Titans Activate OL Dillon Radunz
The Titans have activated offensive lineman Dillon Radunz from the PUP list, the team announced. That means that Radunz has passed a physical, which is rather a significant development for a player that tore his ACL a little over eight months ago.
Nonetheless, head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters, including Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, that recent acquisition Chris Hubbard remains in line to start the year at right tackle (Nicholas Petit-Frere was initially ticketed for that role, but his six-game gambling suspension will require at least a temporary change of plans). Radunz, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft with the expectation that he would serve as a long-term OT, presumably would have been the top choice to fill in for Petit-Frere if not for his injury.
Radunz, 25, started just one game in his rookie campaign as he learned and developed behind former right tackle David Quessenberry. Although Quessenberry signed with the Bills in the 2022 offseason, Tennessee picked Petit-Frere in the third-round of that year’s draft, and he ultimately beat out Radunz for the RT post. Radunz was therefore relegated to a reserve role, and while he did end up starting four games last season — splitting his time just about equally between left guard and right guard — he received an abysmal 40.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (though to be fair, he did earn a terrific 78.1 pass-blocking mark).
Vrabel made it clear that Radunz would be eased back into action. Eventually, the North Dakota State product may have a chance to once again vie for the right tackle job, or perhaps for the right guard spot that still appears unsettled, but that will not happen right away.
Lions QB Nate Sudfeld Suffers Torn ACL; Team Waives Adrian Martinez
2:30pm: While Sudfeld will wind up being released or placed on IR, fellow depth quarterback Adrian Martinez has likewise missed the cut. The latter is being waived, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Given the fact that Hooker will begin the season on the NFI list, the news means only Goff and Bridgewater will be in place on the Week 1 roster, barring an addition. Birkett notes that Martinez could be a practice squad candidate if he clears waivers.
9:16am: The Lions’ quarterback depth has suffered a blow before the start of the season. Nate Sudfeld suffered a torn ACL during Detroit’s preseason finale, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sudfeld will miss the 2023 campaign as a result. 
The 29-year-old has bounced around the NFC in his career, seeing his first game action with the Eagles. He made four appearances during his time in Philadelphia, followed by a brief spell with the 49ers. Sudfeld was among San Francisco’s final roster cuts last offseason, but he did not need to wait long to find a new home in Detroit ahead of the campaign.
Sudfeld took part in two games in his first Lions season, and he was retained in free agency as the team explored its options under center. The position has seen a pair of notable additions made since then, including the decision to select Hendon Hooker in the third round of the draft and the signing of Teddy Bridgewater earlier this month.
Hooker is recovering from his own ACL tear, and it remains to be seen how involved he will be in his rookie season. The Tennessee alum will be activated as soon as he is cleared for full football activities, though, and his shared presence with Bridgewater behind starter Jared Goff will leave the Lions with three signal-callers they are confident in. Sudfeld was recently named as a player on the Lions’ roster bubble in advance of this week’s cutdowns.
Head coach Dan Campbell declined to confirm if Sudfeld has indeed torn his ACL, adding that the former sixth-rounder is seeking a second opinion. In any case, he is facing an extended absence and his tenure in the Motor City is in serious jeopardy. The Lions still have three passers assured of making the final roster, but Sudfeld’s absence will be a notable one after serving as their backup last year.
“That’s tough, because Nate’s given us everything he’s had,” Campbell added, via Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons. “He came in last year and brought something to us. Somebody we were very comfortable with, enough to sign him back. So I hate that, if that’s the way it goes here.”
Dolphins Release LB Malik Reed
The Dolphins have released linebacker Malik Reed, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Reed signed with the club in March.
Reed started his career in Denver, joining the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2019. In the defense installed by then-head coach Vic Fangio, Reed quickly made an impact, tallying his first sack by Week 4 of his rookie season and going on to start the next eight games. His strongest season came the following year, when he and Bradley Chubb formed a dynamic pass rushing duo that generated 15.5 sacks (Reed led the team with eight sacks, and Chubb was right behind him with 7.5).
