Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/21
Keeping tabs on today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from Reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Darrell Daniels
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: OLB/DL Sam Kamara
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: DE Joe Jackson, FB Johnny Stanton
- Placed on IR: OL Chris Hubbard (story), FB Andy Janovich, S M.J. Stewart
Detroit Lions
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: CB Mark Gilbert
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: WR Chris Moore
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed off Steelers’ practice squad: OL Rashaad Coward
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: T Prince Tega Wanogho
- Waived: WR Daurice Fountain
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed off 49ers practice squad: OL Senio Kelemete
- Placed on IR: G Oday Aboushi
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Dan Chisena
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
- Signed off Bears practice squad: K Brian Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: CB Davontae Harris, RB Jacques Patrick
Saints Place Cody Parkey On IR
The Saints are placing Cody Parkey on the injured reserve list, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Parkey joined the Saints just over a week ago, but he’ll be out for a while with a groin injury. 
Parkey took over for Aldrick Rosas, who made just 1 of 4 field goal tries in 2021. Parkey, meanwhile, had yet to debut this year. Unfortunately, he pulled his groin during pregame warmups against Washington. The Saints went on to win 33-22, but Parkey was clearly hurting as he missed two of his five extra point tries.
Parkey, 29, made 19 of 22 attempts to help the Browns to the playoffs last year. The Browns placed him on IR and dropped him over the summer after he suffered a quad injury. He’s become a well-traveled pro, having kicked for five NFL teams. After two straight years as the Eagles’ kicker to start his career, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, Parkey has not been with the same team in consecutive seasons since. He bounced to Cleveland in 2016, Miami in ’17, Chicago in ’18, Tennessee in ’19 and back to Cleveland last season. The Bears stint serves as Parkey’s most memorable stay, with the infamous “double doink” game spotlighting their kicker position throughout the following offseason.
The Saints may audition other kickers, but they might not have to sign one. Wil Lutz — who had a groin injury of his own — will be eligible to return after the bye for Week 7.
Lions’ Frank Ragnow Done For Year
The Lions can’t catch a break. Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow will be shut down for the year after undergoing season-ending toe surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Previously, there was hope that Ragnow could return after a short stint on the IR list. 
“He’s got, basically, a version of turf toe right now is what he’s got,” said Lions head coach Dan Campbell less than one week ago (via ESPN.com). “We’ll know a lot more this afternoon with him. I would say he’s probably going to be out [for a little while] though.”
The winless Lions have already lost several key players to injury, including left tackle Taylor Decker, edge rusher Romeo Okwara, and wide receiver Quintez Cephus. Up until this latest issue, Ragnow was mostly healthy throughout his career, save for three missed games.
Ragnow been first-string for Detroit ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. And, in May, they made him the highest-paid center in the NFL with a $70MM re-up. That deal cemented his status as a pillar of the Lions’ offensive line and vaulted him ahead of Chargers C Corey Linsley, who led the position with a five-year, $62.5MM pact.
The wounded Lions will face the 3-2 Bengals on Sunday.
Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster Done For Year?
The Steelers expected to put JuJu Smith-Schuster on injured reserve, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). It’s not official yet, but team doctors believe that the shoulder injury he suffered on Sunday will be a season-ender. 
Smith-Schuster was forced out after a rushing attempt in the second quarter. If this is the end of the season for the 24-year-old (25 in November), he’ll finish out with 15 catches for 129 yards in five games, plus three carries for nine yards.
The wide receiver is now in his fifth pro season, but his career hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. In 2018, the former second-round pick broke out with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance. Then, in ’19, he recorded just 42 grabs for 552 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Smith-Schuster was healthier in 2020 and bounced back somewhat, finishing with a 97/831/9 stat line. When he couldn’t find the payday he was looking for, he re-upped with the Steelers on a one-year, $8MM deal.
Smith-Schuster could have inked a better deal with the Ravens and the Chiefs were also in the mix. Instead, he opted to bet on himself — that gamble may have backfired.
