Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/23
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return: CB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Signed off Jets practice squad: S Jared Mayden
- Waived: CB Xavier Rhodes
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: CB Josh Blackwell, G Teven Jenkins, OT Michael Schofield III
- Signed to active roster: LB DeMarquis Gates, DE Jalyn Holmes, LB Terrell Lewis
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated for return: G Matt Farniok
Detroit Lions
- Designated for return: CB Chase Lucas
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: CB Kenny Moore II
- Signed off Jaguars practice squad: DE Rashod Berry
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return: DL Jonathan Bullard
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on NFI: RB Dwayne Washington
- Signed to active roster: WR Keith Kirkwood
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: TE Tyler Mabry
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: LB De’Jon Harris
Bears To Extend WR Equanimeous St. Brown
The Bears threw a few darts at the receiver position this offseason, bringing in a host of Darnell Mooney supporting-cast options. They intend to retain at least one of them.
Equanimeous St. Brown agreed to stay via a one-year deal, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic tweets. Rather than try his hand in free agency again, the complementary receiver will sign for $1.25MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter). This marks a slight raise for the 6-foot-5 target, who signed for $965K last year.
The elder of the NFL’s St. Brown brothers, Equanimeous came over from Green Bay with first-year Chicago OC Luke Getsy. The former Packers sixth-round pick has 20 receptions for 320 yards — eight shy of his career-high total, set back in 2018 — and a touchdown in the Bears’ run-oriented offense. St. Brown also has 54 rushing yards on six carries this year.
Chicago added St. Brown, Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry, Dante Pettis and Velus Jones this offseason. Of this contingent, St. Brown has compiled the most receiving yards. Harry, Pringle and Pettis have one more game on their current Bears contracts. Although the Bears have run into injuries to several of their receivers this season, St. Brown has started 15 games during his Chicago debut.
The team has Chase Claypool, a deadline addition, signed through 2023. Mooney’s rookie deal also runs through 2023. St. Brown, 26, will be in position to supplement the higher-profile players next season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/3/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB John Reid
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Tarik Black
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Kameron Canaday
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Austin Allen, K Matt Ammendola
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Sheldrick Redwine
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jerrion Ealy
- Placed on IR: WR Cornell Powell
New York Giants
- Signed: WR David Sills
- Released: DT Jack Heflin
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: QB Jacob Eason
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Chris Steele, WR Connor Wedington
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Curtis Brooks, CB Shyheim Carter, LB Sam Okuayinonu
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/22
Today’s roster moves heading into gameday:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Promoted from practice squad: LS Hunter Bradley, S Josh Thomas
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: S Micah Abernathy
- Activated from IR: OL Matt Hennessy
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali
- Placed on IR: T Chuma Edoga, S Jovante Moffatt
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: QB Anthony Brown
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Andy Isabella, DT Rayshad Nichols
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: WR Andre Roberts
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Josh Norman, C Sam Tecklenburg
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: LB DeMarquis Gates, CB Greg Stroman
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: S Brady Breeze
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: K Ramiz Ahmed, RB Tyler Goodson
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Keke Coutee, LB Segun Olubi
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: T Coy Cronk
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: QB Chase Garbers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Ike Brown, T Sebastian Gutierrez
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: T Chandler Brewer
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jared Pinkney
- Waived: G Bobby Evans
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: T Kendall Lamm
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Josiah Bronson, LB Brennan Scarlett
- Placed on IR: DT Justin Zimmer
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: G Kyle Hinton, DL T.J. Smith
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: CB Tae Hayes
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Quandre Mosely, TE Matt Sokol
- Placed on IR: CB Jack Jones
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: G Josh Andrews, WR Keith Kirkwood
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: T Cedric Ogbuehi
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Chris Streveler
- Placed on IR: WR Jeff Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: P Brett Kern
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Renell Wren
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Tay Martin, DL Kemoko Turay
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: LB Vi Jones
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cade Johnson, TE Tyler Mabry
- Placed on IR: WR Marquise Goodwin
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: DT David Bada
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Troy Apke, RB Jaret Patterson
- Waived: DT Daniel Wise
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren In Consideration For Bears’ President Role
At the start of the 2022 regular season, it was announced that Ted Phillips would be stepping aside from his position as president and CEO of the Bears at the end of the year. A notable name has emerged as a serious candidate to succeed him.
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has drawn interest from Chicago, as detailed by Matt Fortuna, Adam Jahns, Nicole Auerbach, Max Olson and Dan Pompei of The Athletic (subscription required). They report that Warren has interviewed with the Bears on at least two occasions for the position, as the team continues to undergo a lengthy search for their first new president since 1999. 
