Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Devin Jones
- Waived: WR Andrew Parchment
Chicago Bears
- Activated from NFI: DB Dane Cruikshank, DB Michael Joseph, WR Tajae Sharpe
Cleveland Browns
- Reverted to IR: WR Isaiah Weston
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: C Alex Mollette
- Placed on IR: WR John Hurst, G/T Carter O’Donnell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: OL Chris Glaser
New England Patriots
- Signed: S Jalen Elliott, S Brad Hawkins, LB Nate Wieland
New Orleans Saints
- Suspended six games: WR Kawaan Baker
New York Giants
- Reverted to IR: CB Jarren Williams
Saints To Sign TE Chris Herndon
Chris Herndon will make his way to a third NFL team. The former Jets starter and Vikings contributor will join the Saints, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
This will be another new start for Herndon, whose market was quiet after his lone Minnesota season. The Jets shipped Herndon to the Vikings, who had recently lost Irv Smith Jr. for the season, prior to Week 1 last year. Herndon, 26, caught just four passes for 40 yards in 2021, seeing Tyler Conklin — whom the Jets signed this year — take over as the team’s top tight end.
A former fourth-round pick, Herndon is best known for his productive rookie season with the Jets. The Miami alum caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns, helping fellow rookie Sam Darnold in 2018. But Herndon has not been able to follow that up.
The 6-foot-4 pass catcher began the 2019 season suspended for a personal conduct policy violation and suffered a hamstring injury while preparing for that truncated slate. In Herndon’s one 2019 game, he suffered a fractured rib. In 2020, Herndon struggled to find the form of his rookie year, totaling just 287 receiving yards.
The Saints have ex-third-rounder Adam Trautman (263 receiving yards in 2021, most among Saints tight ends) going into his third season and have moved Taysom Hill out of the quarterback conversation. The ex-starter is still expected to factor in on gadget plays as a QB, but his primary position will be tight end. Juwan Johnson, who led Saints tight ends in TDs last year with four, is also on the roster.
New Orleans also considered another former Viking, MyCole Pruitt, with Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com noting the veteran tight end worked out for the team (Twitter link). Pruitt’s Minnesota days came back in the mid-2010s, however. He spent the past four seasons with the Titans, working more as a blocking tight end.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/22
Here are the first minor moves of August:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from active/NFI list: OG Ben Cleveland
Denver Broncos
- Activated from active/PUP list: WR KJ Hamler
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Justin Jackson
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Corey Sutton
Houston Texans
- Activated from active/PUP list: TE Teagan Quitoriano
- Released: QB Kevin Hogan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton
- Placed on IR: LB Micah Kiser
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Nate Hairston
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from active/NFI list: LB Pete Werner
New York Giants
- Signed: S Jarrod Wilson
- Waived/injured: CB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Activated from active/NFI list: RB Tevin Coleman
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Javon McKinley
- Waived: DE Tyree Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Antonio Valentino
- Activated from active/PUP list: DE Tyreke Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from active/PUP list: TE Tommy Hudson
The Lions’ new running back, Jackson, has found a second home after playing out his rookie contract in Los Angeles. The former seventh-round pick out of Northwestern spent his time with the Chargers backing up starting running back Austin Ekeler, earning a few starts during Ekeler’s more injury-riddled periods. Despite not receiving many touches, Jackson has made the most of each one averaging 5.0 yards per carry during his four-year career in the NFL to total 1,040 rushing yards and four touchdowns, adding 508 yards receiving on 65 receptions. Jackson will compete with Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson for the reserve positions behind the top-two backs, D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from reserve/NFI: TE Alex Ellis
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Darrion Daniels
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Bailey Gaither
- Placed on NFI: G Ben Cleveland
Chicago Bears
- Placed on PUP: DL Sam Kamara, LB Roquan Smith
- Placed on NFI: S Dane Cruikshank, CB Michael Joseph, WR Tajae Sharpe
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Drew Plitt
- Waived: CB John Brannon
- Activated from PUP: G Alex Cappa, RB Samaje Perine
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on PUP: WR Dontario Drummond, WR Michael Gallup, LB Aaron Hansford, CB Quandre Mosely
- Placed on NFI: LB Damone Clark
Detroit Lions
- Placed on PUP: FB Jason Cabinda
- Placed on NFI: S C.J. Moore
- Placed on non-football illness: T Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: Ishmael Hyman
- Released: LB Caliph Brice
- Activated from PUP: OT Caleb Jones, DE Dean Lowry, RB Patrick Taylor
Houston Texans
- Placed on PUP: DE Jordan Jenkins, DB Tristin McCollum, TE Teagan Quitoriano
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from PUP: DL Tyquan Lewis, S Rodney McLeod
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released (failed physical designation): DT Cortez Broughton
- Activated from PUP: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Tino Ellis
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from PUP: Nick Vannett
- Placed on NFI: LB Pete Werner
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Garrett McGhin
- Waived (failure to disclose physical condition designation): OT Kamaal Seymour
- Activated from PUP: TE Daniel Bellinger
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Luq Barcoo
- Waived: DB Jovante Moffat
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on PUP: DE Tyson Alualu
- Placed on NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Keenan Forbes, G Eric Wilson
Saints’ Michael Thomas Returns To Practice
Saints GM Mickey Loomis said Michael Thomas‘ stay on the team’s active/PUP list would not last long. That translated to a rather notable transaction Wednesday.
