NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Terrence Magee
- Waived: DB Jeremy Boykins
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Cory Carter, S Dean Marlowe
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Will Pericak, TE Colin Thompson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Waived: WR Rannell Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: C Leo Koloamatangi
- Waived: S Stefan McClure
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Devin Lucien, CB Josh Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Andreas Knappe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Sammy Seamster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Isaiah Battle, WR Cyril Grayson, DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: TE Steve Donatell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Pete Robertson
- Waived: S Orion Stewart
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Spencer Paysinger
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Jared Norris
Chicago Bears
- Promoted to active roster: LB Howard Jones, OL Cameron Lee
Houston Texans
- Promoted to active roster: TE MyCole Pruitt, WR DeAndrew White
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: C Anthony Fabiano
New York Giants
- Waived from injured reserve: DE Evan Schwan
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: C Joey Hunt
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: T Mike Liedtke
Ryan Kalil Planning To Play In 2017
Longtime Panthers center and two-time First Team All-Pro Ryan Kalil said he plans to play at some point in 2017, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. 
Kalil, who suffered a neck injury in Week 2 that he called “pretty serious,” has played just five quarters all season. He made a return to the field in Week 7 but had to leave in the first quarter after aggravating the injury. He was active in Week 12 vs. the Jets in the case of an emergency and has been a limited participant at practice this week.
The 11-year center said he thinks the Panthers expects him to make a return sooner rather than later. “I don’t think they’d let me take up a roster spot if they didn’t think I would be able to,” he said.
Despite being without their mainstay in the middle, Carolina has still rushed for the fifth-most yards through Week 12 and are atop the NFC South with an 8-3 mark. Kalil’s return, however, could clear more running lanes for Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart. Second-year center Tyler Larsen has manned Kalil’s position in his absence.
Kalil also noted he plans to play beyond this season. He is signed through 2018.
Panthers Place OT John Theus On IR
John Theus‘ season is over. Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer reports (via Twitter) that the Panthers have placed the young offensive lineman on the injured reserve. Defensive end Zach Moore has been promoted from the practice squad to take his spot on the roster.
Theus, a 2016 fifth-round pick by the 49ers, was claimed off waivers by the Panthers earlier this season. The Georgia product didn’t end up getting in a game for Carolina, although he did make four appearances (one start) for San Francisco during his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old seemingly sat at the bottom of the team’s offensive line depth chart behind fellow bench-warmers Ryan Kalil, Amini Silatolu, Taylor Moton, and Greg Van Roten.
Moore also joined the Panthers following a brief stint with the 49ers, as Carolina claimed him off waivers from San Francisco back in May. The former sixth-rounder was subsequently waived prior to the start of the regular season, but he quickly caught on with the team’s practice squad. Moore has also had stints with the Vikings, Cowboys, and Patriots, where he earned a Super Bowl ring in 2014. In 10 career games, the defensive end has three tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. With Charles Johnson and Daeshon Hall both out, Moore will presumably slide behind reserves Wes Horton and Bryan Cox Jr. on the depth chart.
Panthers Activate WR Damiere Byrd
The Panthers have activated wide receiver Damiere Byrd off of injured reserve. Byrd has been out of action since Week 4 when he broke his arm against the Patriots. 
Byrd was previously designated for return, so it was just a matter of getting him back to full health and finding room on the roster. A spot unexpectedly opened up on Friday when defensive end Charles Johnson was hit with a four-game ban for performance enhancing drugs.
Byrd could be primed for a bigger role than initially projected at the start of the season. Recently, second-round pick Curtis Samuel went down with an ankle injury and Byrd could help replace his speed in the lineup.
“You never know what would happen from Week 4 to Week 12 or 13, so it kind of worked out pretty well,” Byrd recently told the team website when asked about the opportunity ahead of him. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to have a chance to come back and right now it looks like I have that. So I’m happy for it and ready to be back playing.”
Byrd, 24, has appeared in five games for Carolina over the last two seasons. He’ll look to build his stat line when the 8-3 Panthers take on the Saints this Sunday.
NFL Suspends Panthers DE Charles Johnson
The Panthers announced that Charles Johnson has been hit with a suspension for performance enhancing drugs. He’ll be sidelined for the next four games, as stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement. 
Johnson, 31, has spent his entire 11-year career in Carolina. This offseason, the Panthers re-upped him on a two-year, $8MM deal that could be worth as much as $9.5MM with incentives. Just a few weeks later, Johnson went under the knife for back surgery. Then-GM Dave Gettleman admitted that the team did not know the full extent of Johnson’s back injury. The injury did not cost him any games – he’s played in all eleven of the team’s contests to date – but his performance has suffered. He currently ranks as the fourth-worst qualified edge defender in the NFL, according to the numbers at Pro Football Focus. After a so-so three months, Johnson has been forced out of action during a pivotal stretch of the season.
