Raiders To Re-Sign TE Jacob Hollister
Shortly after releasing O.J. Howard, the Raiders are reuniting with Jacob Hollister. The six-year veteran tight end is back with the team Wednesday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic tweets.
Hollister, 29, spent the 2022 offseason in Las Vegas, but the Raiders placed him on IR and then released him from the injured list via a September settlement. Hollister, however, made his way back to the team in November and played in three games as a Raider during a busy travel year.
The Seahawks and Vikings also employed Hollister in 2022. Minnesota added him weeks after the Vegas injury settlement, using the former UDFA in three games before seeing the Raiders pluck him off their practice squad. After the Raiders reunion, Hollister made another return trip. The Seahawks, who acquired Hollister via trade from the Patriots during the 2019 season, brought the Wyoming alum back via a practice squad deal late in the season. Hollister did not see any game action during his second Seattle stint.
Las Vegas has been busy at tight end this offseason. The Darren Waller trade preceded a second-round move at the position, with Notre Dame prospect Michael Mayer representing the team’s new cornerstone tight end. The Raiders also signed veteran Austin Hooper. A backup last season, Jesper Horsted re-signed with the team in March.
Hollister has a history with Josh McDaniels, having been a Patriots post-draft signee back in 2017. Considering the makeup of the Raiders’ roster, ex-Patriot status is certainly not irrelevant. Only the Seahawks have used Hollister as a receiving regular. The former Will Dissly fill-in caught 558 yards and six touchdowns between the 2019 and ’20 seasons. Hollister totaled eight receptions in two Patriots seasons, both of which featuring Rob Gronkowski atop the depth chart, and did not catch a pass last year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/23
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DL Nick Thurman
- Waived: LB Arron Mosby
- Waived/failed physical: DL John Penisini
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DT Donovan Jeter
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
Detroit Lions
- Waived/injured: TE Shane Zylstra
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Andre Miller, OL Cole Schneider
- Waived: OL Chuck Filiaga, TE Camren McDonald
Houston Texans
- Signed: K Jake Bates
- Placed on IR: FB Troy Hairston
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Toriano Clinton, TE La’Michael Pettway, T Dan Skipper
- Waived: T Jordan Murray, TE Kaden Smith, DT Jamal Woods
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Darius Harris
- Waived: LB Kana’i Mauga, T Justin Murray
New England Patriots
- Claimed (from Bears): WR Thyrick Pitts
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Jalen Hurd
New York Giants
- Signed: C Sean Harlow
- Placed on IR: C J.C. Hassenauer
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Greg Bell, RB John Lovett
- Waived: RB Jason Huntley
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Robert Cooper, OL Liam Ryan
- Waived: DL Roderick Perry
Chosen in the third round by the 49ers back in 2019, Hurd never ended up seeing regular-season action. A converted running back who played in front of Alvin Kamara at points while at Tennessee, Hurd transferred to Baylor and became a wide receiver. Two season-ending injuries — a back malady in 2019 and an ACL tear in 2020 — derailed Hurd’s 49ers tenure. The team cut him during the 2021 season. Barely a week after the Patriots signed Hurd, it appears he is throwing in the towel on an injury-plagued career.
Penisini had unretired this offseason, joining the Panthers. The former Lions sixth-rounder played two seasons on his rookie contract but called it quits in June 2022. His unretirement will precede a Panthers exit. The Lions are moving Zylstra off their 90-man roster due to a severe knee injury. If unclaimed, Zylstra would revert to Detroit’s IR list. Zylstra has seen action in 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons.
Hassenauer will require surgery to repair a triceps injury, and this transaction will shut him down — as far as the Giants are concerned. The only way Hassenauer can play in 2023 would be if the Giants removed him from IR via an injury settlement. Hairston suffered a herniated disk during practice, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
49ers Sign DE Taco Charlton
The 49ers of recent years have been known to generate some production from lower-profile defensive end additions, and the team will take a flier on a former first-round pick.
Taco Charlton signed with the 49ers on Tuesday. They are the ex-Cowboys first-rounder’s seventh team since leaving Dallas back in 2019. Charlton, 28, has been with the Dolphins, Chiefs, Steelers, Saints, Bears and Jaguars in the years since his Cowboys rookie deal did not pan out.
