NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/31/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: NT Bravvion Roy
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: QB Shane Buechele
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Deslin Alexandre, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Bill Murray, K John Parker Romo
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Lucas Krull
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB David Blough, DL Quinton Bohanna, WR Daurice Fountain, DE Raymond Johnson, RB Zonovan Knight, G Michael Niese
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Kristian Welch
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT McTelvin Agim, WR Racey McMath
- Released: DT Caleb Sampson, CB Kevin Toliver
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Esezi Otomewo
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Keith Taylor, WR Montrell Washington
- Released: DB Reese Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Marquez Callaway, LB Isaac Darkangelo, G Vitaliy Gurman, DE Janarius Robinson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Alex Erickson, S Dean Marlowe, TE Nick Vannett
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Nick Bowers, RB Darrynton Evans, OL Chasen Hines, S Joshua Kalu, DT Rashard Lawrence, OT James Tunstall, WR Raleigh Webb, DE Chase Winovich
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jalen Reagor
New Orleans Saints
- Released: RB Tony Jones Jr., RB Ellis Merriweather, RB Jordan Mims, LB Ty Summers
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Caleb Hayes, WR Dennis Houston, TE Tyree Jackson, RB Taiwan Jones, G Jalen Mayfield, OT Jaylon Thomas
- Released: CB Gemon Green, OL Tyre Phillips
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, DL Jalyn Holmes, S Tyreque Jones, OL Jason Poe, OL Ryan Swoboda, RB Xazavian Valladay
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Thomas Booker, OT Le’Raven Clark, CB Tiawan Mullen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Tariq Carpenter, OT Kellen Diesch, WR Simi Fehoko, G Joey Fisher, DB Josiah Scott
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB CB Shemar Jean-Charles, K Matthew Wright
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Ben Brown, CB Artie Burns, LB Jon Rhattigan, CB Robert Rochell
- Released: QB Holton Ahlers, OL Greg Eiland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, DE C.J. Brewer, OL Silas Dzansi, OT Luke Haggard, DB Keenan Isaac, WR Cephus Johnson, RB Patrick Laird, S Richard LeCounte, WR Ryan Miller, WR David Moore, DL Pat O’Connor, OL Raiqwon O’Neal, LB Jose Ramirez, LB J.J. Russell, TE Tanner Taula, QB John Wolford
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.
Denver Broncos
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Tyler Badie, WR Michael Bandy, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Phillip Dorsett (story), CB Art Green, OLB Marcus Haynes, T Demontrey Jacobs, S Devon Key, DL PJ Mustipher, DT Haggai Chisom Ndubusi, G William Sherman, WR David Sills
Kansas City Chiefs
Claimed:
- DB Darius Rush
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Ekow Boye-Doe, S Deon Bush, TE Matt Bushman, LB Cole Christiansen, DT Matt Dickerson, T Chukwuebuka Godrick, DE Truman Jones, T Darrian Kinnard, QB Chris Oladokun, RB La’Mical Perine, WR Cornell Powell, RB Deneric Prince, C Austin Reiter, DT Danny Shelton, CB Reese Taylor, DT Chris Williams
Las Vegas Raiders
Placed on IR:
- WR Chris Lacy
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- DE David Agoha, DL Matthew Butler, G McClendon Curtis, TE Cole Fotheringham, S Jaydon Grant, CB Tyler Hall, LB Kana’i Mauga, RB Sincere McCormick, G Netane Muti, DE Isaac Rochell, WR Devin Ross, TE John Samuel Shenker, CB Sam Webb, WR Antoine Wesley
Los Angeles Chargers
Claimed:
- LB Tanner Muse
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- OLB Brevin Allen, T Zack Bailey, WR Terrell Bynum, DL Jerrod Clark, DL Christian Covington, WR Keelan Doss, QB Max Duggan, OLB Andrew Farmer, CB Matt Hankins, TE Hunter Kampmoyer, DL C.J. Okoye, OL Austen Pleasants
Reverted to IR:
- WR Darrius Shepherd, CB Amechi Uzodinma, LB Blake Lynch, WR Milton Wright
Released from IR via injury settlement:
Chiefs Place DT Chris Jones On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Set 53-Man Roster
The Chiefs’ 53-man roster does not include Chris Jones, who continues to stage a rare 2020s holdout. Here is how the defending Super Bowl champions moved down to 53:
Released:
- TE Kendall Blanton
- DB Deon Bush
- C Austin Reiter
- DT Danny Shelton
Waived:
- DB Dicaprio Bootle
- DB Ekow Boye-Doe
- QB Shane Buchele
- TE Matt Bushman
- LB Cole Christiansen
- DB Anthony Cook
- RB Jerrion Ealy
- WR Ty Fryfogle
- WR Izaiah Gathings
- T Godrick Chukwuebuka
- WR Juwan Green
- T Sebastian Gutierrez
- DB Kahlef Hailassie
- T Anderson Hardy
- DT Phil Hoskins
- DB Lamar Jackson
- DE Truman Jones
- DE Joshua Kaindoh
- T Darian Kinnard
- DB Duron Lowe
- DB Isaiah Norman
- QB Chris Oladokun
- RB La’Mical Perine
- WR Cornell Powell
- RB Deneric Prince
- WR Ty Scott
- DB Reese Taylor
- DT Chris Williams
- DE Daniel Wise
Waived/injured:
- G Jerome Carvin
- LB Olakunle Fatukasi
- WR Nikko Remigio
Reserve/did not report:
- DT Chris Jones
Seeking a contract in the Aaron Donald range, Jones has seen the Chiefs push for a deal more in line with the recently established second tier of the defensive tackle market. Daron Payne, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons and Quinnen Williams all signed for between $22.5MM and $24MM per year, but Jones has been resolute as he stays away. The Chiefs are unable to waive the $50K-per-day fines Jones has incurred, separating this from Nick Bosa‘s holdout. On a rookie contract, Bosa’s fines can be waived. Jones has lost more than $1.5MM already but has hinted at a holdout extending into the regular season.
The Chiefs have parted ways with a number of defensive regulars in recent years, moving on from the likes of Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark. The team has prioritized Jones in the past, franchise-tagging him and reaching an extension in 2020. Jones, 28, will count on the Chiefs folding, as their pass rush will obviously take a hit without him. But as we move close to the regular season, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes the sides are not close on terms.
It still seems difficult to envision Jones missing out on game checks, but this process has already gone on far longer than expected. The Chiefs have, however, come out against trading the All-Pro D-tackle. Regarding another well-known Chief, Reiter is considered likely to end up on the team’s practice squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
Chiefs To Acquire DT Neil Farrell From Raiders
While dealing with a high-profile absence along the defensive interior, the Chiefs are turning to a division rival for depth. Kansas City is acquiring defensive tackle Neil Farrell from the Raiders in return for a sixth-round pick, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Farrell was a fourth-round selection for Vegas last season, making him one of the initial draftees under general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels. His time with the team will prove to be very short lived, however, consisting solely of a rookie season during which he played nine games. Farrell was used in a rotational capacity, logging 158 defensive snaps.
The LSU alum recorded 12 tackles and a pair of quarterback hits during the season, making him one of several members of the Raiders’ front seven who failed to make much of a statistical impact. Moving on so quickly in his pro career – and in particular, by shipping him to Kansas City – is certainly surprising. Vegas will incur a dead money charge of $180K in each of the next three seasons, while seeing annual cap savings of between $870K and $1.1MM over that span.
The Chiefs have been without All-Pro Chris Jones during the offseason, and he recently spoke about the possibility of his holdout extending into the regular season. One year remains on Jones’ deal, but he is seeking a considerable raise on another multi-year Chiefs pact. This move will give the defending champions another depth option at the DT spot, but it could also represent an acknowledgement that Jones may not be in the lineup by Week 1.
