Practice squad moves from today:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
After suffering an Achilles injury late during the 2022 season, Dawuane Smoot is ready to make his return to the field. The Jaguars announced that they’ve activated the defensive end from the physically unable to perform list. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars placed cornerback Christian Braswell on injured reserve.
While it took a few years for him to find his place on defense, Smoot has emerged as one of the Jaguars’ most consistent pass-rushers in recent years. The former third-round pick collected 22.5 sacks for Jacksonville between 2019 and 2022, including a 2021 campaign where he started a career-high 10 games en route to 36 tackles, six sacks, and 16 QB hits.
He continued his production in 2022, finishing with five sacks, six tackles for loss, and 12 QB hits. He suffered a torn Achilles last December, an injury that proved to be poor timing since Smoot was finishing up a two-year, $10MM deal he signed with the organization in 2021. It took the 28-year-old until July to re-sign with the Jaguars, and he was placed on PUP to begin the 2023 campaign. Smoot returned to practice earlier this month.
Josh Allen and Travon Walker are manning the edge spots, meaning Smoot will compete with K’Lavon Chaisson for any leftover pass-rush reps. For what it’s worth, coach Doug Pederson said this week that he doesn’t expect Smoot to be on a snap count when he returns to the field.
“He brings a veteran leadership and presence out there,” Pederson said (h/t Adam Stites of JagsWire). “You can play him in base defense, you can play him in nickel in pass rush situations. There’s his production that comes from being inside and all of that on third down and stuff.
“I don’t think you want to put him on a pitch count, but I think you have to monitor, and you don’t want to get his rep count too high. But at the same time, you want to let him get comfortable with the game and see how he is doing throughout the course of three hours or so that you’re out there.”
Smoot will be taking the roster spot held by Braswell, a rookie sixth-round pick. The Rutgers product appeared in each of Jacksonville’s first three games this season, but he’ll now be sidelined for at least the next four games while he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Here are the day’s minor transactions heading into Week 5:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
During their London trip, the Jaguars could have multiple linemen back. In addition to seeing left tackle Cam Robinson reinstated from his four-game PED suspension, Jacksonville is opening Dawuane Smoot‘s practice window.
The Jags announced Smoot will begin practicing Wednesday. The recently re-signed edge rusher landed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. Smoot sustained an Achilles tear in Week 16 of last season.
Smoot is playing on his third Jaguars contract. The team had re-signed the former third-round pick in 2021 and had seen steady play amid a woeful period. Smoot registered between five and six sacks in each of his past four seasons. He combined for 29 QB hits from 2020-21 and added 12 last season to go with his five sacks. The Achilles tear crushed Smoot’s market, but shortly after the Ravens arranged a free agency meeting, the Illinois alum opted to return to the Jags on a one-year, $3.5MM deal.
The team circled back to Smoot in July, adding him months after losing Arden Key in free agency. Key signed with the Titans, creating a void behind starters Josh Allen and Travon Walker. Smoot, 28, will be expected to re-emerge as a key backup. The Jags are down multiple front-seven pieces, with defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton still on IR.
Week 5 represents the first week for players on the PUP, IR and NFI lists to return. Wednesday’s designation for return starts Smoot’s activation clock. The Jaguars now have three weeks to move the seventh-year defender back onto their 53-man roster. Failure to do so in a 21-day period would send Smoot to season-ending IR.
Monday’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
As part of the new terms regarding the NFL’s gambling policy, players hit with six-game bans for gambling on non-NFL events while at team facilities have seen their suspensions reduced. As a result, Williams and Petit-Frere will be able to return as early as Week 5. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes that each player will receive a one-week roster exemption, after which they will need to be activated.
The same holds true of Robinson, who was suspended for the season’s opening month due to a PED violation. That ban cost the 27-year-old over $3.5MM in salary and voided the remaining guarantees in his deal, which runs through 2024. The Jaguars have had an up-and-down start to the season on offense, but the unit has fared well in pass protection so far with only eight sacks allowed. Still, Robinson’s return to the blindside will be welcomed in Jacksonville.
Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves ahead of tomorrow’s slate of Week 4 games:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Walker’s elevation comes amidst a degree of uncertainty regarding Deshaun Watson‘s Sunday availability. The latter is dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has expressed confidence he will be able to suit up. In the event he is unable to play, though, Walker will provide insurance under center. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports Watson will be a game-time decision.
Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, made his Dolphins debut in Week 3, scoring a 68-yard touchdown on his only catch. His performance – along with other depth wideouts currently being sidelined for Miami – will give the 30-year-old a longer look with his new team.
Gore’s elevation will give him the chance to see regular season game action for the first time since 2021. The former UDFA recorded 361 scrimmage yards with the Chiefs that season, but a subsequent IR stint marked the end of his time in Kansas City. Gore has since spent time on the Saints’, and now Commanders’, taxi squads. Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes that fellow depth back Chris Rodriguez has bee ruled out with an illness, opening the door to Gore seeing limited snaps.
The Jaguars are set to play the first of back-to-back games in London in Week 4, but they will be without a defensive starter for at least one of them. Linebacker Devin Lloyd will be absent on Sunday as a result of thumb surgery. 
Lloyd had a number of screws implanted in his right thumb on Wednesday, as noted by ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. As a result of the procedure, he will not travel with the Jaguars in advance of their game against the Falcons. The 2022 first-rounder’s absence will leave a notable vacancy at the second level of Jacksonville’s defense.
The second Jaguars Day 1 selection last April (after No. 1 pick Travon Walker), Lloyd saw immediate playing time with an 80% defensive snap share. The Utah alum racked up 115 tackles, three interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries. Those stats failed to translate to a flattering PFF evaluation, however, with tackling issues and struggles in coverage leading to an overall grade of 48.3.
Lloyd has shouldered a heavier workload in the early going during the 2023 campaign, and his metrics have taken a positive turn. The 24-year-old has earned a 58.7 grade, a mark which leaves plenty of room for improvement down the road, but offers reason to expect he can remain a productive contributor in Jacksonville in the short- and long-term. Lloyd has helped the Jaguars rank seventh in the league against the run, allowing an average of 84 yards per game on the ground.
In his absence, leading tackler Foyesade Oluokun will likely be joined in the starting lineup by Chad Muma. The 2022 third-rounder has played primarily on special teams early in his career, though he has also logged over 300 defensive snaps. Fourth-year depth contributor Shaquille Quarterman could also be in line for an increased workload with Lloyd unavailable for the time being.
Since finding a rhythm offensively has been akin to pulling teeth for Jacksonville so far this season, the team’s defense will likely have a large role to play in helping rebound from a 1-2 start. Missing Lloyd will hurt their linebacking corps, but his absence should at least not be expected to last particularly long.
Here are the various practice squad elevations and other minor moves from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Last November, in the midst of wide receiver Calvin Ridley‘s year-long gambling suspension, the Falcons traded Ridley to the Jaguars in exchange for a two-pick package comprised of one 2023 and one 2024 selection. As Ridley was reinstated prior to this year’s draft, Atlanta received Jacksonville’s 2023 fifth-round choice, which it subsequently flipped to the Lions in exchange for cornerback Jeff Okudah.
The 2024 selection was originally reported as a conditional fourth-rounder, and the Falcons have clinched at least that level of compensation given that Ridley was on the Jaguars’ 53-man roster after last month’s cutdown day and subsequently suited up for the team’s Week 1 contest against the Colts. However, the pot could continue to get sweeter for Atlanta.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, the fourth-round pick will become a third-rounder if Ridley plays at least 60% of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps or records either 75 receptions or 1,000 receiving yards. The Falcons will receive a second-round pick if Ridley — who is presently playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which tolled to 2023 due to his suspension — signs an extension with Jacksonville.
Schefter notes that contract talks between Ridley and the Jags will not commence until the end of the season, so it will be a while before we know whether the Falcons will end up with a second-round choice. However, Ridley recorded eight catches (on 11 targets) for 101 yards and a score in his Jacksonville debut, so as long as he stays healthy, it seems he will have an excellent shot at securing at least a 2024 third-round pick for his former club.
The Jags are presumably content to pay that price as long as Ridley continues to perform at a high level. In his last full season in 2020, the former first-rounder set career-highs in catches (90) and receiving yards (1,374), and he makes an already-talented Jacksonville offense even more formidable.
A healthy and productive season will allow Ridley to take advantage of a booming wide receiver market in 2024, whether he re-signs with the Jags or finds a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
Today’s callups and adjustments heading into Week 2:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans