Today’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DL Cameron Young
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DL Decarius Hawthorne
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Giovanni Ricci
- Released: LB Matt Harmon
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Waived: QB Jake Fromm
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed ERFA tender: C Dylan McMahon
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived/failed physical: CB NaJee Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: DT Cameron Young
The Lions had added Fromm shortly after cutting Nate Sudfeld last summer. Detroit stashed Fromm on its practice squad throughout last season, keeping him as its third-stringer behind Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker. Teddy Bridgewater‘s late-season unretirement changed the Lions’ plans, but they retained Fromm and then kept him on a reserve/futures contract in January. Fromm, a 2020 fifth-round pick who has not seen game action since 2021, is again available.
The Seahawks have activated George Fant from injured reserve, making the veteran offensive tackle eligible to play on Sunday for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 1.
Fant signed a two-year, $9.1MM deal with the Seahawks this offseason to start at right tackle with Abraham Lucas beginning the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list after offseason knee surgery. Fant started in Week 1, but played just 13 snaps before exiting the game with a knee injury. Seattle held him out for Week 2 before ultimately deciding that an IR stint was necessary.
Stone Forsythe finished Week 1 at right tackle and took over the starting job through Week 6, when a hand injury forced him onto injured reserve as well. Rookie Michael Jerrell struggled in two subsequent starts at right tackle, allowing four pressures in both games, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Fant will likely retake his starting role after his activation, but another week or two of practice could yield a return for Lucas, as well. Fant’s performance this week could be crucial for his chances to retain his spot at right tackle for the rest of the season.
To make room for Fant on the roster, the Seahawks placed nose tackle Cameron Young on injured reserve with a knee injury. Young appeared in just one game for Seattle this season with just three total snaps. He appeared in 16 of the Seahawks’ games last year and will now be sidelined until at least Week 13.
The Seahawks also used standard practice squad elevations on cornerback Josh Jobe and wide receiver Cody White. Seattle elevated Jobe from the practice squad for their last two game, playing him for 116 snaps on defense. With his third elevation this week, Jobe will have to be added to the 53-man roster to play again in Seattle this year. White, meanwhile, is set to see his first NFL action since 2022 when he was with the Steelers.
Thursday’s minor moves, including elevations for the opening game of Week 6:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: CB Tony Brown
Green Bay Packers
- Signed (off Falcons’ practice squad): TE John FitzPatrick
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: DT Matthew Butler
New England Patriots
- Signed (off Raiders’ practice squad): C Ben Brown
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: DT Evan Anderson, S Jaylen Mahoney
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: CB Artie Burns
- Activated from PUP list: DT Cameron Young
- Placed on IR: OLB Uchenna Nwosu (story)
- Waived: G McClendon Curtis
- Elevated: OLB Jamie Sheriff, S Ty Okada
Washington Commanders
- Waived: QB Sam Hartman
Thursday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: G Matt Hennessy, LB Josh Woods
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated to return from IR: RB Rasheen Ali
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: OLB Jaelan Phillips (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: TE Robert Tonyan
- Released: RB Myles Gaskin
New Orleans Saints
- Opened practice window: RB Kendre Miller
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: P Trenton Gill, WR Cody Thompson
Phillips’ spot on the 53-man roster was filled today when Miami signed outside linebacker Tyus Bowser from Seattle’s practice squad.
The young running back in Baltimore will have his 21-day practice window opened as he attempts to come back from injury after being placed on injured reserve the day of the season opener.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Practice window opened: T Christian Jones
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: LB Nathaniel Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Practice window opened: DT Jonathan Ford
Houston Texans
- Practice window opened: DT Kurt Hinish
Las Vegas Raiders
- Practice window opened: S Trey Taylor
New York Giants
- Practice window opened: LB Matthew Adams
Miami Dolphins
- Practice window opened: CB Cam Smith
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from reserve/PUP list: WR Kendrick Bourne, LB Sione Takitaki (story)
- Practice window opened: S Marte Mapu
New York Jets
- Practice window opened: DT Leki Fotu
- Released from IR: LB Brandon Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: RB Aaron Shampklin
- Practice window opened: LB Jeremiah Moon
San Francisco 49ers
- Practice window opened: DL Kalia Davis
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from PUP list: DT Cameron Young
Today marks most teams’ first practice before Week 5, making it the first date players stashed on IR as teams set their initial 53-man rosters can work out again with their teams. This year’s IR tweak allowed teams to designate up to two players for return August 27, the catch being all players who receive that designation count toward their respective club’s eight-activation total. The batch included in today’s minor moves post consists entirely of players to receive that August IR-return designation.
The IR-return window is unchanged, however, with teams having 21 days from Wednesday to activate these players. Anyone from today’s group not being activated from IR by October 23 must miss the rest of the season. PFR will keep track of all players returning from IR via the Injured Reserve Return Tracker.
