NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/16
Wednesday’s practice squad changes:
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Denzel Rice
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of CBS4)
Kansas City Chiefs
Signed: LB Deion Barnes (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Carlos Fields
- Cut: DL Bobby Richardson
Dolphins Claim Nick Williams From Chiefs
The Dolphins have claimed defensive end Nick Williams off waivers from the Chiefs and placed safety Reshad Jones on injured reserve, per an announcement from Miami.
The 26-year-old Williams had a brief unemployed stint after Kansas City cut him Tuesday. Williams had appeared in each of the Chiefs’ five games this year prior to his ouster, but he only participated in 11.9 percent of their defensive snaps. Since entering the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Steelers in 2013, Williams has amassed 21 appearances – all with the Chiefs.
Williams will likely try to catch on at defensive tackle with the Dolphins, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). The Dolphins have relied heavily this year on Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips along the interior, while Chris Jones and Julius Warmsley have combined for roughly 90 snaps apiece as depth options.
The placement of Jones on IR was expected after Salguero reported earlier Tuesday that Miami would shut him down for the season. Jones, one of the Dolphins’ premier players, suffered a torn rotator cuff in their 30-15 upset over the Steelers last Sunday.
AFC Workout Notes: Colts, Chiefs, Ravens, Pats
Free agent receiver Aaron Dobson visited the Colts on Tuesday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Dobson has worked out for several teams and had multiple stints with the Lions since the Patriots cut him Sept. 3. The three-year veteran has 53 receptions and four touchdowns in 24 games (13 starts).
The Colts also worked out running back David Cobb (Twitter link). The former Titan has tried out for a bevy of clubs since Tennessee cut him in August. Cobb briefly caught on with the Steelers, who waived him from their practice squad last week.
Along with Dobson and Cobb, receiver Marcus Leak, tight ends Alex Bayer and Darion Griswold, and linebackers Trevor Reilly and James Vaughters tried out with the Colts, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today.
More workouts from the AFC (courtesy of Caplan, unless otherwise noted):
- In addition to defensive end Kendall Reyes, whom they signed, the Chiefs tried out fellow DE Lynden Trail on Tuesday, according to Nick Underhill of the Advocate (Twitter link). Joining them were linebackers Deion Barnes, Randell Johnson, and Kyle Kragen.
- Veteran offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds worked out for the Ravens on Tuesday (Twitter link). Reynolds has been on the radar of a few teams since Los Angeles released him prior to Week 1. The 29-year-old has 42 appearances and 23 starts on his resume.
- The Patriots tried out out two offensive tackles – Ryan Mack and Pearce Slater – as well as defensive end Jordan Williams, reports Doug Kyed of NESN (via Twitter).
- Along with linebacker Quentin Gaus and tight end Steven Scheu, both of whom joined their practice squad, the Broncos worked out linebackers Lenny Jones, J.R. Tavai and Kyrie Wilson; defensive ends Deonte Gibson, Ian Seau and Josh Shirley; and safety Elijah Shumate (Twitter links via Balzer).
- The Texans worked out safety Don Jones and a pair of cornerbacks, Denzel Rice and Charles Gaines (Twitter link).
- Running back Mekale McKay and Jhurell Pressley tried out for the Jets, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
- Three tight ends – Kivon Cartwright, Tim Semisch and Gannon Sinclair – worked out for the Titans, tweets Balzer.
Chiefs Make Several Roster Moves
The Chiefs have made a series of roster moves in advance of their game against the Saints this Sunday, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports. The club has signed four players – defensive linemen Kendall Reyes and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, linebacker Ramik Wilson and cornerback Terrance Mitchell – to its active roster. Additionally, the Chiefs have waived defensive lineman Nick Williams, and placed both defensive end Allen Bailey and linebacker Justin March-Lillard on injured reserve (links to Twitter).
Of the four newest Chiefs, Reyes is the most notable. A second-round pick in 2012, Reyes was a starter on San Diego’s defensive line from 2013-2015. Reyes then joined the Redskins on a one-year, $2.5MM deal during the offseason. He cracked their roster to begin the year, but the team cut him earlier this month after a groin injury limited him. In total, the 27-year-old has racked up 66 appearances, 50 starts and 13.5 sacks in his NFL career.
Both Wilson and Nunez-Roches were member of the Chiefs’ 2015 draft class who are now returning to their roster (the former had been on their practice squad). Kansas City selected Wilson in the fourth round, and the ex-Georgia Bulldog appeared in 11 games, made two starts and amassed 13 tackles in his rookie year.
Nunez-Roches, formerly of Southern Miss, went in Round 6. He saw action in seven games last year and remained with the Chiefs at the outset of this season, but they cut him after Week 1. Notably, Nunez-Roches is the first Belizean-born player in league history.
Mitchell landed with the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2014 draft and will now join his fifth organization. He debuted last season and garnered eight appearances with the Cowboys and Bears, also adding an interception.
Williams, 26, went to Pittsburgh in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, but he didn’t suit up until the next season as a member of the Chiefs. He picked up 21 appearances with KC before the club cut him.
Not to be lost in the shuffle are the long-term injuries to Bailey and March-Lillard, both of whom started the Chiefs’ first five games of the season.
Bailey, a sixth-year man, has started in all 31 of his appearances dating back to 2014. He was on the field for 54.9 percent of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps before going on IR with a shoulder injury, but Pro Football Focus ranks his overall performance just 93rd among 117 qualifying interior D-linemen through five weeks.
