Minor NFL Transactions: 9/4/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Browns claimed offensive lineman Zach Banner off waivers from the Colts, who cut him despite drafting him in the fourth round this year. Cleveland made room for Banner by placing offensive lineman Rod Johnson on IR. Additionally, the Browns continued their busy offseason regarding secondary turnover by releasing former safety starter Ed Reynolds from IR.
- The Steelers re-signed linebacker Steven Johnson and waived safety Jordan Dangerfield with an injury designation. Johnson initially saw his name appear on Pittsburgh’s cut list Saturday, but the backup will return. Pittsburgh also placed cornerback Cameron Sutton, a rookie third-rounder, on IR.
- Jacquies Smith will move from the PUP list back to the Buccaneers‘ 53-man roster. The team reinstated the defensive end on Monday. A fourth-year player, Smith is expected to be a rotational player in Tampa Bay this season.
- The Dolphins re-signed tackle Sam Young. Miami cut the offensive lineman on Saturday but will keep him around for now. Miami guaranteed Young’s salary, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets, signing Young this week instead of next because an unspecified team wanted him. This will mark Young’s eighth NFL season. The Dolphins signed him to an extension in December.
- Quarterback Jeff Driskel will land on the Bengals‘ IR list. The former 49ers sixth-rounder has yet to play in a game.
- A starter in three games last season, linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin landed on the Jets‘ IR Monday. To replace the third-year player, Gang Green re-signed linebacker Bruce Carter. Now a seventh-year veteran, Carter played a depth role with the Jets last season.
- Wide receiver Chris Matthews re-signed with the Ravens, who made room on their 53-man roster by placing cornerback Maurice Canady on IR.
- The Falcons released defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, who resides on the Commissioner’s Exempt list as a result of misdemeanor charges from 2016. While Hageman is on that list, the Falcons will not have to pay Hageman.
- The Chargers claimed linebacker Hayes Pullard off waivers from the Jaguars. A former Browns seventh-rounder in 2015, Pullard started two games for the 2015 Jags and played in all 16 Jacksonville contests last season.
- Jelani Jenkins was expected to start for the Raiders, but the former Dolphins linebacker found himself on the team’s cut list Saturday. The Raiders, though, reached an injury settlement with the fifth-year linebacker, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (on Twitter). Jenkins suffered a groin injury during the preseason. Oakland also reached an injury settlement with Jaydon Mickens, per Gehlken, who adds Mickens suffered an ankle injury.
- The Seahawks waived cornerback Demetrius McCray with an injury settlement, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets.
- The Redskins reached an injury settlement with center Ronald Patrick, waiving the interior blocker from IR as a result.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/17
NFL teams began forming their practice squads on Sunday, but they’re tinkering with them today as they will throughout the season. We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE MyCole Pruitt, G Will Pericak, LB Zach Vigil
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Sojourn Shelton, G Cole Toner
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, OL Travis Averill
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Earl Okine
- Cut: DT Derrick Lott
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, OLB/DE Carroll Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Gabe Wright
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Cornelius Edison, OT Cedrick Lang
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Demarcus Ayers
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Terrell Sinkfield, DL Patrick Gamble, OLB Geoff Gray, WR JoJo Natson, OLB Freddie Bishop, RB Marcus Murphy
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: C James Stone, DE Max Valles
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Trevone Boykin, WR David Moore, LB Austin Calitro, OT Jarron Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Zach Pascal
Washington Redskins
- Signed: QB Alek Torgersen, WR Dres Anderson, OL Anthony Fabiano
Details On Benwikere Trade
- New Cowboys cornerback Bene Benwikere needs to be on the team’s 46-man gameday roster four times in order for the Bengals to receive Dallas’ sixth-round pick in 2019, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets. The corner was shipped to his fifth team in eleven months in the Sunday trade.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo
- RB Alex Collins
- FB Ricky Ortiz
- OL Maurquice Shakir
- LB Boseko Lokombo
- TE Ryan Malleck
- DB Reggie Porter
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Brandon Bell
- K Jake Elliott
- OT Kent Perkins
- DT Josh Tupou
- WR Kermit Whitfield
- DT DeShawn Williams
- RB Jarveon Williams
- S Brandon Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed:
- WR Reggie Davis
- DB Michael Jordan
- DT T.Y. McGill
- WR Kasen Williams (story)
- QB Josh Woodrum
- Cut:
- WR Rashard Higgins
- DB Darius Hillary
- DL Tyrone Holmes
- DB Kai Nacua
- DB Marcus Burley
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE J.P. Holtz
- LB Deon King
- RB Terrence Magee
- DB Najee Murray
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Acquired:
- S J.J. Wilcox (story)
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Justin Thomas
- C Kyle Friend
- TE Jake McGee
- RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
- WR Marcus Tucker
- LB Matt Galambos
- S Jacob Hagen
- DE Lavon Hooks
- LB Farrington Huguenin
- CB Dashaun Phillips
Bengals Reach 53-Man Limit
The Bengals officially made 30 moves on Saturday in order to reach the 53-man max. The full rundown is below.