In any case, Farrell will join a Chiefs team which also has Derrick Nnadi and Danny Shelton in place along the defensive front, along with sixth-round rookie Keondre Coburn. The Raiders will move forward with a group led by Jerry Tillery, John Jenkins, Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler and rookie third-rounder Byron Young as they look to take a needed step forward on defense in 2023.
Chiefs To Trade WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette To Panthers
The Chiefs will end up collecting an asset for one of their wide receivers. The defending Super Bowl champions are sending Ihmir Smith-Marsette to the Panthers in a trade Tuesday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Carolina and Kansas City will swap conditional seventh-round picks in this low-level exchange. A third-year veteran, Smith-Marsette caught on with the Chiefs after the Bears cut him last year.
Smith-Marsette accumulated 195 yards during the preseason with the Chiefs. That total ranks second during this year’s August slate. The 24-year-old Iowa alum will have a chance to stick as a backup with a Panthers team that has overhauled its first-string receiving corps under Frank Reich.
A Smith-Marsette fumble impacted the Bears in a midseason loss to the Vikings last year, leading to an in-season departure. He ended up with the Chiefs on a practice squad deal. While Smith-Marsette played in two games with Kansas City last season, he did not catch a pass. He caught five for 116 yards as a rookie in Minnesota.
The Chiefs let JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman walk in free agency, injecting questions into their receiver situation. Kadarius Toney has not practiced since suffering an injury minutes into training camp. But the Chiefs have several young players set to form an intriguing mix around Travis Kelce and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Second-rounders Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice join the likes of Justin Watson and Justyn Ross as pieces in Patrick Mahomes‘ sixth NFL offense.
The Panthers, meanwhile, have added Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and second-round pick Jonathan Mingo to their mix around No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Former second-round pick Terrace Marshall remains on Carolina’s roster as well, as does ex-Jaguars Round 2 choice Laviska Shenault. Smith-Marsette may have a hard time finding regular playing time, but Carolina will take a flier on the preseason standout.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones Hints At Extended Holdout
Chris Jones has been ardently pursuing a new contract in Kansas City. The Chiefs’ star defensive tackle is headed into a contract year, and it seems, until he gets paid, he’s going to see as little of his contract year as possible. He found a couple of opportunities to drop hints on Twitter yesterday that he may not see the field until Week 8 of the regular season. 
A disgruntled fan tagged Jones in a tweet demanding to know when he’s finally going to report. Jones gave the terse response of, “Week 8.” When pressed on that plan by a Twitter account made to monitor Chiefs coverage, Jones was once again brief, saying, “I can afford it.”
Now, this could be some bold-faced posturing as Jones utilizes the world’s most public forum to hint at his plans for future negotiations. But there is some method to his madness. As Mike Florio of NBC Sports points out, Week 8 is a key date in the season for any player heading into a contract year.
In terms of a season counting against the duration of a contract, Week 8 means a lot for any player looking to inch closer towards free agency. It is both the latest a player can be held on the exempt list and the latest a player can hold out and still reach the minimum number of games to account for being on the roster for the year. Sitting out that long, Jones would miss out on $7.5MM of the cash owed on his remaining contract in 2023. He would also be liable for $2MM of non-waivable fees for holding out.
There’s a potential hurdle in this plan if Kansas City decides to drop the franchise tag on Jones after this year, but in that case, Jones could hold out without financial punishment in a continuation of this year’s holdout and come back at the same time next season.
Some may be wondering about the rationale of Jones holding out. He’s set to earn $20MM in yearly cash for the 2023 season and would become an unrestricted free agent after that. Why not just play out his last year and play out free agency? Basically, because it doesn’t benefit him.
Jones completed an incredible three-year run of being a top 5 defensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), by being PFF’s top interior defensive lineman for the 2023 season. When starting at the top, there’s nowhere to go but down. As of right now, he is considered one of the best defensive tackles, if not the best, in the NFL. Playing in seven games he doesn’t need to in 2023 doesn’t earn him any more money.