Warren, 59, began a lengthy NFL executive career with the Rams in 1997. His time there was followed by a three-year stint with the Lions and 15 years in Minnesota. That stretch included the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium – a feat of considerable importance to the Bears at the moment, as one of their front office’s top priorities is replacing Soldier Field.
It is Warren’s time with the Vikings (which ended in 2019) in particular which has led to the Bears showing considerable interest in hiring him, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He adds that Warren has interviewed in person for the position as one of the finalists to be offered the role. The only other candidate to be publicly named is Cubs chief commercial officer Colin Faulkner.
For the past three years, Warren has served as the Big Ten’s commissioner. His tenure was met with controversy and criticism due to his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately led to a shortened season taking place. More recently, his most notable moves have been the agreement which will see USC and UCLA join the conference in 2024, along with a ten-figure media broadcast rights deal which takes effect next year. 2022 is the first season in the Big Ten’s history in which two of its teams (second-ranked Michigan and No. 4 seed Ohio State) have qualified for the College Football Playoff.
On the subject of a timeframe for when a hire will be announced, the Bears said in a statement, “We have not set a timeline for announcing Ted Phillips’ successor. Our search team has cast a wide net, spoken to many outstanding candidates and looks forward to introducing our next president and CEO at the process’s conclusion.”
Thamel notes that Warren has not been given an extension since his tenure with the Big Ten began, though the particulars of his contract are not known. In the future, however, he could be in line for a move bringing him back to front office work at the pro level.
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Retires
Veteran NFL safety Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix reportedly joined his former team in order to retire today, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Clinton-Dix has effectively been out of the league for over a year now and has decided to hang up his cleats at 30 years old. 
Clinton-Dix was a first-round draft pick after electing to forgo his remaining eligibility at Alabama back in 2014. In the draft process, Clinton-Dix was often compared against Louisville safety Calvin Pryor for the title of the draft’s top safety prospect. After the Packers did not re-sign free safety M.D. Jennings, the team selected Clinton-Dix to come in and compete with then-second-year safety Micah Hyde for the starting spot at free safety alongside strong safety Morgan Burnett.
Hyde would win the starting job to start the season, but Clinton-Dix would receive plenty of playing time to start his rookie season as a fifth defensive back. It didn’t take long for Clinton-Dix to push Hyde for the starting role, though, earning his first start only seven weeks into the year. Clinton-Dix would refuse to relinquish the starting job from then on, starting every game for whatever team he would play on after that all the way through the 2019 season.
Clinton-Dix played nearly all of the remainder of his rookie contract as the Packers’ starting safety in tandem with Burnett. As a Packer, Clinton-Dix would haul in 14 interceptions, including a 2016 Pro Bowl season that would see him intercept five passes. He also proved himself to be a physical safety for Green Bay’s defense, leading the team in 2015 with 100 total tackles.
After exercising his fifth-year option, the Packers would trade Clinton-Dix halfway through his fifth year in the league to Washington. After playing out the remainder of his rookie deal in DC, Clinton-Dix signed a one-year contract with the Bears, with whom he would nab two more interceptions as a full-time starter. These games in Chicago would end up being the last starts, and the last significant playing time, of his career.
Clinton-Dix reunited with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas and was expected to take over at safety for the Cowboys after the loss of Jeff Heath. Unfortunately for Clinton-Dix, he was soon passed up by Darian Thompson on the depth chart and released just prior to the regular season. After sitting out the 2020 season following his release from the Cowboys, Clinton-Dix would spend a couple weeks of the offseason in San Francisco before being released prior to the 2021 season. He would be signed to the Raiders practice squad. He would appear in two games for Las Vegas off of the practice squad, playing only on special teams. Clinton-Dix was released in December and spent the short remainder of the season on Denver’s practice squad.
Over 13 months after making his last appearance on an NFL field, Clinton-Dix announced his retirement today, signing a one-day contract to end his career in his original NFL home of Green Bay.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/28/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LS Hunter Bradley, CB Jordan Miller, CB Chris Wilcox
- Activated from practice squad IR: OL Lachavious Simmons
- Placed on practice squad IR: CB Nate Hairston
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from practice squad IR: WR Jared Bernhardt, OL Justin Shaffer
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
- Terminated: RB Tyler Badie
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Greg Stroman Jr.
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB David Vereen
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: C Garrison Sanborn
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Trent Harris
- Activated from practice squad IR: OL Vitaliy Gurman
- Released: WR Albert Wilson
Bears Claim CB Michael Ojemudia
Jettisoned by the Broncos during a rather eventful week for that franchise, Michael Ojemudia will have another chance. He did not make it too far down the waiver order, either.
