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.
Steelers Name Russell Wilson QB Starter
Russell Wilson faced a challenge from his pole-position spot, but the veteran will hold off Justin Fields. The Steelers will go with the 13th-year passer to open the season, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports. The Steelers have since announced it will be Wilson in Week 1.
The Steelers went to some lengths to assure Wilson he would be the starter. This was communicated to the decorated veteran before the Kenny Pickett trade and then after the team acquired Fields. While the latter has made a push that indicates this situation is not resolved from a long-term perspective, Fields will begin his Pittsburgh tenure as a backup.
Fields was believed to have supporters in the building, as the Steelers went about adjusting his footwork from his Bears days. Rather than name a starter before the third preseason game, Mike Tomlin waited until midway through the Steelers’ final week of summer workouts. This does not suggest Wilson will have a firm grip here, despite the early-offseason buzz about this job, but the 35-year-old passer will soon make his 189th career start.
Despite Fields closing the gap, the 25-year-old trade acquisition never emerged as a frontrunner. The Steelers may have been more inclined, after seeing Pickett stumble, to go with a more experienced option early. After trading Pickett, Pittsburgh signed off on a unique arrangement. Wilson and Fields are on low-cost deals that expire at season’s end. The team is not deviating from its policy of not negotiating extensions in-season, and no talks are planned to commence before the campaign. Both passers will head into contract years, and although reports about the Steelers eyeing a post-2024 future with both have come out, this Wilson-Fields setup will almost certainly be a one-and-done situation.
Calling this a “difficult decision,” Tomlin communicated it to both QBs today. This was Wilson’s first time in a quarterback competition since his rookie year, when he beat out Matt Flynn for the Seahawks’ job. The potential Hall of Famer held it for 10 years, but the Seahawks — after Wilson’s first injury-related absence came during a season that brought a step back from his Pro Bowl-level form — dealt his $35MM-per-year contract to the Broncos for an eight-asset package in March 2022. Wilson then signed a $49MM-AAV deal with Denver, going through an infamous tenure with the AFC West franchise.
Wilson’s Broncos run can be classified as a financial disaster, and while Sean Payton made it clear his fit with the off-script maven was poor, the 2023 season went much better for the former third-round pick compared to the shocking 2022 outcome.
Wilson rebounded from his rough season with Nathaniel Hackett, a campaign in which the Broncos allowed the QB to help design the offense and then gave him other perks, by throwing 26 touchdown passes compared to just eight interceptions with Payton at the controls. This still produced a late-season benching — after a behind-the-scenes drama unfolded regarding Wilson’s 2025 guarantee vesting date — but Wilson did show some better form, helping the Broncos to a five-game win streak that moved them into the playoff chase.
Denver took on a record-smashing dead money sum to separate from the embattled quarterback; regardless of offset language, Denver’s cap penalty over the next two years more than doubles any other single-player number. The Steelers swooped in an have the accomplished passer on a one-year, $1.21MM deal. But Wilson, who battled injuries in 2022 to contribute to his stunning regression, missed multiple weeks of training camp with a calf injury and only recently received full clearance. This allowed Fields to catch up a bit, and this situation will be one to monitor early in the season.
In the preseason, Fields went 19-for-27 for 199 yards. Playing in two preseason games, Wilson was 10 of 12 for 73 yards. Both struggled to move the offense in Pittsburgh’s second preseason game, but Wilson led a TD drive in the team’s finale. Fields did not lead any scoring drives against Detroit this past weekend. Fields probably offers more upside at this point, as Wilson will turn 36 in November, but the veteran brings a higher floor.
The Steelers will aim to pair Wilson with a veteran-laden defense, and it remains to be seen if the team will pry Brandon Aiyuk from the 49ers. Though, that scenario appears a longshot right now.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North
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 Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.
