Titans Add D’Onta Foreman To Practice Squad
The Titans have signed running back D’Onta Foreman to the practice squad, per a club announcement. Foreman will be joined by Adrian Peterson, who agreed to terms on Monday. 
[RELATED: Titans Sign Adrian Peterson]
Peterson is set for a quick promotion — he’ll likely be brought up to the varsity squad later this week. Foreman, meanwhile, will provide additional insurance at running back in the wake of Derrick Henry‘s injury. Henry’s foot trouble is expected to shelve him for a minimum of six weeks, but a late-season return remains possible.
The Titans have also released linebacker Avery Williamson from the 53-man roster while dropping running back Mekhi Sargent and defensive linemen Eli Ankou and Caraun Reid from the 16-man practice squad. That’ll give them enough room to accommodate the veteran tailbacks, though at least one of those players figures to return once Peterson is elevated to the active roster.
Packers Release LB Jaylon Smith
The Packers are cutting linebacker Jaylon Smith, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Smith joined the Packers just a few weeks ago, but he’s back on the market and free to sign with any club. 
Smith, 26, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 with 154 tackles, good for the second-highest total in the NFL. He was still productive for the Cowboys this year too — the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus pegged him as a top-15 linebacker through four weeks. Still, the Cowboys opted to cut him and eat the remainder of his $7.2MM base salary.
Smith’s Packers tenure will end after just two games and a single tackle with Green Bay. The Panthers and the Washington Football Team were both said to be in on him in early October, so either one of those clubs could circle back. Smith may also make sense for the Steelers, who have just traded Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs for a Day 3 draft pick. The Steelers are reportedly eyeing defensive line help, but it couldn’t hurt to beef up elsewhere in the front seven.
The Packers, sans Smith, will ride a seven-game winning streak into this week’s game against the Chiefs.
Texans Trade Charles Omenihu To 49ers
The Texans have agreed to trade Charles Omenihu to the 49ers in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Omenihu has drawn interest from multiple teams in recent weeks, but the 49ers managed to come away with the young edge rusher. 
[RELATED: Texans Shopping Multiple Veterans]
Omenihu, a 2019 fifth-rounder, has spent much of his career as a reserve, save for five starts last year and two starts this year. All in all, he has seven sacks and 41 tackles to his credit across two-and-a-half Houston seasons.
While he’s not a household name, Omenihu stood as one of only a few quality pass rushers at the deadline. The Chiefs also considered trading for him before landing Melvin Ingram from the Steelers this morning, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Omenihu, 24, has watched his playing time dwindle over the course of the year. He may have a chance to see more snaps in the Niners’ rotation as they try to make a playoff push. Sunday’s win over the Bears elevated the Niners to 3-4 on the year, but they still face slim odds of overtaking the 7-1 Cardinals and Rams for the divisional crown. Right now, it looks like they’re angling for a strong second half to put them in the Wild Card mix.
Steelers Looking For Upgrades
The Steelers kicked off deadline day by trading Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs. However, there could still be more trades to come. The Steelers are looking to make more deals with an eye on improving their outlook for 2021, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Steelers Trade Ingram To Chiefs]
The Steelers are mainly focused on finding defensive line help, Kinkhabwala hears. Ingram could have been useful at defensive end, but the Steelers couldn’t carve out enough playing time to satisfy the veteran. In any event, they could use some additional DL support while Stephon Tuitt continues to rehab from his knee injury. The Steelers are also without defensive tackle Carlos Davis, who was parked on injured reserve last week.
Ingram’s departure also leaves the Steelers with a need at OLB. As it stands, starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith have only one true backstop in former Broncos seventh-rounder Derrek Tuszka. Then again, newly promoted edge rusher Taco Charlton could help on that front.
The Steelers may have missed out on Whitney Mercilus earlier this month, but they could be hours away from bolstering their front seven. As of this writing, Kevin Colbert & Co. have less than four hours to get a deal done.
Browns Won’t Trade Odell Beckham Jr.
Sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. is staying put. The Browns have no plans on trading the star wide receiver before the afternoon deadline, according to sources who spoke with Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Browns have gotten calls on Beckham, but Russini hears that none of the offers were to their liking. 
The Browns had at least some interest in listening, given Beckham’s health issues. Last year, a torn ACL shut him down after Week 7. This year, he’s been dealing with a shoulder malady. OBJ has been active since Week 3, but he’s not quite 100% healed up. His best games to date came against the Bears (5 catches for 77 yards) and, more recently, the Cardinals (5/79). Outside of that, we haven’t seen the vintage OBJ in 2021.
All in all, Beckham has 17 catches for 232 yards and zero touchdowns in his six games. His last healthy season came in 2019, when he reeled in 74 grabs for 1,035 yards and four scores. Despite the hiccups, the Browns seem prepared to keep him and pay out the ~$9MM he’s still owed for 2021.
The Browns are 4-4 following Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Stationed fourth in the sardine-packed AFC North, they don’t seem inclined to sell off their stars between now and 4pm ET/3pm CT.
