Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/23
Wednesday’s minor roster moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: OL Doug Kramer
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return from IR: G Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated for return from IR: TE Peyton Hendershot
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: LS Jake McQuaide
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Designated for return from IR: WR Parker Washington
Las Vegas Raiders
- Designated for return from IR: S Roderic Teamer
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed off Giants’ practice squad: OLB Justin Hollins
- Designated for return from NFI: S J.T. Woods
- Placed on IR: OLB Chris Rumph (story)
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: TE Kenny Yeboah
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: G Nick Zakelj
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): G Calvin Throckmorton
- Placed on IR: LB Chance Campbell
So far this year, Zakelj, the second-year interior offensive lineman, has only appeared in four games on special teams, but the team intended for him to compete with free agent signing Jon Feliciano for the backup center job behind starter Jake Brendel. With Aaron Banks out last week, and with the coaches wanting to get Feliciano more involved at right guard anyway, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Zakelj became a key backup at center. Unfortunately for Zakelj and the 49ers, a torn bicep will require surgery, taking Zakelj out for the remainder of the season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jordan Matthews
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on practice squad IR: C Billy Price
Houston Texans
- Released: CB Jason Verrett
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson
New York Jets
- Signed: DT Tanzel Smart
- Released: CB Craig James
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Breiden Fehoko
- Released: LB Tyler Murray
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Spencer Waege
- Released: DE Austin Bryant
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Ross Blacklock
Price was brought in to serve as center depth after an injury to starting center Tyler Biadasz. He ended up losing the backup center job to Brock Hoffman, who has played in nine games and started one of them for the Cowboys this year.
Verrett, a veteran cornerback, has been stuck on the Texans practice squad for just over a month now without making an appearance. Despite following former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to Houston, he reportedly didn’t fit the plan for the team moving forward, mostly due to the fact that he doesn’t play on special teams. This extends Verrett’s NFL absence as he has still not seen regular season action since September of 2021.
Aaron Rodgers Aiming For Mid-December Return?
NOVEMBER 14: Rodgers provided some more context on a potential return during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. The QB admitted that he “never said anything definitive” regarding a potential return date and said “nothing’s changed” about his timeline (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com).
However, the QB is clearly keeping the door open to a return this season. In addition to his actual recovery, Rodgers will also consider the Jets’ playoff positioning over the upcoming weeks.
“There’s no set date,” Rodgers said. “It could change. If I have a great week this week and next week, that could be accelerated. If we are not in it in three or four weeks, that could take it a different way. I expect us to be in it and I expect to come back, so that’s about all I can tell you at this point.”
NOVEMBER 13: The Jets delivered another poor performance on offense during Sunday night’s loss to the Raiders, adding to the list of disappointing showings by Zach Wilson under center. He remains in place as New York’s starter, but the possibility still exists that Aaron Rodgers could suit up by the end of the season. 
The latter has publicly stated his intention of returning to full health at least in time for the start of the 2024 campaign. That would represent a realistic goal under normal circumstances, but Rodgers has repeatedly hinted at an improbable comeback in time for the stretch run this year. In the latest development on that front, the four-time MVP said he is aiming to suit up in mid-December during last night’s broadcast (h/t NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo).
Rodgers underwent a ‘speed bridge’ procedure on his torn Achilles, a relatively new operation aimed at greatly shortening the recovery process. Still, being available for any game action in 2023 would represent a highly impressive feat. Having resumed throwing roughly one month ago, the 39-year-old showed signs of being able to play late in the season (with the caveat that doing so would only realistically be possible if the Jets found themselves in postseason contention late in the year).
The Jets are on board with the notion of Rodgers being able to play in the relatively near future, so his update represents a further sign of the parties’ shared goal to rescue a season which is under threat of going off the rails due to poor offensive play. New York has managed just three offensive touchdowns over the past five games, and Wilson has yet to develop as hoped. The latter still had the unanimous backing of the organization before Week 10, and it will be interesting to see if a change to the QB depth chart will be given new consideration in the coming days.
For now, the hopes of the 4-5 Jets will still rest on Wilson’s shoulders with respect to sufficiently complementing a strong defense and running game. Roughly one month from now, however, Rodgers could be on track to reprise his starter’s role depending on his continued recovery and the state of the team in the closing stages of the campaign.
Jets Cut RB Michael Carter
The Jets have moved on from their former starting running back. The team announced that they’ve waived RB Michael Carter.
