NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Damion Willis
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Gehrig Dieter
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Shalom Luani
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Rashaan Gaulden, C Tanner Volson
Oakland Raiders
- Released: C Kyle Kalis, LB Quentin Poling
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Marken Michel
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jermaine Grace
- Released: DB Brian Allen
Washington Redskins
- Signed: WR Jordan Veasy
Lions Tried To Claim Mack Hollins
The Dolphins have added Mack Hollins to the mix, but they weren’t the only team to make a claim on him. The Lions also tried to snag the wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Lions’ Kerryon Johnson Designated To Return]
The Lions, of course, lost out on Hollins, due to having a stronger record. The Dolphins have the fourth-highest waiver priority in the NFL thanks to their 3-9 record. The 3-8-1 Lions, meanwhile, are sixth.
The Lions viewed Hollins as developmental depth, which is roughly why the Dolphins went for him. With an $804K cap figure for this season and a small bump to $894K for 2020, Hollins is a cheap pickup that could pay dividends for Miami going forward.
The Eagles gave Hollins extensive work this year while other receivers were sidelined with injuries. Hollins played in at least 50% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps in six games this season, but produced just 10 receptions for 125 yards.
Cowboys’ Antwaun Woods Arrested
Cowboys defensive tackle Antwaun Woods was arrested earlier this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Woods faces charges for marijuana possession and tampering with evidence, which could lead to legal consequences and league discipline. 
Woods was arrested on Tuesday at a traffic stop and police say he was found with 2.07 ounces of marijuana, plus a joint. The tampering with evidence charge, presumably, stems from an alleged attempt to hide the weed.
According to the police report, Woods was going 77 in a 60 mph zone. The bigger issue, of course, is the marijuana – in Texas, the tampering charge is a third-degree felony, while the possession charge is a Class A misdemeanor.
Woods, 26, has started in all eight of his games this year. So far, he has 15 total tackles and one fumble recovery on his stat sheet.
This offseason, the Cowboys will have the option of retaining him as a restricted free agent. Because Woods entered the league as an undrafted free agent, he’d cost roughly $2MM to keep.
Titans’ Delanie Walker: I Won’t Retire
Delanie Walker‘s season is over, but he says his career will continue. After being placed on injured reserve, the tight end told the team website (via Twitter) that he intends to play in 2020.
“This is not the end for me,” Walker said.
This has been a frustrating season for the 35-year-old. He started the season as the Titans’ starting tight end, but his surgically-repaired ankle held him back. In 2018, that ankle injury limited him to just one game.
Walker’s season ended after 21 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns in seven games. Still, he believes he can get back to the form he exhibited from 2014-2017, when he tallied at least 800 yards in each campaign.
In theory, Walker is set to return to the Titans thanks to the two-year, $17MM extension he signed prior to the 2018 season. However, the Titans can get out of the deal pretty easily, if they want to, and put those dollars elsewhere.
The Titans, sans Walker, will face the Raiders on Sunday afternoon. At 7-5, they have a 42% shot at reaching the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Jaguars Place Myles Jack On IR
Myles Jack is headed to injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jack has dealt with a number of injuries this season, so there’s no one known malady keeping him out of action.
Jack inked a four-year, $57MM extension with the Jaguars prior to the season, a deal that included $33MM guaranteed. Between 2017 and 2018, Jack played in 98% of Jacksonville’s snaps and notched 197 tackles.
As one of the league’s most talented linebackers, he’ll be missed on the field, even though this is a lost season for the 4-8 Jags. The 24-year-old finishes out the year with 66 tackles, one interception, and half-credit for a sack.
Prior to Week 13, Jack had not missed a game in his NFL career. Without the former second-round pick, third-year linebacker Donald Payne figures to hold down the fort at middle linebacker.
Jack hasn’t looked like his usual self this season, so he’ll look to heal up and enter 2020 at 100% health.
Chiefs Place Darrel Williams On IR
The Chiefs placed running back Darrel Williams on injured reserve, per a club announcement. Williams has been hobbling since suffering a hamstring injury against the Raiders last week and team doctors told him that he would be unable to play for the rest of the year. 
Earlier this week, the Chiefs brought back old friend Spencer Ware, so they should be set in the backfield. Ware figures to see time down the stretch, particularly as Damien Williams battles through his rib injury.
