NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/21
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Corn Elder, S Jalen Julius, CB Rashaan Melvin
- Released: WR Omar Bayless
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Robert Foster , K Lirim Hajrullahu
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, S Darian Thompson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Maurice Ffrench
Miami Dolphins
- Released: FB Carl Tucker
New Orleans Saints
- Reverted to practice squad: K Aldrick Rosas, S Jeff Heath
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Chris Cooper
Washington Football Team
- Signed: QB Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur will give WFT another option as Ryan Fitzpatrick recovers from his hip injury. For now, this likely means that Taylor Heinicke will serve as their starter. Heinicke stepped in for Fitz against the Chargers on Sunday, completing 11-for-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Lions’ Jeff Okudah Done For Year
Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah has been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’s a season-ender for the former No. 3 overall pick and the Lions will place him on injured reserve later today.
Okudah missed seven games as a rookie due to groin and shoulder issues. He was looking for a healthy bounce-back year, but that was all derailed during Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers. First, Okudah surrendered a 79-yard score to Deebo Samuel and got an earful for it on the sideline. Then, the youngster was forced out of action.
There weren’t many knocks on Okudah leading up to the 2020 draft with experts lauding his tools and potential. The upside is still there, of course, but he’ll have to stay healthy and play with more consistency when he comes back.
“I would put Okudah down as the safest [defensive player in this draft],” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said before the 2020 Draft. “I know exactly what position he plays, I’ve seen him play that position against elite competition and I’ve seen him play at a very high, consistent level. To me, Okudah is the safest.”
For now, the Lions will have to look elsewhere for coverage help. The Okudah-less Lions have one week to go before their Monday night matchup against the rival Packers.
Texans Turned Down Three First-Round Picks For Deshaun Watson
The Texans rejected an offer of three first-round draft picks for Deshaun Watson just prior to the draft in April, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (h/t The Houston Chronicle). In theory, that’s pretty close to the team’s reported ask of three first rounders plus second rounders and/or starting-caliber veterans.
[RELATED: Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross ‘Really Wants’ Deshaun Watson?]
There were four teams that were really interested in Watson at one point this offseason, Glazer hears. However, at this point, “most of them have all dropped out.” The Dolphins have been heavily linked to Watson as of late, though there are conflicting reports on their level of interest. While owner Stephen Ross may be high on Watson, two team insiders have heard that he won’t impose his will on the front office. Meanwhile, head coach Brian Flores says that Tua Tagovailoa will continue as his starting quarterback.
The pre-draft offer (and rejection) is certainly notable, but that mystery team may have been offering conditional picks, dependent on Watson’s availability. That’s a non-starter for GM Nick Caserio, who is willing to pay Watson to do nothing in 2021.
Watson is still on the roster, but not on the field. So far, that’s working out just fine for the Texans. On Sunday, Tyrod Taylor led Houston to a 37-21 win over the Jaguars.
Saints’ Marshon Lattimore Set For Surgery
What a day for Marshon Lattimore. The Saints’ star cornerback suffered a thumb injury against the Bucs on Monday night and will need surgery (via PFT). Of course, this all came hours after he agreed to a five-year, $97.6MM extension with New Orleans. 
[RELATED: Saints, Marshon Lattimore Agree To ~$100MM Deal]
Lattimore mostly played through the pain with a cast on his right hand and finished with three tackles and one pass defensed. Still, he’ll need the issue corrected before he retakes the field. For now, he’s considered week-to-week, but the Saints could consider a short-term injured reserve stint pending the outcome. That would allow Lattimore to return after three missed games and retake the field in Week 5.
Fortunately, it’s a minor injury, and Lattimore has all the fiscal security he could ever ask for. His new five-year re-up furnishes him with $97.6MM and $44MM in full guarantees, a record for defensive backs. The deal also includes $68.3MM in overall guarantees and incentives that can take him up to $100MM.
Without Lattimore, the Saints will lean on recent pickup Desmond Trufant for support.
Ravens, Lamar Jackson Still In Talks
The Ravens and Lamar Jackson are still in active discussions about a contract extension, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. However, no deal has materialized yet as Jackson remains focused on the season ahead. 
Jackson does not have an agent representing him, which probably isn’t helping with the pace of negotiations. A deal could be struck during the season, Schefter hears, but that’ll probably happen at a juncture when the quarterback can devote more attention to the talks. Baltimore’s bye week falls on Week 8 this year, so we could see a deal come together in late October.
Bills QB Josh Allen has given the two sides a framework, at least. His six-year extension is worth $258MM with $150MM in overall guarantees and a record $100MM fully guaranteed at signing. Jackson could soon knock him off of his perch. For now, the 24-year-old superstar is due just $1.78MM in base salary this season.
Jackson has said he is not overly concerned if the extension becomes finalized this year or in 2022. Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins played out their low-priced rookie deal fourth years, leading to franchise-tagged seasons. However, other young QBs like Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill (2015), Derek Carr(2017), Carson Wentz and Jared Goff (2019), Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson (2020) opted against playing on their rookie pacts beyond Year 3.
Meanwhile, Jackson is all biz and focused on the task at hand. He’ll look to start 2021 with a win against the Raiders later today.
