Practice Squad Updates: Monday
We rounded up the first wave of practice squad additions in a series of posts by division yesterday, which you can check out on our Transactions page. Several more teams have announced new practice squad players today, or made slight changes to their units, so we’ll round up that news right here:
6:33pm:
- The 49ers have filled out their practice squad by adding cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins, the team announced in a press release.
4:37pm:
- The Browns have added wide receiver Charles Johnson and offensive lineman Karim Barton to their practice squad, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Khalid Wooten will be the 10th man on the Titans‘ practice squad, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
4:07pm:
- The Seahawks have added defensive end Julius Warmsley and defensive back Josh Aubrey to their practice squad, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- The Redskins have finalized their practice squad by adding safety Akeem Davis and linebacker Chaz Sutton, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- Cornerback LeQuan Lewis has been added to the Jets‘ practice squad, according to the team (via Twitter).
2:46pm:
- The Rams have finalized their practice squad by adding linebacker Denicos Allen, wideout Emory Blake, safety Christian Bryant, and quarterback Garrett Gilbert, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). That means Michael Sam isn’t among the 10 players on St. Louis’ squad.
- The addition of Henry Josey to the Jaguars‘ practice squad has officially been announced by the team in a press release. We had noted below that although his signing had been previously reported, Josey wasn’t among the first list of names released by the club.
- The Ravens have announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
1:31pm:
- The following players are now on the Browns‘ practice squad: James Brown, OL; Jacobbi McDaniel, DL; Emmanuel Ogbuehi, TE; Keith Pough, LB; Justin Staples, LB; and Patrick Lewis, C. The first five names are listed on the team’s official site, while the addition of Lewis was reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Alex Gillett‘s time on the Packers‘ practice squad didn’t last long — he was replaced today by cornerback Jumal Rolle, tweets Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
- The Buccaneers have signed safety Kimario McFadden, cornerback Derrius Brooks, and linebacker Carlos Fields to their practice squad, according to the team’s official site.
- Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune provides the last few names to be added to the Saints‘ practice squad: safety Pierre Warren, guard Antoine McClain, nose tackle Lawrence Virgil, and tight end Nic Jacobs.
- The Eagles have signed quarterback G.J. Kinne for their practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- Fullback Nikita Whitlock is the latest addition to the Cowboys‘ practice squad, the team announced today.
- The Vikings filled the final spot on their practice squad by adding cornerback Chris Greenwood, says Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- Defensive end Zach Thompson is now on the Broncos‘ practice squad, according to the club.
- The Chiefs filled the final opening on their practice squad by signing defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- Wide receiver Freddie Martino and tight end Kyle Miller have joined the Falcons‘ practice squad, per the team’s official site.
- One more housekeeping note: Yesterday, running back Henry Josey and fullback Kiero Small were reported as having joined the Jaguars‘ and Browns‘ practice squads, respectively. However, when those teams announced their PS rosters, those players weren’t included. There haven’t been any reports indicating those agreements fell through, so we’ll keep an eye on both situations. For now though, we won’t be including those players in our master list of practice squad rosters, which will be published this afternoon.
Rams Claim Case Keenum Off Waivers
5:06pm: In order to clear a roster spot for Keenum, the Rams have placed tight end Justice Cunningham on injured reserve, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).
3:51pm: The Rams have claimed quarterback Case Keenum off waivers from the Texans, a team official tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Keenum had been cut yesterday by Houston after the club acquired Ryan Mallett in a trade with the Patriots.
According to Schefter, the Rams spent a lot of time during the last 24 hours researching Keenum, who was the odd man out on a Texans depth chart that also featured Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage. Keenum, 26, started eight games last season for Houston and posted respectable numbers, including 1,760 passing yards and nine touchdowns to go along with just six interceptions.
