Colts Place DT DeForest Buckner On IR
DeForest Buckner sustained an ankle injury against the Packers, and the Colts will not have their top defensive lineman available for a while. Buckner will head to IR.
This marks a change of pace for the durable defensive tackle, who entered this season having missed all of two games since his 2016 rookie season. A Monday report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicated X-rays revealed Buckner suffered a sprained ankle that was not considered serious, and while the Pro Bowler’s season is not in jeopardy, he is out for at least four games.
An MRI affected this situation, Rapoport adds. The Colts signed defensive end Genard Avery to their active roster and added D-tackle Adam Gotsis to the practice squad. Indianapolis also signed cornerback Gregory Junior and defensive end Titus Leo to the practice squad, releasing D-tackle McTelvin Agim and corner Ameer Speed from the P-squad.
Buckner, 30, has rewarded the Colts for the trade they made with the 49ers four years ago. As San Francisco determined second contracts for both Buckner and Arik Armstead were not viable, the team dealt the former to Indianapolis for a 2020 first-round pick. While the 49ers did not do well to replace Buckner with that choice (Javon Kinlaw), the Colts enjoyed consistent production from the 2016 first-round pick. Buckner has made three Pro Bowls as a Colt, ascending to first-team All-Pro status in 2020 as well.
The Colts have seen Buckner spearhead their pass rush, with UFA addition Samson Ebukam and recent draftees Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo coming along to help the cause last season. Buckner has 1.5 sacks this year, though the Colts are 0-2. Replacing the ninth-year standout will be a tall order, as the team has not needed to play without him much. Buckner played through a UCL tear in his left elbow in 2022 and signed an extension (two years, $46MM, $43.25MM guaranteed) this offseason.
Indy re-signed nose tackle Grover Stewart and hybrid D-lineman Tyquan Lewis this offseason. The team also re-signed Taven Bryan and added former Dolphins DT Raekwon Davis. Buckner’s presence, however, has helped the team’s pass rush on the whole. With Ebukam out with a torn Achilles, the Colts look set for an uphill battle. They can activate Buckner in Week 7.
Jaguars Waive DL Adam Gotsis
In addition to adding safety Adrian Amos today, the Jaguars made a handful of additional moves to shake up the bottom of their squad. The team announced the signing of Amos and defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars waived defensive tackle Adam Gotsis and waived/injured CB Gregory Junior.
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign S Adrian Amos]
Besides Amos, Gotsis is the most notable name on the list. The veteran defensive lineman spent the past four seasons in Jacksonville, appearing in 64 regular season games. He started 14 of his 16 games during his first year with the Jaguars, collecting 37 tackles and one forced fumble while appearing in about 50 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
He only started 12 games for Jacksonville between 2021 and 2023, but he still saw a pretty consistent role on defense (including a pair of campaigns with 400-plus snaps). Over that stretch, Gotsis collected 5.5 sacks and 23 QB hits. Despite the production, the 31-year-old saw himself get pushed down the depth chart this offseason. The Jaguars added defensive end Arik Armstead and a trio of DL rookies (including second-round defensive tackle Maason Smith).
With Gotsis facing an uphill battle to make a crowded depth chart, the team decided to pivot to a developmental piece at the position. Marshall was a sixth-round pick by the Jets in 2021, but he only got into four games during his one-plus seasons in New York. He most recently spent time on the Steelers practice squad.
Junior was a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Jags. He’ll revert to the team’s injured reserve if he passes through waivers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/23
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: CB Cornell Armstrong
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: S C.J. Moore
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: DE Adam Gotsis
Las Vegas Raiders
- Re-signed: LB Curtis Bolton, OL Hroniss Grasu, FB Jakob Johnson
- Signed: LS Jacob Bobenmoyer
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: S Cody Davis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: OLB Cam Gill, DL Pat O’Connor
Armstrong saw by far the largest workload of his career in 2022, his first season with the Falcons. Starting four of the nine games he appeared in, he logged a 57% snap share on defense. The 27-year-old had offers from other teams, per his agent (on Twitter), but he will instead remain in Atlanta on a one-year contract (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).
