Browns Place Nate Orchard On IR
The Browns placed outside linebacker Nate Orchard on IR and signed linebacker Cam Johnson off the Cardinals’ practice squad to replace him on the roster.
Orchard suffered an ankle injury on the final play of the Browns’ overtime loss to the Dolphins in Miami. Due to the new IR rule, he could return this season, But given teams can only reactivate one player from IR, that’s far from certain. He couldn’t come back to practice until mid-November and would be out of any Cleveland games until December.
The second-year player arrived as a second-round draft choice. Orchard, 23, started one game this season for the Browns and played in all three. Orchard’s registered four tackles this season after making 36 as a rookie.
In addition to Orchard’s extensive absence, the Browns look to be without fellow rotational outside ‘backer Corey Lemonier, who is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s tilt in Washington. This leaves Emmanuel Ogbah and fellow rookie Joe Schobert, a fourth-rounder, as the starers for a Browns team that suddenly doesn’t have much depth outside in its 3-4 look.
Despite having resided on Arizona’s taxi squad, the 26-year-old Johnson has four years of NFL experience, seeing action in 15 games. Twelve of those came for the Colts in 2013. Johnson, though, played in one game for the Browns last season, but the former 49ers seventh-rounder has never started a game since entering the league in 2012.
The Cardinals signed Johnson to their practice squad earlier this week, nearly a month after the Browns initially released him out of training camp. Johnson spent most of the 2015 season on Cleveland’s taxi squad.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Butler's Roster Status Will Depend on Injuries
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was asked how long the team would keep punter Drew Butler on the active roster. “As long as we can,” the coach responded (viaFox Sports 910’s Mike Jurecki on Twitter). “That will all depend on other injuries.” The Cardinals recently signed punter Ryan Quigley to fill in for the injured Butler, who’s battling an injured ankle.
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Cardinals Work Out Guards
- The Cardinals tried out guards Kaleb Johnson and Martin Wallace, tweets Caplan. Both Johnson and Wallace have one game of pro experience under their belts.
Cardinals Add Punter Ryan Quigley
- To make room on their roster for Marqui Christian, the Rams cut defensive back Isaiah Johnson, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. The Rams claimed Christian off waivers from the Cardinals earlier today. A second-year UDFA out of Georgia Tech, Johnson’s played in seven games thus far, including one this season, in his short career. He still has practice squad eligibility, if the Rams so choose to relocate him there.
- The Cardinals signed punter Ryan Quigley and placed linebacker Alani Fua (knee) on IR, as Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 tweets.
Rams Claim Marqui Christian Off Waivers
The Rams have claimed Marqui Christian off waivers from the Cardinals, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Christian was waived by Arizona on Tuesday. 
Christian, a safety out of Midwestern State, was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. The youngster impressed coaches with his aggressive play this offseason, but he ultimately found himself bumped from a roster that had plenty of depth in the secondary. The Cardinals were reportedly hoping to re-sign Christian to their practice squad before Los Angeles swooped in.
The Rams will now have Christian in reserve behind starters Mo Alexander and T.J. McDonald. Cody Davis and Isaiah Johnson are also on the depth chart at safety.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cardinals To Sign Joplo Bartu
The Cardinals have agreed to sign linebacker Joplo Bartu, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear if it’s a 53-man deal or a practice squad contract, though Bartu already has plenty of in-game experience and it would stand to reason that he will be joining the varsity team. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign LS Aaron Brewer]
Bartu, who turns 26 on Oct. 3, auditioned for the Cardinals on Tuesday along with fellow linebackers Nate Irving and James-Michael Johnson. Last year, Bartu split his time between the Falcons and the Jaguars. This offseason, Bartu was let go by Jacksonville before the 75-man deadline.
The bulk of Bartu’s NFL experience came with the Falcons in 2013 and 2014 where he appeared in every regular season game and amassed 167 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Last year, he totaled just eleven tackles. He’s ostensibly hoping to get the kind of burn that he had in the early part of his career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cardinals Sign LS Aaron Brewer
The Cardinals have signed veteran long snapper Aaron Brewer, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Rookie snapper Kameron Canaday struggled during the first three games of the season, and was waived earlier today. Brewer, 26, is a four-year NFL veteran, having spent the past several seasons with the Broncos.
[RELATED: Cardinals Place Troy Niklas On IR]
Brewer was just one of several specialists that Arizona worked out today. Fellow long snapper Tyler Ott was also on hand, as were punters Michael Palardy, Ryan Quigley, and Tim Masthay, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Cardinals will need a new punter for at least a few games, as incumbent Drew Butler will be sidelined for awhile with an ankle/Achilles injury.
Arizona completed a busy day by auditioning a trifecta of linebackers, as they took a look at Nate Irving, James-Michael Johnson, and Joplo Bartu, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Irving, 28, has 62 career appearances to his name, but was released by the Colts at final cutdowns despite being in the midst of a multi-year contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cardinals Place Troy Niklas On IR
- The Cardinals announced that they have released long snapper Kameron Canaday, placed tight end Troy Niklas on IR, and released safety Marqui Christian. Christian, a Midwestern State product, was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Cam Johnson
- Cut: LB Shaq Riddick
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Ed Eagan, C Terran Vaughn
- Cut: LB Carlos Fields, S Damian Parms
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Adam Redmond
- Cut: S Lee Hightower
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OT Rashod Hill (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Daniel Munyer
- Cut: WR Seantavius Jones (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Lynden Trail (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
New England Patriots
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Doran Grant
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
- Cut: WR Wendall Williams
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DL Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cut: LB Korey Toomer (Twitter link via Tafur)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia)
- Cut: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Jordan Leslie
- Cut: NT Antwaun Woods
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Lloyd Carrington (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post), CB Tye Smith (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
- Cut: LB Amarlo Herrera
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2016 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Titans enjoyed top priority thanks to their 3-13 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week:
1. Jaguars
2. Saints
3. Bears
4. Browns
5. Chargers
6. Lions
7. Jets
8. Cardinals
9. Bills
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. 49ers
13. Buccaneers
14. Bengals
15. Titans
16. Redskins
17. Panthers
18. Falcons
19. Cowboys
20. Giants
21. Raiders
22. Packers
23. Chiefs
24. Rams
25. Seahawks
26. Texans
27. Steelers
28. Ravens
29. Eagles
30. Broncos
31. Vikings
32. Patriots