questions about Humphries’ availability to start next season.
A back injury limited Humphries to eight games last season, one that saw an aging Cardinals O-line decimated by injuries. Humphries, 30, returned to practice this summer and has protected Murray’s blind side since the Pro Bowl quarterback returned at the midseason point. Humphries is under contract for the 2024 season, but a stay on the reserve/PUP list could come to pass by September.
Drafted in the 2015 first round, Humphries is one of the longest-tenured O-linemen in Cardinals history and one of the longest-tenured players in the franchise’s Arizona years. Since debuting in 2016, Humphries has started 98 games. That puts him 12 away from moving into the top 10 among O-line starts for the 100-plus-year old organization. Before he can move past 100 career Cards starts, Humphries will be on the shelf for a while.
The Cardinals have given Humphries three contracts. The most recent, agreed to during the summer of 2022, runs through the 2025 season. Humphries’ three-year, $51MM deal checked in a bit below expectations, given where the LT market was at the time, but it provided $32MM in total guarantees. All of Humphries’ fully guaranteed money has been paid out, however. While he would be entitled to a small amount by way of injury protection, the Cardinals could consider a 2024 cut and pick up more than $15MM in cap space (via a post-June 1 designation). Though, it is too early to make assumptions there.
Humphries signed all three of his Cardinals contracts during Steve Keim‘s GM run. Monti Ossenfort‘s first draft choice as a GM went to a tackle, Paris Johnson, whom the team placed on the right side opposite Humphries. Johnson closed his college career at left tackle. The team traded Humphries’ 2022 injury fill-in, Josh Jones, to the Texans in August. The team still has Kelvin Beachum as potential insurance, having re-signed the veteran to a two-year, $5.2MM deal in March.
The Florida alum had struggled with injuries during his early years but stabilized his career in 2019, beginning a three-season stretch of 16-game seasons. The 2021 campaign, which snapped a Cardinals playoff drought, produced a Pro Bowl berth. But injuries have again stalled Humphries. With ACL recoveries generally requiring at least nine months of rehab, Humphries’ availability for the ’24 campaign will need to be monitored over the offseason.
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Caleb Johnson
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Jeremy Lucien
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Mike Boone, K Matthew Wright
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Sam Kamara
- Released: G Joey Fisher, P Matt Haack
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Johnny Lumpkin
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Anthony Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Eric Tomlinson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Matt Dickerson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE E.J. Jenkins
- Placed on practice squad injured list: TE Cole Fotheringham
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: QB Dresser Winn
- Released: LS Alex Matheson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: G Colby Gossett
- Released: WR Jontre Kirklin
New York Jets
- Released: G Rodger Saffold
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Davion Davis, CB D’Angelo Mandell, CB Jace Whittaker
Teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts Jan. 8. P-squad contracts expire seven days after the regular season concludes, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reminds teams are not limited regarding the number of times they can elevate a player from a taxi squad during the playoffs. In the regular season, players are capped at three gameday elevations.
The Panthers are expected to sign Boone to a futures deal next week, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. After three years with the Vikings and two with the Broncos, Boone played in nine games with the Texans this season. As for Wright, this marks a reunion. While Wright’s first Panthers stay did not last long (Aug. 26-30), Carolina may need him due to Eddy Pineiro‘s hamstring injury.
Amid the Jets’ wave of O-line injuries, they signed Saffold. While the former Rams, Titans and Bills starter was with the Jets for several weeks, he did not see any game action in his 14th NFL season.
Jonathan Gannon has not exactly been hesitant to praise Kyler Murray since taking over as the Cardinals’ head coach. But the second half of Arizona’s season has been framed around seeing how the former Pro Bowler looks in a new offense. More talent around Murray is clearly needed, but the rookie HC is still confident in his triggerman.
When asked during a radio interview with Arizona Sports’ Burns and Gambo Tuesday (via AZCardinsals.com) about Murray’s post-2023 future in Arizona, Gannon said, “There is no doubt No. 1 is our franchise quarterback.” Chuckling at the question of the Cards’ 2024 QB1, Gannon has been consistent in his support for the fifth-year quarterback.
