NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/19
A look at the latest NFL practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Denzel Rice
- Released: S A.J. Howard
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Jordan Veasy
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Fadol Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Gehrig Dieter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, C Cole Toner
- Placed on practice squad IR: RB Detrez Newsome
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Nsimba Webster
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Tyler Gauthier, WR Devin Ross
- Released: K Younghoe Koo, TE Jason Vander Laan
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jon Hilliman
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: RB James Butler, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams
- Released: RB Damarea Crockett, DE Quinton Bell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB De’Angelo Henderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Tony Brooks-James, T Christian DiLauro
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Brian Allen, S Adrian Colbert, TE Tyrone Swoopes, T Chad Wheeler
- Released: LB Malik Carney, CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: LB Demone Harris, RB Darius Jackson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Washington Redskins
- Signed: TE Wes Saxton, DB Maurice Smith
- Released: TE Drew Belcher, T Victor Salako
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/19
Here’s a rundown of early-week minor NFL moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL John Wetzel
- Waived/Injured: P Matt Wile
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Bennett Jackson (from Jets’ practice squad)
- Placed on IR: S DeShon Elliott
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Alex Bars
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed: OL Fred Johnson (from Steelers)
- Placed on IR: DE Kerry Wynn
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT John Atkins
- Waived: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: TE Evan Baylis
- Released: CB Tremon Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Dan Skipper (from Patriots’ practice squad)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Carl Davis
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: CB Ryan Lewis (from Eagles)
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DE Tashawn Bower
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Eric Tomlinson
- Placed on IR: FB Jakob Johnson
- Waived: QB Cody Kessler
New York Jets
- Signed: S Blake Countess
- Waived: CB Arthur Maulet
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Ryan Lewis
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE L.T. Walton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LB Devante Bond, WR Bobo Wilson
Washington Redskins
- Signed: FB Michael Burton
- Placed on IR: TE Jerome Cunningham
Rams Trade CB Marcus Peters To Ravens
The Rams have traded cornerback Marcus Peters to the Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Rams will also receive a 2020 fifth-round pick in the deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The trade comes on the heels of another smaller swap, which saw the Rams ship a 2021 draft pick to the Browns for guard Austin Corbett. Clearly, after a three-game slide, the Rams eager to shake things up.
Peters, 26, is in the fifth year of his rookie contract. This season was supposed to be Peters’ chance to secure a lucrative extension with the Rams. Instead, he’s starting over with the third team of his young career. The Rams would have likely fetched a third- or fourth-round pick for Peters, via the compensatory process, in 2021. They agreed to land Young and a fifth-rounder that will come a year earlier.
After this season, the Ravens will have the opportunity to franchise tag Peters, which would cuff him at approximately $17MM. Or, if they choose, they can allow Peters to test, or walk, in free agency. For now, the Ravens have him at a reasonable cap figure of $9.069MM.
In 2018, Peters showed serious flashes of promise, including a strong showing in a Super Bowl that was otherwise ugly for L.A. Still, he lacked consistency throughout the year, and he has a rep for being difficult with coaches.
With the Ravens, Peters will help secondary that lost defensive backs Tavon Young, Tony Jefferson, and DeShon Elliott for the year. Meanwhile, cornerback Maurice Canady is day-to-day with a hamstring injury.
“The next game is critical,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday (via the Associated Press). “It won’t make or break us, but it will go a long way in setting us up for where we’re heading down the road and what kind of season we’re going to have.”
Harbaugh wasn’t kidding – the Ravens went out and got serious firepower in advance of their matchup against the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Rams will add Young, a 2018 fourth-rounder who notched 2.5 sacks last season, to the mix.
Browns Trade Austin Corbett To Rams
The Browns have traded guard Austin Corbett to the Rams. In exchange, the L.A. will send a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft to Cleveland, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Corbett, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has appeared in 14 games since becoming a pro. This year, he appeared in three games as a reserve.
After the Browns traded Kevin Zeitler to the Giants, Corbett was thought to be a shoo-in to take over as Cleveland’s starting right guard. That didn’t happen – Corbett didn’t meet the club’s expectations and veteran Eric Kush wound up as one of the team’s top five linemen instead.
The Rams acquired Corbett just as they shipped cornerback Marcus Peters to the Ravens. The team acquired a 2020 fifth-rounder for Peters from one AFC North franchise and will send its 2021 fifth-rounder to another. Busy day for the 3-3 Rams.
Cowboys’ Tyrone Crawford Done For Year
Cowboys defensive end Tyrone Crawford is done for the year, per a club announcement. The hip issue that plagued him throughout the offseason and kept him out of two games this year will sideline him for the rest of the campaign. 
This hasn’t been a banner year for Crawford. First, the Cowboys weren’t sure if he’d be suspended for his role in an offseason bar fight. Then, his hip bursitis limited him to a part-time role this year, before ultimately leaving him with no role.
