NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/30/24
Many teams used Friday to make further adjustments to their practice squads. Here is the full breakdown:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OLB Adedayo Odeleye
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB John Wolford, WR Deon Cain, OL Brandon Walton
- Released: S Alex Cook, DT Walter Palmore, OL Mason Brooks
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Levelle Bailey
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: FB Andrew Beck, CB Kamal Hadden, RB La’Mical Perine
- Placed on IR: RB Nate McCrary
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: QB John Rhys Plumlee
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Nic Jones, DT Marlon Tuipulotu
- Released: RB Emani Bailey
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB M.J. Devonshire
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Jaret Patterson
- Released: RB Isaiah Spiller
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DT Cory Durden
- Released: DT Tuli Letuligasenoa
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OLB William Bradley-King, T Anderson Hardy, RB Deneric Prince
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Isaiah Bolden, LB Ochaun Mathis
New York Giants
- Signed: S Gervarrius Owens
- Released: LB K.J. Cloyd
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Jason Brownlee
- Released: WR Lance McCutcheon
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S JT Woods
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL John Leglue, OL Doug Nester, LB Devin Harper, LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji, WR Brandon Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Tyreke Smith
Wolford’s seven regular season appearances to date have all come with the Rams. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Buccaneers, though, working with then-offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Canales is now the head coach in Carolina, and Wolford has followed him in a bid to earn a 53-man roster spot at some point during the season. The Panthers already had Jack Plummer on their taxi squad, but Wolford will offer Canales and Co. a more familiar option behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton.
Giants To Re-Sign CB Adoree’ Jackson
5:26pm: Jackson has indeed worked out a deal to remain with the Giants in 2024, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. To no surprise, this will be a one-year agreement. Jackson will have the opportunity to once again serve in a notable role in New York before hitting the open market next spring.
9:25am: Steady updates of Giants concerns about their No. 2 cornerback spot may be leading them back to their previous plan. Although the team was not believed to be eyeing another deal with Adoree’ Jackson during the offseason, it looks like the situation has changed.
Jackson is meeting with the Giants today and is negotiating a deal to return, veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz tweets. The last of PFR’s top 50 free agents to remain unsigned, the veteran cornerback may soon have a second Giants contract in place. The former first-round pick started 36 games with the team on his previous deal. Mutual interest exists in a reunion, Schultz adds.
The Giants initially brought in Jackson on a three-year, $39MM deal during Dave Gettleman‘s final offseason in charge. They paired him with 2020 free agency pickup James Bradberry. Those two big-ticket contracts overlapped with Daniel Jones‘ rookie deal. With Jones now in Year 2 of a $40MM-AAV extension, the Giants had scaled back in the secondary. Two years after cutting Bradberry, the team let Xavier McKinney walk in free agency and was not intending to re-sign Jackson. But his replacement candidates have not seized the boundary job opposite 2023 first-rounder Deonte Banks.
Previously pinning their hopes on 2022 third-rounder Cor’Dale Flott — the team’s primary slot corner from 2022-23 — taking over for Jackson outside, the Giants saw the young defender struggle before suffering an injury earlier this month. Flott’s status moved Nick McCloud (11 career starts) into the mix to land the job, but a recent report suggested the Giants were looking into cornerback additions. They added veteran Duke Shelley to their practice squad Thursday; Jackson would qualify as a higher-profile pickup.
Jackson, 29 in September, missed time with an MCL sprain in 2022 but returned to help the Giants contain Justin Jefferson in the team’s wild-card upset. This came after Pro Football Focus had viewed the former Titans first-round pick as a top-20 corner in 2021. The Giants asked Jackson to shift to the slot to accommodate sixth-round rookie Tre Hawkins to open last season. Once Don Martindale benched the Day 3 rookie early in the season, Jackson was back in his old job — with Flott back in the slot — after weeks of inside training. PFF slotted Jackson outside the top 100 among CBs in 2023.
Although the Giants changed defensive systems this offseason, Jackson has experience with new DC Shane Bowen. Drafted during Mike Mularkey‘s HC run, the USC alum’s Tennessee tenure overlapped partially with Bowen’s. The current New York defensive honcho was in place as Titans outside linebackers coach during part of Jackson’s Tennessee tenure. Though, the Titans cut Jackson — who had missed extensive time due to injury in 2020 — ahead of Bowen’s first DC season. This came back when teams could pick up players’ fifth-year options and cut them free of charge. Jackson’s 2017 rookie class was the last to not have their Year 5 options fully guaranteed.