An updated endorsement is necessary not only due to Murray’s run of starts but because of the Cardinals’ draft position. Although their upset win over the Eagles dropped them in the draft order, the team still sits fourth. With neither the Bears nor Commanders — stationed at Nos. 1 and 2 — locked into drafting a quarterback, the Cardinals could have an important decision to make. Nearly a year after trading out of the No. 3 overall draft slot and signing off on a rebuilding year as Murray rehabbed his torn ACL, Gannon and GM Monti Ossenfort appear prepared to roll out the dual-threat QB in 2024 as well.
Murray is 3-4 as a starter, tripling the win total the Cardinals accumulated with Josh Dobbs at the helm, and has offered up-and-down work in OC Drew Petzing‘s attack. Murray is averaging just 6.5 yards per attempt. While that is up from his disappointing finale with Kliff Kingsbury, it is well south of his Pro Bowl work from 2020 and 2021. His 64.5% completion rate is also on pace to be the worst since his rookie year. That said, the Cardinals have a bottom-tier skill-position array and figure to be in the market for wide receiver help soon. Marquise Brown is finishing this season on IR; the 2022 trade acquisition will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
The Cardinals’ five-year, $230.5MM Murray extension will be difficult to move in 2024, anyway. Less effusive in praising the QB he inherited, Sean Payton‘s deteriorating relationship with Russell Wilson is set to key a record-shattering $84.6MM in dead money. Even though that will be spread over two years via a post-June 1 cut, the Broncos’ 2025 end of that total — slated at $55MM — would still eclipse what it would cost the Cardinals to move Murray in 2024. Still, Arizona would be tagged with $46MM in dead money if Murray were traded before June 1. Until the Wilson cut commences, the Falcons’ $40.5MM Matt Ryan dead-money hit resides as the NFL’s single-player record.
The Cards owe Murray an $11.9MM guarantee on March 17 — Day 5 of the 2023 league year — if he is still on the roster; that money covers part of his 2025 salary. The year-out guarantee would stand to drive an early trade, but it would be punitive for the Cardinals. And it does not appear Arizona will consider it.
While it is too early to call the Steve Keim-era investment a lock to remain with the now-Ossenfort-led Cardinals in the long term, Gannon continues to insist the former No. 1 overall pick is not leaving the desert in 2024.
It took the Bears until Week 18 for the No. 1 draft slot to become a reality; the Panthers did not make them wait that long this year. Carolina’s struggles will give Chicago the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year. How the Bears will proceed with that pick will become one of the NFL’s defining 2024 storylines.
The Cardinals’ unexpected conquest in Philadelphia knocked them down two slots in the 2024 draft order. As a result, the Commanders — who resided in the fourth position before the Patriots’ Christmas Eve upset ended the Russell Wilson era in Denver — hold the No. 2 pick going into the regular season’s final Sunday.
The Commanders benched Sam Howell in back-to-back weeks and were set to, prior to a midweek Jacoby Brissett setback, shelve him for Week 17 as well. The Ron Rivera era is in its final days, with front office changes likely as well. A Commanders-Caleb Williams connection has emerged, which would make Washington quite interested in what Chicago does at No. 1 overall — or key another round of Bears talks about dropping from 1 to 2, which took place with the Texans this offseason. With the Bears likely considering another Justin Fields season and the Cardinals having Kyler Murray tied to a $46.1MM-per-year contract, the Commanders are suddenly a team to watch regarding a QB investment.
Bill Belichick is also perched as a key 2024 domino, but with the legendary HC not eager to leave New England, one of the most important decisions in franchise history awaits Robert Kraft. Belichick or his replacement could hold a top-three pick in 2024, though another Pats win — they have the Jets in Week 18 — would complicate an effort to land a top-tier QB prospect.
