Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC 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 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.
Arizona Cardinals
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Andre Baccellia, LB Markus Bailey, LB Krys Barnes, OL Jackson Barton, RB Michael Carter, WR Dan Chisena, CB Jaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes, OL Keith Ismael, LB Julian Okwara, WR Tejhaun Palmer, QB Desmond Ridder, TE Bernhard Seikovits, DL Ben Stille, CB Divaad Wilson
Los Angeles Rams
Signed:
- DT Neville Gallimore (story)
Claimed:
Waived:
- DT Cory Durden
Placed on IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- OL A.J. Arcuri, OL Justin Dedich, B Zach Evans, TE Miller Forristall, DB Tanner Ingle, DB Shaun Jolly, TE Nikola Kalinic, DB Cam Lampkin, DT Tuli Letuligasenoa, OL Mike McAllister, DT David Olajiga, WR Xavier Smith, WR Drake Stoops, DB Jason Taylor II, OLB Keir Thomas, LB Zach VanValkenburg, WR Sam Wiglusz
San Francisco 49ers
Signed:
- OL Ben Bartch, WR Terrace Marshall Jr., TE Eric Saubert, CB Rock Ya-Sin
Claimed:
Waived:
Placed on IR:
- OL Jon Feliciano, CB Ambry Thomas
Signed to practice squad:
- DE Jonathan Garvin, DB Chase Lucas, S Tracy Walker
Seattle Seahawks
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Artie Burns
2024 NFL Waiver Order
Waiver claims can begin coming in at 11am CT. While the waiver order will depend on 2024 records in several weeks, teams’ 2023 finishes currently determine it. Here is how the waiver priority list stacks up heading into today’s round of claims:
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
Rams To Sign DL Neville Gallimore
Part of Tuesday’s Dolphins cut list, Neville Gallimore will not end up waiting long to land another gig. The Rams are bringing in the four-year Cowboys contributor, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
As a vested veteran, Gallimore can bypass today’s upcoming waiver frenzy. The Rams are not bothering with a workout, being prepared to add the fifth-year defensive lineman to their 53-man roster. A former third-round Cowboys pick, Gallimore spent the offseason in Miami but was unable to stick with the team beyond cutdown day.
The Rams have an opening on their D-line, having placed Larrell Murchison on IR with a return designation. This sidelines the interior D-lineman for at least four games. Gallimore will join a team attempting to form a post-Aaron Donald defensive front.
Gallimore, 27, had joined the Dolphins on a one-year, $1.79MM deal in March. The Dolphins guaranteed that full amount at signing. Via offset language, Gallimore’s Rams deal — wherever it ends up — would stand to help the AFC East team on the dead money front. The Oklahoma alum settled in as a rotational player in Dallas, moving from rookie-year starter to backup during Dan Quinn‘s time with the team.
Pro Football Focus graded Gallimore as a mid-pack D-lineman in 2023, slotting him 69th at the position. The Cowboys used him as a backup in 17 games, with his snaps falling from 403 in 2022 to 288 last season. Second-round pick Braden Fiske headlined the Rams’ effort to arrange an after-Donald D-line group, with Tyler Davis making the roster after arriving as a sixth-rounder soon after. Murchison re-signed with the team in late March. The rookies join ascending starter Kobie Turner and contract-year DT Bobby Brown on Chris Shula‘s defense.
Rams Trade LB Ernest Jones To Titans
Ernest Jones worked as a linebacker regular for the Rams over the past two seasons, emerging as a potential extension candidate. But the Rams had not planned on making such a move this year. After a run of trade rumors, Jones is moving on.
The Rams are dealing Jones to the Titans, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Tennessee will acquire a proven starter in a contract year, with the Rams losing an experienced option shortly before a season with playoff expectations. This will be a pick-swap trade. The Rams will collect a fifth-round pick from the Titans for Jones and a sixth, per veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky. The exchanged picks are 2026 selections, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz adds.
This comes after Jones delivered an impact performance for the 2023 Rams. The former third-round pick reeled off 145 tackles (14 for loss), 4.5 sacks and six passes defensed. The Rams perennially keep costs low at linebacker, but it is nevertheless interesting they are willing to move on from a productive young defender.
Pro Football Focus rated Jones 13th among off-ball ‘backers last season, viewing the Rams starter as strong as a run defender and a blitzer while lacking in coverage. Jones started all 15 games he played last season and lined up alongside Bobby Wagner for most of the 2022 season. The Rams moved on from Wagner after one year, and they will now be tasked with replacing Jones days before a season.
