Panthers Claim DB Caden Sterns
The Panthers used their top waiver priority today on a former Broncos draft pick. According to ESPN’s David Newton, the Panthers claimed defensive back Caden Sterns from the Broncos. To make room on the roster, the team has waived/injured guard J.D. DiRenzo.
[RELATED: Broncos Waive S Caden Sterns]
Sterns was a fifth-round pick out of Texas in 2021. He quickly carved out a role in Denver, compiling 28 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games (two starts) as a rookie. He was set to take on a larger role as a sophomore, and he started the 2022 campaign as the replacement for an injured Justin Simmons. Sterns got into five games before suffering a hip injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery.
The defensive back returned in time for the start of the 2023 campaign. However, he suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 1, ending his season early. Sterns started this year’s training camp on the active/PUP list but missed only a handful of practices before being activated. The Broncos had a few weeks to evaluate the 24-year-old before ultimately moving on yesterday.
The Panthers have been especially active in seeking depth in their secondary. Sterns will likely be penciled in as a safety, but he did get some looks at nickelback as a rookie. Sterns will be taking the roster spot previously held by DiRenzo, a former UDFA who got into three games as a rookie in 2023.
The Panthers made another move today, releasing wideout Cam Sims from the reserve-PUP list with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The receiver caught on with Carolina’s practice squad late in the 2023 campaign and stuck around during the offseason via a reserve/futures contract. The former UDFA spent five seasons in Washington to begin his career, hauling in 57 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/24
Today’s minor moves to wrap up the week:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Devin Carter, TE Feleipe Franks, CB Kiondre Thomas
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: WR Cam Sims
- Reverted to IR: DT Popo Aumavae
- Waived: T Christian Duffie, S Clayton Isbell, WR Sam Pinckney
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks, WR Hakeem Butler, P Ryan Rehkow
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Corey Ballentine, T Caleb Jones
- Activated from active/PUP list: OL Donovan Jennings
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OLB Owen Carney
- Waived: LB Luquay Washington
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: CB Derion Kendrick (story)
- Placed on reserve/retired list: DT Aaron Donald (story)
New England Patriots
- Waived: CB Kaleb Ford-Dement
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from active/NFI list: WR Shaquan Davis
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Marquise Blair
- Waived: S Jonathan Sutherland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Salvatore Cannella
Blair reunites with the Seahawks after two years away. A former second-round pick for Seattle, Blair spent parts of 2022 with the Panthers and Eagles before spending last year out with an Achilles tear.
Cannella, who formerly went by Sal, played for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL earlier this year, leading the league with six receiving touchdowns and finishing first among tight ends with 53 catches and 497 yards. He’s been in an out of the NFL with stints in the USFL and XFL before; the Bucs are hoping this time will stick.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/8/24
Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, OL Jackson Barton, WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes, RB Tony Jones, TE Bernhard Seikovits, WR Jeff Smith, CB Quavian White
Atlanta Falcons
- OL Barry Wesley
Carolina Panthers
- RB Mike Boone, RB Spencer Brown, WR Jalen Camp, RB Tarik Cohen, CB Lamar Jackson, TE Jordan Matthews, CB AJ Parker, TE Chris Pierce, WR Cam Sims, OT Badara Traore, DE Raequan Williams
Chicago Bears
- LB Micah Baskerville, TE Stephen Carlson, OL Jerome Carvin, DB Adrian Colbert, OL Aviante Collins, DL Michael Dwumfour, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Roy Mbaeteka, OL Bill Murray, WR Nsimba Webster
Cincinnati Bengals
- DT Domenique Davis, CB Allan George, C Nate Gilliam, DE Jeff Gunter, LB Shaka Heyward, WR Shedrick Jackson, G Jaxson Kirkland, WR Kwamie Lassiter II, WR Kendric Pryor
Denver Broncos
- RB Tyler Badie, QB Ben DiNucci, OT Demontrey Jacobs, S Devon Key, CB Reese Taylor
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Austin Ajiake, LB Liam Anderson, WR Tyrie Cleveland, S Marcel Dabo, WR Ethan Fernea, G Arlington Hambright, TE Jordan Murray, RB Zavier Scott, TE Eric Tomlinson
Las Vegas Raiders
- DE David Agoha, CB Cornell Armstrong, QB Anthony Brown, OT D.J. Fluker, TE Cole Fotheringham, S Jaydon Grant, DT Marquan McCall, RB Sincere McCormick, OT Jalen McKenzie, TE John Samuel Shenker, DT Nesta Jade Silvera, DE Elerson Smith, DE Charles Snowden, CB Sam Webb, WR Kristian Wilkerson
Minnesota Vikings
- LB Abraham Beauplan, G Henry Byrd, OT Coy Cronk, WR N’Keal Harry, WR Trishton Jackson, RB DeWayne McBride, G Tyrese Robinson, WR Thayer Thomas, CB Jaylin Williams, CB Joejuan Williams, G Tyrese Robinson, WR Thayer Thomas
New England Patriots
- DE William Bradley-King, LB Joe Giles-Harris, DB Azizi Hearn, DT Trysten Hill, WR T.J. Luther, OT Andrew Stueber, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
- DT Ryder Anderson, OT Yodny Cajuste, DB Kaleb Hayes, WR Dennis Houston, RB Deon Jackson, LB Dyontae Johnson, LB Jeremiah Martin, G Jalen Mayfield, OL Joshua Miles, DB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
New York Jets
- OL Obinna Eze, OL Vitaliy Gurman, CB Tae Hayes, DL Manny Jones, RB Jacques Patrick, K Austin Seibert, DL Marquiss Spencer, WR Malik Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Levi Bell, NT Matthew Gotel, RB Bryant Koback, TE Tyler Mabry, S Jonathan Sutherland, WR Cody White, WR Easop Winston Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- CB Shyheim Carter, DB Tay Gowan, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Thomas Rush, G Lachavious Simmons
