Ravens Extend DL Michael Pierce
Michael Pierce is sticking around Baltimore. The Ravens have signed the defensive tackle to a two-year extension, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
The new two-year deal is worth $7.5MM and will keep Pierce in a Ravens uniform through the 2025 campaign. The veteran defensive lineman initially signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal with the Ravens prior to the 2022 campaign. The two sides later reworked that deal to make Pierce a potential free agent following this season.
The former UDFA spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore, starting 30 of his 60 appearances. He inked a three-year deal with the Vikings in 2020, but after opting out of his first season with the organization, he was limited to only eight starts in 2021. He was released by Minnesota during the 2022 offseason and quickly caught on with his former squad.
Pierce’s first season back in Baltimore was limited to only three games thanks to a torn biceps, but he’s returned to start each of his 16 appearances in 2023. This season, he’s compiled 36 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries, with Pro Football Focus grading him 18th among 131 qualifying interior defenders.
The Ravens have been busy retaining their defensive tackles. The team extended Broderick Washington prior to the season, and they’ve now locked in Pierce. The last order of business would be Justin Madubuike, who is set to hit free agency after this season. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic says it’s “hard to imagine” that the Ravens would let Madubuike hit the open market, even if it means they have to hit the defensive lineman with the franchise tag.
Cardinals Waive DT Kevin Strong, Place Two On IR
The Cardinals made a bit of a surprising move today heading into their 2023 season finale. Despite dealing with multiple injuries along the defensive line, Arizona opted to waive defensive tackle Kevin Strong today. This came on the heels of rookie sixth-round defensive tackle Dante Stills being placed on injured reserve, along with starting left tackle D.J. Humphries, who tore his ACL last weekend. 
With Stills joining four other defensive linemen on IR, the Cardinals cutting Strong becomes even more surprising. Strong had played an important role throughout the 2023 NFL season, filling in multiple times for injured starters. Over the course of the year, Strong appeared in 14 games, making 11 starts.
Strong didn’t always perform at a top level, grading out as the league’s 102nd best interior defender out of 121 players graded, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but his absence digs an even deeper hole in terms of the team’s depth at the position. With Strong and Stills out, Phil Hoskins, Naquan Jones, and Roy Lopez are the team’s only healthy defensive linemen on the 53-man roster.
With three roster spots opening up, the Cardinals filled one today by signing cornerback Divaad Wilson from the practice squad to the active roster. Wilson is an undrafted rookie out of UCF who spent most of this season on the practice squad. He made his NFL debut as a practice squad callup in a Week 12 loss to the Rams and got to start the following week in Pittsburgh. This will be the third game appearance of his career.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/5/24
Friday’s practice squad moves heading into the final week of the regular season:
Detroit Lions
- Released: G Matt Farniok
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: S Tyree Gillespie
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/24
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed from practice squad: LB Jeremiah Moon
- Placed on IR: CB Daryl Worley
- Elevated: DB Andrew Adams, TE Ben Mason
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: LB Nephi Sewell
New York Jets
- Signed from practice squad: RB Xazavian Valladay
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Waived: DL Deadrin Senat
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: CB Tariq Castro-Fields, CB Kendall Fuller, CB Christian Holmes
- Signed from practice squad: DT Abdullah Anderson, DT Benning Potoa’e, CB Nick Whiteside
A knee injury will send Fuller to IR, potentially wrapping the veteran cornerback’s second stint in Washington. The 2016 third-round pick, sent to Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade, returned in 2020 on a four-year, $40MM deal. With the Commanders having already fired Jack Del Rio and being set to clean house following their season finale, the 28-year-old corner could be headed elsewhere in free agency.
Worley has played 124 defensive snaps for the Ravens this season, starting two games. This will be the eighth-year corner’s second IR placement this season. If the Ravens qualify for Super Bowl LVIII, they would be eligible to activate Worley a second time. (Baltimore has four IR activations remaining, though one may need to be saved in case Mark Andrews can come back.) Worley is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries.
Saints To Activate DE Payton Turner From IR
JANUARY 5: Turner’s activation window is closing, but the Saints still have the former first-round pick in their plans. Rather than let Turner revert to season-ending IR, the Saints are planning to activate him, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets. While Turner figures to be in uniform for New Orleans’ regular-season finale, Marshon Lattimore and Michael Thomas remain on IR and are unlikely to play again this season.
DECEMBER 15: The Saints will be without defensive end Payton Turner for the 13th straight game this weekend, but they have taken a step towards his eventual return by opening his 21-day practice window today. If Turner is not activated by the week of the regular season finale, Turner will no longer be eligible to return from injured reserve. 
Turner was knocked out of the team’s season-opener early in the second quarter with a turf toe injury that was set to require surgery to heal. The story had become an all too familiar one in New Orleans. As a rookie first-round pick two years ago, Turner missed 12 games, spending the second half of his rookie year on IR with a shoulder injury. In his sophomore season, Turner would avoid an IR stint but would still miss most of the year, sitting out for nine games.
