Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/21
Keeping track of today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: LB Joe Bachie
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: CB Maurice Canady, DL Brent Urban
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Netane Muti
- Designated to return from IR: LB Jonas Griffith
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Malik Taylor
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Harvey Langi
New York Giants
- Signed off Rams’ practice squad: DB J.R. Reed
- Waived: CB Josh Jackson, WR David Sills
New York Jets
- Promoted: S Jarrod Wilson
- Released: S Adrian Colbert
- Placed on IR: LB Blake Cashman, LB Jamien Sherwood
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: LS Rick Lovato
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/26/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Javon Hagan, CB Lavert Hill
- Released: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
Denver Broncos
- Released: C Javon Patterson, DB Saivion Smith
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Jahleel Addae, TE Eli Wolf
- Released: G Zack Bailey
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: DE Demone Harris
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Paddy Fisher
- Released: G Nathan Gilliam, WR Austin Proehl
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Timon Parris
New England Patriots
- Released: S Elijah Benton
New York Giants
- Released: DT Woodrow Hamilton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Jared Mayden
- Released: CB Michael Jacquet
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Eli Ankou, RB Mekhi Sargent
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson, LB Dylan Cole, C James Murray
Dolphins Add Duke Johnson To Practice Squad
The Dolphins are signing running back Duke Johnson to the practice squad (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Johnson has yet to play in 2021 and this marks his first deal since the start of the season.
Johnson, 28, auditioned for the 49ers, Panthers, and Saints this fall but did not sign with any of those clubs. The Saints workout went down about three weeks ago when he showed his stuff alongside Lamar Miller, Duke Johnson, Brian Hill, Ito Smith, and Ryquell Armstead.
Johnson has excelled as a passing-down back, eclipsing 400 receiving yards in each of his first five NFL seasons. He was once a focal point of the Browns offense and even signed an extension in 2018, but the addition of Kareem Hunt pushed him down the pecking order. He went on to enjoy a productive 2019 with the Texans, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and totaling 820 scrimmage yards. Last year, however, he was limited to just eleven games, 235 rushing yards, and 28 catches for 249 yards.
After losing Malcolm Brown to a quad injury, the Dolphins’ RB group currently consists of Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, and Salvon Ahmed. Johnson will serve as extra insurance until Brown is able to return.
Ravens Designate Derek Wolfe To Return
Derek Wolfe has been designated for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. The defensive end has yet to play this season but could make his 2021 debut inside of the next three weeks. 
Wolfe, an eight-year Broncos starter, signed with the Ravens in 2020 and played in 14 games. Unfortunately, back and hip injuries hindered him throughout the summer. Last year, Wolfe finished out with one sack, one fumble recovery, six tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.
The veteran has dealt with injuries throughout his career, including a scary neck injury that kept him out of Super Bowl XLVIII and related neck trouble in 2017. His 2019 season also ended prematurely due to an elbow injury. Still, he was productive in Denver and even managed a career-high seven sacks in ’19, despite playing in just 12 games.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are awaiting the return of tight end Nick Boyle. He was designated for return on Oct. 20, so the Ravens have a little over two weeks to return him to the active roster.
Saints’ Wil Lutz Done For Year
Wil Lutz will not return from the injured reserve list after all. On Tuesday, the Saints kicker announced that he has suffered a setback in his recovery that will shut him down for the rest of 2021.
“2021 has been filled with adversity, personally, but with adversity comes an exciting challenge,” Lutz wrote (Twitter link). “Unfortunately I had a setback during the rehab process that has forced me to shift my focus to being 100 percent healthy for the long term and shut it down for the season. I want nothing more than to be out there with my teammates helping us win games, and I look forward to doing that when healthy! Thank you to the best fan base in the country for the support and well wishes, we’ll be back stronger than ever.”
Lutz has served as New Orleans’ primary kicker since 2016. All in all, he’s made 86.6% of his field goal tries across his five-year career, positioning him as one of the best kickers in the game. He’s also made 253 out of 260 extra point attempts in the elongated XP era. Unfortunately, he aggravated his groin injury in early August and hasn’t improved over the last ~10 weeks.
First, the Saints turned to Aldrick Rosas, who went 1-4 on field goal tries. He was later replaced by Cody Parkey, who missed two extra field goal tries. That led them to undrafted rookie kicker Brian Johnson, who joined the team two weeks ago and just sank both of his FG tries to beat the Seahawks.
Giants’ Joe Judge On Trade Deadline
It remains to be seen whether the 2-5 Giants will be buyers or sellers. But, according to head coach Joe Judge, they won’t mortgage the future to try and salvage the season. 
