Lions Acquire WR Donovan Peoples-Jones From Browns
The latest receiver trade of the 2023 season has emerged. Donovan Peoples-Jones is on his way from the Browns to the Lions, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. 
The move is now official, and NFL Network’s Pelissero notes Cleveland will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange. Peoples-Jones, a Detroit native, will now take part in a homecoming to close out the final season of his rookie contract. He will look to add at least a depth presence in the Lions’ receiving corps.
The Michigan alum took on a starting role in his second season, and he has remained a constant presence in the Browns’ passing game since. Peoples-Jones saw his receiving total grow from 304 yards as a rookie to 597 the following year to 839 in 2022. That improvement led to the expectation for further growth, but that has not been the case this season.
Amari Cooper has, as expected, served as the Browns’ top receiver since his arrival last year. 2023 trade acquisition Elijah Moore has also worked in a starting capacity, which has played a role in Peoples-Jones’ share in the offense taking a step back. The latter has made only eight catches this season, though he has also provided special teams value by continuing to operate as Cleveland’s punt returner.
The Lions have Amon-Ra St. Brown at the top of their WR depth chart, with the likes of Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond serving in complementary roles. Detroit recently lost a veteran contributor when Marvin Jones stepped away from football to attend to a family matter. Peoples-Jones, who owns a career yards per catch average of 15.7, will aim to give his new team another deep threat in the passing game.
Succeeding in that capacity could boost his free agent value ahead of the spring. Peoples-Jones’ stock has no doubt taken a hit compared to where it stood before the campaign, but a strong showing in Detroit would help him recoup value on a deal keeping him in the Motor City or one sending him elsewhere. It will be interesting to see how he fits into Detroit’s offense and special teams while the 6-2 Lions aim for a postseason run.
Cardinals To Trade QB Josh Dobbs To Vikings
1:33pm: The Vikings are preparing Hall for the Week 9 start, Kevin O’Connell said (via the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi). Dobbs suiting up is possible, per O’Connell. Dobbs has a history of being ready on short notice, having started barely a week after the Titans signed him off the Lions’ practice squad.
12:38pm: For the second time this year, Josh Dobbs will be traded. A day after Jonathan Gannon indicated it will be Kyler Murray or Clayton Tune starting for the Cardinals in Week 9, the team will unload Dobbs.
The Vikings, who lost Kirk Cousins for the season in Week 8, will bring in the veteran backup/spot starter, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report. The Cardinals had acquired Dobbs, 28, from the Browns in late August; he will now join a QB room featuring two injured players. Cousins’ Week 1 backup, Nick Mullens, is also on IR. This comes two days after Gannon said Dobbs would start against the Browns, pointing to the Week 9 benching being driven by these trade talks.
Arizona will send Dobbs and a seventh-round pick to Minnesota for a sixth-rounder, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Conditions are included that can turn the seventh-round pick the Vikings are receiving into a sixth, per Schefter. This will amount to a flier for the Vikings, who have not previously needed to deal with an injury absence in their six seasons with Cousins.
While this might not satisfy Vikings fans eager for a higher-profile name, Dobbs will come to the Twin Cities with eight 2023 starts under his belt. After being expected to trot out Colt McCoy while Murray finished his recovery from a December 2022 ACL tear, the Cardinals instead plugged in Dobbs. The team delivered some surprisingly competitive efforts, but it has fallen to 1-7. Tune is expected to start for Arizona in Week 9, with Murray moving close to a return.
On the season, Dobbs has completed 62.8% of his passes (at just 5.9 yards per attempt) and has thrown eight touchdown passes compared to five interceptions. Not exactly equipped with a high-end skill-position corps, Dobbs also came to the desert barely two weeks before the season. The Browns had planned to use Dobbs as their backup, but they viewed fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has having made enough progress. Cleveland quickly benched Thompson-Robinson for practice squad pickup P.J. Walker, who has become Deshaun Watson‘s top backup.
The Vikings turned to fifth-round draftee Jaren Hall as Cousins’ emergency replacement, but they now have some options. The team has used Sean Mannion as Cousins’ backup in multiple seasons; Mannion is back on the Vikes’ practice squad. Hall and Mannion had loomed as the team’s top healthy options, but Mullens is expected to come off IR at some point. A back injury moved Mullens to IR earlier this month. Mullens can return after one more missed game.
