NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Terrence Magee
- Waived: DB Jeremy Boykins
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Cory Carter, S Dean Marlowe
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Will Pericak, TE Colin Thompson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Waived: WR Rannell Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: C Leo Koloamatangi
- Waived: S Stefan McClure
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Devin Lucien, CB Josh Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Andreas Knappe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Sammy Seamster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Isaiah Battle, WR Cyril Grayson, DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: TE Steve Donatell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Pete Robertson
- Waived: S Orion Stewart
Steelers Sign LB Sean Spence
Linebacker Sean Spence is back in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers have agreed to a deal with the veteran defender, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).
The Steelers are in need of linebacker help after witnessing Ryan Shazier go down with a terrifying neck/back injury against the Bengals on Monday night. Details on Shazier’s status are slim, but the Steelers have released a pair of statements today, indicating that while Shazier has improved, he will stay in a Cincinnati hospital for the next 24-48 hours. Shazier has remained “upbeat and positive” and has communicated with teammates, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com in a bit of good news.
Shazier’s health and well-being are obviously the most pressing issue at present, but the Steelers also have to account for his loss on their No. 5 DVOA-ranked defense. Spence should be familiar with the Pittsburgh scheme, as he spent four seasons with the club earlier in his career. He’s bounced around the AFC South for the past season-plus, playing for both the Titans and Colts (mostly as a reserve).
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Spencer Paysinger
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jared Norris
Chicago Bears
- Promoted to active roster: LB Howard Jones, OL Cameron Lee
Houston Texans
- Promoted to active roster: TE MyCole Pruitt, WR DeAndrew White
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: C Anthony Fabiano
New York Giants
- Waived from injured reserve: DE Evan Schwan
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: C Joey Hunt
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: T Mike Liedtke
Colts Place LB John Simon On IR
The Colts have placed linebacker John Simon on injured reserve and promoted defensive tackle Anthony Johnson from their practice squad, the club announced today.
Simon, who is now dealing with a shoulder injury, also missed three games earlier this season with a neck issue. Part of general manager Chris Ballard‘s initial free agent class, the 27-year-old Simon was lured away from the division-rival Texans via a three-year, $14MM contract. For that price, Indianapolis received solid — if not spectacular — production, as Simon managed three sacks while grading as the league’s No. 55 edge defender among 115 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Johnson, meanwhile, has appeared on a number of rosters since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but his most significant playing time came in 2016, when he saw action in 11 total games while splitting time between the Jets and Patriots. He’ll now get a four-game audition during which the Colts can decide whether the 6’3″, 308-pounder should be part of the team’s 2018 plans on the interior.
Extra Points: Hawks, Lions, Texans, Giants
The Seahawks had hoped to re-sign Dwight Freeney after cutting him last week, but the Lions claimed him off waivers before they could so, as Freeney explained to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Seattle needed to reinforce its depth at linebacker, and waiving Freeney was simply the easiest move the club could make. That’s not to say there wasn’t a financial component to the Freeney’s release, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times noted last week. Nevertheless, Freeney now heads to Detroit, a team that had interest in signing him at several points earlier in the season, tweets Birkett.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Linebacker Brian Cushing is now eligible to return to the Texans after serving a 10-game PED suspension, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. Houston has a one-week roster exemption for Cushing, whom Wilson reports is still in excellent shape. That exemption expires next Monday, and head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t commit to placing Cushing on the Texans’ active roster before the club’s Week 13 contest against the Titans. Cushing did not appeal his most recent PED ban, the second of his NFL career.
- Giants running back Orleans Darkwa earned a $150K bonus by surpassing 500 yards rushing for the season on Sunday, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. While New York’s offense has been extremely poor as a unit, Darkwa has been surprisingly effective. In 10 games (seven starts), the 25-year-old Darkwa has averaged 4.6 yards per carry and ranks as a top-15 back in DVOA, DYAR, and success rate, all of which are Football Outsiders metrics. Darkwa is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring after earning $1.1MM in base salary this year.
