NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/23
Here are the NFL’s practice squad moves from today:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: WR Daniel Arias
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: Tre’ McKitty, S Tre Norwood
- Placed on practice squad IR: DE Kameron Cline
- Released: TE Joel Wilson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Ace Eley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Trinity Benson, CB Vincent Gray, OL Justin Murray
- Released: TE Devin Asiasi
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Brady Breeze
- Released: C Lecitus Smith
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Kristian Wilkerson
- Released: LB Austin Ajiake, LB Isaac Darkangelo
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Brandon Pili
- Released: DT Rashard Lawrence
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR T.J. Luther
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Hassan Hall
New York Jets
- Signed: DT Perrion Winfrey
- Released: DT Bruce Hector
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: G Lachavious Simmons, CB Josh Thompson
- Released: S Dane Cruikshank
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle
The Jets have decided to shoulder the risk of bringing on Winfrey, who was waived by the Browns in July after facing his second allegation of violence against a woman. He was not charged with anything in the case that led to his release from Cleveland, but combined with past off-field incidents, the allegations were enough to propel him towards free agency.
Cowboys To Sign WR Martavis Bryant
Despite not playing an NFL game since 2018, Martavis Bryant has secured another gig. Recently reinstated, the veteran wide receiver has a deal in place with the Cowboys, according to The Athletic NBA reporter Shams Charandia.
The Cowboys brought in Bryant for a Tuesday workout. Had the Cowboys not agreed to sign Bryant, the former Steelers draftee had a meeting arranged with the Titans. But Dallas will take a flier on the former starter, with Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweeting it is a practice squad deal.
While this reminds of Josh Gordon‘s 2017 return after 2 1/2 seasons away, Bryant has doubled Gordon’s time away from the game. The NFL reinstated Bryant last week, and although he will turn 32 next month, it is certainly interesting a few teams showed immediate interest in a player after so much time off. The Lions also expressed interest in Bryant, according to Schultz. The Cowboys are not planning to immediately elevate Bryant to the active roster, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, eyeing a gradual buildup. Given Bryant’s past, this makes sense.
The NFL banned Bryant indefinitely on Dec. 14, 2018. This came for repeated violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy. The 2011 CBA featured harsher punishments for substance abuse. Partially in exchange for agreeing to move to a 17-game regular season, the NFLPA received various concessions in the 2020 CBA. One of those came in the form of leniency on the substance-abuse front. Still, it has been more than 3 1/2 years since that CBA’s ratification. Like Gordon, Bryant will be given another opportunity. Although Gordon relapses interfered with his comeback bid — one that eventually saw the former All-Pro’s form deteriorate to the point he was no longer a sought-after player — the Cowboys will see what Bryant has left in the tank.
Like Gordon, Bryant played in the again-rebooted XFL this season. Gordon fared much better, catching 38 passes for 540 yards. Bryant, meanwhile, caught 14 passes for 154 yards in eight games with the Vegas Vipers. The Cowboys clearly liked what they saw from the former Steelers and Raiders auxiliary pass catcher, and they will see if he can come in as a tertiary target for Dak Prescott.
Back in the 2010s, Bryant was viewed as a high-ceiling talent. The Clemson alum showcased those skills at points in Pittsburgh, totaling 1,314 yards and 14 touchdown receptions between the 2014 and ’15 seasons. Bryant added an acrobatic TD in the Steelers’ narrow wild-card win over the Bengals in 2015, residing as an intriguing Antonio Brown sidekick pre-JuJu Smith-Schuster. But Bryant received drug suspensions in 2015 and ’16. Bryant received a four-game suspension in August 2015 and a full-season ban in March 2016. This led to the indefinite ban two years later.
