Rams To Activate Cooper Kupp From IR
OCTOBER 7: Kupp is officially back on the active roster. The team announced that they’ve activated the wide receiver from injured reserve today. In addition to getting their star wideout back on the field, the Rams also announced the activation of rookie linebacker Ochaun Mathis from IR. The sixth-round pick out of Nebraska could end up making his NFL debut this week.
Additionally, Los Angeles announced that practice squad wide receiver Austin Trammell will be signed to the active roster. Trammell has been a standard gameday elevation for the past the three games. A practice squad player can only be elevated three times and still be able to revert to the practice squad under one contract. In order for Trammell to see game action again, the Rams needed to officially sign him to the 53-man roster. If they want him back on the practice squad, he’ll have to last through waivers. If they are able to re-sign Trammell to a new practice squad contract, he will be eligible for three more standard gameday promotions before the process will need to be repeated.
OCTOBER 6: Cooper Kupp‘s ramp-up period will be capped at one week of practices. Sean McVay confirmed the All-Pro wide receiver will make his season debut in Week 5 against the Eagles.
Down with a hamstring injury, Kupp will return when first eligible and become the Rams’ first IR activation this season. Kupp battled a hamstring issue for nearly the Rams’ entire training camp, and a setback led to the team moving him to IR. Los Angeles’ receiving situation has changed since Kupp last played, but the team will obviously feature a more potent pass-catching corps with its top target available.
During Kupp’s absence, the Rams have seen fifth-round rookie Puka Nacua deliver one of the most surprising first months by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. Prior to D.J. Moore‘s Thursday-night dominance, Nacua sat second in receiving yards (501). Only Justin Jefferson (543) had Nacua beat through four games. The Rams appear to have hit big on a Day 3 receiver out of BYU, and they have seen Tutu Atwell take steps forward after struggling to make an impact through two seasons. Atwell will enter the L.A.-Philadelphia matchup with 22 receptions for 270 yards.
It will be interesting to see how Kupp mixes in with the promising younger talents, but the Rams have seen their high-priced wideout run into injury trouble during much of the past two years. An ankle issue led to Kupp’s 2022 season ending midway through. During what became a woeful Super Bowl title defense, the Rams lost Kupp, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald for the season. Kupp was the first of those cornerstone players to be moved to IR, last playing in Week 10 of the ’22 season. Kupp underwent ankle surgery and entered this offseason healthy but encountered the hamstring issue days into training camp.
Kupp, 30, saw a specialist about his hamstring injury just before the season, and while concerns existed about a nerve problem, the seventh-year receiver instead avoided a serious malady and moved toward a return. The Rams gave Kupp a monster extension in 2022, ripping up his previous deal — despite the accomplished slot weapon only signing it in September 2020 — after his historic 2021 season.
Stafford and Kupp formed an instant connection in 2021, and the Division I-FCS product notched a receiving triple-crown season. Kupp nearly brought down Calvin Johnson‘s single-season yardage mark, finishing with 1,947 yards in a 16-touchdown season. Kupp also nearly broke Larry Fitzgerald‘s record for receiving yards in a single playoffs, closing L.A.’s four-game slate with 478 and six TDs. The Super Bowl LVI MVP could not complete his follow-up effort last season but averaged 90.2 yards per game — his second-best average as a pro — and will return to a team that now features a better supporting cast.
Texans Activate T Tytus Howard, P Cameron Johnston
After designating the two players to return from injured reserve this week, the Texans have announced that they have officially activated offensive tackle Tytus Howard and punter Cameron Johnston from IR. After starting the regular season on the injured list, both players are reportedly ready to make their 2023 debut. 
Howard missed the first four games of the season due to a training camp hand injury that required surgery to fix breaks in two places. He’s been a full-time starter for Houston since getting drafted in the first round in 2019, missing games here and there due to various injuries. To date, he’s started in 54 of a possible 70 games. He’ll look to step in for George Fant across from Laremy Tunsil this week.
Johnston likewise has missed time due to a preseason injury after pulling a calf muscle in late-August. Ty Zentner, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas State, had been fulfilling the punting duties in Johnston’s absence before being waived early in the week.
Additionally, the Texans announced that they have released defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth from their practice squad. The move was necessary after the team released defensive end Derek Rivers from the active roster yesterday and signed him to the practice squad.
Finally, with this weekend’s contest in Atlanta coming up, the team announced that they will be calling up cornerback D’Angelo Ross and linebacker Garret Wallow as standard gameday elevations from the practice squad for tomorrow. Ross will be seeing his first action since making an appearance in the 2021-22 playoffs for the Patriots. This will also be Wallow’s first game of the season, as well, after starting five games over his first two years in the league.