Last season, the Michigan alum stopped through Chicago and Jacksonville. The Bears used him as a backup in five games, while the Jags freed up a practice squad spot. Charlton does have 13 career starts, the most recent stretch of note coming in Miami four years ago. Charlton totaled five sacks with the Dolphins, who were not exactly going all out to win during that season.
The six-year veteran joins the 49ers’ Nick Bosa-fronted defensive end contingent. The 49ers have coaxed some decent work from the likes of Charles Omenihu, Samson Ebukam, Kerry Hyder and Arden Key in recent years. D-line coach Kris Kocurek‘s unit lost Omenihu (Chiefs) and Ebukam (Colts) in free agency. The Niners will expect 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson to make a leap in Year 2, and Hyder re-signed with the team this offseason. The 49ers drafted Robert Beal in the fifth round, and they are also making a low-level bet on former Raiders top-five pick Clelin Ferrell.
With Ferrell, Bosa, Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, the 49ers now have five first-rounders on their D-line. Though, a few of these players have obviously not justified those past investments. Charlton will attempt to assimilate here, with the 49ers’ P-squad a potential option as well. The team waived safety Avery Young to clear a roster spot.
Broncos To Sign CB Fabian Moreau
Making Ronald Darby a cap casualty earlier this year, the Broncos had stood pat on the veteran front at cornerback. They are making a mid-training camp addition, however.
Fabian Moreau will join the team on a one-year deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Moreau has experience as a boundary and slot corner. He will join a group anchored by Patrick Surtain but one featuring some questions at the other spots.
The Dolphins worked out Moreau recently, but they signed Eli Apple in the wake of Jalen Ramsey‘s knee surgery. The Broncos will take a look at the former Washington, Falcons and Giants corner, who is going into his age-29 season. The former third-round pick has made 45 career starts, including 11 last season for the Giants.
Qualifying as a journeyman at this point, Moreau spent last year with two teams. The Texans signed the UCLA alum but released him before the regular season. Moreau caught on with the Giants but did not debut for the playoff-bound team until Week 2. The Giants lost one of their starting corners (Aaron Robinson) for the season and another (Adoree’ Jackson) for a sizable chunk of it, depleting Don Martindale‘s depth chart. Moreau moved from the practice squad into the lineup, and while his coverage metrics rated slightly better compared to a rough 2021 opposite AJ Terrell in Atlanta, Pro Football Focus still rated him 90th at the position.
Moreau, whom Pro-Football-Reference charged with allowing five touchdown passes (after ceding eight in 2021), saw time in the slot in Washington but was not re-signed following the expiration of his rookie contract. Moreau intercepted six passes from 2018-20 and was credited with 21 passes defensed over the past two seasons.
The 6-foot cover man will be given a chance to earn a spot in a Broncos CB corps that features Damarri Mathis and K’Waun Williams as its expected starters alongside Surtain. The team did, however, trade up for Iowa’s Riley Moss in Round 3. Moreau would represent a veteran option on the outside in the Surtain-fronted group, with Mathis — Darby’s injury replacement last year — going into his second season.
Bears Claim DT Bravvion Roy
Bravvion Roy did not advance to the second spot on the waiver priority list. The Bears submitted a claim for the recently cut Panthers defensive tackle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
Formerly a sixth-round Panthers pick in 2020, Roy will remain tied to his rookie contract. One year remains on that deal. The Bears will take a look at the fourth-year defender, adding him to a D-tackle group that features some new pieces.
Chicago used second- and third-round picks to bolster its interior D-line this year, selecting Gervon Dexter in Round 2 and Zacch Pickens in Round 3. The team also rosters Justin Jones and Andrew Billings. The Bears also signed hybrid defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker this offseason, creating a bit of a crowded position group. While the team still appears in need at defensive end, they have made some moves to bolster their DT posts in 2023.
Roy, 26, has made 15 career starts. Pro Football Focus ranked Roy 86th among 127 qualified interior D-linemen last season; that marks his top ranking. Roy had spent the past six years playing for Matt Rhule. A Baylor commit before Rhule’s move south from Temple, Roy played three seasons under Rhule in Waco and then arrived in Carolina during the well-paid HC’s first year there. The Panthers still used Roy frequently after Rhule’s October 2022 firing, giving him four starts during Steve Wilks‘ time at the helm.
