HEADLINES

Andre Smith (LB)

Titans Place RB Dontrell Hilliard On IR

December 17th, 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans made a number of moves today as they prepared for their Week 15 matchup against the Chargers. Most notably, the team placed running back Dontrell Hilliard on injured reserve and activated cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. from IR.

Hilliard suffered a neck injury in last Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars. The running back has turned into a reliable offensive option during his second season in Tennessee, serving as the team’s primary pass-catching back (21 receptions for 177 yards and four touchdowns). As Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky notes on Twitter, the team doesn’t really have a replacement for Hilliard on the roster. Rookies Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut will now be relied on to spell Derrick Henry.

After getting waived by the Chiefs during the preseason, Johnson caught on with the Titans. He got into eight games for Tennessee, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. The defensive back suffered a hamstring injury during the Titans’ Week 10 win over the Broncos, landing him on IR. The former second-round pick started 19 games for the Texans through his first three seasons in the NFL.

The Titans also signed guard Jordan Roos, cornerback Davontae Harris, and Chestnut to the active roster and promoted wideout Mason Kinsey and linebacker Andre Smith from the practice squad. Tennessee also placed wide receiver C.J. Board on IR. Board suffered a rib injury earlier this month and will now miss the rest of the regular season. Since joining the active roster in November, Board has served as the team’s primary punt returner.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/22

November 26th, 2022 at 4:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The league’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/22

November 15th, 2022 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: DB Devon Key

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: WR Kevin Kassis

Tennessee Titans

Bills Set 53-Man Roster

August 30th, 2022 at 5:44pm CST by Ben Levine

After waiving six players yesterday, the Bills cut 18 more players today to get themselves down to the 53-man roster limit:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on reserve/suspended:

We heard about some of Buffalo’s bigger moves earlier today, including the release of O.J. Howard and Duke Johnson. Greg Mancz is one of the most experienced players to get cut, with the veteran having appeared in 63 games across seven NFL seasons. His positional versatility was expected to land him a roster spot as a backup offensive lineman, but the team ultimately opted for a younger option. Mancz certainly didn’t help his case when he missed the preseason finale while recovering from a foot injury suffered during practice.

Tanner Gentry and Alec Anderson are both candidates to return to Buffalo via the practice squad. Gentry has bounced on and off the Bills roster over the previous two seasons without getting into a game. Anderson started 10 games at UCLA last year before landing with the Bills as an undrafted rookie.

Matt Barkley has spent the past four seasons in Buffalo. He got into eight games with the Bills between 2018 and 2020, completing 53 of his 97 pass attempts for 788 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was demoted to QB3 in 2021 following the acquisition of Mitchell Trubisky, and Barkley didn’t end up seeing the field last year. He was eyeing a similar role in 2022 with Case Keenum now serving as Josh Allen‘s primary backup.

Bills LB Andre Smith Receives PED Ban

June 1st, 2022 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills are set to be without one of their top special-teamers to start the season. Andre Smith received a six-game suspension Wednesday for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Acquired via trade from the Panthers just before the 2020 season, Smith re-signed to stay with the Bills last year. His contract, which runs through 2022, calls for a $1MM base salary this season. Barring a successful appeal, Smith stands to miss out on a chunk of that.

A former seventh-round Carolina draftee, Smith has been strictly a backup and special-teamer as a pro. The 25-year-old linebacker played 47 defensive snaps in 2020 and did not log any last season. But the ex-North Carolina Tar Heel was on the field for 68% of the Bills’ special teams plays in his fourth NFL campaign. Smith made 10 tackles and recovered a fumble last season, playing in 15 Bills regular-season games and both their playoff tilts.

The Bills have one of the NFL’s deepest rosters, and they added to their group of part-time linebackers by using a third-round pick on Terrel Bernard. The team returns Tyler Matakevich and brought back Marquel Lee.

