Steelers Add CB C.J. Henderson To Practice Squad
The Steelers have added a former first-round pick to their secondary. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive back C.J. Henderson to the practice squad.
The Jaguars selected Henderson with the ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft. The Florida product showed flashes of his first-round pedigree as a rookie, finishing with 36 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble in eight games before landing on injured reserve with a groin injury.
Henderson was dealt to the Panthers during his sophomore campaign and proceeded to spend two-plus seasons in Carolina, starting 22 of his 39 appearances. The cornerback occasionally filled up the stat sheet, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with tw0 interceptions and six passes defended. However, Pro Football Focus was never especially fond of Henderson’s performance, often giving him one of the worst positional grades in pass coverage.
The 25-year-old caught on with the Texans this offseason but didn’t make it through final cuts with his new squad. After remaining unsigned through the first few weeks of the regular season, Henderson has now found a new home in Pittsburgh. The veteran will still face an uphill battle to earn a promotion, as he joins a Steelers practice squad that already includes cornerbacks Anthony Averett, D’Shawn Jamison, and Thomas Graham Jr..
Chargers S Derwin James Suspended One Game
SEPTEMBER 24: James appealed the suspension on Tuesday, but hearing officer Derrick Brooks upheld the ban. James will officially be out of the lineup for Week 4, the Chargers’ final game before their bye week.
SEPTEMBER 23: Derwin James will be sidelined for Week 4 after being hit with a suspension today. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Chargers safety has been suspended one game without pay for “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.”
This sentiment includes this past weekend’s game against the Steelers. During the third quarter, James’ hit on Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught the attention of the league, with NFL vice president of Football Operations Jon Runyan citing the defender’s “continued disregard for NFL playing rules.”
“During the third quarter of Sunday’s Chargers-Steelers game, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” Runyan wrote in his letter to James (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated. Substantiated penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James intends to appeal the suspension, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. The veteran safety has been fined a number of times throughout his career for unnecessary roughness, including a $43K fine last season for a hit on then-Lions WR Josh Reynolds. Following that most-recent fine, James said he thinks he draws more scrutiny than other NFL players.
“I think I am a little bit,” James said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “I’m not here to referee what they need to call. I’m here to play football and help my team win games.”
The former first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning three All-Pro nods and a pair of Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominees. Since missing the 2020 campaign with a knee injury, James has collected five forced fumbles, nine QB hits, and 240 tackles over the past three years.
Javon Hargrave Expected To Miss Rest Of Season; Christian McCaffrey Seeing Specialist In Germany
The 49ers continue to get hit with injuries. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps during yesterday’s loss to the Rams, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters (per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Hargrave is expected to miss the rest of the season.
“It’s a big one and I thought he had his best game yesterday,” Shanahan said of the injury (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). “I thought he was a huge factor.”
Hargrave actually got into a season-high 39 defensive snaps yesterday. The defensive tackle collected his first sack of the season on Matthew Stafford, adding to the 44.5 sacks he’s complied throughout his career.
Following a two-year stretch with the Eagles where he collected 18.5 sacks, Hargrave caught on with the 49ers last offseason. He proceeded to start all 16 of his appearances with San Francisco, compiling 44 tackles and seven sacks en route to his second career Pro Bowl nod. Hargrave also started each of the team’s three playoff games. The 31-year-old started each of the team’s first three games in 2024.
The 49ers do have a bit of depth at defensive tackle, with Maliek Collins already rotating (or often playing alongside) Hargrave. Jordan Elliott and/or Kevin Givens could be in line for more snaps, and the 49ers could also turn to the likes of Sam Okuayinonu and practice squad DT T.Y. McGill.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Shanahan told reporters that Christian McCaffrey will travel to Germany this weekend to visit with a foot specialist (via Wagoner). The star running back has been sidelined with a pesky Achilles injury, and Wagoner says the player is expected to spend a few days in Germany hoping to get some kind of resolution.
Chargers Add WR Jalen Reagor To Practice Squad
Jalen Reagor has found a new gig. The wide receiver is signing with the Chargers practice squad, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz adds that the eventual plan will see Reagor working his way to the active roster.
