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Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/23

September 9th, 2023 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

We have our first flood of pregame transactions of the season today as teams across the league with games tomorrow utilize their two permitted practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Brevin Allen

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin, OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Rams Placing WR Cooper Kupp On IR

September 9th, 2023 at 1:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The scare the Rams experienced when Cooper Kupp left a Tuesday night practice early with a hamstring injury over a month ago has finally come to fruition. After announcing that he wouldn’t be available for Week 1 and threatening a stint on injured reserve, Los Angeles has officially made the move, guaranteeing that the former All-Pro receiver will miss at least four games, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Kupp’s recovery and comeback from last year’s ankle surgery hit a snag when he was forced to leave a night practice in early August before the rest of the team. He made the decision to visit a specialist in Minnesota a week ago in an attempt to gather more information about his injury. At the point, it was becoming clear that Kupp likely wasn’t going to be ready for a Week 1 return.

That prediction became a reality when head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Kupp would not be available for the team’s season opener and explored the possibility of Kupp heading to IR. Kupp’s season-ending ankle surgery last year forced him to sit out the last eight games of the 2022 season. Unfortunately, the 30-year-old wideout is set to extend that streak of missed games at least another four weeks.

The Rams are going to have an interesting situation on their hands contractually if Kupp is forced to miss much more time. Kupp is only two years removed from winning Offensive Player of the Year after completing the receiving triple crown by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, but Kupp’s financial impact is set to hit much harder soon. Over the next three seasons, Kupp is due to hold cap hits of $29.78MM in 2024, $29.78MM in 2025, and $27.33MM in 2026. He’ll be 33 years old in that final year.

If Kupp has trouble getting back to the field soon, the Rams might need to start exploring options to preserve cap space. Whether that involves a restructured contract or Kupp in a different uniform is subject to speculation, but his extended absence is not making things easy for Los Angeles.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/8/23

September 8th, 2023 at 6:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some minor transactions for today from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived from IR with injury settlement: OLB JoJo Domann

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Released from IR with injury settlement: T Josh Wells

Los Angeles Rams

  • Waived from IR with injury settlement: CB Shaun Jolly

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

The releases of Armstrong and Wells are interesting. Armstrong ended last year as a starting cornerback for the Falcons but will now have to continue striving to stay in the NFL. Wells’ release ends a short reunion with the team that drafted him.

Gaskin is reportedly expected to remain in Minnesota and sign to the team’s practice squad to be elevated on Sunday. This is likely a familiar tactic teams use in order to avoid guaranteeing the full value of low-cost veterans’ salaries. Those on the 53-man roster for Week 1 will be guaranteed, while players signed to the active roster after this week will only be guaranteed 35 percent.

Bryant’s short tenure in San Francisco ends as the team makes room for Nick Bosa, who will be activated from the reserve/did not report list after signing his five-year, $170MM extension.

Milne’s move to IR could be an explanation for why the Commanders felt the need to go out and acquire Jamison Crowder following his release from New York.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/23

September 7th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Waived from IR: LB Ryan Smenda

Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee Titans

The Chiefs hinted at Travis Kelce‘s status for tonight’s season opener when they added a tight end to the active roster. Matt Bushman was undrafted out of BYU in 2021 and has spent much of the past two years on the Chiefs’ practice squad. With Kelce inactive, Bushman could make his NFL debut tonight, although he’ll be behind Noah Gray and Blake Bell on the depth chart.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/23

September 6th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor moves from around the league as we prepare for tomorrow’s season opener:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived from IR with injury settlement: LB Vi Jones

Rams WR Cooper Kupp To Miss Week 1; IR Stint Possible

September 6th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 6: Kupp will indeed miss Week 1, McVay confirmed on Wednesday. More notably, he added that an IR stint is not out of the question for the 2021 triple crown winner, as noted by ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. Placing Kupp on injured reserve would guarantee at least a four week absence and hinder the Rams’ offense even further to begin a season in which the unit already faces plenty of questions.

SEPTEMBER 2: As the Rams go into Sean McVay‘s seventh season, this is easily their most unusually constructed roster during the Super Bowl-winning HC’s tenure. A wave of unknown rookie-contract commodities surround the three stars the team extended in 2022. While two of the Rams’ pillars are back from 2022 injuries, Cooper Kupp is looking unlikely to start the season on time.

McVay said Kupp encountered a setback in his recovery from a late-summer hamstring injury this week, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the former All-Pro wide receiver is visiting a doctor in Minnesota today attempting to gather more information about his injury. As it stands now, Kupp is likely to be held out of the Rams’ Week 1 game against the Seahawks, Rapoport adds. Earlier this week, McVay called Kupp “day to day,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds.

Kupp initially suffered the injury August 1, and it is certainly a storyline to follow for a Rams team that is largely retooling. Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald will return from their respective 2022 injuries on time, but Kupp’s absence will probably extend into another season. Kupp saw his 2022 season end due to an ankle injury that led to a surgery. Although Kupp began training camp on time, he did not make it through a week of practices before going down with this separate issue.

Seeing a specialist eight days before Week 1 does not point to Kupp beginning his age-30 season on time. The Rams gave Kupp a three-year, $80.1MM extension during the 2022 offseason. That contract contained $70MM guaranteed. That did not represent the guarantee at signing, but in March, all of that $70MM became locked in for Kupp. The former third-round pick is going into his seventh NFL season.

In 2021, Kupp completed one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, leading the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns. The slot maven capped the year off by scoring the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVI, en route to MVP honors. The Rams ripped up a contract he had agreed to in 2020; that deal still had two seasons remaining. Just as Los Angeles did for Donald, who had three years left on an extension he signed in 2018, the team rewarded Kupp for his 2021 dominance.

A year after authorizing those contracts, the Rams look quite different. They lost a number of Super Bowl starters and have rookie deals surrounding their star trio’s big-ticket contracts. Kupp still represents the team’s runaway No. 1 target. Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson and fifth-round rookie Puka Nacua round out L.A.’s receiving cast.

OL Notes: Smith, Texans, Rams, Bears

September 6th, 2023 at 11:17am CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys are going with a “best five” configuration up front, shifting course months after Jerry Jones discussed a plan of keeping Tyler Smith at tackle. Smith is back at guard, but he may not be a lock to start the season on time. The second-year blocker suffered a hamstring strain, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Jones expects Smith to play in Week 1; the 2022 first-round pick did not miss a game last season. Dallas has lost its starting left guard in free agency in each of the past two offseasons, seeing Connor Williams and Connor McGovern defect to the AFC East.

One of the backup options, Josh Ball, is on IR. Ball is battling hip and groin pain, and the Morning News’ Michael Gehlken notes he is expected to miss around two months. A 2021 fourth-rounder, Ball is not expected to need surgery. The Cowboys kept eight O-linemen, with rookies Asim Richards and T.J. Bass joining Chuma Edoga as backups.

Here is the latest from NFL O-lines:

  • Texans right tackle Tytus Howard returned to practice earlier this week, working out with a cast on his injured left hand. While the fifth-year lineman is on the verge of returning, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes George Fant is expected to play in place of Howard in Week 1. Howard, who signed a Texans extension in July, underwent surgery to repair a broken hand in early August. Fant worked as a regular Jets starter — at left and right tackle — throughout the 2020 and ’21 seasons; injuries limited him to seven games last year.
  • Josh Jones filled in for D.J. Humphries as the Cardinals’ left tackle last season, but the recently traded blocker is back at guard. The Texans have Jones in place as their starting left guard going into the season, Wilson tweets. Jones is replacing 2022 first-rounder Kenyon Green, who is on season-ending IR. Jones spent the 2021 season as a primary Cardinals starting guard. The Texans will also be without center Juice Scruggs to start the season; the second-rounder is on short-term IR with a hamstring injury.
  • The Rams gave Joseph Noteboom a three-year, $40MM deal to replace Andrew Whitworth in 2022, but after another season-ending injury, Whitworth’s would-be heir apparent lost his job. The Rams are going with Alaric Jackson at left tackle, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, who adds Noteboom is back at guard (subscription required). Noteboom worked at guard early in his career and was mentioned as a guard option this offseason, but he had played on the outside since becoming Los Angeles’ swing tackle in 2020. The Rams also added Kevin Dotson from the Steelers, and while Dotson has started 30 career games (including 17 last year), Rodrigue adds the team views him as a depth piece. A former UDFA, Jackson started six games last season before becoming one of the many Ram blockers forced off the field due to health issues. Blood clots ended Jackson’s 2022 slate.
  • Previously set to shift back to center, Cody Whitehair is at guard to start his eighth Bears season. Teven Jenkins‘ injury will shift Whitehair to left guard and Lucas Patrick to center, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes. Recent trade acquisition Dan Feeney is in place as Chicago’s backup center. Jenkins is on IR to start the season. Whitehair spent the past four seasons at guard but began his career with three slates at center. Patrick has played both guard and center. The 2022 free agency addition was ticketed to start at center last season, but injuries limited the ex-Packer to seven games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/23

September 5th, 2023 at 5:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived from IR: LB Abraham Beauplan

San Francisco 49ers

  • Released from IR: K Zane Gonzalez
  • Waived from IR: WR A.J. Parker

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Today’s minor moves consistent exclusively of players getting released/waived from injured reserve. If players are placed on IR during the preseason, they’re not allowed to be activated by their team during the regular season. However, getting released from IR allows them to sign elsewhere and play immediately.

The most notable name on the list is kicker Zane Gonzalez, who has seen time in 63 career games. He most recently got into 12 games for the Panthers during the 2021 campaign, connecting on 20 of his 22 field goal attempts and 22 of his 23 extra point tries. The veteran will likely need an injury to hit before he gets another gig.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/4/23

September 4th, 2023 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Denver Broncos

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: OLB Christopher Allen

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

  • Released from IR: S Rashad Torrence

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The injury settlements will sever ties between these players and their respective teams. While IR designations ahead of roster-cutdown day make these players ineligible for in-season activations, these settlements open the door to the players playing elsewhere this season. Young heading to IR in-season means he will be sidelined for at least four games. The Seahawks can use one of their eight allotted activations to bring the 2022 seventh-round pick off IR this season.

Brewer has been the Cardinals’ long snapper since 2016. He re-signed with the team in June. The Cardinals placed another long snapper, Matt Hembrough, on IR before cutdown day. Although Brewer was left off Arizona’s 53-man roster, teams often make this move with marginal vested veterans, who do not have to pass through waivers. This allows clubs to protect younger players from the waiver wire. Only left tackle D.J. Humphries has been with the team longer than Brewer, who is going into his age-33 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/23

September 1st, 2023 at 5:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Washington Commanders

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