Bryant’s rookie contract tolled to 2017, when he added 603 receiving yards for a 13-3 Steelers team, but Pittsburgh dealt the embattled wideout to Oakland in 2018. While the 6-foot-4 receiver flashed frequently during his 2010s run, it would be highly unlikely to see him return to that level after so much time away. But the XFL could be viewed as a ramp-up period for Bryant. The Cowboys have enjoyed good fortune with players from the spring leagues. They saw USFL return man KaVontae Turpin earn All-Pro acclaim last season, and USFL kicker Brandon Aubrey is off to a flawless start upon signing with the team. Aubrey is 19-for-19 on field goals thus far as a Cowboy.
The Cowboys aimed to sign Odell Beckham Jr. last season but were not satisfied with his post-ACL-tear form. They ended up adding T.Y. Hilton. The 11-year veteran made a key reception in a win over the Eagles last season. This year, Dallas acquired Brandin Cooks from Houston. Cooks has joined Michael Gallup as starters alongside CeeDee Lamb. Bryant brings size the Cowboys’ starters do not, however, with none of the first-stringers standing more than 6-1. Turpin (5-9) and 2022 third-round pick Jalen Tolbert (6-1) are in place as backups. Seventh-round rookie Jalen Brooks is also on Dallas’ 53-man roster. It will be interesting to see if Bryant sees game action as a result of this agreement.
Cardinals Activate QB Kyler Murray
Expected to make his return to action in Week 10, Kyler Murray is now officially back on the Cardinals’ 53-man roster. The team used the full three-week practice window but activated Murray just before the deadline.
Murray suffered an ACL tear and meniscus damage in December 2022, and the Cardinals changed regimes during his rehab process. Jonathan Gannon has routinely praised Murray, and with the Cardinals rebuilding, the team has taken a methodical approach to redeploying him. It appears that re-emergence is imminent, however, with Murray all but certain to start against the Falcons in Week 10.
With Murray coming back from the reserve/PUP list, he will not count against the Cardinals’ IR activations. Though, at 1-8, the Cards’ activation number is not exactly a pressing matter. The team gained just 58 total yards against the Browns — the team’s fewest in a game since 1955 — with fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune overmatched against an elite Cleveland pass defense. Murray being on his way back will help Arizona’s offense, though it is worth wondering the team’s overall plans with the dual-threat talent.
After a frisky start, the Cardinals are where most expected them to be: in the running for the No. 1 overall pick. With the Texans looking likely to see their draft slot land outside the top three for the first time since 2020, the Cardinals’ only avenue toward a top-five pick looks to be via their own selection. Murray could impede that path, but Gannon has repeatedly said the fifth-year passer is in this regime’s plans post-2023. If that is the case, seeing Murray develop in OC Drew Petzing‘s offense now would give the Cardinals a good onramp toward the 2024 offseason program.
The Cardinals declared Murray fully healthy last month, which would line up with his rehab timeline. Murray went down Dec. 12, 2022. His return will come 11 months later. That sits behind some recent quarterbacks who recovered from ACL tears, but each injury is different. And, again, it is not like the Cardinals had a playoff spot in mind with regard to Murray’s timetable. Despite speculation of the team drafting a quarterback in 2024, Murray will not be held out for the entire season. This will create an interesting backdrop for the Cardinals, who were in a rebuild when they drafted Murray first overall in 2019.
Arizona’s offense will look a bit different with Murray compared to its 2022 iteration. The team drafted Paris Johnson in April — after rumors Murray was a fan of the Ohio State tackle — and released DeAndre Hopkins in May. Zach Ertz is back on IR, while James Conner is on the injured list as well. Though, Conner is eligible to return this week. The team still has Murray college teammate Marquise Brown on the roster, despite being a perceived seller at the deadline. Brown is in a contract year, but he will finish it in the desert.
Murray, 26, earned original-ballot Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and ’21. He missed time with ankle and hamstring injuries in 2021 and ’22, and although the former MLB top-10 draftee elevated a largely Hopkins-less Cardinals team to the playoffs during his third season, last year brought a significant step back. A woeful playoff performance preceded a bumpy ride toward an extension, one that included (and then didn’t) the oft-discussed homework clause. Friction with Kliff Kingsbury transpired before Murray’s injury, and his numbers dipped after the quality 2020 and ’21 showings. Murray will attempt to begin a bounce-back effort under Gannon and Petzing.