Colts, RB Jonathan Taylor Agree To Extension
11:30am: And just like that, Taylor is staying in Indy long-term. The Colts have signed the star running back to a three-year extension, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Taylor is set to make his season debut tomorrow but there were still question marks surrounding his future with the organization. Now, he’ll be signing a lucrative contract extension with the organization, with the three-year pact worth $42MM, including $26.5MM in guaranteed money.
As Schefter notes, the two sides tossed aside their ongoing issues and negotiated a new deal. Taylor recently hired new representation in Malki Kawa and Ethan Lock, and Schefter notes that the duo negotiated with Colts owner Jim Irsay, GM Chris Ballard, and front office executive Mike Bluem. ESPN’s Stephen Holder tweets that Ballard reached out to Taylor’s camp last week and started negotiations, and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes that the relationship between the two sides was described as “improving” when Taylor returned to practice.
In terms of average annual value, Taylor now ranks third at the position behind Christian McCaffrey ($16MM) and Alvin Kamara ($15MM). This is the first time a running back has signed an extension worth more than $10MM per year since Nick Chubb in 2021.
Taylor was set to hit free agency following the season, but his extension does little to subtract from a talented RB free agent class. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, Dalvin Cook, and J.K. Dobbins will all hit the market after the season.
11:20am: Jonathan Taylor is set to make his season debut tomorrow. The Colts announced that they’ve activated the star running back from the physically unable to perform list, and Taylor’s questionable tag was also removed ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Titans. To make room on the roster, the Colts have waived running back Jake Funk.
We seemed to be trending towards this outcome after Taylor put in a full week of practice. The running back was designated to return to practice earlier this week, giving the Colts a 21-day window to activate him. Following his return, the impending free agent described his ongoing contract situation as an “offseason issue,” and while he refused to discuss his future with the Colts, he did admit that he’s “here right now” and ready to play.
Taylor, of course, went from declaring his desire to be a life-long Colt to requesting a trade. The RB’s issues with owner Jim Irsay, who pushed back at the ongoing RB-market discourse, contributed to his deteriorating relationship with the organization. While the running back will be taking the field for the Colts, it’s uncertain how much longer he’ll be with the organization.
The Colts shopped Taylor prior to the regular season, but their asking price was reportedly too high. The team has since dropped their demands, but at the same time, the trade market for the RB has reportedly cooled. It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds, but for at least the time being, Taylor will be sticking with the Colts.
Taylor will obviously be a huge addition to the 2-2 Colts, with the RB having topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his three NFL seasons. Following a 2021 campaign where Taylor finished second in Offensive Player of the Year voting after collecting 2,171 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns, he was limited to only 1,004 yards from scrimmage in 11 games last season.
Zack Moss has filled in with Taylor sidelined, and the veteran has collected 322 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in three games. The Colts have already seen plenty of turnover in the backfield, with Week 1 starter Deon Jackson getting cut and rookie Evan Hull being declared out for the season. Trey Sermon recently joined the roster and will likely roll as the RB3 going forward.
LB Jamie Collins Retires
After 10 years of playing in the NFL, linebacker Jamie Collins has reportedly decided to hang up his cleats, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. The former Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro will retire after time playing with the Patriots, Browns, and Lions. 
Drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Southern Miss, Collins was New England’s top pick of the year. It didn’t take long for him to make an impact as he started eight games as a rookie. A year later, Collins exploded onto the scene as the Super Bowl winning team’s leading tackler. In 15 starts, Collins complemented his 115-tackle season with four sacks, eight tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, two interceptions, three passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries, filling up the stat sheet while leading the team in three of those other categories.
He followed that breakout performance up with an arguably better one. In 2015, the lone year in which he was voted to a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro team, Collins demonstrated an incredible nose for the football. While only playing in 12 starts, Collins had six pass deflections to go along with an interception and forced a league-leading five fumbles.
In 2016, Collins would start half the season for the Super Bowl-bound Patriots before being traded to Cleveland for a conditional third-round pick. While Collins would finish another strong outing, he would only win one more game in that season as a member of the Browns. Cleveland would sign Collins to a four-year, $50MM contract extension, but concussions and a torn MCL limited to only six starts under his new deal.
After returning to form for a full 2018 season, Collins would find his way back to the Patriots in 2019 after being released by the Browns. Collins displayed his comfort of being back in a Patriots’ jersey, recording or matching career-highs in interceptions (3, one returned for a touchdown), passes defensed (7), sacks (7.0), and quarterback hits (10).