While that may sound greedy, understand that Jones just turned 29 years old. Next offseason, suitors will be pursuing a defensive tackle heading into his 30-year-old season. This is likely the last meaningful contract negotiation of Jones’ career. He may find small, one-year deals to close out his career, but he likely won’t be signing more than one multi-year deal from this point forward. He likely genuinely wants to remain in Kansas City, but the offers they’ve floated his way have not been enough to convince him to accept his last multi-year contract.
Instead, he’s threatening to preserve himself, if need be. If the Chiefs don’t want to give him the last big money contract of his career, he’ll save some of his remaining football for a team that wants to pay Jones like the top DT he is.
Head coach Andy Reid hasn’t had much input into the situation, claiming that he hasn’t been able to discuss the holdout with Jones. “There’s been no communication, so I don’t know what’s going to go down,” Reid told the media, according to Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride. “Whatever happens happens, and if he’s not there, the game goes on. They got to communicate and do their thing. There’s just been no communication.”
It won’t take long for us to see how serious Jones is about sitting out. If the Chiefs aren’t able to secure Jones under an extension, we’re just over two weeks out from Kansas City hosting the NFL’s season-opening game against the Lions. Jones is providing a clear picture to the Chiefs’ brass of what he plans to do at that time if a deal has not been reached..
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Stevie Scott
- Released: P Matt Haack
- Waived/injured: OL Lachavious Simmons
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/injured: WR Frank Darby
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Garrett McGhin
- Placed on IR: OT Tommy Doyle (story), DE Shane Ray
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DT Marquan McCall
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: S Adrian Colbert
- Waived/injured: TE Jared Pinkney
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from PUP: TE Mitchell Wilcox
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Josh Hammond
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to IR: RB Mohamed Ibrahim
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Marvin Pierre
- Placed on IR: TE Tyler Davis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Juwan Green
- Waived/injured: WR Kekoa Crawford
- Released from IR: DB Anthony Witherstone
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: QB James Blackman
- Waived/injured: CB Tino Ellis
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR: OL Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Aron Cruickshank, LB Kuony Deng
- Waived/injured: WR Hakeem Butler, WR Cody White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
- Waived: DL Tomasi Laulile
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Sal Cannella
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Richard LeCounte
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley
Brian Hill comes to San Francisco with 48 career games under his belt. He had a career year for the Falcons back in 2020, compiling 664 yards from scrimmage in 16 games. The RB has bounced around the NFL a bit since, spending time with the Titans, Browns, and 49ers (two stints). Following stints in the CFL and XFL, the 27-year-old will now add some depth to a San Francisco running backs room that already includes Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Jeremy McNichols.
Trevon Coley started 29 games for the Browns through his first two seasons in the NFL, but he’s struggled to stay on the field since. The defensive lineman got into seven games for the Colts in 2019 and (most recently) six games for the Cardinals in 2020. In total, the 29-year-old has 100 career tackles and 3.5 sacks on his resume.
Adrian Colbert won’t play for the Bears in 2023 after being placed on IR, although there’s a chance he’s cut loose and allowed to play for another squad. The veteran safety has played in 41 career games, starting 22. He’s been limited to only 14 games since the 2020 campaign, including a two-game stint with the Bears in 2022.
AFC Rumors: Quessenberry, Jones, Meyers, Anudike-Uzomah
The Bills seemingly signed veteran offensive tackle Brandon Shell with the intention that he would plug in as a full-time starter, much like he had done in Miami, Seattle, and New York over his career. Shell’s sudden retirement decision days ago threw a bit of a wrench in those plans.
At left tackle, Dion Dawkins slots in as the obvious left tackle starter, as he has since his rookie year. The starter across from him, for right now, is currently Spencer Brown. Brown has started 24 games over his first two years in the league, but the ability of the former third-round pick to start long term has yet to be proven.
If Brown struggles or if he or Dawkins go down with injury, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports that David Quessenberry is expected to slot into the primary backup, swing tackle role. Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of depth beyond Quessenberry, and this late in the season, that’s not too likely to change.