Baltimore Ravens
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- OT Corey Bullock, RB Chris Collier, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, G Darrian Dalcourt, OLB Joe Evans, CB Ka’dar Hollman, TE Qadir Ismail, RB John Kelly, WR Keith Kirkwood, QB Devin Leary, WR Anthony Miller, DE C.J. Ravenell, ILB Josh Ross, WR Dayton Wade
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed:
Claimed:
- DE K.J. Henry
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, T Devin Cochran, DT Domenique Davis, CB Jalen Davis, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, C Trey Hill, WR Shedrick Jackson, S PJ Jules, WR Kendric Pryor, QB Logan Woodside
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Jowon Briggs, CB Tony Brown, WR Jaelon Darden, S Christopher Edmonds, CB Mike Ford, CB Justin Hardee, T Germain Ifedi, T Sam Kamara, T Roy Mbaeteka, WR James Proche, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, T Lorenzo Thompson, WR Michael Woods
Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Anthony Averett, RB Boston Scott
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
Steelers To Add RBs Boston Scott, Jonathan Ward To Practice Squad
Despite declining Najee Harris‘ fifth-year option, the Steelers still roster both the former first-rounder and UDFA complement Jaylen Warren. The team is adding veteran insurance behind its top duo.
Boston Scott is expected to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Recently released by the Rams, Scott is a vested veteran and will not need to clear waivers today before choosing his next destination.
Best known for his long-running stint as an Eagles backup, Scott will return to Pennsylvania to join a team that carried only two pure RBs on its 53-man roster Tuesday. Cordarrelle Patterson is the No. 3 back for the now-Arthur Smith-led offense, but he is primarily a return specialist — even though Smith will likely get his ex-Falcons charge some non-special teams work as well.
Scott, 29, spent parts of six seasons in Philly. He worked as a regular backup for the team, working behind Miles Sanders for four years and behind D’Andre Swift last season. Scott, however, started 12 games and logged 373 touches. That low workload will help him secure a gig ahead of an age-29 season. While Scott totaled only 86 rushing yards last season, he reached 373 to go with a career-high seven touchdowns in 2021.
With Scott expected to be part of Pittsburgh’s 16-man P-squad, the team can add up to five more vested veterans. Teams will largely assemble their taxi squads today, and the Steelers will opt for experience behind the Harris-Warren duo. Pittsburgh is also adding another back to its P-squad, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Jonathan Ward is joining the team. Ward has played in 42 games for the Cardinals and Titans across a four-year career. Only logging 17 career attempts, Ward has spent most of his NFL time as a special-teamer.
Steelers Get Down To 53
The Steelers were able to get down to the required 53 players today with the following roster moves:
Released:
- RB La’Mical Perine
- RB Jonathan Ward
- WR Quez Watkins
Waived:
- RB Jack Colletto
- OL TyKeem Doss
- OL Joey Fisher
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- DB Zyon Gilbert
- DB Thomas Graham
- LB Marcus Haynes
- WR Jaray Jenkins
- LB Kyron Johnson
- QB John Rhys Plumlee
- DL Willington Previlon
- RB Aaron Shampklin
- DL Jacob Slade
- TE Matt Sokol
- LB Luquay Washington
- WR Duece Watts
- TE Rodney Williams
- LB Jacoby Windmon
Placed on IR:
- DB Ryan Watts
- LB Julius Welschof
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- OL Dylan Cook
- LB Jeremiah Moon
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
- LB Cole Holcomb
Holcomb, Cook, and Moon will be sitting out the first four games of 2024, at least. Watts is the only 2024 draft pick for Pittsburgh who will not be on the active roster to start the year. He and Welschof, one of only two of the team’s five undrafted free agent signees who weren’t waived by today, will miss the entire season.
West Virginia standout cornerback Beanie Bishop is the only undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster. With Cameron Sutton starting out the year serving a suspension, Bishop could easily find his way into the starting nickelback role.
The Steelers are also coming into 2024 with a thin wide receiving corps. The only receivers on the active roster are George Pickens, Van Jefferson, rookie Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, and Calvin Austin.