After his one-year deal in New England had ended, Collins leveraged that strong season into a three-year, $30MM deal with the Lions, following his former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Three weeks into the second year of his contract, the Lions released Collins after failing to find a trade partner for him.
Naturally, Collins signed back with the team that drafted him, starting his third stint in New England. He spent some time on injured reserve before ending up on the team’s practice squad in 2022 and only seeing action in three games last year.
In total, Collins played in 125 regular season games, starting 105 of them, and totaled 26.5 sacks, 12 interceptions, and 19 forced fumbles. In addition to his playmaking ability, Collins was known for his elite athleticism, making NFL history by inspiring the NFL’s ban of players jumping over the long snapper to block a PAT, something he successfully did in 2015.
Collins gave a lot to the game of football and should continue to give with his plans to coach in the future. For now, though, he’ll take a well-deserved break from the league he gave ten years of his life to.
Texans Release DE Derek Rivers, Place Him On Practice Squad
With the Texans working their way back towards a healthy roster, some depth pieces and injury replacements are going to find themselves fighting for a roster spot. This appears to be the case with defensive end Derek Rivers, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
In this still very young 2023 NFL season, Rivers has already been signed to the active roster three times. The first time he found himself waived two weeks into the regular season. He found his way back to the Texans’ practice squad before getting called back up to the active roster three days later. His second stint on the 53-man roster would last a little over a week before he was released again and re-signed to the practice squad a day later.
Rivers’ most recent trip through the revolving door started two days ago. This time he didn’t even last the week before the announcement today that he will be released and re-signed to the team’s practice squad. This time, though, the move doesn’t appear to be a part of his normal revolutions.
Houston recently designated both punter Cameron Johnston and offensive tackle Tytus Howard to return from injured reserve, opening the 21-day window for each player to return to the active roster from IR. If either is to make a return soon, a spot will need to be opened up on the roster. So, Rivers’ shortest stay on the active roster yet could be attributed to one of those players making a comeback this season.
49ers To Release DE Kerry Hyder
Kerry Hyder will be the odd man out in San Francisco. The 49ers needed to move a player off their 53-man roster to make room for trade acquisition Randy Gregory, and the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman notes Hyder will go.
The well-traveled NFC pass rusher is in his second stint with the 49ers, returning in 2022 after a 2021 Seahawks one-off. Hyder has not seen too much action this season, however, despite the 49ers letting multiple free agent defensive ends walk in March. Hyder has played 59 defensive snaps this season.
[RELATED: 49ers Acquire Gregory From Broncos In Pick-Swap Deal]
While Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam left for other opportunities in free agency, respectively signing with the Chiefs and Colts, Hyder came back on a league-minimum deal in April. The 49ers will not be tagged with any dead money by cutting Hyder. This is actually the second time San Francisco has dropped Hyder this year. They released him on roster-cutdown day but brought him back after making IR moves soon after. With Gregory now in the fold, it is uncertain if a path for Hyder to come back exists.
A former Lions UDFA, Hyder spent the 2019 season with the Cowboys before coming to San Francisco. The 49ers observed a breakthrough season from the rotational edge rusher in 2020. A season that featured numerous 49ers injuries saw Nick Bosa shut down with an ACL tear in Week 2. Hyder stayed healthy and totaled 8.5 sacks and 18 QB hits. This led to a midlevel Seahawks contract, but Seattle dropped Hyder after the 2021 season, leading him back to San Francisco.
Hyder, 32, played 36% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last season. He has one sack this year. It would be logical if Hyder returned to the 49ers’ practice squad as an emergency option of sorts. San Francisco moving him off the roster leaves Bosa, Gregory, Drake Jackson and Clelin Ferrell as its defensive ends.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed Gregory passed his 49ers physical but will not play against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Gregory is staying in Denver this weekend to tie up some loose ends, per Inman, but is expected to return Monday. The 49ers will be on track to have the ex-Cowboys and Broncos edge rusher in uniform against the Browns in Week 6.
Bears Trade WR Chase Claypool To Dolphins
The Chase Claypool situation has come to a resolution. The Bears are trading the contract-year wideout to the Dolphins, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports Chicago will send Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round pick to Miami for a sixth-rounder in the same year. The deal is now official.
Claypool was a healthy scratch in Week 4, having been told to remain away from the team while a trade could be sought out. That approach continued through last night’s game against the Commanders, which saw the Bears snap their 14-game losing streak. Having repeatedly sat the former second-rounder, it was clear the Bears would move on in some fashion, though many around the league expected Claypool to be waived. Instead, he will now head to South Beach with the Bears clearing the remaining $2.2MM he is due this year from their books. 
Chicago sent a 2023 second-rounder to Pittsburgh less than one year ago in the hopes of boosting their passing attack and giving Claypool a fresh start. The 25-year-old Canadian had underwhelmed in his third Steelers campaign after posting 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns over his first two. Things did not go according to plan in the Windy City, however, with Claypool amassing a statline of 18-191-1 in 10 games with the Bears. The pick sent to Pittsburgh (No. 32 overall) was ultimately used on corner Joey Porter Jr.
Miami already boasts a hugely effective WR tandem in the form of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but the team has been in search of depth. Both Erik Ezukanma and River Cracraft recently suffered injuries which will sideline them for an extended stretch, so Claypool will join Robbie Chosen as players the Dolphins will take a flier on in the hopes of providing career stability. The latter signed to Miami’s active roster last week to help fill the vacancy created by Ezukanma and Cracraft’s absence.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson notes that one other team expressed interest in trading for Claypool, who is set to hit free agency in March. The Bears used this past weekend to decide on a final course of action with the Notre Dame alum, which has produced an underwhelming trade return to no surprise. Claypool’s value has suffered given his lack of production, issues related to attitude and effort and his status as a rental for the remainder of the campaign. It will be interesting to see what role he is able to carve out for himself in Miami.
The Claypool gamble has proven to be a disappointment, something Bears general manager Ryan Poles admitted when speaking publicly about the situation. Confirming that a separation was imminent, he took to ESPN 1000’s pregame radio show last night to express regret for the way things played out.
“You’re always disappointed in this situation, and it’s definitely something I take ownership of,” Poles said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “The right thought process was there, and I feel comfortable with that. Unfortunately it didn’t work out and we were hoping for him to be a little bit more productive and be someone that could help us take it to the next level… I think Chase is going to learn from this situation, we all will, and I wish him luck moving forward throughout his career.”
Bears Release QB Nathan Peterman
For the second time in two weeks, Nathan Peterman has been let go by the Bears. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Chicago released the veteran quarterback today.
Peterman spent most of the 2022 campaign as the Bears’ QB3, but he ended up starting the team’s regular-season finale with both Justin Fields and Trevor Siemian sidelined. Peterman fared okay in that contest, tossing a touchdown without an interception in an eventual loss.
The 29-year-old re-signed with the organization this past offseason, and despite being part of the Bears’ final roster cuts, he was brought back as the QB2 to start the season. Since then, the veteran has dropped down the depth chart, with UDFA Tyson Bagent being promoted to the primary backup behind Fields.
As a result, Peterman was cut from the roster in September but was quickly brought back. It will be interesting to see if the front office follows a similar path this time around. For what it’s worth, the organization is only rostering a pair of QBs in Fields and Bagent, so they’ll surely need some more depth following tonight’s game.
Peterman has emerged as a popular backup QB in recent years, having previously held the clipboard for the Bills and Raiders. In total, Peterman has seen time in 13 games (five starts), completing 53.1 percent of his passes for 712 yards, four touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
The Bears also announced that they’ve officially activated guard Teven Jenkins off injured reserve and promoted defensive back A.J. Thomas from the practice squad. The 2022 UDFA out of Western Michigan has spent his entire career in Chicago, collecting four tackles in five appearances.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Rejzohn Wright
- Released: TE John Samuel Shenker
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: QB Tanner Morgan
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
- Released: OL Adam Pankey
This will be a bit of a homecoming for quarterback Tanner Morgan, who played college ball at the University of Minnesota. Morgan had a breakout campaign in 2019, finishing with 30 touchdowns, but he only had a combined 26 passing touchdowns between 2020 and 2022. As a result, the QB went undrafted in this year’s draft, and following a preseason stint with the Steelers, he’ll now be joining the Vikings’ quarterbacks room.
Vikings backup QB Nick Mullens is dealing with a back injury that kept him out of practice today. Morgan will temporarily slide into the QB3 role behind Kirk Cousins and fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/23
Just one minor transaction to pass along today:
Washington Commanders
- Promoted: RB Derrick Gore
The Commanders ruled out running back Chris Rodriguez for tonight’s game against the Bears, so the organization added some extra depth to their backfield. Gore was promoted for Week 4 to fill in for Rodriguez, and the practice squad RB ended up seeing time on six offensive snaps and 19 special teams snaps. Gore’s most productive season came with the Chiefs in 2021, when he finished with 256 rushing yards and two touchdowns.