The Cowboys will likely turn to Joe Jackson and Trysten Hill for extra support and will probably add another defensive lineman to fortify the unit. The defensive line has been iffy on the whole and there’s still no word on Randy Gregory‘s status, so this is a rough one for the Cowboys.
On the plus side – Robert Quinn has looked strong so far this year and Antwaun Woods is back on the field after a three-game absence. The Cowboys will look to shake off their surprising loss to the Jets when they face the Eagles on Sunday night.
Eagles’ Jalen Mills Set For Return
The Eagles have opened the 21-day practicing window for Jalen Mills, according to head coach Doug Pederson. This means that Mills may return to the 53-man roster off of the PUP list within the next three weeks. 
[RELATED: Connor Barwin Announces Retirement]
Per league rules, the Eagles can put Mills on the active roster at any point between now and then. If he is not activated, he’ll be barred from playing for the rest of this season.
The Eagles haven’t seen Mills in a while – his last appearance came in Week 8 of the 2018 campaign. Since then, he’s been dealing with a serious foot injury. Before all of that, he notched 167 tackles and three interceptions across three seasons with Philly.
Depending on how things go from here, Mills could return this Sunday against the Cowboys, the following week against the Bills, or on Nov. 3 vs. the Bears.
Bengals’ William Jackson To Miss Time
The hits just keep on comin’ for the Bengals. Cornerback William Jackson is expected to miss at least a few weeks with a shoulder injury, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
This news comes on the heels of Dre Kirkpatrick‘s knee injury, which will likely cost him a month of time. This also comes on the heels of yet another Bengals loss, dropping them to 0-6 on the year. Meanwhile, the club continues to keep its fingers crossed for wide receiver A.J. Green, who may or may not be a trade candidate leading up to the deadline.
Back to Jackson – the former first-round pick has started in 22 straight games for the Bengals. While he allowed 38 catches last year and doesn’t rank among the league’s top CBs, the Bengals can ill afford to lose a starter at this time.
One silver lining for the Bengals: Darqueze Dennard is set to return from the PUP list. But, even in a best-case scenario, this appears to be a lost season for the Bengals.
Patriots Designate N’Keal Harry For Return
N’Keal Harry is on course to return for the Patriots. Or, more accurately, he’s slated for his debut. 
On Tuesday, Harry took the practice field for the Pats, which is the first step towards returning from IR. Per league rules, he’ll be able to practice for the next two weeks before becoming eligible to play.
Harry has been sidelined since suffering an injury in the preseason opener. It was an unfortunate setback for the Arizona State product, who was taken with the No. 32 overall pick to become Bill Belichick‘s highest-selected wide receiver ever.
His pending return comes at a good time as Julian Edelman (chest), Josh Gordon (knee), and Phillip Dorsett (hamstring) are all banged up. The Pats also have Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski on the WR depth chart for support, but Harry offers higher upside than both.
Bears Place DT Akiem Hicks On IR
The Bears have placed defensive tackle Akiem Hicks on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. Hicks has been soliciting medical opinions in recent days and, apparently, he’s been advised to stay off of the field.
This will not be a season-ender like Kyle Long’s injury, at least the Bears do not believe it will be. They are planning to make the impact defensive lineman one of their IR-return players later this season, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hicks is not expected to need surgery.
Hicks, who made the Pro Bowl last year, is a key cog in Chicago’s elite defense. Last year, he notched 7.5 sacks, a strong follow-up to his career high of 8.5 quarterback takedowns in 2017.
There was some hope that the team’s Week 6 bye would give Hicks some time to recover and return to action quickly. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The Bears will look to rebound from their London loss to the Raiders on Sunday against the Saints without one of their best players.
Hicks signed a four year, $48MM extension with the Bears in September of 2017, a deal that included $22MM fully guaranteed at signing. Next year, he’s slated to count for an $11.8MM cap hit.
Jets’ Kelechi Osemele To Have Surgery
The Jets’ can’t seem to shake their bad luck. Guard Kelechi Osemele is set for shoulder surgery, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Osemele has missed the team’s last two games, including their upset win over the Cowboys on Sunday. Just when things seemed to be turning around for Gang Green, the injury bug reared its head again. The Jets lost wide receiver for the season Quincy Enunwa due to a neck injury, they’re still waiting on linebacker C.J. Mosley‘s return, and they’ll be without one of their star lineman as they look to build on their first W.
The Jets acquired Osemele via trade with the Raiders this offseason with the hope that they would patch up their porous offensive line. So far, that hasn’t happened, and it’ll be even more challenging to open up holes for Le’Veon Bell and protect Sam Darnold‘s spleen from here on out.
The 1-4 Jets will face the Patriots in New Jersey on Monday night.