For his career, Dobbs has made 10 starts. His teams are 1-9 in those games. Granted, Dobbs has not been thrust into good situations when asked to start. His initial two starts came for an injury-riddled Titans team last season, and while the former Steelers draftee showed better form compared to Malik Willis last season, Tennessee still lost both his starts. The noted rocket scientist engineered an upset win over the Cowboys earlier this season, but the Cardinals have lost their past five games. Murray is also believed to be fully healthy and ready to return. With Tune in place as a possible long-term backup, the Cards did not have a clear role for Dobbs.
Loosely connected to Jacoby Brissett — whom Dobbs backed up during his 2022 Cleveland stopover — the Vikings are not necessarily ruled out from another starter option. Carson Wentz remains available, and Matt Ryan contacted the Jets after Aaron Rodgers‘ injury. Tom Brady has unretiring experience, though the QB icon was viewed as a nonstarter for the Jets in September. But the Dobbs move does almost definitely close the book on any other QB additions via trade for the 4-4 Vikings.
Jaguars To Acquire G Ezra Cleveland From Vikings
The Vikings are not expected to trade Danielle Hunter, but they will send another of their contract-year players away. The Jaguars are acquiring fourth-year guard Ezra Cleveland, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. In a corresponding move, Jags announced that 2020 fourth-rounder Ben Bartch has been waived. 
Cleveland expressed interest in a Vikings extension this offseason. Instead, he will relocate to Florida to join the first-place Jags in his contract year. A 2020 second-round pick, Cleveland has been a starter for much of his Vikings career. It will cost the Jags only a sixth-round pick to pry Cleveland from Minnesota, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets. Dianna Russini of The Athletic clarifies that Jacksonville will send a 2024 sixth-rounder which originally belonged to the Panthers.
This transaction comes months after the Vikings and Jaguars moved close to completing a Hunter trade. The sides circled back but settled on Cleveland as the exchange piece. The Boise State alum has started 49 career games, converting from college tackle to NFL guard. He will likely be on track to start opposite Brandon Scherff in Jacksonville. Cleveland will reunite with Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher, who was previously on the Vikings’ staff.
The Jags will acquire Cleveland despite the experienced blocker having missed the past two games due to a foot injury. From Minnesota’s view, the team has a veteran ready to step in. The team signed four-year Broncos starter Dalton Risner early this season, ending the 2019 second-round pick’s longer-than-expected free agency stay. The Vikes also drafted Ed Ingram in the 2022 second round, installing him at right guard. Minnesota does not have much money devoted to its O-line, but Christian Darrisaw is a clear candidate to join right tackle Brian O’Neill in receiving a big-ticket extension.
The 49ers showed interest in adding Cleveland, Russini’s colleague Matt Barrows reports. San Francisco’s weak point on offense has shown to be their play up front, so it would have come as little surprise if they invested a Day 3 pick in a starting-caliber addition. Instead, the 49ers have turned their attention to a blockbuster defensive add in the form of edge rusher Chase Young.
Jacksonville ranks mid-pack in a number of offensive categories, posting middling numbers both through the air and on the ground. Cleveland’s run blocking PFF evaluations have generally far outweighed his grades in pass protection, though in this season the two are nearly identical. If he can carry over that two-way effectiveness with the Jaguars, he could play a signficant role in another Jacksonville playoff run and boost his free agent stock in the process.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Rams, Vikings Showed Interest In John Wolford; Bucs To Promote QB
OCTOBER 31: The Buccaneers will follow through with their protection measure. Wolford will be signed to the Bucs’ 53-man roster, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The Bucs will now carry three quarterbacks on their active roster. This comes after both the Rams and Vikings showed interest in poaching Wolford off the practice squad, per Russini. Kevin O’Connell coached Wolford for two seasons in Los Angeles. Despite multiple potential opportunities to join another team’s 53, Wolford will make the jump in Tampa.
OCTOBER 30, 7:25pm: It sounds like the Rams will have to look elsewhere for QB depth. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Wolford informed the Rams that he prefers to stay in Tampa Bay. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that the quarterback is expected to stick with the Buccaneers and be added to the active roster.
6:25pm: John Wolford is set to return to Los Angeles. The longtime Rams backup left for a Buccaneers deal this offseason, but the Rams have seen Matthew Stafford run into another injury. They will take action via an outside hire.
The Rams intend to sign Wolford off the Bucs’ practice squad, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Wolford did not make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster, with Kyle Trask in place behind starter Baker Mayfield. Wolford has spent the season on the Bucs’ P-squad, but the latest Stafford injury issue will prompt the Rams to close a deal on a reunion.