Thomas was back at practice for the Saints, marking a long-awaited return after the former All-Pro had missed the entire offseason program and the bulk of New Orleans’ 2020s game action. A Thomas return would give the Saints one of the NFL’s most intriguing wideout crews, with Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave on this year’s roster.
When Thomas last played a full season, he finished as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year after breaking Marvin Harrison‘s single-season reception record. A spate of injuries — headlined by a troublesome ankle ailment — have headlined Thomas’ 2020s career path. Thomas, 29, missed all of last season after undergoing surgery later than the Saints hoped he would. A subsequent setback that occurred during the season caused Thomas to be shut down for all of 2021.
His missing a second straight offseason program this year certainly represented cause for concern, but if the All-Pro playmaker can distance himself from this period, a path toward the Saints deploying one of the NFL’s best skill-position groups is in play. There are notable moving parts here. Thomas initially suffered his ankle injury in Week 1 of the 2020 season. This being a storyline nearly two years later remains an issue for the Saints, who have Alvin Kamara potentially set for a six-game suspension.
Prior to Thomas’ injury-plagued 2020 ending with just 438 receiving yards, he ripped off back-to-back All-Pro campaigns. The second of which included an NFL-most 1,725 yards. That performance came just after the Saints gave Thomas a five-year, $96.25MM extension. Thanks to restructuring, Thomas is on New Orleans’ 2022 payroll at $13MM. That number spikes to $28.3MM in 2023.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions, including a handful of notable names landing on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list as teams open up camp:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on NFI: WR Marquise Brown
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DB Allie Green, OL Willie Wright
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on PUP: OT Jack Conklin, CB Denzel Ward
- Placed on NFI: DT Sheldon Day, LB Anthony Walker Jr.
- Placed on non-football illness: WR Javon Wims
Denver Broncos
- Placed on PUP: LB Randy Gregory, WR KJ Hamler, OL Billy Turner
- Placed on NFI : LB Christopher Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OL Ty Clary, WR Osirus Mitchell
- Placed on NFI: WR Sammy Watkins
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Isaiah Ford, WR John Hurst
- Waived: WR Kekoa Crawford, DT Caeveon Patton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on PUP: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from NFI: DT Vernon Butler
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on PUP: LB Kenneth Murray
Miami Dolphins
- Released with NFI designation: WR Cody Core
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on NFI: CB Nate Hairston
New England Patriots
- Released: C Darryl Williams
- Activated from PUP: LB Raekwon McMillan
- Placed on NFI: CB Myles Bryant
New Orleans Saints
- Released: OL Derek Schweiger
- Placed on NFI: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, TE Nick Vannett
New York Giants
- Signed: S Andrew Adams, WR Marcus Kemp, OT Kamaal Seymour
- Released: DB Maurice Canady
- Waived: DB Henry Black, DT Jabari Ellis, WR Travis Toivonen
- Placed on PUP: C Nick Gates, OT Matt Peart, WR Sterling Shepard
- Placed on NFI: LB Azeez Ojulari
New York Jets
- Signed: WR/PR Rashard Davis, QB Chris Streveler, OL Isaiah Williams
- Released: CB Craig James, WR D.J. Montgomery, OL Dru Samia
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Jaedan Graham, DT Kobe Smith
- Waived: WR Josh Hammond
- Waived with NFI desgination: DT Noah Elliss
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on NFI: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Robert Nkemidiche
- Placed on PUP: CB Jason Verrett, TE Charlie Woerner
- Placed on NFI: DT Kalia Davis
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Jake Hausmann
- Waived with failed physical designation: LB Ben Burr-Kirven
- Placed on PUP: CB Tre Brown, LB Jon Rhattigan, OT Liam Ryan, OLB Tyreke Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: TE Codey McElroy
Washington Commanders
- Placed on PUP: C Tyler Larsen, C Chase Roullier, TE Logan Thomas, DE Chase Young
- Placed on NFI: OT Cornelius Lucas
Saints Sign Malcolm Brown, Nick Martin
With an Alvin Kamara suspension in play for 2022, the Saints have been looking at veteran running backs. They added one to their mix Tuesday.