This swiftly developing storyline escalated this week, when the Rams gave Jones’ camp permission to seek a trade. Jones, 24, then made it clear he did not request to be moved. The Rams communicated with teams Monday, and a deal has come to pass. This will be an interesting addition to a Titans team that lost Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency. That came a year after David Long moved on (to the Dolphins). Jones soon stands to be a key piece in Dennard Wilson‘s defense.
Tennessee has now imported two Los Angeles-based starters this year, having already brought in ex-Chargers first-rounder Kenneth Murray. The team also rosters Jack Gibbens, a former UDFA who started 13 games last season. PFF ranked Gibbens 30th among ILBs last season; he made 95 tackles in 14 games. The Titans gave Murray a two-year, $15.5MM deal but structured the contract to make it fairly easy to move on after one season. With Jones in a contract year, the Titans may have some short-term solutions on their defensive second level. This move also comes after the Titans lost Chance Campbell to an ACL tear.
Although the Rams make a habit of generating solid play from lower-level investments, this does appear a bit of a gamble. Unlike when L.A. cut Wagner, it is coming off a postseason berth. Jones led Rams linebackers (by far) with 988 defensive snaps last season; Christian Rozeboom was second (with 579). PFF rated Rozeboom, a former UDFA, 79th at the position in 2023. Another undrafted player, rookie Omar Speights, has impressed to the point he will make Los Angeles’ roster, with The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue connecting this and a willingness to move on from Jones (subscription required).
The Titans will have exclusive negotiating rights with Jones until March, leaving them time to evaluate this fit. The Rams were not eyeing a 2024 deal with Jones, but a team that gave up at least one to-be-determined asset for him may be more inclined to discuss an extension.
Rams Pare Roster To Initial 53
Here is how the Rams’ initial 53-man roster looks ahead of Sean McVay‘s eighth season:
Waived:
- OL A.J. Arcuri
- OL Justin Dedich
- RB Zach Evans
- TE Miller Forristall
- DB Tanner Ingle
- DB Shaun Jolly
- TE Nikola Kalinic
- DB Cam Lampkin
- DL Tuli Letuligasenoa
- OL Mike McAllister
- DL David Olajiga
- WR Xavier Smith
- WR Drake Stoops
- DB Jason Taylor II
- OLB Keir Thomas
- OL Zachary Thomas
- OLB Zachary VanValkenburg
- WR Sam Wiglusz
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR:
Placed on IR/return designation:
- OL K.T. Leveston
- DL Larrell Murchison
Despite Los Angeles trading Ernest Jones to the Titans, McVay said the team is not looking around at inside linebacker. The Rams kept kept five off-ball LBs — Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, Jacob Hummel, Omar Speights and Elias Neal — and McVay labeled Rozeboom and Reeder as the team’s expected starters. Rozeboom, a former UDFA out of South Dakota State, has made five starts in his three-season career. Reeder, whom the Rams brought back last year after he spent 2022 with the Chargers, has made 31 career starts. Ten of those came during the team’s Super Bowl LVI-winning season. The veteran played only 192 defensive snaps last season. Both Neal and Speights were part of the team’s UDFA contingent this year.
The Rams’ other major piece of injury news emerged earlier today; Tyler Higbee will make the expected trip to the reserve/PUP list. That will knock out the team’s longtime tight end starter for at least four games. Leveston and Murchison are also sidelined for that span, but the Rams’ IR-return moves will lead to two of their eight injury activations being used before Week 1. The NFL greenlit up to two such moves this year, but the Rams have run out of injury activations in the not-so-distant past, exhausting theirs during an injury-flooded 2022 season.
The nephew of Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, Tre’Vius played 318 special teams snaps as a rookie last year. This development follows Derion Kendrick‘s July ACL tear. The Rams placed Kendrick on IR weeks ago.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee To Begin Season On Reserve/PUP List
As expected, Tyler Higbee will be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. The Rams tight end is being shifted to the reserve/PUP list, as noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 
Higbee is rehabbing an ACL tear suffered in Los Angeles’ wild-card loss. Missed time at the beginning of the campaign was always a distinct possibility as a result, and the team does not expect him to be fully healthy within the first four weeks of the season anyway. As Higbee continues to recover, the Rams will look elsewhere at the tight end spot.
The 31-year-old has been a consistent element of Los Angeles’ offense during his eight-year career. Higbee has started every game he is played in since 2017, and he has made 61 or more catches three times in a season. While 2023 was a down year in terms of production, his absence will still be felt on offense during the fall.
