NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/22/23
Friday’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Pat O’Donnell
- Released: LB Frank Ginda
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Nesta Jade Silvera
New York Jets
- Signed: FB Nick Bawden
- Released: CB Kalon Barnes
Giants Sign K Mason Crosby
Dealing with another injury situation at the kicker position, the Giants have again turned to a veteran. Mason Crosby has joined New York’s practice squad in advance of playing this week, as first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The team has since announced the move. 
Randy Bullock – himself brought in as an injury replacement for Graham Gano – was placed on injured reserve yesterday. Bullock’s injury paved the way for a third full-time kicker seeing game time for the Giants this season, which appeared to put Cade York in position to join the active roster. The latter suffered an injury of his own during practice this week, though, and York has been placed on practice squad IR.
Once again in need of a healthy option, the Giants will look to Crosby to close out the season. The 39-year-old joined the Rams midseason amidst their struggles in the kicking game, but he did not see any game action. Crosby was released from Los Angeles’ taxi squad last week, leaving him free to join any interested team.
A new opportunity has arisen via New York’s continued bad luck in terms of kicking injuries. Crosby has not played since his Packers tenure came to an end last season. 2022 marked the 16th season Crosby spent in Green Bay, but the team elected to draft his replacement (Anders Carlson) this spring. The former Super Bowl winner made it clear he intended to keep playing in 2023, however, and he will now have the chance to do so.
The 5-8 Giants will play the Eagles on Christmas Day while attempting to keep their playoff chances alive. Crosby will likely have the opportunity to finish out the season with the Giants and look to build off his 86.2% field goal success rate in 2022 (which marked a noticeable rebound from his 73.5% mark the previous year). Since punter Jamie Gillan made one field goal after Bullock’s injury, Crosby will be New York’s fourth kicker this year.
York was let go by the Browns following his struggles in training camp and the preseason. The 2022 fourth-rounder initially joined the Titans, but his move to the Giants seemed to set him up well for an opportunity in the wake of Gano being lost for the year. His young career has now hit another roadblock, as the Giants prepare to move forward with Crosby for the time being.
Titans Place S Amani Hooker On IR
Amani Hooker‘s 2023 season has come to an end. Not long after being ruled out for Week 16, the Titans placed the veteran safety on injured reserve on Friday. 
Hooker played every snap in Tennessee’s loss to Houston last week, but a knee injury has kept him out of practice over the past several days. As a result, he will be placed on IR, a move which requires at least a four-week absence. With Tennessee out of contention for the postseason, Hooker will not return to the field until 2024.
The news marks an unfortunate end for the 25-year-old, who has been a mainstay in the Titans’ secondary since 2021. He landed a three-year extension last September, a deal which has him on the books through 2025. Hooker was limited to just nine games in 2022, but he had managed to rebound from a health standpoint this past year. He also set new career high in tackles with 85 and tackles for loss with three.
The former fourth-rounder also had one interception, seven pass deflections and a forced fumble this season. That ball production will be difficult to replace for the Titans as they close out a disappointing campaign. In the absence of Hooker (who logged a 98% snap share on defense), the team will likely move forward with Elijah Molden and Terrell Edmunds at the safety spot. The former made his return from injured reserve in Week 15, while the latter has primarily been used on special teams since arriving in a trade with the Eagles.
To fill Hooker’s roster spot, the Titans signed defensive lineman Marlon Davidson from the practice squad. Davidson had been a gameday elevation twice this season, meaning he would have needed to join the 53-man roster after the team’s next game if they intended to continue giving him playing time. Now, the former second-rounder will get further looks as he attempts to play his way into a deal for 2024.
Titans CB Caleb Farley Will Not Return In 2023
DECEMBER 22: When speaking to the media on Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged (via ESPN’s Turron Davenport) that while Farley has “worked hard” to return to the lineup, he will not play in 2023. Having been eliminated from postseason contention last week, the Titans will take the cautious approach in this situation. Farley will enter 2024 as a pending free agent presuming Tennessee declines his fifth-year option, making the campaign one with major financial implications for him.
DECEMBER 20: Injuries have defined Caleb Farley‘s NFL career, and the former first-round pick is on the verge of missing an entire season. But the Titans can at least begin reevaluating the third-year cornerback in practice.
