Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/22
Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived with injury settlement: TE John Raine
Denver Broncos
- Waived with injury settlement: WR Brandon Johnson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived with injury settlement: K Jake Verity
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived with injury settlement: CB Tyler Hall, RB Xavier Jones
Miami Dolphins
- Released with injury settlement: LB Brennan Scarlett
Minnesota Vikings
- Released with injury settlement: DT T.Y. McGill
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: C James Ferentz
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chase Hansen
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/22
Here are today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: WR Jontre Kirklin
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Kyler Fackrell
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Daviyon Nixon
- Released: DE Drew Jordan
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Allan George
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Detroit Lions
- Released: TE Derrick Deese
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Gerrid Doaks
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S James Wiggins
- Released: LB Azur Kamara
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Keelan Cole, G Alex Bars
- Released: DE Zach VanValkenburg
- Placed on practice squad/injured list: OL Vitaliy Gurman
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Duke Shelley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: QB Jake Luton
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
- Released: WR C.J. Board
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Zonovan Knight, WR Diontae Spencer, T Eric Smith
- Released: WR Calvin Jackson Jr., LB DQ Thomas
Eagles Place T Andre Dillard On IR
Andre Dillard‘s latest injury — a broken forearm — will cost him at least four weeks. The Eagles placed the veteran tackle on IR Tuesday. It might take more than the minimum timetable for the team’s swing tackle to return.
The fourth-year blocker was scheduled to undergo surgery today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A four- to six-week recovery period is expected. Dillard lost his left tackle spot to Jordan Mailata long ago, but the former first-round pick still provides depth for the Eagles.
This is familiar territory for Dillard, whom the Eagles traded up for in the 2019 draft. The Washington State product, who was once Jason Peters‘ blindside heir apparent, missed the entire 2020 season due to a biceps tear and suffered a knee sprain during Philadelphia’s 2021 training camp. The Eagles passed on his fifth-year option in May.
When healthy, Dillard has shown enough for the Eagles to keep him around. The team resisted trade overtures ahead of the 2021 deadline, after having seen Dillard hold his own at left tackle during Mailata’s time sidelined with an MCL sprain. Dillard made five starts last season and rated as a midlevel tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Mailata and Lane Johnson are entrenched as Philly’s tackle starters, but Dillard — once he returns from his latest setback — stands to provide nice insurance. Johnson has missed 17 games over the past three seasons, making said insurance essential for the Eagles. For a stretch without Johnson last season, the Eagles slid Mailata to the right side and kept Dillard at his natural spot. Dillard seeing more time in relief this year could create an interesting free agent market come 2023. Of course, the former No. 22 overall pick will likely have to stay healthy upon returning from the arm injury for such a market to form.
Colts Bring Back RB Phillip Lindsay
Phillip Lindsay was not part of the Colts’ initial 53-man roster, but the team still has the former 1,000-yard rusher in its plans. The veteran back returned to the team on a practice squad deal Tuesday.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the NFL to expand its taxi squads to 16 players (up to six vested veterans), vets have increasingly been added as stashes. Lindsay, a Colts cut last week, is the latest accomplished performer to land on a P-squad. He gives the Colts an option behind Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines and Deon Jackson.
Indianapolis cutting Jackson, a 2021 UDFA, would have exposed him to waivers. Lindsay has sufficient service time to pass to free agency. Signed midway through the offseason, Lindsay is on his fourth NFL team. The former Broncos UDFA addition spent the 2021 season with the Texans and Dolphins.
Going into his age-28 season, Lindsay has seen his value dip since his Denver days. The only UDFA in NFL history to begin his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Lindsay went from 2020 Broncos extension talks to being moved out of his starting role once the team gave Melvin Gordon an $8MM-per-year deal in March of that year. The Broncos then rescinded a Lindsay low-end RFA tender in 2021, leading him to Houston.
Lindsay rushed for just 249 yards with the Texans and Dolphins last season (2.8 per carry), though neither team’s offensive line was particularly good in 2021. The Colts would seemingly offer a better setup, but the fifth-year veteran will not be in an immediate position to contribute. The Colts now have two running backs on their P-squad; Lindsay joins rookie UDFA D’Vonte Price.
Lions Place G Halapoulivaati Vaitai On IR
SEPTEMBER 6: While the issue affecting the veteran lineman’s availability remains a mystery, it is far from certain he comes back when first eligible. Vaitai is not a lock to play in 2022, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Kraemer will be Detroit’s right guard starter, according to the official depth chart the team released Tuesday morning.
SEPTEMBER 5: Halapoulivaati Vaitai‘s third Lions season will not begin on time. The veteran offensive lineman is now on Detroit’s IR, mandating a four-game absence. The nature of Vaitai’s injury is unkonwn.