The receiver spent the past year-plus in New England, with Reagor basically splitting time between the active roster and practice squad. After getting into 11 games in 2023, he once again found himself on New England’s practice squad to begin the 2024 campaign. He was cut by the Patriots last week after posting a cryptic (and potentially critical) social media post (via NBC Sports Boston).
The 21st-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Reagor has struggled to live up to his draft pedigree. The receiver only lasted two seasons with the Eagles, hauling in 64 catches while also returning 35 punts and 12 kickoffs. He got into 17 games with the Vikings in 2022 but was limited to only eight catches, and he finished his Patriots tenure with seven total receptions.
He’ll have a chance to revive his career in Los Angeles. Josh Palmer has been dealing with elbow and calf injuries, and after gutting through his issues in Week 2, he was inactive for Week 3. Both Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey have already shown promise this season, but if Palmer is forced to miss more time, Reagor could step up ahead of the likes of Simi Fehoko, Derius Davis, and Brenden Rice. The team also has DJ Chark stashed on injured reserve; the wide receiver is eligible to return to practice after Week 4.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Blake Lynch
New England Patriots
- Signed: OT Jalen McKenzie
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/24
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: DT Domenique Davis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Christian Braswell, TE Josiah Deguara
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived from IR: TE McCallan Castles
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: CB James Pierre
Washington Commanders
- Promoted: DE Andre Jones Jr., CB Bobby Price
Steelers Sign OT Calvin Anderson
After placing offensive tackle Troy Fautanu on injured reserve this past weekend, the Steelers have added some necessary depth at the position. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the team has signed Calvin Anderson.
[RELATED: Steelers Place OT Troy Fautanu On IR]
The lineman worked out with the squad earlier today, leading to a deal. It sounds like Anderson will immediately join Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster.
A former UDFA out of Texas, Anderson had short stints with the Patriots and Jets to begin his career before finding a home in Denver. The lineman got into 41 games for the Broncos between 2020 and 2022, starting 12 of those appearances. He inked a two-year deal with the Patriots last offseason but started only two of his five appearances before he suffered a heart contusion during practice. Anderson subsequently landed on injured reserve and didn’t play again in 2023.
The 28-year-old was back on the field with the Patriots this past preseason, but he landed on injured reserve before final cuts. That would have prevented him from playing in 2024, but the Patriots later released him, paving the way for an eventual job elsewhere.
While the Steelers got some good news on Fautanu today, the team will still be stressing their OT depth moving forward. Broderick Jones will likely find himself back in the starting lineup, although the first-round pick had just been definitively replaced by Fautanu following an ugly Week 2 performance. The organization’s only other depth option was practice squad rookie Doug Nester, so the team was destined to make another move at the position.
Jets Sign DB Jalen Mills To Practice Squad
The Jets are adding some depth to their secondary. The team is signing defensive back Jalen Mills to the practice squad, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets are plenty familiar with Mills after he spent the past three seasons with their division rival in New England. Mills played a handful of different roles during his time with the Patriots. After spending his first two years with the team as a cornerback, he spent the 2023 campaign at safety. He only graded 75th among 95 qualifying safeties on Pro Football Focus, and the Patriots ultimately decided to move on this past offseason.
Mills caught on with the Giants back in March but spent most of his stint with the team on the NFI. He was cut by the Giants in August and has spent the first few weeks of the regular season unsigned.
While Mills struggled last season, there’s a chance he still has something left in the tank. The veteran got into 90 percent of his team’s defensive snaps as recently as 2021, and he was a staple of Doug Pederson‘s defense during his time in Philly (where he won a Super Bowl in 2017 as a starting CB). Current Jets GM Joe Douglas was in Philly’s front office for much of Mills’ tenure in Philly, so the executive is probably plenty familiar with what he’s getting.
It’s uncertain exactly where Mills would fit in New York. The team is locked in at cornerback with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter II, and safeties Chuck Clark and Tony Adams have barely missed any snaps this season. Most likely, Mills will provide the Jets with some veteran insurance in the likely chance that an injury pops up.