Unfortunately, he fell off a bit in 2021, as he posted just five sacks and was regarded by Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics as the 89th-best edge defender out of 110 qualifiers. Fangio was dismissed after that season, and Reed was dealt to the Steelers almost one year ago today.
Although PFF was kinder to Reed in 2022 than it was the year prior, he produced just one sack in 14 games, and he was forced to settle for a one-year, veteran minimum contract this offseason. He was always unlikely to become a starter for Miami, but there was a chance that Reed could rekindle some of his Mile High magic working under Fangio, who was hired as the ‘Fins defensive coordinator in February. Clearly, that will not happen, and Reed will instead search for a new employer.
Another team will surely take a flier on Reed given his past production and the general need for pass rushing talent, though he could be running out of opportunities.
Jets To Cut RB Zonovan Knight
The logjam in the Jets’ backfield has been cleared. New York is moving on from running back Zonovan Knight, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 
New York’s situation at the running back position was clouded by the Dalvin Cook signing. His addition, along with 2022 second-rounder Breece Hall, left the team with a highly-regarded tandem at the top of the depth chart. With those two in place, however, it seemed inevitable that only one of Knight or 2021 fourth-round pick Michael Carter would make the roster.
The latter, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract, will remain in the fold. The same is likely to hold true of fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda. That would come as little surprise, though Rapoport notes that Knight drew some interest on the trade front. It will therefore be interesting to see how many teams show a willingness to claim him on waivers. If that does not take place, he will be eligible to remain with the Jets via the practice squad.
Knight, 22, started last season on the taxi squad before Hall’s ACL tear opened the door to playing time. The former UDFA started four of his seven games, recording 300 rushing yards and one touchdown on 85 carries (good for an average of 3.5 yards per attempt). He showcased an ability to produce in the passing game as well, though, recording 100 yards on 13 receptions.
The NC State alum is one of many young backs who could find themselves in a new situation (one which could provide an increase in playing time) in the near future. Unless that happens, the Jets will presumably have a keen interest in again stashing him on the practice squad to begin the campaign.
Patriots Cut QB Trace McSorley
The Patriots have cut quarterback Trace McSorley, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports. The former Ravens draftee signed with New England in April to compete for a third-string job behind starter Mac Jones and 2022 fourth-rounder Bailey Zappe.
McSorley threw just four passes in this year’s preseason and completed only one of them. It was clear that he did not have much of a future in Foxborough, so the most intriguing aspect of his release is that it increases the likelihood that UDFA rookie Malik Cunningham will make the roster.
Like 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson, Cunningham is a Louisville product. And like Jackson, Cunningham is a dangerous dual-threat athlete, having thrown for 70 TDs against 29 picks in his collegiate career to go along with 3,182 rushing yards (on a 5.1 yards-per-carry average) and a whopping 50 rushing TDs. He is not the passing prospect that Jackson was, however, and there were plenty of concerns about Jackson’s acumen as a passer when he entered the league.
In light of that, Cunningham has taken the bulk of his reps as a receiver and special teamer in camp. He did see a bit of action as a quarterback in the preseason, completing three of six attempts for 19 yards. As a receiver, he caught just one of nine targets, but he had six carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. He is raw in most aspects of the game, but his athleticism is highly appealing, and it may be hard to sneak him through waivers and onto the practice squad. Even if the Pats were successful in that regard, another club could poach him at any time.
Since Zappe appears capable of handling the QB2 role, it would make sense for New England to dedicate a roster spot that might otherwise be used on a more traditional third-string passer on an intriguing player with unique upside. But as Jeff Howe of The Athletic cautions, the team has not made a decision on Cunningham despite McSorley’s departure.
