DeShone Kizer

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: CB Tim Harris
  • Released: OL Evin Ksiezarczyk

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/21

Here are the latest practice squad moves from around the league:

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

  • Reinstated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jake Bargas

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Titans Cut DeShone Kizer

The Titans have released DeShone Kizer, according to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. This was the expected move after the club signed journeyman Matt Barkley on Thursday afternoon.

[RELATED: Titans Sign QB Matt Barkley]

Kizer, 25, hasn’t started since his rookie campaign in 2017 — a winless year for the Browns. The Notre Dame product threw for just eleven touchdowns with double the interceptions (22). While the second-rounder showed some exciting flashes on the field, Kizer didn’t exactly inspire confidence on the whole.

Since then, he’s been looking for his next breakout opportunity. Kizer got into three games as the Packers backup in 2018, and he later lingered with the Raiders for about a year. The Titans added him to the taxi squad last fall, but he still hasn’t seen live action since ’18 with Green Bay.

With Kizer out of the picture, Barkley and Logan Woodside will battle for the QB2 job behind Ryan Tannehill.

Titans Not Seeking Backup QB Upgrade

Ryan Tannehill missed games due to injury from 2016-18, dealing with multiple ACL tears during this span — one that included a full-season absence in 2017. But the former top-10 pick has re-established himself with the Titans, not missing a game for health reasons since his 2019 trade to Tennessee.

However, the Titans’ soon-to-be 33-year-old starter can still be labeled injury-prone. And Tennessee has an interesting backup situation. Logan Woodside has not seen the field much in three seasons, while DeShone Kizer‘s 2017 run as a starter played a significant role in the Browns completing the NFL’s second 0-16 season. But the Titans appear content with this duo behind Tannehill.

Woodside checked the necessary boxes for the Titans’ staff as Tannehill’s backup last year, according to TennesseeTitans.com’s Jim Wyatt, who adds the former seventh-round pick will have the edge to keep this gig over Kizer. The latter, a Browns 2017 second-rounder who landed on the Titans’ practice squad last November, has shown strides this offseason, Wyatt adds.

A Toledo product, Woodside has appeared in six games in three seasons. He has taken just 21 career snaps, with only three of those being pass plays. The Browns traded Kizer to the Packers after one season. The Notre Dame alum has not attempted a regular-season pass since 2018, when he completed 20 of 42 throws with Green Bay. Kizer led the league with 22 interceptions in 2017. The Raiders claimed him off waivers in September 2019 but cut him from their practice squad for good in September 2020.

Were the Titans to look at a veteran backup, Brett Hundley and Sean Mannion remain in free agency. The Titans carried Trevor Siemian on their practice squad for two months last year, but the Saints poached him from that unit in November. The Titans could look to the trade market, but as long as Tannehill is healthy, the team plans to roll with the Woodside-Kizer duo behind its starter.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/15/21

Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts given out:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

  • QB Kyle Sloter

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/21

A long list of reserve/futures contracts to pass along:

Chicago Bears

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Titans To Add QB DeShone Kizer To Practice Squad

The Titans had an open spot on their practice squad after losing Trevor Siemian to the Saints, so they’ve replaced the quarterback with another. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Tennessee will be adding DeShone Kizer to their practice squad.

As a rookie, Kizer started 15 games for the Browns, throwing 11 touchdowns and running for five scores. While the second-rounder showed some exciting flashes on the field, he was also incapable of leading Cleveland to a win, as he went 0-15 and tossed 22 interceptions.

Kizer hasn’t really been able to get a steady gig since that time. He got into three games as the Packers backup in 2018, and he later lingered with the Raiders for about a year. This year, he’s had workouts with the Titans, Lions, and Bears, and one of those auditions eventually turned into a job (albeit three months later).

The Titans are only rostering a pair of quarterbacks, with Logan Woodside currently serving as the backup to Ryan Tannehill. If one of those two were to get injured, Kizer could see himself back on an NFL active roster.

Bears To Work Out QB DeShone Kizer

In a tight spot at quarterback, the Bears are reaching out to a former starter-turned-multiyear backup for potential help. They are hosting DeShone Kizer for a workout, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Nick Foles suffered a hip injury Monday, and with Mitchell Trubisky already out, the Bears turned to the seldom-used Tyler Bray on a last-ditch drive. That march did not materialize, leading to Chicago losing a fourth straight game. The Bears have a bye in Week 11.

The Raiders cut Kizer in May but brought him back on their practice squad. A former second-round pick out of Notre Dame, Kizer started 15 games for the Browns’ 0-16 squad in 2017. The Raiders carried him as one of their backups in 2019, doing so after the Browns traded Kizer to the Packers in 2018. Kizer worked out for the Lions and Titans earlier this year.

It is not certain Foles will miss Chicago’s Week 12 game, but Tribisky appears unlikely to dress for it. That would make insurance important. Despite being an NFL quarterback since 2013, Bray entered Monday night having thrown just one regular-season pass. He does have extensive experience in the system Matt Nagy uses, having worked with him for multiple seasons in both Kansas City and Chicago.

Wideout J.J. Nelson also participated in the Kizer workout, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs (on Twitter). A teammate of Kizer’s in Oakland, Nelson played four seasons with the Cardinals and one with the Raiders.

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:

Lions Work Out QB DeShone Kizer

Another team is giving DeShone Kizer a look. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the quarterback auditioned for the Lions today.

The 2017 second-rounder started 15 games for the Browns as a rookie, completing 53.6-percent of his passes for 2,894 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added 419 rushing yards and five scores on 77 carries. Of course, Kizer also tossed 22 interceptions and went 0-15, and Cleveland dumped in a trade to Green Bay during the 2018 offseason.

The Notre Dame product got into three games with the Packers in 2018, but he was cut by the organization at the end of the 2019 preseason. He later caught on with the Raiders, and he spent most of the season on their roster despite never getting on the field. He was waived by the organization back in May. Since that time, Kizer had a workout with the Titans, but he left Tennessee without a deal.

The Lions don’t seem like they’re necessarily in need of a backup quarterback behind Matthew Stafford. The team inked Chase Daniel to a three-year, $13.05MM deal this past offseason, and they’re still rostering David Blough, who started five games for Detroit last season.

Kizer wasn’t the only player to work out for the Lions on Thursday. The team also hosted wideouts Lee Morris and A.J. Taylor.