Lions’ Quintez Cephus To Miss Time
Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus suffered a broken collarbone on Sunday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’ll likely end his season here in October, though there’s a small chance that he could return later on this year. Either way, the Lions will have to place him on the injured reserve list. 
Cephus was a bright spot for the Lions in an otherwise challenging year. Through five games, the young WR had 15 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns, nearly matching his entire rookie slate.
The Lions snagged Cephus in the fifth-round of the 2020 draft, due to assault allegations that tanked his stock. On the field, he showed serious potential by catching 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns in his final year at Wisconsin.
The Lions, who are short-handed on both sides of the ball, are 0-5 following Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. They’ll try to get into the win column on Sunday when they face the Bengals in Detroit.
Cardinals’ Maxx Williams Done For Year?
The Cardinals fear that Maxx Williams is dealing with a major knee injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The tight end will undergo additional testing today, but doctors say this will likely mark the end of his season. 
Williams was set to play a key role in the Cardinals’ offense this year, particularly after notching seven grabs for 94 yards against the Vikings in Week 2. Unfortunately, he’ll have to shift his focus to 2022 after five games, 16 catches, 193 yards, and one touchdown.
It’s particularly bad timing for Williams since he’s in his walk year. The 27-year-old (28 in April) is on course for free agency in the spring after his two-year, $7MM contract expires.
Williams was easily on pace for a career year. To date, his best showing came as a rookie when he recorded 32 catches for 268 yards and one TD. All in all, he’s got 102 career receptions for 994 yards and six scores between his time with the Ravens and Cardinals.
Without Williams, the Cardinals will move forward with Darrell Daniels, Demetrius Harris, and Travis Ross as their TEs. However, they’ll need to wait for clearance on Daniels before activating him from the COVID-19 list.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/21
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: OT Andre Smith, DB Jordan Richards
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: C Ethan Pocic
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Houston Texans
- Signed: G Cole Toner
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Christian Elliss, TE Noah Togiai
- Released: TE Nick Eubanks, WR Travis Fulgham
Bengals’ Jordan Evans Done For Year
Bengals linebacker Jordan Evans has been diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’ll be a season-ender for the fifth-year pro, so the Bengals will place him on the injured reserve list later today. 
Evans went down late in the second quarter on Sunday. The Bengals went on to lose to the Packers in OT, dropping them to 3-2 on the year. His season will end with five tackles in five games.
Evans, a 2017 sixth-round pick, has appeared in 64 games with nine career starts. They’ve mostly used him on special teams since 2019; some believed that he would see more defensive snaps this year. That didn’t happen through five games, and the ACL tear means he won’t get an opportunity to crack the rotation.
All in all, Evans has 110 tackles, 3.5 sacks, seven pass defenses, and two interceptions as a pro. He could still hold interest as a special teamer in the spring — last year, Pro Football Focus assigned him a special teams grade of 77.6, good for No. 3 on the Bengals.
Jaguars Add Anthony Miller To Practice Squad
The Jaguars are set to sign Anthony Miller to their practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver may get a quick promotion to the 53-man roster as well, RapSheet hears.
Miller was cut by the Texans late last week, just months after acquiring him from the Bears via trade. The Texans sent Chicago a 2022 fifth-round pick in the swap, but only used him in two games. He recorded four grabs for 20 yards in his Week 3 debut against the Panthers, but he was a non-factor in Week 4 against the Bills. In his defense, no one on the Texans shined in that 40-0 blowout. All together, he’s got five catches for 23 yards and one touchdown so far this year.
Miller, a 2018 second-round pick, flashed potential at times but fell flat towards the end of his Chicago tenure. In 2020, he took 49 catches for just 485 yards. Some say that shoulder issues held him back — to his credit, he played through the pain for a full 16-game slate.
To date, his rookie year — 33 catches, 423 yards, and seven touchdowns, still stands as his best.