Zach Ertz Wants To Stay With Eagles
Zach Ertz has had a change of heart. In his first public comments of the offseason, the tight end told reporters that he wants to stay with the Eagles. 
“This is the place I want to be, this is the place I want to retire,” Ertz said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). “I’m moving on from everything that happened this offseason. There have been apologies…I love this city too much to burn it down.”
Ertz added that things have been “mended” with the team, so it sounds like all is well for the time being. It’s a huge turnaround from where things were just weeks ago. The three-time Pro Bowler pushed for a trade and, while he still reported to training camp, his Philly future was in doubt. The Eagles tried to oblige, but they couldn’t find a suitable deal for Ertz or his contract.
Ertz, 31 in November, is coming off of a down year. Now, with one season to go on his five-year, $42.5MM deal, he’s willing to stick it out. It remains to been seen whether Ertz will get an extension to help smooth things over, or whether he’ll be comfortable with his role in the long run. Once a focal point of the Eagles’ offense, Ertz figures to cede many of his targets to Dallas Goedert.
Panthers Cut David Moore
The Panthers have released David Moore, per a club announcement. The move doesn’t come as a total shock since the Panthers still have five wide receivers on the roster. 
Moore made the initial 53-man cut, but didn’t keep his spot for long. Second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr. turned in a strong camp, pushing Moore down the depth chart and, ultimately, off the team. The Panthers will give the youngin’ room to develop behind starters D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson. Brandon Zylstra and Shi Smith comprise the rest of the WR contingent, though Smith’s shoulder injury could allow Marshall to see extra snaps early on.
Moore’s two-year, $4.75MM deal included $1.25MM guaranteed, so the Panthers will carry some dead money here. Given his track record and relative youth (26), it’s likely that he’ll find work elsewhere. Last year, Moore notched 35 catches for 417 yards and six touchdowns for the Seahawks.
Jets Sign Josh Johnson To Practice Squad
The Jets are set to sign Josh Johnson to their 16-man practice squad, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). 
Johnson‘s second Jets stint came to an end on Tuesday, leaving Mike White as Zach Wilson‘s primary backup. White has yet to attempt a regular season pass, so it only makes sense for the Jets to keep Johnson around. The journeyman QB hasn’t had consistent playing time throughout his career (to put it mildly), but he has played/practiced with nearly half of the NFL. He’s also got an XFL stint under his belt, for what it’s worth.
The 35-year-old has famously been with nearly half the league’s teams. The 2008 fifth-round draft choice last played with Washington in 2018, and those three starts came five years after his previous game action. He will be back in free agency soon.
Johnson, a 2008 fifth-round draft pick, last played with Washington in 2018. He started in three games for D.C., ending a five-year drought of live action.
Texans Add Lane Taylor To Practice Squad
The Texans are signing offensive guard Lane Taylor to the taxi squad, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (on Twitter). Taylor missed the big cut on Tuesday, but he’ll have a chance to crack the roster in Houston. 
Taylor, 32 in November, joined the Texans on a one-year deal earlier this year. Reunited with his old Green Bay OL coach, James Campen, he’s hoping to reignite his injury-derailed career.
Taylor has missed 29 games over the past two seasons due to bicep tears and knee trouble. He’s now several months removed from ACL surgery and ready to provide support for Houston’s front five.
Taylor took over as the Packers’ starting left guard when Josh Sitton was released years ago. In 2016, he graded out as the league’s No. 41 guard out of 72 qualifiers. Then, in the fall of 2017, the Packers rewarded him with a three-year, $16.5MM extension. He’s earning a lot less these days, but he has a clear path for playing time if everything goes well.
To date, Taylor has 79 games and 50 starts under his belt. However, he’s only suited up three times in the last two years.
Patriots Add LB Jahlani Tavai To Practice Squad
The Patriots are expected to sign former Lions linebacker Jahlani Tavai to the practice squad (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Tavai, a former starter in Detroit, should be a quick study on Matt Patricia‘s playbook.
The Lions couldn’t find a trade for the former Round 2 pick ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, so they waived him. This marked yet another second-round miss for the Lions, who also waived running back Kerryon Johnson earlier this year.
Tavai, the No. 43 overall pick in 2019, started 16 games during his time in Detroit, including ten in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded the University of Hawaii product as one of the worst off-ball ‘backers in the league last season. Still, the Patriots are getting him on the cheap and there’s still ample room for him to grow.
