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Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/24

October 5th, 2024 at 7:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Mariota returned to practice on Wednesday, which was the earliest point at which he could be designated for return. As a result, it comes as little surprise he has been brought back onto Washington’s active roster. The 30-year-old is in his first season with the Commanders, and today’s move paves the way for him to handle backup duties moving forward.

Ngakoue remained on the free agent market into the start of the regular season. He was not connected to a Ravens reunion, but one took place last week. The journeyman sack artist had a brief spell with Baltimore in 2020, and he posted three sacks in 11 games. Ngakoue, 29, had one-and done campaigns in Vegas, Indianapolis and Chicago before taking a Ravens practice squad deal. He will make his debut tomorrow and aim to provide depth along the edge.

Texans Activate DE Dylan Horton, Place DE Jerry Hughes On IR

October 5th, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Dylan Horton‘s road to recovery is officially complete. The second-year defensive end was activated from the reserve/NFI list on Saturday, the Texans announced.

Horton’s rookie campaign was ended by a Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis last December. He spent the spring undergoing treatment as a result, a process which was completed in May. Horton was moved to the NFI list while the Texans set their final roster, guaranteeing at least a four-game absence to begin the season. In time for Week 5, though, he has returned to the active roster.

The 24-year-old made 10 appearances last season, logging a rotational workload on defense while also chipping in on special teams. A major step forward in playing time should not be expected for Horton (especially early on during the season), but he could carve out a notable role while making his first appearances in nearly one year. Despite his return, Houston will be shorthanded along the defensive line for the time being.

Jerry Hughes was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move to Horton’s activation. The veteran will miss at least four games as a result, ending his run of durability with Houston. Hughes played all 17 games during both of his first two Texans campaigns, collecting 12 sacks over that span. It thus came as little surprise when he re-signed in July on a deal positioning him to remain a depth contributor up front.

Hughes, 36, played in each of the Texans’ first four games this year but he was held without a sack. His attention will now turn to recovery while Horton takes over a rotational role on a defense which has posted strong numbers in a number of categories in 2024.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/24

October 2nd, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Practice window opened: T Christian Jones

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Practice window opened: DT Jonathan Ford

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Today marks most teams’ first practice before Week 5, making it the first date players stashed on IR as teams set their initial 53-man rosters can work out again with their teams. This year’s IR tweak allowed teams to designate up to two players for return August 27, the catch being all players who receive that designation count toward their respective club’s eight-activation total. The batch included in today’s minor moves post consists entirely of players to receive that August IR-return designation.

The IR-return window is unchanged, however, with teams having 21 days from Wednesday to activate these players. Anyone from today’s group not being activated from IR by October 23 must miss the rest of the season. PFR will keep track of all players returning from IR via the Injured Reserve Return Tracker.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/24

October 2nd, 2024 at 7:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wednesday’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Los Angles Rams

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals have added some necessary kicker depth. Per Tyler Drake of AZSports, Matt Prater is dealing with a left knee issue, necessitating the addition of Chad Ryland. The former fourth-round pick spent his rookie campaign in New England, where he converted 16 of his 25 field goal attempts and 24 of his 25 XP tries. Ryland lost out on the Patriots kicking gig this season to Joey Slye, leading to him being among New England’s final cuts.

Texans DE Dylan Horton Returns To Practice Following Cancer Remission

October 2nd, 2024 at 12:32pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Texans defensive end Dylan Horton will return to practice today after starting the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, according to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.

Horton was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2023, sidelining him for Houston’s last seven regular-season matchups and the postseason. He completed his cancer treatment in May but did not practice with the team during training camp as he finished his recovery. The Texans placed Horton on the NFI list during final roster cuts, giving him additional time to get back into playing shape before hitting the field with his teammates.

The TCU alum played 175 defensive snaps as a rotational presence last season with Houston, seeing time on special teams as well. The Texans have largely the same DE group they did last season, with one notable free agency update, so the second-year player will have a chance to mix in soon. Horton joins 2022 second-round wide receiver John Metchie as Texans to battle cancer and resume their football careers since being drafted.

Now in remission, Horton will play football for the first time since last November, hoping to fortify a Texans defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest points but 11th-most yards. He will slot in behind Houston’s deep defensive end group, featuring 2023 no. 3 overall pick Will Anderson, 2024 free agency signing Danielle Hunter, and veterans Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes.

That depth will allow head coach DeMeco Ryans to take a conservative approach with Horton’s return to the field, instead prioritizing the 2023 fourth-rounder’s health and long-term development.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/1/24

October 1st, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad updates around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR Jermaine Jackson
  • Released: WR John Jiles

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: DT Matt Gotel

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Broncos are bringing in the veteran running back Ahmed after he spent four years in Miami. Ahmed’s biggest role came in four starts as an undrafted rookie back in 2020 in which he rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns over six games. He served as a reliable backup for the Dolphins for the past few years.

