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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/23

December 20th, 2023 at 7:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

  • Designated to return from IR: OL Alex Palczewski

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 20th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers’ Week 15 win over the Falcons brought the Patriots and Cardinals, who each lost, one game closer to the No. 1 overall pick. New England’s weaker strength of schedule provides keeps Arizona in the No. 3 spot, while Washington — weeks away from a likely full-scale reboot — has lost five straight to move into position for its first top-five pick since 2020.

Early reports have the Bears more likely to draft Justin Fields‘ replacement than trading a top pick once again, but the Patriots and Cardinals are still in the running for what could well be the Caleb Williams draft slot. Much less drama would emerge if New England claimed the top pick, as the Patriots would be expected to draft the top QB prize. Arizona landing atop the draft for the second time in six years could produce a derby, with Kyler Murray‘s contract difficult (but not impossible) to move for new GM Monti Ossenfort. QB-needy teams may well be hoping the Cardinals land one of the top two spots, however, providing a potential gateway to a trade-up for Williams or Drake Maye.

The Raiders’ 63-21 demolition of the Chargers slid them down six spots compared to their position last week. The Packers also climbed eight spots from their slot going into Week 15. Green Bay has not held a top-11 draft choice since it drafted B.J. Raji in the 2009 first round; that came on the heels of Aaron Rodgers‘ first season at the helm. Jordan Love‘s QB1 debut season could still produce a playoff berth, however, and the rest of the NFC and AFC wild-card races remain tightly bunched.

Here is how the 2024 draft order looks with three regular-season games to play:

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

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/23

December 19th, 2023 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: WR Daniel Arias

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: QB E.J. Perry

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

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.

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