Isaiah Johnson (Houston)

Bears Work Out CB Vernon Hargreaves

The Bears worked out a trio of cornerbacks today. Per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the team auditioned Vernon Hargreaves III, Davontae Harris, and Isaiah Johnson. The team also hosted defensive lineman Trevon Coley and Josh Mauro.

Hargreaves inked an extension with the Texans last offseason and entered the 2022 campaign as a starting cornerback. The former first-round pick started five of his eight games with Houston, collecting 27 tackles and one interception. He was released in November and ended up catching on with the Bengals for their Super Bowl run, starting one of his four regular season games. Despite being inactive for the Super Bowl, Hargreaves was penalized 15 yards for taunting following an end-zone interception by teammate Jessie Bates.

Harris has seen time with five different organizations since entering the NFL in 2018. He most recently got into six games with the Chargers and 49ers last season. Johnson had stints on the Cowboys, Steelers, and Cardinals practice squads in 2021 but didn’t get into a game.

The workout isn’t necessarily an indictment on projected starters Jaylon Johnson and rookie Kyler Gordon. Instead, the team could be looking for some depth to compete with the likes of Lamar Jackson, Kindle Vildor, BoPete Keyes, and Greg Stroman for backup reps.

Coleman started 29 games for the Browns between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He’s only seen time in 13 games since that time in stints with the Colts and Cardinals. He joined the Titans last offseason but injured his foot during the preseason, knocking him out for the season. Mauro was an on-and-off starter for the Cardinals, and after two seasons serving in a similar role with the Giants and Raiders, he returned to Arizona for the 2020 and 2021 campaign. He got into five games last season, collecting one sack.

NFL Workouts: 7/29/22

Here’s a list of minor players who visited or worked out for an NFL team today:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

Howard had recently also worked out for the Saints, along with Bo Scarbrough, according to Nick Underhill at New Orleans Football Network. Howard has bounced between Philadelphia and Miami with limited success since averaging 1,123 rushing yards per season and totaling 24 rushing touchdowns in his first three seasons with the Bears. Injuries and limited productivity have really hurt Howard’s success over the past three years.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/22

Today’s minor transactions:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/22

We’ll keep track of Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals here:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

  • CB Lamar Jackson

Cleveland Browns

  • RB John Kelly Jr.

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

  • Signed: DT Hercules Mata’afa

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Signed: LB Connor Strachan

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Injury Notes: Lindsay, Packers, DeCastro

An illness that has been going through the Green Bay locker room has claimed another victim. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman tweets that Packers punter JK Scott is now questionable for tomorrow’s NFC Championship Game. Fortunately, the team has an open roster spot, so they won’t have to cut anybody to add some reinforcement.

Scott had a solid season for the Packers, averaging 44 yards on his 77 punts. He landed 29 punts inside the 20 yard line, earning him a spot on Pro Football Reference’s NFL All-Pro Second Team

Wide receiver Geronimo Allison was listed on the injury report with an illness this week, but he was a full participant at Friday’s practice.

Let’s check out some more injury notes from around the league…

  • Steelers guard David DeCastro underwent an ankle procedure this week, according to Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (via Twitter). The surgery provides an explanation for why the offensive lineman dropped out of the Pro Bowl. Robinson notes that the operation went well, and DeCastro isn’t expected to “miss extended time in the offseason program.”
  • Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay underwent a “simple, clean-up arthroscopic procedure” on his right wrist, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver. The team’s top rusher should be recovered by offseason team workouts in April. Lindsay actually suffered the wrist injury during the 2018 season, and he dealt with the ailment throughout the 2019 campaign. Despite the discomfort, the running back still managed to finished with his second-straight 1,000-yard season.
  • Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill underwent successful surgery to repair a torn ACL in his knee, tweets NFL Network’s James Palmer. The rookie second-rounder started all 16 games for Kansas City, compiling 58 tackles, five passes defended, and three interceptions. He suffered the injury during his team’s Week 17 game against the Chargers, sidelining him for the entire postseason.
  • Raiders cornerback Isaiah Johnson had back surgery this week, tweets Vic Tafur of The Athletic. The fourth-round rookie was placed on injured reserve to start the year, and he was ultimately activated in November. Johnson proceeded to appear in five games for Oakland, collecting two tackles and one pass defended.

Raiders Waive Brandon Marshall, Activate CB Isaiah Johnson

The Raiders will use one of their IR-return spots, elevating rookie cornerback Isaiah Johnson to their 53-man roster. This will result in the team cutting Brandon Marshall again. The team announced the transactions.

Johnson returned to practice in mid-October and will likely make his debut in Week 10. The Raiders placed their fourth-round pick on IR just before the season’s outset. A facial fracture and concussion shelved Johnson, but he will join fellow rookie Trayvon Mullen in a revamped Oakland corner corps.

Marshall re-signed with Oakland last week but was not active for the Raiders’ Week 9 game against the Lions. The former Broncos starter dealt with knee trouble this offseason but has since recovered. Although Marshall is a vested veteran, post-trade deadline rules stipulate he must be placed on waivers.

The Raiders traded Gareon Conley to the Texans just before the deadline and are now using Mullen and Daryl Worley as their starters. The team has not featured a reliable secondary, though, so Johnson will represent an intriguing depth piece.

Raiders CB Isaiah Johnson Returns To Practice

One of the Raiders’ IR-return slots appears set to be used on rookie cornerback Isaiah Johnson. The fourth-round pick will return to practice this week, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.

The Raiders will have three weeks from Monday to decide whether or not to activate him off their IR list. Should the team determine Johnson needs more time than that to recover from injury, he will revert to season-ending IR.

Johnson cannot return to a game until Oakland’s Week 9 contest, per IR-return rules. The Raiders can only activate two players from IR this season. A facial fracture shelved Johnson, who also suffered a concussion during the Silver and Black’s preseason slate.

Oakland added two cornerbacks in this year’s draft, second-rounder Trayvon Mullen and Johnson, a University of Houston product. The Raiders activated Nevin Lawson following a four-game suspension, so Johnson will further add to the team’s cornerback contingent.