NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/16
Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein)
- Cut: RB George Winn
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- Cut: DB Julian Wilson
New Orleans Saints
- Cut: CB Taveze Calhoun (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Dan Vitale (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Retired: WR Evan Spencer
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Chicago Bears
- Claimed:
- Signed:
- TE Logan Paulsen (story)
- Waived:
- TE Khari Lee (story)
- C Cornelius Edison (Link via Brad Biggs)
- DB Demontre Hurst (Link via Biggs)
- Signed to practice squad:
- CB Da’Vante Bausby (Link via Brad Biggs)
- LB John Timu (Link via Brad Biggs)
- QB Matt Barkley (Link via Adam Schefter)
- TE Ben Braunecker (Link via Chicago Bears)
- WR Daniel Braverman (Link via Chicago Bears)
- OT Jason Weaver (Link via Chicago Bears)
- RB Senorise Perry (Link via Chicago Bears)
Detroit Lions
- Claimed:
- LB Thurston Armbrister (Link via PFT)
- Placed on IR:
- LB Josh Bynes
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR T.J. Jones (Link via Justin Rogers)
- RB George Winn (Link via Rogers)
- DB Charles Washington (Link via Dave Birkett)
- WR Jace Billingsley
- CB Alex Carter
- TE Brian Leonhardt
- OL Brandon Thomas (Link via Eric Branch)
- WR Isaach Fruehcte (Link via Darren Wolfson)
- QB Jake Rudock
- LB Steve Longa (Link via Birkett)
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed:
- RB Jhurell Presley (Link via PFT)
- Waived:
- RB Brandon Burks (Link via Rob Demovsky)
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Brian Price (Link via Rob Demovsky)
- WR Geronimo Allison (Link via Tom Silverstein)
- WR Herb Waters (Link via Silverstein)
- LB Carl Bradford (Link via Demovsky)
- LB Beniquez Brown (Link via Demovsky)
- OLB Reggie Gilbert (Link via Demovsky)
- G Blake Muir (Link via Demovsky)
- G Lucas Patrick (Link via Demovsky)
- CB Jermaine Whitehead (Link via Demovsky)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Moritz Boehringer (Link via Chris Tomasson)
- CB Tre Roberson (Link via Chris Tomasson)
- G Willie Beavers
- TE Kyle Carter
- G Isame Faciane
- RB C.J. Ham
- DT Toby Johnson
- QB Joel Stave
- DE Stephen Weatherly
- S Shamiel Gary (Link via David Canter)
Lions Trim Roster To 53
The Lions have released offensive lineman Brandon Thomas, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Thomas came to Detroit in the Jeremy Kerley trade earlier this week. 
Thomas, a former third-round pick, has never taken a snap in the NFL. He missed his entire rookie season in 2014 while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college, and didn’t appear in a game during his sophomore campaign. Thomas wasn’t need in the Bay Area given that Anthony Davis has come out of retirement and shifted to guard and he apparently wasn’t wanted in Detroit either.
Thomas obviously wasn’t the Lions’ only victim of cut day. Cuts include:
- RB George Winn (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- S Isaiah Johnson (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR Jace Billingsley (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
- WR T.J. Jones (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News)
- LB Khaseem Greene (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- OL Gabe Ikard (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- OL Brandon Thomas (Twitter link via Rothstein)
- QB Jake Rudock (link via Birkett)
- Ol Michael Ola (link via Rothstein)
- TE Adam Fuehne (link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- CB Alex Carter
- WR Quinshad Davis
- LB Jayson DiManche
- LB Zaviar Gooden
- C Gabe Ikard
- WR Jay Lee
- T Luke Marquardt
- DT Caraun Reid
- DB Charles Washington
- DT Gabe Wright
- C Lemuel Jeanpierre
- CB Darrin Walls
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/16
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- Rams running back and return man Benny Cunningham has signed his restricted free agent tender and will return to the club on a one-year deal, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Cunningham, who has caught 71 balls out of the backfield for the Rams over the last two seasons, visited the Patriots early in free agency, but will ultimately make the move to Los Angeles on a $1.671MM salary.
- The Ravens have waived wide receiver Cam Worthy, the team announced today (via Twitter). The 24-year-old didn’t see any regular-season action in Baltimore, having spent the entire 2015 campaign on injured reserve due to a foot injury.