The Chargers released Jefferson yesterday, but they’ll keep him around on the practice squad with today’s signing. The veteran adds some quality depth to the roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24

September 28th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Elevated: G Kyle Hergel

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/24

September 21st, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Players like Hollman, Vigil, Webb, and Quarterman will now be getting called up for the third time this season. The NFL rules limit a practice squad player to three standard gameday elevations per contract. If their teams want to get them into more games in the future, the normal route is for them to be signed to the active roster after this weekend then released/waived and signed to new practice squad deals, starting their three-game count over.

Shy Tuttle‘s foot injury will keep him off the field for Week 3, as the Panthers announced that the defensive tackle has been downgraded from doubtful to out. The Panthers called up Williams to temporarily take the open roster spot. The defensive end started 10 of his 16 appearances for the Panthers last season, and he landed back on Carolina’s practice squad last month after spending the preseason with the Bills.

The Browns announced a handful of moves ahead of their game with the Giants tomorrow. Notably, the team didn’t promote any offensive tackles, which provided some optimism surrounding the availability of their injured tackles. While Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to play (per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal), Jack Conklin will not (per Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland). Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. He practiced this week and was initially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but it sounds like a new hamstring injury is the culprit for his Week 3 absence.

With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce set to miss Sunday’s trip to Minnesota, the Texans are bringing up Taylor off the practice squad. Taylor will back up Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale against the Vikings this weekend.

NFL Injury Updates: Texans, Herbert, Love, Mims

September 21st, 2024 at 3:38pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans offense has been inundated with injuries over the past week. Both starting running back Joe Mixon and primary backup rusher Dameon Pierce are set to miss the team’s trip to Minnesota this weekend, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In addition, center Jarrett Patterson has been ruled out, as well.

Mixon is still dealing with an ankle injury that knocked him out of last week’s win over the Bears. After an explosive Week 1 debut with the Texans, in which he rushed 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, Mixon only rushed the ball nine times before getting knocked out last week. Pierce was absent in last week’s game as he dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 1.

With its RB1 and RB2 on the injury report, Houton will have to turn to Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale in Week 3. The team also called up practice squad rusher J.J. Taylor as some potential insurance. Juice Scruggs should be back starting at center, though he’s also listed as questionable with a groin injury. With Patterson out, Kendrick Green will be the backup center.

Here are some other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has spent the week dealing with a high ankle sprain, barely appearing at practice since last Sunday. Yesterday, it was announced that there was no decision on whether or not he would be able to start this Sunday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, there’s growing optimism in Los Angeles that Herbert will be able to start in Pittsburgh tomorrow. He’s currently listed as questionable, and he’ll reportedly test the ankle before the game before making a final call.
  • Another starting quarterback, Jordan Love, is currently listed as questionable to play tomorrow. The Packers anticipated a multi-week absence for their newly-paid passer, but per Pelissero, the team has not yet ruled out the possibility that Love returns after only one absence. Still, Green Bay called up Sean Clifford from the practice squad. Clifford will back up Malik Willis if Love is unable to go in time for tomorrow.
  • We already knew that wide receiver Tee Higgins was set to make his 2024 debut on Monday, but Pelissero adds that rookie first-round offensive tackle Amarius Mims has been removed from the injury report and is set to make his NFL debut for the Bengals, as a result. Mims had been dealing with a pectoral muscle injury that limited his time in training camp and kept him out of the team’s first two contests. It’s unclear what his role would be if he does play immediately, as Trent Brown has been starting for the first few games, but regardless, Cincinnati will be happy to add a first-round talent to their offense this week.

Texans TE Brevin Jordan Out For Season

September 19th, 2024 at 3:28pm CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 19: This placement will cover the rest of the season. Jordan suffered a torn ACL, according to Wilson. This is a tough blow for the 2021 draftee, as his path toward the 2025 free agent market will now include extensive knee rehab.

SEPTEMBER 18: The Texans will be down a tight end for at least the next four games. The team placed tight end Brevin Jordan on injured reserve today, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

Jordan suffered a knee injury at some point during Sunday’s win over the Bears, although he still managed to finish the contest. The veteran was operating as Houston’s TE2 behind Dalton Schultz this season, with Jordan garnering 43 total snaps as a run blocker.

While he’s been called upon as a blocker in 2024, the former fifth-round pick hasn’t been a complete non-factor offensively through his first three-plus seasons in the NFL. The Miami (FL) product averaged 17 catches per season between 2021 and 2023, and he had a notable 73-yard touchdown during last year’s playoffs.

The team added some depth at the position today by signing Irv Smith Jr. to the practice squad, per Wilson. Smith profiles as more of a pass-catcher, with the tight end averaging more than 23 receiving yards per game in 37 appearances with the Vikings. After dealing with injuries between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Smith put together his worst statistical season in 2023, finishing with career-lows in receptions (18), receiving yards (115), and touchdown receptions (one).

Schultz and rookie fourth-round pick Cade Stover are mostly rostered for their pass-catching ability, so there’s a chance the team looks for a blocking option to temporarily replace Jordan. The Texans are also rostering tight end Chris Myarick and fullback Troy Hairston on the practice squad, and both players are probably candidates for promotions for Week 3.

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