NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/21

We’ve compiled today’s practice squad moves below:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

  • Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: CB Gavin Heslop
  • Released: TE Mark Vital

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Dolphins Place LT Austin Jackson On COVID List

The Dolphins have placed left tackle Austin Jackson on the reserve/COVID-19 list. To fill his spot, they’ve elevated cornerback Jamal Perry to the main roster. 

[RELATED: Dolphins Place Shaheen On COVID-19 List]

Jackson was set to start in the Dolphins’ season opener against the Pats. In his place, the ‘Fins will likely turn to Greg Little. Barring any setbacks, Jackson should be eligible to play in Week 2 when the Dolphins face the Bills.

Jackson was the second of three Round 1 choices that the Dolphins had in 2020. He was thrown into the fire right away and showed promise at times, despite a mid-season foot injury. However, it hasn’t been a stellar summer for him. Positive test aside, the Dolphins’ recent acquisition of Little signaled shaky confidence in the USC product.

Jackson will be joined on the COVID-19 list by tight end Adam Shaheen.

Dolphins Place Adam Shaheen On COVID-19 List

Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen has tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). He’ll be placed on the COVID list for now, which will rule him out for Sunday’s season opener against the Patriots.

Fortunately, Shaheen is not experiencing any major symptoms. However, since he’s unvaccinated, league rules will mandate a minimum of ten days on the COVID reserve list.

The Dolphins acquired Shaheen — a former second-round pick — from the Bears in 2019 for a conditional seventh-round pick. Then, in October of 2020, they re-upped him on a two-year, $7.85MM deal with $3.2MM guaranteed.

Shaheen didn’t live up to expectations in Chicago, due in large part to injuries. All in all, he had 26 receptions for 249 yards and four touchdowns in 27 Bears games, out of a possible 48. With the Dolphins, he’s managed to stay healthy while serving as a solid blocking tight end. In a full slate last year, he went 12/150/3 on 32.8% of the team’s snaps.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/21

Here are Friday’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/21

Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Steven Wirtel
  • Cut: DT Willington Previlon

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East

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 BillsDolphinsJets and Patriots moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Buffalo Bills

Signed:

Placed on IR: 

Signed to practice squad:

Miami Dolphins

Claimed:

Waived: 

Signed to practice squad:

New England Patriots

Claimed:

Waived: 

Signed to practice squad:

New York Jets

Claimed:

Re-signed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Dolphins, Jakeem Grant Shorten Contract

Jakeem Grant survived the Dolphins’ final round of cuts after agreeing to a reworked deal. The receiver’s new contract isn’t just cheaper — it’s also shorter (via Adam H. Beasley of Pro Football Network).

Grant was set to be under club control for two more seasons. Now, he’s got just one more year to go, so he’ll be a free agent in the spring of 2022. The revised pact leaves him with a one-year deal that could be worth up to $3MM via incentives.

Grant registered 36 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown through 14 games last year. Then, a high-ankle sprain in December cut his season short. Before he was placed on IR, Grant stood as the league leader in punt return yards (330) and per-return average (11.4). He also added to his highlight reel with a punt return for a TD against the the Rams in November —a difference-maker in their 28-17 win.

Without the revision, it’s likely that Grant would have missed the cut. Instead, roster hopefuls Kai LocksleyKirk Merritt, and Malcolm Perry got their pink slips. Grant will slot in as the ‘Fins WR 4/5, alongside Will Fuller, DeVante Parker, rookie first-rounder Jaylen Waddle, and veteran Albert Wilson.

Dolphins HC Brian Flores Endorses QB Tua Tagovailoa

With rumors persisting regarding a potential Deshaun Watson-to-Miami trade, Dolphins coach Brian Flores has made it clear where he stands on the matter. In a “brief but poignant” address to the team, Flores acknowledged the trade rumors and reiterated that Tua Tagovailoa is “our quarterback,” per ESPN’s Jeff Darlington (on Twitter).

As the reporter notes, this information “isn’t intended to dispute recent reporting” regarding the Watson trade rumors. Rather, “it is a reflection of the moment,” with the head coach making it clear that Tagovailoa is the team’s intended starter moving forward. Darlington also speculates that Flores will continue “to echo a similar sentiment in the weeks to come.”

It was only earlier today that we heard Dolphins owner Stephen Ross “really wants” Watson in Miami. However, the Dolphins front office continues to balk at the trade price, and some pundits believe the organization may be angling to acquire the QB while his value is low amid legal uncertainty. On the flip side, other reporters noted that Ross believes in Tagovailoa and “doesn’t force football decisions.”

Flores said on Monday that the team wanted “high character throughout the building,” which many interpreted as him throwing cold water on the Watson speculation. Today’s private endorsement of Tagovailoa only reinforces that the head coach is a proponent of moving forward with the former Alabama star.

Dolphins Set Initial 53-Man Roster

The Dolphins have joined the club of teams to officially get down to 53 players on cutdown day. Here’s the list of of players from Miami that will be looking for new homes in the coming days:

Placed on season-ending IR:

Released:

Waived:

There are some reasonably big names on this list, including LeBlanc and Harvey-Clemons among the vested veterans getting outright released. LeBlanc played a sizable role in the Eagles’ secondary last season, and started nine games for the Bears as a rookie back in 2016. Harvey-Clemons was a decent-sized part of Washington’s defense in 2018, but his role was reduced in 2019 before he opted out of the 2020 seasons.

You’ll likely recognize some of the waiver cuts as well, including Griffin. The brother of star cornerback Shaquill Griffin, the linebacker was attempting to make the team after a few years with the Seahawks. Laird started four games for the Dolphins in 2019 and received 62 carries that year, but he was mainly a special teams guy last season.

Dolphins To Keep Jakeem Grant

The Dolphins explored trades involving wide receiver Jakeem Grant, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Instead, he’ll stay on board with a restructured deal. 

Through 14 games last year, Grant posted 36 catches for 373 yards and one touchdown. He also made an impact in the return game. He led the league with 330 punt return yards and an average of 11.4 yards per attempt, up until his high-ankle sprain in December. His finest work came against the Rams in November when Grant’s return-turned-TD boosted Miami to a 28-17 win.

In addition to Grant, the Dolphins currently have Will Fuller, DeVante Parker, rookie first-rounder Jaylen Waddle, and veteran Albert Wilson atop the WR depth chart.

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