NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Shakur Brown
- Released: OT Darrin Paulo
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OL Zack Bailey
- Released: G Anthony Coyle
Eagles Trade Zach Ertz To Cardinals
The Eagles have traded Zach Ertz to the Cardinals in exchange for rookie cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick. The deal is now official, per an announcement from both clubs. 
Ertz was once a focal point of the Birds’ offense, but he’s been relegated to a secondary role behind Dallas Goedert. With one season left on his five-year, $42.5MM deal, the Eagles have turned their surplus into draft capital.
Ertz, 31 in November, finished last year with just 36 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown in eleven games. But, before that, he made three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19 and consistently performed as one of the league’s best tight ends. So far this year, the veteran has 18 catches for 189 yards and two scores in six games.
The Cardinals will be responsible for the rest of Ertz’s salary, approximately $5.5MM. Ideally, he’d like an extension, but that’ll probably wait until after the season. The Cardinals will have much more utility for Ertz than the Eagles did since they’ve lost Maxx Williams for the year with a knee injury. Ertz will likely serve as the Cardinals’ TE1 with support from Darrell Daniels and Demetrius Harris. Beyond those three, the Cards also have Ross Travis on the practice squad, though they released recently-acquired veteran Richard Rodgers from the p-squad in the wake of the Ertz deal.
After years of iffy tight end production, Arizona finally has a proven option in Ertz. He delivered 335 yards in a down year with five missed games; the Cardinals haven’t had a TE top 600 yards in a season since moving to Arizona in 1988.
Browns Designate Jarvis Landry For Return
The Browns have designated Jarvis Landry for return, per a club announcement. The wide receiver will be eligible to play as soon as Sunday, when the Browns face the Cardinals. 
Landry went down with a knee injury during the Browns’ Week 2 opening drive. The Browns still went on to beat the Texans 31-21, but they lost Landry for the following games against the Bears, Vikings, and Chargers. Fortunately, they got Odell Beckham Jr. back at the exact same time — he snagged five passes for 77 yards in his debut. OBJ has been quieter the last two weeks, but he should benefit from the attention that’ll be paid to Landry.
Through two games (really, one game and change), Landry has six catches off of six targets for 80 yards. He also notched a rushing touchdown — the fourth rushing TD of his career — against the Chiefs in Week 1.
Per league rules, the Browns will have a 21-day window to activate Landry. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, but there’s no reason to think that Landry won’t return in the coming days. If he can’t go against the Cardinals, he’ll likely be ready for Week 7 against the Broncos.
Bears Restructure Robert Quinn’s Deal
The Bears have restructured Robert Quinn’s contract (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The edge rusher will see a portion of his base salary converted into a signing bonus, creating an additional $3.5MM in cap room. 
[RELATED: Bears Place Ifedi On IR]
Quinn came to the Bears in 2020 via free agency, inking a five-year, $70MM deal to help revamp their pass rush. He was the comeback kid in 2019, notching 11.5 sacks for the Cowboys. It was a throwback to his stellar work with the Rams, which included a Pro Bowl appearance in 2014.
Last year, Quinn totaled just two sacks while playing mostly from the right outside linebacker spot. This year it’s a different story — he’s got 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble through five games.
This won’t change much on Quinn’s end. He’s still signed through 2024 and still earning an average of $14MM per year on his deal. Meanwhile, the Bears are effectively kicking the can down the road. Quinn was initially set to carry a $16MM cap hit in 2022 — that number will rise to ~$19.5MM following today’s adjustment.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/14/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: P Ryan Winslow
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Daurice Fountain
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: K Michael Badgley (story)
- Released: C Joey Hunt
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Andrew Brown, T Foster Sarell
- Released: LB Nate Hall
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Dontae Johnson
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/21
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: S Kenny Robinson
- Placed on IR: Joseph Charlton
New England Patriots
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Michael Onwenu
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: CB Rodarius Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: T Le’Raven Clark, TE Noah Togiai
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: TE Deon Yelder
Free Agent Stock Watch: Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin
He figures to be one of the hottest free agents of the spring. Still, Chris Godwin presents an unusual case. To date, the former third-round pick has just one 1,000-yard season on his resume. 
Godwin went off for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019, positioning him as one of the game’s best young wideouts. His 2020 was sidetracked by multiple injuries, softening what could have been an explosive encore. To his credit, the Penn State product still notched 840 yards off of 65 catches in 12 games. He remains an essential part of Tampa Bay’s loaded skill-position corps, as evidenced by his $15.983MM franchise tag.
Godwin might have a stronger resume today if another team drafted him in 2017. Even though he’s flourished with the Bucs, he spent his first couple of years behind DeSean Jackson. Now, he’s one of several standouts, joined by the likes of Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, and Rob Gronkowski. So far, he’s still managed to shine this year with a 29/366/2 line through five games. That includes his whopper of a season opener — nine grabs for 105 yards and a score over the Cowboys.
The Buccaneers moved heaven and earth to re-up all of their stars while tagging Godwin. They’ll need to work some more magic this spring, because Godwin should easily match Kenny Golladay‘s contract. The Giants furnished Golladay with $72MM over four years, including $40MM guaranteed and another potential $4MM in incentives. Keep in mind — Golladay was 27 at the time of signing and Godwin will turn 26 in late February. Plus, Golladay was dealing with a depressed salary cap. Next year’s increase will help the young Buc.