While Chidobe Awuzie and Kendall Fuller found homes quickly as third-contract-seeking CBs, Jackson’s market did not take off. The Giants look close to ending his lengthy free agency stay, however, and providing Bowen some veteran stability at CB2.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24
PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Jordan Murray, DL PJ Mustipher, OL Luke Tenuta
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Monty Rice, OL Elijah Wilkinson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Ja’Tyre Carter, WR Jalen Coker, TE Feleipe Franks, LB Thomas Incoom, DE Tarron Jackson, DT Jayden Peevy, S Demani Richardson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Chris Glaser, DL Sam Roberts
- Released: DB Quindell Johnson, DL Dashaun Mallory
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: G Tashawn Manning, RB Kendall Milton, DT Justin Rogers, DE Isaiah Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Gary Brightwell, WR Tulu Griffin, TE Cameron Latu, TE Blake Whiteheart
- Released: LS Rex Sunahara
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Phil Hoskins, CB Amani Oruwariye
Detroit Lions
- Released: S C.J. Moore
Houston Texans
- Signed: T Braeden Daniels, TE Cole Fotheringham, WR Xavier Johnson, S Mark Perry, QB Kedon Slovis
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT McTelvin Agim, DE Titus Leo, TE Sean McKeon, G Atonio Mafi, K Spencer Shrader
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Blake Hance, S Matthew Jackson, WR Louis Rees-Zammit
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE Justin Shorter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: S Tony Jefferson, C Sam Mustipher, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: CB Robert Kennedy
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: RB Zach Evans
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: QB Tim Boyle
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Ricky Lee, RB Zavier Scott
- Released: WR Jeshaun Jones, RB DeWayne McBride
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Brevin Allen, G Jerome Carvin, DT Trysten Hill, C Bryan Hudson, G Michael Jordan, WR Jalen Reagor
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Austin Deculus, TE Treyton Welch
- Released: TE Mason Fairchild
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Art Green, DT Elijah Garcia, CB Duke Shelley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Brett Toth
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Anthony Averett, FB Jack Colletto, CB Zyon Gilbert, CB Thomas Graham Jr., LB Marcus Haynes, DL Jacob Slade, RB Jonathan Ward, TE Rodney Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Terrace Marshall, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Josh Jobe, LB Tyreke Smith
- Released: T Raiqwon O’Neal
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: C Avery Jones, T Lorenz Metz, WR Ryan Miller, WR Cody Thompson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL James Lynch
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB Jalen Graham, CB Bobby Price
Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.
Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.
Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/24
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: LB Krys Barnes
- Placed on IR: CB Elijah Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Signed from practice squad: TE Jordan Matthews
- Placed on IR: DL Jaden Crumedy
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-signed: RB Trayveon Williams
- Placed on IR: DT McKinnley Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: T Chuma Edoga (story)
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Kristian Welch
- Waived: LB Levelle Bailey
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: DL John Cominsky (story)
Green Bay Packers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Brandon Facyson, RB Jarveon Howard
Las Vegas Raiders
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Elerson Smith
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: RB Jaret Patterson
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: OL Conor McDermott
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LS Blake Ferguson
- Placed on IR: S Patrick McMorris
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton, FB Jakob Johnson
- Placed on IR: OL Austin Schlottmann
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Dennis Houston, OL Jalen Mayfield
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DT Marlon Tuipulotu
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Julius Welschof
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Kalen DeLoach
Tennessee Titans
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Kyle Philips
Washington Commanders
- Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Keandre Jones, S Ben Nikke
Schlottmann suffered what Brian Daboll called a long-term injury. Elaborating on the injury Schlottmann suffered in practice Wednesday, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the veteran backup O-lineman will rehab a broken fibula. The injury is expected to shut down the free agency addition for at least two months. No surgery is on tap for Schlottmann. The Giants considering him for activation may depend on their injury situation, as teams only have eight regular-season IR activations. The Giants have seven presently, as they used a summer IR designation on linebacker Matthew Adams on Tuesday.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC 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 Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles and Giants moves are noted below.
