NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: FB Joe Kerridge
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Jake Rodgers, DT Marcus Hardison
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Tracy Howard
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Shakir Soto
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Kache Palacio
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: FB Austin Johnson, OL Avery Young
Browns’ Josh Gordon Won’t Request Trade
Josh Gordon is back with the Browns, but some have wondered if he’s there to stay. On Thursday, Gordon said that he does not plan to ask for a trade this offseason, an indicator that he may remain in Cleveland if new GM John Dorsey wants to keep him. 
“You can ask for a trade whenever you want to really, but that’s not really on my mind, man,” he said (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “I’m just glad to be back.”
Gordon has spent much of his Browns tenure off of the field. When on the field, he hasn’t been on the winning side of too many games. He’s watched former teammates Joe Haden and Kenny Britt wind up with Super Bowl contenders, but he says he wants to help Cleveland turn things around.
Dorsey, for his part, has indicated that he sees Gordon as a part of the team’s future.
“Josh is a very, very, very talented football player,” Dorsey said in a recent radio interview. “And it always helps to have talented guys on there. The one thing about Josh, what I’ve seen is and I’ve heard, he’s worked very hard to turn his personal life around. My Catholicism has taught me that, you know what, give every man a second chance in life. And as long as he’s committed to the Cleveland Browns, I’ll tell you that the Cleveland Browns are committed to him, to help him not only be a good football player but a good man off the field.”
Gordon, 27 in April, has 12 catches for 201 yards and one score in three games this year.
AFC Notes: Bengals, Lewis, Dolphins
Here’s a look at the AFC:
- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis denies reports indicating that he’s going to leave the team to pursue other opportunities, but nine unnamed members of the organization tell Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer that they’re not buying it. Meanwhile, Lewis recently told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that he would “listen to” opportunities to transition a GM role somewhere. Rapoport adds that special teams coach Darrin Simmons could be an internal candidate to take over as head coach.
- The Dolphins do not have any plans to shift Laremy Tunsil from tackle to guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. Tunsil, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has 12 penalties this year, the second-most in the NFL. Still, offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen is insistent that he will remain on the outside.
- More from Jackson, who writes that defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has erased any questions about whether he should be part of the team going forward. That’s no surprise given the year he is having. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke went so far as to say that he is a reliable player, something that he probably wouldn’t have said over the summer. “Snap count was a little down last week, but he has been really good,” Burke said. “The two weeks before that, he was at his best in a long time. I feel he has been more consistent this year — to the point where I had conversations with him, ‘Hey man — you’ve got to be one of our leaders now.’ He has found his way a little bit. Even last year, he he wasn’t as outgoing as he’s been this year — I am encouraging him to be more of an energy guy — part of that comes with being consistent and being reliable.” Phillips, a former second-round pick, has a decent 72.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus for his eleven games this year.
Saints To Place Kenny Vaccaro On IR
Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro will be placed on the injured reserve list, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Vaccaro has been playing on an adductor completely torn off the bone as well as an injured wrist and he’ll need surgery to repair both. 
[RELATED: Saints Sign CB Sterling Moore To Replace Vaccaro]
At 10-4, the Saints are likely headed to the postseason, but they’ll have to forge ahead without the services of their starting strong safety. The advanced numbers aren’t presently fond of Vaccaro (he rates as Pro Football Focus’ worst safety out of any qualified player this year), but he is a valuable five-year veteran of the defense. It’s another tough blow to a Saints team that just placed middle linebacker A.J. Klein on injured reserve a few days ago.
Clearly, Vaccaro has been at less than 100% throughout the year. Although Vaccaro has started in all 12 of his games this year, the team has had to take him off the field for large chunks of time. The 27-year-old (28 on New Year’s Day) has tried to tough it out, but the maladies have finally caught up with him.
Last year, Vaccaro ranked an above-average 38th in performance among PFF’s 90 qualified safeties. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.
Saints Sign CB Sterling Moore
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. The Saints have re-signed cornerback Sterling Moore, a source tells Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). 
Moore most recent stint with the team came to an end on December 14th, when the team claimed linebacker Jonathan Freeny off waivers. He now returns to the team prior to a pivotal game against the Falcons on Sunday.
Moore will provide depth to the secondary in the wake of Kenny Vaccaro‘s season-ending injuries. Vaccaro was dealing with a groin injury and a wrist injury, both of which will require surgery.
Without Vaccaro, second-round pick Marcus Williams and Rafael Bush will be asked to step up with Chris Banjo and Moore in support. Vonn Bell remains the starter at free safety.
If the Saints beat the Falcons on Sunday, they’ll secure their spot in the playoffs. They can also lock down the NFC South this weekend with a victory coupled with a Panthers loss.
Latest On Jets, Muhammad Wilkerson
In all likelihood, Muhammad Wilkerson will not be a part of the Jets in 2018. It remains to be seen whether he will take the field for them again in 2017. 
