Commanders Place OL Wes Schweitzer On IR
The Commanders have been dealt another blow on the offensive front. Veteran interior lineman Wes Schweitzer has been placed on IR, per a team announcement. The news comes after he was held out of practice this week with a concussion, and guarantees that he will miss at least the next four games. 
The 29-year-old played every snap in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Eagles, after missing the previous contest and leaving the season opener early. He began the year as the starting right guard, but changes were required after center Chase Roullier suffered a major knee injury. That shifted Schweitzer to the middle, though he did nothing to help his PFF rating for the year. With a pass protection grade of 21.6, the San Jose State product has given up six pressures in limited action this year.
As a result, Washington will likely turn to Nick Martin on Sunday. The veteran signed just over one week ago as an insurance option in the wake of Roullier’s injury. The former Texans second-rounder was a full-time starter during his time in Houston, but he was relegated to backup duties last year with the Raiders. The absence of both Roullier and Schweitzer could clear the way for him to once again take on first-team duties.
Elsewhere on the o-line, left tackle Charles Leno is dealing with a shoulder injury, though he is expected to play on Sunday. Still, with Schweitzer joining Roullier and reserve linemen Willie Beavers on IR, the unit will be one to watch as the Commanders look to move to 2-2 against the Cowboys.
Chiefs Promote K Matthew Wright; Harrison Butker To Miss Week 4
By Week 4’s end, the Chiefs will have used four kickers. Harrison Butker will miss a third straight game, and the team announced Matthew Wright will be bumped up to its 53-man roster.
After working out both Wright and Michael Badgley this week, the Chiefs decided on Wright to replace Matt Ammendola on their practice squad. The team released Ammendola from its taxi squad earlier this week. The second-year specialist missed a short field goal and an extra point in Kansas City’s Week 3 loss in Indianapolis.
The Chiefs will have gone from Butker to emergency replacement Justin Reid to Ammendola to Wright during their season’s first quarter. Butker suffered a left ankle injury early in the Chiefs’ Week 1 game and has not returned to action. Butker remains on the Chiefs’ active roster.
This will mark another chance for Wright, whom the Jaguars waived in May. Wright spent the bulk of last season as Jacksonville’s kicker. Wright’s two 50-plus-yarders in the fourth quarter of their 2021 London game gave the Jags their first win last season, and the Central Florida alum finished the year 21-for-24 on field goal tries and 13 of 15 on extra points. Wright’s first crack with the Chiefs will come in Florida as well; the NFL kept Sunday night’s Chiefs-Buccaneers matchup in Tampa despite Hurricane Ian’s landfall.
Like Ammendola, Wright will revert to the Chiefs’ P-squad after his Week 4 work. For the time being, the team can elevate Wright to its active roster and demote him without exposing him to waivers. This setup should be workable for the Chiefs, unless Butker’s rehab hits a snag. The team’s sixth-year kicker managed a limited practice Wednesday but sat out Thursday and Friday’s sessions. The Chiefs saw Ammendola’s struggles prove costly against the Colts; Raiders and Bills matchups are on tap for the Chiefs after their Tampa trip.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/30/22
Pittsburgh was the only team to adjust their practice squad today:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Mark Gilbert
- Released: C Ryan McCollum
Gilbert is returning for his third stint with the Steelers after being released from the practice squad 10 days ago. He started in the NFL when Pittsburgh signed him as an undrafted free agent last year. He ended up on the practice squad but was signed off of it by the Lions in October. He appeared in eight games for Detroit, but only had significant playing time in one game: the matchup against his former team, the Steelers, which ended in a tie. In the game, Gilbert showed his old team his worth with three tackles, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed. Perhaps the Steelers felt it was a good time to bring Gilbert back as starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon hasn’t practiced all week with a hamstring injury.
McCollum oddly also has ties to Detroit. After originally signing last year as an undrafted free agent with the Texans, McCollum was signed off their practice squad by the Lions after Week 4. McCollum played in every remaining game for Detroit, mostly on special teams, and even started a Week 14 contest against the Broncos.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/29/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: NT Michael Pierce (story)
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: S Matthias Farley
- Waived: S Isaiah Pola-Mao
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: WR River Cracraft
- Promoted: T Larnel Coleman
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/29/22
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Chris Banjo
New York Giants
- Signed RB Antonio Williams
- Released: T Roy Mbaeteka
Bengals Place DT D.J. Reader On IR
SEPTEMBER 29: As expected, the team moved Reader to IR. The veteran defensive tackle will be out at least four weeks. It would not surprise if the timetable is pushed beyond that, but the defending AFC champions are expected to have Reader back this season. Reader suffered an MCL injury that will feature an estimated six-week recovery timetable, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
SEPTEMBER 27: Tests have revealed D.J. Reader will miss an extended amount of time, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. While this is not believed to be a season-ending knee injury, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds Reader is likely to be shut down for at least a month (Twitter link).
It would seem Reader will be IR-bound. This certainly stings for a Bengals team that had Reader and Larry Ogunjobi during its AFC North title run last season. Ogunjobi is now with the Steelers, leaving B.J. Hill — who re-signed with the Bengals this offseason — as the team’s top defensive tackle.
