NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/23
Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Daniel Arias
- Released: WR Davion Davis
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Scotty Washington
- Placed on IR: CB Kevon Seymour
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Adrian Colbert, DL Michael Dwumfour
- Released: QB Trace McSorley
Cleveland Browns
- Released: RB John Kelly
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Marcell Harris
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
- Released: TE Jesse James
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OLB Ty Shelby
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: DB Cameron McCutcheon
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB Darrynton Evans
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OLB Austin Bryant
- Released: WR Dan Chisena
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Deon Jackson, T Joshua Miles
- Released: RB Hassan Hall
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Craig James
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Henry Black
- Released: LB Tyler Murray
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Jake Curhan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Raleigh Webb, LB Vi Jones, CB Quandre Mosely
- Released: CB Don Gardner, S Jaquan Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Matt Jackson, RB Jonathan Ward
Steelers To Sign LB Blake Martinez Off Panthers’ Practice Squad
For the second time in two days, the Steelers are signing a linebacker who recently retired. After bringing back Myles Jack, the team will add Blake Martinez.
Pittsburgh is signing Martinez off Carolina’s practice squad, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Martinez came out of retirement recently, catching on with the Panthers. The former Packers and Giants starter will move closer to game action now. Martinez has not seen game action since he retired midway through last season.
Because Martinez is being signed off another team’s P-squad, he must remain on the Steelers’ active roster for at least three weeks. The Steelers have lost two linebackers — Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb — for the season. The depleted group will soon have both Jack, 28, and Martinez, 29, at practice. Both began this season as retired players.
This represents quite the course change for Martinez. The Giants gave the prolific tackler a three-year, $30MM deal in 2020, but a 2021 ACL tear altered his career. Big Blue released the veteran defender just before last season, and although the Raiders eventually picked him up, a strange chapter took place soon. Martinez retired following an 11-tackle performance — in a Week 9 Raiders loss to the Jaguars — and went into business selling Pokemon cards. That venture proved to be highly lucrative in its first year, but Martinez and his company have since been met with allegations of scamming customers and banned from the online marketplace on which it operated.
Prior to the unusual retirement decision, Martinez had been one of the NFL’s premier tacklers. He totaled at least 144 stops in each season from 2017-20, being a key Packers second-level presence and initially justifying the Giants’ free agency payment. He added 11 sacks from 2018-20. The ACL tear nixed that path, leading to a pay-cut agreement in 2022. After the Giants decided to cut bait months after that salary adjustment, Martinez still made two starts for the Raiders. He will join a Steelers team that has depended on its defense throughout the season.
Alexander and Holcomb being lost for the season left Elandon Roberts as a key piece; the former Patriots and Dolphins ‘backer posted 15 tackles against the Browns. Roberts’ 71 stops lead the team. The Steelers turned to Mykal Walker as their other three-down LB against the Browns. Walker is on team No. 4 this season, moving from the Falcons to the Bears to the Raiders to the Steelers over the past few months. Suddenly, Roberts will be surrounded by veteran newcomers. Jack, who spent last season in Pittsburgh, became available shortly after Philadelphia released him from its reserve/retired list.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: TE Parker Hesse
- Placed on IR: RB Jacob Saylors
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Scotty Washington
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Drew Plitt
- Placed on IR: G Jaxson Kirkland
Cleveland Browns
- Released: WR Trinity Benson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB James Robinson
- Released: S Christian Young
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Marcell Harris
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Marquez Callaway
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe
- Placed on IR: S Elijah Riley
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OT Jake Curhan
With Mark Andrews sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Ravens have added some tight end depth. The team ended up opting for Scotty Washington, who got into one game with the Patriots as a rookie in 2022. The Wake Forest product was one of several tight ends to work out for Baltimore today, with the group also featuring O.J. Howard, Connor Davis, and Chris Myarick (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston).
While Michael Thomas recovers from a knee injury, the Saints are turning to a familiar face. Marquez Callaway is back with the Saints after bouncing around the NFL in 2023. The wideout wasn’t re-signed by the Saints following the 2022 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Broncos and Raiders. The former UDFA spent the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, hauling in 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns.
Eric Rowe has found a new home after getting cut by the Panthers practice squad back in September. Rowe earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his three-year stint in New England, and he followed that up with a three-year stint in Miami. Rowe got into 14 games (six starts) for the Dolphins in 2022, finishing with 56 tackles and two sacks.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/23
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: RB Chase Brown
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Patriots practice squad: RB Patrick Taylor
- Designated for return from IR: S Darnell Savage Jr.