The Cardinals have Tune in place as their backup moving forward, having gone through a complicated QB year. The team has ditched two-year Murray backup Colt McCoy and released David Blough late this summer. Arizona acquired and then traded Josh Dobbs, who resurfaced in a big way in Minnesota in Week 9. Jeff Driskel is back on the team’s practice squad, returning and residing as the team’s de facto third-stringer.
Rams To Waive QB Brett Rypien
Following the news of the Carson Wentz agreement, the Rams will spend their bye week with just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. With Wentz coming in, Brett Rypien will be jettisoned.
The Rams are waiving Rypien, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The former Broncos backup received the call against the Packers in relief of Matthew Stafford. After a 20-3 Rams loss that featured a poor Rypien performance, the team will have Stafford and Wentz as the QBs on its roster.
After four seasons in Denver, Rypien signed with Los Angeles shortly after the draft. The team had him in mind as a placeholder while Stetson Bennett developed. The 26-year-old rookie, however, landed on the reserve/non-football illness list in September. This left Rypien as the top Stafford backup. With Stafford again needing to miss time due to injury, the Rams were without another option. The Wentz deal will cover them going forward.
Rypien, 27, will be waived despite being a vested veteran. With the trade deadline having passed, all cut players are subject to waivers. Considering the QB trouble around the league, it will be interesting to see if someone picks up the former UDFA. But Rypien struggled in Green Bay, completing 46% of his passes while throwing an interception and fumbling twice. With Bennett out of the picture presently and the team cutting Dresser Winn from its practice squad, a spot could be open for Rypien — should he pass through waivers.
Considering Stafford’s recent injury history and Wentz being new to the team, it should be expected the Rams will carry a practice squad QB. Rypien has made four career starts, replacing Stafford, Russell Wilson and Drew Lock. He posted a 60.2% completion rate last season, throwing two TD passes and four interceptions. The nephew of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, Brett saw the Broncos give Jarrett Stidham a two-year, $10MM deal to replace him. The Rams have now ended Wentz’s near-eight-month free agency stay to do the same.
After Stafford gave the Rams 21 starts (counting the four postseason outings) in 2021, the Rams have started five QBs over the past two seasons. They turned to John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and Baker Mayfield amid Stafford’s injury-plagued 2022. Stafford made it through eight games this season and is expected to be ready for Week 11, but Wentz would now be in line to run that number to six should the starter need to miss more time.
The Rams attempted to reacquire Wolford by signing him off the Buccaneers’ practice squad last week, but the Florida native cited a desire to stay in Tampa, via the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. Although Wolford would not have had a choice had the Bucs not agreed to bump him up to their 53-man roster, the team did, cutting off a QB avenue for the Rams.
In addition to the QB transactions today, the Rams waived running back Myles Gaskin. The former Dolphins and Vikings back played in one game for the Rams, who reconfigured their backfield after the Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers injuries. Both must miss at least two more games. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman have operated as L.A.’s primary backs since those IR moves came to pass.
Texans To Sign K Matt Ammendola
In need of a fill-in at the kicker spot, the Texans are set to make an addition. Houston has agreed to a deal with Matt Ammendola, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. 
Ka’imi Fairbairn is dealing with a quad injury, one which forced him to exit the Texans’ Week 9 win and could keep him sidelined for a short-term stretch. Today’s move points further to Fairbairn being unavailable for at least one contest, though Ammendola is not immediately joining the team’s active roster. Rather, as Wilson notes, this is a practice squad arrangement.
As Houston continues to evaluate Fairbarin’s status, Ammendola will be available as one of the team’s gameday elevations for Week 10. Players can be temporarily be added to a roster in such a fashion up to three times, so the Texans will have an insurance policy in the form of the 26-year-old for the time being. Ammendola has bounced around the league since his 11-game stint with the Jets in 2021.
