Chris Williams (DL)

AFC North Notes: Fields, Steelers, Wilson, Taylor-Britt, Bengals, Browns, Ravens

Another Justin Fields start is likely on tap for the Steelers, who are 2-0 with the fourth-year passer at the controls. Russell Wilson is not scheduled to log a full practice Wednesday, and Mike Tomlin said (via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor) the team is “readying a plan that features Justin.”

The Steelers have not exactly been prolific on offense with Fields, scoring all of 31 points in two games. But the trade acquisition — who entered the offseason as the clear backup — has gained enough ground on Wilson it is believed to have put the starting job in question. The 25-year-old passer has completed 69.8% of his passes, albeit at just 6.3 yards per attempt, but has managed two pilot Pittsburgh to two wins despite questions about the team’s pass-catching group after the much-discussed Brandon Aiyuk trade fell through.

Fields helping the Steelers to a win over the Broncos boosted his case, and Wilson may be running out of time due to a calf issue sidelining him — save for some preseason time — since the start of training camp. A report before that Denver matchup suggested Wilson would not lose the job he won due to injury, but it may well be up in the air now.

Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • Stepping into the No. 1 cornerback role to start his third season, Cam Taylor-Britt pulled down a spectacular one-handed interception of Patrick Mahomes in the Bengals‘ Week 2 loss. With the Bengals expecting a big year from Taylor-Britt, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. notes this would put the former second-round pick on the extension radar come 2025 (subscription required). Taylor-Britt will be eligible for a second contract next year, and while the Bengals are poised for a second round of Ja’Marr Chase negotiations in 2025, a quality Taylor-Britt showing this year would leave them an easier extension to complete.
  • Attempting to move from a decorated wrestling career to the Bills, Gable Steveson did not turn that bid into a spot on Buffalo’s active roster or practice squad. The former Olympic gold medalist is not shutting down football aspirations, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo noting he worked out for the Ravens this week. The 24-year-old wrestling convert competed as a defensive lineman in Buffalo, with Bills preseason games doubling as Steveson’s first football games at any level.
  • The Browns and Bears completed a trade for defensive tackle Chris Williams just before the season. The pick-swap deal involved the Bears sending the Browns a 2025 sixth-round pick (originally from the Vikings) for Williams and a conditional 2025 seventh-rounder, Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer notes. The sixth that went to Cleveland was originally a Miami selection.

Bears To Acquire DT Chris Williams From Browns

The Bears are not done augmenting their defensive line situation. A day after obtaining edge rusher Darrell Taylor from the Seahawks, the team turned to an AFC North depth chart for another solution up front.

Cleveland is sending defensive tackle Chris Williams to Chicago, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns reports. This is a pick-swap trade, with the Bears receiving Williams and a 2025 seventh-rounder and the Browns collecting a sixth. The 2025 sixth originally came from the Dolphins, Jahns adds.

This late-August period has doubled as a trade window for a while, as teams prepare to set their 53-man rosters. The Bears will use it to reunite Williams with Matt Eberflus. The Colts initially signed Williams as a 2020 UDFA, doing so during Eberflus’ time as Indianapolis’ DC. This should bring scheme familiarity for the practice squad veteran, who played in 13 games as a Colts backup from 2021-22.

The Bears have now made five trades involving veteran players this offseason. They obtained Ryan Bates from the Bills, landed Keenan Allen from the Chargers, sent Justin Fields to the Steelers, dealt for Taylor and have now brought in D-tackle help. Williams, who did not see regular-season time in 2023, has played only 107 career defensive snaps. The former UDFA may still not be a roster lock for the Bears. But this trade suggests the team wanted to get ahead of the waiver process to obtain a player familiar with Eberflus’ defense.