For a Rams team that will be without Sam Bradford for the season, Keenum could immediately put pressure on Shaun Hill, who is expected to open the season as the team’s starter. St. Louis will have to make a corresponding roster move to officially open up a spot for Keenum and add him to the roster.
2014 NFL Practice Squads
In addition to the 46 players active for regular season games and the seven additional roster players made inactive on game days, NFL teams are permitted to construct 10-man practice squads. The players on the squad work out and practice with the players on the active roster, but aren’t eligible to participate in games.
For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units.
Listed below are the current practice squad rosters for each NFL team. We’ll keep this list up to date throughout the year as players are shuttled on and off of these squads, so be sure to use the link in the sidebar on the right, under “PFR Features,” to keep tabs on the latest.
If you have any corrections, please contact us. Here are 2014′s NFL practice squads:
Jets Sign Phillip Adams, Cut Quincy Enunwa
The Jets have added a veteran cornerback to their secondary, announcing today that Phillip Adams has signed with the team. To create an opening on the 53-man roster, the Jets waived wide receiver Quincy Enunwa, one of their 12 draftees this year.
Adams, 26, spent the last two seasons with the Raiders, appearing in all 16 games in 2013. The former seventh-rounder was also the team’s primary punt returner in 2012, when he returned 25 punts for 139 yards. Adams, who finished the 2013 season with 30 total tackles and a fumble recovery, joined the Seahawks for camp this year, but was part of the team’s roster cutdown this past weekend.
Adams will become part of a Jets secondary that appears to be the shakiest area of the defense heading into the 2014 season. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson was the team’s most notable free agent signing in the secondary this offseason, and he was cut by the club on Saturday after having gone AWOL last weekend.
Stephen Hill Works Out For Panthers
After being cut this weekend by the Jets, wide receiver Stephen Hill worked out today for the Panthers, as first reported by ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Carolina also took a look at ex-Eagles wideout Kadron Boone today, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. However, according to head coach Ron Rivera, the team doesn’t intend to sign either player at this point (link via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer).
Hill, a former second-round pick, spent an underwhelming two years with the Jets, catching just 45 passes since being selected 43rd overall in 2012. However, he’s still just 23 years old, so he figures to draw interest from other clubs that still believe he has some upside.
The Panthers make some sense as a suitor for Hill, considering the team lost a handful of wideouts in the offseason, and is heading into the season with a group headed by rookie Kelvin Benjamin and veterans Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant. For now, it seems Carolina will stick with that group, though the team could readdress the position at some point.
Cowboys Sign C.J. Spillman
TUESDAY, 3:03pm: Spillman’s one-year, minimum-salary contract includes a $40K signing bonus, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 1:05pm: Another player cut by the 49ers this past week has found a new NFL home, as the Cowboys announced in a press release that they’ve signed former Niner C.J. Spillman. We’d heard previously that the defensive back was en route to Dallas to ink a deal with the Cowboys.
Spillman, 28, logged 79 defensive snaps last year for San Francisco, playing a larger role in kick and punt coverage. According to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), Spillman recorded an impressive 18 special teams tackles. He’ll become one of nine players in the Cowboys’ secondary, and one of five safeties.
Raiders Announce Full Practice Squad
The Raiders were one of just a handful of NFL teams that didn’t make any announcements regarding their practice squad yesterday, but the team issued a press release today to formally confirm the previously-reported names on the squad, and to announce the other additions. Here’s the full list of players that will make up Oakland’s initial practice squad:
- George Atkinson III, RB
- Denico Autry, DE
- Ras-I Dowling, CB
- Bojay Filimoeatu, LB (previously reported)
- Spencer Hadley, LB
- Dan Kistler, T
- Ricky Lumpkin, DT (previously reported)
- Lamar Mady, G (previously reported)
- Seth Roberts, WR
- Scott Simonson, TE (previously reported)
Texans Sign Danieal Manning
MONDAY, 12:14pm: Manning took a physical with the Texans and officially signed today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
SUNDAY, 4:00pm: The Texans are expected to sign free agent safety Danieal Manning, according to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle, who reports (via Twitter) that a deal is in place, pending a physical. Manning was released by the Bengals as part of their cutdown from 75 players to 53, but didn’t have to pass through waivers because he’s a vested veteran.