Moore is one of several core special teamers earning new deals in recent days. His new Lions pact is two years in length, and has a base value of $4.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Moore will earn $3MM guaranteed, and could add a further $1.25MM in incentives.
Jaguars Re-Sign DL Adam Gotsis, Add DL Mario Edwards To P-Squad
The Jaguars released DL Adam Gotsis during final cutdowns, but the veteran defender will be returning to Duval. Per a team announcement, Jacksonville is re-signing Gotsis to its active roster.
Considering how thin the club is along its defensive line, retaining Gotsis is certainly a logical move to make. A second-round pick of the Broncos in 2016, the Georgia Tech product saw 25 starts over the 2017-18 campaigns. During that time, he averaged 39.5 tackles and 2.5 sacks per season while earning solid overall grades from Pro Football Focus.
Things began to go south in 2019, as Gotsis struggled to adjust to the scheme implemented by Vic Fangio, who had been hired as Denver’s head coach earlier that year. Gotsis was also battling knee trouble at the time, trouble that ultimately necessitated surgery. He has spent each of the past two seasons with the Jaguars, and it looks as if he is in line to have another significant role on the Jags’ defense after appearing in 52% of the team’s snaps in 2020 and 43% in 2021. He will operate behind starters Roy Robertson-Harris and Folorunso Fatukasi.
In addition to bringing Gotsis back into the fold, the Jags have supplemented their practice squad with some veteran D-line help. According to the same announcement, Mario Edwards — who was released by the Bears last week — has agreed to join Jacksonville’s taxi group. The former Raiders second-round pick had settled into a rotational role in the Windy City over the past two seasons, but he joins most of Chicago’s front-seven vets of recent years in being jettisoned by a new-look front office.
Edwards, 28, recorded six sacks during his two-year Bears tenure, logging 26% and 27% defensive snap rates during that span. However, he did miss time due to injury during this year’s training camp.
WR Jaylon Moore has also been added to the p-squad. Moore signed with the Ravens as a UDFA in 2020, and he spent each of the last two years on Baltimore’s practice squad. He obviously intrigued the team enough to stick around, but he never earned a look during a regular season contest. The Ravens waived him several weeks ago, and he was claimed by the Giants. Big Blue sent him to the waiver wire again, only to add him to the practice squad before waiving him a second time.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com first reported that Edwards and the Jaguars had agreed to terms (Twitter link).
Bengals Make Three Waiver Claims
SEPTEMBER 2: To no surprise, the Bengals are indeed re-signing Allen, Thomas and Williams now that they have the open roster spots to do so, per a team announcement. Cincinnati is also placing safety Tycen Anderson and tackle Isaiah Prince on IR.
AUGUST 31: The Bengals have made some notable additions in the aftermath of yesterday’s roster cutdowns. Per the waiver wire, they have claimed tight end Devin Asiasi, guard Max Scharping and defensive tackle Jay Tufele.
[RELATED: Bengals Expected To Sign TE Howard]
Asiasi came to New England with significant expectations, given his draft status and the organization’s success at the position. The third-rounder made just 10 appearances in his first two seasons, though, recording only a pair of receptions. The Patriots made a substantial free agent investment in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith last offseason, limiting his future with the team. In Cincinnati, he will face steep competition for playing time from Hayden Hurst and, in all likelihood, O.J. Howard.
Scharping is in a similar situation to Asiasi in terms of being an underwhelming high draft choice yet to finish their rookie contract. A 2019 second-rounder, the 26-year-old started 33 of the 48 contests he appeared in with the Texans, moving from the left to right guard spot this past season. Regardless of where he lined up, the Northern Illinois alum graded out in the mid-to-high 50s with respect to PFF rating, leaving him on the roster bubble. Scharping’s vacated spot is likely to be filled by A.J. Cann; he will challenge for a backup role behind top free agent addition Alex Cappa with the Bengals.
