Cardinals Cut RB Kerwynn Williams
The Cardinals have released running back Kerwynn Williams, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. In his place, the team has promoted tight end Hakeem Valles from the practice squad. 
Williams was signed earlier this week after running back Chris Johnson was placed on IR. However, the reunion was short lived. With Williams out of the picture, the Cardinals now have one-time starter Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor behind David Johnson.
Valles, soon-to-be 24, came to the Cardinals this year as an undrafted free agent out of Monmouth. The 6’5″, 260 pound athlete was among the team’s final cuts before the 53-man deadline but quickly agreed to join Arizona’s practice squad.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
No Deal For Bills, Karlos Williams?
Earlier today, it was reported that Karlos Williams would be working out for the Bills this week with a deal effectively agreed upon between the two sides. Apparently, that’s not quite the case. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter) hears from a team source that the odds of a deal are now “50/50.” Meanwhile, Ryan Talbot of NewYorkUpstate.com hears that the Bills have cancelled Williams’ work out. 
Williams is highly talented, but also a handful to deal with off the field. This year, the league office suspended the running back for the first four games of the season due to a substance abuse policy violation. Then, in the summer, Williams ballooned up to 261 pounds, up from his 2015 playing weight of 229. The Bills grew tired of the headaches caused by Williams and they released him in August.
The Bills signed veteran Reggie Bush to serve as Williams’ primary backup, but that addition hasn’t really panned out. Williams would make sense for Buffalo as a complement to LeSean McCoy, but it doesn’t appear that there is any deal in place at the moment.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Activate LB Aaron Lynch
As expected, the 49ers have activated linebacker Aaron Lynch. To make room, the team has officially placed linebacker NaVorro Bowman on injured reserve. 
Lynch was suspended without pay for the first month of the season after running afoul of the league’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Lynch, 23, has appeared in 30 games for SF over the last two years with 16 total starts. In his rookie year, Lynch made a mark when he tallied 23 tackles and 6 sacks. In 2015, he improved on those numbers in a 14-game season, racking up 38 tackles and 6.5 sacks. Now, he’ll rejoin a Niners team that has totaled just seven sacks through four games.
The Niners announced on Wednesday that Bowman is done for the year after suffering a torn Achilles.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Redskins, Cardinals
The NFL today informed the Falcons they’ll forfeit the first three days of OTAs in 2017 for violating NFL-NFLPA work rules for excessive contact in practice. Atlanta is the second team to receive punishment for that infraction following sanctions against the Seahawks. The Falcons aren’t happy about the punishment, but they did not face the heavy fines and draft penalties that the Seahawks did as repeat offenders.
“We take player safety very seriously and work hard to ensure that we are in compliance with league rules,” the Falcons wrote in a statement Thursday.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Redskins tried to fortify their roster through free agency but, so far, those additions haven’t panned out, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. Last year, signings like cornerback Chris Culliver, defensive end Stephen Paea, nose tackle Terrance Knighton, and Junior Galette all flopped for various reasons. This year, spring signing Kendall Reyes was dropped just four games into the year and safety David Bruton was placed on IR after a poor start to the season.
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says that he has his “fingers crossed” when it comes to the recoveries of running back Chris Johnson and safety Tyvon Branch because it’s possible that one of them could be healthy enough to return this year (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of the Sporting News). Both players were placed on IR this week with groin injuries. Teams can only bring one player back from IR each season, so it’s effectively a race between the two to see who can get healthier first.
- Veteran guard/tackle Garrett Reynolds worked out for the Lions on Tuesday, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Cowboys are auditioning kickers as Dan Bailey deals with a sore back.
- The Vikings, meanwhile, have no plans to try out kickers at this time, despite Blair Walsh’s issues.
Bills To Re-Sign Karlos Williams
Karlos Williams is set to return to the NFL and it sounds like he’s going to do it with the only team he’s ever known. The running back is visiting with the Bills today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter), and the Bills are expected to re-sign him. It is not immediately clear whether Williams has signed a practice squad deal or an active roster deal, but it is presumably the latter.
Despite a rookie year in which he averaged 5.6 yards per carry, picked up 613 scrimmage yards, and scored nine times on just 104 touches, Williams has proven to be a bit of a headache. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season after violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and he struggled with his weight throughout the offseason. The Bills opted to cut Williams in August and he went unclaimed on waivers.
If he is on the 53-man roster, the 2015 fifth-round pick will resume his old place as a backup behind starter LeSean McCoy. And if that’s the case, veteran Reggie Bush could be on the outs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Auditioning Kickers
The Cowboys are working out a group of kickers today as Dan Bailey deals with a back injury (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Dallas will audition former Bears kicker Robbie Gould as well as former Redskins and Saints kicker Kai Forbath, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
Before being cut by the Bears in early September, Gould spent the past 11 seasons in Chicago, converting 85-percent (276-323) of his field goals and 99-percent of his extra points (379-383). After a disappointing 2014 campaign where he only made 12 appearances and finished with a career-low field goal percentage, the veteran seemed to have bounced back in 2015. Gould connected on nearly 85-percent of his field goals, and his kickoffs continued to be as consistent as ever. For one reason or another, he was not kept on board for 2016.
Bailey missed a 47-yard field goal attempt against the 49ers on Sunday, but he did sink a 22-yard chip shot in the fourth quarter. It doesn’t sound like the Cowboys are looking to replace Bailey in the long term.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Sign DB Marqueston Huff
The Ravens have plucked defensive back Marqueston Huff off of the Jaguars’ practice squad, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Huff will take the place of cornerback Maurice Canady, who has been placed on IR with a knee injury. 
Huff, 24, entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2014. In two years with Tennessee, the defensive back appeared in 30 games and tallied 23 tackles, one interception, one sack, and four passes defensed. Prior to the 53-man deadline, the Titans bounced Huff along with other notables from the old regime like Justin Hunter, Bishop Sankey, and Dexter McCluster.
Canady was selected by Baltimore in the sixth round of this year’s draft. A four-year player at Virginia, Canady closed out his collegiate career with 37 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and six passes defensed. He did not record an official statistic in his one month with the Ravens.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Johnny Manziel Has Suspension Lifted
The NFL informed clubs on the transaction wire that free agent quarterback Johnny Manziel‘s suspension has been lifted as scheduled, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. However, Manziel is still subject to potential discipline under the personal conduct policy stemming from an assault allegation from his ex-girlfriend earlier this year. 
Of course, Manziel’s suspension was never the biggest barrier to his NFL return. The former Browns quarterback has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, leading Cleveland to cut him loose this past offseason and substance abuse appears to be a major problem for him. His off-the-field problems have prompted his father to say that he should be put in jail and led two agents to drop him in the last year.
His last agent, Drew Rosenhaus, claimed that there was NFL interest in Manziel as recently as March. However, teams will need to see that Manziel has his life in order before even considering him at this juncture.
With just two accrued seasons, Manziel is eligible for a practice squad exception. If he were to sign a p-squad deal, he could earn as little as $6,900 per week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Chargers signed cornerback Steve Williams and released nose tackle Ryan Carrethers, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Bears promoted fullback Paul Lasike from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
- Ravens tight end Daniel Brown has been promoted from the taxi squad to the active roster, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
- The Browns signed offensive lineman Anthony Fabiano off of their practice squad and waived defensive lineman Gabe Wright, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Rory Anderson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Luke Rhodes (Twitter link via Mich Chappell of CBS4)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: CB Tre Roberson (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
- Cut: LB Quentin Gause
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, LB Darnell Sankey (via Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Josh Keyes