Practice Squad Updates: 10/9/18
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Keith Towbridge
- Released: CB Michael Hunter
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
- Released QB: Connor Cook
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: RB Bo Scarbrough
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Tra Carson, WR Keon Hatcher
- Released: RB Joel Bouagnon
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: CB Lenzy Pipkins
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Pharoah McKever
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed On PS-IR: LB Robert McCray
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: OT Rick Leonard
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Kenneth Farrow
New York Giants
- Signed: K Marshall Koehn
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Matthew Dayes, OL Najee Toran, DB Tyvis Powell
- Released: DB Dexter McCoil, WR Frank Stephens
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: OL Coleman Shelton
Packers Likely To Keep Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby‘s five misses cost the Packers a win on Sunday, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be making a kicking change. On Monday, head coach Mike McCarthy indicated that the club isn’t exploring outside options to replace the 34-year-old. 
[RELATED: Chargers Won’t Make Kicker Change]
“He’s got to make those kicks. He’s a proven highly successful kicker, and I believe in him but he’s got to make those kicks. It’s a different game at halftime (if he makes those three first-half) kicks,” McCarthy said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky).
Crosby missed four of five field goal attempts in the Packers’ 31-23 loss to the Lions. He also missed an extra point in the second half of an uncharacteristically poor performance.
Crosby has been with the Packers since 2007 and the club has stuck by him through trying times before. In some games, it seemed like Crosby couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, but the Packers retained him despite a league-low 63.6% conversion rate. Their faith in him was rewarded as he nailed 85% of his attempts from 2013-2017.
“I think he’s one of the greatest kickers of all time,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said of Crosby. “I’ve always said he and Robbie Gould, what they do in the elements over the years is some of the finest kicking that I’ve seen in my time. Obviously he’s disappointed. I don’t think he expected this. We have a ton of faith in him. He’s done it for a long time, made some big kicks for us over the years. They’ve got to clean the operation up: snap, hold and he’s got to make them.”
Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy
Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers made a few comments during his postgame press conference last week that many interpreted as a dig at his team’s coaching staff and its offensive play-calling. And Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, even though Rodgers later went out of his way to clarify those comments, he remains frustrated with the state of Green Bay’s offense and is still upset about some of the changes made to the roster and coaching staff this offseason.
Of course, last week was not the first time that Rodgers has made comments indicating his displeasure with play-calling, and now that head coach Mike McCarthy has once again taken over play-calling duties, the relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers — which has already been a hot topic of conversation in recent years — is once again under the microscope.
Indeed, La Canfora says several sources who have “regular contact” with McCarthy and Rodgers wonder if the two will be working together in 2019. Obviously, the Packers are not going to part way with Rodgers, whom they just signed to the most lucrative contract in NFL history, but the team could certainly sever ties with McCarthy, whose contract runs through the 2019 season and whose job has not been entirely secure in the last several years anyway.
But Ian Rapoport of NFL.com paints a different picture. As indicated above, there has been tension between Green Bay’s head coach and its best player before, but the two men have always been able to resolve their issues in the past, and club CEO and president Mark Murphy expects more of the same this year.
Murphy did not deny that there was some strain in the McCarthy-Rodgers relationship at the moment, but he said it was a non-issue. Murphy is in regular contact with McCarthy and has spoken with Rodgers, and he said, “We’ve seen this before. I think they’ve had a great relationship. It’s just, two highly competitive people. The most important thing, they both want the same thing — they want us to win and obviously score as many points as possible. I think it’s a very stressful environment, too. Highly pressurized.”
Murphy added that Rodgers’ knee injury, which he sustained in Week 1, is rapidly improving, which will of course be a tremendous benefit to a team that is currently 19th in the league in scoring and 17th in total offense.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/18
Here are Saturday’s minor moves and additional post-suspension activations:
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: S Dean Marlowe
- Waived: TE Khari Lee
Detroit Lions
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
- Waived: TE Hakeem Valles
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Tyler Lancaster
- Waived: RB Darius Jackson
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: ILB Tyrell Adams
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Quenton Meeks
- Waived: WR Rashad Greene
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated: DT Corey Liuget
- Waived: DT T.Y. McGill
Oakland Raiders
- Activated: CB Daryl Worley
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated: WR Victor Bolden
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Ryan Delaire
- Waived: DB Tyvis Powell, OL Najee Toran
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
- Released: DB Taveze Calhoun
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Andre Levrone
- Released: DL Christian LaCouture
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR DeAngelo Yancey
- Released: LB Greer Martini
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Deon Yelder
- Cut: S Leon McQuay
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Quadree Henderson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector
Packers Could Be Without WRs
The Packers could potentially be without two starting receivers when they face the Lions on Sunday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Randall Cobb is dealing with a hamstring injury and worked out with a rehab group during practice today, while Geronimo Allison is in the concussion protocol. If neither pass-catcher can go, Green Bay will be forced to turn to a pair of rookie receivers, Marques Valdez-Scantling and J’Mon Moore. Valdez-Scantling took over slot duties last week while Cobb was out, so he’d probably play there in three-wide sets against Detroit. For what it’s worth, No. 1 Packers wide receiver Davante Adams was listed as limited with a calf injury on Wednesday, but he’s expected to be ready for Sunday’s divisional matchup.
