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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/23

December 18th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

With regular starter Corey Linsley absent since Week 3 of the season, Clapp has served as the Chargers’ starting center this year. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Clapp will spend the rest of the season on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury. With a next-man-up mentality, the team has called up Tom from the practice squad to fill his place.

With Cheeseman now out of Washington, the Commanders will have to work fast to find a replacement as they currently do not have a long snapper anywhere on the roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/23

December 16th, 2023 at 9:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions and standard gameday elevations for the Sunday slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wilkinson returned to practice this week, and will be eligible to return to the lineup on Sunday given today’s activation. The addition of a starter up front will be welcomed by the Cardinals by giving them stability at the left guard spot in particular and by providing an upgrade in protection ahead of a matchup against the stout 49ers defensive front in general. The Cardinals now have four IR activations remaining.

Street was acquired from the Eagles at the trade deadline after he failed to find playing time this season. The 27-year-old has started all five of his appearances in Atlanta, however, racking up 14 tackles (including four for a loss) and one sack. Those numbers will help his free agent market this offseason, but a pectoral injury will sideline him for at least four weeks. If the Falcons fall short of the postseason, therefore, Street will not return in 2023.

McCain was a full-time starter with the Commanders over the past two seasons, but his release led to a one-year Giants agreement. The former fifth-rounder has 87 starts to his name, but he has been unable to carve out a role in New York’s secondary, playing only 19 defensive snaps. McCain has logged a 50% snap share on special teams, however, so his absence in the third phase will be notable if he is claimed off waivers or signed as a free agent by an interested team.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/16/23

December 16th, 2023 at 8:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s lone taxi squad move:

Denver Broncos

Perkins was waived earlier in the week despite the fact that fellow edge rusher Nik Bonitto had already been ruled out. The move seemed to mark an end to Perkins’ tenure in Denver, which began after his Patriots exit earlier in the season. Instead, the former second-rounder (who made eight tackles in five games with the Broncos) will remain in the organization for the time being.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/23

December 15th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions, including some practice squad callups for the Saturday games:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Getting Charles back should provide a bit of a boost for a Commanders’ offensive line that has allowed quarterback Sam Howell to be sacked an NFL-leading 58 times. That being said, they led the league in that category when Charles was healthy, as well. Still, as Charles attempts to come back from the calf injury that sidelined him for six games, he’ll have to overcome second-year guard Chris Paul, who has been starting in his place since the injury. While Charles had been struggling in a contract year, his replacement has ranked as the fourth-worst guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Wormley, Krull, and Senat all make their way up to the active roster for two reasons: first, injuries, and second, they’ve already appeared as standard gameday elevations off of the practice squad the maximum three times. In order to appear in any other games this year, all three needed to be signed to new contracts. If the players they are replacing come back from injury before the end of the season, any of them can be waived, re-signed to the practice squad, and elevated an additional three times.

NFC South Notes: Fitterer, Mayfield, Saints

December 15th, 2023 at 10:23am CST by Sam Robinson

With the Panthers bottoming out and David Tepper firing another head coach, it has seemed likely the team will move on from its GM as well. Given Tepper’s comments, it is worth wondering how much power Scott Fitterer has held since Matt Rhule‘s October 2022 firing. But Fitterer is clearly on a hot seat in Carolina. Following Frank Reich‘s ouster, the team should be expected to move on from its third-year GM, per the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. Fitterer ran point on the decision to reject the Rams’ two-first-rounder offer for Brian Burns before the 2022 trade deadline, and his negotiations with Ryan Poles led to the March blockbuster for the Bryce Young draft slot.

