Texans, Phillip Dorsett Agree To Extension
Phillip Dorsett has a new deal. On Wednesday, the Texans agreed to a new extension with the veteran wide receiver that will take him through the 2022 season (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790).
The new portion of the deal carries a base salary of $1.035MM with $300K in guarantees ($100K signing bonus, $200K for skill, injury and salary cap). He’s also in line to receive a $50K workout bonus.
Dorsett, 29 in January, now stands as the Texans’ primary slot receiver following Davion Davis‘ season-ending leg fracture. Before that, he spent time with the Jaguars and Seahawks. Now, the 2015 first-round pick could see more action that he has in a while. His last season of significance came in 2019 with the Patriots when he tallied 29 grabs for 397 yards and five touchdowns. All in all, he has 125 receptions for 1,643 yards and eleven touchdowns across the last five-and-three-quarters seasons.
Ravens To Sign Josh Johnson
The Ravens are signing quarterback Josh Johnson off of the Jets’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran will provide extra insurance for Baltimore this week if Lamar Jackson is unable to play. 
Johnson, 35, has signed with nearly half of the league at this point. His career has seen long stretches of inactivity and stints with startup football leagues. After getting into four games for Washington in 2018, he spent ’19 with the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football. In 2020, he was under center for the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats, until the league shuttered midway through it’s re-inaugural year.
This year, the Jets cycled him between the practice squad and active roster. He appeared in three games while Zach Wilson was sidelined, completing 64.4% of his throws for three touchdowns against one interception.
While Johnson will provide depth, the Ravens anticipate that Jackson will be able to go against the Packers on Sunday.
“The plans are right now, in my mind, for Lamar to be out there. So we’ll see where it goes this week. If he can go, he’ll go,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. “If not, Tyler [Huntley] will be the quarterback. That’s where we’re at.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/15/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Nick Guggemos, WR Alexander Hollins, OT Elijah Nkansah
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Justin Hamilton
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and WR Travis Fulgham
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: C Michal Menet
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Will Redmond
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: C Will Clapp
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Lavert Hill, OT Wyatt Miller
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB Josh Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks
Washington Football Team
- Signed: QB Jordan Ta’amu, DT Tyler Clark
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Designated for return: TE David Wells
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB A.J. Klein
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
- Claimed: DT Josiah Bronson (from Saints)
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: CB Deante Burton
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Jordan Love
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: DT Malik Jefferson
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: LB Calvin Munson (from Patriots)
- Designated for return: RB Malcolm Brown
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Yasir Durant
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR/RB Ty Montgomery
- Designated for return: TE Adam Trautman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Designated for return: G Jack Anderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on IR: OL B.J. Finney
- Promoted: OT Joe Haeg
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Tanner Muse
- Placed on IR: CB Gavin Heslop
Chiefs Add K Elliott Fry To Practice Squad
Elliott Fry has found a new home. The kicker has signed with the Chiefs practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
South Carolina’s kicker from 2013-16, Fry converted 66 of 88 field goal attempts during his collegiate career. After going undrafted in the 2017 draft, Fry had a brief stint in the Alliance of American Football. Since then, he’s logged many NFL workouts and spent time on a handful of practice squads, including stints with Bears, Ravens, Panthers, and Buccaneers.
Fry spent much of the 2020 campaign on the Falcons practice squad. He managed to get into his lone NFL game with Atlanta, converting his lone field goal attempt and one of his two extra point tries. He was expected to vie for the Falcons’ job this year, though he was a longshot to beat out Younghoe Koo. Fry spent the first part of the 2021 campaign bouncing on and off the Falcons’ practice squad, and he’s been a free agent since mid-November.
The Chiefs don’t necessarily need a kicker at the moment, although Harrison Butker is currently converting a career-low 87 percent of his field goal attempts. However, as Pelissero notes, COVID cases continued to spike around the NFL, so the Chiefs are adding some insurance in case Butker is suddenly sidelined.
Cardinals Sign CB Breon Borders
Breon Borders is heading to Arizona. The Cardinals have signed the veteran cornerback off the Titans practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
The defensive back spent most of the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the Titans organization. He started five of his six appearances in 2020, finishing with 27 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception.
