Colts Move Roster To 53
Some higher-profile Colts news has overshadowed their roster construction, but the Jonathan Taylor drama factors into Indianapolis’ roster construction. Here is how the team moved down to 53:
Released:
- TE Pharaoh Brown
- S Ronnie Harrison
- T Dan Skipper
- WR Vyncint Smith
- WR Juwann Winfree
Waived:
- LB Liam Anderson
- S Henry Black
- S Marcel Dabo
- RB Jake Funk
- RB Jason Huntley
- DE Khalid Kareem
- WR D.J. Montgomery
- LB Donavan Mutin
- WR Amari Rodgers
- CB Darius Rush
- DT Caleb Sampson
- WR Mike Strachan
- CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart
- CB Kevin Toliver
Placed on IR:
- LB JoJo Domann
- DE Titus Leo
- C Danny Pinter (story)
- TE Ricky Seals-Jones
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- RB Jonathan Taylor (story)
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
While Funk could be a practice squad candidate, Indianapolis’ 53-man roster includes three running backs: Deon Jackson, Zack Moss and fifth-round rookie Evan Hull. Moss is rehabbing a broken arm and looms as a candidate for in-season IR. The Colts released late-summer pickup Kenyan Drake recently. The Taylor move sidelines the disgruntled All-Pro for the first four games.
Smith, Rodgers, Strachan and Winfree moving off the roster leaves only four receivers (Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Isaiah McKenzie) on the active. It seems likely another will be added before Week 1. Even with Brown gone, Indy’s 53-man roster houses five tight ends. Jelani Woods, Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, fifth-round rookie Will Mallory and Drew Ogletree, a second-year sixth-rounder, comprise that group. This would seem to be a place the Colts would be willing to cut into, should they be awarded any players on waivers before Wednesday’s 11am CT deadline.
The Colts added Harrison this offseason, signing the former Browns safety after the Browns brought in 2022 Colts cog Rodney McLeod. It should be expected Harrison, who is going into his sixth season, lands somewhere soon. Teams can keep up to six vested veterans on their respective practice squads, leaving the door ajar for Harrison — who only signed with the Colts on Aug. 14 — to stay. The 26-year-old defender has 45 starts on his resume.
Chiefs Place DT Chris Jones On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Set 53-Man Roster
The Chiefs’ 53-man roster does not include Chris Jones, who continues to stage a rare 2020s holdout. Here is how the defending Super Bowl champions moved down to 53:
Released:
- TE Kendall Blanton
- DB Deon Bush
- C Austin Reiter
- DT Danny Shelton
Waived:
- DB Dicaprio Bootle
- DB Ekow Boye-Doe
- QB Shane Buchele
- TE Matt Bushman
- LB Cole Christiansen
- DB Anthony Cook
- RB Jerrion Ealy
- WR Ty Fryfogle
- WR Izaiah Gathings
- T Godrick Chukwuebuka
- WR Juwan Green
- T Sebastian Gutierrez
- DB Kahlef Hailassie
- T Anderson Hardy
- DT Phil Hoskins
- DB Lamar Jackson
- DE Truman Jones
- DE Joshua Kaindoh
- T Darian Kinnard
- DB Duron Lowe
- DB Isaiah Norman
- QB Chris Oladokun
- RB La’Mical Perine
- WR Cornell Powell
- RB Deneric Prince
- WR Ty Scott
- DB Reese Taylor
- DT Chris Williams
- DE Daniel Wise
Waived/injured:
- G Jerome Carvin
- LB Olakunle Fatukasi
- WR Nikko Remigio
Reserve/did not report:
- DT Chris Jones
Seeking a contract in the Aaron Donald range, Jones has seen the Chiefs push for a deal more in line with the recently established second tier of the defensive tackle market. Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams all signed for between $22.5MM and $24MM per year, but Jones has been resolute as he stays away. The Chiefs are unable to waive the $50K-per-day fines Jones has incurred, separating this from Nick Bosa‘s holdout. On a rookie contract, Bosa’s fines can be waived. Jones has lost more than $1.5MM already but has hinted at a holdout extending into the regular season.