- Lions running back George Winn signed his ERFA tender and will return to Detroit for the 2016 season, the team announced today (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds (via Twitter) Dolphins safety Shamiel Gary and Giants wide receiver Myles White to the list of ERFAs to formally sign their tenders.
Lions Re-Sign Tyrunn Walker
FRIDAY, 8:34am: The Lions’ contract agreement with Walker has been finalized, with the team announcing the signing in a press release.
THURSDAY, 12:23pm: A year ago, the Lions’ signing of defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker from the Saints was viewed as one of the more solid under-the-radar moves of the offseason. However, Walker’s first year in Detroit came to an early end when he suffered a broken fibula and landed on the team’s injured reserve list in early October.
As he recovers from that injury though, Walker is prepared to sign a new contract with the Lions, According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the free agent defensive tackle is en route to Detroit today, where he will take a physical and sign a new one-year deal with the club, assuming some contractual language gets finalized.
After signing a one-year, $1.75MM pact last year, Walker will get a similar deal this time around. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Walker’s new one-year contract will be worth $1.6MM, with a chance to max out at $2.25MM. It wouldn’t be surprising if the deal features per-game roster bonuses — because the Tulsa alum only appeared in four contests in 2015, only a quarter of his per-game roster bonuses would count against the cap.
In addition to nearing a contract agreement with Walker, the Lions are in talks to bring back Haloti Ngata, and Birkett expects him to re-sign (Twitter link). As Birkett notes, retaining those two defensive tackles would give the club the flexibility to focus on other positions in free agency next week.
Speaking of free agency, Birkett also reports that the Lions have tendered contract offers to all of their exclusive-rights free agents. The following players have received ERFA tenders, per Birkett:
- C Braxston Cave
- LB Brandon Copeland
- WR Corey Fuller
- S Isaiah Johnson
- DT Khyri Thornton
- RB George Winn
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions To Place Zach Zenner On IR
4:39pm: The Lions will promote running back George Winn from the taxi squad to take Zenner’s place, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.
11:46am: The Lions will be placing running back Zach Zenner on the injured reserve list at some point in the near future, head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed today. As ESPN’s Michael Rothstein details, Zenner suffered multiple cracked ribs and a partially collapsed lung on Sunday, and remains hospitalized for now.
Zenner, a promising rookie out of South Dakota State, earned a spot on the Lions’ roster out of camp, and saw some action behind Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah, and Theo Riddick during the early going. For the season, Zenner has 60 rushing yards on 17 attempts, along with a pair of receptions.
Once Zenner officially lands on IR, the Lions will have an extra roster spot to either use on a running back or another position.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears
- Claimed off waivers:
- G Patrick Omameh (link via Pro Football Talk)
- DB Harold Jones-Quartey (link via Pro Football Talk)
- Cut:
- S Sherrod Martin (Twitter link via Brad Biggs)
- T Jordan Mills (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk)
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Jonathan Anderson (Twitter link via Biggs)
- RB Paul Lasike (Twitter link via Kevin Fishbain)
- TE Gannon Sinclair (Twitter link via Biggs)
- WR Ify Umodu (Twitter link via Biggs)
- DT Terry Williams (Twitter link via Biggs)
Detroit Lions
- Signed to practice squad:
- C Braxton Cave (link via Tim Twentyman)
- DT Kerry Hyder (link via Tim Twentyman)
- CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport)
- S Isaiah Johnson (link via Tim Twentyman)
- WR Andrew Peacock (link via Tim Twentyman)
- TE Casey Pierce (link via Tim Twentyman)
- DE Larry Webster (link via Tim Twentyman)
- RB George Winn (link via Tim Twentyman)
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Jared Abrederis (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky)
- LB Carl Bradford (Twitter link via Ryan Wood)
- TE Justin Perillo (Twitter link via Tony Pauline)
- G Matt Rotheram (Twitter link via Demovsky)
- LB James Vaughters (Twitter link via Tom Silverstein)
- T Jeremy Vujnovich (Twitter link via Demovsky)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to practice squad:
- DE B.J. DuBose (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson)
- G Isame Faciane (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- WR Isaac Fruechte (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- S Anthony Harris (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- DE Zach Moore (Twitter link via Jeff Howe)
- LB Brian Peters (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- FB Blake Renaud (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- LB Brandon Watts (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- RB Dominique Williams (Twitter link via Tomasson)
- G David Yankey (Twitter link via Tomasson)
Lions Reach 53-Man Roster
The Lions slashed their roster to the 53-man regular-season limit and included a couple of notable names in their cuts.