- Even after fracturing his hand in Week 4, Lions safety Quandre Diggs practiced on Wednesday and should be available for Sunday, as Justin Rogers of the Detroit News writes. Diggs, who inked a three-year, $18.6MM extension last month, has played the second-most snaps of any Detroit defender this season. If Diggs unexpectedly can’t play against the Packers, Tavon Wilson would take over at strong safety.
Packers’ Wilkerson To Make Full Recovery
It’s rare that a season-ending ankle surgery produces good news, but that’s exactly what happened for Muhammad Wilkerson. There was some concern that Wilkerson’s injury would affect his football future, but Dr. Robert Anderson has informed him that he’ll make a full recovery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Wilkerson suffered the fractured ankle in Week 3 against the Redskins and the Packers placed him on IR soon after. The painful injury is undoubtedly frustrating for Wilkerson, especially since he joined Green Bay on a one-year platform contract, but it’s not as bad as it could have been.
Wilkerson registered just five tackles through three games this year, but Pro Football Focus rated him in the top 30 for interior defensive linemen. There should be a market for Wilkerson once he returns to full health, though his next deal will be worth a lot less than the five-year, $86MM extension he inked with the Jets in 2016.
Ideally, teams would like to see Wilkerson get back to the form he exhibited in 2015 when he registered 12 sacks en route to a Pro Bowl selection. Wilkerson’s effort and performance slipped over the next two years, forcing the Jets to release him in spite of costly cap implications.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/2/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Jordan Leslie (link via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
- LB Junior Sylvestre (link); CBs Sterling Moore, Josh Robinson; K Daniel Carlson, Miles Bergner (link via Caplan)
Denver Broncos
- P Brock Miller (link)
Detroit Lions
- RB Akeem Hunt; C Jake Eldrenkamp; Ts Antonio Garcia, De’Ondre Wesley; G Landon Turner (link)
Green Bay Packers
- LBs Josh Carraway, Aaron Wallace (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RBs Matthew Dayes, Orleans Darkwa (link via Caplan)
Los Angeles Chargers
- LBs Jonathan Celestin, Tre’von Johnson; P Shane Tripucka; LS Taybor Pepper (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- LB Anthony Winbush; DBs Xavier Coleman, Ranthony Texada; K Kai Forbath
Miami Dolphins
- Gs Austin Davis, J.J. Dielman; Cs Dillon Day, T.J. Johnson, Jon Toth; T Gerhard de Beer; DTs Xavier Cooper, Will Sutton (link)
Minnesota Vikings
- DE Terrence Fede; LB Tyrone Holmes (link)
New England Patriots
- T Andrew Nelson (link)
New Orleans Saints
- G/T Oday Aboushi; Ts Chaz Green, Austin Howard; Gs Jordan Morgan, Isaiah Williams; CBs De’Vante Bausby, Jeremy Boykins, Byron Maxwell (link)
New York Jets
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Damontre Moore, Jacquies Smith; LBs Travis Feeney, Edmond Robinson; K Nick Novak (link via Caplan)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Herb Waters (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- WR Keon Hatcher; DE Hau’oli Kikaha; LB Chris Odom; CB Kalan Reed; Ss Maurice Alexander, Eddie Pleasant, Jeremy Reaves (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- CB Josh Shaw; S A.J. Howard (link)
Tennessee Titans
- QB Garrett Gilbert; WRs Aaron Burbridge, Reggie Davis, Damoun Patterson; LB Antwione Williams (link)
NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/18
Today’s tryouts:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Chicago Bears
- OL Willie Beavers, Will Holden, Marcus Oliver, Menelik Watson
Green Bay Packers
- DEs Joey Mbu, Kendall Reyes
Houston Texans
New York Jets
- DEs Jared Crick, Anthony Lanier; G Jamil Douglas; FB Jalston Fowler; CB Sterling Moore; WRs Brandon Reilly, DeAngelo Yancey
Philadelphia Eagles
- S Robert Golden, Charlie Miller; LBs Dewey McDonald, Hayes Pullard
Allison Diagnosed With Concussion
- Packers receiver Geronimo Allison sustained a concussion in the team’s win over the Bills today, according to Jason Wilde of ESPN (Twitter link). Allison has started to emerge as a viable number two receiver this year, and him missing any amount of time would be a big blow to a receiving corp that’s already dealing with an injury to Randall Cobb.