Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/23
Here are today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on IR: WR Chris Blair, DL Ikenna Enechukwu, QB Feleipe Franks
Baltimore Ravens
- Reverted to reserve/NFI: CB Trayvon Mullen
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Mac McCain
- Waived: CB Colby Richardson
Chicago Bears
- Released: DE Jalyn Holmes
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Cam Bright, TE Miller Forristall, WR Jalen Wayne
- Waived/injured: WR Daylen Baldwin, CB Thomas Graham Jr.
- Waived: P Joseph Charlton, RB Nate McCrary, T Hunter Thedford
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: LB Jonas Griffith (story)
Detroit Lions
- Waived/injured: CB Jarren Williams
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL DJ Scaife
- Placed on IR: C Scott Quessenberry (story)
- Waived from IR: OL Dylan Deatherage
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: FB John Lovett
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Abram Smith
- Waived: FB Zach Ojile
New England Patriots
- Reverted to IR: LB Terez Hall
New York Giants
- Signed: NT Donovan Jeter
- Waived/injured: WR Jeff Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Removed from commissioner’s exempt list: OL Josh Sills
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Daelin Hayes
- Placed on IR: DE Darryl Johnson
Sills was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list back in February when a grand jury indicted him on counts of rape and kidnapping. The charges stem from an event that allegedly took place back in December 2019. Today it was announced that Sills was acquitted of both charges, according to sources at The Athletic. The Eagles released a statement that, with his adjudication, he will return to the team’s active roster.
The 49ers announced that Johnson has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. They didn’t disclose the injury that will sideline the young edge they signed two months ago.
The Vikings are adding the XFL’s 2023 leading rusher in Smith. Smith had 791 rushing yards in 10 games last year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on PUP: DL John Penisini
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: WR Tim Patrick (story)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels, TE Daniel Helm
- Placed on PUP: CB Emmanuel Moseley
- Waived: TE Derrick Deese
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): LB Arron Mosby
- Waived: OLB LaDarius Hamilton
Houston Texans
- Released: DE Demone Harris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from PUP: DL Tershawn Wharton
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: LB Kana’i Mauga
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: S Bennett Williams
- Waived: P Michael Turk
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Christian DiLauro
- Waived/injured: OL Sam Schlueter
New England Patriots
- Waived: WR Ed Lee
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: G Tommy Kraemer
- Claimed off waivers (from Packers): G Chuck Filiaga
- Placed on IR: LB Andrew Dowell
- Waived/injured: T Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Isaiah Dunn, S Trenton Thompson
- Placed on IR: CB Cory Trice
- Waived/injured: RB Alfonzo Graham
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: C Jimmy Murray
- Waived: WR Jacob Copeland
Moseley reportedly had a small clean-up procedure on his knee the other day as he continues to come back from last year’s ACL tear. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, it doesn’t appear to be a major setback, and head coach Dan Campbell expects Moseley back on Monday.
The news on Harris’s retirement comes from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports that the two sides “are parting ways as (Harris) plans to retire.” If this is truly the end of the road for Harris, then the transaction puts a cap on a five-year career that saw Harris rack up 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits in the NFL.
Turk was urgently brought on as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma to compete with free agent addition Jake Bailey, formerly with the Patriots. The punter competition may be over quickly as Bailey is the only punter on the roster now.
Trice, the Steelers’ first of two seventh-round picks this year, suffered a non-contact injury at camp yesterday. His placement on injured reserve indicates that his rookie season has unfortunately come to an end before it had the chance to begin.
Lions DE Romeo Okwara Addresses Pay Cut, Slow Recovery From Achilles Tear
As the Lions’ new regime settled in during the 2021 offseason, it gave Romeo Okwara a three-year, $37MM contract. This marked a massive raise for the former UDFA, who had played out a two-year, $6.8MM Detroit deal.
The eighth-year veteran ran into complications early in the life of that contract. Okwara suffered an Achilles tear in Week 4 of the 2021 season, and it took him until Week 14 of the 2022 campaign to come back. In between those games, the Lions had drafted Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Paschal and added James Houston as a promising UDFA. Romeo’s younger brother, Julian Okwara, remains on the roster as well. As does former first-rounder Charles Harris, who also took a pay cut to stay this offseason.