Williams’ season ends with 141 yards off of 41 carries and three touchdowns, plus 15 grabs for 167 yards and a score through the air.
In a related move, the Chiefs promoted defensive back Alex Brown from the practice squad.
Giants’ Owner On Pat Shurmur, Dave Gettleman
The Giants are 2-10 and nobody is safe. As the losses pile up, Giants owner Steve Tisch seems open to a total turnover, one that could include the dismissal of head coach Pat Shurmur and/or GM Dave Gettleman. 
Here’s a look at what Tisch told NBC’s Bruce Beck earlier this week (via Greg Joyce of the New York Post).
On the possibility of offseason changes:
“It’s been a very frustrating season. At the end of the season John Mara and I are gonna get together and discuss the future. As partners we have to be very honest with each other about where we see this team going into the 2020 season.”
On whether he believes in Shurmur and Gettleman:
“Those decisions and conversation are not going to be made this morning. It’s really at the end of the season that John and I are going to sit down and talk about these issues.”
On his message for frustrated Giants fans:
“I’m asking for patience. I’m being patient which you know at times is challenging. Please be understanding and patient. I want Giants fan to feel that their voice is being heard.”
Lions’ Kerryon Johnson Designated To Return
Lions running back Kerryon Johnson has been designated to return from injured reserve, head coach Matt Patricia announced on Wednesday. Johnson will be eligible to play in Week 16 against the Broncos, though it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be activated. 
The Lions are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at 3-8-1, so the decision to play Johnson won’t be an easy one to make. The running back would surely like to see his first action since the sixth game of the season, but the Lions won’t want to risk further injury to one of their top skill players.
If nothing else, the move allows Johnson to practice with the club, starting today. Johnson, 22, was averaging just 3.3 yards per carry prior to the injury, but impressed in a limited sample as a rookie. In 2018, Johnson finished with 641 rushing yards on 118 attempts, good for a 5.4 yards per carry average. And, in Week 3 of that season, he snapped the Lions’ streak of 70 games without a 100-yard rusher.
The Lions, without Johnson in the lineup, will finish the year against the Vikings, Bucs, Broncos, and Packers. If the season ended today, they’d own the No. 6 overall pick.
Ravens Sign Patrick Ricard To Extension
The Ravens and fullback Patrick Ricard have agreed to a new deal, per a club announcement. The extension will take Ricard through the 2021 season. 
The two-year add-on is worth $7.3MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). In effect, the deal matches the $3MM+ RFA tender he would have received for 2020, plus one year worth $4MM.
The Ravens have been discussing a new contract with Ricard throughout the year and, with months to spare before free agency, they got it done. Before this, the former undrafted free agent out of Maine was playing out the final year of a three-year, $1.66MM deal. The new pact should give him a pay bump, plus a bit of security in the event of an injury.
Through 12 games this year, Ricard has eight catches for 47 yards and one touchdown. More importantly, he’s provided quality pass blocking, as evidenced by his position leading score from Pro Football Focus.
In other Ravens news, safety Brynden Trawick has been activated from injured reserve. He’ll be eligible to play right away, starting with Sunday’s road contest against the Bills.
Giants Likely To Start Eli Manning
It sounds like Eli Manning is back in the saddle as the Giants’ starting quarterback. At least, for one game. On Wednesday morning, head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters that Daniel Jones is in a walking boot with a mild high-ankle sprain, which means Manning will “very likely” start on Monday night against the Eagles. 
The Giants’ season is effectively over, but this will serve as an opportunity for the G-Men to bid farewell to their longtime star. And, for Manning, this will be a chance to show the rest of the NFL that he’s still a capable QB.
Manning says he plans on playing through at least the 2020 season, but it’s unlikely to be with the Giants. After calling New York home for 16 years, Manning will hit the open market in search of his next team.
In 2018, the 38-year-old raised his completion rate to a career-high 66% and his 7.5 yards-per-attempt average was considerably higher than it was in the previous two seasons. He also dropped his interceptions total (11) to the lowest its been during his 14 seasons a full-time starter.
His $23.2MM salary limited his trade appeal this year – and Manning wouldn’t have waived his no-trade clause, anyway – but there figure to be many QB-needy teams speaking with the future Hall of Famer in March.