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: 10/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DT Mike Pennel
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR/KR Nsimba Webster
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Michael Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Hjalte Froholdt (from Texans’ practice squad)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Ryan McCollum (from Texans’ practice squad)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Designated for Return: LB Willie Gay
- Placed on IR: DE Joshua Kaindoh
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Brandon Facyson (from Chargers’ practice squad)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Harrison Hand
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Promoted: OL Isaiah Williams
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: CB Danny Johnson, LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Bears’ David Montgomery To Miss Time
The Bears will be without David Montgomery for a while (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The running back’s knee injury isn’t a season ender, but it’s expected to cost him several weeks. 
Montgomery could return sometime around Week 10 — the Bears’ bye week. It’s unfortunate timing, especially on the heels of his second 100-yard game. Montgomery opened the year with 108 yards against the Rams and, on Sunday, put up 106 yards against Detroit. All in all, he has 309 yards and three touchdowns on the ground plus six grabs for 49 yards.
Ultimately, the injury is not as bad as it first appeared. Montgomery was down for a while after hurting his knee in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off of the field. And, historically, he’s been pretty resilient. Despite bumps and bruises, Montgomery missed just one game between 2019 and 2020.
In the meantime, that leaves the Bears with Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert as their lone RBs. Practice squader Ryan Nall could get called up, but the Bears may also want to explore some out-of-house options.
Dolphins Trade Jakeem Grant To Bears
The Dolphins are trading wide receiver Jakeem Grant to the Bears (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In exchange, the Bears will ship a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to the ‘Fins. 
Grant survived the Dolphins’ final round of cuts, but only after agreeing to a reworked deal. The receiver’s new contract is both cheaper and shorter. He was set to be under club control for two more seasons. Now, he’s got just one more year to go, so he’ll be a free agent in the spring of 2022. The revised pact — now owned by the Bears — leaves him with a one-year deal worth up to $3MM via incentives.
Grant registered 36 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown through 14 games in 2020. Then, a high-ankle sprain in December cut his season short. Before he was placed on IR, Grant stood as the league leader in punt return yards (330) and per-return average (11.4). He also added to his highlight reel with a punt return for a TD against the the Rams in November —a difference-maker in their 28-17 win.
He didn’t factor much into the Dolphins’ early-season offense, catching two passes for a net loss of seven yards. On special teams, he’s got eight punt returns for 59 yards (7.4 on avg) and two kick returns for 46 yards (23.0 avg).
In Chicago, Grant will likely take over KR/PR duties from Khalil Herbert and Nsimba Webster.
Nagy: Andy Dalton Is Starter When Healthy
Andy Dalton returned to practice Wednesday, going through the Bears’ workout in a limited capacity. And Matt Nagy has not changed his depth chart at quarterback.
The player the Bears promised would begin the season as their starter will remain so going forward, once he returns to full strength. Dalton suffered a knee contusion in Chicago’s Week 2 win over Cincinnati.
“In regards to the depth chart with them, Andy is the 1, Justin’s the 2, Nick is the 3,” Nagy said of his Dalton-Justin Fields–Nick Foles depth chart (via ESPN.com’s Field Yates, on Twitter).
Although Dalton’s injury moved Fields into the lineup, he trudged through an abysmal day in Cleveland. The No. 11 overall pick took nine sacks and completed 6 of 20 passes. First-round rookies rarely give jobs back after ascending to staring roles; Mitchell Trubisky moved into Chicago’s starting lineup in Week 5 of his rookie year and made every subsequent start in 2017. Fields’ performance may have opened the door for Dalton to stay in the picture. Fields was also uneven in his debut against the Bengals, following Dalton’s injury.
After suffering a right thumb injury, Fields practiced fully Wednesday. Foles is not on Chicago’s injury report but does not appear to have re-entered the equation for a possible starting role. The trade candidate remains in a third-string position to begin his age-32 season.
Nagy also indicated the Bears have had conversations about their play-calling role, though no decision has been made. Chicago ranks last in total yards and 31st in points through three games. Nagy gave OC Bill Lazor play-calling responsibilities amid a swoon last season, and the Bears — albeit against favorable opposition — made a late-season run to reach the playoffs. Nagy took back the play-calling reins this offseason. Lazor was Dalton’s OC in Cincinnati from 2017-18 and his position coach in 2016.
