Chris Pierce Jr. - Pro Football Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/23

July 26th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Placed on PUP: TE Zach Ertz, QB Kyler Murray, LB BJ Ojulari
Placed on NFI: CB Garrett Williams
Waived: TE Chris Pierce

Baltimore Ravens

Placed on NFI: DB Trayvon Mullen
Waived: OT Brandon Kipper

Carolina Panthers

Signed: WR Javon Wims
Waived: WR Marquez Stevenson

Chicago Bears

Signed: OL Aviante Collins
Waived: OL Lorenz Metz

Green Bay Packers

Signed: WR Cody Chrest
Placed on NFI: OT Caleb Jones
Waived/injured: WR Jeff Cotton

Jacksonville Jaguars

Placed on PUP: LB Dawuane Smoot

Las Vegas Raiders

Placed on NFI: DT Neil Farrell

Los Angeles Chargers

Activated from PUP: WR Pokey Wilson
Placed on PUP: WR Jalen Guyton, DL Austin Johnson, DT Otito Ogbonnia

Los Angeles Rams

Claimed off waivers (from Bears): LB Sterling Weatherford
Placed on PUP: TE Hunter Long, OT Warren McClendon

New York Giants

Signed: DT Kevin Atkins
Reverted to IR: LB Elerson Smith

New York Jets

Activated from PUP: TE C.J. Uzomah

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: WR Deon Cain
Placed on NFI: WR Devon Allen
Released: TE Dalton Keene

San Francisco 49ers

Signed: LB Kyahva Tezino

Seattle Seahawks

Signed: DB Chris Steele
Placed on PUP: S Jamal Adams, LB Jordyn Brooks, TE Noah Fant, NT Austin Faoliu, NT Bryan Mone, CB Tariq Woolen

Tennessee Titans

Signed: DB A.J. Moore
Waived: DT Curtis Brooks

Among the additions on today’s list, defensive back A.J. Moore is the most notable. The defensive back spent four years with the Texans to begin his career, compiling 69 tackles in 55 games while primarily playing on special teams. The 27-year-old spent a chunk of last season on the Titans practice squad, and he ultimately got into one game with the big-league club.

Cardinals Sign OL Pat Elflein, TE Geoff Swaim

July 25th, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have added a veteran center to their OL grouping, with the team announcing today that they’ve signed Pat Elflein. The Cardinals also added tight end Geoff Swaim, wide receivers Davion Davis and Kaden Davis, and long snapper Jack Coco. To round out the transactions, the team placed long snapper Matt Hembrough on injured reserve and released tight end Chris Pierce.

Swaim received a higher guarantee, per GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer, who notes (via Twitter) the base value ($1.7MM) and signing bonus ($450K) figures for the veteran tight end. Elflein’s contract checks just above the league minimum. The former Vikings, Jets and Panthers blocker signed a one-year, $1.15MM deal with just $25K fully guaranteed, Balzer tweets.

Elflein, 29, was a third-round pick by the Vikings back in 2017 and ended up spending three-plus seasons in Minnesota, starting 43 of his 44 regular season appearances. He had a brief half-year stint with the Jets before catching on with the Panthers via a three-year contract. During his two years in Carolina, the veteran was limited to only 15 starts while dealing with hamstring and hip injuries.

The Panthers cut Elflein back in March, and he’ll now join a Cardinals group that features Hjalte Froholdt as the starting center and Lecitus Smith and rookie Jon Gaines II as backups. Elflein’s ability to play guard could ultimately afford him a backup role in Arizona, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank. After finishing 37th among 39 qualifying centers on Pro Football Focus’ rankings in 2021, Elflein would have landed in the bottom-third of the position in 2022 had he earned enough snaps.

Swaim, 29, is an experienced addition to the tight ends room, having started 57 of his 86 games since entering the NFL in 2015. After playing as mostly a backup during his time with the Cowboys and Jaguars, Swaim emerged as a starter in Tennessee, starting 37 of his 43 appearances for the Titans over the past three years.

