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Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

October 14th, 2014 at 9:12pm CST by Luke Adams

While we track today’s transactions relating to teams’ 53-man rosters in a separate post, we’ll use this space to keep tabs on the day’s practice squad signings and cuts. Here’s the latest:

  • The Redskins signed wide receiver Rashad Ross to the practice squad, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington liked Ross this summer and they scooped him up after he was discarded by the Bears.
  • A day after being waived by the Bears, linebacker Terrell Manning has rejoined the team’s practice squad, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
  • The Redskins have parted ways with practice squad wideout Marvin McNutt, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.
  • As the Giants weight their options at receiver on the 53-man roster, they’ve made a change to the wideouts on their practice squad — Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets that Chris Harper has replaced Travis Harvey.
  • Wide receiver Patrick Edwards is the newest addition to the Lions‘ practice squad, replacing defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Linebacker Kaelin Burnett and cornerback Ross Weaver have found a new home, joining the Cardinals‘ practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). The team had one opening on its squad, so linebacker Jonathan Brown has been released to make room for the second incoming player.
  • The Dolphins have parted ways with wideout Marcus Thigpen, replacing him on their practice squad with defensive back Rod Sweeting, tweets Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
  • The Jaguars have signed tight end Michael Flacco, the brother of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union notes (via Twitter) that Flacco replaces tight end Marcel Jensen, who was put on the practice squad IR list.
  • Wide receiver Lee Doss has been cut from the Browns‘ practice squad, according to Wilson (via Twitter).

Workout Notes: Tuesday Night

October 14th, 2014 at 9:11pm CST by Zachary Links

Luke Adams rounded up the latest auditions earlier today and we’ll keep track of the newest ones right here..

NFC Links: Sproles, Lions, Hardy, Packers

October 13th, 2014 at 9:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As we head to the second half of tonight’s game with the Rams leading the 49ers 14-10, let’s look at some notes from the NFC:

  • A source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that Eagles running back Darren Sproles will miss a few weeks but he’ll be back this season after last night’s knee injury. The veteran injured his knee late in the third quarter and there was initially fear that he had torn his ACL. Considering that the injury could have been much worse and the Eagles are on bye this week, that’s fortunate news for the veteran.
  • New Lions kicker Matt Prater missed two field goal attempts on Sunday but coach Jim Caldwell isn’t thinking about moving on to his fourth kicker in 2014. “I think (with) wind like we had today, you’re going to have an issue,” Caldwell said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “He kicked a 52-yarder, which was great. We have all the confidence in the world in him. I mean, the guy’s got a great track record. We feel good about him.”
  • Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hasn’t been in contact with the team yet but he’ll be back in touch “at the right moment,” coach Ron Rivera told reporters, including David Newton of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Packers’ secondary took some hits on Sunday, as both Sam Shields and Tramon Williams left the game with injuries. Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t offer any specifics on the duo’s ailments, or that of linebacker Jamari Lattimore, but did say that none of the three are facing a long-term absence, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media.
  • Ndamukong Suh is among the players whom Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap says raised their stock with their performance yesterday. Suh, whose contract with the Lions expires after the season, is playing at a level that will allow him to ask for a enormous deal come free agency, writes Fitzgerald.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Mack, Lions, Fairley, Suh

October 13th, 2014 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

Nothing like a blowout win to rebuild your confidence, right? The Ravens overwhelmed the Buccaneers yesterday in a 48-17 romp but quarterback Joe Flacco opted to play it cool after the game. “All that stuff really doesn’t matter. Anything we did after the first three touchdowns didn’t really mean too much at the end of the day. It’s all just statistics,” Flacco said, according to Fred Goodall of The Associated Press. “That stuff feels good and looks good, and it’s great and all that, but it really doesn’t matter. It’s all about winning the football game.” More from the AFC and NFC North..

  • With Alex Mack sidelined, the Browns are expected to use John Greco as their starting center while signing a backup at the position, tweets Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. The Browns have center Braxston Cave on the taxi squad, so he could be promoted to fill the gap.
  • Defensive tackle Nick Fairley says the Lions‘ new regime has the team prepared better than Jim Schwartz’s staff did, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. “Our preparation is totally different this year by how (coaches) come in and by giving us the stuff on, say, like a guard,” Fairley said. “They might come in with a whole sheet of his weaknesses to exploit.” The Lions cruised to a 17-3 win over the Vikings yesterday.
  • There’s no telling how long it’ll stay in tact, but the Lions’ defensive line is finally coming of age, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The Lions used top 15 picks on defensive lineman Fairley, Ndamukong Suh, and Ezekiel Ansah all within a four year span and yesterday, the D-line punished Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Now, the Lions will have to focus on keeping the band together with Suh headed towards the open market.