Speaking of Golladay, the Lions still need to replace his production. Godwin would be an excellent fit, though they’ll also have to address their woeful secondary, front seven, and just about every other position group. It’s also worth noting that the Patriots — who haven’t had the best luck drafting WRs — will be cash-flush. But, given the Bucs’ ability to keep the band together, we’d be surprised to see Godwin leave Tampa next year.
Trade Candidate: Jets S Marcus Maye
Now in his fifth pro season, Marcus Maye stands as the Jets’ longest-tenured player. But, with the NFL’s November 2 trade deadline fast approaching, that could all change in the coming days. 
The Jets slapped Maye with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, but the two sides couldn’t come to terms on an extension. Both sides spent the summer saying all the right things. Jets GM Joe Douglas told reporters that be would work towards long-term deal with the young safety. Maye, meanwhile, said he’d focus on football and worry about negotiations later.
“Once [I was tagged], I just put it to the side and got back to the basics of playing football,” he said (via the team website). “Once I get on the grass I never worry about anything else.”
“Winning games is first, that’s what you play the game for. Also taking care of your family and making sure you’re set up for the future. Control the controllables. If you have no control over something, there’s no point in getting all upset. If you’re not here to win games, then what are you doing this for?”
Things have changed since then. For starters, Maye suffered an ankle injury in September that still has him on the sidelines. Then, in early October, we learned that the 28-year-old has been charged with a DUI and a pair of misdemeanors. The incident occurred in February; the Jets were not aware of the incident until it went public.
Maye’s agent recently tweeted that his client will be ready to play by the trade deadline, a clear attempt to drum up interest. His DUI and failure to notify the Jets may be a red flag for clubs, however. Ditto for his salary — any club acquiring him would have to pay him the prorated portion of his $10.6MM salary. And, of course, he’d only be a rental.
Still, Maye offers upside. The former second-rounder has started in each of his 57 games in the NFL, including 32-straight starts between 2019 and 2020. Last year, he finished with a career-high 88 stops to go along with two sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Those credentials could appeal to contenders like the Buccaneers and Rams, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler suggested this week. Old pal Todd Bowles knows Maye’s capabilities first-hand and could use some support with Sean Murphy-Bunting and Antoine Winfield Jr. sidelined. The Rams, meanwhile, would love the extra firepower as they chase the Cardinals. Besides, it’d be an opportunity to reunite Maye with Jalen Ramsey, bolstering a secondary that has allowed 271 passing yards per contest.
There are plenty of possibilities for the Jets and Maye. Right now, there’s only one that seems unlikely – a second franchise tag in the spring for approximately $12MM.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: CB Luq Barcoo, WR Josh Doctson
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Parker Hesse
- Released: K Elliott Fry, OLB George Obinna
Baltimore Ravens
- Suspended six games (PEDs): T Adrian Ealy
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Austen Pleasants
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: RB Elijah Holyfield
Cleveland Browns
- Activated off practice squad/COVID-19 list: CB Tim Harris
- Signed: T Alex Taylor
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR John Brown (story) CB Rojesterman Farris
- Released: WR Josh Malone, LB Avery Williamson (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Cole Tonerm
- Released: DB Shyheim Carter
Indianapolis Colts
- OT Greg Senat, DT Antwaun Woods
- Placed on IR: S Ibraheim Campbell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Kerrith Whyte, OL Jared Hocker, WR Josh Imatorbhebhe
- Released: OL Austen Pleasants, RB Wendell Smallwood, WR Devin Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Elijah McGuire, LB Darius Harris
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: QB Kyle Sloter
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Travis Fulgham
New Orleans Saints
- Released: OT Derrick Kelly, LB Wynton McManis
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Dru Samia
- Released: S Sheldrick Redwine
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Isaiah Mack
- Released: NT Eli Ankou
Chiefs Place Clyde Edwards-Helaire On IR
TUESDAY: The Chiefs placed their starting running back on IR. Edwards-Helaire will miss at least the next three games. Kansas City promoted running back Derrick Gore from its practice squad. Gore joins Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon as the Chiefs’ active-roster running backs. As of this afternoon, the Chiefs are not expecting Edwards-Helaire to miss more than the required three games, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets.
MONDAY: Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss time after suffering an MCL sprain on Sunday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). That’ll cost him a few weeks of action, but that’s relatively good news considering how the injury looked last night. 
The Chiefs may look to place Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve if he’s looking at three weeks or more of recovery. If he has a chance of returning sooner, however, they could leave him on the 53-man roster to keep a Week 8 return on the table.
Edwards-Helaire, the No. 32 overall pick of the 2020 draft, enjoyed a strong rookie showing up until his late season ankle and hip injuries. In 13 games, the LSU product tallied 803 rushing yards and four touchdowns off of 181 totes. He also added 36 catches for 297 yards and one score, showcasing his potential as a dual-threat back. So far this year, he’s got 304 yards off of 65 totes, good for a 4.7 ypc.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are also awaiting word on injuries to wide receiver Tyreek Hill (knee) and Joe Thuney (hand fracture).