Veteran defensive lineman Corey Wootton did not make the roster after joining the Lions this offseason. The 28-year-old made 22 starts for the Bears in 2012-13 before serving as a Vikings backup last season.
To make room for Zach Zenner and Tim Wright, respectively, Detroit waived George Winn and Joseph Fauria. After releasing former Boise State star Kellen Moore, the Lions also will go into a season with just two quarterbacks for the first time since 2009.
The remainder of Detroit’s cuts are as follows:
- Al Bond, OL
- Crezdon Butler, DB
- Braxston Cave, OL
- Jermelle Cudjo, DL
- Kerry Hyder, DL
- Emil Igwenagu, RB
- Isaiah Johnson, DB
- Joe Madsen, OL
- Nate Ness, DB
- Casey Pierce, TE
- Xavier Proctor, OL
- Jeremy Ross, WR
- Greg Salas, WR (placed on IR)
- Julian Stanford, LB
- Brian Suite, DB
- Larry Webster, DL
- Torrian Wilson, OL
- Jerel Worthy, DL
Minor Moves: Tuesday
In addition to making changes to their practice squads, teams around the NFL are also tweaking the backs of their 53-man rosters today. We’ll round up the day’s minor transactions involving active rosters right here:
- To make room for Winn, the Lions have placed running back Montell Owens on injured reserve, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Owens’ contract expires after this season.
- After he tore ruptured Achilles last week, running back Joe McKnight has been placed on the Chiefs’ injured reserve list, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Offensive lineman Donald Stephenson‘s four-game suspension is up, so he takes McKnight’s roster spot, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Bears have waived linebacker Terrell Manning, reports Brian McIntyre (Twitter link). Chicago had promoted Manning from its practice squad just over a week ago.
- Patriots Brandon Browner and Brian Tyms four-game bans are over, and both have received a roster exemption that lasts until October 6, says Balzer (on Twitter).
- Cornerback Deion Belue was waived from the Jaguars’ injured reserve with a failure to disclose physical condition designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Earlier updates:
- The Lions are promoting running back George Winn from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). As Garafolo notes, the move could suggest that the team expects Joique Bell to miss this weekend’s game, but Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press points out that Bell isn’t Detroit’s only ailing running back, tweeting that Montell Owens is expected to miss several weeks due to his latest hamstring injury.
- Linebacker Victor Butler has been dropped by the Cardinals, says Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). Butler had been added to the roster when John Abraham was sidelined, but didn’t play a snap for the team.
- The Bears‘ practice squad/53-man roster shuffle continues this week, with the team promoting wideout Chris Williams to take the place of fellow receiver Rashad Ross (Twitter link). Two weeks ago, it was Ross being promoted and Williams being cut.
- The Steelers have terminated the contract of punter Adam Podlesh, who had been on the team’s reserve/did not report list, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears:
- Waived (officially announced): Brandon Hartson, LS
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced via Twitter): Taylor Boggs, C; Ryan Groy, G; DeDe Lattimore, LB; Al Louis-Jean, CB; Rashad Ross, KR; Josh Bellamy, WR; Brandon Dunn, DT; Isaiah Frey, CB; Terrance Mitchell, CB; Roy Philon, DT; Rashad Ross, WR
Detroit Lions:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Rodney Austin, G; Emil Igwenagu, FB; Nate Ness, S; Andrew Peacock, WR; Xavier Proctor, DT; Mohammed Seisay, CB; Julian Stanford, LB; Jordan Thompson, TE; Michael Williams, OT; George Winn, RB
Green Bay Packers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chris Banjo, S; Kevin Dorsey, WR; Garth Gerhart, C; Alex Gillett, WR; Michael Hill, RB; Adrian Hubbard, LB; Justin Perillo, TE; Luther Robinson, DE; Jeremy Vujnovich, T, Myles White, WR
Minnesota Vikings:
- Claimed off waivers: MarQueis Gray, TE (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter); Mike Harris, OT (via Pelissero on Twitter)
- Cut: Larry Dean, LB (via Darren Wolfson on Twitter); Austin Wentworth, G (via Wolfson on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Joe Banyard, RB; Kain Coulter, WR; Isame Faciane, DT; Chase Ford, TE; Donte Foster, WR; Kendall James, CB; Zac Kerin, C; Mike Remmers, OL; Justin Trattou, DT
