NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/22
Standard game day practice squad promotions can be found on our Minor Moves post, but here’s today’s other practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Mike Pennel
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Tanner Owen
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22
Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to 53-man roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Signed to 53-man roster (from Giants’ practice squad): OL Max Garcia
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Devon Kennard, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: OL Cody Ford
- Released: CB Javelin Guidry
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Anthony Firkser
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Steven Means
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Arron Mosby
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Mike Pennel, OL Dieter Eiselen
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Jordan Kunaszyk, DE Isaac Rochell
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Cooper Rush, K Brett Maher
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Justin Jackson, LB Anthony Pittman
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Micah Abernathy, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Signed to 53-man roster: DL Demone Harris, LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Chris Conley, QB Jeff Driskel
- Placed on IR: DE Mario Addison
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Tony Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Daurice Fountain, LB Elijah Lee
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: S Matthias Farley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Kemon Hall, TE Richard Rodgers
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: WR River Cracraft, S Verone McKinley III
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: S Myles Dorn
New England Patriots
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, LB Harvey Langi
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Christian Ringo
- Released: C Nick Martin
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: S Tony Jefferson, OLB Quincy Roche
New York Jets
- Promoted from practice squad: T Grant Hermanns
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Britain Covey, TE Noah Togiai
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Tashaun Gipson, WR Malik Turner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Genard Avery
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Joe Jones, RB Trenton Cannon
The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.
Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.
Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.
Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/22
Today’s minor moves leading up to Week 1:
Chicago Bears
- Released with injury settlement: WR Tajae Sharpe
- Released: DT Mike Pennel
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Herb Miller
Green Bay Packers
- Waived with injury settlement: DT Akial Byers, S Innis Gaines
Houston Texans
- Released: RB Royce Freeman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released with injury settlement: WR Greg Ward
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived with injury settlement: DT Elijah Ponder
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: DB Elijah Molden, LB Chance Campbell
The Texans had recently re-signed Freeman after he failed to make the initial 53-man roster. Houston will move forward with rookie Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, and Dare Ogunbowale at running back.
Ward has been with the Eagles on-and-off since signing with the team after going undrafted in 2017. His first two seasons consisted mostly of time on the practice squad. The former University of Houston quarterback then took a hiatus from the NFL to sign with the Alliance of American Football. When the AAF suspended operations, Ward re-joined the Eagles. He had a bit of a breakout year in 2020, catching 53 passes for 419 yards and six touchdowns, but took a bit of a backseat in Philadelphia’s offense last season.
Miller was called up as a response to Browns cornerback Greedy Williams being placed on injured reserve today. Miller will slot in behind Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II, Martin Emerson, and A.J. Green as the secondary faces off against their former teammate Baker Mayfield in Week 1.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: K Taylor Bertolet
- Released: TE Josh Babicz
Chicago Bears
- Released: LB Sam Kamara
Detroit Lions
- Signed: K Dominik Eberle
- Placed on practice squad/injured: K Aldrick Rosas
Latest On New Bears OL Alex Leatherwood
Chicago landed quite the haul in waiver claims last week. Perhaps the most intriguing of the six claims they made is former-Raiders offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood. After being selected 17th-overall in last year’s draft, the Alabama product failed to survive this year’s 53-man roster cuts, much to the benefit of the Bears’ offensive line group. 
The move could also benefit the 23-year-old, as well, as some in league circles see Chicago as a better scheme-fit for Leatherwood, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus. The improved fit doesn’t exactly mean that we can expect Leatherwood to become an immediate starter in Chicago, though.
The guard spots are currently manned by Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins. Rookie fifth-round pick Braxton Jones has exploded onto the scene and seized the starting job at left tackle, pushing Riley Reiff to right tackle and Larry Borom to the bench as a backup. So where exactly does Leatherwood fit into the picture?
To start his career with the Bears, Leatherwood has been practicing at right tackle, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic. General manager Ryan Poles asserted that they expect to work Leatherwood at guard, too, though.
“We all believe in player development here, and we’ve put pieces in place to allow players to be their best selves,” Poles told reporters. “So we’re going to approach that in many different ways, and we’re going to give (Leatherwood) an opportunity to develop and grow. Forget the draft pick thing. That’s over. So let’s start from the ground floor. Let’s build you up and take your time and whatever that is, we want to put him in the best position to succeed.”
The good news for Leatherwood is that his versatility allows him more positions in which to find success. In college, Leatherwood began as the primary backup to starting left tackle Jonah Williams. Unable to keep him off the field, Nick Saban and company decided to start him at right guard as a sophomore. He moved back to left tackle for his junior and senior seasons winning the Outland Trophy as a senior. The Raiders attempted to start Leatherwood at tackle as a rookie but, after some persistent struggles, the team moved him inside to guard, where he started the remainder of the season.