Stationed on the reserve/PUP list for nearly four months, Farley returned to practice for the Titans on Wednesday, TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick tweets. Farley’s latest back surgery, which took place in December 2022, sidelined him throughout the offseason and for the regular season’s first 15 weeks.
Farley has suffered two ACL tears — one during his freshman year at Virginia Tech, the other in 2021 — and has undergone three back surgeries since 2019. Farley underwent a surgery to address a 2019 back injury, and while he played 10 games that season to vault himself onto the first-round radar, he needed a microdiscectomy in March 2021. Farley has missed 36 NFL games since going off the 2021 draft board 22nd overall.
It is difficult to gauge Farley’s talent due to the injury struggles that have plagued him since his Virginia Tech days, but the Titans had begun to lose confidence last season. Coming back from his October 2021 ACL tear on time in 2022, Farley started just one game last season. During the nine games for which Farley dressed, he played only 17% of Tennessee’s defensive snaps.
The Titans fired Jon Robinson just before news of Farley’s impending back surgery broke, with ownership indicating the team’s injury issues during the GM’s seven-year run had become a concern. A first-round pick who has been unable to stay on the field, Farley likely loomed as a central figure in the team’s mounting case against keeping Robinson, who had signed an extension earlier in 2022.
Multiyear starter Kristian Fulton, chosen in the 2020 second round, is once again on IR. The contract-year cover man missed 20 games from 2020-22 and will be shut down for the season’s remainder due to landing on IR last week. Tennessee has 2022 second-rounder Roger McCreary and UFA pickup Sean Murphy-Bunting in place as its top corners to close out this season. Farley can be moved to the 53-man roster at any point before Week 18, and it will be interesting to see if the team activates him after another extended absence. The Titans will decline Farley’s fifth-year option before the May deadline, and this near-season-long absence has dealt another blow to his career stock.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: NT Carlos Davis
Detroit Lions
- Released: OL Michael Schofield
New York Jets
- Signed: FB Nick Bawden
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
Taylor Stallworth has found a new home after getting cut by the Titans back in November. The veteran spent the majority of his stint in Tennessee sitting on injured reserve, getting into six defensive snaps in one appearance. The journeyman has spent time with six different squads since going undrafted out of South Carolina in 2018. He got into 32 games with the Colts between 2020 and 2021, collecting 28 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/23
Today’s minor moves:
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: OL Cameron Erving, CB Shemar Jean-Charles
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: DT Timmy Horne
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: RB Anthony McFarland Jr.
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: RB Jeremy McNichols
Anthony McFarland Jr.‘s stint with the Steelers has come to an end after three-plus seasons. The former fourth-round pick got an extended look as a rookie, collecting 167 yards from scrimmage on 39 touches. Over the past two-plus seasons, he’s compiled only 66 yards on 14 touches, with the RB being firmly behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren on the depth chart. That duo will continue to command the majority of the snaps at the position, with Godwin Igwebuike now serving as Pittsburgh’s RB3.
Raiders Waive DE Malik Reed
Malik Reed‘s stint in Las Vegas has come to an end. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders are waiving the veteran edge rusher.
After spending the preseason with the Dolphins, Reed caught on with the Raiders’ practice squad back in September. He eventually worked his way up to the active roster and got into four games this season, compiling three tackles while playing a limited role on defense.
The former UDFA had a strong start to his career in Denver. The Nevada product got into 15 games as a rookie before collecting eight sacks in 16 games (13 starts) in 2020. He added another five sacks to his resume in 2021, but after getting traded to the Steelers in 2022, he went on to see a reduced role on defense.
Tyree Wilson and Malcolm Koonce have commanded the majority of the snaps opposite Maxx Crosby this season. The Raiders have played around with multiple players at the fourth spot on the depth chart. Isaac Rochell got the first shot at the gig before being replaced by Reed in November. Reed got into four games in his new role but didn’t see the field on defense over the past two weeks, with Janarius Robinson earning the leftover snaps.
Chargers’ Joey Bosa Returns To Practice
The Chargers’ season is all but over, but the team should be welcoming back their defensive star for the stretch run. According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, the Chargers have designated pass-rusher Joey Bosa to return from injured reserve.
Bosa landed on injured reserve in late-November after suffering a foot sprain. The Pro Bowler was seen crying as he was carted into the locker room during that Week 11 loss, leading some to believe he could be done for the season. However, it sounds like Bosa will at least try to return in 2023, although his 21-day window for activation exceeds the days left in the regular season.