Tommy Doyle and Ryan Van Demark both sit on the depth chart behind Quessenberry and should make a push for the initial 53-man roster, if not solely due to the lack of depth. But Quessenberry should be the first name off the bench in the case that Brown or Dawkins aren’t there for any reason.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of the AFC, starting with another team in the AFC East:
- The Patriots have been operating the past two weeks without veteran starting cornerback Jonathan Jones. The long-time staple in New England’s secondary has been absent with an undisclosed injury. Luckily, whatever the ailment is, Karen Guregian of MassLive reports that Jones is expected to be back for the team’s regular season opener. The Patriots are reportedly being careful with him, but the plan is for him to be starting a couple Sundays from now.
- Last month, the Raiders concluded a deal that would eventually help them bring in veteran cornerback Marcus Peters. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team converted $3.92MM of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers‘s base salary for 2023 into a signing bonus and added two voidable years. The move takes his base salary down from $5MM in 2023 to $1.08MM but freed up $3.14MM of cap space, helping Las Vegas to continue building their roster this offseason.
- Staying in the AFC West, the rich got richer when the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs added Kansas State pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the end of the first round this past April. Most of the team’s pass rushing comes from interior lineman Chris Jones, but with Frank Clark gone, a starting role was open across from George Karlaftis III. Kansas City signed Charles Omenihu to potentially fill that role, but he is set to serve a six-game suspension to start the season. Still, according to The Athletic contributor Nate Taylor’s recent update, the plan for Anudike-Uzomah appears to be for him to appear out of a rotation. The team may explore adding an additional veteran pass rusher to help holdover the role in Omenihu’s absence, but in the long run, they don’t want to rush Anudike-Uzomah out on the field until he’s ready.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: DE Jalen Redmond
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Dwayne Washington
- Reverted to IR: K Elliott Fry
- Waived: DT Forrest Merrill
Detroit Lions
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Trey Quinn
Green Bay Packers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Jeff Cotton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Reverted to IR: CB Anthony Witherstone
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Matt Hankins
- Waived/injured: CB Kemon Hall
New York Giants
- Reverted to IR: T Devery Hamilton
- Waived/injured: LB Troy Brown
New York Jets
- Waived/injured: CB Javelin Guidry
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: QB Chris Streveler
San Francisco 49ers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: DE Darryl Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Michael Dwumfour
- Waived: OLB Zach McCloud
Fry goes unclaimed on the waiver wire after being waived with an injury designation yesterday by the Broncos. This could mean that Brett Maher won’t be able to run away with the job to replace longtime kicker Brandon McManus this year. With Fry remaining on the roster, Maher will need to stay sharp in order to stay the only active kicker on the team’s depth chart.
Guidry is expected to undergo surgery after injuring his knee in a joint practice with the Buccaneers today, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Jets will hope he lasts through waivers as he has impressed so far in camp. If he does, New York will likely revert him to injured reserve in order to keep him on the roster.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/15/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Sean Chandler
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DE Demone Harris
- Released: OT LaColby Tucker
- Placed on IR: LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from PUP: LB Tyler Matakevich
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): OT Jacky Chen
- Released from IR: OT Greg Little
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: TE Jody Fortson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Matt Hankins, RB Aaron Shampklin
Miami Dolphins
- Waived from IR: WR Freddie Swain
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: LB William Kwenkeu
New England Patriots
- Waived: LS Tucker Addington, DE DaMarcus Mitchell
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Nevelle Clarke, RB Xazavian Valladay
- Waived: RB John Lovett
Sean Chandler brings 64 games of experience to Arizona. Following a 2021 campaign that saw him collect a career-high 48 tackles in 15 games (seven starts) for the Panthers, the 27-year-old got into 17 games for the team in 2022, finishing with 19 tackles while primarily playing on special teams.
Adetokunbo Ogundeji is a tough loss for the Falcons, as the linebacker has turned into an important piece on Atlanta’s defense. The former fifth-round pick has started 27 of his 32 games since entering the NFL, collecting 75 tackles and three sacks. Ogundeji suffered a foot/ankle injury that will require surgery, and his placement on IR means the issue will ultimately knock him out for the entire 2023 campaign.