Of course, it is widely believed Tepper drove the Panthers’ effort to select Young first overall. That process will lead to the Bears holding the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick, which currently checks in at No. 1 overall. Fitterer hot-seat rumors surfaced before Reich’s firing, and although a November report pointed to Tepper keeping his GM around to help attract Lions OC Ben Johnson shed light on a possible lifeline for the ex-Seahawks exec, a 2024 housecleaning seems likelier given the events of 2023.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Baker Mayfield signed a one-year, $4MM Buccaneers deal in March, earning a starting job despite a rough 2022. Incentives exist in the sixth-year quarterback’s contract, and Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes he has cashed in on some of those already. Mayfield has collected $500K by staying in the Bucs’ lineup, with Auman noting the team included $250K bumps for hitting the 55%, 65%, 75% and 85% snap rates. Mayfield staying healthy the rest of the way would lead to him adding $1MM in incentives. Additionally, Auman indicates a bonus exists for a Bucs playoff win. Although the Bucs are 6-7, they currently hold the NFC West tiebreaker. Mayfield is interested in staying with the Bucs beyond this season, though no known extension talks have occurred yet.
  • One of Mayfield’s current division rivals has not enjoyed a healthy season. Derek Carr has sustained two concussions and dealt with shoulder trouble, but the Saints‘ big-ticket QB addition has not missed a start. In addition to the head and shoulder issues, Carr has sustained three rib fractures this year, per NewOrleans.football’s Brooke Kirchhofer. In 10 seasons, Carr has only missed three career games due to injury. But his playing hurt has affected the Saints this season. While Carr’s completion percentage is up significantly from 2022, his QBR has dropped. Given a four-year, $150MM contract that includes $70MM fully guaranteed, Carr ranks 23rd in QBR through 13 games.
  • Michael Thomas has once again seen an injury take him out of New Orleans’ equation. The eighth-year wide receiver, who has dealt with persistent injury issues during the 2020s, is on IR with a knee injury. The former All-Pro will be eligible to be activated in Week 16, but NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill doubts he comes back until at least the Saints’ regular-season finale. Should that game not mean anything for the team, Thomas would have little incentive to return. The 30-year-old pass catcher’s 10 games this season are his most since 2019, but he has now missed 43 games since the 2020 season.
  • As Carr dealt with the first of his 2023 injuries, New Orleans attempted to sign a player off Denver’s practice squad. The Saints tried to add Ben DiNucci off the Broncos’ P-squad in September, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. DiNucci, who returned to the NFL after an XFL run, opted to stay where he was for continuity purposes. After DiNucci’s decision, the Saints added Jake Luton to their 53-man roster instead. DiNucci said the Broncos are expected to make up the difference he would have made as part of the Saints’ active roster. Denver elevated DiNucci in Week 13, allowing him to pick up a $48K game check. Doing so two more times would match the total DiNucci would have earned while on the Saints’ 53-man roster for the mandated three weeks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/23

December 14th, 2023 at 7:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

The Broncos, who traded Randy Gregory and cut Frank Clark earlier this season, will be without starting outside linebacker Nik Bonitto in Week 15. The 2022 second-round pick sustained an ankle injury against the Chargers last week. Although Denver is shorthanded at the position, the team is cutting Perkins. A 2021 third-round Patriots pick, Perkins has seen action in five games for the Broncos this season. Thomas Incoom and hybrid player Drew Sanders represent the Broncos’ depth behind OLB regulars Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper.

Broncos TE Greg Dulcich Back At Practice

December 13th, 2023 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Battling chronic hamstring trouble over his first two NFL seasons, Greg Dulcich has landed on IR four times due to this particular issue. While this has happened twice in 2023, the Broncos have not given up on the pass-catching tight end contributing this season.

Dulcich is back at Broncos practice Wednesday; the team designated the second-year tight end to return from IR, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. Dulcich has been out since aggravating his hamstring injury in Week 6. The UCLA product initially suffered the injury in Week 1. Teams can activate a player from IR twice in one season, but both moves go toward the team’s activation total. The Broncos have five IR activations left.

While the Broncos have turned their season around by winning six out of their past seven games, they have not received much production from their tight end position. Adam Trautman‘s precise placement on a touchdown against the Browns notwithstanding, no Denver tight end has surpassed 150 receiving yards this year. In just 10 games last year, Dulcich posted 411.

