NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Ahmad Thomas, OT Lukayus McNeil
- Released: P Matt Wile, DE Austin Larkin
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Nick Easley
- Released: WR Jordan Veasy
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Bradley Sowell
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Elijah Nkansah
- Released: OT Christian DiLauro
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
- Released: DT Brian Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Braxton Hoyett
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DB Quenton Meeks, TE Matt Sokol, DE Jeff Holland
- Released: OL Chris Brown, S Adarius Pickett
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Nate Meadors
New England Patriots
- Released: LB Scooby Wright
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Devante Downs, Da’Mari Scott
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Brandon Hitner
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Jaryd Jones-Smith
- Released: OT Ryan Pope, OL Will Holden
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OLB Jamal Davis II
- Released: DL Lyndon Johnson
Washington Redskins
- Released: CB Adonis Alexander
Ravens To Waive Tim Williams
The Ravens are cutting ties with Tim Williams, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The former third-round pick played just seven snaps on Sunday, an indication that he was no longer a big part of the team’s plans going forward. 
The Ravens, who have a storied history of incredible linebackers, are still working to get the right mix at the position. The shocking defections of Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley left the Ravens with a revamped group, one that is partially responsible for 40 points allowed against the Browns and a two-game losing skid.
Williams, 26 in November, was a third-round pick of the Ravens back in 2017. Since then, he has logged 19 total appearances in two-and-a-quarter seasons with just two sacks and 18 total tackles.
Per league rules, Williams will be subject to the waiver wire, giving the league’s 31 other teams to pick him up midway through his affordable rookie contract.
Patriots To Waive OL Caleb Benenoch
The Patriots are waiving offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Garafolo notes that Benenoch worked out for three clubs before signing with the Pats, so he might not be out of work for long. 
[RELATED: Antonio Brown Likely To Win Grievance Against Patriots?]
Reportedly, there were nine NFL teams requesting workouts with Benenoch before he hooked on with the Patriots in mid-September. Plenty of teams need offensive line help, but they might have to get in line – and sweeten the pot – to bring the longtime Bucs lineman into the kitchen.
Benenoch started every game of the 2018 season at right guard for the Bucs and also offers experience at tackle. And, he’s not necessarily a world-beater, but he does have 35 appearances to his credit (22 starts) with decent size at 6’5″ and 305 pounds.
In other New England news, former Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown is set to file up to nine appeals relating to contractual matters. That’s one grievance for every team that Benenoch drew interest from earlier this year.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/19
Here’s a look at the latest workouts from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- DL Joel Heath
- DL Zach Kerr
- DL Mike Pennel
- DL Caraun Reid
- DL Anthony Zettel
Atlanta Falcons
- LB Andrew Dowell
- LB Ahmad Thomas (signed with ATL p-squad)
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Josh Bynes
- LB Mason Foster
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- DL Domata Peko
- LB Vincent Rey
- LB Dekoda Watson
Buffalo Bills
- WR Deontay Burnett
- DT Willie Henry
- DT T.Y. McGill
- WR Kermit Whitfield
Cleveland Browns
- TE C.J. Conrad
- OT Cody Conway
- DL Frank Herron
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- C Daniel Munyer
Giants Activate Golden Tate
Finally, the Giants will get to utilize Golden Tate. On Tuesday, the Giants announced roster moves to make way for the wide receiver as he returns from suspension. 
[RELATED: Giants’ Ryan Connelly Done For Year]
To clear spots for Tate, and new linebacker Josiah Tauaefa, the G-Men have released wide receivers Bennie Fowler and T.J. Jones. The adjustment leaves the Giants with five active WRs – Tate, Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Darius Slayton, and Cody Core – rather than six.
Tate inked a four-year, $37MM deal with the Giants this offseason as they moved on from superstar Odell Beckham Jr. The hope for GM Dave Gettleman & Co. is that Tate will provide the Giants with the locker room stability and veteran guidance that they were perhaps not getting from OBJ, even though Tate cannot realistically match his production.
Tate’s big debut was stalled in the offseason when he was suspended four games for PEDs. The veteran claims that his positive test was the result of fertility drugs he was taking in an effort to grow his family. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to get the suspension overturned, delaying his 2019 season by a full four weeks.
When Tate joined up with the Giants, he probably assumed that he would be catching passes from Eli Manning. Instead, Manning has been given the hook in favor of No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones. If they can sync up on Sunday, and if the Giants’ defense can handle the Vikings as well as the Bears just did, the G-Men could advance to 3-2 behind a three-game winning streak.
Panthers Place Kawann Short On IR
Kawann Short‘s season is already over. On Tuesday, the Panthers placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve, per a club announcement. 
“KK has done everything he could possibly do to try to play these past two games,” general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement. “But, we have made the decision that it is in the best long-term interest of KK and the team that he undergo surgery to fix his shoulder and focus on his rehab and get ready for next season.”
Short has suffered a partially torn rotator cuff, and those injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from. The surgery, hopefully, will allow short to bounce back in 2020, without the risk of aggravating the injury this year.