Bills Re-Sign LB Andre Smith

March 6th, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of many ex-Panthers who played for the Bills last season, Andre Smith will stay in Buffalo for the 2021 campaign and beyond.

The Bills agreed to terms with the would-be restricted free agent linebacker Saturday. It is a two-year deal worth as much as $3MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This contract comes in below the RFA tender threshold and puts off Smith’s unrestricted free agency bid by a year.

Buffalo traded for Smith last year and used him in 12 games, primarily as a special-teamer. Smith made nine tackles and forced a fumble last season. He joined Mario Addison, Josh Norman, A.J. Klein, Daryl Williams and Vernon Butler among ex-Panthers to join the Bills last year. GM Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott, of course, have extensive ties to Carolina. However, neither was with the franchise when it drafted Smith.

Originally a seventh-round pick in 2018, Smith is still just 23. The North Carolina alum played in 19 games with the Panthers, who used him in the same capacity the Bills did. He is now signed through the 2022 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/27/20

October 27th, 2020 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: LB Andre Smith
  • Released from reserve/retired list: DB Isiah Brown

Denver Broncos

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Bills Place Dawson Knox On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 24th, 2020 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills have run into COVID-19 trouble. They are placing Dawson Knox on their reserve/COVID-19 list. The second-year tight end tested positive for the coronavirus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Bills confirmed the positive test.

Fellow Buffalo tight ends Tommy Sweeney, Lee Smith and Nate Becker (practice squad) have been identified as close contacts and will also miss Sunday’s game against the Jets. Sweeney was already on Buffalo’s PUP list.

The game remains on for noon CT Sunday, however. Tyler Kroft and Reggie Gilliam are the other tight ends on the Bills’ roster. Buffalo promoted four players from its practice squad — guard Jordan Devey, linebacker Andre Smith, cornerback Dane Jackson and wide receiver Duke Williams — but has not made any other moves at tight end.

This game becomes the latest to monitor as one that could cause a schedule change. The timing is similar to Cam Newton‘s positive test weeks ago, and with the league’s beefed-up protocols in the wake of Newton’s positive and the Titans’ outbreak, the Bills will be extremely shorthanded at tight end. A rookie UDFA, Gilliam was already on Buffalo’s active roster along with Knox, Smith and Kroft. The Bills have Kroft and Gilliam available at the position ahead of Sunday’s Jets rematch. The latter has yet to play in a game.

Kroft’s wife going into labor and delivering the couple’s baby Friday morning led to the veteran tight end being spared from this chain reaction, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Kroft attended Bills practice Friday, but Schefter notes his missing position meetings allowed him to avoid getting caught up in this potential outbreak. A former Bengals draftee, Kroft signed with the Bills last year. Knox and Kroft each have six catches this season — most among Bills tight ends; the latter has scored two touchdowns.

Panthers Trade LB Andre Smith To Bills

August 31st, 2020 at 5:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rather than the reported cut of Andre Smith, the Panthers found a taker for the young linebacker. They traded him to the Bills on Monday.

Buffalo dipped into its 2023 draft to complete this deal, sending a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick to Carolina for Smith, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

While Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane were not with Carolina when the franchise drafted Smith, he is yet another ex-Panther to join the Bills during the duo’s Buffalo tenure. The Dolphins and Lions have received attention for adding ex-Patriots, but the Bills have submitted a tour de force 2020 in acquiring former Panthers. Prior to the Smith trade, they added Josh Norman, Mario Addison, Vernon Butler, Daryl Williams and A.J. Klein this year.

The Panthers drafted Smith in the 2018 seventh round. He saw action in 16 games last season, working almost exclusively as a special-teamer. The ex-North Carolina Tar Heel played on 65% of the Panthers’ special teams snaps and just 2% of their defensive plays last season. He made five tackles in 2019.

Among their backup linebackers, the Bills have former Steeler Tyler Matakevich and 2019 fifth-round pick Vosean Joseph on their roster. Two years remain on Smith’s rookie deal.