The Chiefs have parted ways with a number of defensive regulars in recent years, moving on from the likes of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. The team has prioritized Jones in the past, franchise-tagging him and reaching an extension in 2020. Jones, 28, will count on the Chiefs folding, as their pass rush will obviously take a hit without him. But as we move close to the regular season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the sides are not close on terms.
It still seems difficult to envision Jones missing out on game checks, but this process has already gone on far longer than expected. The Chiefs have, however, come out against trading the All-Pro D-tackle. Regarding another well-known Chief, Reiter is considered likely to end up on the team’s practice squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
Steelers Set 53-Man Roster
The Steelers have made many of their cuts already. Here are the rest of Pittsburgh’s moves to trim their roster to the 53-man limit. Some of these players are likely to end up on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Those 16-man units will be set Wednesday, with waivers processing at 11am CT.
Released:
- TE Zach Gentry
- LB Nick Kwiatkoski
Waived:
- CB Luq Barcoo
- RB Greg Bell
- WR Jordan Byrd
- DL Breiden Fehoko
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- DL Jonathan Marshall
- OL Ryan McCollum
- S Tre Norwood
- LB David Perales
- LB Quincy Roche
- DB Trenton Thompson
- RB Xazavian Valladay
- CB Chris Wilcox
- TE Rodney Williams
The Steelers made several cuts in the days leading up to the deadline, while also sending Kendrick Green to the Texans and Kevin Dotson to the Rams. Kwiatkoski is the biggest name among their final-day moves.
A Pittsburgh-area native, Kwiatkoski signed with his hometown team midway through the offseason, adding him to a revamped linebacking corps. Pittsburgh shuttled out the likes of Myles Jack, Devin Bush and Robert Spillane — via releases (Jack) or free agency defections — and added Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. A former part-time Bears and Raiders starter who spent last season with the Falcons, Kwiatkoski, 30, returns to free agency.
Gentry worked as a Steelers starter alongside Pat Freiermuth for the past two seasons. The former fifth-round pick caught 19 passes in each of the past two campaigns. It is possible Gentry, as a vested veteran, returns after the Steelers take care of other roster business. As of now, only two tight ends — Freiermuth and third-round pick Darnell Washington — are on the 53-man roster.
Eagles To Acquire TE Albert Okwuegbunam From Broncos
Although the Broncos were planning to waive Albert Okwuegbunam, they found a trade partner at the 11th hour. The Eagles will acquire the fourth-year tight end, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Minutes before the deadline for teams to set their initial 53-man rosters, Philadelphia and Denver agreed on a swap that will send Okwuegbunam east in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Okwuegbunam, 25, had fallen out of favor in Denver. The former fourth-round pick had shown some promise during Pat Shurmur’s OC tenure and appeared poised to take on a bigger role once the Broncos included Noah Fant in last year’s Russell Wilson trade. That did not end up happening, with Nathaniel Hackett’s staff making Okwuegbunam a healthy scratch at points last season.
The Broncos dangled Okwuegbunam in trades before last year’s deadline, and while the frequent seller team made a big-ticket move (the Bradley Chubb swap) and acquired Jacob Martin from the Jets, “Albert O” stayed put. He finished last season with 10 receptions for 95 yards. The Mizzou alum topped that in his final preseason game this year, totaling 109 receiving yards in what amounted to a showcase effort by the Broncos.
Going from Shurmur’s offense to Hackett’s to Sean Payton’s, Okwuegbunam will now be tasked with learning a fourth system (Nick Sirianni’s) in Philly. The Broncos had added Adam Trautman and Chris Manhertz at tight end this offseason; both had played for Payton in New Orleans. Greg Dulcich quickly overtook Okwuegbunam as the top pass-catching option at the position last year, and the 2022 third-rounder remains as such in Payton’s system. Though, Trautman — acquired via draft-weekend trade — has worked as the Broncos’ starter.