On Thursday, Jets coach Todd Bowles told reporters that Wilkerson’s status will be a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against the Chargers. The call on whether or not to play Wilkerson could have huge ramifications for the player and the team going forward. Bowles is aware of what’s at stake, but he has also grown weary of discussing Wilkerson’s situation.
“I answered all my Mo Wilkerson questions yesterday. I have nothing more to add,” Bowles said.
Wilkerson is under contract for 2018 at a $16.75MM cap number, but that sum is guaranteed for injury only until the third day of the league year. If the Jets plan on divorcing themselves from Wilkerson (and all signs indicate that they are), then they would be taking a huge risk by allowing him to play in the meaningless two games that remain on the schedule.
Wilkerson has amassed 44.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and 28 pass deflections over the course of his career with the Jets. Unfortunately, only eight of those sacks came after he signed his five-year, $86MM extension with the club.
Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch To Enter Draft
Boise State inside linebacker Leighton Vander Esch announced that he will skip his final season of eligibility in order declare for the NFL Draft (Twitter link).
“It has been the honor of my life to play for the team I always grew up following. I would have given anything to have had this opportunity,” Vander Esch wrote. “Because my love for Boise State runs so deep, this was the most difficult decision of my life. I feel now is the best time for me to pursue another childhood dream – playing in the National Football League.”
Vander Esch broke out in 2016 with an eye-popping 141 tackles, which is the most that any Boise State player has had in an individual season since 1988. He also had 8.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, and two interceptions.
It’s a bit early too say where Vander Esch could go in the draft, but Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) views him as a top 50 prospect nationally. With strong showings at his Pro Day and in individual team workouts, he could garner first-round consideration. In recent years, Boise State has seen some of its best defenders declare as underclassman and go high in the draft, including second round picks Demarcus Lawrence (2013) and Kamalei Correa (2015).
NFL Recommends Coaching Candidates
Each year, the NFL’s Career Development Advisory Panel releases a list of candidates for head coaching jobs. According to Mike Lombardi of The Ringer (Twitter link), that list includes: 
- Dan Campbell (Assistant Head Coach/TE coach, Saints)
- Jim Bob Cooter (Offensive Coordinator, Lions)
- John DeFilippo (Quarterbacks Coach, Eagles)
- George Edwards (Defensive Coordinator, Vikings)
- Josh McDaniels (Offensive Coordinator, Patriots)
- Matt Nagy (Offensive Coordinator, Chiefs)
- Matt Patricia (Defensive Coordinator, Patriots)
- Jim Schwartz (Defensive Coordinator, Eagles)
- Pat Shurmur (Offensive Coordinator, Vikings)
- Dave Toub (Special Teams Coach, Chiefs)
- Steve Wilks (Defensive Coordinator, Panthers)
- Mike Vrabel (Defensive Coordinator, Texans)
McDaniels, of course, comes with previous head coaching experience. He was probably too young to handle those responsibilities in Denver, but he has reasserted himself as an offensive wunderkind. Both McDaniels and Patricia will be hot candidates for head coaching jobs this year, so the Patriots may have to make serious changes on the coaching staff.
There is some overlap with the list of minority candidates recommended by the Fritz Pollard Alliance, though Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie did not make the cut on this list. Austin received head coaching interviews in each of the last two offseasons, so he seems likely to garner some consideration this time around.
Eagles Create Additional Cap Space
The Eagles converted $745,588 of guard Brandon Brooks‘ remaining base salary to a signing bonus and dropped his base salary rate to the league minimum ($775K), according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). The move creates $559K in cap space for Philadelphia. 
The Eagles badly needed the wiggle room. Currently, the Eagles are in the bottom five league-wide in cap space and they’ll have to make moves in order to get under the cap this offseason.
The good news for the Eagles, financially, is that the majority of their starters are signed through at least next season. Some hard choices will have to be made as they look to strengthen their reserves, but the Eagles should be able to carry over most of their roster into 2018. Considering that they’re 12-2 with a very real chance at winning it all, that’s a good thing. Their top internal free agents include running back LeGarrette Blount, linebacker Nigel Bradham, defensive tackle Beau Allen, and tight end Trey Burton.
Brooks, 28, earned his first career Pro Bowl selection this week. He stands as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked guard in the entire NFL this year, behind only David DeCastro of the Steelers.
Trent Williams Likely Done For Season
Redskins tackle Trent Williams says he likely won’t play again this season, barring an emergency situation (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s John Keim).
Williams said earlier this season an offseason knee surgery will be required, and an approximate six-month rehab process will come with it. However, the eighth-year left tackle said there’s a chance he’ll undergo surgery on his knee next week before the team’s season finale. It’s not immediately clear whether the team will place Williams on IR, however.
Williams played through this injury and started 10 games this year. This surgery rehab going as planned would put him in line to be ready by training camp, witht eh former first-round pick presumably missing all other Washington offseason activities while he recovers.
The 29-year-old Williams is entrenched as the Redskins’ left tackle. He’s under contract through 2020, including a $13.95MM cap number for next year.