Tee Higgins Expected To Play In Week 3
Tee Higgins is set to make his season debut on Monday night. Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed that the wide receiver is “good to go” for Week 3, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Higgins missed the Bengals first two games while dealing with a hamstring injury that popped up during a Week 1 practice. The receiver finally returned to practice this past week, and while he was limited, he admitted that he’s back to feeling 100 percent.
“I feel great,” Higgins said yesterday (via ESPN’s Ben Baby). “Obviously, unfortunate with the injury, sat out the first two weeks but finally ready to get my feet wet this season and ready to go.”
Higgins’ absence raised some eyebrows following an offseason where he was slapped with the franchise tag. The two sides ultimately couldn’t agree to a long-term deal, and Higgins’ sudden injury came on the heels of the Ja’Marr Chase drama. Higgins made it clear that his absence had nothing to do with his contract, noting that the injury was worse than initially feared. In fact, the impending free agent was especially motivated to take the field as soon as possible.
“That’s why I was so bummed out that it happened because it was something I focused on this offseason for it not to happen, and it did, but I’m back now so it’s cool,” Higgins said last week (via Baby).
The former 1,000-yard receiver will be counted on to provide a spark to an offense that’s scored three touchdowns in two games. With Higgins out of the lineup, the team has been especially reliant on tight end Mike Gesicki and second-year WR Andrei Iosivas, with Trenton Irwin and rookie third-round pick Jermaine Burton also garnering some extra targets.
Steelers Place OT Troy Fautanu On IR
6:35pm: Fautanu maywell end up missing much more than a month. Dulac reports the injury is set to sideline him for most, if not all, of the season’s remainder. Fautanu had red flags coming into the draft for medical reasons, and his rookie campaign appears to already be over due to his latest ailment.
4:20pm: The Steelers have officially moved Fautanu to injured reserve, ensuring that he will miss at least the next four games because of his knee injury, per Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. Jones will be ready to take over the starting role versus the Chargers tomorrow.
In addition to Fautanu’s placement on IR, the team is also promoting offensive lineman John Leglue and cornerback James Pierre from the practice squad. As standard gameday practice squad elevations, Leglue and Pierre will revert back to the practice squad after tomorrow’s game.
9:02am: The Steelers will be without their starting right tackle for the foreseeable future. Rookie Troy Fautanu injured his knee during yesterday’s practice and is sidelined indefinitely, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The lineman is set to undergo further testing, and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the rookie definitely won’t be playing in Week 3. Offensive tackle Broderick Jones told reporters yesterday that his teammate suffered “a little tweak” to his knee (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).
The Steelers selected Fautanu with the 20th-overall pick in this past year’s draft. The rookie was sidelined with an MCL injury during the preseason, and he didn’t end up seeing the field for the team’s season-opener. With Jones struggling at RT, coach Mike Tomlin said the team would likely rotate tackles during Week 2.
While Fautanu garnered the start, Tomlin did initially stick to his rotational plan. However, as Pryor points out, Jones proceeded to commit three penalties in a six-play span, leading to the rookie playing out the contest. Fautanu finished the game getting into 55 offensive snaps, with the lineman earning praise from Pro Football Focus for his pass-blocking prowess.
With Fautanu now sidelined, the Steelers will likely turn back to Jones. Outside of LT Dan Moore Jr., the team’s only other healthy offensive tackle is practice squad rookie Doug Nester. For what it’s worth, Jones recognized his struggles through the first two weeks, and Tomlin believes the former first-round pick is prime for a rebound.
“He’s a talented young player,” Tomlin said (via Pryor). “I’m sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of Troy starting. It’s a natural thing, but he’s got to move past it. I got to give him an opportunity to move past it as a leader.”
The Steelers’ offensive line has already been wrecked by injuries. Center Nate Herbig is likely out for the year while recovering from a torn rotator cuff, and guard Isaac Seumalo hasn’t played this season while dealing with a pectoral injury.