The Bears used their No. 2 waiver spot to pick up the third-year defender. Ojemudia’s third-round rookie contract runs through 2023, giving the Bears an offseason to gauge his fit in Matt Eberflus‘ defense. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Bears waived veteran defensive end Taco Charlton.
Ojemudia has only one season to really measure in terms of NFL performance. A Broncos team limited at corner turned to the Iowa alum for 11 starts in 2020. The 6-foot-1 corner allowed a 103.2 passer rating as the closest defender and yielded three touchdowns. Ojemudia’s 852 defensive snaps in 16 games that season were not indicative of his NFL trajectory, with injuries largely defining his next two seasons.
A hamstring injury kept him off the field for most of last season, and a dislocated elbow cost him a chunk of this year’s campaign. Ojemudia, 25, played just one defensive snap for the Broncos this season. The Bears, however, are playing out the string at corner and could use assistance. After placing safety Eddie Jackson on IR, Chicago moved corners Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor to its injured list. All three are out for the season’s remainder.
Charlton, 28, played in five Bears games but did not record a sack. The former first-round pick has seen action with five teams over the past five seasons, moving from Dallas to Miami to Kansas City to Pittsburgh to Chicago.
Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, much is still to be decided both in terms of playoff positioning and the order of the upcoming draft. Five teams are still eligible to land the top pick.
The Texans remain in pole position to hold the No. 1 spot, but their win over the Titans (coupled with the Bears’ losing streak extending to eight games) leaves Chicago just a half-game away. The fact that the Bears would likely select a defensive player rather than a quarterback with the top pick adds considerable intrigue to the potential implications of them ending up with that slot.
With the Browns continuing to struggle even with Deshaun Watson back from suspension, there is a distinct possibility that four first-rounders which changed hands (including Cleveland’s top 2023 pick, part of the package they sent to Houston for Watson) land in the top 10. Another premium selection would obviously soften the blow of losing out on the No. 1 spot from the Texans’ perspective, should that take place.
The final Wild Card spot in each conference is still being contested by several teams, resulting in a logjam of 7-8 squads in the middle of the order. Several head-to-head matchups will be played out between those clubs, which could lead to plenty of change in their positioning over the next two weeks. The race for both the AFC and NFC South titles will also have a significant impact on the final order, given the average (at best) record each division’s winner will have at the end of the regular season.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks entering Week 17:
- Houston Texans: 2-12-1
- Chicago Bears: 3-12
- Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
- Arizona Cardinals: 4-11
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-10-1
- Atlanta Falcons: 5-10
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Carolina Panthers: 6-9
- Las Vegas Raiders: 6-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Seattle Seahawks: 7-8
- Tennessee Titans: 7-8
- New England Patriots: 7-8
- New York Jets: 7-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-8
- Green Bay Packers: 7-8
- Detroit Lions: 7-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 7-8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-8
- Washington Commanders: 7-7-1
- New York Giants: 8-6-1
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-6
- Baltimore Ravens: 10-5
- Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)
- Dallas Cowboys: 11-4
- Cincinnati Bengals: 11-4
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-3
- Minnesota Vikings: 12-3
- Buffalo Bills: 12-3
- Philadelphia Eagles: 13-2
Next year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/22
Today’s minor moves heading into the NFL’s largest slate of Saturday games of the season:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: DT Isaiah Mack
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cole Beasley, DE Kingsley Jonathan
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: RB Khalil Herbert (story)
- Signed to active roster: CB Breon Borders
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Chase Allen, WR Nsimba Webster
- Placed on IR: CB Jaylon Johnson, CB Kindle Vildor
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Allan George
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Mackensie Alexander, C Brock Hoffman
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: S Brady Breeze, TE Garrett Griffin
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from IR: TE Blake Bell
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Danny Shelton
- Placed on IR: TE Jody Fortson
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: G Kyle Hinton
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: LS Tucker Addington
- Promoted from practice squad: K Tristan Vizcaino, TE Scotty Washington
- Placed on IR: LS Joe Cardona
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: WR Kirk Merritt
- Promoted from practice squad: G Josh Andrews, WR Keith Kirkwood
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to active roster: LB Christian Elliss
- Promoted from practice squad: P Brett Kern
- Placed on IR: TE Tyree Jackson
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Michael Dwumfour, WR Willie Snead
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Godwin Igwebuike, RB Wayne Gallman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to active roster: WR Deven Thompkins
- Placed on IR: LB Genard Avery
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Andre Smith, Jonathan Ward