It will likely be an adjustment for Leatherwood to be forced into a backup role, but the change may be just what he needs to develop and learn to play at the NFL level. And Chicago may be the perfect place for him to do so. The Bears are in a bit of a rebuilding stage and do not expect to be in contention enough to require immediate success out of Leatherwood. Additionally, we’ve seen very recent success stories of offensive line development from the Bears with young players like Jones and Jenkins making impressive progress in their short time with the team.
So this is where we’re at with Leatherwood: the second-year lineman has been given a second chance in a scheme better fit for him and on a roster that doesn’t pressure him for immediate success. Putting it all in this perspective makes it easy to see how the addition can be a win-win scenario for Leatherwood and the Bears.
NFC Workouts: Keene, Osemele, Brown, Butler
NFL teams continue to try and piece together their ideal rosters as the regular season approaches. Tight end Dalton Keene is putting out feelers lately, taking visits to San Francisco and Pittsburgh this week, according to two tweets from ESPN’s Field Yates.
Keene faces long odds of getting a job with the 49ers, who currently hold four tight ends on a roster that includes George Kittle, Tyler Kroft, Charlie Woerner, and Ross Dwelley. All three backups behind Kittle had more play and production last year than Keene has had throughout his young career.
Pittsburgh has three tight ends on their roster with Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry, and sixth-round rookie Connor Heyward (brother of Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward). The Steelers’ tight end group is a bit less experienced or proven than San Francisco’s, so Keene has a better chance of getting an opportunity in Pittsburgh, but no deals have been announced in the meantime.
Here are a few other notable workouts from around the NFC, starting with a former All-Pro who hasn’t played since 2020:
- Offensive guard Kelechi Osemele is attempting to make a big comeback into the NFL. Osemele worked out with the Bears this past Thursday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The 2016 first-team All-Pro has seen his career derailed by injuries over the past few years. After being traded from the Raiders to the Jets, Osemele was released when he underwent shoulder surgery that the Jets didn’t deem necessary. He signed on the next year with Kansas City but was placed on injured reserve after tearing tendons in both knees in a Week 5 game in 2020. The 33-year-old looks to be trying to make his way back to the field and the Bears, who recently claimed another former Raider in Alex Leatherwood, certainly could use the depth.
- With defensive tackles Malcolm Roach and Albert Huggins on injured reserve, the Saints are looking to improve their depth at the position. On Wednesday they tried out former Panthers and Bills defensive lineman Vernon Butler, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Butler’s best season came with he started nine games for the Panthers in 2019, racking up 6.0 sacks, but he has been a reliable rotational defensive lineman for the Bills since then.
- The Lions hosted defensive tackle Malcom Brown back in late-August, according to Yates. The former first-round pick failed to make an impression, though. Despite the Lions dedicating 13 roster spots to the defensive line on their initial 53-man roster, Brown remains a free agent in search of his next opportunity.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/22
Teams are still constructing their initial 16-man practice squads. Here is the latest on how those are shaping up:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Andrew Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Zachary Thomas
- Released: DL Micah Dew-Treadway
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Essang Bassey
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: Micah Abernathy
- Released: CB Rico Gafford
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DB Josh Thompson, WR Seth Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Larry Rountree
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Freddie Swain
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Jason Huntley, DL Renell Wren
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Josh Onujiogu, DE Jabari Zuniga
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB De’Jon Harris
Bears President Ted Phillips To Retire After 2022 Season
Roster-building has been much of the focus around the league this past week, but an announcement has been made by the Bears with significant front office implications. President and CEO Ted Phillips will retire at the conclusion of the 2022 season, ending nearly four decades of work for the organization.
“When COVID came, it changed a lot of dynamics and gave me some time to reflect on my life, my work life,” the 65-year-old said, via Dan Pompei of The Athletic (subscription required). “I came to the conclusion that, my gosh, almost 40 years is a long time. It’s time to hand over the baton and give myself the gift of time… I feel good. My health is good. I felt it was time to slow down and do whatever I want to do.”
Phillips has served in his current role since 1999, when he became the fourth president in franchise history and the first not related to George Halas. Principally working on the financial side of the organization, Phillips held three previous titles dating back to 1983. Chief among his notable efforts was the renovation of Soldier Field which greatly boosted the value of the franchise and gave the team a long-term assurance with respect to its home stadium.
When asked about Phillips, chairman George McCaskey said, “He’s been an outstanding leader for the Bears. Peerless is the word that comes to mind.” The search for Phillips’ successor has already begun, though no candidates have been named as of yet.
The Bears were rumored to be contemplating a major shake-up in their power structure last year, with former player and current coaching agent Trace Armstrong named as the potential incoming top executive. Instead, the team moved on from GM Ryan Pace and HC Matt Nagy, replacing them with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus, respectively.