Patriots To Re-Sign Brian Hoyer
The Patriots are set to re-sign Brian Hoyer, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB (Twitter link). Hoyer will be back on the roster before Week 1, providing support to new starter Mac Jones.
The Patriots stunned many by releasing Cam Newton on Tuesday and raised eyebrows further by dropping Hoyer, especially since Jarrett Stidham is on the reserve/PUP list. With Stidham out for the next six weeks (or longer), they had to sign another signal caller to sit behind Jones.
Not counting this latest brief hiatus, Hoyer has had three stints with the Patriots throughout his 12-year career. He earned a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady‘s backup in 2018 and, following a 2019 stint with the Colts, he re-joined the Patriots when Brady’s left for Tampa. Hoyer started one game for New England, completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 130 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a fumble. The veteran didn’t end up seeing the field again following that Week 4 loss to the Chiefs.
Jets Cut Bless Austin
The Jets have released cornerback Blessuan Austin (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Meanwhile, they’ve claimed linebacker Quincy Williams off waivers from the Jaguars, putting him in the same locker room as his brother, Quinnen Williams.
The Jets shopped Austin in recent days but, apparently, they couldn’t find a taker. Austin appeared in eleven games with ten starts last year, registering 63 stops, four passes defensed, one forced fumble, and three tackles for loss along the way. The Rutgers product is still only 25 years of age, but the Jets are moving to even younger options — rookies Brandin Echols, Isaiah Dunn, Jason Pinnock, and Michael Carter III remain on the CB depth chart along with Bryce Hall and Javelin Guidry.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Jets dropped quarterbacks Josh Johnson and James Morgan. That leaves Mike White as the team’s QB2 behind rookie Zach Wilson.
Cowboys Claim QB Will Grier
The Cowboys have claimed quarterback Will Grier off waivers (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Grier missed the cut in Carolina, but he’s now found a spot on Dallas’ 53-man roster.
The Cowboys now have three QBs on the roster with Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, and Grier. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Rush and Grier will stick throughout the year, but Rush will at least stay on board while Grier learns the playbook.
Grier isn’t the ex-Panthers QB that some Cowboys fans were hoping for, but he offers plenty of upside in his own right. The Panthers used a third-round choice on him in 2019 — lots of other clubs had their eyes on the West Virginia product too. To date, Grier has two games (both starts) to his credit, but they were pretty lackluster. Those rookie outings saw four interceptions, zero TDs, and a 53.8% completion rate.
Lions Claim K Austin Seibert
The Lions have claimed kicker Austin Seibert from the Bengals, per the league’s official transactions wire. Meanwhile, they’ve also claimed wide receiver Khadarel Hodge from the Browns.
The Lions dropped Randy Bullock and Zane Gonzalez on Tuesday, leaving them with zero kickers at the end of the business day. Now, they’ve got Seibert, a 24 year-old (25 in November) leg with 21 career games to his credit.
Seibert enjoyed a solid 2019 with the Browns, banking 86.2% of his field goals including 9-of-12 from 40-49 yards out. The Browns dropped him after a bad showing in September, leading him to the Bengals. Seibert went 6-of-8 on FG tries in Cincinnati, but lost out on the kicking competition this year.
Texans Sign Jeff Driskel To Practice Squad
The Texans will sign quarterback Jeff Driskel to the practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (Twitter link). Driskel missed the cut on Tuesday, but he’ll stick around to provide Houston with some much-needed insurance.
[RELATED: Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross ‘Really Wants’ Watson?]
Deshaun Watson‘s status remains murky – to say the least — with days to go before the start of the season. The Texans are reportedly willing to keep Watson on the team this year, effectively paying him to do nothing. Another team could alter those plans by meeting the Texans’ asking price, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.
The teams that remain interested in Watson are only willing to give up draft picks if they are conditional, based on Watson’s availability for the year. New GM Nick Caserio is not willing to take that gamble, since Watson could be sidelined by the league office at any time. Meanwhile, the Dolphins — a long-rumored suitor — are downplaying their interest.
In any event, the Texans aren’t banking on Watson and they need the safety net that Driskel provides. He’ll be on call to start the year while Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills serve as the top QBs.