The Saints added former Rams and Dolphins back Malcolm Brown, doing so on a day in which they also signed center Nick Martin. The Brown addition comes after a fairly thorough look into the position this offseason, while Martin — after five years with the Texans and one with the Raiders — should be expected to compete for a backup job.
New Orleans brought in both Sony Michel and David Johnson this year, while also auditioning USFL Offensive Player of the Year Darius Victor. Johnson is believed to have come with too high a price tag for the Saints, per NFL.com’s Jane Slater (video link). The Michel workout also came just before the former Patriots and Rams starter signed with the Dolphins, who opted to let Brown walk as they transitioned to a new coaching staff.
Although Mark Ingram is positioned to be Kamara’s top backup, Slater adds the Saints would not plan to use the 33-year-old as a full-timer at this stage of his career. Brown coming in provides insurance, with a Kamara suspension — for a February brawl in Las Vegas that led to an arrest and a civil lawsuit — potentially coming down this season. A Kamara ban would obviously make a significant impact on the Saints’ offense, judging by how it looked last season when the Pro Bowl back missed time, but Brown does provide a potential upgrade alongside Ingram.
Brown, 29, suffered a quadriceps injury last season; he played just seven games during his short Dolphins tenure. While Brown rushed for just 125 yards in 2021, he gained 419 and scored five touchdowns as part of a 2020 Rams committee. The former Todd Gurley backup also held regular special teams roles in Los Angeles, giving him a potential boost to make New Orleans’ 53-man roster. The Saints also have veteran special-teamer Dwayne Washington, recent signing Devine Ozigbo and third-year back Tony Jones on their 90-man offseason roster.
Martin, also 29, worked as Houston’s full-time starting center from 2017-20, earning an extension in that time. Despite missing his entire rookie season, Martin has proven durable since. He has not missed a game since 2017, when he was sidelined for two, and has 62 career starts. The former second-round pick, however, did not start a game for the Raiders in 2021, and lingered in free agency for months. He joins Forrest Lamp and Josh Andrews as notable Saints interior O-line depth. The team’s inside trio of Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz is set.
The Saints also signed defensive end Scott Patchan and waived punter Daniel Whelan, offensive lineman Derek Schweiger and cornerback Jordan Miller on Tuesday.
USFL DPOY Chris Odom Auditions For Bengals, Cardinals, Saints
JULY 26: Odom’s workout itinerary surfaced Tuesday. The USFL Defensive Player of the Year auditioned for the Bengals, Cardinals and Saints, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Odom first trekked to Arizona and Cincinnati but headed to New Orleans today. It certainly looks like he will have options to tack an NFL season onto his spring-summer USFL work. He would be following a few others once he latches on with a team.
JULY 9: Chris Odom put himself back on the NFL map with a strong performance in the USFL. The edge rusher’s agent announced that Odom has three upcoming workouts with NFL teams (h/t to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The agent didn’t reveal the three squads, but he said the “calls are starting to come in fast” for his client.
The son of longtime Colts linebacker Cliff Odom, Chris Odom went undrafted out of Arkansas State in 2017. He bounced around the NFL a bit, spending time with the Falcons (two stints), Packers, and Washington. He’s ultimately saw time in 11 NFL games, collecting 16 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. He also spent time in the AAF and the CFL before landing his most recent gig is the United States Football League.