Although it is a bit early for gleaning too much from advanced metrics, Pro Football Focus has Reader ranked as the NFL’s top interior D-linemen through three games. Reader, 28, left the Bengals’ third contest after early, playing just 18 defensive snaps. But he has been one of the team’s top players since coming over from the Texans two years ago.
As the team began to be active in free agency to supplement Joe Burrow‘s rookie contract, the Bengals gave Reader a four-year, $53MM deal in 2020. The former Texans Day 3 pick has continued his strong play with the Bengals, who have benefited from his top-level run defense. Cincinnati ranked fifth against the run last season; the defending AFC champions are eighth through three games.
Longtime Bengal Josh Tupou, third-round rookie Zach Carter and Jay Tufele round out the team’s D-tackle group. Tupou, who has been with the team since 2017, agreed to a two-year, $3MM deal to stay in Cincinnati this offseason. The Bengals added Tufele, a 2021 fourth-rounder, via waiver claim from the Jaguars just after cutdown day.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/22
Here today’s minor moves from around the league:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: S Nazeeh Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: TE Richard Rodgers, WR Jason Moore Jr.
- Placed on IR: OT Rashawn Slater (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: WR River Cracraft
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: CB DaMarcus Fields
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: CB Fabian Moreau
- Placed on IR: WR Sterling Shepard (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: CB Xavier Crawford
- Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/22
Here are the practice squad signings and releases for today:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Xavier Rhodes (story), DT Prince Emili
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Arron Mosby
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Reggie Roberson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Cortez Broughton, LB Elijah Lee, K Matthew Wright
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR John Hightower
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Keith Kirkwood
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Makai Polk, CB Olaijah Griffin
New York Jets
- Signed: OT Mike Remmers
- Released: WR Diontae Spencer
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OT Roderick Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Cullen Gillaspia
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Kaylon Geiger
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OLB Gerri Green
Bills To Sign CB Xavier Rhodes
9:04pm: Buffalo will move ahead with a signing. The former Vikings and Colts corner agreed to join the team Tuesday night, Garafolo reports (on Twitter). Rhodes will rejoin Frazier and help out a cornerback corps suddenly in dire need. It is a practice squad agreement.
10:09am: With plenty of injuries in their secondary, the Bills could be adding a veteran in the near future. Buffalo is hosting cornerback Xavier Rhodes on a visit, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
A first-round pick of the Vikings in 2013, Rhodes spent the first seven seasons of his career in Minnesota. That stretch included three Pro Bowl selections, and the 2017 campaign in which he earned First-Team All-Pro honors. Across 104 games with the Vikings, Rhodes racked up 10 interceptions and 73 pass breakups.
His time there ended on a low note, however. Despite having three years remaining on the five-year extension he had signed, the Florida State product was released in a cost-cutting move in 2020. That led him to the Colts, where he was a full-time starter and registered a pair of interceptions. Given his performance, Indianapolis signed him to another one-year deal last March, though Rhodes saw a lower snap share and took a step back in terms of coverage statistics in 2021.
In Buffalo, he would likely have the opportunity to see plenty of playing time in at least the immediate future. No. 1 corner Tre’Davious White began the season on the PUP list, meaning that he will be out for at least one more game as he continues to recover from an ACL tear. Fellow starter Dane Jackson also suffered a neck injury in Week 2, and rookie Christian Benford fractured his hand during Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins (Twitter link via Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport).
Rhodes could also reunite with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who was the Vikings’ head coach during his rookie season. Given Buffalo’s current injury situation, a deal could see him take the field right away, and give him the opportunity to boost his free agent stock while stabilizing an important position for one of the AFC’s top contenders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/22
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LB Jesse Luketa
- Released: S Deionte Thompson
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: CB Daryl Worley
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: DT Daviyon Nixon
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released from IR via injury settlement: OL Desmond Noel
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Anthony Pittman
- Placed on IR: S Tracy Walker (story)
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed (from Titans): OLB Derrek Tuszka
New York Giants
- Waived: RB Antonio Williams
New York Jets
- Signed off Texans’ practice squad: T Cedric Ogbuehi
Although Ogbuehi is a former first-round pick, he has started five games since the 2018 season. He landed on Houston’s practice squad IR list earlier this month but will be part of the Jets’ scramble to reassemble their tackle depth chart after George Fant‘s IR trip. Ogbuehi’s Bengals audition seasons came back in 2016 and ’17; the Seahawks used him as a fill-in starter in four 2020 games. Ogbuehi, 30, joins Mike Remmers as Jets tackle additions this week.
The Ravens were interested in adding Luketa off the Cardinals’ practice squad, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. That looks to have prompted the Cards’ decision to move him up to their 53-man roster. The Cards drafted Luketa in this year’s seventh round (256th overall) out of Penn State.
Tennessee’s outside linebacker shuffle included waiving Tuszka, who is now with his third team this year. A former Broncos seventh-round pick, Tuszka spent the offseason with the Steelers. He will move to a Chargers team that has Joey Bosa likely to miss games after suffering what Brandon Staley called a serious groin injury.