This offseason, the elder Okwara agreed to a $9MM pay cut that reduced his 2023 base salary to $2MM. The 28-year-old pass rusher will count just $5.6MM on Detroit’s cap sheet. Because a 2024 void year exists on this contract, it would cost the Lions $5.5MM in dead money to release Okwara this year. Having missed 25 games over the past two seasons, Okwara certainly would not have been likely to do well in free agency had he refused the pay cut.
“Obviously, a massive pay cut,” Okwara said, via MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke. “But it’s one of those things, like, part of the business, part of the game. But at the same time, I try to look at those things as separate from my experience of helping this team get to the Super Bowl, and see through what I want to accomplish here, all those things.
“Unfortunately, I feel like the business side gets in the way. At the end of the day, I try to see it as something bigger than myself, and not make it about myself, even though I’m the one taking the pay cut.”
Okwara’s injury occurred nearly 11 months before the start of the 2022 season, representing plenty of time for him to recover from surgery. But Okwara’s surgery did not repair the damage, per Meinke, who adds the Notre Dame alum needed a second procedure five months after the first. This caused the delay in Okwara’s recovery timetable, and it limited him upon returning for the season’s final five games. A regular starter before the Achilles tear, Okwara worked as a reserve upon coming back. He only exceeded the 40-snap threshold in one of those games. The eighth-year vet has been working as a reserve during camp as well, per Meinke.
Hutchinson and Houston finished first and second in sacks among rookies last year, with 9.5 and eight, respectively. Houston got there despite not debuting until Thanksgiving. Romeo Okwara led the Lions in sacks in two seasons — in 2018 (with 7.5) and 2020 (10) — but has essentially lost two seasons. The Lions have him looming as an intriguing wild card during training camp this year, and the 32-game starter will attempt to carve out a role alongside the team’s host of rookie-contract D-ends.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/23
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DL Nick Thurman
- Waived: LB Arron Mosby
- Waived/failed physical: DL John Penisini
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DT Donovan Jeter
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Nick Williams
Detroit Lions
- Waived/injured: TE Shane Zylstra
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Andre Miller, OL Cole Schneider
- Waived: OL Chuck Filiaga, TE Camren McDonald
Houston Texans
- Signed: K Jake Bates
- Placed on IR: FB Troy Hairston
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Toriano Clinton, TE La’Michael Pettway, T Dan Skipper
- Waived: T Jordan Murray, TE Kaden Smith, DT Jamal Woods
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Darius Harris
- Waived: LB Kana’i Mauga, T Justin Murray
New England Patriots
- Claimed (from Bears): WR Thyrick Pitts
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Jalen Hurd
New York Giants
- Signed: C Sean Harlow
- Placed on IR: C J.C. Hassenauer
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Greg Bell, RB John Lovett
- Waived: RB Jason Huntley
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Robert Cooper, OL Liam Ryan
- Waived: DL Roderick Perry
Chosen in the third round by the 49ers back in 2019, Hurd never ended up seeing regular-season action. A converted running back who played in front of Alvin Kamara at points while at Tennessee, Hurd transferred to Baylor and became a wide receiver. Two season-ending injuries — a back malady in 2019 and an ACL tear in 2020 — derailed Hurd’s 49ers tenure. The team cut him during the 2021 season. Barely a week after the Patriots signed Hurd, it appears he is throwing in the towel on an injury-plagued career.
Penisini had unretired this offseason, joining the Panthers. The former Lions sixth-rounder played two seasons on his rookie contract but called it quits in June 2022. His unretirement will precede a Panthers exit. The Lions are moving Zylstra off their 90-man roster due to a severe knee injury. If unclaimed, Zylstra would revert to Detroit’s IR list. Zylstra has seen action in 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons.
Hassenauer will require surgery to repair a triceps injury, and this transaction will shut him down — as far as the Giants are concerned. The only way Hassenauer can play in 2023 would be if the Giants removed him from IR via an injury settlement. Hairston suffered a herniated disk during practice, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
Injury Notes: Zylstra, Cowboys, Giants, Kancey
Shane Zylstra will likely miss the upcoming season thanks to a knee injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Lions tight end suffered a “serious and significant” knee injury that will keep him off the field for six months.
Rapoport notes that Zylstra is set to undergo more tests “but there isn’t a lot of optimism.” As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets, the tight end suffered the injury while taking a “low shot” during a red zone drill.