Texans Shopping Jordan Akins, Phillip Lindsay
Deshaun Watson isn’t the only Texans player that could be on the move. Tight end Jordan Akins, running back Phillip Lindsay, safety Lonnie Johnson, and linebacker Zach Cunningham are all expected to be available between now and the trade deadline (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Latest On Potential Deshaun Watson Trade]
The Texans already shipped out one of their veteran running backs, trading Mark Ingram to the Saints last week for a seventh-round pick. Apparently, that deal didn’t solidify Lindsay’s status in Houston.
Through eight games, Lindsay has 41 carries for 105 yards and four rushing touchdowns, plus three grabs for 37 yards and one receiving TD. He’s been far less efficient than usual, though that can’t be pinned squarely on his shoulders given the Texans’ myriad of issues. In his first three years with the Broncos, Lindsay averaged 4.8 yards per tote with quality pass-catching in 2018 and 2019.
Akins, a former third-round pick, is in his walk year. He enjoyed a breakout year in 2019 with 36 grabs for 418 yards and followed that up with 37/403/1 in 2020. He’s roughly on pace for the same type of year with 19 catches and 177 yards at the midway point. Now, he might be on the verge of spending the second half with a contender.
Broncos Shopping Kyle Fuller
The phone lines are still open in Denver. The Broncos are pushing to trade Kyle Fuller between now and this afternoon’s deadline, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Broncos Trade Miller To Rams]
This jibes with recent talk of the Broncos fielding calls on their corners and safeties — both Fuller and Kareem Jackson have drawn interest from rival clubs. Fuller may have been a hotter property earlier this year, back when the Saints were searching high and low for cornerback help. New Orleans ultimately turned to the Texans, swinging a September trade for Bradley Roby.
Fuller, a former first-round pick of the Bears, has 99 career starts to his credit across seven seasons (not counting his missed 2016 campaign). His best work came in 2018, when he led the league with seven interceptions and 21 pass deflections en route to a First-Team All-Pro nod. His 2019 encore also earned him a second straight Pro Bowl selection.
Fuller has slipped down the depth chart in Denver, but he should hold some appeal as a rental for contenders in need. The Bucs, for example, could see Fuller as a logical fill-in for their banged-up secondary.
Steelers Trade Melvin Ingram To Chiefs
The Steelers have agreed to trade edge rusher Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In exchange, Kansas City will send a sixth-round pick to Pittsburgh. The deal is now official, per a press release from the Steelers. 
The Chiefs made an offer on Ingram late last week, following a one-sided loss to the Titans. Even with Frank Clark and Chris Jones back on the field, the Chiefs clearly needed to bolster their pass rush. They’ve done just that by acquiring Ingram, a proven vet who was eager for a change of scenery.
So far this year, Ingram has ten tackles, one pass defensed, and one sack across six games. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off of the screen, but he’s been healthy, and that’s good news after his injury-riddled 2020. Ingram’s knee kept him to just seven games with the Bolts last year. Before that, he saw three straight Pro Bowl nods from 2017-2019.
The Chiefs met with Ingram in the early part of the offseason but passed on their opportunity to sign him. In other words, they could have had the 32-year-old on a similar deal without coughing up a draft pick. Still, it’s only a sixth-round choice, so the Chiefs haven’t depleted their stockpile too badly.
Ingram will make his debut on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Buccaneers Eyeing CB Help?
Rival teams believe that the Buccaneers will try to trade for a cornerback between now and this afternoon’s deadline, according to sources who spoke with PFT. The 6-2 Bucs don’t necessarily have to make an upgrade today, but they could use a veteran to shore up their depleted secondary. 
Richard Sherman dressed for Sunday’s game against the Saints, though fellow corner Dee Delaney was held out with an ankle injury. It’s been a recurring theme throughout the year as the Bucs have been forced to place defensive backs Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis on IR while holding Antoine Winfield Jr. out of action with a concussion. Sherman would have been the ideal stopgap solution, if not for his own hamstring issues.
Bucs GM Jason Licht could get in touch with the Broncos, who are fielding calls on cornerback Kyle Fuller as well as defensive back Kareem Jackson. Fuller, 29, is still owed the balance of his one-year, $9.5MM deal, though the Broncos could pick up part of the tab, as they did in yesterday’s Von Miller trade. There’s reason to believe that Fuller could be had via trade, especially since he barely played in yesterday’s 17-10 win over Washington.
While this hasn’t been a banner year for Fuller, he does boast two career Pro Bowl selections from 2018 and 2019. He was also a part of three solid Bears defenses, though Pro Football Focus rated his most recent Chicago season as below average.
Jaguars Claim Devine Ozigbo Off Waivers
The Jaguars have claimed running back Devine Ozigbo off waivers from the Saints (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Ozigbo will return to Jacksonville to potentially fill in for the injured James Robinson.
Ozigbo, a Nebraska product, first entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent with the Saints. He later moved on to the Jaguars and spent two-plus years in Jacksonville. In that span, he saw time in 18 games, collecting 93 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches. The 25-year-old did most of his work on special teams and he’ll likely reprise some of those duties in the second half of the year.
Robinson is considered day-to-day with the foot injury he suffered against the Seahawks. His status for the Bills is TBD, which means that Carlos Hyde and Dare Ogunbowale could see an uptick in playing time. In that event, Ozigbo figures to slot in behind them as they aim for win No. 2 on Sunday.