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 Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles and Giants moves are noted below.
The Cowboys have added another veteran defensive back. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that Dallas has added cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the practice squad.
Rhodes caught on with the Bills practice squad back in September, and he got into two games (one start) before earning his walking papers earlier this week. The 32-year-old made a name for himself in Minnesota, where he started 97 games across seven seasons. During that time, he made three Pro Bowl appearances and earned an All-Pro nod. He spent two seasons with the Colts before joining Buffalo.
With Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown down with injuries, the Cowboys have mostly turned to veterans to help fill their secondary. As ESPN’s Todd Archer points out on Twitter, the Cowboys have also signed veterans Mackensie Alexander and Trayvon Mullen in recent weeks, with Archer adding that Rhodes’ experience is a big reason why the Cowboys pursued him.
The Cowboys made some additional moves in anticipation of tomorrow’s game against the Commanders. Archer reports (via Twitter) that Dallas has signed offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley from the practice squad to the active roster. The Cowboys have also used standard elevations on offensive tackle Alex Taylor and safety Tyler Coyle. Offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 17 while Matt Farniok isn’t entirely ready to return from IR, necessitating the extra OL depth.
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.
Here are Wednesday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
After seeing an NFL-NFLPA settlement increase his suspension to 11 games, Watson cannot return to game action until Dec. 4. He can return to the Browns’ facility in October and begin practicing in November.
With Jimmy Garoppolorecommitted to the 49ers, Jacoby Brissett is seemingly Cleveland’s locked-in QB1. While Brissett bombing in the role could prompt the Browns to pursue Garoppolo’s cheaper contract before the trade deadline, the veteran now has a no-trade clause again. The 49ers also may be interested in retaining the veteran arm in case of an injury to Trey Lance or if the much-hyped prospect struggles.
Receiving a fair amount of hype as a prospect three years before Lance, Rosen has not panned out. He signed with the Browns late in the offseason but, barring a practice squad stay, will be bounced from another team. The former Cardinals No. 10 overall pick has moved from Arizona to Miami to Tampa to San Francisco to Atlanta to Cleveland since 2019.
Hance started eight games for the Browns last season and has been with the team since 2020, arriving as a UDFA. Having been in Kevin Stefanski’s system for three years now, the 26-year-old blocker would make sense as a taxi squad stash — especially with starting center Nick Harris on IR.
A bunch of teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and these front offices are now starting to prepare for the offseason. Today, a number of players were inked to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below: