NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/21
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: K Elliott Fry
- Placed on practice squad IR: DL George Obinna
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: T Andre Smith
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Kamal Martin
- Released: CB Jalen Julius
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Ross Pierschbacher
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Kai Nacua
- Released: LB Rashad Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Released: OL Christian DiLauro
Washington Puts Curtis Samuel On IR
The Washington Football Team will place Curtis Samuel on the injured reserve list today (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). It’ll be a short-term IR stint for the wide receiver, allowing him to return after just three missed games.
Samuel joined Washington on a three-year deal this year that could pay him up to $35.25MM with $24.5MM guaranteed. Unfortunately, he’s been saddled by a groin injury that will prevent him from starting the year with his club. At best, Samuel can return for Week 4 against the Falcons. On the plus side, head coach Ron Rivera says that he won’t need surgery.
Washington struggled to find a second receiver to pair with top wideout Terry McLaurin in 2020. Samuel was — and still is — expected to round out the group.
The 2017 second-round pick has progressively improved his numbers during each of his four NFL seasons. His best came in 2020 when he finished with a career-high 1,051 yards from scrimmage to go along with five touchdowns for the Panthers. Samuel also garnered a career-high 41 rushing attempts, showcasing his ability to serve as a Swiss Army Knife-type weapon.
Without Samuel, Washington is left with McLaurin, Adam Humphries, third-round pick Dyami Brown, DeAndre Carter, Cam Sims, and seventh-round rookie Dax Milne at WR.
Ravens Place Nick Boyle On IR
Another one down for the Ravens. On Friday, the team placed tight end Nick Boyle on short-term injured reserve. 
[RELATED: Ravens To Sign Murray]
Boyle is still healing up from the knee injury he suffered in November of last year. He also had microscopic surgery on the knee recently, but that only elongated his rehab. The good news is that Boyle is expected to return this year. The league’s short-term IR list allows for players to return after three games and that’s a feasible timetable, per head coach John Harbaugh.
“[We just want to] get his knee right, get his body right,” Harbaugh told reporters on Friday. “We expect him to be back Week 4, Week 5, somewhere in there, whenever he gets back.”
It’s just the latest blow to an offense that’s already without running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Without Boyle, the Ravens will be leaning more on tight ends Mark Andrews and Eric Tomlinson, though Tomlinson is more of a blocker than a pass catcher, and not as strong of a protector as Boyle.
Boyle’s best season as a receiver came in 2019, when he had 31 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens have him under contract through 2023 thanks to the two-year, $13MM extension he inked back in January.
Texans Audition Dre Kirkpatrick
The Texans will work out cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick today (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). If signed, Kirkpatrick will help to fortify Houston’s secondary following the Bradley Roby trade. 
[RELATED: Texans Trade Bradley Roby To Saints]
Kirkpatrick was a longtime Bengals starter but he has yet to find work this year. He spent 2020 with the Cardinals, appearing in 14 games with eleven starts. He finished out with 56 tackles, seven passes defended, three interceptions, and a much softer market than anticipated. He’s since worked out for the Niners, Saints, and Patriots, but left all of those visits without a deal.
Now 31, Kirkpatrick has totaled 358 tackles, three sacks, 72 passes defensed, and 13 interceptions across nine NFL seasons. The Texans could certainly use his help and it stands to reason that the Buccaneers could also give him a call. On Thursday, the Bucs watched starter Sean Murphy-Bunting suffer a gruesome elbow injury that will sideline him for a good chunk of the year.
Bucs’ Sean Murphy-Bunting Dealing With Dislocated Elbow
Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting has suffered a dislocated elbow, head coach Bruce Arians announced (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Arians said he’s “going to be alright,” so Murphy-Bunting should be able to return before the season is through. 
Murphy-Bunting suffered the gruesome injury in the first half as he tried to prevent a touchdown from CeeDee Lamb. The Bucs went on to beat the Cowboys 31-29, but they also allowed 400+ yards passing in the process.
The 24-year-old played in all 16 games last year with 13 starts. He turned in 70 stops, three passes defensed, and one interception. As shown by the Bucs’ swiss cheese D on Thursday night, he’s crucial to the defending champs’ secondary.
Ross Cockrell stepped into Murphy-Bunting’s spot last night. It’s likely that he’ll serve as a Week 2 starter for the Bucs when they face the Falcons in Tampa on Sunday 9/19. Beyond that, the Buccaneers will probably consider some out-of-house reinforcements. Even in a best case scenario, Murphy-Bunting is probably looking at two months of rehab.
Ravens, RB Latavius Murray Agree To Deal
The Ravens have agreed to sign Latavius Murray (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). It’s a one-year deal for the running back, giving Baltimore yet another accomplished veteran in the backfield. 
The Ravens recently added Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman to their practice squad, giving them the most star-studded 16-man unit in the league. There’s no doubt that they needed the reinforcements after losing J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill to season-ending injuries. Now, they’ve got UDFA Ty’Son Williams, recent pickup Trenton Cannon, and Murray as their three RBs on the main roster.
Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry in his two seasons as the Raiders’ primary starter. While he rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2016, Murray saw Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington eat into his workload. That led him to the Vikings in 2017 followed by a four-year, $14.4MM deal with the Saints in 2019.
Missing just one game during his two-year Saints stay, Murray totaled 1,293 rushing yards with the team. He scored eleven touchdowns as a Saint, filling in for an injured Alvin Kamara at times in both seasons. The Saints moved on from the 31-year-old earlier this week, but the Ravens were happy to put him to work.
Between Murray, Freeman, Bell, and quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens now employ four players with a 1,000+-yard rushing season on the resume.
Texans Trade Bradley Roby To Saints
The Texans are trading cornerback Bradley Roby to the Saints (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Texans will receive a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 choice in the swap (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, as reported on Thursday morning, the Texans will cover $7MM of Roby’s salary this season while the Saints pay the remaining ~$1.8MM.
Roby was hit with a six-game suspension in December for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He’s already served five of those games, so he’ll be eligible to play for the Saints in Week 2 when they take on the Panthers.
In ten games (all starts), Roby notched 37 tackles, one interception, a fumble recovery, and seven passes defended. Even though he was briefly deactivated in November, the veteran stood as the Texans’ best corner.
Now, the 29-year-old will jump into a Saints secondary that badly needs reinforcements. Between Roby and newcomer Desmond Trufant, the Saints are in a much better position that they were just last week. Together, they’ll team up with Marshon Lattimore, Ken Crawley, and Paulson Adebo. Meanwhile, free safety P.J. Williams should be able to stick to his natural position.
The Saints will assume the rest of Roby’s three-year, $31.5MM deal, keeping him under club control through 2022. The Texans, meanwhile, will move forward with Terrance Mitchell and Desmond King II as their top corners.
Cardinals DC: Malcolm Butler Could Return
Even after placing him on the reserve/retired list, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph won’t rule out a Malcolm Butler return (Twitter link via Darren Urban of the team website). Joseph added that he spoke with Butler as recently as last week, a sign that he could retake the field at some point this year.
Butler has not disclosed his reasons for walking away, but Joseph said it has to do with personal matters rather than his on-field play. That checks out, considering the 31-year-old finished 2020 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 ranked corner in the NFL. It was a strong comeback after he missed much of 2019. All in all, he finished with four interceptions and 100 total tackles — a new career high — while playing a full 16-game slate. He also wrapped with the lowest yards-per-completion and yards-per-target numbers of his Tennessee tenure.
Butler was expected to play a key role in Arizona’s secondary after inking a fully guaranteed $3.25MM deal with Arizona. Without him, they’ll be leaning more on Byron Murphy, rookie fourth-round pick Marco Wilson, and Robert Alford for coverage.
Seahawks Restructure Quandre Diggs’ Deal
The Seahawks have revised Quandre Diggs’ contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Now, the safety will have $100K in per game roster bonuses converted into salary with $5.05MM of his salary switched to a signing bonus. 
[RELATED: Seahawks, Duane Brown Reach Agreement]
Diggs refused to practice with the team for a short while in an effort to secure a new contract. He likely didn’t get everything he wanted here, but it was enough to bring him back to the fold along with standout tackle Duane Brown. Diggs’ new deal will now include a void year for salary cap purposes. Meanwhile, the safety will also get additional injury protection in his platform year.
Diggs is entering his platform year, and we heard back in July that the 28-year-old DB was seeking a new deal. No reports on negotiations between the two sides have surfaced, and Henderson says its unclear if the Seahawks want to give Diggs a new contract at this point. The club is taking a similar stance with respect to Brown, though the ‘Hawks are now said to be exploring some sort of compromise that allows Brown to increase his 2021 compensation without adding years onto his existing deal.
Diggs, 28, came to the Seattle in a pre-deadline deal with the Detroit in 2019. He quickly proved his worth, collecting three interceptions in five games that year. Last year, he enjoyed perfect attendance with five INTs and 64 tackles en route to his ever career Pro Bowl nod. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus assigned him a middling 63.1 overall grade, good for 52nd out of 94 qualified players.
Even after the revision, Diggs is still playing on a $6.2MM AAV deal. That puts him just 19th among all safeties, but he could double that figure with a strong showing this year.
Vikings’ Stephen Weatherly Takes Pay Cut
Stephen Weatherly took a pay cut in order to stick with the Vikings (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press). Instead of earning $2.5MM, the defensive end will make $2MM in 2020. On the plus side, that sum is now fully guaranteed since he is a vested veteran.
The Vikings considered cutting Weatherly after he lost his first-string spot to D.J. Wonnum. That would have left the club with $500K in dead money, so this was a much more logical compromise.
The 27-year-old started his career in Minnesota and came back to where it all began in March. He started out as a seventh-round pick in 2016 and went on to record six sacks between 2018 and ’19 for the Vikings. Last year, he moved on to the Panthers and began the year as a starter. Then, when finger injury derailed his season, second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos stepped into his role.
Weatherly recorded zero sacks in Carolina, so he’ll aim for a more productive 2021. It all starts on Sunday when the Vikings face the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.