Because the Rams are signing Wolford off Tampa Bay’s taxi squad, he must remain on L.A.’s active roster for at least three weeks. That will be a familiar place for Wolford, who resided as the backup to Stafford and Jared Goff during a four-year L.A. stay. The Rams replaced Wolford with ex-Broncos backup Brett Rypien this offseason. Rookie Stetson Bennett is not in the picture presently, residing on the Rams’ reserve/NFI list.
Rypien replaced Stafford after he suffered a thumb injury against the Cowboys. The 15th-year QB is battling a UCL sprain in his throwing thumb, and this upcoming transaction casts some doubt the starter’s availability for Week 9. Stafford missed eight games last season. Coming into 2022, however, the former Lions mainstay had only missed time in one of the previous 11 seasons (due to a 2019 back injury). With IR not off the table for Stafford, the Rams are once again scrambling at the game’s premier position.
Goff brought more durability than Stafford has, leaving Wolford on the bench for much of his first two seasons in California. Signed initially after a stint in the short-lived Alliance of American Football in 2019, Wolford did end up playing a key role for the 2020 Rams. A Goff thumb injury sidelined him for the Rams’ 2020 season finale, and Sean McVay turned to Wolford in for Week 17 and then the wild-card round. A Wolford neck injury knocked him out of that Rams-Seahawks tilt, leading an injured Goff back into action. The Rams included Goff in the Stafford trade weeks later.
Wolford, 28, has made five career starts. Three of those came in relief of Stafford last season. Last year, the Wake Forest product was not especially productive. The start he is credited with winning included scant usage, with the Rams inserting Mayfield — with the team for all of two days at that point — into the lineup and seeing the waiver claim lead an improbable game-winning drive to beat the Raiders. Wolford did not factor into the Mayfeld-Trask Tampa competition, but he may have another opportunity soon — depending on how the Rams navigate the Stafford situation.
Giants, Seahawks Agree To Leonard Williams Trade
The next major trade domino has fallen. The Giants are sending defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seahawks, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
In exchange, Seattle is sending a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder to New York. The deal marks an end to Williams’ time in the Big Apple and puts to rest long-running questions about his future with the organization. It will also give Seattle a signficant boost along the defensive front. 
As part of the agreement, the Giants restructured Williams’ deal. They will pay out $9.35MM of Williams’ remaining salary as a signing bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That will allow for proration into void years. As a result of that move – which will help the Seahawks absorb his remaining 2023 salary and his cap hit, and no doubt played a role in helping the price include a Day 2 pick – the trade will not be official until after 3pm today. Indeed, Albert Breer of SI reports the Giants will retain all but the veteran’s minimum before sending Williams westward. Another factor which drove up Williams’ price was the interest he generated amongst contending teams.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz notes the Giants had “several suitors” in on the 29-year-old. Seattle has outbid the other teams which showed interest, though, and they will now take on Williams for at least the remainder of the season (which calls for a 2023 salary of $18MM). The Seahawks will take on roughly $650K of that figure as Williams looks to contribute to a playoff contender ahead of free agency in March.
A three-year, $63MM extension signed in 2021 left Williams with the league’s highest cap hit amongst defenders this season. For that reason, many speculated that an extension or restructure would be worked out. The former Jets first-rounder made it clear he was open to another Giants contract, but general manager Joe Schoen insisted throughout the offseason no such move would be coming. After standing pat during the summer, New York has now swung a deal ensuring greater draft compensation than the team would have been due in the event Williams walked in free agency. As Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport notes, the Giants knew the possibility of Williams departing in the spring was high.
The Seahawks entered Monday with less cap space than the roughly $10MM remaining on Williams’ deal. As a result, the Giants’ decision to retain essentially all of his outstanding compensation was necessary. While that will hinder their 2023 cap situation, it will provide some clarity moving forward with a number of other extensions on the team’s priority list. Seattle, meanwhile, will see another high-profile veteran join a new-look defensive front.
Uchenna Nwosu‘s season-ending injury helped bring about a Seahawks reunion with Frank Clark. The latter will help in the edge rush department, while Williams will aim to provide a starting-caliber presence along the interior. His 2023 performance (21 tackles, 1.5 sacks) has fallen short of his previous years in New York, but the USC alum will have the chance to boost his free agent stock on a Seattle front which underwent signficant changes this offseason.