He of a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash clocking at the 2020 Combine, Okwuegbunam did produce a 330-yard, two-touchdown season in 2021. The former Drew Lock college target did not exceed 450 yards in a season with the SEC program, though he did score an eye-catching 23 touchdowns in three Columbia seasons.
Okwuegbunam will join a tight end group fronted by starter Dallas Goedert and backups Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra. The two reserves combined for 16 receptions last season, opening a door for a receiving complement to Goedert. Considering how the past two seasons have gone for Okwuegbunam, he may be set for another uphill battle. But an Eagles team without many weaknesses will take a flier on an athletic pass catcher.
Eagles To Release LB Nicholas Morrow
Positioned as a prospective starter going into training camp, Nicholas Morrow will not land on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. The Eagles are releasing the veteran linebacker, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
The Eagles made multiple moves at linebacker during camp, signing Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack. The latter ended up retiring, ending a short stint, while Cunningham is on track to play a role for Philly this season.
Opting to allocate resources elsewhere this offseason, the Eagles let T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White walk in free agency. That opened up most of the Birds’ linebacker snaps. Nakobe Dean, a 2022 third-round pick, is on track to be Philly’s centerpiece at the position this season. The Eagles used the Georgia standout as a backup last year. But some questions exist about how the Eagles will line up on their defensive second level.
Morrow, 28, made the successful climb from Division III to the NFL. He worked as a Raiders regular, starting 29 games with the team, before a season-nullifying injury ended his run with the AFC West team. The Bears gave Morrow a bounce-back opportunity, and he finished with career-high numbers in tackles (116) and TFLs (11). Of course, Chicago did not exactly deploy a reliable defense last season. Next to no market formed for Morrow this offseason. He signed a one-year, $1.16MM deal to join the Eagles, who did not include any guarantees in the low-cost accord.
Cunningham has made 76 starts and would make for a logical Dean running mate. The Titans made Cunningham a cap casualty in February. Christian Elliss resides as another linebacker piece for the Eagles, though the former UDFA has appeared in only seven games for the team in two seasons.
Jaguars Trim Roster To 53
Teams have until 3pm CT to trim their rosters to the 53-man limit. The Jaguars are getting an early start. Here are the players the Jags cut Tuesday:
Released:
- OL Chandler Brewer
- CB Tevaughn Campbell
- DL Michael Dogbe
- OL Bobby Evans
- OL Blake Hance
- RB Qadree Ollison
Waived:
- LS Tucker Addington
- WR Kevin Austin
- S Latavious Brini
- OLB D.J. Coleman
- RB Snoop Conner
- OL Coy Cronk
- DL De’Shaan Dixon
- CB Erick Hallett
- WR Jacob Harris
- CB Kaleb Hayes
- LB Dequan Jackson
- OL Samuel Jackson
- WR Oliver Martin
- K James McCourt
- S Ayo Oyelola
- TE Derek Parish
- TE Josh Pederson
- TE Gerrit Prince
- WR Kendric Pryor
- QB Nathan Rourke
- OLB Jordan Smith
- OLB Willie Taylor
- DL Raymond Vohasek
- OL Darryl Williams
- WR Seth Williams
- CB Divaad Wilson
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR:
- LB Ventrell Miller
- OL Josh Wells
Placed on reserve/suspended list:
Placed on exempt list:
- CB Chris Claybrooks
Several of these players will be back, in all likelihood, via practice squad deals. Waiver claims process at 11am CT on Wednesday. Free agents can make plans to join P-squads early, but teams will not have the full picture of who is available until the waiver claims process.
Conner and Ollison being off the roster leaves third-round rookie Tank Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson and Jamycal Hasty in place behind starter Travis Etienne. The Jaguars chose Conner in the 2022 fifth round, and while they traded James Robinson before last year’s deadline, Conner did not receive much work. He totaled 12 carries for 42 yards as a rookie.