After getting waived during the offseason, Borders re-signed with Arizona, and he’s spent much of the 2021 campaign bouncing between their active roster and the practice squad. In total, he’s seen time in 11 games this season, collecting five tackles. The 26-year-old played mostly on special teams this year, and he hasn’t played a defensive snap since late October.
Borders will presumably see a similar role in Arizona. Byron Murphy Jr., Robert Alford, Marco Wilson, and Antonio Hamilton seem to have secured their spots atop the depth chart. The organization also has Kevin Peterson and Jace Whittaker stashed on the practice squad.
Buccaneers To Place RB Giovani Bernard On IR
The Buccaneers have placed Giovani Bernard on the injured reserve list. This was the expected move after the running back suffered an MCL injury earlier this week.
Bernard is also dealing with a hip issue and both injuries will require some time off. Fortunately for the Bucs, they have enough backfield ammo to get by without him. Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette continue to lead the rushing attack while Ke’Shawn Vaughn is already on the roster to serve as the third RB. If they want a fourth, Darwin Thompson is available for promotion.
So far this year, Bernard has registered just eight carries for 58 yards, plus 23 catches for 123 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he managed 47 catches for 355 yards and three receiving TDs with the Bengals — his best line since 2017.
The 10-3 Bucs face the Saints on Sunday night, a chance to formally clinch the NFC South.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/21
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): CB Saivion Smith
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: WR Juwann Winfree
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jalen Richard
- Designated for return: TE Nick Bowers
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: C Austin Reiter
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Danielle Hunter
New England Patriots
- Activated off reserve/NFI list: S Joshuah Bledsoe
- Placed on injured reserve: G Alex Redmond
- Waived: LB Calvin Munson
Washington Football Team
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Kendall Fuller, DT Tim Settle
Washington To Sign Nate Orchard
The Washington Football Team will sign linebacker Nate Orchard, according to agent Kenny Zuckerman (Twitter link). Plucked from the Packers’ practice squad, Orchard will have a chance to see his first live action of 2021.
[RELATED: Torn ACL For WFT’s Logan Thomas]
The veteran will provide depth after defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, defensive lineman James Smith-Williams, and defensive ends Montez Sweat and Casey Toohill were placed on the COVID-19 list. It remains to be seen whether they’ll be cleared in time for Washington’s Week 15 matchup against the Eagles.
Orchard, a 2015 second-round pick of the Browns, lived up to his draft stock as a rookie, finishing with three sacks and four QB hits. Unfortunately, he spent most of his sophomore campaign on IR and fell to a backup role in 2017 before being released prior to the 2018 season. Since then, he’s made the rounds, spending time with the Bills, Chiefs, Seahawks, Dolphins, Texans, and Washington.
Orchard appeared in eight games for WFT over the last two years, collecting 16 stops and one sack.
Lions’ Jerry Jacobs Done For Year
It’s officially official. Lions rookie cornerback Jerry Jacobs has been formally diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his season after 13 games. The Lions will place Jacobs on the injured reserve list this week as he gets set for knee surgery. 
“You feel awful,” head coach Dan Campbell said (via James Hawkins of The Detroit News). “He’s improved so much, particularly from spring just to where he’s been playing lately. Before he got hurt, he had already been doing some good things.”
“You don’t want any of your guys to get hurt, particularly one of these long-term injuries. The other thing is I hate that it happened now in December. That’s probably a nine-month injury, somewhere in there. The good news is it’s reparable. He’ll work at it, he’ll come back, and he’ll be better than he was. But you hate it for him and for our team.”
Jacobs, an undrafted free agent, managed to start in nine games this season, a touching story in an otherwise trying season for the Lions. He began his unusual path to the pros at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Arkansas State. Unfortunately, a torn ACL wiped out his 2019 season. He then switched to Arkansas, but mental health issues prompted him to opt out after four games.
This marks yet another challenge for Jacobs, but he has a track record of overcoming whatever life throws at him. For now, he’ll be watching the Lions from home, starting with Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.