The Broncos placed Dulcich on IR twice as a rookie, stashing him on the injured list to start his career and moving him back to close the season. While Dulcich stood out on a broken offense in between, his hamstring issues followed him to Year 2. The UCLA product hit IR after Week 1, and after only 11 snaps against the Chiefs in Week 6, he needed to be shut down once again. Dulcich has already missed 17 games through two seasons.

During the Broncos’ first draft after trading a bounty for Russell Wilson, they selected Dulcich with their second pick. Last year’s No. 80 overall choice scored twice and averaged 12.5 yards per catch in 2022, but injuries have obviously marred his career. With Sean Payton having not been in Denver when the team chose Dulcich, the young pass catcher is not off to a good start with the new HC. Payton traded for ex-Saint Trautman during the draft.

Trautman is playing on an expiring contract, and Dulcich has spent much his NFL time rehabbing. These circumstances will likely lead the Broncos making a notable investment in a tight end during Payton’s second offseason in charge. But Dulcich staying healthy to close this season would help his cause. The Broncos have three weeks from today to activate the 6-foot-4 talent.

Beyond Dulcich and safety Caden Sterns, the Broncos have gone through the season healthier than in recent years. The team did lose one of its top edge rushers against the Chargers, but Payton noted Wednesday (via Denver7’s Troy Renck) Nik Bonitto is not a candidate to land on IR. The 2022 second-round pick suffered a knee injury in Week 14.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 13th, 2023 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two different teams have held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive years since 2017. Amid a radical rebuild effort, the Browns carried the top pick into the 2017 and ’18 drafts. The Jaguars did the same in 2021 and ’22. It is possible the Bears will follow that up in back-to-back years. The big difference here would be the Bears traded the 2023 top choice and may unload the 2024 top pick for another windfall, depending on their evaluation of Justin Fields.

The Bears and Panthers’ March trade, giving Carolina access to Bryce Young, has become a seminal moment for both teams. As it stands now, Chicago holds two top-five picks. The Panthers are 1-12, giving the Bears a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the top slot with four games left. Chicago finishing with the first overall selection, providing access to the quarterback of its choice, would create a big-picture decision for a Bears team that already passed on the 2023 quarterback class to stick with Fields — a QB the Ryan Poles regime did not draft. North Carolina’s Drake Maye has declared for the draft, while USC’s Caleb Williams is widely expected to follow suit.

A new Cardinals regime is also evaluating its QB, though Kyler Murray‘s $46.1MM-per-year contract (which runs through 2028) will be much harder to escape compared to Fields’. This creates an interesting scenario that will have teams who do not land two-two draft slots monitoring how Chicago and Arizona proceed. The Patriots are widely expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, and they are likely to do so without Bill Belichick.

With gridlock forming in the AFC and NFC wild-card races, considerable movement will take place over the next month. The winner of the NFC South will likely lose several spots in the ’24 draft, as the Buccaneers did this year by winning the ’22 division title at 8-9. Here is how the draft order looks going into Week 15:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. New England Patriots: 3-10
  3. Arizona Cardinals: 3-10
  4. Washington Commanders: 4-9
  5. Chicago Bears: 5-8
  6. Las Vegas Raiders: 5-8
  7. New York Jets: 5-8
  8. New York Giants: 5-8
  9. Tennessee Titans: 5-8
  10. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-8
  11. Atlanta Falcons: 6-7
  12. New Orleans Saints: 6-7
  13. Seattle Seahawks: 6-7
  14. Los Angeles Rams: 6-7
  15. Denver Broncos: 7-6
  16. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  17. Buffalo Bills: 7-6
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 7-6
  19. Green Bay Packers: 6-7
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-7
  21. Indianapolis Colts: 7-6
  22. Minnesota Vikings: 7-6
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-6
  24. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 8-5
  26. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-5
  27. Detroit Lions: 9-4
  28. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-3
  29. Miami Dolphins: 9-4
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 10-3
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 10-3
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 10-3

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/23

December 9th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves and callups heading into the Week 14 slate of Sunday games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There was some thought that Ammendola’s stint with the Texans had come to an end after four appearances. However, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes that regular starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn still isn’t ready to return from his strained quadriceps, requiring the practice squad kicker to step in for at least another week. Ammendola has connected on six of his nine field goal attempts and all 10 of his XP tries this season.