Los Angeles added Colby Parkinson in free agency on a two-year, $22.5MM deal. The former Seahawk will take on starting duties while Higbee is on the mend, and the Rams’ TE tandem when the latter is healthy will be an intriguing part of their offense. Los Angeles also has Hunter Long – acquired via trade last year – along with 2023 fifth-round selection Davis Allen in place on the depth chart. Those two will see elevated roles at least until Higbee is activated.
The former fourth-rounder is on the books for two more seasons, and he is due $17MM during that span. $2MM of Higbee’s 2025 roster bonus is already guaranteed, so having him back at full strength well before the start of next season will be key from the Rams’ perspective. He should be on the field at some point this year, but for now Los Angeles’ efforts to return to the postseason will take place without him in the picture.
Rams Have Communicated With Teams Over Ernest Jones Trade
It was learned on Sunday that Rams linebacker Ernest Jones‘ camp has been given permission to find a trade partner. The pending free agent did not ask to be moved, something head coach Sean McVay expanded on further when speaking to the media on Monday.
“We never said that he requested a trade. We’ve had communication with his representation and I’m going to leave that in house for now,” McVay confirmed (via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “We’re just working through some different things and we’re just going to take it a day at a time… We had communication with his representation, there’s been some dialogue with teams, and that’s where it’s at.”
Teams regularly allow the agents of extension-eligible players to explore the market when negotiations stall out. Jones is a key component of the Rams’ defense, though, so McVay’s admission that trade talks with outside teams have already taken place is noteworthy. One year remains on the 24-year-old’s rookie contract, and any interested parties would likely have an extension worked out upon acquiring him.
Jones – whom The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes was absent from Monday’s practice (subscription required) – has upped his market value considerably given his play over the course of his three seasons in the league. The former third-rounder has taken on an increased workload each year, operating as a full-time starter and team captain in 2023. Jones racked up 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season, making him a logical extension candidate.
General manager Les Snead made it clear in March, however, that no long-term deal would be worked out during the 2024 offseason. Rodrigue’s latest update on the matter states rather definitively that Jones will be play out the final year of his deal if he is to remain in Los Angeles for at least one more year. A trade taking place between now and Week 1 would, of course, change that financial outlook.
As Rodrigue adds, undrafted rookie Omar Speights has impressed this offseason, and Snead confirmed he will make Los Angeles’ opening roster. The emergence of at least a depth LB contributor could make Jones easier to move from the Rams’ perspective, but the market he generates on a trade and/or an accompanying extension will remain worth watching closely.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/24
With roster cutdowns beginning around the league, Sunday saw a number of moves take place:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: WR Josh Ali, CB William Hooper, LB Storey Jackson, LB Donavan Mutin, QB John Paddock, TE Austin Stogner, CB Trey Vaval
- Released: OLB Bradlee Anae, OL Zack Bailey, S Lukas Denis, OL Jaryd Jones-Smith, OL John Leglue, TE Jordan Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: S Terrell Burgess, S Dee Delaney
- Waived: DE Rondell Bothroyd, OL Kevin Jarvis, LB Shayne Simon,
- Released: QB Anthony Brown, CB Kyron Brown, WR Damiere Byrd, LB Deion Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: CB Clay Fields III, K Spencer Shrader, QB Kedon Slovis, WR Derek Slywka, LB Mike Smith Jr.
- Released: WR Tyrie Cleveland, DE Derek Rivers, WR Greg Ward
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: DE Raymond Johnson, DT Jonathan Marshall, LB Andrew Parker Jr., WR Joseph Scates, WR Seth Williams
- Released: CB Tevaughn Campbell, TE Chris Myarick, DE Breeland Speaks, OL Keaton Sutherland
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: WR J.J. Laap, OL Blake Larson, OL Alec Lindstrom, LB Ochaun Mathis, DB Cameron McCutcheon, OL Grant Miller, LB Olakunle Fatukasi, RB SaRodorick Thompson, QB Dresser Winn
- Released: OL Matt Kaskey, DE Carlos Watkins
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: WR Anthony Schwartz
New York Giants
- Waived (injury designation): DT Timmy Horne, DB Jonathan Sutherland
- Waived: WR Ayir Asante, DL Kyler Baugh, CB Christian Holmes, DB Clayton Isbell, WR John Jiles, LB Trey Kiser, RB Lorenzo Lingard, OL Marcus McKethan
- Released: CB Breon Borders, RB Joshua Kelley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: WR T.J. Luther
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: P Nolan Cooney, DL Judge Culpepper, OL Xavier Delgado, LB Kalen DeLoach, CB Andrew Hayes, RB Ramon Jefferson, WR Cephus Johnson, OL Ryan Johnson, WR Latreal Jones, WR Tanner Knue, DL Brandon Matterson, OLB Jay Person, OLB Shaun Peterson, DL Lwal Uguak, WR Raleigh Webb, TE David Wells
- Released: TE Sal Cannella, LS Zach Triner
Buffalo’s decision to cut Jones marks a blow to his efforts in finding a roster spot on a new team. Considering the latest report on his status, however, it does not come as a surprise. The Bills dealt with a number of injuries at the linebacker spot last season and Matt Milano will miss extended time in 2024 due to a biceps tear. In spite of that, the team will look elsewhere for depth options unless Jones is retained via the practice squad later this week.