The Bears traded out of the No. 1 draft position, with the Panthers, but their 3-14 record in 2022 will provide them a key perch as non-vested veterans are cut this summer. Chicago will have first dibs on players waived during training camp and on cutdown day later this month.
Broncos To Waive WR KJ Hamler
AUGUST 1: Hamler is expected to miss around a month, per Sean Payton. While that could open the door to a reunion before the season, the new Broncos HC indicated it will likely take a few weeks for the young wide receiver to ramp up after the time away. Hamler also spent the offseason rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle he sustained early this year.
JULY 31: On a day when one Broncos wideout appeared to suffer a second straight season-ending injury, more unfortunate news surfaced concerning another member of the unit. KJ Hamler provided an update on his latest ailment, one which will lead to at least a temporary departure from the team. 
[RELATED: Tim Patrick Believed To Have Torn Achilles]
Denver will waive Hamler with a non-football illness designation, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). The move will not mark a permanent separation with the former second-rounder, but rather a procedural transaction which will open up a roster spot and keep the door open to a return at some point during the season. Placing Hamler on the reserve/NFI list would have ended his season.
The Penn State product revealed (via Garafolo, on Twitter) on Monday that he is dealing with pericarditis, a heart condition which will be treated with medication rather than surgery. The recovery timeline is not expected to sideline him for the season, with Garafolo noting Hamler should miss “weeks, not months.” That should allow him to return at some point in the 2023 campaign, one of vital importance for him.
Hamler has faced numerous injury troubles during his three-year Broncos tenure. The 24-year-old played 13 games as a rookie, but has managed to suit up for only 10 after that. His 14.8 yards per catch average point to his abilities as a deep threat, though his receiving totals (42 catches, 620 yards, three touchdowns) are a product of a very small sample size. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, a healthy and productive season would do wonders for Hamler’s future in Denver or elsewhere.
The Broncos have Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton at the top of their WR depth chart, one which will be thin in the absence of Hamler and veteran Tim Patrick. Second-round rookie Marvin Mims could find himself in a starting role right away, something the team likely accounted for knowing the history of availability issues for Patrick and Hamler.
“I will be back on the field — better and stronger than ever — as soon as possible this season,” the latter’s Instagram post on his situation reads in part. “I feel great physically and this is frustrating for me to deal with… This is not farewell. This is not a goodbye. This is a see you soon as I take a break for my health.”
Raiders To Release TE O.J. Howard
For the second straight summer, O.J. Howard has seen his spell with a new team come to an abrupt end. The veteran tight end is being released by the Raiders, as noted by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link). 
Howard joined the Raiders in March, not long after the trade which sent Darren Waller to the Giants. The latter’s departure left a pass-catching role available for Howard, but his grip on a final roster spot was always a tenuous one. The former first-rounder underwhelmed in his five years with the Buccaneers, and his career has seen him bounce around the AFC since then.
Howard joined the Bills in 2022, but his struggles during training camp and the preseason left his roster spot in serious jeopardy. Buffalo made him one of their final cuts, marking a disappointing end to his Bills tenure after landing a $5MM deal in free agency. He spent this past season with the Texans, making 10 receptions in 13 games, setting up his Raiders deal.
Vegas lost not only Waller but also Foster Moreau this offseason, despite the team’s efforts to retain the latter in free agency. Plenty of TE snaps are thus up for grabs this year, but instead of Howard the Raiders will look to their other options at the position. That includes second-round rookie Michael Mayer, who was one of the headliners of a celebrated tight class in this year’s draft. The Notre Dame product was already in line for a notable role with Howard in the fold, but his release will make that even more likely.
The Raiders also have free agent signing Austin Hooper and former UDFA Jesper Horsted available as depth options with Howard no longer in the picture. The latter will again look to latch onto a roster late in the offseason as he tries to find a long-term home, while Vegas’ new-look offense will move forward with their efforts to sort out the TE pecking order.
