NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Connor Harris, OL Vinston Painter
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Gabe Holmes, CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste
- Cut: CB Josh Thornton
- Placed on IR: FB Ricky Ortiz
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Zeek Bigger
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Rannell Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Brandon Thomas
- Cut: WR Noel Thomas
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Evan Baylis
- Placed on injured list: TE Marcus Lucas
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Kolby Listenbee
New York Jets
- Cut: RB Marcus Murphy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB D.J. Killings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE/FB Alan Cross
- Cut: RB Russell Hansbrough
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR C.J. Board
- Cut: CB Kenneth Durden
Washington Redskins
- Signed: QB Joel Stave, OL Jerry Ugokwe
- Released: QB Alek Torgersen
NFL Workout Updates: 9/18/17
Today’s workout update notes:
Buffalo Bills
- Ps Taylor Symmank, and Matt Wile; LS Derek Hart (Twitter links via Howard Balzer and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Carolina Panthers
- S Jack Tocho (Tuesday) (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press)
Cincinnati Bengals
- QBs Jerod Evans and Wes Lunt; RB Kelvin Taylor; WRs C.J. Board and Moritz Boehringer; TEs Taylor McNamara and Wes Saxton; DE Pat O’Connor; CBs Alex Carter and Josh Thornton (Twitter links via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com, and Howard Balzer)
Detroit Lions
- LB Tre’Von Johnson (Twitter link via Balzer)
Green Bay Packers
- OL Fahn Cooper, Givens Price, and Brandon Thomas (Twitter link via Pelissero)
Houston Texans
- TE Alex Ellis (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Indianapolis Colts
- TEs Sam Cotton, Alex Ellis, Scott Orndoff, Josiah Price, Steven Scheu, Robert Tonyan (Twitter link via Balzer)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Jaydon Mickens; DBs Robert Blanton, Marqueston Huff, and Robenson Therezie (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
New England Patriots
- WRs River Cracraft, Kenny Lawler, and Nelson Spruce; DE Jonathan Woodard; DB Robert Nelson (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New Orleans Saints
- CB Bradley Sylve (Tuesday) (Twitter link via Wilson)
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Joseph Jones; S Tyvis Powell (Twitter link via Balzer)
NFL Workout Updates: 9/8/17
Today’s NFL workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Atlanta Falcons
- QBs Garrett Grayson and Mitch Leidner (link)
Carolina Panthers
- T Korren Kirven (link)
Detroit Lions
- QB Joel Stave; WR Malachi Dupre; OTs Landon Lechler and Givens Price; DT Taylor Harris; S James Sample (Twitter links)
Green Bay Packers
- G Darrell Greene; OTs Cornelius Lucas and Jeremiah Poutasi; DE Jhaustin Thomas (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Kenjon Barner (link)
Kansas City Chiefs
- DB Akeem King (link)
New England Patriots
- WR Gabe Marks; TE Ryan O’Malley (Twitter links via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
New York Jets
- RB Cyrus Gray; TE Nick Truesdell; C Erik Austell; G Brandon Thomas; WRs K.J. Brent, Bug Howard, and Domonique Young; TE Robert Tonyan; DE Tyrone Holmes; DT Caraun Reid; LB Vontarrius Dora; CBs Elie Bouka, Jarnor Jones, Damian Swann, and Robert Nelson; S Trey Caldwell and K.J. Dillon (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DBs De’Vante Bausby, Elie Bouka, Trey Caldwell, and Jarnor Jones (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DE Jonathan Woodard; CBs Chris Humes and Sammy Seamster (link)
Tennessee Titans
- DB JaCorey Shepherd (link)
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears
- Claimed:
- LS Andrew DePaola
