Lions Tried To Claim Mack Hollins
The Dolphins have added Mack Hollins to the mix, but they weren’t the only team to make a claim on him. The Lions also tried to snag the wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Lions’ Kerryon Johnson Designated To Return]
The Lions, of course, lost out on Hollins, due to having a stronger record. The Dolphins have the fourth-highest waiver priority in the NFL thanks to their 3-9 record. The 3-8-1 Lions, meanwhile, are sixth.
The Lions viewed Hollins as developmental depth, which is roughly why the Dolphins went for him. With an $804K cap figure for this season and a small bump to $894K for 2020, Hollins is a cheap pickup that could pay dividends for Miami going forward.
The Eagles gave Hollins extensive work this year while other receivers were sidelined with injuries. Hollins played in at least 50% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps in six games this season, but produced just 10 receptions for 125 yards.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/4/19
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Drew Anderson, WR Saeed Blacknall, DL Lyndon Johnson.
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Will Holden
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Bug Howard
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Cole Herdman
- Released: LB Anthony Pittman
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DT P.J. Johnson, WR Tyron Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Nate Wozniak
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: CB Jordan Brown, WR De’Mornay Pierson-El, TE Cole Wick
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Tremon Smith
Dolphins Claim WR Mack Hollins
Another veteran wide receiver will head to Miami via waiver claim. The Dolphins submitted a successful claim for former Eagles wideout Mack Hollins on Wednesday.
Hollins follows Trevor Davis, whom the Raiders recently cut, to south Florida. The Dolphins have lost multiple receivers to season-ending injuries in recent weeks.
The Dolphins also signed offensive lineman Evan Brown off the Giants’ practice squad. They waived offensive lineman Chris Reed and cornerback Ken Crawley, the latter with an injury designation, to make room on their 53-man roster.
With their receiver situation battling injuries for most of the season, the Eagles gave Hollins extensive work. He played in at least 50% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps in six games this season but produced just 10 receptions for 125 yards. The 2017 fourth-round pick’s rookie contract runs through 2020, so the Dolphins will have a chance to evaluate him in the offseason as well.
The Dolphins signed Reed to a low-end two-year deal this offseason; he played in five games with one start. Brown is a rookie UDFA out of SMU who’s played three snaps this season. A former Saints corner, Crawley played in four Dolphins games this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor NFL moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB Pete Robertson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Justin Zimmer
- Released: DE Chris Smith
Denver Broncos
- Claimed: C Patrick Morris (from Steelers)
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Jason Cabinda
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Parry Nickerson
- Released: CB Breon Borders
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Gehrig Dieter
Los Angeles Rams
- Promote TE Kendall Blanton
- Placed on IR: WR JoJo Natson
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: WR Trevor Davis (from Raiders), RB Zach Zenner (from Cardinals)
- Placed on IR: RB Kalen Ballage
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: G Sua Opeta
- Released: WR Mack Hollins
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: K Chase McLaughlin
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Trevon Young
- Cut: DB A.J. Howard
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Nate Hall
- Released: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Malik Henry
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Paul Perkins
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Tyron Johnson
- Cut: LB Jeff Holland
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Xavier Crawford
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DE Kevin Wilkins
- Cut: DB Chris Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Chris Thompson
- Released: OT Will Holden
Patriots Waive K Kai Forbath
The Patriots have waived kicker Kai Forbath, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). To fill his spot on the roster, the Pats claimed defensive tackle Albert Huggins off of waivers from the Eagles. 
[RELATED: Rob Gronkowski Ineligible To Return In 2019]
The Patriots signed Forbath last week as a one-game fill-in for Nick Folk. Forbath made his lone field goal attempt from 23 yards out, but missed one of his two extra point tries. It’s believed that Folk will be ready to go for Sunday, but even if he’s not, the Patriots will look for help elsewhere.
The cup of coffee completes yet another NFL stop for Forbath, who has now kicked in games for the Patriots, Redskins, Saints, Vikings, and Jaguars. Meanwhile, he’s the Patriots fourth kicker of the 2019 season, following Stephen Gostkowski, Mike Nugent, and Folk.
With the Pats, Folk has connected on 7-of-9 field goal tries and all three of his extra point attempts across three games. Two of those misses in his last outing against the Cowboys, but the Pats still came away with the 13-9 win, with Folk’s 42-yard connection in the fourth quarter helping to seal the deal.
After Sunday’s loss to the Texans, the 10-2 Patriots will finish out the regular season against the Chiefs, Bengals, Bills, and Dolphins.
Eagles Promote TE Josh Perkins
With Zach Ertz ailing, the Eagles have added some tight end reinforcement. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that tight end Josh Perkins has been promoted to the active roster. Philly also activated cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc off injured reserve. Zach Berman of The Athletic tweets that the Eagles have waived defensive tackle Albert Huggins.
Perkins, a former undrafted free agent out of Washington, spent the first two seasons of his career with the Falcons. He appeared in nine games for the Eagles last season, hauling in five catches for 67 yards. After getting waived after the 2019 preseason, Perkins caught on with Philly’s practice squad.