The 2021 fourth-round pick led the Jets backfield as a rookie, collecting 964 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He was expected to take a back seat to Breece Hall in 2022 but was inserted back into the starting lineup following his teammate’s season-ending injury. While he started 10 of his 16 appearances last season, Carter wasn’t nearly as productive during his second season in the NFL, finishing the year with only 690 yards from scrimmage.
With Hall healthy and the Jets signing Dalvin Cook, Carter was buried on the depth chart this year. He saw most of his work on third downs, hauling in 15 receptions for 68 yards. Carter also had another 38 yards on the ground. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, Carter was benched during Sunday’s loss to the Raiders after being penalized for a chop-block.
After that game, coach Robert Saleh hinted that changes could be coming to the offense. And as Cimini notes, cutting Carter sends a clear message to a struggling offense that no one is safe.
“We’re looking at some things, some different personnel changes, which I’m going to keep here with me, but we’re looking across the board to see if we can find a way to generate some offense,” Saleh said.
Still, considering Carter’s production during his rookie campaign, it shouldn’t take long for the running back to find his next squad. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Carter should have some suitors on the waiver wire.
With Carter now out of the picture, the Jets are likely going to give fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda any leftover snaps at the position. The Pitt product is known for his elite speed and could add a spark to an offense that’s struggling to find the end zone.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/23
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Josh Norman
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: TE Lucas Krull, WR David Sills
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from Seahawks): DB Kyu Blu Kelly
- Waived: S Innis Gaines
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): RB JaMycal Hasty
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from Texans): OL Austin Deculus
- Waived: DT Tanzel Smart
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: DT Breiden Fehoko
JaMycal Hasty was waived by the Jaguars this past weekend following a year-plus with the organization. The running back had 320 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns during his first season in Jacksonville but was limited to only three games and zero touches this year. He’ll be hard pressed to carve out a role in New England with Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott leading the depth chart.
Saleh: Jets Brass On Same Page Regarding Zach Wilson
NOVEMBER 12: Before signing with the Rams earlier this week, Wentz again reached back out to the Jets to see if they were interested in his services, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. New York obviously turned him down, which led him to LA and which further underscores Gang Green’s faith in Wilson. Nonetheless, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com suggests that, if Wilson should underperform in the Jets’ Week 10 matchup with the Raiders, he could lose his starting job.
NOVEMBER 11: Confirming the optimism shown in Wilson by Saleh’s remarks, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the Jets have no intention of benching the former No. 2 pick “barring a disaster” (subscription required). The team believes Wilson still carries the most upside for the struggling offense amongst their other QB options, so they will move forward in the hopes of progress in the passing game while keeping the door open to a Rodgers comeback.
NOVEMBER 9: Although the prospect of an Aaron Rodgers return late this season continues to be a topic of conversation — largely because of Rodgers’ comments — Zach Wilson remains the Jets’ starter. After a bit of an October uptick, Wilson has reverted to form. But the Jets are not prepared to bench the struggling quarterback.
Robert Saleh has again stood behind the embattled former No. 2 overall pick and said he has not received pressure from Jets management or ownership to stay the course with Wilson. Then again, the third-year HC would be unlikely to admit anything to the contrary.
“No, we’re on the same page with that,” Saleh said, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini, regarding the organizational approach at quarterback. “So any conspiracy theory that might be out there, we’re on the same page. The knee-jerk reaction to this is to always hit the panic button. … There are a lot of things [Wilson] can do better. He’s doing the best that he can. But, again, he still needs to get better.”
Wilson completed 47% of his passes in an ugly Week 8 win over the Giants, and the Chargers handily dispatched the Jets on Monday night. While the team is 4-4, the Saleh-run defense is once again keeping the team afloat. This is quite familiar territory for the Jets, who twice benched Wilson last season. They operated aggressively this offseason, meeting with Derek Carr and putting a full-court press on an effort to acquire Rodgers. The team succeeded, but the future Hall of Famer’s Week 1 Achilles tear continues to define the season — as should be expected.
The Jets passed on Carson Wentz, who has since signed with the Rams, and were not believed to be interested in Kirk Cousins. Not that an interest in the Vikings passer, who has also since suffered an Achilles tear, would have mattered; Cousins was not expected to waive his no-trade clause. The team also passed on a trade for Josh Dobbs, who has now replaced Cousins in Minnesota. No rumblings of a Jacoby Brissett push emerged, either. Ownership was believed to have shaped the Jets’ effort to bring in a high-profile emergency option, due to the money the organization had already sunk into Rodgers, helping lead the team to its present place.
