Panthers Sign Roberto Aguayo To P-Squad
Roberto Aguayo is back in the NFL. Sort of. The Panthers announced that they have signed the former Buccaneers and Bears kicker to the practice squad. 
Aguayo will give the Panthers insurance this week while they figure out what is going on with Graham Gano. Gano has a knee injury and it’s not clear if he will be able to go this weekend. Following the game against the Bears on Sunday, Gano was seen icing down his knee in the locker room.
The Buccaneers surprised everyone in 2016 when they used a second-round pick (and traded up for that pick) to select the local kicker. Their confidence in Aguayo’s leg was not rewarded. As a rookie, he made only 22-of-31 field goal attempts (71%) and missed two extra points. When he was unable to turn things around in training camp and the preseason, Tampa Bay waived him.
Luckily for the Bucs, the Bears were intrigued enough by Aguayo to claim him off of waivers. The Bears cut him before the start of the season, leaving them on the hook for upwards of $400K.
Lions To Sign Matt Prater To Extension
The Lions and kicker Matt Prater have agreed to terms on a new deal. It’s a three-year deal worth $11.4MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Factoring in the bonuses, Prater’s deal can reach a maximum value of $12.15MM. The deal, which could keep Prater in Detroit through the 2020 season, also includes a $3.6MM signing bonus. 
Prater was cut by the Broncos in 2014 right after he served a four-game ban for violating the substance abuse policy. The Lions were happy to give Prater a second chance at that point since neither Nate Freese nor Alex Henery could hit the broad side of a barn that year. It proved to be a worthwhile gamble for Detroit as Prater has avoided trouble and sank 85.7% of his field goal tries.
Prater has made a name for himself with long distance kicks and, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com notes, he is responsible for the four longest field goals in Lions franchise history, with the top one coming from 59 yards out. He’s also tied for the fifth-longest FG in Detroit with a 56-yarder (Jason Hanson, the previous record-holder with the Lions, has connected from that distance twice). All in all, Prater has made field goals from 50 yards or more 19 times since joining the Lions.
The 33-year-old kicker will celebrate his 36th birthday before the final year of his new contract. Prater has shown no real signs of slowing down, so he could still be booming those long-range kicks for the Lions at that point.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: T Givens Price
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DL Taniela Tupou
- Released: DL Jonathan Woodard
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
- Released: TE Gabe Holmes
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DL Kyle Peko, LB Kevin Snyder
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Max McCaffrey
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Jarrod Clements
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR K.J. Brent, S Ronald Martin
- Released: RB Marcus Murphy
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Brandon Thomas
- Released: OL Norman Price
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Nick Becton
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Jeremy Cash, RB Akeem Judd
- Released: S Harold Jones-Quartey
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Tevin Mitchel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DE Alex McCalister
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: S Tyvis Powell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: DE Larry Webster
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Julius Warmsley
- Released: QB Tyler Ferguson
Jets Cut RB Travaris Cadet
The Jets have released running back Travaris Cadet, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Cadet was signed late last month to help provide depth in the wake of an injury to Matt Forte. 
Cadet’s run with the Jets ideally should have ended when Forte returned to the lineup, but Bilal Powell suffered a calf strain just as Forte recovered from turf toe. Now, Powell is finally healthy, giving the Jets three healthy backs when including rookie Eli McGuire. Cadet, who was on the field for just 13 snaps in three contests, has been displaced. His partial season with the Jets ends after three receptions for 26 yards plus three rushing yards.
With both of their top running backs now healthy, the Jets will look to get back to their winning ways on Sunday when they face the Falcons in New Jersey. With a win, they’ll return to the .500 mark.
49ers Re-Sign CB Leon Hall
49ers fans didn’t even get a chance to miss Leon Hall. Days after getting cut, the veteran cornerback has been re-signed, the team announced. In related moves, the Niners have cut defensive lineman Xavier Cooper and tight end Logan Paulsen. They also confirmed the signing of defensive lineman Datone Jones. 
Hall was handed a pink slip on Oct. 19, but the Niners are calling on him once again after cornerback K’Waun Williams suffered a quadriceps injury. This time around, the veteran is hoping for a longer stint with the team. Hall was first signed on Oct. 10 and did not see live action in his two weeks on the roster. He did, however, collect on two game checks and participate in four practices.
Paulsen was signed late last week to fill the spot vacated by Hall’s release. Today’s switcharoo will put Paulsen on the free agent market since he is a vested veteran and not subject to waivers.
