Here are Thursday’s practice squad transactions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Quavian White
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Kris Boyd
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated to return from IR: WR Tylan Wallace
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Houston Texans
- Designated to return from IR: DT Hassan Ridgeway
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated to return from IR: TE Hunter Long
Miami Dolphins
- Designated to return from IR: WR River Cracraft
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated to return from IR: RB Kenny McIntosh
- Designated to return from PUP: NT Austin Faoliu
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Cardinals): S K’Von Wallace
- Placed on IR: DT Taylor Stallworth
After being waived yesterday by the team who submitted a waiver claim for him at the start of the season, Wallace finds himself on the third NFL team of his career. While the trade that sent star Titans’ defender Kevin Byard to Philadelphia returned another safety in Terrell Edmunds, Wallace will come in and attempt to compete for some key playing time with Edmunds and Amani Hooker.
Humphrey has been promoted as a standard gameday elevation three times already, the limit for a practice squad contract, so in order to see any further game action, he needed to be on the active roster. If he is released and re-signs to the team’s practice squad, he’ll be able to be elevated three more times under a new practice squad deal.
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: TE Blake Whiteheart
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DL LaCale London
- Released: DL Eli Ankou
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Cory Littleton
New England Patriots
- Released: DE Trey Flowers
- Waived: QB Malik Cunningham
New York Giants
- Claimed (from Browns): RB Deon Jackson
- Placed on IR: RB Eric Gray, T Matt Peart
New York Jets
- Promoted: DB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
Roster gymnastics at quarterback continues for the Patriots, who will again take the chance no one will claim Cunningham. New England waived the rookie UDFA in August and stashed him on its practice squad, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss notes that is likely to happen again — provided no team claims him. The Pats promoted the Louisville product earlier this month, but after playing him in Week 6, they sat him in Week 7. Although the Patriots designated Flowers for return from IR on Oct. 4, they will cut ties with their former starter rather than use a roster spot on his activation by Wednesday.
The Giants have now added two running backs this week, with Jackson following Jashaun Corbin‘s return from the Panthers’ practice squad. Injuries to Gray and Gary Brightwell led to these moves. Gray sustained a calf injury in Week 7, leading the Giants to insert veteran Sterling Shepard as their punt returner. Shepard muffed a punt that led to the Commanders’ only score. Peart had operated as a backup tackle. He joins Andrew Thomas‘ initial replacement, Joshua Ezeudu, on IR. Guard Shane Lemieux is also on IR.
The Texans initially released Littleton due to roster-reorganizing purposes, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, but the offseason pickup remains in the team’s plans. Houston cut Littleton to make room for waiver claim Myjai Sanders, but after waiving cornerback D’Angelo Ross on Monday, the team is re-signing the veteran linebacker. Littleton, 30, played sparingly in the Texans’ six games this season, logging only 17 defensive snaps.
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: RB Deon Jackson
Houston Texans
- Waived: CB D’Angelo Ross
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Designated for return from IR: CB Gregory Junior
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: WR Trishton Jackson, OLB Luiji Vilain
New York Giants
- Signed off Panthers’ practice squad: RB Jashaun Corbin
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: WR Chris Conley, CB Shemar Jean-Charles
This marks a New York return for Corbin, who went to training camp with the Giants. A UDFA out of Florida State, Corbin signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants in January but did not make their 53-man roster. The Panthers had kept Corbin on their practice squad since early September. Rather than promote Corbin to their 53-man roster to block this New York return, Carolina will let him join the Giants’ 53. Corbin joins Saquon Barkley, Gary Brightwell and fifth-round rookie Eric Gray as running backs on Big Blue’s 53-man roster. Both Brightwell (hamstring) and Gray (calf) suffered injuries in Week 7, creating a need at the position.
The Texans saw a hit to their depth in the secondary this past weekend when primary backup safety Eric Murray suffered a torn meniscus in the team’s win over the Saints. The severity of the injury was confirmed by MRI on Monday, leading to Houston’s decision today to put Murray on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. 
Murray took a backseat in Houston last year after nearly two years as the team’s starting free safety. With Jalen Pitre and Jonathan Owens starting in the defensive outfield, Murray found himself coming off the bench and playing special teams. The Texans have replaced Owens with Jimmie Ward this year, but Murray has been able to increase his role a bit due to injuries. With Ward missing the first two games of the year and Pitre missing two himself, Murray has logged four starts as the team’s first choice off the bench.
Unfortunately, now Houston will see injury force Murray’s absence. Knee surgery is enough to force a long-term absence, hence Murray’s placement on IR. Fortunately for both sides, though, the Texans aren’t yet calling the injury season-ending, holding out hope that Murray may be able to return late in the year.
In the meantime, Ward and Pitre will continue to start. If anything were to keep either of them off the field, the Texans would need M.J. Stewart to step up. The veteran out of North Carolina has 10 starts in his career, including one this season, when both Pitre and Ward were out. Houston also has versatile defensive back Grayland Arnold, who has filled in some at cornerback this season, as well, due to an injury to Tavierre Thomas.
