Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: OL Justin Murray
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB Elijah Lee
- Waived: DE Joe Jackson
Jets To Extend DL John Franklin-Myers
John Franklin-Myers has gotten off to a strong start in his fourth season, and the Jets are rewarding the veteran defensive lineman. The parties have agreed on an extension, D.J. Bien-Aime of the New York Daily News tweets. A 2018 fourth-round pick, Franklin-Myers was set to become a free agent in 2022.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport initially reported that it was a four-year, $55MM deal with $30.2MM guaranteed (via Twitter). Connor Hughes of The Athletic later tweeted more details, including Franklin-Myers’ base salaries from 2022-25 ($1.5MM, $11.4MM, $13.3MM, $14.3MM), and signing bonus ($2MM). Franklin-Myers will also get a $10MM roster bonus for the 2022 season, and he can earn $500K in per-game roster bonuses each year.
The Jets picked up Franklin-Myers via waivers ahead of the 2019 season. He represents one of Joe Douglas‘ first notable acquisitions as Jets GM. The Rams drafted Franklin-Myers out of Stephen F. Austin and used him as a backup throughout their 2018 NFC championship season. Despite Franklin-Myers sacking Tom Brady once in Super Bowl LIII, the Rams cut him prior to his second season.
A rotational player prior to 2021, Franklin-Myers has already matched his career high with three sacks this season. Pro Football Focus grades Franklin-Myers as a top-25 D-linemen through four games; his 17 hurries rank 11th thus far this season. He has helped a Jets pass rush in need after the loss of big-ticket free agent Carl Lawson. PFF graded Franklin-Myers as a top-35 edge defender in 2020, when he played 44% of New York’s defensive snaps.
Franklin-Myers participated in the Jets’ seven-sack romp against the Titans, dropping Ryan Tannehill for a sack and hitting the besieged Tennessee quarterback three times. He joins a few pieces on Gang Green’s defensive line signed beyond 2021. Quinnen Williams‘ rookie deal runs through 2022, and the Jets’ top D-lineman can be controlled on his rookie deal through 2023 via the fifth-year option. Lawson is signed through 2023, Sheldon Rankins through 2022.
Jets Release S Jarrod Wilson
A surprise Jaguars cut earlier this year, Jarrod Wilson received walking papers from another team Thursday. After starting for the Jets in their Week 4 win, Wilson is now back in free agency.
The Jets released the sixth-year safety, doing so three weeks after signing him. The move interestingly comes not long after Marcus Maye suffered an injury that has him on track to miss a second straight game. Maye missed last week’s game due to the ankle ailment he suffered in Denver.
Wilson played 62 defensive snaps last week and served in a part-time role the week prior. The Jets activated safeties Ashtyn Davis and Sharrod Neasman from IR ahead of last week’s game but started Wilson and Adrian Colbert on their defensive back line. Colbert, who suffered a concussion against the Titans, has not practiced yet this week.
Wilson, 27, served primarily as a Jags backup during his first three seasons before breaking into a starting role in 2019. Given a three-year, $9MM deal ahead of that season, the Michigan alum started 28 games for Jacksonville over the past two years. But he did not stick with the team’s now-Urban Meyer-headed regime.
Seahawks Place WR D’Wayne Eskridge On IR
D’Wayne Eskridge has not played since Week 1, and the Seahawks’ top 2021 draft choice will be out for the next three games. The team moved its second-round wide receiver to IR Thursday.
This is a concerning situation for Eskridge, who suffered a concussion in his debut. The 5-foot-9 wideout played 12 snaps against the Colts but left that game with a head injury. While the Seahawks are giving him extra time to recover, Eskridge’s extensive time in the protocol has become a situation to monitor.
Despite the presences of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, Seattle added Eskridge with the No. 56 overall pick. The Western Michigan alum saw action in five seasons at the mid-major program, redshirting one of those slates, and was one of college football’s top deep threats as an upperclassman. He averaged 23.3 yards per catch (33 receptions, 768 yards) and caught eight TD passes during the COVID-19-altered 2020 season, which reduced the MAC slate to six games.