Most significantly, that included signing Dre’Mont Jones to a lucrative pact in free agency. The former Bronco has registered a pair of sacks so far while logging a starter’s role on a defense which ranks eighth against the run. Seattle will look to upgrade in the interior pass-rush department with Williams now in the fold, though the team already sits in the top five in sacks (26).
While this will likely be the only major move made by the Seahawks ahead of tomorrow afternoon’s deadline, the Giants have been named as a team to watch in the seller’s category. They have made clear their intention of retaining Saquon Barkley, but other players could be on the move. It will be interesting to see how New York approaches its remaining deadline plans, and how much of an effect this deal has on the market for other notable defenders.
Packers, Rashan Gary Agree To Extension
While short-term changes to the Packers’ roster could be coming in the next two days, a cornerstone of their defense is set to remain in place for the foreseeable future. Edge rusher Rashan Gary announced on Monday that he has signed a four-year, $96MM extension. 
The deal comes as Gary is playing out his fifth-year option to finish off his rookie contract. Taking into account his 2023 salary of $10.89MM, the extension will pay out a total of $107.5MM to the former first-rounder and keep him on the books through 2027. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports the contract includes a signing bonus of $34.64MM.
Gary had a slow start to his career with only seven sacks across his first two seasons in the league. The Michigan alum took on a full-time starting role in 2021, however, and his increased workload produced an uptick in his statistical impact. Gary registered 9.5 sacks that year, leading to the Packers’ decision to exercise his option and expectations of a strong follow-up campaign.
However, an ACL tear limited him the 25-year-old to nine games in 2022. Despite showing continued effectiveness prior to the injury, it threatened to hinder Gary’s market for a new deal pending his recovery process. He rehabbed in time to suit up for Week 1, though, and he has yet to miss a contest in 2023. Gary made it clear last month he was open to negotiating a new long-term pact, and efforts on that front have now cemented his status as a key member of Green Bay’s core moving forward.
The $24MM AAV of the extension places Gary fifth in the NFL amongst edge rushers in that department. Nick Bosa‘s historic 49ers deal has set a new high mark at the position, and today’s agreement makes Gary the 10th pass rusher to eclipse the $20MM-per-year mark. He will now sit atop the pecking order (just ahead of left tackle David Bakhtiari and cornerback Jaire Alexander) as Green Bay’s highest-paid player.
Gary has recorded 4.5 of the Packers’ 19 sacks this season, giving him the team lead. Fellow starter Preston Smith has been floated as a trade candidate in the build-up to tomorrow’s deadline, with Gary’s extension on the horizon and first-round rookie Lukas Van Ness in place for years to come. While Smith’s future in Green Bay is yet to be determined, Gary’s is now taken care of for the foreseeable future.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/30/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Donavan Mutin
- Released: P Pat O’Donnell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OT Aviante Collins
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Tyreque Jones
- Released: DT Ross Blacklock
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Parry Nickerson
- Released: CB Mark Milton
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Mykal Walker
- Released: LB Caleb Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: C Joey Hunt
- Released: OL Greg Eiland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Derrek Pitts
- Released: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle
Mykal Walker has found a new home after getting cut by the Raiders last week. The former fourth-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Falcons, including a 2022 campaign where he collected a career-high 107 tackles in 16 games (12 starts). However, since that breakout season, the linebacker has struggled to hold a job. He was waived by Atlanta back in August and was claimed by the Bears, but Chicago ended up cutting him at the end of the preseason. Walker later joined the Raiders practice squad and spent about a month in Las Vegas.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/23
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Andre Baccellia
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: LB Ben Niemann
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Promoted: OL Michael Niese
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: K James McCourt, WR DJ Turner
- Activated from IR: LB Curtis Bolton
- Placed on IR: LB Kana’i Mauga
New York Giants
- Released: WR Gunner Olszewski
Tennessee Titans
- Designated to return: S Mike Brown
After getting cut by the Steelers earlier this month, Gunner Olszewski quickly caught on with New York’s practice squad. They Giants signed the receiver/returner to the active roster ahead of yesterday’s game against the Jets, and their decision to release him today was merely procedural. As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero points out, all vested vets who are released following tomorrow’s trade deadline are subject to waivers. The Giants are apparently getting ahead of that deadline with this roster machination. Per Pelissero, Olszewski is expected to re-sign with the Giants and will play in Week 9.
Eagles Trade DT Kentavius Street To Falcons
In the wake of losing Grady Jarrett for the year, the Falcons have moved quickly in adding depth along the defensive interior. Kentavius Street has been dealt from Philadelphia to Atlanta, the Eagles announced on Monday.