Tufele, meanwhile, has seen the least playing time of the new trio. As a rookie last season, he made just four appearances in Jacksonville, totaling two tackles. His PFF pass rush grade of 77 indicates some upside on third downs, which dates back to his time in college. Moving on from the USC alum so soon may have come as a surprise, though the additions of Folorunso Fatukasi and Adam Gotsis along the d-line were likely to significantly lessen his chance of seeing significant playing time with the Jaguars. The Bengals lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, but re-upped B.J. Hill, whom Tufele will look to provide depth behind his new home.
The defending AFC champions will return many of the members of last season’s team, but these additions could prove effective at areas of relative need. Among the cuts necessary to accommodate the new arrivals is veteran quarterback Brandon Allen. The 29-year-old signed a one-year deal for the third consecutive offseason to remain in Cincinnati.
For now, Allen’s departure leaves the Bengals with only Joe Burrow under center. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets, however, that Allen “will be back.” Cincinnati is also parting ways with safety Michael Thomas and running back Trayveon Williams.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/22
Teams continue to tinker with their rosters after hundreds of players were cut earlier this week. We’ve tracked all of today’s minor moves below:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, LS Aaron Brewer, CB Mike Ford, G Colby Gossett, LB Nick Kwiatkoski, S Dean Marlowe
- Placed on IR: S Charles Washington, WR Antoine Wesley
- Waived from IR: OL Greg Long
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Abdullah Anderson,
- Placed on IR: DL Marlon Davidson, TE John Fitzpatrick, LB Deion Jones, OL Jalen Mayfield, CB Isaiah Oliver
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: DT Aaron Crawford
Chicago Bears
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- Placed on IR: WR N’Keal Harry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Mike Thomas
- Placed on IR: DE Khalid Kareem
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB C.J. Goodwin, LS Jake McQuaide
- Placed on IR: OT Tyron Smith, WR James Washington
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips, DT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: DB Essang Bassey
- Placed on IR: TE Greg Dulcich, CB Michael Ojemudia
- Released from IR: CB Donnie Lewis
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR: WR Danny Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: LB Trevor Denbow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): LB Caleb Johnson
- Released: DL Adam Gotsis
- Reverted to IR: K Jake Verity
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: LB Daniel Hardy
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: S Clayton Fejedelem
- Released from IR: CB Mackensie Alexander, DB D’Angelo Ross
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: WR Tyquan Thornton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Dwayne Washington
- Placed on IR: OT Trevor Penning, DL Malcolm Roach
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Austin Calitro, TE Tanner Hudson, DL Nick Williams
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): G Tyre Phillips
- Placed on IR: OL Shane Lemieux, DE Elerson Smith, CB Rodarius Williams
- Released from IR: TE Dre Miller, TE Ricky Seals-Jones
New York Jets
- Signed: S Marcell Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): LB Jamir Jones
- Released: LB Derrek Tuszka
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Tyler Kroft, DE Jordan Willis
- Placed on IR: LB Curtis Robinson, S Jimmie Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Justin Coleman
- Placed on IR: DL LJ Collier
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: C Ryan Jensen
- Waived/injured: WR Cyril Grayson Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Cody Hollister
- Placed on IR: WR Racey McMath
Jaguars To Re-Sign DL Adam Gotsis
Adam Gotsis will be extending his stay in Duval County. The veteran defensive lineman is re-signing with the Jaguars, per his agent David Canter (Twitter link via Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson).
The 29-year-old began his career with the Broncos in 2016. While he played a reserve role in his rookie season, he took on a starter’s workload the following year. It was in that 2017 campaign that he set a career high in tackles with 41, adding a pair of sacks and five quarterback hits. A similar performance in 2018 had many expecting a lucrative extension was forthcoming.