The Seahawks have used Freddie Swain in an increased role in recent weeks; the 2020 sixth-round pick has two touchdown receptions thus far this season. Penny Hart resides as the fifth wideout on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster, but the team elevated former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett ahead of Thursday night’s game. Dorsett recently re-signed with the Seahawks, joining their practice squad, following his Jaguars exit.
Buccaneers Place CB Carlton Davis On IR
Carlton Davis‘ injury forced newcomer Richard Sherman into a full-time role in his first Buccaneers outing. The Bucs will be without their fourth-year starter for the foreseeable future.
Bruce Arians said this week Davis will not be back in action any time soon due to the quadriceps injury he sustained, and the team placed the veteran cornerback on IR Thursday. This adds to a litany of Bucs injuries at this spot.
Sean Murphy-Bunting is already on IR, and Jamel Dean missed the Bucs’ Week 4 game due to an injury sustained against the Rams. Dean did get in a limited practice to start this week, representing a positive sign for a battered secondary. But Davis will be down for at least the next three games. It will likely be a longer absence for Davis, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting a four- to six-week absence should be expected here (Twitter link).
A 2018 second-round pick, Davis has started 44 games since arriving in Tampa. Davis broke through with four interceptions last season and exited Sunday’s Patriots matchup grading as a top-10 corner this year, per Pro Football Focus. Since 2019, Davis has posted an NFL-high 42 pass breakups; no other defender in that span has more than 35. The Auburn alum will face a key stretch upon returning from injury, being in a contract year.
The Bucs ended the Pats game without their top three corners from last season. Should Dean be forced to miss another game with his knee malady, Sherman will lead a group also consisting of Ross Cockrell and Pierre Desir.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/7/21
Keeping tabs on the latest taxi squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR/KR Nsimba Webster
- Released: OL Alex Taylor
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for Return: RB Darrynton Evans
Packers To Place Chauncey Rivers On IR
Packers edge rusher Chauncey Rivers suffered a non-contact knee injury that will force him to the injured reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The injury may or may not be a season-ender, but he’ll be out for a good while either way. And, by placing him on IR, they’ll make room for newly-signed linebacker Jaylon Smith. 
[RELATED: Packers To Sign Jaylon Smith]
Rivers, 24, spent much of the offseason with the Ravens before getting cut in August. The Packers pounced quickly, picking him up off the waiver wire. Rivers stuck in Green Bay as a reserve, saw time in all four games, and recorded two tackles. To date, the UDFA out of Georgia and Mississippi State has five NFL appearances to his credit.
It’s likely an ACL tear for Rivers, which would automatically rule him out for the season. Even with Smith, the Packers may look to reshuffle their depth chart in order to replace Rivers’ special teams work. In the first quarter of the year, Smith played on 44 special teams snaps, in addition to 54 on D.
Packers To Sign Jaylon Smith
Jaylon Smith wasn’t out of work for long. Days after his release from the Cowboys, the linebacker has agreed to a one-year deal with the Packers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
Terms of the contract are not yet known, but it’s likely a low-cost deal since the Cowboys are still on the hook for Smith’s $7.2MM base salary.
Smith, a former second-round pick, was slowly being displaced by rookies Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox, as well as Keanu Neal this year. But, before that, he was a shining star for Dallas. Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2019, and his 154 tackles last season finished behind only the Texans’ Zach Cunningham. And, through four games this year, Pro Football Focus has him slotted as a top-15 linebacker.
The Notre Dame product figures to play a key role in Green Bay’s defense, alongside fellow 2016 draftee De’Vondre Campbell. As of this writing, the Packers’ ranks 25th in yards allowed per game and 16th in points allowed. Smith will try and help the cause starting Sunday when the Packers face the Bengals.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/6/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Rashod Berry, G Parker Ehinger
- Released: WR Javon McKinley
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Damon Hazelton
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Elijah Benton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Ryquell Armstead
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: LB Christian Elliss
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DL Willington Previlon