Zylstra emerged as one of Jared Goff‘s favorite red zone targets in 2022. The tight end finished the season with only 11 catches for 60 yards, but four of those receptions were touchdowns. The Minnesota State product had another three catches during his rookie campaign.
Fortunately for Detroit, the team has some depth at tight end. The organization used a second-round pick on Sam LaPorta, and the rookie is expected to slide right into the starting lineup. The team is also rostering the likes of Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Derrick Deese.
More injury notes from around the NFL…
- A bruised toe has kept Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs off the practice field, Mike McCarthy told reporters (via Jon Machota of The Athletic on Twitter). The injury isn’t serious, and it sounds like the coaching staff is simply playing it safe with the star defender. Elsewhere in Dallas, tight end Luke Schoonmaker revealed that he’s dealing with a partial tear of his plantar fascia (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). The rookie said the injury is more challenging to deal with than a complete tear, but the player is still hopeful he’ll be able to return to the practice field in a week or two.
- It sounds like Giants backup offensive lineman J.C. Hassenauer is set to miss a significant chunk of the upcoming season, if not the entire campaign. Coach Brian Daboll told reporters that Hassenauer injured his triceps and will require surgery (via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News on Twitter). The lineman is expected to be sidelined “long term.” Second-round rookie John Michael Schmitz is expected to lead the depth chart, but Hassenauer’s injury could open opportunities for Jack Anderson and Shane Lemieux.
- There was a scare at Buccaneers practice today when first-round defensive tackle Calijah Kancey was carted off the field with a leg injury. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that an MRI showed nothing serious, but the Buccaneers may still take it easy on the rookie so he’s ready to go for the start of the season. Per ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the Buccaneers organization had been thrilled with Kancey’s preparation for his first professional season. “He’s adapting to the scheme mentally, and then he was adding his physical part to it,” coach Todd Bowles said (via Laine). “He’s putting it together quicker than normal rookies do. So hopefully it’s not that bad and he can get back.”
- Texans fullback Troy Hairston was carted off the field today with an undisclosed injury, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston (via Twitter). The former edge rusher went undrafted out of Central Michigan last year but caught on with the Texans. He changed positions to fullback and beat out Andy Janovich for the starting gig, resulting in Hairston getting into 16 games for the Texans last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: K Matthew Trickett
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from PUP: DB Damarion Williams
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Nick Thurman
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Jared Pinkney
- Waived: WR Thyrick Pitts
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Yasir Durant
- Waived: OT Christian DiLauro
Detroit Lions
- Activated from NFI: WR Marvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Dalton Keene
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from PUP: TE Will Mallory
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
- Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Darius Harris
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from PUP: OT Warren McClendon
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: G Trai Turner (story)
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Liam Ryan, RB SaRodorick Thompson
- Waived: LB Cam Bright, S Morrell Osling
Washington Commanders
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.
Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.
Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/23
Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB David Anenih
- Released: CB Dylan Mabin
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Kemoko Turay
- Released: LB Dorian Etheridge
- Placed on exempt/left squad list: DT Eddie Goldman (story)
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-assigned to NFI list: CB Trayvon Mullen
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: CB Cameron Dantzler
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from NFI: G Colby Gossett
- Waived (injury designation): CB BoPete Keyes
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Titans): OL James Empey
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: OL Dylan Deatherage
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: CB Cole Coleman
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: DT Vernon Butler
With Butler being moved from the NFI list to injured reserve, he is out for the season. The former first-rounder signed a futures deal with New York in January, after spending the past campaign on and off the team’s practice squad. He made just one appearance for the Giants in 2022, and will be four years removed from his career-best six-sack season with the Panthers in 2019. Butler, 29, has started 19 of his 77 career regular season games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/23
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league as we head into the weekend:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released with NFI designation: CB Trayvon Mullen
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Kyron Brown, WR Andy Isabella
- Waived/injured: CB Cameron Dantzler
- Waived: WR Jalen Wayne
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: RB Tiyon Evans
Denver Broncos
- Activated from PUP: WR Kendall Hinton
- Signed: WR Michael Bandy
- Waived: WR Nick Williams
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Trey Quinn
- Waived/injured: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OLB Jonathan Garvin
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Dylan Deatherage
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: LB Sterling Weatherford
New England Patriots
- Activated from PUP: DE DaMarcus Mitchell
New York Jets
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Diontae Spencer
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Wayne Taulapapa
- Waived: CB Montrae Braswell
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: OL James Empey
Mullen was placed on the NFI list two days ago. Apparently, his failure to disclose the non-football injury led to his release. Claimed off of waivers early into the offseason this year, Mullen has spent a good amount of time in Baltimore but has yet to see any game time. The Ravens hoped he might add some depth to their secondary, but with today’s transaction, the former second-round pick hits the free agent market.