- Waived: DB Dallin Leavitt
New York Giants
- Waived: RB Deon Jackson, OT Joshua Miles
New York Jets
- Waived: DT Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: LB Ben VanSumeren
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: S Trenton Thompson
- Placed on IR: DB Elijah Riley
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: S Coby Bryant
Washington Commanders
- Signed off Bears practice squad: DE Jalen Harris
- Placed on IR: DL Efe Obada
- Waived from IR: CB Troy Apke
The Packers will soon be getting some reinforcement on defense, as the team designated safety Darnell Savage Jr. for return from injured reserve today. The defensive back has missed the last four games while recovering from a calf injury. The former first-round pick started all six of his appearances to begin the season, collecting 34 tackles. The fifth-year starter will provide the Packers with a welcome boost when he inevitably returns to the field.
It seems like Green Bay is already preparing for Savage’s return, as the team moved on from another defensive back. Dallin Leavitt spent the past year-plus with the Packers, with the veteran joining the organization following a four-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career. Leavitt got into all 17 games for the Packers in 2022, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. The veteran has seen a handful of defensive snaps in 2023, collecting two tackles in 10 games.
Steelers Bring Back LB Myles Jack
NOVEMBER 20: Jack is headed to Pittsburgh today to undergo a physical. If all goes well on that front, he will indeed sign with the Steelers, Rapoport tweets. The Steelers have since confirmed Jack is back.
This will initially be a P-squad agreement, which has become standard practice around the league in many cases with veterans. Gameday elevations and/or a deal bringing him onto the active roster should soon follow as he looks to carve out a role in the Steelers’ banged-up LB room.
NOVEMBER 17: Veteran inside linebacker Myles Jack has reportedly unretired and, accompanying that transaction, the Eagles waived him yesterday, forfeiting their hold on his rights. Now, after having cleared the waiver process unclaimed, it appears a reunion may be in the mix as the Steelers reportedly have interest in adding Jack to their practice squad, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Jack signed with the Eagles just before the preseason this year after his lone season with a team other than Jacksonville. The former second-round pick in Duval put together a solid career over his time with the Jaguars. Despite falling out of the first round due to injury concerns, Jack made 82 starts while appearing in 88 of a possible 97 games over his six years in Jacksonville. While never claiming any Pro Bowl berths or All-Pro selections, Jack has put forth a respectable effort as a starter over the years. He did more of the same last year with the Steelers, logging his fourth career 100-tackle season at only 27 years old.
When Jack came to Philadelphia, it seemed as though he and fellow addition Zach Cunningham would both have an opportunity to earn significant snaps alongside Nakobe Dean. It was reported, though, that Cunningham seemed to impress more, moving ahead of Jack on the depth chart during their first couple weeks. Cunningham has established himself as a presence on the Eagles’ defense as a starter this year, taking advantage of that opportunity. Whether a result of the lost positioning or not, Jack retired only two weeks after signing with Philadelphia.
Now, if Rapoport’s sources prove reliable, Jack could find himself rejoining the last team for which he started. After Kwon Alexander‘s placement on injured reserve earlier this week, the Steelers now have three inside linebackers on IR, as Alexander joins Cole Holcomb and Chapelle Russell. That leaves two at the position on the active roster (Mark Robinson and Elandon Roberts) and one on the practice squad (Tariq Carpenter). Despite the beleaguered nature of the position, head coach Mike Tomlin recently claimed the team was not looking “outside the organization” for solutions to fill the holes, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic suggested recently that Pittsburgh is expecting practice squad veteran Mykal Walker to get some playing time, despite his experience being more on the outside.
Adding Jack would maybe not count as an “outside the organization” option as he not only gives the team a veteran with starting experience at the position, but it also gives them a player with recent knowledge of their system. We noted when Alexander went down that Pittsburgh would likely be combing the free agent market for potential additions, and the Steelers would be hard-pressed to find a better fit than Jack, assuming he’s stayed in football shape during his short retirement. In their search, though, the team did host elite veteran special teamer Tanner Vallejo, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
If they do decide to bring Jack in, it sounds like it will be on a practice squad deal. This means Jack will need to be elevated for gamedays or eventually signed to the active roster in order to contribute. It’s a situation to keep an eye on in the days to come.