- The Dolphins have designated offensive lineman Eric Smith to return from injured reserve, reports Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Smith, a rookie undrafted free agent out of Virginia, earned a spot on Miami’s 53-man roster before going down in October. If activated, he’ll earn something of a multi-game tryout over the rest of the regular season. The Dolphins have already placed three other offensive lineman on IR this year, so Smith could see playing time down the stretch.
- The NFL has agreed in principle to a deal that would donate nearly $100MM to social causes put forth by the league’s players, according to Jim Trotter and Jason Reid of ESPN.com. However, several members of the Players Coalition — a group led by Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins that negotiates with owners — have since departed, citing a lack of communication on the unit’s proceedings. The agreement does not tackle the league’s ongoing debate regarding national anthem protests, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/29/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
- C Anthony Fabiano; T Justin Murray; LB Max Valles; CBs Dejuan Butler, Nick Marshall; P Jeff Locke (Twitter links)
Cleveland Browns
- P Brock Miller (link)
Detroit Lions
- S Duke Ihenacho (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- K Andrew Franks (link)
New York Giants
- CBs Taveze Calhoun, Daquan Holmes, Jeremiah McKinnon, Josh Thornton (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Adam Gettis (link)
Washington Redskins
Texans Place OT Chris Clark On IR
The Texans have placed left tackle Chris Clark and linebacker Ben Heeney on injured reserve, the club announced today. In related moves, Houston promoted LB Gimel President, LB LaTroy Lewis, and G Chad Slade from its practice squad to the active roster.
Clark, 32, had been serving as the Texans’ starting left tackle, a role he played while longtime starter Duane Brown was holding out and after Brown was traded to the Seahawks. Manning the blindside of a line that ranks in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, Clark graded as a bottom-10 tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Houston has several options to take over at left tackle: Kendall Lamm replaced Clark — who has a high ankle sprain and a bone bruise, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) — but fourth-round rookie Julie’n Davenport could also be in the mix when he returns from his own injury (a shoulder issue that caused him to miss Week 12). Long-term, Clark probably isn’t in the Texans’ plans, as his contract expires after the 2017 campaign.
Heeney, meanwhile, is a former fifth-round pick whom Houston acquired off waivers earlier this year. Although Heeney barely played on the defensive side of the ball, he did manage 107 special teams snaps in only five games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/17
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: WR Matt Hazel
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: WR Rashawn Scott
- Promoted to active roster: RB De’Veon Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Bryce Harris
- Waived: CB Dexter McDougle
No Timetable For Eagles CB Sidney Jones
Sidney Jones was one of the 2017 draft’s most exciting cornerback prospects, but a torn Achilles tendon suffered during the predraft process pushed him to the second round, where the Eagles scooped him up with pick No. 43. Still on the non-football injury list with only five weeks left in the regular season, Philadelphia doesn’t have a timetable for when Jones may be able to see the field, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Not right now,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s obviously still doing well with his rehab. He’s getting better there, and again, don’t want to rush him back just yet.”
It’s not as if the Eagles need Jones at the moment — Philadelphia sits at 10-1 and boasts the No. 4 ranked pass defense DVOA. Free agent signee Patrick Robinson (who inked a one-year deal for the minimum salary) currently grades as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 cornerback, young players such as Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas are producing, and trade acquisition Ronald Darby is now back in the lineup after missing time with injury.
Of course, an argument could also be made that this — when the Eagles have greater than a 99% chance of earning a postseason berth, per FiveThirtyEight — is the best time to take a look at Jones. With the pressure off, Philadelphia could use the final weeks of the season to get reps for Jones and see exactly where its second-round pick stands.
If and when Jones returns to practice, the Eagles will have a 21-day window during which they can activate Jones to the 53-man roster. If they choose not to do so, Jones won’t earn a credited season for 2017, meaning Philadelphia would control his rights through 2021 instead of 2020.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Darius Victor
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Darnell Sankey
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Aaron Green
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Michael Hunter
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Jeremiah Valoaga
- Waived: LB Thurston Armbrister
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Ahmad Thomas
Houston Texans
- Signed: QB Taylor Heinicke, TE Ryan Malleck, WR DeAndrew White