Bears Designate Danny Trevathan For Return
The Bears have designated linebacker Danny Trevathan to return from the injured reserve list. The Bears now have 21 days to either move him to the active roster or shut him down for the remainder of the season. 
Trevathan will likely return sooner rather than later. The tenth-year vet missed time with a knee injury during training camp, but this was always viewed as a short-term injury.
The Bears did their best to brace for Trevathan’s absence, rostering plenty of inside linebackers on their 53-man roster. Still, they’d like to have the 31-year-old defensive anchor return ASAP. The 1-2 Bears coughed up a combined 60 points in their losses to the Rams and the Browns.
Trevathan has been a starter for the Bears since signing with them in 2016. The former Broncos sixth-round pick and two-time Super Bowl starter has battled multiple significant injuries since ’16, but turned in a full slate with 113 stops last year to help lift the Bears to the playoffs. The Bears have Trevathan signed through 2022, thanks to the three-year contract he inked last year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/21
The weekly Saturday bunch of minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: WR Juwan Green
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: LB Josh Bynes, DL Reginald McKenzie, CB Kevon Seymour, T Andre Smith
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: DL Margus Hunt
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: S Sean Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: TE Jordan Franks
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: K Ryan Santoso
- Placed on IR: DE Kevin Strong
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: WR DeMichael Harris, QB Brett Hundley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: WR Phillip Dorsett
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Trey Ragas
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: OLB Emeke Egbule, DL Joe Gaziano
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: DB Tyler Hall, RB Buddy Howell
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: RB Ameer Abdullah, G Dakota Dozier, CB Parry Nickerson
- Waived: T Blake Brandel
New England Patriots
- Promoted: LB Jahlani Tavai
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR C.J. Board, C Jonotthan Harrison
- Placed on IR: LB Cam Brown
New York Jets
- Promoted: OL Isaiah Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: DL Kevin Givens
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: DT Robert Nkemdiche, WR Cody Thompson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Rashard Robinson, TE Deon Yelder
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: FB Tory Carter, DL Woodrow Hamilton
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DE Aaron Patrick (from Jaguars’ practice squad)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Josh Woods (from Bears’ practice squad)
- Placed on IR: WR Tyrell Williams (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: QB Reid Sinnett
Bears To Start Justin Fields
The Bears will start Justin Fields on Sunday, head coach Matt Nagy announced (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The rookie will start in place of the injured Andy Dalton with Nick Foles serving as the No. 2 quarterback. 
This will be a temporary arrangement, according to Nagy. “When Andy is healthy,” the head coach said. “He’s our starter.”
Dalton was knocked out of Sunday’s win over the Bengals and an MRI confirmed a bone bruise in his knee. That shouldn’t shelve the veteran for too long, though he hasn’t been stellar so far this year. His performance in the Week 1 loss to the Rams was rough and, even though he looked a bit better on Sunday, Fields’ upside cannot be ignored.
Before exiting, Dalton completed nine of his 11 passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Fields completed both of his pass attempts and rushed for a touchdown in Week 1. In fairness, the first-round pick wasn’t as strong this past weekend — he completed only six of his 13 pass attempts for 60 yards with one TD and one fumble.
Despite Nagy’s assertion, a strong showing from Fields could change quickly. If he takes the helm, he’ll be just the fifth Round 1 QB to be the primary starter of his club since 2011, following Patrick Mahomes, Jake Locker, Johnny Manziel, and Paxton Lynch.
Bears Work Out CB D.J. Hayden
The Bears worked out a trio of defensive backs today, including a former first-round pick. The team auditioned D.J. Hayden, Lafayette Pitts, and Kevon Seymour, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
While Hayden hasn’t necessarily lived up to his 12th-overall selection in the 2013 draft, he’s still managed to put together an eight-year career. The veteran had spent the past three seasons in Jacksonville, but he bounced on and off injured reserve in 2020 while dealing with a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old ultimately saw time in five games, collecting 18 tackles.
The Bears struggled during their loss to the Rams, with slot corner Marqui Christian getting his fair share of the blame. The cornerback finished the game having allowed five catches (including two touchdowns) on six targets.
The Bears were also busy working out running backs today, with Brian Hill, Wendell Smallwood, and Chris Thompson all in for tryouts. Biggs assumes (on Twitter) that the team is simply updating their RB free agent list, which makes sense considering the team’s depth (David Montgomery, Damien Williams, and (eventually) Tarik Cohen).