Waived:
- LB Bryson Albright
- LB Brandon Bell
- WR Chris Brown
- DE Ryan Brown
- DE Will Clarke
- S Demetrious Cox
- LB P.J. Dawson
- DT David Dean
- G J.J. Dielman
- K Jake Elliott
- DE Marcus Hardison
- FB Darrin Laufasa
- OT Landon Lechler
- G Cameron Lee
- CB Tony McRae
- OT Kent Perkins
- WR Alonzo Russell
- G Dustin Stanton
- DT Josh Tupou
- WR Kermit Whitfield
- DT DeShawn Williams
- HB Jarveon Williams
- S Brandon Wilson
Released:
- DE Wallace Gilberry (story)
- OT Eric Winston (story)
Reserve/Suspended:
- LB Vontaze Burfict
- CB Adam Jones
The team also freed up a roster spot on Saturday by trading cornerback Bene Benwikere to Dallas for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Bengals Trade Bene Benwikere To Cowboys
Bene Benwikere will find himself on a fifth team in the past 11 months after the Bengals and Cowboys agreed to a trade. Dallas will acquire the fourth-year cornerback for a late-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The Bengals signed Benwikere on a league-minimum deal in February. The former Panthers contributor hasn’t played in a game since Carolina cut him after a rough outing against the Falcons early last season.
Benwikere spent time as a UFA after stints with the Dolphins and Packers last season. The former Carolina starter received interest when on waivers last season, but the Cowboys were not one of the teams who put in a claim for the corner. Benwikere started 14 games with the Panthers from 2014-16 but was not part of their Super Bowl 50 effort, suffering an injury late in the 2015 season.
The Cowboys drafted three corners — Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and Marquez White — and signed Nolan Carroll. Benwikere could provide some experience as a reserve to a Dallas roster that lost Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne in free agency.
Bengals To Release Eric Winston, Wallace Gilberry
The Bengals are expected to release offensive lineman Eric Winston and defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cincinnati will go with a youth movement along its offensive line, both in the starting lineup and further down the depth chart. Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher are the club’s starting tackles, while youngsters such as Christian Westerman and J.J. Dielman should make the roster. Winston, the NFLPA president, appeared in all 16 games for the Bengals a season ago, but started only two contests.
Gilberry, meanwhile, originally signed with the Lions last year but found his way back to the Bengals at midseason. The 32-year-old ultimately played in five games for Cincinnati. Rookies Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis, plus trade acquisition Chris Smith, will take over backup edge rushing responsibilities in the Queen City.
Bengals Will Have Tough 2018 Decisions On Burfict, Eifert
- Linebacker Vontaze Burfict‘s suspensions call his future with the Bengals into question, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com observes. Burfict is set to serve a three-game ban for the second straight campaign, and he has only played 58 of a possible 80 regular-season contests in his five-year career. Cincinnati’s going to have to consider Burfict’s lack of availability when deciding whether to re-sign him by next winter, then. The same goes for tight end Tyler Eifert, whom injuries have limited to 37 of a possible 64 games during his four seasons. Both players make the Bengals better when they’re on the field, which Terrell notes will make for tough decisions in each case.