Entering Week 18, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:
- Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
- Washington Commanders: 4-12
- New England Patriots: 4-12
- Arizona Cardinals: 4-12
- New York Giants: 5-11
- Los Angeles Chargers: 5-11
- Tennessee Titans: 5-11
- New York Jets: 6-10
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
- Chicago Bears: 7-9
- Las Vegas Raiders: 7-9
- Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
- New Orleans Saints: 8-8
- Denver Broncos: 8-8
- Seattle Seahawks: 8-8
- Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8
- Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
- Green Bay Packers: 8-8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8
- Indianapolis Colts: 9-7
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-7
- Los Angeles Rams: 9-7
- Buffalo Bills: 10-6
- Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6
- Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5
- Detroit Lions: 11-5
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Miami Dolphins: 11-5
- Dallas Cowboys: 11-5
- San Francisco 49ers: 12-4
- Baltimore Ravens: 13-3
Here are the New Year’s Day practice squad decisions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Ben Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Jerome Carvin
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Tyler Coyle
New York Giants
- Signed: OLB Jeremiah Martin
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: NT Matthew Gotel, DE Hamilcar Rashed, LB Christian Young
Here are today’s minor transactions and callups for the remainder of the Week 17 matchups:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: CB Bobby Price
- Elevated: WR Dan Chisena
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: OL John Leglue
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: WR Laquon Treadwell
- Elevated: S Andrew Adams, OLB Jeremiah Moon
- Placed on IR: CB Jalyn Armour-Davis
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: G J.D. DiRenzo, CB AJ Parker
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: WR Collin Johnson
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: DT Carl Davis, LB Buddy Johnson
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: WR Michael Bandy
- Elevated: WR Phillip Dorsett, OLB Ronnie Perkins
- Placed on reserve/non-football illness list: RB Dwayne Washington
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: TE Anthony Firkser
- Elevated: DL Tyson Alualu, DE Bruce Irvin
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: LB Liam Anderson, WR Ethan Fernea
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: RB Keaontay Ingram, NT Mike Pennel
- Waived: DT Matt Dickerson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: DT Matthew Butler, TE Cole Fotheringham
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: WR Keelan Doss
- Elevated: DT Christopher Hinton, OL Austen Pleasants
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: OLB Melvin Ingram
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: DL T.J. Smith, LB Nick Vigil
- Elevated: WR Lucky Jackson, CB Jaylin Williams
- Placed on IR: LB Troy Dye
New England Patriots
- Elevated: TE Matt Sokol, OL Andrew Stueber
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: CB Shemar Jean-Charles
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: LB Darrian Beavers
- Elevated: K Mason Crosby, WR Dennis Houston
- Placed on IR: TE Lawrence Cager
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: LB Brandon Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: S Erik Harris, WR Tay Martin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Derrek Pitts, TE David Wells
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: DT Ross Blacklock
- Elevated: LB Tae Crowder, CB Kendall Sheffield
- Placed on IR: TE Josh Whyle
Alualu is set to make his Lions debut after signing earlier this month. Given the injury issues Detroit has faced up front, the 36-year-old has the chance to see playing time through the close of the regular season and into the playoffs. Alualu expressed a desire to continue playing with the Steelers this offseason, but he remained a free agent deep into the year. His tenure in the Motor City could help boost his free agent stock if he wishes to remain in the league in 2024, though.
Friday’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Lions): LB Trevor Nowaske
- Placed on IR: DE Jonathan Ledbetter (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: G Gabe Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: DE Sam Kamara
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: K Michael Badgley
- Waived: FB Jason Cabinda
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: FB Jakob Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to the active roster: LB Anthony Barr
Badgley has officially been tabbed as the leg to depend on for the remainder of the season as well as for the Lions’ first playoff run since 2016. Detroit waived Riley Patterson two weeks ago, allowing Badgley to stake his claim on the job once again.
The Cabinda departure is a little surprising, considering the Lions just utilized one of their injured reserve activations on the former linebacker yesterday. Because of that investment, it would make sense to see Cabinda return to Detroit on a practice squad deal here in the next few days.
Jonathan Gannon‘s Eagles exit brought a tampering penalty against the Cardinals, who made impermissible contact with their new head coach during the offseason. New Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort reached out to Gannon shortly after the NFC championship game, after the two-year Eagles DC expressed a desire to stay in Philadelphia. Gannon did not tell the Eagles about Ossenfort’s pre-Super Bowl call or his intention to interview with the Cardinals, according to ESPN.com’s Tim McManus. This affected Philly’s timing regarding Vic Fangio, who was perhaps this offseason’s most coveted coordinator.
A consultant with the Eagles last season, Fangio was well-liked and became the team’s choice to succeed Gannon as DC. Fangio all but confirmed the timing involving Gannon led him out of town. Before Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles had expected to retain Gannon, McManus adds. When Ossenfort was in Tennessee, he put Gannon’s name on a short list of possible HCs — in the event he landed a GM job. A Jan. 29 report indicated Fangio would accept the Dolphins’ DC offer; he was officially hired Feb. 2. The Cardinals’ Gannon interview request did not emerge until Feb. 12. By that point, the Eagles were aiming to retain Gannon after Fangio had bolted. With the Eagles having demoted their new DC — Sean Desai — and given Matt Patricia play-calling duties, Gannon’s Philly return this week will be interesting.