In a statement released by the team, Johnson admitted to taking PEDs to aid in his recovery:
“I accept full responsibility. I have been recovering from back surgery, dealing with the daily grind of football and mistakenly thought this could help. It was an error in judgement on my part. We have a special group here I wanted to be a part of and felt an obligation to do my part by getting back as soon as possible. I have always prided myself on being a person who does things the right way through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. I want to apologize to my team, Mr. Richardson and Panthers fans for this mistake. Regretfully I have disappointed people, but I promise to come back ready to redeem myself when this suspension is over.”
Greg Olsen Returned To Foot Specialist
- Ron Rivera is comfortable playing Greg Olsen on Sunday even if he doesn’t practice this week, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets, adding the Panthers‘ Pro Bowl tight end’s rest thus far during the practice week is “precautionary.” Olsen aggravated the foot injury that sidelined him for most of this season on Sunday and returned this to see the Charlotte-stationed foot specialist who performed his surgery, Person reports (on Twitter). Olsen did not re-fracture his foot, per Person, but has a pain-tolerance decision to make before playing. He’s uncertain to face the Saints, who have their own issues at tight end.
- Coby Fleener will not play in Sunday’s pivotal matchup with the Panthers. The Saints tight end is in concussion protocol and is week-to-week, but he’s not going to be ready for Week 13, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The NFL insider notes this unfortunate setback could linger for Fleener. While not a high-end threat in the Saints’ passing game, Fleener has suited up in all 11 Saints contests this season. Backup Josh Hill has just nine receptions this year.
- It will take a contract similar to the one the Panthers authorized for Trai Turner to keep the Turner-Andrew Norwell guard tandem intact long-term, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes. The recent rise in guard money figures to benefit Norwell, a UFA-to-be and possibly set to be the top guard available on next year’s market. The franchise tag won’t be an option for Carolina, considering the system groups all offensive linemen together, and Corry writes Norwell could exceed Kevin Zeitler‘s guard-record five-year, $60MM pact.
Greg Olsen Day-To-Day With Foot Injury
It seemed like the worst case scenario had unfolded for Panthers fans after star tight end Greg Olsen was forced to exit the team’s game vs. the Jets on Sunday after the veteran re-aggravated his foot injury in the first half. However, it appears that disaster has been averted as Olsen’s tests came back negative on Monday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Olsen remains listed as day-to-day according to Schefter.
The 32-year-old had his foot examined by specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, sources tell Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. This is the same doctor who performed Olsen’s foot surgery earlier in the season.
Olsen had been optimistic after yesterday’s game that the foot injury was going to be less serious than the one he suffered a few months ago.
“I was ready to come back. I felt good. It just wasn’t quite exactly where it needed to be to play in the NFL,” Olsen said. “So live to play another week. Hopefully it’s better next week.” (Quote courtesy of Jospeh Person of The Charlotte Observer).
Carolina could really use at least a somewhat healthy Olsen as they traded a one of their better playmakers in Kelvin Benjamin and have lost high pick Curtis Samuel for the year. In his brief return to action, the tight end caught one pass for ten yards. However, with hopefully more meaningful playing time to come in the future, expect Olsen to be one of the focal points of the offense should he stay healthy enough to be effective.
Panthers Expect Long Rehab For Samuel
The excitement about the return of Greg Olsen was tempered, as the Panthers also placed rookie receiver Curtis Samuel on season-ending injured reserve. Samuel, who fractured his ankle vs. Miami, underwent successful surgery head coach Ron Rivera told reporters, including ESPN’s David Newton (Twitter link). 
Rivera stated now that the surgery is complete, Samuel can expect a lengthy rehab before returning to the field. “It’s going to be a long rehab, obviously, especially because it happened this late in the season,” Rivera said. “But all indications are it went well.”
Since Carolina traded Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills at the deadline, the Ohio State product has seen his playing time increase as a featured receiver alongside Devin Funchess. Before suffering the injury, Samuel produced his best game of the season with five grabs on seven targets for 45 yards. He was praised by quarterback Cam Newton, who said he was “on the cusp,” and offensive coordinator Mike Shula said there were “lots of good things” from Samuel before sustaining the injury.
Samuel finished his season with 19 receptions for 115 yards and 64 rushing yards on four carries.
Panthers To Activate Greg Olsen, Place Curtis Samuel On IR
The Panthers’ passing game will be getting its skill-position centerpiece back. Greg Olsen will be activated in advance of Carolina’s Week 12 game against the Jets, Ron Rivera said Friday (via Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, on Twitter).
Curtis Samuel will go on IR to make room on the roster.
Olsen has been out since Week 2 because of a fractured foot. The veteran tight end returned to practice just this week. The Panthers had a bye in Week 11. But after losing Samuel, the team will deploy another key pass-catcher — and its most reliable weapon of the past few seasons.
Olsen reeled off three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014-16, so the NFC South-contending team will be better suited to challenge the Saints now that the Pro Bowl pass-catcher is back in the mix.
Samuel finished his rookie season with 19 touches for 179 yards from scrimmage. He became a bigger part of the offense after the Kelvin Benjamin trade.