Washington Commanders
- LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, WR Davion Davis, CB D’Angelo Mandell
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/23
Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Jalen Camp, WR Cam Sims
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Durell Nchami
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Justin Ellis
- Released: S Verone McKinley
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Matt Barkley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Greg Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB SaRodorick Thompson Jr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT C.J. Brewer
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OLB JoJo Domann, P Ty Zentner
The Dolphins swapped out a young secondary defender for a veteran defensive lineman. McKinley came in to play as an undrafted rookie last year after some injuries to the secondary, starting two games and notching an interception. Ellis is a former starter for the Raiders, Ravens, and Giants and could add some serious depth to the Dolphins’ line.
Nchami comes in to fill the practice squad spot vacated when defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher was signed to the Saints’ active roster today.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/23
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Dan Chisena
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Jake Luton
- Released: WR Matt Landers, OLB Jordan Thomas
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Tyson Alualu (story), OL Matt Farniok
- Released: LB Raymond Johnson
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
- Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Jared Wayne
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Tyree Gillespie
- Released: WR Chase Cota
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Charles Snowden
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Elijah Dotson
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: TE Miller Forristall
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Xavier Newman
- Placed on practice squad injured list: DT Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Cam Sims
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/30/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Ben Stille
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: G Deonte Brown
- Released: QB Jake Luton
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Rashard Lawrence
- Released: RB Gerrid Doaks, DT Bruce Hector
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: RB Keaontay Ingram
New England Patriots
- Released: WR Mathew Sexton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: S Johnathan Abram
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Dylan Drummond
- Released: LB Oshane Ximines
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Josiah Scott, WR Cam Sims
- Released: WR Greg Ward
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: WR Xavier Malone
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Collin Johnson
- Released: K John Parker Romo
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Michael Bandy
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Anthony Averett (story), TE Anthony Firkser
- Released: CB Darius Phillips, WR Trey Quinn
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: WR Juwann Winfree
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Cornell Armstrong
- Released: WR Marquez Callaway, CB Rejzohn Wright
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB Jake Funk
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: QB Tanner Morgan
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Yodny Cajuste
- Designated to return: WR Cole Beasley
- Released: CB Amani Oruwariye, WR Cam Sims
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: FB Jack Colletto
Anthony Firkser will provide the Lions with some veteran tight end depth. Darrell Daniels has mostly transitioned to a fullback role and James Mitchell is sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright as the two healthy TEs on the roster. Firkser has seen time in 69 regular season games, hauling in 115 catches for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns. The 28-year-old tight end got into 11 games for the Falcons in 2022, finishing with nine catches for 100 yards.
Yodny Cajuste is back in New York after getting cut by the Jets back in August. The former third-round pick got into 17 games (five starts) for the Patriots between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was waived by New England back in May before catching on with the Jets for the preseason.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/23
Here are Monday’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Quavian White
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Tae Hayes
- Released: QB Anthony Brown
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Arlington Hambright
- Released: T Dan Skipper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Ross Blacklock
- Released: DL Tommy Togiai
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Released: OL Vitaliy Gurman
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Tommy Hudson
- Released: OL Mark Evans
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Cam Sims
- Placed on practice squad injured list: WR Cole Beasley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Nicholas Morrow, OL Tyre Phillips
- Released: LB Kyron Johnson, CB Tiawan Mullen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: FB Zander Horvath
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: RB Brian Hill
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Holton Ahlers, S Brady Breeze
- Released: RB Bryant Koback
The Giants are not certain to have Wan’Dale Robinson available in Week 1. The 2022 second-round pick just came off the team’s active/PUP list, a sign the team believes he can return at some point during the season’s first four weeks. Beasley did not make the Giants’ 53-man roster but resided as a possible P-squad elevation option as Robinson protection. This moves nixes that path, as Beasley cannot play until Week 5.