NFC Notes: Cobb, House, Prater, Cowboys

October 11th, 2014 at 3:14pm CST by Rob DiRe

Randall Cobb has started the season by catching six touchdowns in the first five games, and has been one of the best receivers in the league working out of the slot. Set to hit free agency this offseason, the Packers failure to ink him to a long term extension has been a well covered topic.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN writes that it might be Cobb who is pushing off extension talks. Cobb said as much earlier this offseason, when he told the media he hadn’t accomplished enough to earn that extension.

He notes that if Cobb is looking at similar money to what Jordy Nelson received, that he will need to produce more catches and yards on a consistent basis to go along with his frequent trips to the endzone. Our readers at Pro Football Rumors believed that Nelson was the more important piece of the offense, responding to a poll from early July.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

  • Demovsky also addresses whether the Packers would be more likely to try to keep Tramon Williams or Davon House when their respective contracts are up. He writes that although Williams is currently playing at a high level, that House is an ascending player and that general manager Ted Thompson traditionally prefers youth. Williams will turn 32 in March.
  • The Lions focused on improving their offense this offseason, including adding Golden Tate in free agency and Eric Ebron in the draft. However, their offense has been paltry, ranking 27th in the NFL in points per game, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. The team has missed eight field goals through five games, and have signed kicker Matt Prater this week, hoping to solve some of their kicking woes. Prater couldn’t be worse than the duo of Nate Freese and Alex Henery, and if the team had converted those eight field goals, the offense would have risen to a respectable 16th in points per game.
  • The Cowboys have jumped out to a 4-1 start behind an improved defense and more consistent offense, but Rick Gosselin of DallasNews.com believes age is a major factor in their success. The Cowboys have the second youngest average age in the NFL after the Bills, in a team building philosophy that emulates their opponent this weekend, the Seahawks. It also brings back memories of the 1992 Cowboys who were the first of three championship teams in a four-year span. Those Cowboys were also among the youngest rosters in the NFL.

NFC Mailbags: Lions, Saints, Cowboys

October 11th, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and you know what that means – new mailbags from ESPN’s NFL writers. Let’s check out some of the notes from the NFC…

  • At the moment, Michael Rothstein doesn’t believe that Lions general manager Martin Mayhew or coach Jim Caldwell are on the hot seat.
  • Following the release of Saints fourth-rounder Khairi Fortt this past week, many fans asked Mike Triplett about the team’s inability to develop linebackers. The writer acknowledges that the team’s last real success was Mark Fields in 1995, but he adds that the team hasn’t invested high draft picks into the position.
  • If the Cowboys season continues on a similar path, Todd Archer could envision the team bringing back Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and Rolando McClain. If there were to be one odd man out, however, the writer leans towards McClain.
  • Even if the Cowboys were looking to promote a defensive lineman from the practice squad, Archer says that rookie Michael Sam wouldn’t be the team’s first choice. Instead, the Cowboys would likely bring up Kenneth Boatright.
  • David Newton envisions the Panthers transitioning to their next group of running backs once DeAngelo Williams‘ contract expires following the season.
  • Rom Demovsky says it’s likely that the Packers and representatives for Randall Cobb have already started discussing a new contract. The writer suggests that the wideout could be delaying the process until he begins compiling statistics that would warrant a larger payday.

PUP, IR-DTR Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 10th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the 49ers and Rams, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many of those clubs may be welcoming some players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to practice.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to the practice field doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player on the PUP list could theoretically return for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest. If the player doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, he’ll revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform list who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

Players who began the season on the PUP list didn’t participate in any preseason practices, but that’s not the case for players on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that players who were placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing next week. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after – for instance – Week 2 will have to wait another two weeks to return to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

NFC North Notes: Lions, Peterson, Angelo

October 10th, 2014 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

This week, there were rumors floating around that 44-year-old Jason Hanson called the Lions about potentially returning to fill their void at kicker. When Jim Caldwell‘s heard those rumors, his first reaction was to laugh out loud, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. On Monday, Hanson’s agent confirmed that his client is done playing football, so it’s safe to say any talk of a comeback is bogus. As for the Lions, they’ve got their kicker situation squared away (hopefully) with the newly-signed Matt Prater in the fold. More out of the NFC North, where the Lions and Packers are tied at the top with 3-2 marks..

