NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/25/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Chris Hubert
- Cut: OT Martin Wallace
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Dobson Collins
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: TE Gerald Christian, WR Mose Frazier, CB Joe Powell
- Cut: WR Corey Washington
Cleveland Browns
- Cut: OL Mike Liedtke
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Matt Rotheram
- Cut: RB Mike James
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: CB Keith Baxter
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Doran Grant (Twitter link via Howard Balzer), DT Louis Nix
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL Bobby Richardson
- Cut: LB Deion Barnes
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Sterling Bailey, OT Austin Shepherd, DB Cedric Thompson
- Cut: TE Kyle Carter, TE Brian Leonhardt, QB Joel Stave
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Shamiel Gary, DT Anthony Johnson (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Keavon Milton
- Cut: TE Rashaun Allen
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Donteea Dye
Washington Redskins
- Signed: WR Matt Hazel
49ers Make Joe Staley Available For Trade
The 49ers have made left tackle Joe Staley available via trade, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. San Francisco wants a first-round pick in order to part with the five-time Pro Bowler. 
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While there are a number of teams that could have interest in a left tackle like Staley, it remains to be seen whether any of those clubs are willing to meet SF’s asking price. Florio writes that Staley has been “tied” to the Vikings, Giants, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Patriots. A Pats deal would only be feasible if the Niners are willing to lower the price tag, however.
Word of Staley being on the trade block comes after news that several teams are showing interest in Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. In terms of interested clubs, there’s predictably a big overlap on that Venn diagram. However, the Browns are reportedly seeking a second-round pick for Thomas and that could hurt the Staley market.
Staley, 32, is signed through the 2019 season. This season, he has a $5.4MM base salary but that climbs to $8.25MM in 2017. In the final two years of the deal, Staley’s base drops back down to $4.8MM in each season.
So far this season, Pro Football Focus has Staley rated as the 14th best tackle in the league with an overall grade of 81.8. Staley’s pass blocking grade is rather pedestrian, but his run blocking score of 84.6 is the third-best in the NFL, putting him ahead of notables like the Broncos’ Russell Okung and suspended Eagles tackle Lane Johnson.
Joe Thomas Trade Again On Table
Joe Thomas has not made it known he wants out of Cleveland, but as the 0-7 Browns have predictably floundered in another rebuilding year, the left tackle doesn’t seem to have a place on the team. And trade winds are blowing again around the perennial first-team All-Pro.
Several teams are interested in the 10th-year edge protector, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, and all would give Thomas a chance to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Florio reports the Patriots, Cardinals, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings have varying degrees of interest in a potential Thomas deal. But the Browns likely will keep him through Week 8, with the deadline a day after their clash with the Jets. The team owes its longest-tenured player $488K in Week 8; Thomas is under contract through 2018.
The Browns are eyeing a second-round pick for the six-time All-Pro lineman, a source tells Florio. That would be a worse haul than what they could have received last year, when the Broncos submitted a proposal including 2015 first-rounder Shane Ray and a second-round pick. Thomas will turn 32 in December, so his days of being a top-tier blocker are winding down. But he’d certainly be an upgrade on numerous teams’ left tackle situations.
Florio adds the chances the Browns move Thomas are lower than they were a year ago, and teams’ cap space in taking on Thomas’ contract will be an issue. The 6-foot-6 blocker does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal and will make $10MM in 2017 and ’18. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap points out (Twitter link), teams would only need to possess around $4.9MM in 2016 cap space to trade for Thomas. The Giants and Patriots are safely under that mark, while the Seahawks (at $5.931MM) are to a lesser degree. Both the Vikings (league-low $426K in cap space) and Cardinals ($2.171MM) aren’t.
If the Browns get to the point they’re willing to take what they can get for Thomas, Florio notes the Patriots would be interested in being his landing spot. The Pats and Browns already made a deal that sent the Browns’ 2013 first-round pick, Barkevious Mingo, to New England earlier this year. New England placed Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list due to nagging hip problems that are expected to keep him out all season.
Minnesota’s line has not performed well and placed both starting tackles, Matt Kalil and Andre Smith, on IR. However, the Vikings traded their first-round pick next year for Sam Bradford and recently added Jake Long. Mike Zimmer, in criticizing his offensive line, said (via Florio) the team doesn’t plan to make any more additions up front.
It’s been reported on multiple occasions Thomas will not ask for a trade. But with the Browns having already parted with several veterans, not playing for anything in the short term and showing with their most recent draft moves how much they covet draft picks, a deal would make sense either this season or before the 2017 draft.