[RELATED: Giants Promote LB Benardrick McKinney]
“I always think long-term,” Judge said (via NFL.com). “Sometimes, long-term can come in a move you can make immediately at this point, but I’m always thinking long-term. I’ve said this from the beginning, I’m not about taking shortcuts into anything. I’ve made it very clear in terms of my vision of the team and where I want to build it. It’s being built for long-term success.”
December will mark Dave Gettleman‘s four-year anniversary as the Giants GM, if he makes it that far. The G-Men have won four, five, and six games in each of Gettleman’s seasons at the helm and 2021 is not shaping up to be a major improvement. A big trade could conceivably save his job — as well as Judge’s — but the head coach insists that they won’t sacrifice future draft ammo for a few extra wins this year.
“Whether you’re going through free agency, trades, draft, whatever it may be, to me, you’re always looking down the road in terms of…not where you are immediately, but where do you have to get to,” Judge said. “That’s my perspective on that.”
The trade deadline falls on Nov. 2, leaving seven days for the Giants to make a mid-season deal.
Rams Trade Kenny Young To Broncos
The Rams have traded Kenny Young to the Broncos, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Rams will also send a 2024 7th-round pick to Denver to net a 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange.
Young, 27 in November, has started in all seven of the Rams’ games this year for 46 tackles, two sacks, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble. Now he’ll join the Broncos, who were in serious need of linebacker help. They’ve got eight LBs on the injured list, including six on IR. This marks the second time that Young has been traded. Last time around, in 2019, the Ravens shipped him to the Rams in a similar deal.
The Rams seem to be clearing the way for Ernest Jones, a third-round rookie who has hardly played on defense. Meanwhile, the Broncos are happy to add Young’s experience, which includes 53 career games.
The Broncos might not be done trading and they still have until November 2 to make upgrades. At the moment, however, they might not be the most likely landing spot for Deshaun Watson. The Dolphins and Panthers are said to be the favorites to trade for the Texans’ embattled quarterback.
Tyrod Taylor To Start For Texans
Tyrod Taylor will return to practice on Wednesday, head coach David Culley announced. Culley added that Taylor “was our starting quarterback, [so] when he’s healthy, he’ll be our starting quarterback,” (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
[RELATED: Latest On Watson Trade Talks]
Taylor has been on IR ever since his Week 2 hamstring injury. Davis Mills has been serving as the starter ever since, but the results haven’t been great. His best performance came against the Patriots as he completed 21 of 29 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Pats went on to win 25-22 and the Texans went on to drop their next two games to the Colts and Cardinals.
Following Sunday’s loss to Arizona, the Texans are 1-6 and in serious need of a spark. Taylor could help to some extent, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to go against the Rams this week.
In other Texans QB news, a Deshaun Watson trade could be just around the corner. The Dolphins and Panthers are said to be the clubhouse favorites for him, ahead of the Eagles, Broncos, and other suitors.
Panthers To Stick With Joe Brady As Play Caller
The Panthers managed just three points in Sunday’s loss to the Giants, dropping them to 3-4 on the year. Clearly, something has to change, but head coach Matt Rhule says that he has no plans to take play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Joe Brady (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic). 
[RELATED: Panthers, Dolphins Favorites To Land Watson?]
Brady’s offense looked promising early on, thanks in part to the play of Sam Darnold. Unfortunately, the former Jets quarterback has sputtered in recent weeks He was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss, though Rhule told reporters that Darnold will “be our quarterback next week.” There’s no guarantee that Darnold will be the QB after the trade deadline, however. The Panthers are said to be in pursuit of Deshaun Watson and they could potentially outbid the Dolphins.
Brady’s offense would be in better shape with Christian McCaffrey, but he’s still on IR with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, despite all the hiccups, Brady remains a rumored candidate for the LSU vacancy.
“I didn’t really have any thoughts on it,” Brady said recently (via Sports Illustrated). “I had a great experience in my time there but I was way more concerned with our performance this past Sunday and trying to find ways to improve this Sunday. All of those things, from a coaching perspective, are things that I don’t really pay a lot of attention to…I’ve got to do a better job of being the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and that’s all I’m really concerned about right now.”
Jaguars’ DJ Chark Done For Year
Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer announced that DJ Chark will be out the rest of the season (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The wide receiver was placed on IR earlier this month, but the Jags were initially hoping that he could return towards the end of the year. 
Chark fractured his ankle on Oct. 3 against the Bengals. Afterwards, he was unable to put weight on his leg and ultimately had to be carted off the field.
The former second-round pick enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, finishing with 1,028 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. His numbers took a step back in 2020 as he recorded a line of 53/706/5. In four games this year, he notched seven receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jaguars have discussed an extension with Chark, but the injury will complicate things for the former second-round pick. While he rehabs with an eye on 2022, the Jags will move forward with Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault Jr., and Jamal Agnew as their top receivers.