LB Joe Thomas Re-Signs With Texans
Joe Thomas is heading back to Houston. After getting cut by the Texans earlier this week, the linebacker is re-signing with the organization,
The former undrafted free agent saw time in 42 games for the Packers between the 2015 and 2017 seasons, including a 2016 campaign where he finished with 70 tackles and five passes defended. Thomas moved on to the Cowboys in 2018 and proceeded to spend the next three seasons in Dallas, seeing time in 42 games (eight starts).
The linebacker got into 15 games (four starts) for the Cowboys in 2020 and had one of the best seasons of his career, finishing the year with 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a pair of QB hits. The 30-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Texans back in March but was released during final cuts this week.
Even though the Texans brought back the veteran, he’s not guaranteed playing time. Thomas temporarily finds himself behind Zach Cunningham, Christian Kirksey, Kevin Pierre-Louis and backups Neville Hewitt, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and Garret Wallow on the depth chart.
In a corresponding move, the Texans placed safety A.J. Moore on IR.
K Kaare Vedvik Joins Jaguars Practice Squad
Kaare Vedvik has found his next NFL gig. The veteran kicker has joined the Jaguars practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
After going undrafted in 2018, Vedvik had an impressive preseason debut with the Ravens, and the Titans sent Baltimore a fifth-round pick to compete for the starting kicking gig. The rookie ended up losing out to veteran Dan Bailey, and Vedvik has bounced around the NFL ever since. In three years, the special teamer has also spent time with the Jets, Bengals, Bills, Panthers, and Washington. Despite his lengthy resume, Vedvik has only seen time in one game, when he missed a field goal and extra point in a 2019 contest with the Jets.
The 27-year-old spent the 2020 campaign bouncing between Buffalo, Carolina, and Washington. WFT retained him via a reserve/futures contract during the offseason, but he was waived in late January.
Josh Lambo and Logan Cooke are locked in as Jacksonville’s kicker and punter, respectively. Vedvik played both of those roles during his time in college, making him an intriguing and versatile option for the scout team.
Falcons Sign RB Wayne Gallman
The Falcons are swapping one running back for another. The team announced that they’ve signed Wayne Gallman and released Qadree Ollison.
Gallman joined the 49ers back in April but earned his walking papers earlier this week. The 26-year-old had a career season in 2020 filling in for Saquon Barkley, finishing with 796 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. In his previous 38 games for the Giants, Gallman collected 1,146 yards and five touchdowns, and he’ll continue to profile as more of a backup.
In Atlanta, he’ll provide some depth behind Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson. The team is also rostering Caleb Huntley and D’Onta Foreman on their practice squad.
Ollison was a fifth-round pick by the Falcons in 2019. After getting 23 touches in eight games as a rookie, the running back was limited to only three games and one carry in 2020. Ollison also saw time on special teams during his stint in Atlanta.
Titans Release TE Luke Stocker
The Titans made a handful of roster moves today as they continue to shape their Week 1 roster. The team released tight end Luke Stocker, and they placed running back Darrynton Evans, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, and offensive lineman Daniel Munyer on IR.
Stocker, who has put together a 10-year career thanks to his blocking ability, rejoined the Titans this offseason after Jonnu Smith joined the Patriots. The move was a bit of a homecoming for Stocker; the tight end went to college at Tennessee and played for the Titans for two seasons. With the veteran out of the picture, Tommy Hudson will likely serve as the team’s third tight end behind the Geoff Swaim/Anthony Firkser platoon.
Evans was a third-round pick by the Titans in 2020. He saw time in five games as a rookie, collecting 81 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 16 carries. Khari Blasingame, Jeremy McNichols, and Mekhi Sargent will now compete for reps behind Derrick Henry.
Jaguars Expected To Sign TE Jacob Hollister
After getting cut by the Bills earlier this week, veteran tight end Jacob Hollister has found a new home. The veteran tight end is expected to sign with the Jaguars, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Hollister received interest from several teams, according to Pelissero, but the 27-year-old decided to join Jacksonville. The move will immediately upgrade a tight ends unit that includes Chris Manhertz, James O’Shaughnessy, and Luke Farrell.
After two years of limited usage in New England, Hollister enjoyed a breakout 2019 season with the Seahawks, hauling in 41 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Then, he went from 59 targets to just 40 looks in 2020. He finished out with 25/209/3.
Then, when the Seahawks’ new one-year Gerald Everett deal pushed him out, he agreed to a one-year deal with the Bills. While Buffalo carried a handful of tight ends, they decided to move on from their offseason acquisition.
Raiders Place LB Nick Morrow, RB Jalen Richard On IR
The Raiders are placing four players on IR. Running back Jalen Richard, linebacker Nick Morrow, and defensive backs Keisean Nixon and Javin White will be shelved for at least the first three weeks of the season, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). To take the open roster spots, the team has signed offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor and re-signed both tight end Derek Carrier and safety Dallin Leavitt. (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez on Twitter).
Richard has spent five seasons with the Raiders, including a 2018 campaign where he finished with 866 yards from scrimmage. He hasn’t been able to match that production over the past two years, combining for only 729 yards from scrimmage in 29 games. The 27-year-old is expected to be a primary backup to Josh Jacobs for another season in 2021.
Morrow had a career year for the Raiders in 2020, finishing with career-highs across the board. The linebacker has been dealing with a foot injury since late August, and he was expected to be sidelined for the start of the regular season. The team brought in some reinforcement at the position today when they signed veteran K.J. Wright.
Nixon has appeared in 29 games for the Raiders over the past two years, turning into one of the team’s special teams stalwarts. White, a 2020 undrafted free agent out of UNLV, got into four games with the Raiders as a rookie.
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.
Ravens Place WRs Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin On IR
The Ravens are placing a pair of wide receivers on injured reserve. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the team placed first-round pick Rashod Bateman and teammate Miles Boykin on IR. The team re-signed tight end Eric Tomlinson to take one of those open roster spots.
Bateman underwent groin surgery last month, and he was expected to be sidelined until some point in September. Now, he’ll sit out at least the Ravens’ first three games, but there’s a chance he could be back at some point in October. Bateman, one of several stellar WRs in the 2020 class, registered 1,219 yards and eleven touchdowns in 2019, his last full season at Minnesota. The Ravens selected him with the No. 27 in this past year’s draft.
Boykin hasn’t missed a game since being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft. The wideout has also started 24 games over his first two seasons, hauling in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns.
With Bateman and Boykin landing on IR, the Ravens are left with five wideouts on their roster: Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, James Proche, Devin Duvernay, and Tylan Wallace.
Tomlinson, 29, had a three-year stint with the Jets before bouncing between the Giants (twice), Patriots, Raiders, and Ravens. He got into six games with Baltimore in 2020, earning 123 offensive snaps.
Vikings Re-Sign DE Everson Griffen
As expected, Everson Griffen has landed back in Minnesota. The veteran defensive end is re-signing with the Vikings, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
The 33-year-old signed with the Vikings in late August, but the reunion was temporarily put on hold yesterday. The team cut the former Pro Bowler in order to carry impending IR players, and today’s re-signing seemed all but inevitable.
Griffen spent his entire career with the Vikings up until 2020. Splitting time between the Cowboys and Lions, Griffen finished out with six sacks in total. Meanwhile, no Vikings edge rusher finished with more than five. His ten-year run with the Vikes saw four Pro Bowl appearances and 74.5 total sacks.
Minnesota’s D-Line registered just 23 total sacks last year, putting them 28th in the league. Things are already looking up with Griffen back in the fold plus the return of Danielle Hunter. Meanwhile, the interior will be held down by veterans Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, and Sheldon Richardson.