The well-paid blocker is expected to return as the Lions’ right guard starter, but the team will need to make other plans for its September slate. This will be Vaitai’s second IR trip since he signed with the Lions in 2020. The team also claimed guard Drew Forbes off waivers from the Browns on Monday.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review, Detroit Lions]
A former Eagles draftee, Vaitai missed six games in 2020 due to a foot injury but returned to play in 15 last year. Vaitai, 29, represents part of a Lions source of optimism; both he and left guard Jonah Jackson ranked as a top-30 guards (per Pro Football Focus) in 2021. Along with former first-rounders Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell, the Lions are expected to field one of the league’s top O-lines.
Detroit’s fill-ins from 2020 are no longer on the roster, though Forbes is now in the mix. The team now rosters four backup interior O-linemen — a group that also includes 2020 fourth-rounder Logan Stenberg, fifth-year veteran Evan Brown and 2021 UDFA Tommy Kraemer. Brown served as Ragnow’s primary backup last season, and Kraemer made three starts in 2021. Neither Forbes nor Stenberg has started a regular-season game.
The Lions gave Vaitai a five-year, $45MM contract in free agency two years ago. He is due to count $8.7MM on the team’s 2022 payroll.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridgers
Carolina Panthers
- Released: DT Daviyon Nixon
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: CB Allan George
- Reverted to active roster: S Jessie Bates
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Drew Forbes, LB Jordan Kunasyzk
Detroit Lions
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DL Eric Banks, OL Kevin Jarvis, DB C.J. Moore, DE Jashon Cornell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: DT Raequan Williams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: TE Blake Bell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: DT Tyler Lancaster
New York Giants
- Waived: RB Sandro Platzgummer
New York Jets
- Re-signed: OL Conor McDermott
- Released: RB Zonovan Knight
Washington Commanders
- Released from IR via injury settlement: OL Keith Ismael
Nixon generated significant draft buzz after his college career at Iowa. His final season with the Hawkeyes in 2020 included 5.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, though he fell to the fifth round that year. He played sparingly as a rookie, and has met injury troubles early in his pro career. Despite the move, Carolina has a number of options to call on in a rotational role behind Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis.
The roster cutting by the Bengals was necessary with today being the time at which Bates’ time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List expired. The franchise-tagged safety was the final holdout of the 2022 offseason, inking his tender long past the deadline for a long-term deal to be finalized. Fully back to team practices and activities, Bates’ time on the list allowed him to ramp up at his own rate following a lengthy absence throughout the spring and summer.
Lancaster was one of several additions the Raiders made on the d-line during free agency. The former UDFA spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, registering 10 starts in 2019. Other signings such as Bilal Nichols and Andrew Billings will see plenty of playing time along the defensive interior in his absence.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/5/22
As Week 1 practices begin, here are the latest updates to teams’ 16-man practice squads:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DL Khyiris Tonga
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DB Marquise Blair
- Released: WR Ra’Shaun Henry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released: TE Thaddeus Moss
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: DE Mika Tafua
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Vyncint Smith
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Tim Boyle
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: K Ramiz Ahmed
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Ty Summers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S James Wiggins
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers:
- Signed: TE Richard Rodgers
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DTs Markaviest Bryant, Josiah Bronson, Christopher Hinton, T Kion Smith, CB Chris Steele
- Released: DT Niles Scott
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Laquon Treadwell (story)
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Fabian Moreau, WR Marcus Johnson
- Released: DB Harrison Hand
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Mac McCain
- Released: S Anthony Harris (story)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Josh Jackson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Buddy Johnson, OL Leroy Watson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Joshua Onujiogu, DE Jabari Zuniga
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Kenny Young
Washington Commanders
- Signed: OL Wes Martin
A former Washington starter and the primary Atlanta cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell last season, Moreau has experience playing both the slot and outside. The former third-round pick signed with the Texans earlier this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster.
The Lions attempted to keep David Blough by offering the Hard Knocks cast member a spot on their practice squad, but the three-year Detroit backup opted to head to Minnesota. He is currently on the Vikings’ 16-man taxi squad. A previous Aaron Rodgers backup, Boyle signed with the Lions last year.
Despite being a former second-round pick, Blair did not make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster this year. Knee injuries have sidelined him for most of the past two seasons. Seattle had stopped using Blair as a nickel, his primary role when on the field with the team that drafted him, during training camp.
Included as part of a 2019 trade that sent Marcus Peters to Baltimore, Young was also traded from the Rams to the Broncos last year. He started all 13 games he played in 2021 — seven as a Ram, six as a Bronco — and helped Denver fill the void created by Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell‘s season-ending injuries. Young spent most of this offseason with the Raiders but did not make their roster.