In addition, Turner has been determinedly unproductive. In the time that he has been available, Turner has failed to crack a starting lineup that has been anchored by Cameron Jordan and has included Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon, and current-Viking Marcus Davenport. When he has entered the game, Turner hasn’t been able to do much with his opportunities, amassing only three sacks and six quarterback hits in 14 games.
Going into training camp this offseason, Turner wasn’t even a guarantee to make the 53-man roster. He was set for a backup role, fighting for snaps behind Jordan and Granderson. He was likely already slotted behind Kpassagnon, and the addition of second-round pick Isaiah Foskey to the room made his chances for playing opportunities that much slimmer. If Turner can make a return soon, though, he may be able to benefit from the recent absences of the rookie Foskey.
In the long run, though, three straight seasons of displaying an inability to stay on the field will not bode well for Turner’s future. The Saints will have the decision concerning his fifth-year option looming in the offseason, but at this point, it doesn’t seem like much of a decision. It will be up to Turner to come back from his most recent injury and make a case to stay in New Orleans.
Browns Place LB Anthony Walker On IR
After going week to week with Anthony Walker, the Browns will give his roster spot to someone else. Out for the past three games following arthroscopic knee surgery, Walker is now on IR.
Barring the Browns making their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, the veteran linebacker is done for the season. Although Walker has missed time already, his IR clock — mandating a four-game absence — begins in Week 18. The Browns signed defensive end Sam Kamara from their practice squad to fill Walker’s roster spot.
Knee scopes have offered players the chance to return after short- or medium-term hiatuses for a while, but the team evidently deemed Walker’s return timetable as lengthy enough a playoff comeback was not guaranteed. Walker started all 12 games he played for the Browns this season, his third with the team.
Walker joins Grant Delpit, Rodney McLeod and Maurice Hurst Jr. as Browns defensive regulars on IR. Offensively, Cleveland has dealt with far more obstacles. Nick Chubb, Deshaun Watson, Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones are on the Browns’ injured list. Delpit has a chance to return in the playoffs, but the rest of this lot will not come suit up again before September.
This is familiar territory for Walker, who ended last season on IR as well. The former Colts draftee suffered a torn quad tendon in September 2022. As part of a decent linebacker-retention effort, the Browns re-signed Walker on a one-year, $1.23MM deal. Cleveland also brought back Sione Takitaki, who has seen more playing time alongside Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah since Walker’s latest injury. Walker posted 113 tackles for the Browns in 2021; he heads to IR with 44 stops, four passes defensed and two fumble recoveries this season. Pro Football Focus rates Walker 31st among linebacker regulars.
On a more positive note, Kevin Stefanski said Ogbo Okoronkwo could return to action despite suffering what was initially believed to be a season-ending pectoral injury. The rotational edge rusher has missed the past three games, but after additional testing, the Browns did not place the free agency pickup on IR. Okoronkwo has tallied 4.5 sacks and a career-high 12 tackles for loss during his first season in Cleveland.
Dalvin Cook, Ravens Agree To Terms
Rumored as a Dalvin Cook suitor, the Ravens will indeed bring the former Pro Bowler into the fold. Cook is committing to Baltimore, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
Cook commanded considerable interest this offseason, but he struggled with the Jets. The Ravens, however, have lost two key backs for the season. J.K. Dobbins went down in Week 1, while explosive rookie Keaton Mitchell suffered an ACL tear last month. Unclaimed on the waiver wire, Cook will move into position alongside Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. This will be a practice squad agreement to start, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley tweets.
Baltimore has managed to build a strong offense despite key losses. Dobbins has not been available for nearly four months, while Mitchell only played in eight games. The Ravens have also been without Mark Andrews since mid-November. But the 13-3 team has done its best work without this trio, beating the 49ers and Dolphins convincingly over the past two games. Cook will, however, provide intriguing depth. This season’s issues notwithstanding, the former Vikings star does have a long track record of success.
Cook, 28, spent more than two months in free agency following his Vikings release. Countless rumors emerged connecting him to teams, mostly in the AFC East. The Jets beat out the Dolphins for the talented ball carrier, but he did not make much of an impact. Breece Hall was ready to go in Week 1, and the 2022 second-round pick put any timeshare thoughts to bed early. Cook has amassed just 214 yards on 67 carries this season, becoming an afterthought during another disappointing Jets season.
The 67 carries did not exactly add much to Cook’s odometer, and he only took double-digit handoffs in one game (Week 1) this season. That said, his career carry total is over 1,300 now. Cook’s 1,349 career totes rank sixth among active backs. Baltimore now employs two players in that top six, with Melvin Gordon at 1,586. Gordon has not played much of a role with the team this season, totaling 63 yards on 19 carries in three games. Cook may soon leapfrog the ninth-year veteran as well. He will have more than two weeks until Baltimore’s divisional-round game to cram in Todd Monken‘s offense.
Gordon has spent time on Baltimore’s practice squad this season but currently resides on the team’s active roster. Jake Funk and Owen Wright represent the running back contingent on the Ravens’ P-squad. It would seem one of the three non-Edwards-Hill runners would need to go to make room for Cook.