“Malik is a really interesting player,” head coach Bill Belichick recently said (h/t Khari Thompson of Boston.com). “The kid never played receiver before or returned kicks and he’s done both, he’s returned kickoffs and played receiver. As far as playing quarterback, we’ll see how it goes. He’s certainly got some things on his resume, and so do other players so we’ll see how it all plays out.”
Packers Release P Pat O’Donnell
Veteran punter Pat O’Donnell has lost the Packers’ competition for the job in 2023. The team announced on Monday that he has been released.
The 32-year-old spent his first eight years with the Bears, establishing himself as a consistent performer at the position. His run in the Windy City came to an end last year, however, when he took a deal with the division rival Packers. O’Donnell signed a two-year contract with Green Bay, but he will see it terminated after only one.
The former sixth-rounder had already been paid a $650K roster bonus, but the Packers will still see $1.25MM in cap savings with this move. O’Donnell was set to count for $2.38MM on the team’s cap this season, but that figure will drop to $750K with the decision to hand punting duties to rookie Daniel Whelan. The latter has impressed in preseason, and now he will move forward knowing he will be counted on as part of a young Packers special teams unit.
Green Bay is already relying on a rookie at the kicker position in the form of Anders Carlson. His struggles have led to questions about the team’s confidence in him leading up to the start of the regular season, but general manager Brian Gutekunst recently offered a public seal of approval. Carlson’s debut season will now take place with Whelan operating as the holder on field goals, something O’Donnell has proven to be effective at.
The latter punted 52 times for Green Bay last season, posting a gross average of 44.5 yards and a net average of 38.5. Both of those figures fell short of his career averages, leading in part to the Packers’ decision to move on. As all teams around the league sort out their special teams units in the coming days, O’Donnell will now have to seek out another new opportunity ahead of the regular season.
Giants CB Darnay Holmes Agrees To Pay Cut
Darnay Holmes‘ roster security has been a talking point for much of the offseason. To little surprise, the Giants corner will remain with the team, but at a reduced rate.
Holmes is taking a pay cut, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. Financial details are unknown at this point, but the news means the 25-year-old will see less than the $2.74MM he was initially owed in 2023, the final year of his rookie contract. Releasing him would have taken his full salary off the books, which would have been an appealing move for the Giants given their cap situation.
Nonetheless, since the club is apparently prepared to deploy two rookie CBs — Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins — on the boundaries while moving Adoree’ Jackson into the slot for the first time in his career, it makes sense to have additional veteran help on hand. If Jackson does not adapt well to the nickel, where Holmes played in 2022, then Holmes could take his place. Likewise, if Hawkins should struggle in his first taste of professional action and the club is forced to move Jackson back outside the numbers, Holmes would presumably be called upon to take over in the slot.
The Giants are also rostering 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott, who appeared in 11 games (six starts) in his rookie season, as well as onetime Lions standout Amani Oruwariye. 2021 third-rounder Aaron Robinson is a likely candidate for the reserve/PUP list, which will force him to miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Colts Release WRs Breshad Perriman, James Washington
10:48am: As it turns out, the Perriman release did not spell good news for Washington. Despite being signed just 10 days ago, Washington has also been cut, as Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports.
10:04am: After signing him in June, the Colts kept veteran wide receiver Breshad Perriman on the roster throughout the summer and the preseason. However, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, Indianapolis is releasing the former first-rounder.
Perriman, who will turn 30 next month, never lived up to his status as the 26th overall pick of the 2015 draft, but he has had stretches of productivity for multiple clubs in his pro career. The deep threat amassed a career-high 645 receiving yards with the Bucs in 2019 and added 505 for the ’20 Jets, and new Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was on the Jets’ staff (albeit as running backs coach) during Perriman’s season with Gang Green.
Perriman came back to Tampa for the 2021-22 seasons, though he was unable to make much of an impact with the Tom Brady-led outfit, catching 20 balls for 277 yards and two touchdowns over the past two years combined. Still, it made sense for a Colts club that has some question marks behind its top two outside-the-numbers receivers (Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce) to take a chance on an experienced player who boasts a career 16.2 yards-per-reception average and a history of usefulness.