Dantzler, a former third-round pick in Minnesota, also finds himself available in free agency after a short stint with the Bills. After signing with his second team of the offseason last month, Dantzler was waived with an injury designation.
Lions Audition QB Teddy Bridgewater
With Hendon Hooker looking at a potential injury redshirt of sorts, the Lions are considering a short-term upgrade behind Jared Goff. One of Dan Campbell‘s former Saints coworkers remains on the team’s radar.
The third-year Lions HC confirmed the team’s interest in Teddy Bridgewater, indicating the staff has kept tabs on the veteran quarterback this offseason. The Lions brought in Bridgewater for a workout recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
This comes after the Lions previously expressed confidence in their QB room as a whole. Nate Sudfeld is currently positioned as Goff’s top backup. But the Lions made Bridgewater a “strong offer” in April. Even after the recent praise of the signal-caller group, the Lions are still eyeing help here as they grapple with rising expectations.
“We’ve kept in touch with Teddy and we’ve kept Nate abreast of that, too,” Campbell said, via the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. “We haven’t hidden anything (from him). So it went good. Gave us a chance to sit down with him face-to-face, particularly Ben (Johnson), Bru (QBs coach Mark Brunell) and Brad (Holmes). It gets me face-to-face with him again. Then just the medical (evaluation). So it was good. It was a good visit. We’ll see where it goes.”
Campbell was with the Saints during Bridgewater’s two-season tenure, which ran from 2018-19. The 30-year-old quarterback has since moved to Charlotte, Denver and Miami. He and Carson Wentz have long hovered as the top two QB2 options available, with each having extensive starting experience. Bridgewater has made 65 career starts and would certainly provide the Lions with a 2023 upgrade behind Goff.
“It doesn’t mean that Nate is out of anything if we go this route and it works out,” Campbell said of the Bridgewater visit. “You’ll feel good about whoever comes out of the fire will be the right guy to help you along the way. But yeah, you don’t want the wheels to fall off.”
This marks Bridgewater’s first known visit this year. He is coming off a forgettable season with the Dolphins. Bridgewater made two starts but suffered injuries in each game. He was unavailable to close Miami’s season, with a dislocated pinkie sidelining him for the Dolphins’ regular-season finale and their wild-card game against the Bills. Bridgewater, however, had the Broncos at 7-7 as their primary starter in 2021. One of those games involved a one-sided win over Campbell’s Lions. Bridgewater’s second concussion that season ended up sidelining him for the rest of the year, leading to three Drew Lock-led starts and the Broncos firing Vic Fangio. In 2020 with the Panthers, Bridgewater completed 69% of his passes and started 15 games.
Goff did not miss any games last season but missed three during the 2021 campaign. A seventh-year veteran, Sudfeld has never started an NFL game and has only appeared in six.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/23
Here are today’s minor moves heading into the week:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/did not report list: WR Rashod Bateman
Chicago Bears
- Placed on PUP: WR Chase Claypool
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on PUP: CB Chidobe Awuzie, T Devin Cochran, T La’el Collins
Detroit Lions
- Placed on NFI: WR Marvin Jones
Ravens fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that Bateman is set to return for camp. Bateman missed most of the team’s spring activities after receiving a cortisone shot in hopes it would help him get back in time for camp. It was slightly concerning that he didn’t initially report with the rest of the team, but general manager Eric DeCosta had reassured the media that Bateman was expected back soon. Two days later and Bateman should be in attendance for camp to start this week.
Claypool has been dealing with a soft tissue injury from earlier in the offseason. He was expected back in time for camp but clearly will have to wait a bit to rejoin the team.
With the departure of Eli Apple in free agency, Awuzie is expected to take a step up in the Bengals’ defense this year. Cincinnati will hope to get him back and working with the first-team secondary again soon. The absences of Cochran and Collins leave the team a little thin on tackle depth, but the starters remain available as Jonah Williams avoids any injury designations.
Detroit will have Jameson Williams available for training camp but not for the start of the season. The Lions will be hoping to get the opposite result for Jones, who will be unavailable to start camp.