The Chargers have three games remaining on their schedule. The team has lost three of their four games since Bosa went down, including a 42-point loss to the Raiders that ultimately led to the ousting of head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.
In his nine games this season, Bosa has compiled 6.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, and six QB hits. The veteran has played much of the season with a broken toe, an injury that forced him to miss one game. This is the second-straight season that Bosa has landed on injured reserve, with the 28-year-old missing 12 games in 2022 thanks to a core muscle injury.
Bosa has also missed chunks of game in five of his eight NFL seasons. In his three healthiest seasons, he’s compiled a total 34.5 sacks.
Chiefs Designate WR Mecole Hardman For Return; Latest On Kadarius Toney’s Role
Unavailable for most of his Giants stay and part of his first season with the Chiefs, Kadarius Toney has managed to stay healthy this year. That has, however, not translated to the game-breaking plays the Chiefs sought upon trading third- and sixth-round picks to acquire him. Instead, Toney has become the face of the team’s wide receiver problem.
The third-year player’s crucial offside infraction against the Bills preceded a Patriots game that featured a drop that led to an interception. The Chiefs viewed Toney as a potential No. 1 receiver this offseason, but the shifty ex-first-rounder has only caught 27 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown this year.
With the Chiefs’ options limited at wide receiver due to injuries and an offseason that featured a few upgrade efforts fail to cross the goal line, they are unlikely to remove Toney from a regular role on offense. Toney should be expected to remain part of the receiver rotation, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.
Kansas City’s receiver troubles extend beyond Toney. Skyy Moore, whom the team placed on IR this week, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have made critical mistakes. While JuJu Smith-Schuster has underwhelmed in New England, his departure — after a 933-yard 2022 season — has been noticeable in Kansas City. The team will continue to depend on second-rounder Rashee Rice‘s development, as the SMU product holds a sizable yardage lead (754) among Chiefs wideouts.
The defending Super Bowl champions will have another option available soon. They designated Mecole Hardman for return Thursday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Kansas City reacquired Hardman in October, bringing him back after a few uneventful months in New York. Hardman contributed as a returner and receiver from 2019-22, posting three 500-plus-yard seasons while a Tyreek Hill sidekick. An injury cut Hardman’s 2022 season short and ultimately kept him out of Super Bowl LVII, but he qualifies as an auxiliary Patrick Mahomes target in a time of need. Hardman, 25, suffered a sprained thumb against the Eagles last month.
That said, Hardman has been slow to reacclimate in Missouri. Although he caught just one pass with the Jets, the former second-round pick has just eight catches for 41 yards since rejoining the Chiefs. Hardman also fumbled a punt return during a loss to the Broncos. With Moore on IR and Toney unreliable, it would not surprise to see the team reintegrate Hardman soon once he is activated. The Chiefs, who have six IR activations remaining, have 21 days to move Hardman back to the active roster.
Rams Activate RB Ronnie Rivers From IR
DECEMBER 21: Out for more than two months, Rivers will return to action tonight. The Rams will use one of their IR activations on Rivers, moving him back into position as a Williams sub alongside Freeman. The NFC West team now has one IR activation remaining this season.
DECEMBER 19: The Rams could soon be adding some depth to their backfield. The team announced that they’ve designated running back Ronnie Rivers for return from injured reserve.
After getting into eight games as a rookie, Rivers entered the 2023 campaign as the Rams’ third running back. He appeared in each of the team’s first six games this season, collecting 75 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches. He also saw a significant role on special teams, getting into more than half of his team’s ST snaps through six games.
Rivers suffered a knee sprain back in Week 6 that ultimately required a stint on injured reserve. He was first eligible to return from IR in late-November, so the RB needed at least an additional month of recovery before returning to the field.
The Fresno State product went undrafted in the 2022 draft. He had brief stints with both the Cardinals and Seahawks before landing on the Rams practice squad.
The Rams running back room looks a bit different than when Rivers last played. Kyren Williams is now back from injury and commanding most of the snaps at the position, and fill-ins Zach Evans and Royce Freeman have reverted to their backup roles. The Rams would have to carve out another spot on the depth chart if they want to activate Rivers, although practice-squad RB Darrell Henderson could also argue for a roster spot.