Hip Injury For WFT’s Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick is believed to have suffered a hip subluxation (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Washington quarterback will know more after a Monday morning MRI, but the training staff is hopeful that nothing was broken. 
Fitzpatrick was forced out in the second quarter against the Chargers on Sunday. Taylor Heinicke took over in his stead, completing 11-for-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Ultimately, that wasn’t enough for the WFT — the Bolts walked away with a 20-16 win.
Heinicke hasn’t started a regular-season game since the end of 2018, but he’s on track to be first string in Week 2. Of course, he also managed 306 yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in the playoffs. They’ll be facing the Giants, who are coming off of a 27-13 loss to the Broncos.
Fitzpatrick, now 38, led the Dolphins to a 9-11 record in 20 starts between 2019 and 2020. He completed 64.2% of his passes in that span, throwing for 5,620 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions. He also continued to produce on the ground, finishing with 150 rushing yards for the 10th time in the past 13 seasons. Washington is hoping for more FitzMagic, pending tomorrow’s MRI.
Saints, Marshon Lattimore Agree To ~$100MM Deal
The Saints have locked up Marshon Lattimore. On Sunday, the Pro Bowl cornerback agreed to a five-year, $97.6MM extension including $44MM in full guarantees and $68.3MM in overall guarantees. Plus, through incentives, Lattimore can earn up to $100MM over the course of the contract. 
With the new deal in hand, Lattimore has secured the most guaranteed cash of any cornerback or safety in NFL history. He was initially set to play out his fifth-year option — worth $10.2MM — before approaching free agency in the spring of 2022.
The 2017 first-round pick has started all 57 of his games as a pro, missing only seven possible contests on the whole. Meanwhile, he’s notched three Pro Bowl selections in four NFL seasons. That includes his debut year, when he earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Lattimore, 25, has 55 passes defensed and ten interceptions over the course of his career. He stands as one of the most feared young CBs in the league but, in the interest of equal time, it’s worth noting that the advanced metrics have soured on him somewhat. Pro Football Focus pegged him at a stellar 86.1 as a rookie, followed by scores of 77.5 (2018), 65.6 (2019) and 59.1 (2020).
Still, the Saints recognize his value and had no interest in letting him get away. Now, after helping the team to rank No. 5 in 2020 pass defense, he’s locked in for years to come.
49ers Fear Torn ACL For Jason Verrett
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes that Jason Verrett has a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This marks yet another frustrating setback for the cornerback who has missed a significant portion of his career with injuries. 
A first-round pick of the Chargers back in 2014, Verrett initially looked like a star in the making and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. Then a torn ACL limited him to four games in 2016. After that, he saw one game in 2017, zero in 2018, and one more game in 2019.
Then, last year, Verrett was one of the best stories in the NFL last season. He was finally able to stay healthy as he started 13 games, racked up seven passes defensed, and notched two interceptions. In March, the Niners brought him back on a one-year, $5.5MM deal with incentives.
Running back Raheem Mostert was also forced out of Sunday’s game with a knee injury, so the Niners may be searching for support on both sides of the ball. On the plus side, the 49ers won their season opener, beating the Lions 41-33.
Jets’ Mekhi Becton Suffers Injury
Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain during Sunday’s game (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). A forthcoming MRI will tell doctors more, but Becton’s probably looking at a short-term IR stint in a best case scenario.
This is not the first time Becton has run into trouble on the health front since coming to the Jets. The Louisville alum missed two games with a shoulder injury last season and exited another because of a chest ailment that affected his breathing. Then, this summer, he was slowed by a foot issue.
At 6-foot-7, 364 pounds, Becton is one of the largest players in NFL history. He’s playing at a lower weight in his second pro season, but no amount of conditioning can totally safeguard a player against injury.
The 2020 first-round pick got his right leg caught between teammate Greg Van Roten and Panthers defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon in the third quarter. The Panthers, and old pal Sam Darnold, went on to win 19-14.
Becton was still one of the league’s most impressive rookies last year and still profiles as a promising long-term option for the Jets — they haven’t had a stellar tackle since D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired years ago. But, in the short term, it sounds like they’ll have to look elsewhere.
Torn Achilles For Lions’ Jeff Okudah?
The Lions fear that cornerback Jeff Okudah has suffered an Achilles injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). That’s the word from head coach Dan Campbell who added that Okudah will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity of the tear. 
Groin and shoulder injuries limited Okudah’s rookie season to just nine games. This time around, it’s a new malady, suffered midway through the season opener against the 49ers. Even before the injury, it wasn’t a banner day for Okudah, who surrendered a 79-yard score to Deebo Samuel.
“I don’t want to make excuses [for Okudah],” Campbell said. “But at the same time he’s in Year Two. He made some young errors — that’s what he did.”
Okudah — the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 — was the highest cornerback selected since Shawn Springs 20+ years ago. The Lions are still waiting to see him at his best. As a rookie, he allowed a 77% completion rate on passes thrown his way for a 118 QB rating figure on such throws.
No matter the outcome of the MRI, the Lions will be without Okudah’s services for a while. They’ll try and get to the .500 mark on Monday 9/20 when they face the rival Packers.