Cowboys To Cut DE Damontre Moore
The Cowboys are signing Mike Nugent while also keeping injured kicker Dan Bailey on the roster. That means someone has to go, and that someone is Damontre Moore. The defensive end is being released, per a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Sign K Mike Nugent]
The Cowboys signed Moore this offseason with the knowledge that he would likely have to serve a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. After a two-game ban, the 25-year-old tallied just five tackles in three games. He was left off of the roster on Sunday against the Niners and he’s now back on the free agent pile.
A 2013 third-round pick, Moore has yet to put it all together at the NFL level. In 2016, he suited up in only four games for the Seahawks. In the previous two seasons for the Giants and Dolphins, however, he managed nine sacks in total.
Cowboys To Sign K Mike Nugent
The Cowboys are signing kicker Mike Nugent, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Nugent will step in for the injured Dan Bailey. 
A groin injury took Bailey out of action on Sunday, forcing Dallas to use defensive back Jeff Heath as their placekicker. Of course, that wasn’t sustainable, so Dallas auditioned Nugent, Jason Myers, Sam Irwin-Hill, and Younghoe Koo for the role. Nugent came out on top, and he’ll be the team’s stand in starting with Sunday’s game against the Redskins.
There is no timetable for Bailey’s return – all we know right now is that he is expected to miss several weeks of action. The 29-year-old has nailed 89.9% of his field goals, so the bar will be set pretty high for Nugent.
Nugent has been up and down over the course of his career with the Jets and Bengals, but he does have experience with 153 appearances over his 12-year NFL career. The former second-round pick has been looking for work all fall after losing the Giants’ kicking competition to Aldrick Rosas in the summer. He has made 80.8% of his field goals and 96.9% of his extra points since entering the league in 2005. The 35-year-old seemingly took a step back in 2016, making only 79.3% of field goals and a career-low 79.3% of XPs.
NFL Team Hoping To Sign DeMarcus Ware
DeMarcus Ware says he’s done with football, but football won’t stop trying to pull him back in. The former defensive end tells Rich Eisen of FOX Sports Radio (Twitter link) that he received a text from a team on Tuesday morning asking him to join the squad and suit up on Sunday. Ware did not reveal that team’s identity, but he might be giving some thought to a return. 
“Should I do it?,” Ware wondered aloud in a Twitter reply.
It’s not immediately clear if Ware is open to playing again or if he is just having some fun with the idea of a comeback. At the age of 35, Ware has lots of mileage on him and little to prove. Over the course of his career, Ware earned an eye-popping nine Pro Bowl nods plus four First Team All-Pro selections. While with the Cowboys from 2005-13, he amassed a franchise-record 117 sacks. He was injured for his final two years in Denver, but he still managed 11.5 sacks in those campaigns and 21.5 overall in his three seasons with the club.
Ware is eighth on the NFL’s all-time sack list (138.5) and he could conceivably climb higher if he makes a return. In September, he teased that he would listen if the Cowboys came calling, but we don’t know how serious he was about that sentiment or whether he would also consider opportunities from one of the league’s 31 other teams.
Lions Cut Punter Jeff Locke
The Lions are releasing punter Jeff Locke, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Locke exits just as Sam Martin gears up for his return.
Locke, 28, spent the first four years of his career with the Vikings. The rival Lions came calling this fall when their punting situation fell apart. First, Martin landed on the NFI list over the summer. Then, Kasey Redfern tore his ACL and MCL during a botched punt-turned-scramble in the preseason.
Locke did a good job of holding down the fort, providing the Lions with quality punting while he also handled kickoffs. In his five games, Locke averaged a career-high 45.3 yards per punt.
Martin, meanwhile, has built a reputation as one of the better punters in the league. The 27-year-old is currently in the midst of a four-year extension inked prior to the 2016 season.
No Suspension For Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry
Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry will not be suspended by the NFL for allegations of battery, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. NFL investigators have determined that there is insufficient evidence for a personal conduct policy violation. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Release CB Byron Maxwell]
Even though the Broward County State Attorney’s Office opted against pressing charges last month, Landry was still subject to potential league discipline. Ultimately, the NFL reached the same conclusion as Florida authorities – there was simply not enough evidence to prove substantial wrongdoing.
In six games this year, Landry has 45 grabs for 365 yards and three touchdowns. While he remains an integral part of the offense, his yards per catch average has dipped from 12.1 last year to just 8.1 this year. He’ll look to ramp it up as the Dolphins look to build on their three-game winning streak.
He looked sharp on Sunday, hauling in seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Jets. Of course, this is a big year for him as he looks ahead to free agency in the spring.