Following a 2021 campaign where he hauled in a career-high 31 receptions, Swaim was limited to only 12 catches for 58 yards in 2022. He’ll be joining a depth chart led by Zach Ertz and Trey McBride. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the tight end will be signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/23

January 11th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams continue to sign players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

P Nolan Cooney, OL Julién Davenport, LS Joe Fortunato, K Elliott Fry, CB Nate Hairston, S JuJu Hughes, LB Blake Lynch, TE Chris Pierce, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Lachavious Simmons, WR Auden Tate, S Josh Thomas, OL Badara Traore, WR Javon Wims

Denver Broncos

DT Jordan Jackson

New Orleans Saints

G Koda Martin, CB Troy Pride

New York Giants

OL Solomon Kindley

Pittsburgh Steelers

WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DB Madre Harper, DB Kenny Robinson, DB Chris Wilcox

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/9/23

January 9th, 2023 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

T Julien Davenport, S Juju Hughes, LB Blake Lynch, TE Chris Pierce, TE Bernhard Seikovits, G Lachavious Simmons, WR Auden Tate, S Josh Thomas, T Badara Traore, WR Javon Wims

Atlanta Falcons

WR Josh Ali, RB BJ Baylor, OLB Quinton Bell, DL Amani Bledsoe, LB Dorian Etheridge, TE Tucker Fisk, CB Javelin Guidry, CB Matt Hankins, OL Jonotthan Harrison, WR Ra’Shaun Henry, LB Nathan Landman, DB Dylan Mabin, CB Jamal Peters, TE John Raine, FB Clint Ratkovich, CB John Reid, OL Justin Shaffer, OL Tyler Vrabel

Buffalo Bills

WR Isaiah Coulter, DE Kendal Vickers

Carolina Panthers

G Deonte Brown, RB Spencer Brown, DE Kobe Jones, LB Arron Mosby, TE Giovanni Ricci, WR C.J. Saunders, TE Stephen Sullivan, DT Raequan Williams, WR Derek Wright

Chicago Bears

TE Chase Allen, S Adrian Colbert, LB Kuony Deng, T Kellen Diesch, DE Gerri Green, TE Jake Tonges, WR Nsimba Webster

Cleveland Browns

WR Daylen Baldwin, S Bubba Bolden, WR Mike Harley, LB Storey Jackson, DE Sam Kamara, RB John Kelly, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DT Roderick Perry, WR Marquez Stevenson, T Tyrone Wheatley

Denver Broncos

WR Victor Bolden, G Parker Ferguson, CB Faion Hicks, CB Delonte Hood, S Devon Key, RB Tyreik McAllister, OLB Wyatt Ray, OL Hunter Thedford, LB Ray Wilborn

Detroit Lions

WR Maurice Alexander, WR Stanley Berryhill, T Obinna Eze, S Brady Breeze, CB Khalil Dorsey, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR Tom Kennedy, T Darrin Paulo, DT Demetrius Taylor, CB Jarren Williams

Indianapolis Colts

DT McTelvin Agim, S Henry Black, S Marcel Dabo, S Trevor Denbow, G Arlington Hambright, T Jordan Murray, LB Segun Olubi, LB Forrest Rhyne, RB Aaron Shampklin, WR Vyncint Smith, CB David Vereen, TE Jalen Wydermyer

Kansas City Chiefs

WR Ty Fryfogle

Las Vegas Raiders

CB Isiah Brown, CB Bryce Cosby, P Julian Diaz, S Jalen Elliott, TE Cole Fotheringham, G Vitaliy Gurman, T Sebastian Gutierrez, WR Chris Lacy, LB Kana’i Mauga, G Jordan Meredith, WR DJ Turner, RB Austin Walter, WR Isaiah Zuber

Los Angeles Rams

TE Roger Carter, DL T.J. Carter, CB T.J. Carter, S Richard LeCounte, T Max Pircher, WR Jaquarii Roberson, WR Jerreth Sterns, DE Brayden Thomas, DE Zach VanValkenburg

New Orleans Saints

G Yasir Durant, DT Prince Emili, RB Derrick Gore, CB Vincent Gray, TE Lucas Krull, QB Jake Luton, LB Nephi Sewell, DE Jabari Zuniga