- WR Tre McBride
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- Cut:
- TE Ben Braunecker
- RB Jeremy Langford
- LS Jeff Overbaugh
Detroit Lions
- Claimed:
- G Zac Kerin
- T Brian Mihalik
- Cut:
- T Cornelius Lucas
- G Brandon Thomas
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Thurston Armbrister
- CB Adairius Barnes
- WR Jace Billingsley
- WR Dontez Ford
- C Leo Koloamatangi
- DT Derrick Lott
- S Rolan Milligan
- T Storm Norton
- DE Pat O’Connor
- TE Cole Wick
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed:
- DE Chris Odom
- Placed on IR:
- OL Don Barclay
- Signed to practice squad:
- G Kofi Amichia
- CB Donatello Brown
- QB Joe Callahan
- WR Michael Clark
- LB Reggie Gilbert
- DT Izaah Lunsford
- LB Derrick Mathews
- G/T Adam Pankey
- S Jermaine Whitehead
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed:
- TE Blake Bell
- Waived/injured:
- TE Bucky Hodges
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Dylan Bradley
- TE Kyle Carter
- RB Bronson Hill
- WR Cayleb Jones
- LB Elijah Lee
- DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- CB Horace Richardson
- QB Kyle Sloter
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/17
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Detroit Lions
- WR Jared Abbrederis
- TE Kennard Backman
- RB Mike James
- TE Khari Lee
- LB Steve Longa
- OL Matt Rotheram
- OL Brandon Thomas
- WR Andrew Turzilli
- DB Charles Washington
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Alex Bazzie
Oakland Raiders
- DE Jimmy Bean
- WR K.J. Brent
- DL Demetrius Cherry
- CB Kenneth Durden
- TE Cooper Helfet
- WR Jaydon Mickens
- TE Ryan O’Malley
- OG Oni Omoile
- OG Ian Silberman
Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Chicago Bears
- Claimed:
- Signed:
- TE Logan Paulsen (story)
- Waived:
- TE Khari Lee (story)
- C Cornelius Edison (Link via Brad Biggs)
- DB Demontre Hurst (Link via Biggs)
- Signed to practice squad:
- CB Da’Vante Bausby (Link via Brad Biggs)
- LB John Timu (Link via Brad Biggs)
- QB Matt Barkley (Link via Adam Schefter)
- TE Ben Braunecker (Link via Chicago Bears)
- WR Daniel Braverman (Link via Chicago Bears)
- OT Jason Weaver (Link via Chicago Bears)
- RB Senorise Perry (Link via Chicago Bears)
Detroit Lions
- Claimed:
- LB Thurston Armbrister (Link via PFT)
- Placed on IR:
- LB Josh Bynes
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR T.J. Jones (Link via Justin Rogers)
- RB George Winn (Link via Rogers)
- DB Charles Washington (Link via Dave Birkett)
- WR Jace Billingsley
- CB Alex Carter
- TE Brian Leonhardt
- OL Brandon Thomas (Link via Eric Branch)
- WR Isaach Fruehcte (Link via Darren Wolfson)
- QB Jake Rudock
- LB Steve Longa (Link via Birkett)
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed:
- RB Jhurell Presley (Link via PFT)
- Waived:
- RB Brandon Burks (Link via Rob Demovsky)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Brian Price (Link via Rob Demovsky)
- WR Geronimo Allison (Link via Tom Silverstein)
- WR Herb Waters (Link via Silverstein)
- LB Carl Bradford (Link via Demovsky)
- LB Beniquez Brown (Link via Demovsky)
- OLB Reggie Gilbert (Link via Demovsky)
- G Blake Muir (Link via Demovsky)
- G Lucas Patrick (Link via Demovsky)
- CB Jermaine Whitehead (Link via Demovsky)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Moritz Boehringer (Link via Chris Tomasson)
- CB Tre Roberson (Link via Chris Tomasson)
- G Willie Beavers
- TE Kyle Carter
- G Isame Faciane
- RB C.J. Ham
- DT Toby Johnson
- QB Joel Stave
- DE Stephen Weatherly
- S Shamiel Gary (Link via David Canter)
Lions Trim Roster To 53
The Lions have released offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Thomas came to Detroit in the Jeremy Kerley trade earlier this week. 
Thomas, a former third-round pick, has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard and he apparently wasn’t wanted in Detroit either.