Steelers To Release WR Quez Watkins
Already facing questions about their receiver depth, the Steelers are parting ways with a veteran member of their pass catching corps. Pittsburgh is releasing Quez Watkins, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Watkins played out his rookie contract with the Eagles before making an intra-Pennsylvania move in free agency. The 26-year-old showcased his potential as a deep threat in 2021, averaging 15 yards per catch and totaling 647 yards. He saw his playing time drop in each of the past two seasons, though, making it no surprise he headed elsewhere on the open market.
The 26-year-old inked a one-year pact worth the league minimum to come to Pittsburgh. The contract only contained $168K guaranteed, but Watkins viewed it as a potential path to a starting role. The Steelers’ WR depth chart is led by George Pickens, though the team traded away Diontae Johnson and released Allen Robinson, creating notable vacancies. Instead of filling one of them, Watkins will return to free agency.
As Fowler’s colleague Brooke Pryor notes, the Southern Miss product did not have a strong showing as a punt returner in Pittsburgh’s first preseason game. Strong special teams play would have presented Watkins with a viable path to a roster spot, but he will now have to look elsewhere for a gig. Meanwhile, questions remain with respect to how Pittsburgh will fill out the receiver pecking order behind Pickens.
Of course, the Steelers have long been connected to a receiver addition in general and a pursuit of Brandon Aiyuk in particular. The 49ers All-Pro continues to negotiate an extension, but a trade agreement is in place with Pittsburgh in case those talks break down. Cutdown season has not produced any updates on the Aiyuk front, though, so for the time being the Steelers’ WR room is led by Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin and third-round rookie Roman Wilson.
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.
Justin Fields Has ‘Real Support’ In Steelers Building
Breaking from the norm, two quarterback situations remain unsettled following the preseason schedule. The Patriots are considering moving Drake Maye into their lineup early, while the Steelers are determining if Justin Fields has passed Russell Wilson. It certainly appears the younger Pittsburgh passer has made this a difficult decision.
The Steelers are taking more time before announcing their starter, with Mike Tomlin going so far as to say this week of practice will play a potentially deciding role in who lands the job. Wilson’s rocky Broncos tenure made the team’s proclamations about him being the clear frontrunner a bit odd, and Fields indeed has closed the gap.
Wilson is still viewed as the more likely Week 1 starter, but Fields lurks — to the point it would be easy to see the younger passer usurping the veteran early in the season. The 2021 first-round pick has real support in the building, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. The Steelers acquired Fields for just a conditional sixth-round pick — a return much lower than initially expected — and while they are not planning to negotiate with either quarterback until season’s end, rumors about the team circling back about a post-2024 future with the 25-year-old arm surfaced this offseason.
Of course, immediate reports out of Pittsburgh both said Fields would not seriously challenge Wilson and that the team was interested in a post-2024 partnership with the former Super Bowl winner as well. Wilson has since missed time with a calf injury. The 13th-year veteran is full-go now, but he has not created enough distance from Fields to be considered safe just yet. This trajectory would stand to give Wilson a short leash should he end up winning the job.
Viewing Fields as having lost confidence from his inconsistent Bears tenure, the Steelers changed his footwork this offseason. The Arthur Smith-led effort shifted Fields to the dropback mechanics he used at Ohio State, Breer adds. In the preseason, Fields went 19-for-27 for 199 yards. Playing in two preseason games, Wilson was 10 of 12 for 73 yards. Both struggled to move the offense in Pittsburgh’s second preseason game, but Wilson led a TD drive in the team’s finale. Fields did not lead any scoring drives against Detroit this past weekend.
If Wilson holds off Fields, this will still be a situation to monitor and represent new territory for the potential Hall of Famer. Despite Wilson’s inconsistency in Denver, he was never in any real danger of being benched for performance reasons. He certainly will be this year, and Fields holds a decent chance of winning the job from the start. This would put the former Seahawks star’s career at a crossroads, whereas Fields seems to have upped his stock with the organization in recent weeks.