The Oklahoma State alum went 13-for-19 on field goal attempts with New York, and he has yet to find a long-time home in large part due to his inability to rebound from that up-and-down start to his career. Ammendola split his time between the Cardinals and Chiefs last season, and his time in Kansas City earned him a Super Bowl ring. During the 2022 preseason, he filled in for an injured Fairbairn in Houston. For his career, Ammendola has made 69.2% of his field goal attempts (18 of 26), along with 86.4% of his extra point kicks (19 of 22).
Those figures contrast greatly with those of Fairbairn, who has proven himself to be a consistent performer during his tenure in Houston. Any missed time from him would threaten the Texans’ kicking game, but a replacement option is now in place in case one is needed.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/6/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: RB Hassan Hall
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Spencer Brown
- Placed on IR: RB Tarik Cohen
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Devine Ozigbo
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Ellis Merriweather
- Released: RB James Robinson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OT Brandon Parker
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Jordan Willis
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Jacob Hanson
- Released: OL Jason Poe
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Henry Byrd
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/23
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): OL Doug Kramer
- Waived: WR Andre Baccellia
New York Jets
- Promoted: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson, WR Malik Taylor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated off IR: RB Anthony McFarland
- Placed on IR: LB Cole Holcomb (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated to return from IR: DL Robert Beal Jr., CB Samuel Womack
- Designated to return from PUP: CB Darrell Luter
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from PUP: DT Austin Faoliu
- Placed on IR: LB Drake Thomas
Panthers To Sign LB Blake Martinez
Blake Martinez is set to make an NFL return. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a deal with the Panthers, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. Head coach Frank Reich has confirmed the move, which will see him join Carolina’s practice squad.
Martinez surprisingly retired midseason in 2022, bringing an end to his brief tenure with the Raiders. He played just four games for Vegas before deciding to hang up his cleats. The move came one season after his second campaign with the Giants was cut short by a torn ACL.
The 29-year-old quickly turned his post-playing attention to Blakes Breaks, the company he operated which focused on selling rare Pokémon cards. That venture proved to be highly lucrative in its first year, but Martinez and his company have since been met with allegations of scamming customers and banned from the online marketplace on which it operated. Not long after that development, he will now attempt to return to the field.
Martinez spent the first four years of his career with the Packers, and he established himself as a highly productive contributor in the middle of their defense. The former fourth-rounder recorded at least 144 tackles every year between 2017 and ’20, the latter campaign marking the start of his New York tenure. Prior to his ACL tear, Martinez also proved to be effective in the pass-rush department, racking up 13 sacks.
The Stanford alum was a rotational member of the Raiders’ defense during his 2022 cameo, logging 115 combined defensive and special teams snaps across his four games. It will be interesting to see how large of a workload he will receive once he starts his tenure with the Panthers, a team which has dealt with a number of major injuries on defense this year.
That includes Shaq Thompson being sidelined with a broken leg, though he is aiming to come back at some point this season. Regardless of if Thompson is able to suit up again in 2023, Martinez could very well find himself seeing notable playing time in the near future. A healthy, productive stint to close out the year would help his free agent stock ahead of the spring, presuming he intends to return to the NFL on a permanent basis moving forward.
Chargers Activate Two From PUP, Place WR Josh Palmer On IR
The Chargers are bringing in some reinforcements in the form of two players coming back from long-term injuries. This morning, the team announced that they were activating wide receiver Jalen Guyton and defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia from the reserve/physically unable to perform list. In order to make room on the roster, Los Angeles made two corresponding moves, placing wide receiver Josh Palmer on injured reserve and waiving defensive tackle Christopher Hinton. 