The Eagles were one of the few NFL teams rostering two tight ends. If Ertz is ultimately sidelined with a hamstring injury, the team would have needed another healthy body besides Dallas Goedert. While Goedert would presumably get the majority of snaps at tight end in Ertz’s hypothetical absence, there’s still a good chance that Perkins would make his 2019 debut against the Dolphins.
The Eagles added LeBlanc to their roster last November, and he proceeded to collect 24 tackles and one pass defended in eight games (four starts) with Philly. The 25-year-old inked a one-year extension with the team back in September, and he was later placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. He was designated to return earlier this week.
Huggins was signed off the Texans practice squad back in October. The defensive tackle ended up playing in four games for Philadelphia, compiling three tackles.
Eagles, Lane Johnson Agree To Extension
The Eagles and Lane Johnson agreed on a record extension Friday. In a year featuring several re-ups for Eagles offensive linemen, Johnson agreed to a four-year, $72MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Johnson will receive a staggering $54.595MM guaranteed in this contract, per Garafolo. In terms of per-year value ($18MM), this is the most lucrative contract given to an offensive lineman. The seventh-year lineman’s guarantee also tops the league, making this a banner day for Johnson and the oft-overlooked right tackle position.
This marks a near-$7MM-per-year raise for Johnson, who was previously signed to a five-year, $56.25MM deal that ran through the 2021 season. The 29-year-old blocker is now signed through 2025.
This pact follows a spree of 2019 extensions, with the Eagles planning far ahead with their O-line. Philadelphia has extended Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce and Isaac Seumalo this year. Four members of Philly’s current front five are locked up into the mid-2020s, with only 37-year-old Jason Peters on a year-to-year setup at this point. While the Johnson deal represents the biggest number, the Eagles are showing tremendous faith in their current blockers.
Philly now employs the highest-paid tackle and guard in the league, with Brooks’ $14MM-per-year deal edging Zack Martin‘s pact earlier this month. Johnson’s new contract eclipses Trent Brown‘s $16.5MM-AAV price set earlier this year. The NFL’s two highest-paid offensive linemen, interestingly, now each play right tackle. The highest-paid left tackle, Taylor Lewan, signed for $16MM annually last year. Johnson’s deal figures to move that market, however.
Taken in a 2013 draft that produced several top-10 busts, Johnson is the rare Pro Bowl right tackle. Twice given the honor that almost exclusively goes to left tackles, Johnson has helped the Eagles form one of the league’s top lines. Pro Football Focus grades Johnson as this season’s No. 2 overall tackle.
He has dealt with suspension and injury issues, however. Johnson has missed 14 career games due to two PED bans, the most recent of which in 2016. He earned first-team All-Pro honors the next year and helped the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title. Helping to explain the record-smashing contract: in Carson Wentz‘s four-year career, his QBR figure drops by more than 20 points without Johnson in the lineup. He is set to return to Philadelphia’s lineup this week after missing Week 12 with a concussion.
Eagles Lane Johnson Will Start Sunday
Eagles starting right tackle Lane Johnson was cleared from the league’s concussion protocol and will return to the lineup on Sunday, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Johnson sustained a concussion 
in Philadelphia’s Week 11 matchup against the Patriots and missed last week’s 17-9 loss to the Seahawks.
Johnson’s return will be a sign of relief for the Eagles, who were without the entire starting right side of their offensive line last week. Philadelphia’s offense, especially quarterback Carson Wentz, have appeared in disarray in recent weeks, but playing some of the best defenses in football without full strength along their offensive front just added to a perfect storm of problems.
While the team is surely disappointed with a 5-6 start to the season, the rest of the division’s struggles leaves them within striking distance of a playoff spot. After the Cowboys loss on Thanksgiving dropped them to 6-6, Philly is only a half-game back for the division lead in the NFC East. Furthermore, the Eagles will host the Cowboys in Week 16 and have a much easier schedule than their division foe. Dallas’ opponents, aside from the Eagles, have a combined 14-20 record while Philadelphia’s have just a combined 8-36 record.
Eagles Sign K Jake Elliott To 5-Year Extension
The Eagles have signed kicker Jake Elliott to a 5-year, $21MM extension, which includes $10.5MM guaranteed, according to NFL Insider Adam Caplan. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported soon after the contract actually includes $10.45MM guaranteed with a maximum total value of $21.8MM. The disparities are marginal, but could have minor salary cap implications for Philadelphia.
Elliott, signed off the Bengals practice squad in 2017, has been one of the most consistent kickers in football 
over the past three seasons. Elliott was 26 of 31 on field goal attempts in both 2017 and 2018, converting over 92% of his extra point attempts in both years as well. This season, Elliott is a perfect 14 of 14 on field goals, with a long of 53 yards, and is 21 of 23 on extra points.
The Memphis alum has shown elite range, making a 61 yard attempt as a rookie, but after going 5 for 6 from beyond 50 yards in his first season, went just 2 for 5 last season. This year, Elliott has made his only attempt from beyond 50 yards, but more importantly, he has been reliable from inside 50 yards out. Over the past two seasons, Elliott has missed just two field goals of 49 yards or less.
Elliott becomes the third highest paid kicker by average annual salary and provides the Eagles with cost certainty at the most important special teams position.