Williams, 26, signed a reserve/futures deal with the Browns in January but may have been likely to see an AFC team cut him once again. Williams went to camp with the Chiefs in 2023, failing to make the Super Bowl champions’ 53-man roster before eventually landing on the Browns’ P-squad to close out last season. The Browns have some established vets at D-tackle, re-signing Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst and adding Quinton Jefferson to go with Dalvin Tomlinson. Cleveland also used a second-round pick on Michael Hall, providing a presumptive roadblock for Williams toward the 53-man roster.

Williams will join 2023 Day 2 picks Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens at DT, along with veteran Andrew Billings, at DT with Chicago. Pickens has missed recent time due to injury, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs also expecting veteran Byron Cowart to make the roster. Saturday’s trade stands to adjust this calculus. The team did not draft a D-tackle, instead trading back into this year’s draft for D-end Austin Booker. Williams profiles as a depth piece, but it is clear the Bears were dissatisfied with their D-line as the preseason wound down.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/24

With a handful of teams getting eliminated from the playoffs this weekend, those front offices are starting to prepare for the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures deals, with the majority coming from recently eliminated squads:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/23

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: WR Daniel Arias

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: QB E.J. Perry

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/23

Teams continue to tinker with their taxi squads in the aftermath of roster cutdowns. Here are Friday’s updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR T.J. Luther
  • Released: WR Thyrick Pitts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BroncosChargersChiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.

Denver Broncos

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Las Vegas Raiders

Placed on IR: 

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Chargers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Reverted to IR:

Released from IR via injury settlement:

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/23

Here are the league’s minor moves from today:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Claimed off waivers (from Browns): DL Ben Stille

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

Seattle Seahawks

Bowden will now be searching for the fourth team of his young NFL career. The former third-round pick was traded to Miami before his rookie season began. In South Beach, he recorded 243 yards from scrimmage with 28 receptions and nine rush attempts. After missing his sophomore season on injured reserve, Bowden was waived just before last season and signed to the Patriots practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/4/23

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

  • Claimed off waivers (from Falcons): CB John Reid

Hart got into 39 games for the Seahawks over the past three years. The majority of his work came on special teams, but he did manage to haul in 11 receptions during his limited snaps on offense. More notably, Hart had 17 special teams tackles over the past two years, including 11 last season.

Meanwhile, the Vikings made a move on a Falcons castoff. Reid got into 24 games for the Texans and Seahawks between 2020 and 2021, but he bounced around the league a bit in 2022. He appeared in three games (one start) with the Titans before catching on with Atlanta’s practice squad late in the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/23

A few transactions on the first day of the postseason:

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

Bailey and Jones’s suspension was lifted today by the Patriots. In addition, free agent tight end Chris Herndon and Packers offensive lineman Sean Rhyan‘s suspensions were lifted by the league.

Colts Place WR Ashton Dulin On IR

Ashton Dulin will be out for at least the next four games. The Colts announced that they’ve placed the wide receiver/special teams ace on injured reserve. To fill the open roster spot, the team signed defensive tackle Chris Williams to the active roster from the practice squad.

Dulin suffered a foot injury during Thursday’s overtime win over the Broncos. The 25-year-old made a name for himself in 2021 after earning a second-team All-Pro nod for his special teams prowess, with Dulin’s 17 special teams tackles ranking second in the NFL. Besides his spot as a gunner, he also started to see a bigger role on offense in 2021, finishing with 13 catches for 173 yards and two scores. Dulin still had a significant role on ST this season, but he continued to be used on offense. Through five games (one start), he’s hauled in 12 catches for 168 yards.

The Colts have plenty of options to replace Dulin on offense, with Alec Pierce, Mike Strachan and Parris Campbell among the candidates to soak up the open snaps. However, as Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star points out, the team will surely miss him on ST; the team has already shuffled through kickers, and both punter Rigoberto Sanchez and fellow ST ace Armani Watts are done for the year.

Williams joined the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Wagner in 2020. He collected four tackles in eight games for Indy last season, and he made his 2022 debut last week against the Broncos.