Bonsignore also tweets that quarterback Chase Garbers has been re-signed. The 24-year-old found himself on and off the Raiders’ practice squad last season, and he was released one week ago as part of the team’s ongoing summer moves. He will again look to earn himself either a practice squad spot in Vegas or a look from another team following roster cuts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: K Matthew Trickett
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from PUP: DB Damarion Williams
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Nick Thurman
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Jared Pinkney
- Waived: WR Thyrick Pitts
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Yasir Durant
- Waived: OT Christian DiLauro
Detroit Lions
- Activated from NFI: WR Marvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Dalton Keene
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from PUP: TE Will Mallory
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
- Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Darius Harris
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from PUP: OT Warren McClendon
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: G Trai Turner (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Liam Ryan, RB SaRodorick Thompson
- Waived: LB Cam Bright, S Morrell Osling
Washington Commanders
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.
Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.
Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.
Dolphins Activate LT Terron Armstead From PUP List
Terron Armstead‘s stint on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list has been short-lived. The Dolphins left tackle was activated on Monday, as noted by a team announcement.
Head coach Mike McDaniel had expressed confidence that Armstead would be cleared to return to practice shortly after arriving at camp, and his activation will be a welcomed sign given his importance to the team’s offensive line. The former Saints mainstay delivered a strong season in 2022, his first with the Dolphins after signing a five-year, $75MM deal with Miami.
Injuries have been a mainstay in Armstead’s career, however, and that continued last season. A pectoral injury was one of many ailments the former third-rounder dealt with, and he was limited to 13 regular season games played. He was able to suit up for Miami’s playoff loss, though, and he earned a fourth career Pro Bowl nod. His health and performance will play a vital role in determining the Dolphins’ ability to repeat their success of last season.
Armstead underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee during the offseason, McDaniel noted. His recovery from that surgery led to his placement on the PUP list last week, and he did not take the field today. Still, his activation means he has been cleared to return, and he will have plenty of practice time in the build-up to his 11th NFL campaign and second in South Beach.
Miami restructured the contracts of many of their highest-paid players this offseason. That included re-working Armstead’s deal, and as a result his 2023 cap hit will be just over $9.2MM. His impact on the team’s capsheet will jump to $20.6MM in each of the three campaigns after that, however, so continued strong play will be vital for team and player for the foreseeable future. In the immediate term, though, the Dolphins’ top lineman is back in place on the blindside.
Panthers To Sign LB Deion Jones
2:28pm: Jones’ visit has produced an agreement. He will sign a one-year deal with the Panthers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Jones will return to the NFC South while attempting to remain healthy and boost his free agent value ahead of next offseason.
12:12pm: One of the top remaining free agent linebackers is set to meet with a potential new team. Deion Jones will visit the Panthers later today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Jones is quite familiar with the NFC South, having spent the first six-plus years of his career in Atlanta. He showcased his playmaking skills early in his career, earning his lone Pro Bowl nod in 2017 and remaining productive through most of his Falcons tenure. 2022 was a year in which the team looked to move on from many of its largest financial commitments, though, and an injured Jones was dealt to the Browns in October.
The 28-year-old agreed to remove the final year of his contract upon arrival in Cleveland, making his brief Browns stint an audition ahead of free agency. Jones joined a team which suffered numerous season-ending injuries at the LB spot, but he still saw the field for only 59% of defensive snaps – by far the lowest total of his career. He racked up 44 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception during 11 games in Cleveland.
To date, the only team other than the Panthers known to have hosted Jones was the Giants, having done so in April. The former second-rounder remains unsigned well into training camp, but he could serve in at least a rotational capacity in his next home while attempting to rebuild his value. Carolina could stand to add depth at the second level.
The Panthers have Shaq Thompson – who re-did his deal this offseason to keep him on the books through 2024 – and Frankie Luvu at the top of their LB depth chart. The latter is entering a contract year, and the team is lacking experienced depth options aside from Kamu Grugier-Hill. Jones, who has eclipsed 100 tackles five times in his career, could add a proven playmaker to the mix.
With more than $20.5MM in cap space, Carolina is in better financial shape than most teams with respect to adding free agents. Some of that total could be aimed at acquiring an edge rusher, something the team was connected to earlier in the offseason. The nature of Jones’ visit will influence the Panthers’ interest as he seeks a deal ahead of the 2023 campaign.