Back in February, Odom was selected in the second round of the USFL draft. He proceeded to have a standout season with the Houston Gamblers, earning league Defensive Player of the Years honors after compiling 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and four blocked field goals. That performance has apparently put him back on the NFL radar, but during a conversation with Yahoo’s Chris Estrada, Odom was still focused on his USFL squad. While he acknowledged that “whatever opportunity presents itself [after the USFL season], then so be it,” he reiterated how important it was to him that the USFL gave him the opportunity to showcase his skills.
“I have teammates that haven’t played football in a year, two years, three years, some even four years – whether it wasn’t the right opportunity, injury, COVID,” Odom said. “We all just were happy to be able to play football again. So we all just wanted to show everybody what we were capable of.”
We recently saw one USFL player take his talents back to the NFL when linebacker Christian Sam signed with the Cowboys.
Latest On Alvin Kamara, Saints RB Depth
The NFL continues to monitor Alvin Kamara‘s legal situation. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the running back’s February arrest remains “under league review” while the NFL continues to monitor “all legal developments.” This includes Kamara’s scheduled court date on August 1.
Kamara was charged with felony battery following an altercation in Las Vegas during Pro Bowl weekend. Video surveillance showed Kamara punching Darnell Greene eight times following an argument, with Greene being knocked unconscious and sustaining an orbital bone fracture. Greene has since sued Kamara for monetary damages.
The NFL’s personal conduct policy calls for a six-game suspension for felony battery. As Fowler writes, there’s no “firm timeline” regarding when a potential suspension would be handed out. League sources told Fowler that they believe Kamara will ultimately be suspended, but a lot depends on the legal findings. If the legal proceedings are dragged out, Kamara might be allowed to suit up for Week 1, although the NFL also has the ability to put the RB on paid leave via the commissioner’s exempt list.
Regardless of how Kamara’s legal issues unfold, the Saints are still hunting for RB depth. As Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com writes, the Saints would clearly like to add some reinforcement at the position. While Duncan categorizes the RB pursuit as a “want” and notes that there isn’t any immediate urgency, the pursuit could easily evolve into a “need” if Kamara is ultimately slapped with a ban. If the Pro Bowler is forced to miss time, the Saints would turn to veteran Mark Ingram, but the team otherwise has inexperienced depth in Tony Jones, Dwayne Washington, Devine Ozigbo, and UDFA Abram Smith.
As Duncan notes, we’ve already seen the Saints be aggressive when it comes to adding at the position. The team put in a bid for Sony Michel before he landed with the Dolphins, and they’ve also hosted veteran David Johnson and USFL standout Darius Victor on visits. The team even outbid the rest of the NFL in order to add Smith, who was “one of the Class of 2022’s prize undrafted free agents.”
Saints Place WR Michael Thomas, DE Marcus Davenport On PUP
A pair of Saints players have landed on PUP ahead of training camp. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Saints have placed wideout Michael Thomas and defensive end Marcus Davenport on the physically unable to perform list.
Thomas’s placement on PUP seems mostly procedural after he’s been limited to only seven games over the past two seasons. We heard last month that the wideout had progressed to running sprints, and the wideout recently posted a video that showed him running routes. The Saints have expressed optimism that Thomas will be back at some point during training camp, so it doesn’t seem like this delay will end up working its way into the preseason.
The last time the wideout was fully healthy, he was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year after hauling in 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns. The receiver’s lengthy absence stems from a high ankle sprain suffered during the Saints’ 2020 season opener. The injury continued to linger, and while the Saints wanted Thomas to immediately go under the knife once the 2020 season ended, the player decided to hold off on surgery until last summer. The subsequent rehab plus a new ankle injury derailed any chance that he’d be able to return for the 2021 campaign.
Davenport’s placement on PUP is equally unsurprising, but it’s uncertain how long the veteran defensive lineman will be sidelined. We heard recently that Davenport had a pair of surgeries on his knee and three surgeries on his left hand just this offseason. Davenport had a stint on IR last season while dealing with a shoulder ailment, so his two surgeries were likely intended to fix that injury. Meanwhile, Davenport said he’s been dealing with a pinkie injury that dates back to college, but the injury has progressively gotten worse and culminated in Davenport having part of the finger amputated.
The 2018 first-round pick has spent his entire career with New Orleans, missing 17 games in four seasons. While he was limited to only 11 games (nine starts) last season, he still finished with career-highs in tackles (39), sacks (nine), and forced fumbles (three). In total, Davenport has 21 sacks in 48 games.