The Jets have seen offensive line injuries impact their offense, and the Aaron Rodgers setback obviously defined Gang Green’s season. Cook has still flashed underwhelming form, especially considering how productive he was in Minnesota. Coming into the season, Cook was the NFL’s only back to total at least 1,100 rushing yards each year from 2019-22. He posted 1,173 yards (4.4 per tote) and eight touchdowns with the Vikings last season, doing so despite a nagging shoulder injury. Cook underwent offseason surgery, though his Twin Cities form has yet to resurface. Last season, Cook also rated in the bottom third in Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric.
Unloading Mecole Hardman at the deadline, New York also attempted to trade Cook. The four-time Pro Bowler pursued an exit as well, though he stood down after the deadline. The latter’s $7MM base salary made that difficult, and he continued to languish on the bench as the Jets trudged through another season defined by Zach Wilson‘s failure to develop. The Cowboys explored a potential Cook addition, and the Ravens took a chance on no team claiming Cook’s salary (which amounted to a final game check) on waivers. No one did, and the team that clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed landed him.
Cook played a key role in helping the 2019 Vikings to the divisional round and elevating the ’22 squad to an unexpected NFC North title. The Ravens are highly unlikely to be eyeing Cook as a starter, but the team will explore him as a complementary piece as it attempts to book its first Super Bowl berth in 11 years.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/4/24
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Racey McMath, RB SaRodorick Thompson
- Released: WR Tyron Billy-Johnson, WR Martavis Bryant, OL Adam Pankey, DT Willington Previlon
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Raymond Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL Isaiah Buggs
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Jacob Eason
Isaiah Buggs will provide the Chiefs with some defensive line depth as they head into the playoffs. After playing a part-time role with the Steelers to begin his career, Buggs joined the Lions in 2022 and proceeded to have a career season, finishing with 46 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 17 games (13 starts).
That performance earned him a two-year, $6MM extension this past offseason. However, his playing time dropped in 2023, and he collected 12 tackles and one sack in 10 games (three starts) before getting released earlier this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/24
One minor move to pass along:
Detroit Lions
- Waived: TE Anthony Firkser
After spending the offseason with the Patriots, Anthony Firkser joined the Lions practice squad in October. He eventually earned a promotion to the active roster but only got into two offensive snaps in two appearances. Firkser spent the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, including 2020 and 2021 campaigns where he compiled a combined 73 receptions for 678 yards and three touchdowns.
RB Dalvin Cook Goes Unclaimed On Waivers
JANUARY 4: The seventh-year veteran went unclaimed on waivers Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Aiming to sign with a contender, Cook is now free to negotiate with any team as a free agent. He does not have much momentum, but the Ravens and Cowboys have surfaced as potential landing spots.
JANUARY 2: Nearing the end of a disappointing campaign for both team and player, the Jets are moving on from Dalvin Cook. The Pro Bowl back is being waived, per his agency. 
As Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes, this decision was a mutual one. Cook saw a smaller workload than expected after he elected to join New York in August. That agreement was a one-year contract, and he appeared to provide a veteran option to complement Breece Hall on a Jets offense which faced significant expectations. Things have not gone according to plan for either Cook or his employer, however.
The 28-year-old has not found a notable role in New York’s attack, receiving double-digit carries only once this season. He has averaged 4.5 attempts per contest this season, by far the lowest of his carer. On the lookout for a fresh start, Cook asked for a trade ahead of this year’s deadline. By that point, quarterback Aaron Rodgers had suffered a season-ending Achilles tear and Hall had proven his ability to recover in full from last year’s ACL tear. No deal emerged, though, and Cook remained a minor contributor on one of the league’s least-productive units through Week 16.
A report from last month stated the longtime Vikings starter would not ask for a larger share in the offense or to be let go. In spite of that, he will now have the opportunity to join a new team by being claimed off waivers or signing with a playoff-bound club. To help make his arrival more feasible from a financial standpoint, Cook has agreed to restructure his pact and forfeit his remaining guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
When on the field with the Jets, Cook did not make the impact many expected he would. The four-time Pro Bowler has not topped the 59 scrimmage yards he posted in Week 1 in any game since, averaging a career-low 3.2 yards per carry. He has not found the end zone in 2023 after scoring double-digit touchdowns in three of the past four years. Increased age (especially within the context of the RB position) and financial factors led to Cook’s Minnesota release, a move which has now proven to be a shrewd one.
In spite of Cook’s struggles this season, he will still offer a veteran backfield presence to any team in need of depth ahead of a postseason run. Presuming he clears waivers, the Florida State alum will be free to join any interested team. Helping a new squad’s postseason run would help in the immediate future, but it could also rebuild his free agent stock to an extent.
The Dolphins were heavily involved in pursuing Cook, going as far as to submit an offer for him before his decision to join the Jets. A homecoming for the Miami native could be on tap in advance of the postseason if interest from team and player still exists. In any case, Cook will be in a new home the next time he takes the field in the NFL.