HEADLINES

John Penisini

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/23

December 7th, 2023 at 7:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

As expected, Tyrion Davis-Price has landed back with the 49ers after getting cut by the big-league club earlier this week. The 2022 third-round pick has seen time in just one game for San Francisco this season, collecting 21 yards from scrimmage on six touches. He appeared in six games as a rookie, collecting 99 rushing yards. He’ll join Jeremy McNichols as the 49ers’ practice-squad options at RB.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/23

August 9th, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor transactions from around the league as we wrap up training camp and officially head into the preseason:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: RB Stevie Scott

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived/injured: T Nicolas Melsop

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/23

August 2nd, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Waived: WR Ed Lee

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Moseley reportedly had a small clean-up procedure on his knee the other day as he continues to come back from last year’s ACL tear. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, it doesn’t appear to be a major setback, and head coach Dan Campbell expects Moseley back on Monday.

The news on Harris’s retirement comes from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports that the two sides “are parting ways as (Harris) plans to retire.” If this is truly the end of the road for Harris, then the transaction puts a cap on a five-year career that saw Harris rack up 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits in the NFL.

Turk was urgently brought on as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma to compete with free agent addition Jake Bailey, formerly with the Patriots. The punter competition may be over quickly as Bailey is the only punter on the roster now.

Trice, the Steelers’ first of two seventh-round picks this year, suffered a non-contact injury at camp yesterday. His placement on injured reserve indicates that his rookie season has unfortunately come to an end before it had the chance to begin.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/23

August 1st, 2023 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: RB Toriano Clinton, TE La’Michael Pettway, T Dan Skipper
  • Waived: T Jordan Murray, TE Kaden Smith, DT Jamal Woods

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Claimed (from Bears): WR Thyrick Pitts
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Jalen Hurd

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Chosen in the third round by the 49ers back in 2019, Hurd never ended up seeing regular-season action. A converted running back who played in front of Alvin Kamara at points while at Tennessee, Hurd transferred to Baylor and became a wide receiver. Two season-ending injuries — a back malady in 2019 and an ACL tear in 2020 — derailed Hurd’s 49ers tenure. The team cut him during the 2021 season. Barely a week after the Patriots signed Hurd, it appears he is throwing in the towel on an injury-plagued career.

Penisini had unretired this offseason, joining the Panthers. The former Lions sixth-rounder played two seasons on his rookie contract but called it quits in June 2022. His unretirement will precede a Panthers exit. The Lions are moving Zylstra off their 90-man roster due to a severe knee injury. If unclaimed, Zylstra would revert to Detroit’s IR list. Zylstra has seen action in 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons.

Hassenauer will require surgery to repair a triceps injury, and this transaction will shut him down — as far as the Giants are concerned. The only way Hassenauer can play in 2023 would be if the Giants removed him from IR via an injury settlement. Hairston suffered a herniated disk during practice, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/23

July 22nd, 2023 at 6:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

The Corbett news comes as no surprise, given the expectation from the spring that he would miss time in the regular season. The Panthers’ starting right guard suffered an ACL tear during the 2022 season finale, making him a candidate for a reserve/PUP designation. That would sideline him for at least four contests, so it is encouraging Carolina has elected instead to use the active designation, from which players can be activated at any time during camp.

Signed to provide last-minute offensive line help for the Jets last season, Brown played 12 games on the blindside last season while battling a shoulder ailment. Despite Mekhi Becton being healthy this offseason, the 37-year-old is the favorite to hold down the LT role for New York as the team looks to improve its pass protection at the start of the Aaron Rodgers era. If healthy in time for the spring, Brown will play a large role in determining their success on that front.

Farley’s brief NFL career has seen a continuation of his injury concerns dating back to college. The 2021 first-rounder saw a herniated disk end his season in December. He underwent surgery to address the issue, and the team may feel the need to proceed with caution given his potentially sizeable role with the Titans’ secondary. Radunz continues to recover from the ACL tear which likewise ended his second campaign in Nashville late in the regular season.