Steelers To Activate TE Pat Freiermuth, Place S Keanu Neal On IR
NOVEMBER 18, 2:58pm: The Steelers officially announced Freiermuth’s activation this afternoon, along with a number of other Saturday transactions. Joining Freiermuth on the active roster will be practice squad linebacker Mykal Walker, whom the team was hoping to involve more with Kwon Alexander on injured reserve.
In order to make room on the roster, Pittsburgh has placed starting safety Keanu Neal on injured reserve. Neal joined his fourth team in as many years this offseason and has made the most of it, becoming a starter for the Steelers. He hasn’t had the strongest season, grading out as the league’s 62nd-best safety, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Neal’s absence will likely mean a bigger role for fellow safety Damontae Kazee, who was teammates with Neal from 2017-2021 during stints in Atlanta and Dallas.
Lastly, the Steelers announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s game in Cleveland. The team will promote LB Tariq Carpenter and safety Trenton Thompson for the matchup. Thompson’s callup fills out the depth chart a bit with Neal gone. Carpenter will team up with Walker to provide some reinforcements at linebacker with Alexander hurt.
NOVEMBER 18, 8:45am: The quick ramp-up period will be sufficient for the Steelers, who will activate Freiermuth at the earliest opportunity. Freiermuth will end up spending the minimum four games on IR, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating he will move back onto Pittsburgh’s active roster before this afternoon’s deadline. While the former second-round pick has not played since Week 4, a hamstring aggravation is responsible for the extended absence. This transaction will leave the Steelers with four IR activations remaining.
NOVEMBER 15: Pat Freiermuth‘s third NFL season has not gone as hoped, but the Steelers are moving closer to having their tight end ready for the stretch run. The team designated the young pass catcher for return Wednesday.
This will start Feiermuth’s 21-day activation clock. The Steelers placed Freiermuth on IR due to a hamstring injury last month. While Freiermuth did not initially land on IR due to the injury, an aggravation led to the Steelers moving him off their 53-man roster.
The Steelers have moved to 6-3 despite persistent struggles on offense, but the team has missed Freiermuth and Diontae Johnson for extended chunks of the season. Johnson returned from his hamstring injury weeks ago, and it appears another activation will soon commence after a hamstring malady. This will be good news for Kenny Pickett, who targeted the 2021 second-round pick frequently in his first season as Pittsburgh’s starter.
Last year, Freiermuth finished with 63 receptions for 732 yards and two touchdowns. While his yards-per-reception and touchdown numbers were down compared to his rookie year, the Penn State product’s yardage total dwarfed his rookie-year number (497). Pickett and Mitch Trubisky targeted the talented tight end regularly, and the Steelers came into this season expecting another steady showing from the 6-foot-5 weapon.
Freiermuth has not played since Week 4, and he struggled to find his footing in the latest Matt Canada-run Pittsburgh offense. Freiermuth finished three games with fewer than 10 receiving yards, and although Week 4 involved an early exit, Weeks 1 and 2 brought sluggish outings. Freiermuth has eight receptions for 53 yards and two TDs this season. In his absence, the Steelers have seen Connor Heyward work as their top receiving tight end. The second-year option has 17 catches for 137 yards. Third-round rookie Darnell Washington has not factored in prominently, exiting Week 10 with three grabs for 23 yards.
AFC North Notes: Bengals, Steelers, Chubb
The Bengals and Steelers were not among the teams who made deals at the trade deadline, but each contender looked into buyer’s moves on defense. Specifically, the AFC North rivals were among the teams to pursue cornerback help, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Both the 49ers and Bills discussed Jaylon Johnson with the Bears, and Buffalo ended up parting with a third-round pick (in a pick-swap move) to obtain Green Bay’s Rasul Douglas. That marked the only move for a corner at the deadline, though the Chargers did send J.C. Jackson to the Patriots in early October.
Chidobe Awuzie‘s return from ACL surgery has not resulted in the veteran regaining his form, and the Bengals have used younger corners Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner as their starters alongside slot Mike Hilton in recent weeks. Pro Football Focus does not grade any of Cincy’s corners in the top 60 at the position. The Bengals rank 25th against the pass. More reliant on their defense without a Joe Burrow-like pilot on offense, the Steelers sit 27th. Joey Porter Jr. has replaced Levi Wallace opposite Patrick Peterson, who is in his age-33 season. With Wallace, Peterson and Chandon Sullivan short-term fixes, Porter represents Pittsburgh’s only long-term cog here post-Cameron Sutton.