Phillips’ tenure includes the Bears’ Super Bowl XLI loss, but just three playoff appearances since. That lack of success has led to questions about his level of involvement with player personnel decisions, something he repeated was the responsibility of the GMs working under him.
“The Achilles heel of the Bears for many decades,” he admitted, “has been to have the right quarterback in place who is not only talented but can lead and raise the talent level around him. In my opinion, having the head coach or general manager report differently would not have changed any of that.”
Philips is stepping away from his position, but will still be a key player in the efforts to secure a new stadium location in the near future. His final reflections on the past 23 years, though, speak to his level of enjoyment over that span: “It’s honestly been a dream come true to work for such a treasured franchise and a family with the most humble people you can imagine,” he said. “My career has been a joy every day.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Devon Kennard, S Steven Parker, S Josh Thomas, OL Badara Traore
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Anthony Firkser, TE Tucker Fisk, CB Ka’Dar Hollman
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: QB Zach Davidson, DB Kyler McMichael, OL Ryan Van Demark
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Jacob Eason, WR C.J. Sanders
- Released: S Kenny Robinson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Kellen Diesch, LB Joe Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Qadree Ollison, C Dakoda Shepley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G William Sherman
Detroit Lions
- Signed: K Aldrick Rosas
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Shaun Beyer, CB Benjie Franklin, WR Juwann Winfree
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Arlington Hambright, LB Segun Olubi
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: K James McCourt
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Cole Christiansen
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Vitaliy Gurman, DB J.R. Reed
- Released: OT Bamidele Olaseni
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Kalon Barnes, OT Larnel Coleman, WR River Cracraft, OL James Empey, LB Cameron Goode, LB Porter Gustin, S Verone McKinley III, WR Braylon Sanders, DT Niles Scott, DT Ben Stille, WR Freddie Swain, RB ZaQuandre White
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: QB David Blough, CB Tay Gowan, WR Travis Toivonen
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE JP Holtz, LB Drew Desjarlais, DL Christian Ringo
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Wyatt Davis, OL Max Garcia, DB Tony Jefferson, DE Henry Mondeaux, WR Kalil Pimpleton, LB Charles Wiley
- Released: DB Darren Evans, OT Roy Mbaeteka, OT Garrett McGhin, DB Nate Meadors
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Craig James, LB Chazz Surratt
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Davion Taylor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Mark Gilbert
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Xavier Crawford, OL Jalen McKenzie, QB Sean Mannion
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Anthony Chesley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Kevin Rader
- Released: WR Reggie Roberson, TE David Wells
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/22
Teams continue to tinker with their rosters after hundreds of players were cut earlier this week. We’ve tracked all of today’s minor moves below:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, LS Aaron Brewer, CB Mike Ford, G Colby Gossett, LB Nick Kwiatkoski, S Dean Marlowe
- Placed on IR: S Charles Washington, WR Antoine Wesley
- Waived from IR: OL Greg Long
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Abdullah Anderson,
- Placed on IR: DL Marlon Davidson, TE John Fitzpatrick, LB Deion Jones, OL Jalen Mayfield, CB Isaiah Oliver
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: DT Aaron Crawford
Chicago Bears
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- Placed on IR: WR N’Keal Harry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Mike Thomas
- Placed on IR: DE Khalid Kareem
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB C.J. Goodwin, LS Jake McQuaide
- Placed on IR: OT Tyron Smith, WR James Washington
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips, DT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: DB Essang Bassey
- Placed on IR: TE Greg Dulcich, CB Michael Ojemudia
- Released from IR: CB Donnie Lewis
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR: WR Danny Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: LB Trevor Denbow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): LB Caleb Johnson
- Released: DL Adam Gotsis
- Reverted to IR: K Jake Verity
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: LB Daniel Hardy
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: S Clayton Fejedelem
- Released from IR: CB Mackensie Alexander, DB D’Angelo Ross
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: WR Tyquan Thornton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Dwayne Washington
- Placed on IR: OT Trevor Penning, DL Malcolm Roach
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Austin Calitro, TE Tanner Hudson, DL Nick Williams
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): G Tyre Phillips
- Placed on IR: OL Shane Lemieux, DE Elerson Smith, CB Rodarius Williams
- Released from IR: TE Dre Miller, TE Ricky Seals-Jones
New York Jets
- Signed: S Marcell Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): LB Jamir Jones
- Released: LB Derrek Tuszka
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Tyler Kroft, DE Jordan Willis
- Placed on IR: LB Curtis Robinson, S Jimmie Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Justin Coleman
- Placed on IR: DL LJ Collier
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: C Ryan Jensen
- Waived/injured: WR Cyril Grayson Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Cody Hollister
- Placed on IR: WR Racey McMath