Here is the latest from the NFC:
- Listing Jonathan Allen as a player he expects to be traded during the 2024 offseason, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the Commanders defensive tackle is not eager to go through another rebuild. Allen made his views on that matter fairly well known recently, after the team traded Montez Sweat and Chase Young. A losing streak commenced soon after, and Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew are expected to be fired. Teams asked about Allen at the deadline, and while the Commanders resisted, new owner Josh Harris‘ involvement in the Sweat and Young deals showed an openness to stockpiling draft capital. Allen’s four-year, $72MM extension runs through 2025. It would cost Washington $18MM in dead money to trade Allen before June 1, so it would stand to take a nice offer to pry the seventh-year veteran from D.C.
- The Giants have phased Parris Campbell out of their receiver rotation, going as far as to make him a healthy scratch in each of the past three games. Campbell signed a one-year, $4.7MM deal in free agency, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noting he is losing out on $100K per-game roster bonuses with these scratches. As the Giants emphasize bigger roles for younger wideouts Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, Campbell is preparing to leave in free agency come March. “When I came here, did I think things would be different? Of course,” Campbell said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “… During free agency, the market was kind of slow for receivers, but the Giants gave me an opportunity — and that’s all I want. This coming offseason, whoever is interested in me and wants to give me an opportunity, I’ll take it.” After three injury-plagued seasons, Campbell has stayed mostly healthy over his past two. The ex-Colts second-rounder, however, has 20 receptions for just 104 yards this year.
- It is unlikely Marshon Lattimore and Michael Thomas return this season, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Lattimore suffered a significant ankle injury and has missed the past five Saints games. Thomas stayed healthier this year than he has since the 2010s, but the former All-Pro wideout has also missed New Orleans’ past five contests. Thomas, who may well be in his final weeks as a Saint, is down with a knee injury.
- Six teams put in waiver claims on linebacker Christian Elliss, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. The Patriots won out. Had Elliss not garnered any claims, the Eagles wanted to bring him back on their practice squad. A 2021 Eagles UDFA, Elliss had led the team in special teams snaps at the time of his exit earlier this month.
As Joe Flacco‘s stunning resurgence has lifted the Browns to a playoff berth, injuries have still defined the team’s season at quarterback. Flacco’s backup, and Deshaun Watson‘s top reserve to start the season, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is on IR.
The Browns had brought P.J. Walker back to their 53-man roster, but they now have some additional insurance. The team signed Jeff Driskel off the Cardinals’ practice squad Friday, GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer tweets. Driskel will join Flacco and Walker on Cleveland’s active roster.
[RELATED: Browns Have Discussed Re-Signing Joe Flacco]
Because the Browns are poaching Driskel off another team’s P-squad, he must remain on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. Driskel represents the latest Browns-Cardinals QB move, with the teams exchanging Josh Dobbs in August. Driskel moving from Drew Petzing‘s system to Kevin Stefanski‘s will make for a smooth transition, seeing as Petzing was the Browns’ QBs coach previously.
This will be team No. 7 for Driskel, who had been with the 49ers, Lions, Bengals, Broncos and Texans before joining the Cardinals in April. During a busy period for the Browns at quarterback, the 30-year-old passer joins a team that has two signal-callers on IR, a starter who was out of football until November and a backup who had been demoted to the practice squad.
A 2016 49ers sixth-round pick, Driskel has not thrown a pass this season. The Cards reshuffled their QB room by drafting Clayton Tune and trading for Dobbs four months later. Dobbs became Arizona’s starter, late arrival notwithstanding, and Tune his backup as Kyler Murray finished off his ACL rehab. Although the Cardinals moved on from Colt McCoy and David Blough, Driskel remained as a P-squad arm.
Driskel is just a 59.2% career passer, at 6.1 yards per attempt, and has a 1-9 record as a starter. Most of those starts came for struggling Bengals and Lions teams (2018-19), with Driskel filling in for Andy Dalton and then Matthew Stafford. He started one game for the Texans last season. It is unclear if the Browns will want Driskel as their backup, but Walker has completed just 48.6% of his passes (6.1 Y/A), regressing from his Panthers form.