Here is how the now-Mike Macdonald-led Seahawks reduced their roster to 53 players:
Released:
- S Marquise Blair
- CB Artie Burns
- LB Blake Lynch
- QB P.J. Walker
Waived:
- LB Sundiata Anderson
- LB Michael Barrett
- DT Kyon Barrs
- CB Lance Boykin
- LB Nelson Ceaser
- T/G McClendon Curtis
- WR Dee Eskridge
- TE Michael Ezeike
- TE Devon Garrison
- LB Easton Gibbs
- T Garret Greenfield
- WR Hayden Hatten
- RB George Holani
- CB D.J. James
- CB Carlton Johnson
- DT Mario Kendricks
- DT DeVere Levelston
- RB Kobe Lewis
- TE Tyler Mabry
- G Ilm Manning
- LB Patrick O’Connell
- S Ty Okada
- T Raiqwon O’Neal
- T Max Pircher
- LB Jon Rhattigan
- RB Kairee Robinson
- WR Ty Scott
- LB Jamie Sheriff
- WR Cody White
- WR Easop Winston
Waived/injured:
Placed on reserve/PUP list:
Injury trouble lingers for Lucas, who missed a chunk of last season because of an injury Pete Carroll labeled “chronic.” While the Seahawks’ new staff pushed back on that, the team’s right tackle starter is once again out of commission. Lucas, who started alongside Charles Cross as rookies in 2022, has started all 22 games he has played. But that only included six contests last year. Lucas must miss at least four games due to Tuesday’s designation. Lucas, who underwent knee surgery this offseason, also dealt with a shoulder issue heading into his second season.
The Seahawks brought back George Fant, who filled in as a Texans spot starter at RT last season. Fant’s presence becomes more important in light of this latest Lucas injury news. The player Fant was primarily competing with, Curtis, received cut notice today as well.
Macdonald and OC Ryan Grubb are not keeping Eskridge around, representing a miss for GM John Schneider. The Seahawks made Eskridge their top pick in the 2021 draft, which began in the second round due to the Jamal Adams trade. The Western Michigan alum has been unable to catch on. He has 17 career catches for 122 yards, with injuries intervening along the way. The Seahawks further addressed the issue by taking Jaxon Smith-Njigba in last year’s first round, but they have needed to devote considerable resources to stocking their WR positions.
Burns figures to be a candidate to come back soon, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson, who notes the former first-rounder enjoyed a good training camp and worked as the team’s starting slot corner at points. The Seahawks also cut one of the players they just acquired in a trade. Barrett, obtained from the Panthers, could be kept on the practice squad if he clears waivers Wednesday.
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Reverted to IR: WR Jaxon Janke
- Reverted to NFI: OL LaDarius Henderson
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on PUP: LB Bradley Chubb, LB Cameron Goode, LB Jaelan Phillips, OL Isaiah Wynn
- Placed on NFI: RB Salvon Ahmed
New York Jets
- Placed on PUP: RB Nick Bawden, DL Leonard Taylor, WR Mike Williams
- Placed on NFI: WR Tyler Harrell, QB Jordan Travis
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on PUP: LB Jerome Baker, CB Lance Boykin, LB Tyrel Dodson, RT Abe Lucas, S Jerrick Reed II, LB Drake Thomas, NT Cameron Young
- Placed on NFI: G Anthony Bradford, LB Easton Gibbs, CB D.J. James, CB Nehemiah Pritchett, WR Dee Williams
As a reminder, players who land on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list can be activated at any time during training camp or the preseason. If players remain on either of those two lists following initial 53-man rosters, they’ll be forced to sit out the first four games of the 2024 season.
While the majority of the Dolphins’ injuries were expected, Isaiah Wynn‘s placement on PUP is a bit of a surprise. The offensive lineman continues to recover from a quadriceps injury that ended his 2023 campaign in October, but his rehab is apparently taking longer than expected. After mostly playing offensive tackle to begin his career, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the former first-round pick is expected to be the “front-runner” at left guard once he’s healthy enough to see the field. Jackson also passed along that Salvon Ahmed‘s issue isn’t related to his season-ending foot injury from last season and is a result of a “minor medical issue.” The RB is firmly on the roster bubble heading into training camp.
With many rookie minicamps set to start tomorrow, teams were busy today inking draft picks to contracts. We’ve compiled those signings below:
Cleveland Browns
- DT Siaki Ika (third round, Baylor)
Houston Texans
- C Jarrett Patterson (sixth round, Notre Dame)
- WR Xavier Hutchinson (sixth round, Iowa State)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- S Antonio Johnson (fifth round, Texas A&M)
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Tre Tucker (third round, Cincinnati)
- QB Aidan O’Connell (fourth round, Purdue)
- S Christopher Smith (fifth round, Georgia)
- LB Amari Burney (sixth round, Florida)
- DT Nesta Jade Silvera (seventh round, Arizona State)
Minnesota Vikings
- S Jay Ward (fourth round, LSU)
New England Patriots
- K Chad Ryland (fourth round, Maryland)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- CB Cory Trice (seventh round, Purdue)
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Cameron Young (fourth round, Mississippi State)
- C Olusegun Oluwatimi (fifth round, Michigan)
- S Jerrick Reed II (sixth round, New Mexico)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Josh Whyle (fifth round, Cincinnati)
- OT Jaelyn Duncan (sixth round, Maryland)
- WR Colton Dowell (seventh round, Tennessee-Martin)