Morrow has gone from potential Eagles starting linebacker to a player who did not make the defending NFC champions’ active roster. But the team still has the former Raiders and Bears starter in its plans. Morrow, who had signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum this offseason, is now positioned as a depth piece who could be elevated ahead of Week 1. Teams can use two P-squad elevations each week, in addition to standard promotions — which require corresponding roster moves — ahead of the Saturday-afternoon deadline.
Better known as the player chosen with the second-round pick obtained for DeAndre Hopkins, Blacklock moved from Houston to Minnesota via trade in August 2022. But he did not make the Vikings’ 53-man roster this year. The fourth-year D-lineman will be a depth option for the Jaguars.
Raiders Reduce Roster To 53 Players
The Raiders cut down their roster to 53 players today. However, in the process, they were forced to move on from a handful of veterans:
Released:
- G Alex Bars
- WR Keelan Cole Sr.
- WR Phillip Dorsett II
- C Hroniss Grasu
- S Jaquan Johnson
- DE Isaac Rochell
- CB Duke Shelley
- WR Cam Sims
- RB Damien Williams
- DE Jordan Willis
Waived:
- DE David Agoha
- DT Matthew Butler
- G McClendon Curtis
- TE Cole Fotheringham
- S Jaydon Grant
- CB Tyler Hall
- CB Azizi Hearn
- LB Kana’i Mauga
- RB Sincere McCormick
- G Netane Muti
- DE Adam Plant
- TE John Samuel Shenker
- DE George Tarlas
- LB Drake Thomas
- CB Sam Webb
Placed on IR:
- OT Dalton Wagner
The Raiders signed Jaquan Johnson early during free agency, and there was hope he’d provide some experienced depth to their secondary. Ultimately, the team decided to go in another direction, but that doesn’t mean the safety won’t quickly find another gig elsewhere. Johnson got into 60 games for the Bills over the past four years, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with a career-high 32 tackles and one interception.
On the other side of the ball, the organization moved on from some notable offensive weapons. Keelan Cole Sr. got into 14 games for the Raiders last season, collecting 10 receptions for 141 yards. Phillip Dorsett II joined Las Vegas this offseason after spending the 2022 campaign with the Texans, where he hauled in 20 catches. Damien Williams has close to 500 touches in the NFL, although he only got into one game for the lowly Falcons last season.
Raiders To Re-Sign WR Keelan Cole, Add WR Cam Sims
It took Keelan Cole a while before he landed a free agency deal in 2022, with the Raiders signing him more than a week after last year’s draft. The team is locking the veteran wide receiver down days into the new league year.
Cole will return to the Raiders on a one-year pact, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Raiders lost auxiliary wideout Mack Hollins to the Falcons on Sunday but will retain Cole, who played a regular role in Josh McDaniels‘ first season at the helm. The team will further add to the back end of its receiver room by signing Cam Sims as well, Ben Standig of The Athletic tweets.
[RELATED: Raiders To Sign WR Phillip Dorsett]
The Raiders have eight-figure-per-year commitments to four skill-position players — Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Jacobs — so it should be fairly clear where Cole will reside in Jimmy Garoppolo‘s aerial pecking order. The former Jaguars pass catcher is coming off a 10-reception, 141-yard season in the desert. He did add a touchdown — a disputed score against the Patriots that preceded Meyers’ infamous lateral attempt — last season, and Hollins’ departure figures to open up more opportunities.
But the Adams-Renfrow-Meyers setup will effectively cap — barring injury issues — what Cole, Sims and Dorsett will be able to produce in 2023. These additions will, however, create competition for the team’s backup receiver roles.
This will be Cole’s age-30 season. The Division III success story led the AFC championship game-bound Jaguars in receiving yards (748) in 2017, and he posted 642 yards and a career-high five touchdown catches with Jacksonville in 2020.
Cole did not see action on much of Las Vegas’ special teams plays last season, but Sims has been more active in that area recently. The 6-foot-5 ex-Washington contributor played 53% of the Commanders’ ST snaps in 2022. Sims has spent the entirety of his five-year career in Washington. Still struggling to find a higher-end complement to Terry McLaurin in 2020, Washington turned to Sims. The Alabama alum-turned-UDFA caught 32 passes for 477 yards that year and added a seven-catch, 104-yard outing against the Buccaneers in a closer-than-expected wild-card game.
Sims, 27, was not a big part of Washington’s passing game over the past two seasons; he caught eight passes for 89 yards in 2022. But he will follow ex-Commanders OC Scott Turner, who joined the Raiders as the team’s pass-game coordinator this offseason.