Wells returned to Jacksonville earlier this month, but this IR placement will halt a journey back to regular-season work with his initial NFL team. Wells, 32, started nine games for the Jags from 2014-18. He then worked as a key Buccaneers backup over the past several years. Players placed on IR before the season are not eligible for in-season activations, though an injury settlement could allow Wells to play this season.
Eagles To Waive RB Trey Sermon
Fielding a running back room that has surely confused fantasy GMs ahead of drafts, the Eagles’ post-Miles Sanders plan — for the time being, at least — will not include Trey Sermon.
The defending NFC champions waived the former 49ers third-round pick Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sermon was viewed as the odd man out in a backfield that still houses Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott; those two join offseason pickups D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny.
Sermon will be waived with an injury designation, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane notes, adding the third-year back suffered an injury in the team’s final preseason game.
Sermon wound up in Philadelphia via waiver claim last year. The 49ers cut him after his second training camp with the team. Sermon was viewed as a potential starter option for the 2021 49ers, but the team preferred sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell. The latter remains Christian McCaffrey‘s backup, while the higher-drafted player may soon be on a third team in three seasons.
That said, the Eagles could bring Sermon back into the fold on a practice squad deal. Not a vested veteran, Sermon is subject to waivers. If unclaimed by Wednesday afternoon, Sermon could land on Philly’s 16-man practice squad. He spent most of the 2022 season on that unit, playing in two games.
The Eagles only guaranteed Penny $600K, but the ex-Seahawks first-rounder remains on the team’s roster. One of the NFL’s longest-tenured backup running backs in recent memory, Scott is going into his sixth season with the Eagles. The team acquired Swift during draft weekend — two years after using a fifth-round pick on Gainwell. This convoluted setup should be expected to produce a committee. While Sermon could become part of the group again — if/when injuries occur — he must clear waivers first.
Steelers To Trade Kendrick Green To Texans
The Texans have been busy fortifying their offensive line this summer. After signing George Fant and trading for Josh Jones, Houston has another deal in place.
Kendrick Green will move from the Steelers to the Texans, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Steelers have now shipped out two former starters this week, moving Kevin Dotson to the Rams on Sunday and now sending Green to the Texans. A former Steelers center starter, Green has been unable to impress in Pittsburgh.
Two years remain on the former third-round pick’s rookie contract. The Steelers have made several free agency moves along their O-line over the past two offseasons. These affected Green’s standing with the organization. He will now have another chance elsewhere. The Texans will send the Steelers a 2025 sixth-round pick for Green, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Enjoying a healthy season along their offensive front, the Steelers did not use Green at all in 2022. The team had inserted Green as its starting center during Ben Roethlisberger‘s finale, but the Illinois product struggled as a rookie. Pittsburgh then signed Mason Cole in 2022, demoting Green. The Steelers have tried Green at guard and even fullback — for a brief period during this year’s training camp — but are cutting bait.
Green will join a Texans team that has run into some injury trouble on its interior O-line. Center Scott Quessenberry landed on IR earlier this summer, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes second-round rookie Juice Scruggs suffered a strained hamstring against the Saints. Second-year guard Kenyon Green is also battling a shoulder injury, with Wilson adding the 2022 first-round pick is dealing with multiple maladies.
This helps explain the Kendrick Green move, but Kenyon Green’s issue may cost the latter regular-season time. The 2022 draftee will undergo an MRI to determine if an IR stint is necessary to start the season, per Wilson. The Texans are already without right tackle Tytus Howard, with Wilson adding the former first-round pick is not certain to be back for the team’s opener. Fant is in place at right tackle sans Howard, with Michael Deiter in place of Kenyon Green presently. Among Houston O-linemen, only Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are firmly on track to start the season on time.
Bears To Release QB Nathan Peterman
The Bears have now jettisoned both the veteran quarterbacks behind Justin Fields on their depth chart. Following P.J. Walker‘s release, Chicago will cut Nathan Peterman, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
This may not be the end of the road for the Bears and Peterman. They would like to bring him back on a practice squad deal, per Pelissero. A seventh-year veteran who has settled into a reserve role since a rough stretch of early-career game cameos, Peterman spent last season with the Bears.