Vontaze Burfict’s Suspension Reduced
Vontaze Burfict‘s suspension has been reduced to three games, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals linebacker was slated for a five-game ban before his appeal hearing. 
Burfict found himself in hot water for his hit on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman earlier in the preseason. The linebacker tackled Sherman roughly four or five yards from the line of scrimmage and nailed him in the head/neck area. Sherman did not have the ball, nor was he the targeted receiver on the play. Whether intentional or not, the hit provoked the ire of the league office because it came in well above the jersey numbers.
“I hit harder than most of the other linebackers,” Burfict explained earlier this week (via Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer). “He kind of crunched up. I lowered my target, hit him straight in the chest. I talked to him the next series to see if he was alright and he said yeah, that’s a legal hit. You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel when you come across the middle and everybody knows that.”
Of course, Burfict has run afoul of league safety rules before. Over his five-year career, Burfict has racked up nearly $800K in fines and been flagged 16 times for unnecessary roughness, personal fouls or roughing the passer.
Burfict’s 2016 season was also shortened by a suspension. He finished out the year with 101 tackles and two sacks across eleven games.
The Bengals will be without Burfict for games against the Ravens, Texans, and Packers, but they’ll now have him in uniform for contests against the Browns and Bills.
Mason Schreck Suffers MCL Injury
Although Broncos head coach Vance Joseph told reporters Tuesday that he “would be surprised” if they traded safety T.J. Ward, his time on their roster is running out, Mike Klis of 9News suggests. Whether the Broncos trade or release Ward, their safety depth makes him expendable, Klis argues. Moving on from Ward would mean jettisoning someone whose reckless style has led to injury issues, as Klis points out that he missed seven games over the previous three years and hasn’t played any preseason games this summer on account of a hamstring strain. While Klis notes that Ward remains a quality player, he nonetheless expects the Broncos to make the difficult decision of parting with a defender who has made two Pro Bowls and started in all 41 of his games during his three-year tenure with the club. Despite Ward’s accomplished resume, both his age (30) and salary ($4.5MM) torpedo his trade value, Klis contends. If the Broncos end up having to cut Ward, they’d avoid paying him any of the $4.5MM he’s owed.
More from the AFC:
- Dolphins coach Adam Gase assured Jarvis Landry this week that he’s not on the trade block – a gesture the wide receiver appreciated. “Coach Gase did an amazing job,” Landry told Steven Wine of the Associated Press. “He called me in and he just talked to me, explained to me the situation and everything that’s going on, and that that’s false (speculation). That’s all I really needed to hear from him.” Regardless of whether the Dolphins have shopped Landry, the contract-year player’s time in Miami could be winding down. Landry informed Wine that he still has no interest in negotiating an extension once the season starts, giving the Dolphins under two weeks to re-sign the prolific pass catcher. They’ve been in no hurry to re-up Landry, though, so it continues to look as if an answer on his future won’t come until next offseason.
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh updated the statuses of two of his key offensive players – quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Breshad Perriman – on Tuesday, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Flacco, who has been out for over a month with a back injury, is throwing again and “moving toward practice,” according to Harbaugh. Flacco still needs medical clearance to return to the field, but Harbaugh expects him under center for the Ravens’ season opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 10. And the coach is “very optimistic” Perriman will suit up for Week 1. The oft-injured 2015 first-round pick has been unavailable since Aug. 1 because of a hamstring issue.
- Bengals tight end Mason Schreck suffered an MCL injury Sunday that will lead to a lengthy absence and impact the team’s roster decisions, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). As a seventh-round pick stuck behind Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah on Cincy’s depth chart, Schreck was already facing an uphill battle to make the club before the injury.