Saints To Sign OT Khalif Barnes
The Saints are expected to sign tackle Khalif Barnes today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Barnes had multiple auditions with the Saints this month and he finally has landed a deal with New Orleans. 
The tackle hooked on with New Orleans towards the end of the preseason but he did not make the final 53-man cut in early September. Coach Sean Payton indicated that Barnes didn’t make the team initially because he wasn’t in football shape. Now, Barnes is presumably ready for live action.
Barnes played in 14 games for the Raiders last year, but he only started one contest. In his previous ten NFL seasons, Barnes started in more than 80% of his games.
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Cowboys Place Charles Tapper On IR
The Cowboys announced that they have placed defensive end Charles Tapper on injured reserve with a back injury. The move will make room for the addition of offensive tackle Emmett Cleary. 
Tapper was a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft and Dallas hoped that he would make an immediate impact while second-round Jaylon Smith would be sidelined for 2016. Unfortunately, Tapper was diagnosed with Pars Defect, an issue that had gone undetected since birth. He hoped that he could play through the pain in his lumbar spine with an injection, but it apparently wasn’t enough. Tapper will now be out for at least the next eight weeks and possibly for the entire season.
Tapper appeared in 39 games with Oklahoma in three seasons and piled up 13.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
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Cardinals To Sign Joplo Bartu
The Cardinals have agreed to sign linebacker Joplo Bartu, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear if it’s a 53-man deal or a practice squad contract, though Bartu already has plenty of in-game experience and it would stand to reason that he will be joining the varsity team. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Sign LS Aaron Brewer]
Bartu, who turns 26 on Oct. 3, auditioned for the Cardinals on Tuesday along with fellow linebackers Nate Irving and James-Michael Johnson. Last year, Bartu split his time between the Falcons and the Jaguars. This offseason, Bartu was let go by Jacksonville before the 75-man deadline.
The bulk of Bartu’s NFL experience came with the Falcons in 2013 and 2014 where he appeared in every regular season game and amassed 167 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Last year, he totaled just eleven tackles. He’s ostensibly hoping to get the kind of burn that he had in the early part of his career.
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Chargers Sign LB Korey Toomer
The Chargers signed linebacker Korey Toomer off of the Raiders’ practice squad. Today, Toomer took to Twitter to announce the news. 
“Thanking god for all my opportunities that I’ve had this journey has been a wild one thank you Raiders and #Raidernation hello @Chargers,” Toomer tweeted.
Recently, the Chargers lost Manti Te’o for the season when he tore his Achilles. The Bolts immediately started looking for outside help at linebacker and they found some depth in Toomer. The inside linebacker will have a chance to show his former team what he can do when the Chargers play the Raiders in Week 5.
Toomer, 28 in December, appeared in ten games for the Raiders last season. In 2014, he saw his first NFL action with the Cowboys (one game) and the Rams (seven games).
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Bills Sign Michael Ola From Giants’ Practice Squad
The Bills have signed offensive lineman Michael Ola, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Ola was plucked from the Giants’ practice squad to fill their vacant 53-man roster spot. 
Ola, 28, was among the Lions’ final cuts this preseason. He hooked on with the Seahawks’ taxi squad soon after being released, but he didn’t last long there. The lineman agreed to join the Giants’ p-squad on September 21st and one week later, he’s off to a new city.
Ola has 24 games to his credit between the Bears, Lions, and Chargers over the last two years. In his time with Chicago, Ola made 12 starts and saw time at every offensive line position except for center. The Bills view Ola as a solid depth pickup and someone that can offer help across the line, if needed.
The Bills now have ten offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, as Rodak notes (Twitter link). Buffalo also has two linemen on the taxi squad and Seantrel Henderson will return from suspension next week. The Bills could get a one-week roster exemption for Henderson that would allow them to have him practice without counting against the roster.
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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Cam Johnson
- Cut: LB Shaq Riddick
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Ed Eagan, C Terran Vaughn
- Cut: LB Carlos Fields, S Damian Parms
Green Bay Packers
- Cut: CB Robertson Daniel (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Adam Redmond
- Cut: S Lee Hightower
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OT Rashod Hill (Twitter link via agent Brett Tessler)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Daniel Munyer
- Cut: WR Seantavius Jones (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Lynden Trail (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
New England Patriots
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Doran Grant
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
- Cut: WR Wendall Williams
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DL Demetrius Cherry (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle)
- Cut: LB Korey Toomer (Twitter link via Tafur)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia)
- Cut: WR Antwan Goodley (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: CB JaCorey Shepherd (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Jordan Leslie
- Cut: NT Antwaun Woods
Washington Redskins
- Signed: CB Lloyd Carrington (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post), CB Tye Smith (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
- Cut: LB Amarlo Herrera
Panthers Sign S Michael Griffin, DL Kyle Love
The Panthers announced that they will sign safety Michael Griffin and re-sign veteran defensive tackle Kyle Love. 
At the age of 31, Griffin is not the player he once was. But, he still managed to start 14 games for Tennessee last season, accruing 65 tackles, one interception, and one sack. He was not expected to be a focal point of Minnesota’s secondary and before the season opener, the Vikings decided that he didn’t have a place on the roster either. Griffin is no longer a top safety, but he can certainly provide help at the position for Carolina. Last season, he logged 100 or more tackles for the sixth time in seven years.
Love, 29, will give the Panthers additional defensive line help while Vernon Butler deals with a high ankle sprain. Love spent the offseason with the Panthers but missed the 53-man cut in early September.
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Lions Re-Sign Aaron Dobson
The Lions announced that they have re-signed wide receiver Aaron Dobson. In a related move, linebacker Zaviar Gooden has been re-signed to the practice squad. 
Dobson worked out for the Jets, Eagles, Chargers, and 49ers this month before a Lions tryout finally landed him a deal. He was dropped prior to the team’s Week 3 game against the Packers, but he’s back in the fold now. Since a decent showing in his rookie season, Dobson has just 16 catches for 179 yards over the last two years.
Detroit promoted linebacker Zaviar Gooden for Sunday’s game as DeAndre Levy and Antwione Williams were sidelined. After being waived, Gooden is back on the taxi squad.
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Vikings Promote OL Willie Beavers
The Vikings are set to promote offensive lineman Willie Beavers from the practice squad to the active roster, according to a team press release. In related moves, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte and guard Sean Hickey were added to the practice squad. Defensive back Julian Wilson was cut from the p-squad to make room. 
Beavers, a guard out of Western Michigan, was selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft. However, he did not make the Vikings’ cutdown to 53. Upon clearing waivers, he was signed to a practice squad deal. Now, he may be on the active roster this weekend if Alex Boone‘s hip keeps him from playing.
Beavers played left tackle in college, but the Vikings would like to use him at multiple spots. With Boone hurting, Beavers’ first shot could come on the interior line.
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49ers To Sign Keshawn Martin
The 49ers are signing wide receiver/kick returner Keshawn Martin, as freelance NFL reporter Rand Getlin tweets. Interestingly, it will be a two-year contract for Martin. 
Last year, Martin averaged 11.2 yards per reception with New England, though that came on a limited sample size of 24 receptions. Prior to the 2015 season, Martin spent his first three seasons with the Texans and saw the field in every regular season contest from 2012-2014. For his career, Martin has averaged 25.2 yards per kick return and it will be interesting to see how Martin is split between offense and special teams in SF.
As of this writing, the 49ers also have Torrey Smith, Quinton Patton, Jeremy Kerley, Rod Streater, and Aaron Burbridge on the WR depth chart.
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