More interestingly, the Bears now have only rookie UDFA Tyson Bagent behind Fields on their active roster. With Walker and Peterman off the 53-man roster, Bagent has been the Bears’ top backup option during training camp and the preseason, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin adds. It would still qualify as unusual to give this job to a rookie UDFA out of a Division II program (Shepherd), but unless the Bears add another arm on the waiver wire or in free agency between now and Week 1, Bagent is on track to be a surprising QB2.
Peterman found himself in the same transaction last year. The Bears were a bit deeper at quarterback in 2022, rostering Trevor Siemian as well. But they prioritized Peterman via a P-squad deal. This arrangement led to Peterman starting a rather important game — for draft purposes — last season. The ex-Bills draftee completed 11 of 19 passes for 114 yards in a Week 18 loss to the Vikings — a defeat that ended up securing Chicago the No. 1 overall pick. Betting on Fields, the Ryan Poles regime traded the pick to the Panthers for a package that will help the team bolster its roster around Fields.
That game marked Peterman’s first start since his disastrous Buffalo work. Despite that historically bad four-start sample in Buffalo, Peterman has managed to remain a relatively coveted commodity. He spent nearly four years as a Raiders backup, covering almost all of Jon Gruden’s second stay with the team, and has another opportunity awaiting ahead of his age-29 season.
Broncos To Acquire K Wil Lutz From Saints, Release Brett Maher
12:45pm: In a corresponding (and unsurprising) move, Maher will be released, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. After losing out on the Broncos’ job, Maher will now need to move quickly to find another opportunity as teams sort out their kicking positions amidst roster cutdowns.
11:20am: The previously rumored Sean Payton-Wil Lutz reunion is happening. The Saints are sending the Pro Bowl kicker to the Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. New Orleans will receive a 2024 seventh-round pick for the veteran specialist, 9News’ Mike Klis adds.
Denver cut nine-year kicker Brandon McManus early this offseason and had gone into training camp with an Elliott Fry–Brett Maher competition. After a Fry injury, Maher finished out the preseason on his own. But the team had been looking for another option. Lutz loomed as the most logical choice, assuming the Saints were OK going with a rookie UDFA at kicker. With Blake Grupe winning the job, Lutz is now en route to Colorado.
This marks the second trade between Payton and his former team this year. The Saints sent tight end Adam Trautman to the Broncos during the draft. Despite Greg Dulcich‘s presence, Trautman has worked as Denver’s starting tight end. It appears the Broncos have not seen enough from Maher, with Lutz set to resume kicking under Payton.
Lutz, 29, has been the Saints’ kicker since 2016. Payton’s final New Orleans season did not feature Lutz, who suffered an offseason injury that led to four kickers — one of them Maher — kicking for the team that year. Although Lutz earned Pro Bowl acclaim in 2019, he has not been as accurate since. Coming off a groin injury that required two surgeries — the second after a setback — Lutz made a career-low 74.2% of his field goal tries last season. In 2020, Lutz connected on just more than 82% of his attempts. He cleared an 86% make rate from 2017-19, earning an extension for his early-career work. Lutz did fare well during training camp this year, however, per NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan.
The Saints, naturally, reworked Lutz’s contract this offseason, reducing his salary from $3.7MM to $2.2MM. The adjustment gave Lutz a $500K signing bonus. He is tied to a $1.25MM base salary in the final year of this contract. The Saints will eat more than $1MM in dead money by making this trade, but they will have a rookie-contract kicker in place.
McManus had been the Broncos’ kicker since 2014, but Payton signed off on making him a post-June 1 cut. As the Broncos used some of those savings to sign Frank Clark, their Fry-Maher competition had underwhelmed. Both players missed kicks in their first preseason game, and Maher is coming off one of the worst playoff games a kicker has ever gone through. The veteran followed up his four-PAT-miss wild-card game by missing another in the Cowboys’ divisional-round loss to the 49ers. It is safe to expect Maher to be cut before the 3pm CT deadline today.