Guyton, while not being a star for the Chargers during his first four years in the NFL, has been a solid contributor in the receiving corps behind usual leading receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, averaging about 480 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Last year, Guyton’s continuation of that role was interrupted by a Week 3 ACL tear that held him out for the remainder of the season.
The Chargers knew they’d be without Guyton for at least four games, deciding to start the year with him on PUP, but they likely didn’t expect it to take eight weeks for him to make his 2023 debut. Regardless, with the recent losses of Williams and Palmer to injury, bringing back Guyton was becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. The deep threat will team up with Allen, rookies Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis, and Simi Fehoko as the only receivers on the active roster.
Ogbonnia appeared in seven games last year as a rookie, even earning a start during his first year in the league. The former track and field star should be able to add to a defensive line that has seen multiple contributors dealing with injuries over the past few weeks. Known in college for his disruptive abilities, Ogbonnia should certainly find himself in some packages on defense soon.
Palmer was declared out for tomorrow night’s game yesterday due to a knee injury he’s been dealing with. Either the ailment is worse than the media has made it seem to this point, or the Chargers are being extra cautious in a season that hasn’t necessarily had the start they would have wanted. Regardless, Palmer’s placement on IR will guarantee his will miss at least the next four games.
Hinton, an undrafted rookie last year, eventually found his way to Los Angeles, where he would make his NFL debut, appearing in four contests in 2022. He was able to make the team’s active roster to start this season but was waived and re-signed over the last month. He’ll hit waivers for the second time this season but could find his way to the practice squad if he clears them.
Bears To Sign Montez Sweat To Extension
After being acquired by the Bears at the trade deadline, Montez Sweat will be sticking around Chicago. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the edge rusher has agreed to a four-year extension worth $98MM in new money. Including this season, the deal is worth a total of $105MM.
[RELATED: Bears Working On Montez Sweat Extension]
The contract includes close to $73MM in guaranteed money, according to Rapoport. With a $24.5MM average annual value, Sweat should now rank fifth among pass rushers in yearly money.
That’s certainly a lot of money for a player with zero Pro Bowl appearances, zero All-Pro nods, and zero 10-sack seasons on his resume. However, Sweat should be on his way to accomplishing most (if not all) of those feats this season. In his eight starts with the Commanders, the 27-year-old collected 6.5 sacks to go along with 32 tackles, 11 QB hits, and a pair of forced fumbles.
Pro Football Focus has Sweat ranked 28th among 107 qualifying edge rushers, although the site gives him a top-three grade at the position for his run defense. Further, the site ranked him as a top-10 edge rusher in 2022, with Sweat finishing that campaign with 8.5 sacks, 28 QB hits, and 14 tackles for loss. The former first-round pick is just finishing his rookie contract, and while he doesn’t have the track record of some of the league’s other top-paid pass rushers, the Bears are clearly banking on his upside.
The Bears sent a second-round pick to Washington for the edge rusher at the trade deadline. The front office certainly raised some eyebrows with the move; the second-round pick should come early considering Chicago’s 2-6 record, and Sweat was set to hit free agency following the 2023 campaign. The Bears made is abundantly clear that they intended to re-sign the impending free agent, although Sweat was noncommittal after joining the team.
“I think all that goes into play from financial to the people around me to the players in the building, all that type of stuff like that,” Sweat said earlier this week. “I just got here. I’m still trying to figure out where I’m going to lay my head at tonight.”
Chicago ultimately didn’t take long to get the deal done. The trade and extension isn’t unlike last year when the Dolphins traded for Bradley Chubb hours before the trade deadline. Two days later, they finished out extension talks.
Of course, considering the draft capital they gave up, the Bears were prepared to use the franchise tag on Sweat if the two sides couldn’t agree to a new deal. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, the Bears can now use that tag on someone like cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who wasn’t dealt at the deadline despite a public trade request.
Chicago, which traded Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn last year, has rolled out one of the worst pass-rushing units in the NFL over the past two campaigns. They’ll now be counting on Sweat to be guiding that grouping for the foreseeable future.