Rams Grant LB Ernest Jones Permission To Seek Trade
3:52pm: While Jones could find himself on the move, he made it clear via an X post that he never requested a trade. It will be interesting to see how much of a market develops in the coming days and whether or not any offers reach a level where Los Angeles seriously considers a deal.
9:21am: The Rams have given linebacker Ernest Jones permission to seek a trade, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Jones is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Jones’ status as an extension candidate this offseason has been somewhat unclear. Back in March, we heard that Jones was on the club’s extension radar, but GM Les Snead said just a few days later that he would not authorize a new deal for the talented defender in 2024.
Earlier this month, however, Fowler himself reported that Jones is indeed a candidate for a second contract from the Rams, Los Angeles’ general unwillingness to pay big money to an off-ball LB notwithstanding. Fowler’s report from today notes that player and team have discussed an extension but have made no progress on that front. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic adds that the Rams broke off negotiations in the spring (subscription required).
Regardless of when contract talks took place and when they broke down, the upshot is that Snead & Co. are evidently prepared to adhere to their standard operating proecudure when it comes to off-ball ‘backers and let Jones seek his second NFL deal elsewhere. And, considering Jones’ performance to date, there could be a number of clubs interested in his services.
In 2023, Jones recorded 145 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 15 games (all starts) while enjoying a 93% snap share. That production is not a mere byproduct of heavy volume, as the South Carolina alum graded out as the 13th-best linebacker in the league out of 82 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Of his 145 tackles, 14 of them were behind the line of scrimmage.
Jones, 24, is also Los Angeles’ defensive signal-caller, so the club would need to get someone else to fill that role if a trade is consummated. According to Rodrigue, the Rams’ willingness to move Jones may be at least partially informed by the emergence of UDFA rookie Omar Speights, whom Snead said will make the team. If Snead has decided that a Jones extension is too expensive for the Rams, he may believe that recovering some draft capital for him now while getting an extended look at Speights is more valuable than retaining Jones for one more season.
However, given Jones’ talent and obvious importance to the Rams’ defense, it would seemingly take a rather strong trade offer to pry him away from a club that qualified for the playoffs last year and is eyeing another postseason run in 2024. Perhaps this is a case of a GM allowing other teams to establish a player’s market before extending an offer of his own — after all, interested clubs would surely want to have a multiyear deal in place with Jones before pulling the trigger on a trade — but in any event, Rodrigue says the situation is fluid. In other words, neither a trade nor an extension is imminent.
Rams To Release RB Boston Scott
One of the players who will not be making the Rams’ initial roster will be Boston Scott. The veteran running back is set to be cut, insider Jordan Schultz reports. 
[RELATED: Ernest Jones Given Permission To Seek Trade]
As Schultz notes, Los Angeles plans to keep three backs in the fold once roster cutdowns take place. The presence of starter Kyren Williams, third-round rookie Blake Corum and former UDFA Ronnie Rivers have made Scott expendable. The latter has made 75 regular season appearances and eight starts in his career, each of them coming with the Eagles.
Scott’s best season in terms of overall production came in 2020 when he amassed 586 scrimmage yards. The following year, he scored a career-high seven touchdowns, all on the ground. Philadelphia’s backfield has been deep enough to prevent the 29-year-old from taking on a prominent offensive role, however, so Scott’s main contributions in recent years in particular have come on special teams.
Rivers is set to handle a heavy third phase workload with the Rams, so today’s news strongly points to him making the team. Of course, the bulk of offensive duties will rest on Williams after he led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game last season. The 2022 fifth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl invitation and a second-team All-Pro nod as a result of his production, and expectations are high for a follow-up in 2024. Corum, added in the third round of this year’s draft, will operate as Williams’ backup.
Like any veterans let go ahead of the cutdown deadline (August 27), Scott will immediately become a free agent once his release is made official. That will leave him available to any interested teams, although several depth options are set to be let go over the coming days, meaning he may need to wait until the first wave of roster shuffling takes place to find his next opportunity (which could be a spot on the Rams’ practice squad).