Contract Details: Hurts, Robinson, Ward, Perryman, Anderson

April 19th, 2023 at 10:06pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on deals signed recently around the NFL:

  • Jalen Hurts, QB (Eagles): Five years, $255MM. We had received some broad numbers from the deal, and some details still elude us, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided some cap numbers recently. Hurts will represent a $6.15MM cap hit in 2023, $13.56MM in 2024, $21.77MM in 2025, and $31.77MM in 2026.
  • Allen Robinson, WR (Steelers): Three years, $46.5MM. We covered some details, like how the Rams will pay most of Robinson’s 2023 salary in a nearly two-to-one split. According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, the Rams will additionally take on $21.45MM of dead money for Robinson moving forward, pushing them up to about $74MM of dead cap in 2023.
  • Jimmie Ward, S (Texans): Two years, $13MM. The deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $8.5MM consisting of a $4MM signing bonus, Ward’s 2023 base salary of $2.5MM, and $2MM of his 2024 base salary (worth $5.5MM total). Ward will receive a per game active roster bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. The contract also includes an annual playing time incentive. If Ward plays 60% of the team’s defensive snaps, he’ll receive an additional $250,000. He’ll get two more $250,000 bonuses for reaching both the 70% and 80% snap share totals, as well.
  • Denzel Perryman, LB (Texans): One year, $2.6MM. We were aware that Perryman could push the value of his deal to $3.5MM with incentives, but thanks to Wilson, we now know how he can do that. The additional $900,000 is based on playing time. Perryman can earn $300,000 bonuses for reaching each of the 60%, 70% and 80% thresholds of defensive snap shares for the Texans.
  • Eric Rowe, S (Panthers): One year, $1.32MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $852,500 consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $700,000 of Rowe’s base salary (worth a total of $1.17MM).
  • Kris Boyd, CB (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
  • Dante Pettis, WR (Bears): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
  • Troy Reeder, LB (Vikings): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $100,000 consisting partially of a $25,000 signing bonus. Reeder’s base salary will be $1.08MM, and he can receive an additional workout bonus $25,000 and a roster bonus of $102,500 if he’s active Week 1. The deal includes a per game active roster bonus of $6,029 for a potential season total of $102,500.
  • Drew Sample, TE (Bengals): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $52,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM. Sample will also receive a roster bonus of $75,000 and a workout bonus of $25,000.
  • Armon Watts, DT (Steelers): One year, $1.23MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a signing bonus of $152,500 and a base salary of $1.08MM.
  • Elijah Wilkinson, OL (Cardinals): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, has a guaranteed amount of $1.09MM consisting of a $152,500 signing bonus and $940,000 of Wilkinson’s base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM).
  • Khadarel Hodge, WR (Falcons): One year, $1.2MM. The contract, according to Wilson, has a base salary of $1.08 and a roster bonus of $120,000 if he is active for Atlanta’s first game of the season. The deal also includes a per game active roster bonus of $7,500 for a potential season total of $127,500.
  • Chosen Anderson, WR (Dolphins): One year, $1.17MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a signing bonus of $152,500.
  • John Penisini, DL (Panthers): One year, $940,000, according to Wilson.
  • Kevin Jarvis, OL (Bills): One year, $750,000, according to Wilson.

Panthers To Sign DL John Penisini

April 8th, 2023 at 6:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

John Penisini‘s time in the NFL appeared to be over after only two seasons played, but that may no longer be the case. The defensive lineman is set sign with the Panthers this coming week, as noted (on Twitter) by his agent David Canter.

Penisini began his career as a Lions draftee. In his rookie campaign, he started 12 of 16 games and logged a snap share of 51%. His level of play while logging such a notable workload raised expectations for him in the future, but things took a turn for the worst in the subsequent offseason. The former sixth-rounder underwent surgery to remove large masses from each of his shoulders.

Penisini was able to suit up for 16 contests in 2021, but saw his playing time drop dramatically. He had been unable to recover as hoped from the shoulder issues, and announced his retirement last June. The Lions thus placed him on the reserve/retired list for an extended stretch, though they waived him last month. That left the Utah product free to sign with any team in the event he felt a comeback was possible.

That is obviously now the case, with a Carolina deal in place. Aged 25, Penisini could have plenty of productive time available to him if he were able to remain healthy moving forward. This contract will provide him with the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in training camp, and a rotational role along the team’s defensive front if things go according to plan.