The Jets’ only outside addition this year has been Trevor Siemian, their brief Sam Darnold backup who has resided as the team’s third-stringer this season. Tim Boyle sits as Wilson’s backup; the ex-Packers, Lions and Bears reserve has not played this season. Saleh benched Wilson when the Jets stood 6-4 last season. He closed last season with a 38.5 QBR figure; that number presently sits at 32.3, ahead of only Bryce Young. The Jets have scored only eight touchdowns this season. Only the 2-14 2020 squad, Cimini adds, and the 1976 team Lou Holtz eventually bailed on were worse through eight games.
Saleh’s lack of options behind Wilson, after the team let Mike White walk in free agency and did not re-sign Joe Flacco, has led to this extended leash for the BYU alum. But more of the same could finally exhaust the head coach’s patience.
Injured Reserve Return Tracker
After a 2022 rule change, teams can activate up to eight players from injured reserve. That has reintroduced some strategy into how franchises proceed with their activations, and teams will again need to be cognizant of their activation counts in 2023.
The NFL had reintroduced IR-return options in the 2010s, after a period in which an IR move meant a player’s season was over. But the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the league to loosen restrictions on IR from 2020-21. Teams were permitted to use unlimited activations to start the decade, but roster math is again a consideration.
Players who land on IR after cutdown day must miss at least four games. Once a team designates a player for return, the activation clock starts. Clubs have 21 days from a player’s return-to-practice date to activate that player. If no activation commences in that window, the player reverts to season-ending IR.
Here is how the NFL’s remaining two IR situations look for Super Bowl LVIII:
Kansas City Chiefs
Activated:
- RB Jerick McKinnon (story)
- WR Skyy Moore (story)
Designated for return:
- OL Prince Tega Wanogho (Jan. 24)
Eligible for activation:
- S Bryan Cook (story)
Activations remaining: 3
San Francisco 49ers
Designated for return:
- DT Kalia Davis (Jan. 24)
Reverted to season-ending IR:
- WR Danny Gray
Eligible for activation:
- TE Ross Dwelley
- DE Drake Jackson
Activations remaining: 4
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/23
The NFL’s minor moves, including gameday callups for Sunday of Week 10:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Frank Darby, DT Timmy Horne
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: CB A.J. Green, WR Austin Watkins
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: LB Rashaan Evans
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: LS Jake McQuaide
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to active roster: S Innis Gaines
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: T Brandon Parker, WR DJ Turner
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: LB Nick Vigil
- Elevated: QB Sean Mannion, DL T.J. Smith
New England Patriots
- Elevated: T Conor McDermott, LB Calvin Munson
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: FB Adam Prentice
- Waived: WR Keith Kirkwood
New York Jets
- Elevated: OL Xavier Newman, WR Malik Taylor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: LB Tariq Carpenter, S Trenton Thompson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: CB Shemar Jean-Charles
- Elevated: LB Curtis Robinson, WR Willie Snead
- Placed on IR: DE Drake Jackson
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: RB Kenny McIntosh, WR Dareke Young
- Elevated: T Jason Peters
- Waived: CB Kyu Blu Kelly
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Keenan Isaac
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: LB Chance Campbell, RB Jonathan Ward
- Elevated: DE TK McLendon, OL Andrew Rupcich
- Placed on IR: T Nicholas Petit-Frere (story)
NFL Injury Updates: Higgins, Turner, Palmer, Saints, Jones
The Bengals will be without their second leading receiver for their Week 10 matchup against the Texans. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Tee Higgins will miss Sunday’s game after injuring his hamstring in practice on Wednesday. He will reportedly continue to be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
Partially due to the early struggles of quarterback Joe Burrow, Higgins is off to the worst start of his career this season. After averaging 1,009.33 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons, Higgins is currently on track to finish the season with only 703 yards. Hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger, as well, threatening to take even more away from Higgins this year.
Leading wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been limited this week with a back injury and is currently listed as questionable. Should he play, though, he will be joined by Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin, and sixth-round rookie Andrei Iosivas. With Higgins out, tight end Irv Smith may, too, continue to see an increased role in the Bengals’ passing gameplan.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:
- The Jets will be without yet another offensive lineman this week as backup lineman Billy Turner will miss Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. Turner suffered a “concerning” broken bone in his hand during his first start of the season last week that head coach Robert Saleh disclosed had required surgery. Turner was starting in place of injured right guard Connor McGovern, who was placed on injured reserve before last week’s game with a dislocated knee cap. With all the current injuries on the offensive line, New York only has three linemen on the active roster – Chris Glaser, Dennis Kelly, and Carter Warren – that it can turn to as a replacement starter this weekend. They also have Jake Hanson, Xavier Newman, and Rodger Saffold, who should be available off the practice squad. Saffold and Hanson are recent signings who may have been brought in to assist with the team’s plague of injuries on the offensive front.
- Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer was placed on IR earlier this week without much word on the specifics of what was being called a knee injury. Daniel Popper of The Athletic provided an update on Wednesday that Palmer is dealing with a knee sprain. Popper’s report comes from head coach Brandon Staley, who relayed that Palmer will obviously be out for the next four weeks, the minimum required on IR, but he has “no expectations” after that. They will simply have to reassess once Palmer is eligible to return.
- Two Saints rookies suffered injuries this past Sunday. Defensive end Isaiah Foskey suffered “a low-grade quad strain,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Foskey’s absence, as a rotational lineman, will open the door for more potential snaps for either Tanoh Kpassagnon or Kyle Phillips, who was signed to the active roster weeks ago but has yet to make his season debut. Foskey is expected to miss a week or two, but the injury isn’t considered serious. Running back Kendre Miller was the other Saints rookie to suffer an injury, spraining his ankle against Chicago last week, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. He hasn’t participated in practice all week and will also be out this Sunday. It’s unclear whether or not his injury will linger to hold him out for much longer. Miller’s usage has decreased significantly since the return of Jamaal Williams, but with Eno Benjamin on IR, the team may feel the need to elevate practice squad running back Jordan Mims to back up Williams and Alvin Kamara.
- The Browns will be down three offensive tackles for this weekend’s trip to Baltimore. According to Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald and Morning Journal, rookie fourth-round tackle Dawand Jones has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Starting tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills both currently reside on IR, Conklin since Week 1 and Wills just this past week. Jones had been starting across from Wills in place of Conklin. With Wills and Jones out next week, Cleveland will have to start two fresh faces at offensive tackle. Schudel reports that James Hudson III is expected to start at right tackle. Starting left guard Joel Bitonio is expected to slide out to serve as a left tackle. Backup center Nick Harris will get an opportunity to start in Bitonio’s place at left guard. A beleaguered offensive line will face a significant challenge with three new starters in new positions against a Ravens defense that leads the league in sacks.
Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order
Yesterday’s Panthers-Bears game carried signficant draft implications, as many noted in the build-up to the primetime matchup. With Carolina having dealt its 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the deal involving last year’s No. 1 selection, the Bears were able to boost their chances of picking first in April with a win.
Owning the top selection in a draft touted for having multiple high-end options at the quarterback spot would of course add further to the speculation surrounding Justin Fields. The Bears gave the 24-year-old a vote of confidence last spring by trading out of the No. 1 slot, but he has yet to develop as hoped this season. Chicago could opt for a fresh start under center (particularly if they declined Fields’ fifth-year option) this spring while also having the opportunity to add help elsewhere on the roster with their own first-rounder, which seems destined to fall within the top 10 or perhaps even top five selections.
Of course, teams like the Giants, Cardinals and Patriots have experienced signficant troubles of their own this year. A continuation of their first half performances could leave them in pole position for the Caleb Williams–Drake Maye sweepstakes. All three teams face potential uncertainty with respect to their current passers’ futures, despite each having term remaining on their respective contracts.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. With plenty still to be sorted out over the coming months, here is an early look at the current draft order:
- Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
- Arizona Cardinals: 1-8
- New York Giants: 2-7
- New England Patriots: 2-7
- Chicago Bears: 3-7
- Los Angeles Rams: 3-6
- Green Bay Packers: 3-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
- Denver Broncos: 3-5
- Tennessee Titans: 3-5
- Atlanta Falcons: 4-5
- Washington Commanders: 4-5
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-5
- Las Vegas Raiders: 4-5
- Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
- New York Jets: 4-4
- Los Angeles Chargers: 4-4
- Buffalo Bills: 5-4
- New Orleans Saints: 5-4
- Minnesota Vikings: 5-4
- Dallas Cowboys: 5-3
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-3
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Cincinnati Bengals: 5-3
- Seattle Seahawks: 5-3
- San Francisco 49ers: 5-3
- Miami Dolphins: 6-3
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-2
- Detroit Lions: 6-2
- Baltimore Ravens: 7-2
- Kansas City Chiefs: 7-2
- Philadelphia Eagles: 8-1