It could be that the Colts have a handshake agreement to re-sign Perriman after players who find themselves on the initial 53-man roster are placed on IR. Or, perhaps the club simply prefers to move forward with the newly-signed James Washington and younger options like Mike Strachan.
In three preseason games this summer, Perriman caught four passes for 34 yards.
Bears Waive DT Bravvion Roy
The Bears are waiving defensive tackle Bravvion Roy, per Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. Chicago claimed Roy off waivers from the Panthers earlier this month.
The Bears did a great deal of work on their defensive front this offseason, signing DT Andrew Billings and hybrid defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker in free agency and selecting Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens on Day 2 of the 2023 draft. As such, there was not a ton of room, barring injury or underpeformance, for Roy in Chicago. However, the Bears, who presently hold the top waiver priority, were willing to give the Baylor product a chance to impress in a new environment.
Now 26, Roy flashed considerable pass-rushing potential in his final collegiate season, with 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Matt Rhule, who coached Roy in Waco before becoming the head coach of the Panthers in 2020, added his former pupil in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. Unfortunately, Roy’s production did not translate to the professional ranks.
Roy recorded only one sack and three TFLs across 45 games in Carolina, where he primarily played in a rotational capacity. He started nine games as a rookie but only six contests after that, and his snap share in 2021 and ’22 (31% and 34%, respectively) was noticeably lower than his debut campaign. A hamstring injury led to an IR stint last season and limited him to 13 games. Pro Football Focus considered him the 86th-best defender out of 127 qualifiers in 2022, which actually represented the highest PFF ranking of his three-year career.
Roy appeared in all three of Chicago’s preseason games, recording two total tackles.
Browns Acquire Pierre Strong From Patriots
The Browns and Patriots have swung a trade that will allow both clubs to reinforce position groups that feature injury concerns. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Cleveland is acquiring running back Pierre Strong and is sending offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to New England.
Strong was selected by the Pats in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, and he earned just 10 carries in his rookie season. Thanks largely to a 44-yard scamper in a Week 13 victory over the Cardinals, Strong turned those carries into 100 rushing yards, and he added seven catches for 42 yards.
However, as Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal notes, Strong has generally failed to impress the Patriots’ coaching staff, which was evidenced by the fact that the club was actively seeking a veteran complement to RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson this summer. Of course, New England ultimately signed longtime Cowboys standout Ezekiel Elliott, which made Strong expendable.
The Browns, meanwhile, allowed Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson to depart in free agency, as they were comfortable with their own second-year back, Jerome Ford, serving as the primary backup to four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb. Unfortunately, Ford is dealing with a hamstring ailment that has jeopardized his Week 1 availability, and even if Ford were healthy, Cleveland could stand to supplement an RB room that includes unproven or uninspiring options like Demetric Felton, Jordan Wilkins, and Hassan Hall. As Tony Grossi of TheLandOnDemand.com posits, Wilkins’ two fumbles in the Browns’ preseason loss to the Chiefs yesterday likely cost him his roster spot.
What Cleveland lacked in RB depth, it made up for in OT talent. With Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, James Hudson III, and fourth-round rookie Dawand Jones in the fold, Wheatley — who spent most of the 2022 campaign on the Browns’ taxi squad — was unlikely to have a place on the 53-man roster. He did, however, play well in an extended look during this year’s preseason slate, and though he has yet to see any regular season work in the NFL, he is an ascending player that can serve as needed depth in Foxborough.
As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, presumptive right tackle Riley Reiff left New England’s preseason loss to the Titans on Friday with a right leg injury that could linger into the regular season, and swing tackle Calvin Anderson is presently on the NFI list. Anderson is reportedly close to a return to the active roster, though there is still plenty of room for a tackle with Wheatley’s upside.