Datone Jones

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/23/20

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Las Vegas Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/20

Here is the latest barrage of Saturday minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Badara Traore

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Greg Mabin

Washington Football Team

Raiders Place Marcus Mariota On IR, Add DeShone Kizer To P-Squad

The Raiders have placed quarterback Marcus Mariota on injured reserve, per a club announcement. For added insurance, the club has added one-time Notre Dame star DeShone Kizer to the Raiders’ practice squad. 

Mariota’s strained pectoral muscle will keep him out for at least three weeks, per the league’s modified rules for 2020. Without him, the Raiders are rolling with two QBs on the active roster – Derek Carr and Nathan Peterman. Mariota’s temporary absence may take a little bit of pressure off of Derek Carr, who has certainly heard the footsteps. Mariota, who was leapfrogged by Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee, finished the year with a career-low 59.4% completion rate and just 1,203 yards.

Kizer has been on the workout trail ever since he was cut by the club in May, but those tryouts didn’t land him a deal. Now, the 2017 second-round pick will stick around in Las Vegas as he waits for his next opportunity. Kizer, 24, has made 18 appearances over the course of his NFL career, most of which came during the Browns’ winless season. All in all, he’s got eleven touchdowns against 24 interceptions.

Here’s the full rundown of the Raiders’ practice squad after Monday’s move:

Raiders, DL Datone Jones Agree To Deal

The Raiders will give former first-round pick Datone Jones an avenue back to the NFL. The veteran defensive lineman agreed to terms to join the Raiders in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Although Jones has played in just one game over the past two seasons, he has seen several teams express interest. The Raiders were among them. They worked out Jones last October.

The 30-year-old defender spent some time with new Raiders D-line coach Rod Marinelli, playing in five Cowboys games from 2017-18. Jones, however, has not enjoyed a regular role since his four-year Packers tenure ended after the 2016 season. The Packers passed on Jones’ fifth-year option, and he spent time with the Cowboys and 49ers in 2017.

For his career, the UCLA product has only amassed 10 sacks and made nine starts. But he will have another chance to crack a D-line rotation with the Raiders, who recently agreed to terms with another player who had seen action in just one game over the past two seasons. Their Jeremy Hill deal did not last long, however. Jones’ most recent stay came with the Jaguars in 2019. He could not make the team out of camp, though.

Eagles Meet With Datone Jones

The Eagles’ search for defensive help continues this week. Next up – a workout with free agent defensive lineman Datone Jones (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 

Jones spent the offseason with the Jaguars, but was dropped before final cuts. The Colts and Raiders also took recent looks at Jones, but did not sign him. The 29-year-old is looking to get back into the NFL mix – he saw time in just eight NFL games between 2017 and 2018, a far cry from his usage early on with the Packers.

From 2013-2016, Jones made 59 appearances (seven starts) for Green Bay. He notched ten sacks in that span, though the 2013 first-round pick didn’t finish out strong on his rookie deal.

On Monday, the Eagles cut defensive tackle Akeem Spence, just one day after he saw the highest snap percentage of the season against the Cowboys. Anthony Rush, formerly of the Raiders’ taxi squad, took his place.

NFL Workout Notes: 10/8/19

Here are today’s workout updates. There are a number of notable names on this list, so pay attention!

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

AFC South Rumors: Foles, Texans, Colts

The current plan for Nick Foles involves a return in November. The Jaguars‘ high-priced free agent addition is out until at least Week 11 due to the broken clavicle he suffered Sunday, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) Foles is loosely targeting that week for his return. This would be welcome news for the Jaguars, but they will have to get through eight games without their experienced passer. Gardner Minshew fared well against the Chiefs, completing 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but he’s a sixth-round rookie. Jacksonville also traded a fifth-round pick for Josh Dobbs. These two represent the team’s quarterback options at this point.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Another avenue the reeling Jags took in an attempt to patch up their quarterback solution post-Foles involved a Texans passer. The Jaguars contacted then-Texans practice squad QB Alex McGough, presumably offering a roster spot, this week, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. However, the Texans thwarted their division rival’s attempt by promoting McGough to their active roster. McGough now resides behind Deshaun Watson and A.J. McCarron.
  • Bill O’Brien called Nick Martin, who signed a three-year extension worth $33MM this week, “one of the leaders” of the Texans. “[Martin] is one of the leaders of our team, smart, tough, dependable,” the coach said (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). “Had to in the past deal with some injuries. Played good on Monday night, want him to be a Texan. We all felt like best move for Nick and our team.”
  • In extending Martin in advance of Week 2, the Texans deviated from recent regimes’ rule of no in-season extensions, Wilson notes. The GM-less franchise turned to senior VP of football administration Chris Olsen to finalize Martin’s deal. Previously, both Rick Smith and Brian Gaine avoided in-season re-ups.
  • Former Packers first-round pick Datone Jones remains on teams’ radars. The Colts worked out the defensive lineman this week. Jones has been on the in-week workout circuit for a bit now. He played in one Cowboys game last season and caught on with the Jaguars before camp. The 2013 first-rounder did not make the team but has now worked out for the Colts and Redskins this week.

Chris Crouse contributed to this report.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/10/19

We’ve got another busy day of workouts, with many teams across the league hosting players.

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Jaguars Release WR Terrelle Pryor

The Jaguars are making some early moves towards making the 53-man max. On Friday morning, Jacksonville cut wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, defensive tackle Datone Jones, and former Alabama cornerback Saivion Smith, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Pryor parlayed his huge season with the Browns a couple of years back into a one-year, $6MM free agent deal with the Redskins. Unfortunately, he was held back by an ankle injury and did little in D.C. He tried to regain his footing with the Jets and Bills last year, but injuries got the best of him once again. Then, he signed a veteran’s minimum contract with the Jaguars, but the former quarterback was unable to stay healthy and/or prove himself in practice.

Jones, 28, was selected by the Packers with the 26th overall pick of the 2013 draft, but he’s never been able to put it all together at the NFL level. In four seasons with Green Bay, Jones appeared in 60 games, but made only seven starts and never topped 600 snaps in any individual campaign. He joined the Jags in June and he finds himself seeking a new gig in late August.

Jaguars Sign DT Datone Jones

The Jaguars have agreed to sign free agent defensive tackle Datone Jones, according to his agents at DEC Management (Twitter link). In a corresponding move, Jacksonville has waived defensive end Shane Bowman, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The club has since confirmed the transaction.

Jones, 28, was selected by the Packers with the 26th overall pick of the 2013 draft, but he’s never been able to put it all together at the NFL level. In four seasons with Green Bay, Jones appeared in 60 games, but made only seven starts and never topped 600 snaps in any individual campaign. Jones posted just nine total sacks with the Packers, who subsequently declined his fifth-year option and allowed him to hit free agency in 2017.

After reaching the open market, Jones signed a one-year deal with the Vikings, but didn’t make Minnesota’s final roster. He bounced around the NFL, spending time with the Lions and 49ers before landing with the Cowboys midway through the 2017 season. Jones played Dallas’ season opener last year, but a hamstring injury ended his season in early September.

Jones will face an uphill battle to make the Jaguars’ roster. Fellow defensive tackles Marcell Dareus, Abry Jones, and Taven Bryan are locks for Jacksonville’s 53, so Jones will likely compete with rookie seventh-rounder Dontavius Russell for a roster spot.