Here is the latest from the AFC North:
- Joe Burrow has improved since the summer calf injury significantly restricted him early this season, but ahead of a pivotal Thursday-night matchup against the Ravens, the superstar Bengals QB was spotted wearing a brace or sleeve on his throwing hand. The Bengals shared video of their arrival in Baltimore but later deleted the tweet, though WCPO’s Caleb Noe spotted the fourth-year passer with the brace. This may not be especially important, as Burrow has not missed an NFL game due to injury since his rookie-year ACL tear. Seeing as the Bengals did not disclose a Burrow hand injury and deleted a video that may indicate one, this is worth monitoring.
- The Steelers are 6-3 despite being outgained in all nine games this season. Kenny Pickett ranks 28th in QBR, and while he has been without Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth for extended stretches, the 2022 first-round pick has not shown tremendous progress in Year 2. The subject of Matt Canada‘s job security continues to come up, after Mike Tomlin gave him a third year following Pickett progress late last season. With the offense still a chief concern in Pittsburgh, The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly does not expect Canada to be retained for a fourth year. That said, the veteran reporter indicates (subscription required) a dramatic Pickett improvement would be Canada’s vehicle to staying. If Canada is let go, he will be the second three-and-done Steelers OC. The team initially promoted Canada from within to replace Randy Fichtner in 2021.
- On the subject of Steelers assistants, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac notes the team did not offer Brian Flores a promotion opportunity to convince him to stay. The Steelers did not dangle their DC job to keep Flores, whom Tomlin hired as linebackers coach following a surprising Dolphins dismissal. Viewed as a way for Flores to reestablish his value amid an ongoing discrimination lawsuit against the NFL and select teams, the Steelers stint proved effective. Despite the ongoing suit, Flores interviewed for the Cardinals’ HC job and received steady DC interest ahead of his Vikings hire. Teryl Austin is in his second season as Pittsburgh’s DC but has been with the team since 2019.
- Head Browns physician James Voos performed Nick Chubb‘s second ACL surgery, the Browns announced this week. The team revealed the operation was successful, and the procedure will put Chubb on track to return in 2024. While two knee surgeries at this juncture of his career will introduce some hurdles for Chubb, a 2024 return was previously floated out as realistic. Chubb’s three-year, $36.6MM contract runs through 2024.
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.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OT Josh Wells
- Released: TE Eric Tomlinson
Carolina Panthers
- Released: G Deonte Brown
Denver Broncos
- Released: CB Reese Taylor
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Michael Schofield, CB Kindle Vildor
- Released: CB Anthony Averett, RB Devine Ozigbo
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Austin Ajiake
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Jaylon Thomas
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: S Mark Webb
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed:RB Myles Gaskin
- Released: DL Michael Dogbe
New Orleans Saints
- Released: DE Jordan Willis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Lecitus Smith, TE Noah Togiai
- Released: TE E.J. Jenkins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: G Joey Fisher, TE Scotty Washington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Jaquan Johnson
- Released: DE C.J. Brewer
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/23
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Tae Davis
- Signed to active roster: OT David Sharpe
- Waived: G Calvin Throckmorton
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/suspended: S Kareem Jackson
- Waived: DT Keondre Coburn
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: G Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: DE Isaac Rochell
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: TE Hunter Long
- Signed to active roster: LB Keir Thomas
- Waived: LB Zach VanValkenburg
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Keith Kirkwood
- Waived: FB Adam Prentice
Philadelphia Eagles
- Designated for return from IR: S Justin Evans
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on IR: LB Kwon Alexander (story)
Following a spree of illegal hits, Kareem Jackson was hit with a four-game ban back in October. That suspension ended up getting knocked down to two games, and following that absence, the defensive back has returned to the active roster. While Justin Simmons has long resided as the Broncos’ top safety, Pro Football Focus has graded Jackson as a top-20 player at the position this season.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai suffered a back injury that will require a stint on injured reserve, although there’s a chance the veteran lineman ends up having to miss the rest of the season. After starting all 25 of his appearances for the Lions between 2020 and 2021, Vaitai has started three of his six games in 2022.
Hunter Long was a third-round pick by the Dolphins in 2021 but only lasted two seasons in Miami, hauling in a single eight-yard catch. He was part of the Rams’ offseason trade return for Jalen Ramsey but hasn’t appeared in a game this season. The tight end landed on IR in early September with a thigh injury.