Dallas Cowboys
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- T Josh Ball, CB Josh Butler, WR Jalen Cropper, RB Malik Davis, DT Denzel Daxon, TE Princeton Fant, CB Kemon Hall, WR Kelvin Harmon, LB Darius Harris, S Emany Johnson, DE Carl Lawson, LB Brock Mogensen, OL Dakoda Shepley, LB Nick Vigil
New York Giants
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
Waived/injured:
- DT Ryder Anderson, CB Mario Goodrich, EDGE Ovie Oghoufo
Placed on IR:
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Miles Boykin, CB Art Green, WR Isaiah Hodgins, FB Jakob Johnson, C Jimmy Morrisey, LB Ty Summers
Philadelphia Eagles
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- OL Nick Gates
Washington Commanders
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Kazmeir Allen, CB Chigozie Anusiem, G Julian Good-Jones, QB Sam Hartman, DE Andre Jones Jr., DT Haggai Ndubuisi, RB Chris Rodriguez, OL Max Scharping, WR Mitchell Tinsley, WR Brycen Tremayne, TE Cole Turner, DE Carlos Watkins, RB Michael Wiley
2024 NFL Waiver Order
Waiver claims can begin coming in at 11am CT. While the waiver order will depend on 2024 records in several weeks, teams’ 2023 finishes currently determine it. Here is how the waiver priority list stacks up heading into today’s round of claims:
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
Giants Place Isaiah McKenzie On IR, Move Roster To 53
Here is how the Giants moved down to the 53-man limit today:
Released:
- WR Miles Boykin
- TE Lawrence Cager
- CB Tre Herndon (story)
- WR Isaiah Hodgins
- DB Darnay Holmes (story)
- FB Jakob Johnson
- CB David Long
- T Joshua Miles
- WR Allen Robinson (story)
Waived:
- LB Darrian Beavers
- LB K.J. Cloyd
- LB Tomon Fox
- DB Alex Johnson
- T Marcellus Johnson
- DB Raheem Layne
- K Jude McAtamney
- RB Dante Miller
- RB Jimmy Morrissey
- DT Casey Rogers
- TE Jack Stoll
Waived/injured:
- DB Mario Goodrich
- G Jalen Mayfield
- DE Ovie Oghoufo
Placed on season-ending IR:
Placed on IR/return:
Just as the NFL greenlit a full-on kickoff revamp, McKenzie is out of the picture in New York. Signing with the Giants this year and completing a reunion with ex-Bills staffers Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, McKenzie has been a return man and slot receiver for seven seasons. This transaction, unlike the Adams designation, will knock the 5-foot-7 cog out for the year. McKenzie only received $75K guaranteed.
McKenzie joins Hodgins among the players not currently in the mix for the team. The Giants received good value from the former waiver claim, who was a Bills teammate of McKenzie’s under Daboll earlier his career. They brought him back after non-tendering him as an RFA in March, and he and Robinson were battling for back-end receiver jobs. The Giants kept Bryce Ford-Wheaton, a 2023 UDFA, over Hodgins. Considering Hodgins’ past with Daboll, it would not surprise to see New York circle back with a potential practice squad invite. Though, the fifth-year veteran might have other options.
Beavers was viewed as a potential inside linebacker starter in 2023, but Micah McFadden ended up beating out the former sixth-round pick. Beavers played in only two games last season. Cager also was considered a contender to be one of the Giants’ receiving tight ends, but the converted wideout fell short. Daniel Bellinger and fourth-round rookie Theo Johnson are leading the way post-Darren Waller.
Giants To Release Allen Robinson, Tre Herndon, Darnay Holmes
Allen Robinson‘s bid to make the Giants’ initial 53-man roster will come up short. The Giants are releasing the veteran wideout, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. They are the second team to cut Robinson this year, as the Steelers did the same. 
The Giants are also cutting cornerbacks Darnay Holmes and Tre Herndon, according to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Holmes had re-signed with the team this offseason, while Herndon — a six-year Jaguars contributor — joined the team late in its offseason program.
Robinson’s stints with the Jaguars and Bears included a total of three 1,100-yard campaigns and only one season featuring signficant missed time through injury. In recent years, however, he has been unable to find a permanent home. The 31-year-old failed to live up to expectations during a single season with the Rams, leading to his trade to the Steelers. 2023 did not result in a productive campaign (280 scoreless yards on 34 catches), however, and despite a lack of proven receivers Pittsburgh moved on.
Robinson has made it clear he intends to continue his career for several more seasons, but the fact he was unable to land a 53-man roster spot in New York is certainly not an encouraging sign. He will be free to join any interested team on the open market, although without being a special teams contributor the former Pro Bowler’s path to a gig is strictly as a complementary wideout. Robinson’s only guaranteed money from the Giants was a $25K signing bonus.
In the build-up to cutdowns, it was learned New York would likely be a suitor for a cornerback addition. As a result, it comes as no surprise Holmes and Herndon are being let go to clear out space for new options. The former has spent his entire career as a Giant, making 54 appearances and 11 starts (none of which came last season). The latter, meanwhile, has only played in Jacksonville to date but his time in New York has proven to be short-lived.