Short has been absent for the Panthers’ last two games and wasn’t looking like his usual self in the club’s first two games. It’s a frustrating setback for obvious reasons, but Short has been fairly lucky so far throughout his career – he did not miss a single game through his first five campaigns and missed just two last year.
Thanks to the monster five-year extension he inked in 2017, Short is under contract through the 2023 season. The Panthers, in reality, are only truly locked in with him through 2021: releasing Short in the offseason would saddle them with $17.35MM in dead money and they’d be looking at an $11MM/$9.8MM dead/savings split prior to the 2021 season. After that, there are two low-cost seasons slated for 2022 and 2023.
To take his place on the roster, the Panthers have promoted fellow DL Bryan Cox, Jr. from the practice squad. Cox, the son of three-time Pro Bowler Bryan Cox (duh), has appeared in 18 games for the Panthers over the last two seasons.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are 2-2 with back-to-back wins under the guidance of quarterback Kyle Allen. There’s still no word on when Cam Newton might be able to return.
No Timetable For Jets’ C.J. Mosley
This offseason, the Jets handed linebacker C.J. Mosley a five-year, $85MM contract to anchor their defense. So far, however, they’ve only seen him in action once, and it’s not clear as to when they’ll see him on the field again. 
Mosley has yet to practice at full speed after injuring his groin last month, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. With that in mind, Mosley’s status is uncertain heading into this week’s game against the Eagles, and perhaps beyond this week.
“Running straight ahead felt pretty good,” Mosley said. “Cutting and those type of motions are still…up in the air. That’s the part where I can’t really test it out because, if I hurt it more, then it will set me back more. That’s been the tricky part. Just figuring out how to try to test that full-speed motion without damaging it more.”
Mosley is just one of several injured Jets players. On the other side of the ball, the Jets are still awaiting word on the status of Sam Darnold, who was not cleared for activity on Monday.
The hapless Jets are winless through three games and their situation might not improve when they face the Eagles on Sunday.
Titans Meet With Quincy Adeboyejo
The Titans will meet with wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. It’s yet another audition for the 24-year-old, who has been on the circuit since missing the Jets’ cut in late August.
Adeboyejo showed his stuff for the Cowboys, Bills, and other clubs in September, but is still on the lookout for work. Though he was not drafted in 2017, Adeboyejo showed promise while at Ole Miss, tallying a combined 70+ receptions and 1,000+ yards over his final two years in school.
Adeboyejo joined the Ravens in ’17 and saw time in one game as a rookie. The Ravens were expecting a step forward for him in 2018, but he unfortunately lost the season to a leg injury. Before this year’s training camp, the Ravens cut him loose, leading him to Gang Green. He didn’t take flight with the Jets, but he could find his next opportunity in Nashville.
The Titans are presently carrying five receivers with Corey Davis, Tajae Sharpe, Adam Humphries, Darius Jennings, and Adeboyejo’s fellow Ole Miss alum A.J. Brown on board.
Lions To Work Out WR Maurice Harris
The Lions will work out Maurice Harris on Tuesday, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Redskins receiver was said to have had a solid camp with the Patriots, but was waived in late August with an injury settlement after suffering a foot injury. 
Harris was recently cleared by the acclaimed Dr. Robert Anderson, so it sounds like it’s all systems go for the 26-year-old (27 in November). If he hooks on with the Lions, or another squad, he’ll look to top the watermarks of 28 catches, 304 yards, and 12 touchdowns that he set last year.
The workout could be an indication that Danny Amendola is still recovering from the chest injury that ruled him out against the Chiefs on Sunday. For now, the Lions WR depth chart consists of Amendola, Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, Marvin Hall, and the recently promoted Tom Kennedy.
The Lions are 2-1-1 after Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs and will look to rebound against the Packers on Monday night.
Injury Updates: McDonald, Smith, Cichy
The Steelers faced the Bengals on Monday night without the services of tight end Vance McDonald, who was ruled inactive due to a shoulder injury. On the plus side – the Steelers have already safeguarded for this with the acquisition of Seahawks TE Nick Vannett and they are not expecting a prolonged absence for McDonald.
Also, as of this writing, the Steelers are handling the Bengals with ease, so they are getting by just fine without McDonald in the interim.
Here’s the latest on some notable injuries around the NFL:
- Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith received good news after his MRI and a return against the Jets in Week 6 is thought to be possible, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears. He’ll miss the club’s next game against the Packers, but it appears that this is not the typical 4-6 week high-ankle sprain – the Cowboys may get Smith back on the field sooner than expected.
- Colts safety Clayton Geathers suffered a concussion against the Raiders and finds himself in the concussion protocol, according to coach Frank Reich (Twitter link via Mike Wells of ESPN.com). There’s no word on his timetable just yet, but the Colts may need to bolster the position, particularly as Malik Hooker continues to recover from a meniscus injury.
- Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians says linebacker Jack Cichy “could [miss] 2 to 4 weeks,” though his diagnosis is pending an MRI (Twitter link via the Bucs’ team website). That would be a welcome bit of news for Cichy, whose arm was twisted badly in Sunday’s win over the Rams.