Patriots To Sign WR Laquon Treadwell To Practice Squad
Laquon Treadwell has already found a new NFL home, though he will not begin the 2022 campaign on a 53-man roster. The wideout is joining the Patriots as a member of their practice squad, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). 
The 27-year-old was part of the Jaguars’ final roster cuts one week ago, despite having re-signed with the team during free agency. His time in Jacksonville lasted just one season, and saw Treadwell post a career-high 434 yards. He, like Laviska Shenault, though, found himself on the wrong side of their roster bubble.
The former Vikings first-rounder never lived up to his draft stock across four years in Minnesota, topping the 300-yard mark just one. That led him to a one-year stint in Atlanta, though he only suited up five times for the Falcons. Now on his third team in as many seasons, the Ole Miss product appears to be taking the first offer which came his way following his Jaguars release.
As Yates noted earlier today (on Twitter), the Patriots hosted Treadwell on a visit. New England’s pass-catching corps has seen a number of changes this offseason, including the trade acquisition of DeVante Parker and the addition of Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the draft. They, along with returnees Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor will leave Treadwell with a steep path to playing time.
That unit faces several questions, however, so underwhelming performances or injuries could give him an opportunity to build off of last season’s personal success. Entering the season, nevertheless, a step back in terms of production seems more likely.
Eagles Release S Anthony Harris From Practice Squad
The Eagles and Anthony Harris are parting ways. Philadelphia released the veteran safety from its practice squad. While these moves often precede need-based reunions, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets this is a mutual parting.
Harris seeks the opportunity to join another team’s active roster, per Schefter. Another team could have poached him off the Eagles’ practice squad, but that scenario would have limited Harris’ flexibility. Going into what would be his age-31 season, Harris is back on the market.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review, Philadelphia Eagles]
After the Vikings cuffed Harris with their franchise tag in 2020, a modest market for the veteran’s services formed the following year. Despite Harris having a six-interception season under his belt (2019), he only landed a one-year, $4MM offer from the Eagles last March. This year, Philly brought him back on a one-year, $2.5MM pact.
A former UDFA out of Virginia, Harris spent six seasons with the Vikings. He began a rise to becoming Harrison Smith‘s backend sidekick in 2018 and started 39 games with Minnesota from 2018-20. The Eagles used him as a full-timer last season, and Pro Football Focus — which had graded Harris as a top-three safety in 2018 and ’19 — assigned the seven-year veteran a middling grade (53rd among safeties) in his lone Eagles campaign.
This has been an interesting offseason for the Eagles at safety. They had re-signed Harris and added longtime 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt, but after not being overly impressed with either’s performance during training camp, the team released both and made a trade for Saints nickel C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The latter is moving from the slot position to the back line with the Eagles. Marcus Epps had surpassed Harris as the top safety for the Eagles, and Harris’ former Vikings teammate will team with Gardner-Johnson as Philadelphia’s safety starters to open the year.
Panthers Add DL Henry Anderson, WR Preston Williams
After not making the Patriots’ 53-man roster, Henry Anderson landed another opportunity. The Panthers signed the veteran defensive lineman Monday.
An interior D-lineman who has spent time with the Colts, Jets and Patriots, Anderson has seven years’ experience. Much of that came as a starter. Anderson, 31, has started 43 games as a pro. He will join a Panthers defensive line that houses Derrick Brown and free agency addition Matthew Ioannidis as its top interior players.
The team also reached an agreement Monday to bring in former Dolphins wide receiver Preston Williams. While Anderson landed on Carolina’s active roster, Williams is joining the team’s practice squad. The Dolphins waived Williams last week.
Williams follows Laviska Shenault as new Panther receiver additions. The latter landed in Charlotte via trade from Jacksonville. A former UDFA who had begun to play a key role for the Dolphins as a rookie, Williams has battled injuries in years since. Miami adding the likes of Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson Jr. this offseason, which came a year after the franchise traded up to No. 6 overall for Jaylen Waddle, led to Williams not making the cut.
Anderson spent three seasons with the Colts and Jets, respectively, and tallied a career-high seven sacks for Gang Green in 2018. The Stanford alum has otherwise been known more as a run defender. Sack stats did not continue for Anderson in New York, but he did combine for seven tackles for loss from 2019-20. The Patriots signed the 6-foot-6 defender to a two-year, $7MM deal in 2021. A pectoral injury sustained in October of last year ended his season, however.
Williams totaled 32 catches for 428 yards in eight 2019 games, but an ACL tear ended that run. A former Shenault teammate at Colorado State, Williams could not re-establish himself in Miami. A foot injury halted his 2020 season after eight games, and he only played in eight contests last year. The Dolphins shopped Williams this summer and received inquiries. But no trade came. The 6-5 pass catcher will look to work his way onto Carolina’s active roster soon.