Barring any complications, Manning, 32, will rejoin the team with whom he has spent the last three years. The veteran safety saw his 2013 season cut short when he fractured his fibula in October, forcing him out of action for the year’s final 10 games. Prior to ’13, he had started 45 regular season games in the previous three seasons for the Texans and Bears.
Manning recorded a positive overall grade during that stretch, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), though PFF’s advanced metrics suggested his play was declining from season to season — he posted a +11.8 grade in 2010, followed by +3.1 in 2011, and -4.2 in 2012. Still, Manning’s traditional numbers were strong even in his most recent full season (2012), when he logged 77 tackles, recovered three fumbles, and grabbed a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
In Houston, Manning will join a group of safeties that includes Kendrick Lewis, D.J. Swearinger, and Shiloh Keo. One veteran who is no longer part of that group is Chris Clemons, whom the team cut earlier today.
Chargers Sign Ricardo Mathews
The Chargers have made a pair of minor moves to their 53-man roster today, announcing in a press release that they’ve cut running back Marion Grice and used the newly-opened spot to sign defensive tackle Ricardo Mathews. San Diego GM Tom Telesco has some history with Mathews, who was drafted back in 2010 by Indianapolis when Telesco was part of the Colts’ organization.
Although he only started six games for the Colts during his four years with the club, Mathews was a major contributor on the team’s defensive line over the last three seasons, appearing in more than 1,300 defensive snaps during that stretch. The 26-year-old set a career-high in 2013 with 23 tackles, though Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him as below average against both the run and pass.
Mathews signed with the Texans as a free agent in April, but was released this weekend as the team cut its roster down to 53 players.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: AFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Buffalo Bills:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Deon Broomfield, S (via Mike Rodak on Twitter); Jimmy Gaines, LB (via Rodak on Twitter); Caleb Holley, WR (via Rodak on Twitter); Ike Igbinosun, DE (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Bryan Johnson, DE (via Rodak on Twitter); Kenny Ladler, DB (via Rodak on Twitter); Jeff Tuel, QB (via Rodak on Twitter); D.J. Morrell, G and Lonnie Pryor, FB (via Rodak on Twitter)
Miami Dolphins:
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Brandian Ross, S (via Adam Beasley on Twitter); Sammy Seamster, CB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter)
- Cut: Don Jones, S (via Beasley on Twitter); Damian Williams, WR (via Beasley on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Sam Brenner, C (via Wilson on Twitter); Jacob Maxwell, TE (via Dave Birkett on Twitter); Tommy Streeter, WR (via Armando Salguero on Twitter), Matt Hazel, WR; Tony Hills, OT; David Hinds, LB; Seth Lobato, QB, D’Aundre Reed, DE; Lowell Rose, CB; Garrison Smith, DT
New England Patriots:
- Traded: Ryan Mallett, QB (link)
- Claimed off waivers (officially announced): Bruce Gaston, DT; Kelcy Quarles, DT
- Cut (officially announced): Chris White, LB
- Signed to practice squad: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, QB (Adam Caplan on Twitter); Ja’Gared Davis, OLB (via Doug Kyed on Twitter); Jonas Gray, RB (via Mark Daniels on Twitter)
New York Jets:
- Claimed off waivers: Leon McFadden, CB (via Rand Getlin on Twitter)
- Cut: LeQuan Lewis, CB (via Manish Mehta on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Matt Simms, QB (via Seth Walder on Twitter), Daryl Richardson, RB; Chris Pantale, TE; Brent Qvale, OT; Tevita Finau, DL; Kerry Hyder, DL; Rontez Miles, S.