The Eagles will send Street and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Falcons in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2024. That falls in line with the terms of many recent trades made around the league. It will create a slight uptick in cap space for Philadelphia, while giving Atlanta another option along the defensive front with Jarrett having been lost for the season due to a torn ACL.
Street spent his first three seasons with the 49ers, serving in a rotational capacity. He then played with the Saints in 2022, where he continued to show flashes as a pass rusher. The 27-year-old reached a new career high with 3.5 sacks (after recording 3.0 the previous year). Now, after a brief stint in Philadelphia, Street will reunite with Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielson after the pair worked together in New Orleans.
Atlanta’s defensive re-tooling efforts saw the additions of David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss during the offseason, and those ex-Saints will provide Street with familiar faces upon arrival in Atlanta. The latter played just 87 defensive snaps with the Eagles this year, an illustration of the NFC champions’ depth along the defensive front. Street will no doubt see a larger workload in Atlanta.
The NC State alum has eclipsed the 40% snap threshold twice in his career, and Jarrett’s absence will clear a path for Street taking on a rotational role with the Falcons. Signed to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum, he will represent a low-cost addition for the 4-4 Falcons as they look to maintain their lead in the NFC South. Part of their success in 2023 has been a strong pass defense, but the team has put up middling numbers against the run so far. Ahead of another trip to free agency, Street will have the opportunity to boost his stock over the stretch run.
Jets To Place C Connor McGovern, G Wes Schweitzer On IR
The Jets managed an improbable win Sunday, but their offensive line left the Giants matchup in bad shape. In addition to being without Joe Tippmann, the Jets lost his replacement and their starting center.
Connor McGovern suffered a dislocated kneecap, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and Robert Saleh confirmed the veteran center will head to IR. Ditto Wes Schweitzer, a veteran backup with significant starting experience. Schweitzer left Sunday’s overtime win with a calf injury.
Coming into the Giants tilt without Duane Brown as well, the Jets’ O-line IR contingent is now crowded. Brown, who spent most of the offseason rehabbing a rotator cuff surgery, is down with a hip injury. Saleh said this will be the earliest window for Brown to return to practice, despite the 38-year-old being eligible to practice last week.
Both McGovern and Schweitzer are in play to come back this season, per Saleh, but this obviously deals a blow to a Jets team that has seen injuries destabilize their offense. McGovern also may need surgery, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets, but the team is hoping he can rehab without a procedure and return in 2023. While Saleh said the team would be interested in adding an O-lineman before the trade deadline (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello), he cautioned that a move was unlikely due to teams’ presumptive unwillingness to jettison a blocker.
After seeing Aaron Rodgers go down on his fourth play with the team, the Jets lost Brown once again. The former Texans and Seahawks Pro Bowler has missed the past five games. McGovern and Schweitzer are guaranteed to miss four. Gang Green is still in good shape, activations-wise, holding seven entering Week 9. But the O-line figures to comprise multiple such moves going forward.
The Jets re-signed McGovern this offseason — on what turned out to be a massive pay cut, considering he played out a three-year deal worth $27MM — and have only once needed to worry about an injury replacement during his four-season stay. McGovern, 30, started all but one game on his previous Jets contract. He re-signed on a one-year, $1.92MM deal but beat out Schweitzer and Tippmann this offseason. A former Broncos fourth-round pick, McGovern has started every Jets game this season.
Schweitzer, 30, has only started one game, having replaced Tippmann against the Giants. The Jets gave Schweitzer a two-year, $5MM deal before they reconvened with McGovern about a second contract. Schweitzer represented experienced depth for the team, having started 60 games with Atlanta and Washington from 2017-22. An early-season concussion cut his 2022 campaign short, limiting the former sixth-round pick to seven games last year. While Schweitzer bounced back to compete for a Jets starting role this offseason, he settled into a utility spot.
Tippmann missed Week 8 with a thigh injury, but the second-round rookie remains on the active roster. As of now, however, only Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton remain healthy among Jets first-string O-linemen. The Jets were forced to turn to Billy Turner, who had been working more at guard in practice recently, and practice squad elevation Xavier Newman-Johnson in place of the injured vets. Turner should be expected to start at right guard moving forward. Prior to returning to Denver to follow Nathaniel Hackett last year, Turner had spent time at guard in Green Bay. The 32-year-old blocker’s first Denver stint also included guard work, which will allow the Jets to make good use of their veteran O-line depth.