  • Despite signing a Super Bowl-winning receiver and spending a top draft pick on another weapon for Matthew Stafford, the Lions‘ offense still hasn’t clicked, writes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions have the sixth-worst scoring offense in the NFL with an average of 19.8 points, their lowest point since they averaged 16.4 points in 2009.
  • Vikings coach Mike Zimmer heaped praise on fill-in Matt Asiata, but he also supports Adrian Peterson and wouldn’t close the door on his return in a conference call with reporters. “We’re always going to stand behind Adrian and always hope for the best with him,” Zimmer said, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We haven’t gone that far into what-ifs and things that can happen. I’m just trying to focus on what we’re doing here. I like Adrian an awful lot.”
  • Former Bears GM Jerry Angelo told David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter) that his comments in a USA Today piece regarding domestic violence in the NFL were taken out of context. When Angelo said that he had heard “hundreds of stories” of players getting away with abuse incidents, he was led into it and embellishing to make a point (link). The league declined to offer comment on the USA Today story, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Osgood, Fairley, Rams

October 9th, 2014 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after Adrian Peterson‘s trial date for his child abuse charges was set for December 1, the Vikings running back is potentially facing another arrest today, according to Isiah Carey of FOX 26 Houston. Carey reports that Montgomery County prosecutors filed paperwork to have Peterson rearrested after he admitted to smoking “a little weed,” in violation of his bond conditions. There won’t be any action immediately since the judge presiding over Peterson’s case is facing a recusal hearing, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow, but the Montgomery County DA has asked the judge to set aside Peterson’s $15K bond.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Kassim Osgood was cut this week by the 49ers just days after head coach Jim Harbaugh called him the team’s best special teams player, and Harbaugh said today that he hopes to get Osgood back on the 53-man roster “imminently,” according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The Lions say they declined Nick Fairley‘s fifth-year option for 2015 to motivate him to have a big contract year, and so far that approach seems to be working, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Of course, it’s fair to wonder if Fairley would have been more productive and more consistent anyway, and question whether the Lions should have given up the flexibility to bring him back in 2015 at an affordable one-year price.
  • As he nears free agency, Falcons running back Antone Smith is increasing his value every time he touches the ball, says ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure.
  • Passing along news that Rams owner Stan Kroenke figures to be granted an extra year to transfer ownership of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and NBA’s Denver Nuggets, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post suggests there’s speculation that Kroenke will push for a permanent exemption from the NFL’s cross-ownership rule if he tries to move the Rams to Los Angeles. Currently, league rules prohibit ownership of teams in other sports that are in different markets than the owner’s NFL franchise.

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

October 8th, 2014 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on today’s practice squad signings and cuts right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • After the Seahawks plucked offensive lineman Patrick Lewis from their taxi squad, the Browns replaced him with fellow tackle Braxston Cave, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
  • The Bears re-signed defensive end David Bass to their practice squad, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). Bass was dropped yesterday to make room for cornerback Al Louis-Jean‘s promotion.
  • A day after cutting tight end Phillip Supernaw to claim Ryan Taylor off waivers, the Ravens have re-signed Supernaw to their practice squad, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Baltimore will have to cut a player from its squad in order to make the move official.
  • Linebacker Marshall McFadden has taken the 10th and final spot on the Rams‘ practice squad, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).

Earlier updates:

  • The Chargers have signed former Lions cornerback Aaron Hester to their practice squad, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Safety Adrian Phillips has also joined the unit, replacing injured running back D.J. Adams, says Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • In addition to confirming the signing of defensive lineman Joe Vellano to their practice squad, which was reported yesterday, the Patriots have also announced the addition of offensive lineman Chris Martin and the release of fellow offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann.
  • While the Broncos expect to be fine on Sunday with the running backs on their current 53-man roster, the team has added Jeremy Stewart to its practice squad “just in case,” tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com.
  • The Buccaneers have replaced tight end Taylor Sloat on their practice squad with wideout Eric Page, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
  • Using the 10th and final opening on their taxi squad, the Bengals have added interior offensive lineman Jeff Baca, head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters today (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com).
  • The Redskins signed linebacker Steve Beauharnais to their practice squad today, according to the club (via Twitter). That leaves one spot still open on the unit.
  • Tight end Jacob Maxwell has been let go from the Dolphins‘ practice squad, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, who tweets that running back Orleans Darkwa will fill the newly-opened spot.
  • The Lions have swapped out one defensive lineman for another, with Derrick Hopkins replacing Xavier Proctor, who has been placed on the practice squad IR (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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