New York Jets

OL Chris Glaser, CB Craig James, CB Jimmy Moreland, DL Marquiss Spencer, QB Chris Streveler, LB Chazz Surratt, WR Malik Taylor

Washington Commanders

CB Troy Apke, DE William Bradley-King, WR Alex Erickson, CB DaMarcus Fields, QB Jake Fromm, G Nolan Laufenberg, WR Kyric McGowan, T Aaron Monteiro, G Keaton Sutherland

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/22

November 16th, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Signed: T Julien Davenport, TE Chris Pierce

Cleveland Browns

Signed: DT Roderick Perry II

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: DL David Moa

New England Patriots

Signed: T Hunter Thedford

New York Giants

Signed: T Devery Hamilton

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: S Marquise Blair

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/22

September 2nd, 2022 at 8:04pm CST by Ely Allen

As we inch closer to Week 1, teams continue to try to put the final pieces together on their rosters. Here’s todays minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Waived from IR with injury settlement: TE Chris Pierce Jr.

Cincinnati Bengals

Waived from IR with injury settlement: G Lamont Gaillard

Dallas Cowboys

Waived from IR with injury settlement: RB Aaron Shampklin

Green Bay Packers

Waived from IR with injury settlement: TE Alize Mack, TE Nate Becker

Houston Texans

Released: WR Chris Conley

Las Vegas Raiders

Released from IR with injury settlement: LB Tae Davis, TE Jacob Hollister

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: LB Jake Gervase

Philadelphia Eagles

Waived from IR with injury settlement: TE Jaeden Graham

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Released from IR with injury settlement: CB Rashard Robinson

Cardinals Trim Roster To 53 Players

August 30th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have set their 53-man roster, and the team naturally had to make some tough decisions as they cut down their roster:

Released:

TE Stephen Anderson
LS Aaron Brewer
OL Rashaad Coward
OL Danny Isidora
LB Devon Kennard (story)
OL Justin Murray (injury settlement)
DL Christian Ringo (injury settlement)
DL Antwaun Woods

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

G Marquis Hayes

Placed on reserve/suspended:

WR DeAndre Hopkins

It sounded like Trace McSorley had an opportunity to stick on the roster as a third QB behind Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy, but the Cardinals decided to carry only a pair of quarterbacks through their first wave of cuts. There’s a chance that McSorley resurfaces on the practice squad. The former sixth-round pick has seen time in three career games, completing three of his 10 pass attempts for 90 yards and one touchdown.

Aaron Brewer is a bit of a surprise cut after serving as the Cardinals full-time long snapper for the past six years. However, there’s a good chance the 32-year-old lands back on the active roster once the Cardinals place players on their respective reserve lists. The same could also probably be said of tight end Stephen Anderson, who caught 24 passes across 33 games with the Chargers over the past two seasons.

Marquis Hayes was a seventh-round pick by the Cardinals in this year’s draft. The Oklahoma product will sit out his rookie campaign while sitting on injured reserve.

Cardinals Add 12 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2022 at 8:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals clearly targeted wide receivers and defensive lineman after the draft, with Arizona adding seven players at those positions among their 12 undrafted free agent signings:

Darrell Baker Jr., CB (Georgia Southern)
Changa Hodge, WR (Virginia Tech)
Manny Jones, DL (Colorado State)
Kekaula Kaniho, S (Boise State)
Jontre Kirklin, WR (LSU)
Will Miles, DL (Central Michigan)
JaVonta Payton, WR (Tennessee)
Chris Pierce Jr., TE (Vanderbilt)
Ronnie Rivers, RB (Fresno State)
Stephan Robinson Jr., WR (Northwestern)
LaRon Stokes, DL (Oklahoma)
Chandler Wooten, ILB (Auburn)

The addition of four receivers could partly be attributed to today’s news regarding star wideout DeAndre Hopkins. Among the grouping, Robinson put up the biggest numbers in 2021, finishing with 625 receiving yards. Payton was also plenty productive, finishing with 18 receptions for 413 yards and six scores.

As Darren Urban of the team’s website points out, it’s notable that the organization didn’t bring in a QB among their UDFAs. The Cardinals are currently rostering only three players at the position in Kyler Murray, Colt McCoy, and Trace McSorley.