However, the former second-rounder ended his final season in Denver by undergoing knee surgery. That concluded an underwhelming year for him, as he struggled in then-head coach Vic Fangio‘s system. It also made the decision easier on the Broncos to let the Georgia Tech alum leave in free agency.
That offseason, Gotsis signed in Jacksonville for the first time. He demonstrated that he had recovered from the injury, playing the full season and making 14 starts. While he was held without a sack, his level of play earned him another deal with the Jaguars last year. The Australian saw a dip in playing time, but still managed to match his career high with three sacks.
In 2022, Gotsis will likely once again see a rotational role. The Jaguars added Folorunso Fatukasi in free agency, and selected Travon Walker with the No. 1 pick in last week’s draft. Still, he will add experienced depth to what figures to be a much improved defensive front.
Jaguars Re-Sign DL Adam Gotsis
One of the Jaguars’ starting defensive linemen from last season will stay with the now-Urban Meyer-coached team. The Jags re-signed Adam Gotsis on Thursday.
Originally a second-round Broncos pick, Gotsis joined the Jaguars after suffering an ACL tear late in his fourth Denver season. He started 14 of the Jags’ 16 games and will stay in Jacksonville for Meyer’s first season in charge.
The veteran D-lineman recorded 37 tackles, three for loss, and four quarterback hits in his first Jaguars season. With the ACL injury now nearly 18 months behind him, the Australian defender stands to be closer to his top form. Pro Football Focus graded Gotsis as a middle-of-the-road edge player last season, slotting him 73rd at that position.
Gotsis worked as a Broncos starting end, in their 3-4 scheme, for much of his four-season Denver tenure. However, he fell out of favor in Vic Fangio‘s defense during the longtime defensive coordinator’s first season in Denver. Gotsis lost his rotation spot in 2019, but he played in all 16 Jaguar games last season and logged 52% of their defensive snaps. Despite the Jags having changed D-coordinators, moving to Joe Cullen, Gotsis still has a spot on their D-line.
Jaguars Sign Adam Gotsis
The Jaguars have signed Adam Gotsis, per a club announcement. The defensive end spent the last four years with the Broncos and spent much of the offseason rehabbing from ACL surgery.
[RELATED: Jaguars DT Al Woods Opts Out]
Gotsis just recently got clearance to start running and had to wait a while before he could take an in-person exam with team doctors. Still, he was confident that a deal would come together before the start of the season.
“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” Gotsis said in June. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”
Gotsis made 12 starts in 2018 and registered three sacks, but he looked out of place in Vic Fangio‘s defense last year. Then, the ACL tear shut him down for the final stretch of the season. With 28 career starts under his belt, he’ll look to reassert himself as a rotational player in Jacksonville. If he makes the final cut, he’ll spell Josh Allen and (theoretically) Yannick Ngakoue as a reserve. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready to go for Week 1.
Former Broncos DE Adam Gotsis Hopes To Be Cleared In August
Former Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis is still looking for work, but he’s hopeful that a deal isn’t too far off. The free agent says he’s able to run after undergoing ACL surgery. 
“I was hoping to get cleared to return to football, hopefully, at the start of August,” Gotsis said (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). “That’s kind of a rough date I put in my head.”
Teams haven’t gotten a close look at Gotsis because of the ongoing pandemic, but that may change in the coming weeks. Early on, doctors believed that Gotsis could miss the first quarter of the 2020 season as he healed up, but the latest news is good news. Gotsis seems to think that he’ll be ready to go in time for Week 1 and, possibly, the tail-end of offseason practices.
“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” he said. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”
After compiling three sacks and 38 total tackles in 16 games (12 starts) in 2018, Gotsis registered zero in nine games (three starts) last year with 16 total tackles. Gotsis also didn’t seem get the hang of Vic Fangio‘s defense. With 28 starts under his belt – and more good than bad overall on his game tape – the 27-year-old should be able to find work this summer. But, in all likelihood, it’ll come on a one-year, prove-it deal.