Vikings To Get Seventh-Rounder If They Reach NFCCG
- Over a month after the deal was consummated, there is one more detail to pass along from the Sam Bradford trade. We already knew that, if the Vikings reach the NFC Championship Game this year, the conditional 2018 fourth-rounder they are required to send to the Eagles would become a third-rounder. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, if that 2018 fourth-rounder does indeed become a third, Philadelphia will send back a 2018 seventh-round choice to Minnesota.
Vikings G Mike Harris Takes Pay Cut
The Vikings and guard Mike Harris agreed to a reworked contract today, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. Harris has been on the non-football illness list since training camp. 
Minnesota had to move some money around to make room for the addition of Jake Long and Harris’ pay cut accomplishes that. Initially slated for more, Harris now only carries a cap figure of $1.5MM. When considering that Harris’ $1MM in likely-to-be-earned incentives are not at all likely-to-be-earned, that cap number will go down even further.
In total, the Vikings have cleared out $970K+ in cap space by cutting down Harris’ contract, giving them ample room to take on Long’s $423K+ cap hit. As of this writing, the Vikings have $591,491 in available cap space.
Harris, a former undrafted free agent, was an offensive tackle during his two seasons with the Chargers. Harris played 12 games at right tackle for the Vikings in 2014, and he started all 16 games at guard in 2015. He re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $2MM deal this past offseason.
NCAA Teams Eyeing Norv Turner
- As many as two collegiate teams are eyeing Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner for a head coaching position, per Mortensen and Schefter, but it’s unclear if Turner would reciprocate such interest. Turner has never been a head coach in the NCAA, and was last involved in the collegiate ranks in 1984 as USC’s OC. He’s posted a career record of 114-122-1 as a head coach in the NFL.
Latest On George Edwards' Future
- It’s possible Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards’ DWI arrest in May will negatively affect his chances of eventually becoming a head coach, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press details (Twitter link). Edwards was among six assistants the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority hiring in the NFL, recommended last offseason for a head coaching job. Whether the Fritz Pollard Alliance endorses Edwards again will come down to opinions from Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, FPA chairman John Wooten told Tomasson. “I want to talk to Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer and see what their thoughts are, and whether they still support him in moving up the line,” he said. In a positive development for Edwards, Zimmer stuck by the 49-year-old assistant Wednesday in explaining his role with the 5-0 team. “He does a whole ton of things for me that I don’t have to do,” said Zimmer. “We talk about things all of the time as far as game plans. He goes through a lot of the research tape that I really don’t have time to do and we talk about of different things. But George is a very smart guy. He’s very diligent about his work. He cares about making sure his side of the ball performs very well.”
Vikings’ D-Coordinator Was Arrested In May
The Vikings cut offensive lineman Isame Faciane on Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving last week. Defensive coordinator George Edwards didn’t meet a similar fate after his own run-in with the law, however. Edwards was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in May and pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving in August, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
“George Edwards immediately notified the team of this situation when it occurred,” the Vikings said in a statement. “He was significantly disciplined by the Vikings. George has fulfilled both his legal obligations as well as the additional team-imposed discipline.”
Unlike the Vikings, the NFL won’t punish Edwards, a league spokesman told Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune (Twitter link). At the time of his arrest, Edwards blew a blood-alcohol level of .11 (the legal limit is .08). Police pulled him over after they observed him failing to signal a turn for a fourth straight time. After pleading guilty to a misdemeanor, Edwards paid a $1K fine. He’s now on probation until Aug. 30, 2017.
Under both head coach Mike Zimmer and Edwards, the Vikings’ defense leads the league in points per game allowed (12.6) and ranks second in yardage surrendered. Minnesota’s defense is the main reason the team has begun 2016 a league-best 5-0.
VIkings Cut OL Isame Faciane After DUI Arrest
The Vikings are releasing offensive lineman Isame Faciane from the practice squad, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. The news comes after Faciane was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving. Taking his place on the 10-man practice squad will be cornerback Tre Roberson. 
Police pulled Faciane over when he was spotted weaving around construction barriers in an effort to drive the wrong way down the highway. Faciane was given a citation and, days later, handed his release from the Vikings.
“My thoughts are that it’s disappointing and that’s one of the things I’m trying to get rid of around here, making sure that our fans are being represented in the right way,’’ Mike Zimmer said yesterday about the arrest. “It was stupid and we’ll see.’’
Roberson, a former quarterback at Illinois State, hooked on with the Vikings this offseason. He has been moved on and off the team multiple times this fall.
Mike Zimmer Non-Committal On Isame Faciane
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer wasn’t clear on the future of offensive lineman Isame Faciane, who is facing three misdemeanors after being arrested for DUI earlier this month, tweets Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. For what it’s worth, Zimmer did say that Faciane’s arrest “was not very bright.” Faciane has been a member of the Vikings’ practice squad since 2014.