Deonte Banks is a locked in CB starter for the Giants, but questions remain with respect to who will handle first-team duties opposite him in 2024. A player capable of handling a starter’s workload will likely not be available in the coming days, but a depth move or two should now be expected.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/24
There have been plenty of posts today about a number of teams releasing and waiving players ahead of roster cuts. Here are the best of the rest of the minor moves for Monday:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Tayvion Robinson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DE Justin Blazek
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from active/PUP list: S D’Anthony Bell
Detroit Lions
- Waived: OLB Mitchell Agude, WR Kaden Davis, OL Bryan Hudson, RB Zonovan Knight, CB Rachad Wildgoose, TE Shane Zylstra
- Released: DL Pat O’Connor, LB Ty Summers
Houston Texans
- Released: DT McTelvin Agim, G Dieter Eiselen, LB Jacob Phillips
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DE Levi Bell
- Released: C Mike Panasiuk
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: CB Demarcus Governor
New York Giants
- Released: T Matt Nelson
New York Jets
- Waived: DT Jaylen Twyman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived (with injury settlement): S Mekhi Garner
- Waived: S Andre’ Sam
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: T Tyler Beach, WR Jacob Copeland, RB Daijun Edwards, T Devery Hamilton, T Anderson Hardy, CB Kyler McMichael, DE Marquiss Spencer, CB Kiondre Thomas
- Released: LB Kyahva Tezino, K Matthew Wright
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: P Pressley Harvin III, G Lewis Kidd, WR Jontre Kirklin
- Released: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Willie Roberts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: DT C.J. Brewer, DL Mike Greene, CB Keenan Isaac, OLB Daniel Grzesiak, CB Chris McDonald, TE Tanner Taula, S Rashad Wisdom
Tennessee Titans
- Waived (with injury designation): LB JoJo Domann, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison
- Waived: T Brian Dooley, CB Tay Gowan, LB Mikel Jones, LB Thomas Rush, WR Sam Schnee, TE Steven Stilianos, P Ty Zentner
Nelson was an effective swing tackle for the Lions in the past three years. While he wasn’t able to stick with the Giants, he’s likely to draw interest elsewhere in the NFL.
The Eagles like Sam a lot at safety, but with a number of veterans atop the depth chart, there wasn’t room for him on the roster. The team plans to retain him on the practice squad should he clear waivers, per Andrew DiCecco of 975 The Fanatic. The Buccaneers have similar plans with Isaac, Taula, and Wisdom.
Giants’ Selling Point On Daniel Jones’ 2023 Extension
About a year and a half ago, the Giants gave quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160MM extension. While $40MM per year doesn’t sound like top-end NFL passer money right now, at the time, Jones’ new deal tied him for the honor of sixth-highest paid quarterback in the league at that time, per annual average. A recent report from Ryan Dunleavy of the NY Post provided an explanation for why New York was so willing to give Jones his bag. 
Per Jones, Giants general manager Joe Schoen claimed this week that part of Jones’ agent’s sales pitch on the contract extension was that, with all the soon-to-come quarterback extensions and free agent deals around the league, Jones’ $40MM per year wouldn’t seem nearly as top dollar as it did at the time. See, when Jones signed his extension, it paired him with playoff contending quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford in contract length and overall value. The contract also came on the heels of a Derek Carr-signing for four years and $150MM.
At that point in time, Prescott was a Pro Bowler who had shown he was a threat to pass for 4,500 yards in a healthy season and nearly reached 5,000 in 2019. Stafford was pushing into his 15th season and, though he was aging, had just matched a career high with 41 touchdown passes in 2021. Carr didn’t quite have the winning pedigree or statistical production of Prescott or Stafford, but he still threatened for 4,000 passing yards every season, topping out at 4,804 in 2021, and was a three-time Pro Bowler.
Daniel Jones had accomplished none of the above feats. He hadn’t made a Pro Bowl or sniffed a 4,000-yard or 30-touchdown season. He held career highs of 3,205 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Since his rookie season, he had failed to surpass 15 touchdowns. But timing is everything, and at the time of his contract negotiations, Jones had just led the Giants to their first winning season and playoff appearance with him under center. He had just thrown for his career high in passing yards and led the NFL in interceptions per pass attempt, throwing only five.
These accomplishments hardly seem worth signing Jones to a deal resembling the likes of Prescott and Stafford and surpassing that of Carr, put Jones’ agent pulled out the pitch mentioned above. He convinced Schoen that with the inevitable new contracts for players like Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, and others, paying Jones $40MM per year would be a bargain, especially if he could maintain the level of play from his 2022 season.
Unfortunately, the Giants saw Jones only start six games under his new contract before succumbing to a season-ending injury, and those six games did nothing to instill much confidence in Jones making the contract seem like a bargain deal. In six contests, Jones averaged a career-low 152 passing yards per game, only throwing two touchdowns to six interceptions while going 1-5 as a starter. There’s still time for Jones to make a strong comeback from injury and prove he’s at least worth the bargain deal he signed. For now, though, Giants fans find themselves easily getting excited over underdog successes like Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito.