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Matthew Wright

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/24

January 2nd, 2024 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: S Jeremy Lucien

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: TE E.J. Jenkins
  • Placed on practice squad injured list: TE Cole Fotheringham

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn
  • Released: LS Alex Matheson

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts Jan. 8. P-squad contracts expire seven days after the regular season concludes, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reminds teams are not limited regarding the number of times they can elevate a player from a taxi squad during the playoffs. In the regular season, players are capped at three gameday elevations.

The Panthers are expected to sign Boone to a futures deal next week, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. After three years with the Vikings and two with the Broncos, Boone played in nine games with the Texans this season. As for Wright, this marks a reunion. While Wright’s first Panthers stay did not last long (Aug. 26-30), Carolina may need him due to Eddy Pineiro‘s hamstring injury.

Amid the Jets’ wave of O-line injuries, they signed Saffold. While the former Rams, Titans and Bills starter was with the Jets for several weeks, he did not see any game action in his 14th NFL season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/23

November 29th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Rumored to be eyeing kickers after rookie Chad Ryland‘s game-tying miss in Week 12, the Patriots will give Wright another opportunity. The Jaguars’ primary 2021 kicker, Wright has not kicked in a game this season. He logged six as a replacement leg — for the Steelers and Chiefs — last season. The Pats drafted Ryland in the fourth round and jettisoned Nick Folk on roster-cutdown day, trading the veteran to the Titans. Ryland has missed 35-yard field goals in back-to-back games; the Patriots will now give him competition.

Waived to make room for Monday claim Derek Barnett, Ammendola remains in place as the Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn fill-in. Ammendola, who also worked as a Harrison Butker replacement last season in Kansas City, will be elevated to Houston’s active roster once again, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Ammendola missed two 50-plus-yard field goals, including a game-tying 58-yard try, last week. Fairbairn, who is recovering from a strained quad, can be activated from IR next week.

Patriots Work Out Matthew Wright, Tristan Vizcaino, John Baron

June 6th, 2022 at 2:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

After failing to secure a full-time kicker gig in the years immediately prior to his New England arrival, Nick Folk has re-established himself with the Patriots. The veteran has made at least 92% of his field goal tries in his two full seasons with the team.

The team took some time to look into a younger leg Monday, however. Matthew Wright, Tristan Vizcaino and John Baron worked out for the Pats, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets. Vizcaino is busy this week; the Raiders are auditioning him Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (via Twitter).

While Vizcaino has yet to hold a full-time role for a lengthy stretch, Wright spent last season as the Jaguars’ primary kicker. The Central Florida alum made 88% of his field goal attempts, including two late 50-plus-yarders in London, giving the Jags their first victory last season. Jacksonville waived Wright, 26, last month, going with Ryan Santoso and rookie UDFA Andrew Mevis.

Vizcaino started last season with the Chargers but proved shaky on extra points, making just 10 of 15 PATs in his abbreviated Los Angeles stint. The Bolts cut bait midway through the season, capitalizing on Washington’s decision to can Dustin Hopkins. Vizcaino, 25, also kicked in a game with the 49ers as a rookie in 2020. San Diego State’s kicker from 2016-18, Baron has not kicked in the NFL previously. He was, however, part of the Bears’ much-publicized post-“double doink” kicking competition in 2019.

The Pats gave Folk a two-year, $5MM deal in March, making him the heavy favorite to enter the season as the Pats’ kicker. Folk, 37, stabilized New England’s briefly unsteady post-Stephen Gostkowski kicker spot in 2019 and finished last season going 36-for-39 — including 11-for-11 from 40-49 yards — on field goal efforts. Folk did miss five PATs (42-for-47). Folk, who did not kick in 2018 and spent part of 2019 in the Alliance of American Football, is tied to a $2.2MM cap number in 2022.

Like Folk, Daniel Carlson is signed to an extension. The Raiders have just Carlson on their roster at the position. The Raiders have the former Vikings draftee signed to a long-term deal; he made an NFL-high 40 field goals (on 43 attempts) last season and has hit at least 93% of his tries in each of his three Raider years.

Jaguars Waive K Matthew Wright, Claim OL Wes Martin

May 11th, 2022 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after the Giants cut Wes Martin, the fourth-year guard is on his way to a third team in three years. The Jaguars added the former Washington draftee via waiver claim Wednesday.

Jacksonville also waived Matthew Wright, who served as the team’s primary kicker last season. Wright, who came to the Jaguars after spending part of the 2020 season with the Steelers, put together a solid season in Jacksonville and could well generate interest elsewhere.

Wright made 21 of 24 field goal attempts last season, his first run as a full-time kicker. This included a 4-for-6 success rate from 50-plus yards — including two in the team’s London win over the Dolphins. The Central Florida product made a 56-yard try. Jacksonville did not draft a kicker but did add one as a UDFA (Andrew Mevis). The team also has Ryan Santoso rostered. Santoso kicked in four games with the Panthers and Lions last season, being cut after one Panthers game before resurfacing with the NFC North franchise.

Martin joins the Jags after two years in Washington and one in New York. A former fourth-round pick out of Indiana, Martin made 10 starts with Washington from 2019-20 but just one for a Giants team that ran into early-season trouble on its interior offensive line. The Giants signed Martin off Washington’s practice squad in late September. One season remains on Martin’s rookie contract.

The Jags also claimed edge defender Rashod Berry off waivers from the Lions. A former UDFA out of Ohio State, Berry has played in eight NFL games in two seasons.

Jaguars Cut Josh Lambo

October 19th, 2021 at 8:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have released Josh Lambo. The kicking job now belongs to Matthew Wright, who sank two 50+ yard field goals to top the Dolphins on Sunday.

In 2019, Lambo led the NFL with a 97.1% field goal conversion rate. Then, in 2020, he lost the bulk of the year to injury, but went 5-of-5 on his FG tries while making 8-of-10 extra point attempts. This year, he went 0-3 and 5-of-7 on XPs, leading the Jaguars to promote Wright from the taxi squad.

Previously, Lambo was set to play out his four-year, $15MM deal, which would have run through 2022. The early termination will leave the Jaguars with a few million in dead money but may help them avoid finishing in the league’s cellar for a second straight year.

The Jaguars are now one of three one-win teams in the NFL, alongside the Texans, Dolphins, and Giants. They’ll aim for their first winning streak on Halloween when they face the Seahawks in Seattle.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/21

October 16th, 2021 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Week 6 Saturday minor move blitz:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21

October 9th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/21

September 30th, 2021 at 6:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Lions Sign K Zane Gonzalez

August 10th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

After losing longtime kicker Matt Prater to the Cardinals in free agency, the Lions have added Arizona’s previous kicker. Zane Gonzalez agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions on Tuesday, according to his agency (Twitter link).

Detroit used Prater as its kicker from 2014-20, but he left for Arizona in March. The Lions signed former Bengals specialist Randy Bullock, but they have now added some veteran competition.

Gonzalez, 26, kicked for the Cardinals from 2018-20, catching on in the desert after the Browns cut him early in the 2018 season. The former seventh-round Browns pick fared well in 2019, making more than 86% of his field goal tries. Last season, Gonzalez was less effective (73%) and played a role in the Cards’ late-season swoon. He missed a 45-yard field goal in a three-point loss to the Patriots and saw another game-tying try — a 49-yarder — fall short of the uprights in a three-point loss to the Dolphins.

Bullock, 31, is a nine-year veteran who spent the past four years as the Bengals’ kicker. To make room for Gonzalez on their roster, the Lions are waiving kicker Matthew Wright, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).

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