To fill Murray’s roster spot, the Texans called up cornerback D’Angelo Ross from the practice squad. Ross has played in two games so far this year, solely appearing on special teams. Ross’s spot on the practice squad will be filled by cornerback Alex Austin, who was waived from the team’s active roster earlier this week to make room for wide receiver Noah Brown coming off IR.
A third-round Cardinals draftee last year, Myjai Sanders quickly fell out of favor with the team’s new regime. The Cincinnati alum hit waivers Tuesday, but he did not move through to free agency.
The Texans submitted a successful claim on Sanders, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This will give the productive college sack artist another opportunity and keep him tied to his rookie contract, which runs through 2025. Sanders is attached to a $622K base salary, with a $1.17MM base due in 2024. The Texans are not on the hook for any guaranteed money.
Arizona cut Sanders after designating him to return from IR. The 25-year-old defender did not end up counting against Arizona’s IR activations, having not been activated. The Cardinals having drafted Sanders to work in Vance Joseph‘s defense — during Steve Keim‘s final year as GM — made his roster spot less solidified now that the team has a new regime in place. He will head to a 3-3 Texans team with a new head coach in place.
Keim’s final draft began with the Marquise Brown trade, but two third-round picks went to edge rushers. The Cards chose Cameron Thomas 87th overall and nabbed Sanders at No. 100. Sanders started four games as a rookie, while Thomas worked exclusively as a second-stringer. Helping Cincinnati become the first Group of Five team to qualify for the College Football Playoff, Sanders totaled three sacks as a rookie, playing 30% of the Cardinals’ defensive snaps.
The Cards have made some changes since, moving Zaven Collins to the edge. Thomas remains, while Dennis Gardeck is now playing regularly on defense as well. Victor Dimukeje, a 2021 sixth-rounder, has emerged as a part-timer. The Cards also used a second-round pick on BJ Ojulari this year. This situation prompted the Cardinals to cut bait on Sanders, draft investment notwithstanding, rather than use an IR activation on him.
After a 27th-place ranking last season, the Texans’ defense sits ninth in points allowed through six games. DeMeco Ryans‘ unit now features No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson anchoring the edge, with contract-year rusher Jonathan Greenard remaining a starter upon the team converting to a 4-3 scheme. In his age-36 season, Jerry Hughes also retains a prominent role. Dylan Horton, a fourth-round rookie, joins Hughes as a rotational rusher. Deeper than last season, Houston’s edge corps still only features one player — Greenard — with more than two sacks.
Sanders marks the second pass rusher the Texans have added this month. Ryans picked up one of his former 49ers charges, Kerry Hyder, signing him to the practice squad. While Sanders has proven far less than the veteran D-end, his age and draft status will provide a path straight to another active roster.
The Texans released Cory Littleton to make room for Sanders, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. As a vested veteran, Littleton will not need to pass through waivers. The eighth-year linebacker will stay in Houston on the practice squad. The Texans signed Littleton to a one-year deal this offseason, adding Denzel Perryman as well. Littleton, 29, has been a starter for most of his career but has only logged 17 defensive snaps this season.
Here are today’s minor transactions heading into the Week 6 weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: OL Dennis Daley
- Elevated: CB Bobby Price, RB Damien Williams
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: S Micah Abernathy, DT LaCale London
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: RB Keaton Mitchell
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Baylon Spector
- Elevated: CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: CB Kyler Gordon (story)
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: CB Khalil Dorsey
- Signed to active roster: T Dan Skipper
- Elevated: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Placed on IR: RB Zonovan Knight, CB Emmanuel Moseley (story)
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: WR Noah Brown
- Elevated: CB D’Angelo Ross
- Waived: CB Alex Austin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Tyler Hall, G Netane Muti
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: DT Marquise Copeland, DT Cory Durden
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: G Robert Jones
- Elevated: TE Tanner Conner
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: RB Jordan Mims
- Elevated: TE J.P. Holtz, S Daniel Sorensen
- Placed on IR: FB Adam Prentice
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: G Jalen Mayfield
- Elevated: QB Tommy DeVito, G Justin Pugh
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: LB Nakobe Dean
- Elevated: WR Devon Allen, CB Mekhi Garner
- Placed on IR: WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Shemar Jean-Charles, LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: WR Cody Thompson
- Placed on IR: CB Coby Bryant
Dean took the starting role the Eagles had in store for him in Week 1, but a foot injury interrupted his second NFL campaign. The 22-year-old was poised to return ahead of Sunday’s game by returning to practice earlier this week, though, and a first-team role is expected to await him upon suiting up. Dean taking on a heavy workload will relegate Nicholas Morrow (who was promoted from the practice squad) to backup duty despite the latter’s strong performances so far.
Seattle has seen fellow corners Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen enjoy considerable success, but the team’s secondary will be shorthanded without Bryant. The latter will miss at least the next four weeks as a result of the IR move as he recovers from a toe injury. The 2022 fourth-rounder, who has seen his defensive snap share jump from 65% to 77% this year, has not played since Week 2.
Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: CB Sam Webb
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Designated to return from IR: CB Khalil Dorsey
Houston Texans
- Designated to return from IR: WR Noah Brown
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: G Ike Boettger
Denver releases Humphrey with the intention of adding him back to the team’s practice squad, filling the spot vacated by wide receiver Michael Bandy yesterday. Plus, with young tight end Greg Dulcich expected to return from injured reserve soon, releasing Humphrey opens up a spot on the active roster.
The Colts’ offensive line has been dealing with a couple injuries, so bringing in Boettger will help improve the line’s depth a bit. Boettger, a former undrafted free agent, spent the first five years of his career in Buffalo. He spent much of that time as a backup but did start 17 games in a two-year stretch from 2020-2022. Veteran starting experience is usually an asset worth having on the bench.
Close to assembling an ex-49ers-only cafeteria table to start DeMeco Ryans‘ tenure, the Texans now have another defender who spent multiple seasons in San Francisco in the fold.
After working out Jason Verrett last week, the Texans signed the veteran cornerback to their practice squad. Verrett’s addition comes a day after Houston added ex-San Francisco defensive end Kerry Hyder on a P-squad deal. The Texans also have Jimmie Ward and Hassan Ridgeway, though the latter is currently on IR.
Coaches frequently bring in players familiar with their system, and Verrett has extensive knowledge of Ryans’ scheme. Texans defensive pass-game coordinator Cory Undlin was also with the 49ers during Verrett’s tenure. Though, the former first-round cornerback has a strong claim to be labeled the NFL’s most injury-prone player. Verrett, 32, is a former Pro Bowler but a player who has mostly seen maladies define his career. The 5-foot-10 corner spent the past four seasons with the 49ers, showing plus form when he was available, which was rarely the case.
During his eight-year career, Verrett has suffered two ACL tears and two Achilles tears. The former Chargers first-rounder has played more than six games in a season just twice — in 2015 and 2020. Those seasons produced a Pro Bowl (2015) and a top-15 Pro Football Focus ranking (2020). But injury absences have overshadowed those talent glimpses. Verrett ended last season with a 40-to-106 games-played to games-missed ratio.
Ryans was in San Francisco throughout Verrett’s stay, being in place as the team’s inside linebackers coach during Verrett’s 2020 run of mostly good health. Verrett’s game counts from 2017-22 are as follows: one, zero, one, 13, one, zero. In that 13-game sample in 2020, Verrett notched seven passes defensed and intercepted two passes. He held QBs to a collective 76.2 passer rating as the closest defender. This earned him a more lucrative contract in 2021 (one year, $5.5MM). The TCU alum suffered a torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 season, and after the 49ers re-signed him on a veteran-minimum deal, Verrett endured his second Achilles tear just before he was to make his 2022 debut.
The Verrett signing comes after Shaquill Griffin missed the Texans’ Week 5 game with a calf strain. Slot corner Tavierre Thomas has also missed the past three games, while top outside cover man Derek Stingley is on IR. Houston also worked out Anthony Averett, but the Lions added him to their practice squad Tuesday.
Two of the Lions’ three starter-level free agency additions in their secondary have suffered major injuries. The team will attempt to patch up the unit by adding another veteran.
Anthony Averett will join the Lions on a practice squad deal, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Averett enjoyed a short stint with the 49ers during training camp, but a preseason injury brought his time in San Francisco to a close. A mid-August injury settlement, however, led Averett off the 49ers’ IR list and opens the door to the sixth-year veteran playing in 2023.
The Lions are down both C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley in the secondary. Moseley made his season debut in Week 5, returning from the ACL tear that ended his 49ers tenure early. But the veteran cover man tore his other ACL against the Panthers on Sunday, knocking him out for the season and throwing cold water on potential hopes to use this year as a springboard to a lucrative multiyear deal.
Averett worked out for the Texans last week, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, providing an indication he has recovered from the unspecified injury he suffered with the 49ers. The former Ravens and Raiders starter will join a Lions team that is still in decent shape at corner, but in light of Moseley’s injury, Aaron Glenn‘s defense will pick up some insurance.
Injuries have hindered Averett for a bit now. Thumb and toe issues shortened Averett’s Raiders season to seven games. While the former Ravens fourth-rounder parlayed his 14-start 2021 season (in relief of Marcus Peters) into a Raiders first-string opportunity, he could not stay on the field. The Raiders then scrapped their 2022 CB setup this offseason, letting Averett and Rock Ya-Sin walk in free agency (and eventually signing Peters), and Averett went without a job until August.
Pro Football Focus did not grade Averett’s 2022 sample especially well, slotting him just inside the top 100 among corners. The Alabama alum worked as a backup to Peters and Marlon Humphrey from 2019-20, but due largely to the past two seasons, the 5-foot-11 cover man has 27 career starts. The Lions have lost Moseley but still have two veterans — Sutton and Will Harris — joining ascending second-year cog Jerry Jacobs. Averett, 28, could take the route many 2020s veterans have by using the P-squad as a quick-forming passage back to an active roster.