With Trevor Lawrence a game-time decision for Sunday’s game, the Jaguars are adding some QB depth to the active roster. Rourke is a former CFL standout, with the quarterback earning the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022. Following that breakout, 25-touchdown campaign, Rourke got a look from a number of NFL teams and ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars this past offseason. He was waived at the end of the preseason and has spent the majority of the season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, the rookie will be the emergency QB3 for Week 14.

Similarly, the Seahawks will call up Mannion and O’Connell as they deal with injuries to starting quarterback Geno Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Smith is questionable heading into tomorrow’s game with a groin injury.

Stewart is back on the Colts active roster after having served a six-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Through six games this season, the veteran has compiled 20 tackles, two stops for a loss, and five QB hits.

Crosby is set to make his 2023 debut and make an appearance for a team other than the Packers for the first time since the 39-year-old was drafted back in 2007.

Schweitzer head right back to injured reserve after being activated last week. The Jets signed a lineman to the active roster from the practice squad and elevated one for tomorrow’s game to add some depth at the position.

Broncos GM George Paton On Hot Seat?

December 7th, 2023 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some of George Paton‘s draft choices as Broncos GM have become core pieces now at Sean Payton‘s disposal, and Denver’s new HC said upon taking the job the staffer with an identical-sounding surname reminded him of Saints GM Mickey Loomis. But rumors of Payton wanting to bring in one of his ex-New Orleans coworkers emerged this offseason.

Although the Broncos have turned their season around after a 1-5 start, Paton having predated Payton in Denver does make for a situation to monitor. Many look to be doing so, with the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora indicating steady rumblings about Paton not being back in Denver next year have surfaced.

Paton played a central role in negotiating Payton’s trade compensation with Loomis in January, doing so as it was widely expected his own role would diminish as a result of the Broncos acquiring a high-profile HC. CEO Greg Penner, who was not in place when Paton was hired, changed the Broncos’ power structure last December by indicating the next HC would report to ownership.

Upon being hired, Payton pushed back on a desire to have full-on control. But he has also been connected to wanting to bring in Jeff Ireland, with whom he worked for six years in New Orleans. Ireland, the former Jets GM, remains in place as the Saints’ assistant GM. Payton also mentioned Paton, among others, as being responsible for the franchise’s 2022 troubles.

The third-year Broncos GM’s performance can be looked at through multiple lenses. The longtime Vikings exec was in place to help bring Payton to town, doing so after showing his acumen in the draft. In Paton’s first draft, the Broncos selected Patrick Surtain, Javonte Williams and ascending guard Quinn Meinerz in the first three rounds. Outside linebacker regulars Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper also came to Denver from Ohio State in the 2021 draft. Denver’s next two drafts started late due to the trades for Payton and Russell Wilson, the latter introducing a complication for Paton.

While Wilson has steadied his career after a woeful first season in Denver, the former Seahawks star has not proven worth the trade compensation (headlined by two first-round picks and two seconds) or $49MM-per-year extension — one that complicates the Broncos’ cap sheet in 2024. Denver’s new ownership arriving drove the Wilson extension past the finish line, despite two years remaining on his previous contract, but Paton also hired the coach who proved the catalyst for the quarterback’s 2022 freefall. The Broncos became the third team since the 1970 merger to fire a first-year head coach (Nathaniel Hackett) before the season ended. The team has also already bailed on Randy Gregory, a Paton free agency addition in 2022.

Paton, 53, was a sought-after GM candidate for years. The former Rick Spielman right-hand man was a regular on the GM interview circuit, eventually agreeing to succeed John Elway in Denver in January 2021. Elway took a different position in the Broncos organization before eventually stepping away earlier this year. The Broncos’ next five games may have an impact on Paton’s 2024 standing, but this storyline will be worth watching regardless of how the 6-6 team closes out the season.

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