Carolina has Derrick Brown, Bravvion Roy and recently re-signed Henry Anderson in place as holdovers from their 2022 d-line. Matthew Ioannidis remains a free agent, but the Panthers have added Shy Tuttle on a three-year, $19.5MM deal. Penisini will look to carve out a role amongst that group as he eyes an NFL return.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/29/23

March 29th, 2023 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s only minor move:

Detroit Lions

 

Penisini was a surprising contributor for the Lions two years ago when he started 12 games as a rookie sixth-round pick. The Utah-product didn’t give a reason for his retirement at the time, but many thought it was related to a fairly serious injury he experienced before the 2021 season that resulted in calcium deposits building up in his shoulders the size of softballs.

Injury And Fit Issues Cause Two Young Players To Retire

July 22nd, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Ely Allen

Two 25-year-old players were moved to the reserve/retired list today. The Lions tweeted out that nose tackle John Penisini would retire and Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Perry‘s retirement was reported by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. A combination of injury trouble and issues with current team-fit precipitated both moves. 

Penisini was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the intention for him to play a zero-technique position in former head coach Matt Patricia‘s defensive scheme. After starting in 12 games as a rookie, Penisini struggled to find a productive role in new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn‘s defense, which asked for more attacking out of the defensive line. Penisini also dealt with a serious injury in the offseason between coordinators that didn’t help the transition.

“(Penisini) had what looked like softballs in his shoulder that he had repaired after the season,” head coach Dan Campbell explained to SB Nation’s Jeremy Reisman. “It just looked like a bunch of calcium deposits that had been in there. You wonder when you watch the film last year why he’s not using his arm. It’s because he had issues. It’s a credit to him playing through it.”

Perry was drafted 49 picks after Penisini in the seventh round after receiving approval from the United State Marine Corps to defer his mandatory five year service commitment in order to play in the NFL. The four-year quarterback for the Midshipmen switched positions to wide receiver in order to give himself the best opportunity to play at the next level.

As a rookie, Perry made his first of two starts in a Week 8 game against the Rams. In nine games, Perry caught 9 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Before last season, the Dolphins waived Perry as they trimmed their roster to 53 players, hoping to sign him to the practice squad. Unfortunately for Miami, New England claimed Perry. Unfortunately for New England, Perry suffered a foot injury that would land him on the injured reserve and, eventually, see him released. Perry would spend most of the rest of the year on the Saints’ practice squad and, upon the conclusion of the season, signed a reserve/future contract with the Patriots.

Penisini had not reported to Detroit’s minicamp, but the team, reportedly, knew of his situation and gave him the opportunity to announce his retirement on his own terms. Perry was facing an uphill battle to make the Patriots’ roster. Whether it was a factor in his decision or not, Perry is set to return to the Navy to begin his service commitment, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus.

Lions DL John Penisini Retires

June 11th, 2022 at 10:00am CST by Adam La Rose

For the second time in recent days, a young member of the Lions is ending his career. Defensive lineman John Penisini announced (on Instagram) that he is retiring from the NFL.

“I have made the decision to retire from football,” the 25-year-old defender wrote. “I’m definitely going to miss my teammates and the coaching staff but I’m glad I got to experience it. I’m happy and excited for whatever life has for me. For my family, friends, teammates, coaches and all the people who supported my dream along the way I appreciate and love you guys.”

During a three-year career at Utah, Penisini put himself on the NFL draft radar. In his final two campaigns, in 2018 and 2019, he put up identical stat lines of 38 stops, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. The Lions drafted him in the sixth round, and he saw significant playing time right away.

The six-foot-two, 335-pounder played just over half of Detroit’s defensive snaps in 2020, starting 12 of 16 games. He totaled 35 tackles, showing promise to be at least a rotational player moving forward. However, he had offseason surgery to “remove large masses from each of his shoulders,” as noted by Justin Rogers of the Detroit News.

He played in 16 games again last season, but at a greatly reduced workload. The fact that he wasn’t able to spend as much time on the field, and that he was absent from the team this offseason, points to the ailment not recovering as expected. Having played for two of the four seasons on his rookie contract, Penisini will have earned roughly $1.9MM.

Beside Penisini, undrafted corner Jermaine Waller also announced his retirement earlier this week.

Load More Posts