Having played in 49.9 of their defensive snaps, the Chiefs have also relied a fair amount on March-Lillard. In his first pro action, the 2015 undrafted free agent from Akron has accrued 22 tackles. PFF rates his output 49th among 85 LBs.
Packers Acquire RB Knile Davis From Chiefs
The Chiefs have traded running back Knile Davis to the Packers, a source tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter). In exchange for Davis, the Chiefs will receive a conditional seventh-round pick in 2018, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The two sides have since confirmed the deal via press release.
The Packers need some help at running back after No. 2 RB James Starks had knee surgery. Making matters worse, starter Eddie Lacy is playing through an ankle injury of his own. Green Bay promoted UDFA Don Jackson from the practice squad yesterday, but they also wanted a running back with NFL experience on the depth chart. Davis fell out of favor in KC, but it wasn’t long ago that he was the primary backup to Jamaal Charles. Starks will likely be out “about four weeks” after going under the knife and Davis should help to hold down the fort until then.
Davis has been seeking a trade for some time now and he finally got one today. The Chiefs now have Charles back in the lineup and his return bumped Davis all the way down to No. 4 on the running back depth chart. With no real need for Davis, KC decided to get something of value instead of stashing the young tailback behind Charles, Spencer Ware, and Charcandrick West. All three players recently signed extensions with the Chiefs while Davis was left on his old contract.
Last season, Davis’ main contribution came in the Wild Card playoffs when he opened up the contest against the Texans with a 106-yard kick return touchdown. In the regular season, Davis had just 28 total carries for 72 yards and one score. From 2013-2015, the former third-round pick carried the ball 232 times for 777 yards, good for a 3.3 yards-per-carry average. This year, he had just one carry for a loss of two yards.
Chiefs DE Allen Bailey Could Be Done For Year
The Chiefs are worried that defensive end Allen Bailey could be done for the season due to a shoulder injury, tweets freelance NFL reporter Rand Getlin. Bailey missed time during yesterday’s victory over the Raiders, and after the game, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported (via Twitter) that Bailey was dealing with a shoulder contusion.
[RELATED: Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart]
Bailey, 27, is in the midst of his sixth season with Kansas City, but he’s only been a starter for the past two-plus years. After posting 9.5 sacks from 2014-15, Bailey had started all five games in 2016, but hadn’t posted exemplary results. According to Pro Football Focus, Bailey has graded as just the No. 94 interior defender among 116 qualifiers.
If Bailey is forced to miss an extended period of time, second-rookie Chris Jones would seem to be the next man up. Jones, the 37th overall pick in this year’s draft, has only played on roughly a quarter of Kansas City’s defensive snaps thus far, but that percentage would likely rise if Bailey is sidelined. Fellow lineman Nick Williams and Dadi Nicolas are also options to see more playing time.
Meanwhile, star linebacker Justin Houston was cleared to practice over the weekend, and was officially eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list today. Head coach Andy Reid expressed optimism on Houston’s status, telling reporters, including Paylor (Twitter link), that “we’re close” to Houston’s return to the field.
Justin Houston Cleared To Practice
Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston has been given the green light to resume practice activity, as ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher tweets. Houston is currently on the physically unable to perform list, but the team can take him off the list on Monday. 
The Chiefs placed Houston on the PUP list to start the season, meaning that he would be out of action for at least six weeks. Once Houston is taken off of the PUP list, he will be allowed to practice for 21 days before the team has to activate him. The team is hoping that Houston will be able to hit the ground running, but it’s not immediately clear when he might make his in-game debut.
So far, the team has just five sacks through four games this season. KC needs Houston on the field, but they won’t rush him if he’s not ready. The Chiefs take on the rival Raiders this Sunday. Houston, in theory, could be activated on Sunday Oct. 23 against the Saints.
Chiefs Sign LB Sio Moore
The Chiefs have signed linebacker Sio Moore, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Moore was cut by the Colts earlier this week. 
Moore suffered a significant hamstring injury this summer which held him back in practice. He healed up from that injury, but he was unable to impress in the first month of this season with Indianapolis. He was cut on Tuesday after amassing 25 total tackles and five assisted tackles.
In two seasons with the Raiders and one season and change with the Colts, Moore has appeared in 42 games with 26 starts. He had 4.5 sacks as a rookie and 3.0 sacks in his sophomore year, but he has been unable to replicate those numbers in the past couple of years.
To make room, KC cut linebacker Dezman Moses.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chiefs Audition Three
- Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
Jamaal Charles To Play On Sunday
After missing all of September, Jamaal Charles is ready to make his 2016 debut. Despite being listed as questionable, the running back will suit up for the Chiefs on Sunday night against the Steelers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
Charles tore his ACL roughly one year ago, ending his season after just five games. Fortunately, the Chiefs have managed to get by with Spencer Ware in the primary role at tailback as he has averaged 4.9 yards per carry in three games this year. Still, he is not as dynamic of a runner as a healthy Charles. The 29-year-old has four Pro Bowl selections to his credit, plus two All-Pro nods.
In five games last year, Charles looked to be on his way to another stellar season with 5.1 yards per carry, four rushing touchdowns, plus 21 catches for 177 yards and a receiving TD. Entering his ninth NFL season, Charles is out to show that he can get back to his old form after major surgery.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.