Thomas obviously wasn’t the Lions’ only victim of cut day. Cuts include:
- RB George Winn (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- S Isaiah Johnson (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR T.J. Jones (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News)
- LB Khaseem Greene (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- OL Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- OL Brandon Thomas (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- QB Jake Rudock (link via Birkett)
- Ol Michael Ola (link via Rothstein)
- TE Adam Fuehne (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- CB Alex Carter
- WR Quinshad Davis
- LB Jayson DiManche
- LB Zaviar Gooden
- C Gabe Ikard
- WR Jay Lee
- T Luke Marquardt
- DT Caraun Reid
- DB Charles Washington
- DT Gabe Wright
- C Lemuel Jeanpierre
- CB Darrin Walls
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions, 49ers To Swap WR Jeremy Kerley, OL Brandon Thomas
The Lions are trading wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to the 49ers in exchange for offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is pending physicals.
Kerley, 27, agreed to a one-year deal with Detroit this offseason after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Jets. Largely written out of New York’s offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards, and was subsequently released.Still, Kerley has enjoyed some productive seasons in the past, most notably in 2012, when he hauled in 56 passes for 827 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Lions will absorb $90K in dead money as a result of the trade, meaning the Niners will only be responsible for Kerley’s minimum base salary. In San Francisco, Kerley will slot into a wide receiver corps that has little veteran experience behind Torrey Smith, as Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, DeAndre Smelter, and Aaron Burbridge are a few of the other options available to head coach Chip Kelly. Ellington, notably, has dealt with ankle and hamstring injuries in recent weeks, so Kerley could be insurance against a lengthy Ellington absence.
Thomas, meanwhile, is a former third-round pick, but has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard, so he’ll head to Detroit and act as depth behind starting interior lineman Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson, though he can also moonlight at tackle.
Thomas, 25, is signed through the 2017 season. San Francisco will take on a roughly $250K in dead money as his prorated bonus accelerates onto its cap, while the Lions will be responsible for minimum salaries over the next two years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: McGahee, Hayne, 49ers, Raiders
The latest out of the West divisions…
- Ex-Broncos running back Willis McGahee apparently hasn’t found an NFL team willing to take him on, because he’s trying his luck at a different sport altogether…rubgy. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link), McGahee will try out at the National Rugby Football League combine January 12 in Los Angeles. The 33-year-old played in the NFL just last season with the Browns, but was largely ineffective.
- Improbably, we have more rugby-related news, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne visited the Seahawks today; Wilson reported that the 26-year-old met with the division rival 49ers yesterday. We last heard in October that Hayne, who would likely play running back, could fit with Seattle.
- 49ers rookies Brandon Thomas and Keith Reaser will both remain on the reserve/NFI list after their practice periods ended today, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Thomas, a guard, was chosen in the third round of this year’s draft, while Reaser, a cornerback, was a fifth-round pick.
- As both a current Raider and a Michigan alum, Charles Woodson has a unique perspective on Jim Harbaugh’s potential choice between Oakland and Ann Arbor. So what does Woodson think Harbaugh should do? “If the choice was out there, it would definitely be Michigan,” Woodson told NFL Network (link via CSNBayArea.com). “As a guy that played there, I think the fans would love it, I think it would be great for recruiting and all of that. Just to have a guy that’s proven, he’s won everywhere he’s been as a coach and I don’t think it would be any different if he went to Michigan. I would say ‘yeah.’ Go Blue.”
49ers Roster Moves, Martin Update
Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that 49ers rookie center Marcus Martin is expected to miss eight weeks of the regular season with a kneecap injury.
Also, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the 49ers have trimmed their roster to 75 players after making the following series of moves:
Waived
- QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
- S D.J. Campbell
- TE Kevin Greene
- RB Jewel Hampton
- P Colton Schmidt
- LB Kion Wilson
- WR Devon Wylie
Released
- WR David Reed
Released off Injured Reserve
Reserve/PUP List
- LB NaVorro Bowman
- TE Garrett Celek
- DT Kaleb Ramsey
Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) List
- RB Marcus Lattimore
- FB Trey Millard
- CB Keith Reaser
- G Brandon Thomas
The players on the PUP and NFI lists are eligible to return to practice after the first six weeks of the regular season or otherwise be placed on a season-ending reserve list. That means, of course, that Bowman and Lattimore will officially miss the first six weeks of the season.
As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee tweets, all seven players that were waived are eligible to be placed on the team’s practice squad.