HEADLINES

Jonathan Ward

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/24

October 19th, 2024 at 6:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad callups:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Autry was hit with a six-game PED suspension in July, leaving the Texans without a key figure along the defensive line. The free agent pickup could have suited up by means of Houston using his one-week roster exemption; instead, he has been activated in time for Week 7. Autry, 34, posted a career-high 11 sacks last season and he will look to make an immediate impact during his Texans debut. Especially with Mario Edwards having been issued a four-game suspension of his own earlier this week, he should have a notable role right away.

Steelers Place DL DeMarvin Leal On IR

October 12th, 2024 at 9:03am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like DeMarvin Leal‘s season has come to an end. The Steelers announced that they’ve placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve.

Leal suffered a neck injury last Sunday that limited him to only 12 snaps. Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the defender is expected to miss the rest of the 2024 campaign.

The former third-round pick has spent most of this season serving as a linebacker while helping to fill in for the injured Alex Highsmith. Leal mostly played defensive end through his first two seasons in the NFL, starting six of his 23 appearances. In total, the third-year player has collected 33 tackles, one sack, and three QB hits.

In corresponding moves, the Steelers signed linebacker Ade Ogundeji to the 53-man roster and promoted linebacker Eku Leota and running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad. Ogundeji caught on with Pittsburgh’s practice squad at the end of August and is set to make his season debut. The former fifth-round pick started his career in Atlanta, collecting 75 tackles in 27 starts. He missed the entire 2023 campaign with a foot/ankle injury.

There was also some good news on the injury front this morning. The Steelers removed Jaylen Warren from the injury report, meaning the running back should be back on the field for Week 6. Warren missed Week 4 and Week 5 while nursing a knee injury, and he’ll now rejoin a depth chart that’s co-led by Najee Harris.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/24

October 5th, 2024 at 7:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Mariota returned to practice on Wednesday, which was the earliest point at which he could be designated for return. As a result, it comes as little surprise he has been brought back onto Washington’s active roster. The 30-year-old is in his first season with the Commanders, and today’s move paves the way for him to handle backup duties moving forward.

Ngakoue remained on the free agent market into the start of the regular season. He was not connected to a Ravens reunion, but one took place last week. The journeyman sack artist had a brief spell with Baltimore in 2020, and he posted three sacks in 11 games. Ngakoue, 29, had one-and done campaigns in Vegas, Indianapolis and Chicago before taking a Ravens practice squad deal. He will make his debut tomorrow and aim to provide depth along the edge.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

August 29th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Steelers To Add RBs Boston Scott, Jonathan Ward To Practice Squad

August 28th, 2024 at 10:34am CST by Sam Robinson

Despite declining Najee Harris‘ fifth-year option, the Steelers still roster both the former first-rounder and UDFA complement Jaylen Warren. The team is adding veteran insurance behind its top duo.

Boston Scott is expected to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Recently released by the Rams, Scott is a vested veteran and will not need to clear waivers today before choosing his next destination.

Best known for his long-running stint as an Eagles backup, Scott will return to Pennsylvania to join a team that carried only two pure RBs on its 53-man roster Tuesday. Cordarrelle Patterson is the No. 3 back for the now-Arthur Smith-led offense, but he is primarily a return specialist — even though Smith will likely get his ex-Falcons charge some non-special teams work as well.

Scott, 29, spent parts of six seasons in Philly. He worked as a regular backup for the team, working behind Miles Sanders for four years and behind D’Andre Swift last season. Scott, however, started 12 games and logged 373 touches. That low workload will help him secure a gig ahead of an age-29 season. While Scott totaled only 86 rushing yards last season, he reached 373 to go with a career-high seven touchdowns in 2021.

With Scott expected to be part of Pittsburgh’s 16-man P-squad, the team can add up to five more vested veterans. Teams will largely assemble their taxi squads today, and the Steelers will opt for experience behind the Harris-Warren duo. Pittsburgh is also adding another back to its P-squad, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Jonathan Ward is joining the team. Ward has played in 42 games for the Cardinals and Titans across a four-year career. Only logging 17 career attempts, Ward has spent most of his NFL time as a special-teamer.

Steelers Get Down To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Ely Allen

The Steelers were able to get down to the required 53 players today with the following roster moves:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Holcomb, Cook, and Moon will be sitting out the first four games of 2024, at least. Watts is the only 2024 draft pick for Pittsburgh who will not be on the active roster to start the year. He and Welschof, one of only two of the team’s five undrafted free agent signees who weren’t waived by today, will miss the entire season.

West Virginia standout cornerback Beanie Bishop is the only undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster. With Cameron Sutton starting out the year serving a suspension, Bishop could easily find his way into the starting nickelback role.

The Steelers are also coming into 2024 with a thin wide receiving corps. The only receivers on the active roster are George Pickens, Van Jefferson, rookie Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, and Calvin Austin.

Steelers, RB Jonathan Ward Agree To Deal

May 21st, 2024 at 8:55am CST by Adam La Rose

Jonathan Ward took part in the Steelers’ rookie minicamp, and his performance there has produced an agreement. The veteran running back is signing with Pittsburgh, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The deal is now official.

Ward started his career with the Cardinals in 2020, and across the next three years he bounced on and off the team’s practice squad. The former UDFA saw just nine carries in Arizona during his time with the team before being waived. Following a brief stint on the Jets’ taxi squad, he joined the Titans.

The 26-year-old again saw sparse usage on offense upon heading to Nashville. In 10 Titans contests, Ward logged only 20 offensive snaps. He did, however, remain a mainstay on special teams. The Central Michigan alum has more than 550 third phase snaps to his name, and continuing in that capacity will no doubt represent his path to a roster spot in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in place atop the running back depth chart. The team’s decision not to exercise the former’s fifth-year option has made him a pending free agent and invited questions about his future with the team. The latter is on course for restricted free agency after the 2024 campaign, so his production relative to that of Harris will be a key storyline for the team.

Ward joins fellow former UDFAs Aaron Shampklin (2022) and Daijun Edwards (2024) as running backs aiming to carve out a spot on the end of the roster. The Steelers ranked sixth in special teams DVOA last year, so a strong showing this summer will be needed for any of them to survive roster cutdowns at the end of the preseason.

NFL Workouts: Jones, Ward, Summers, Tagovailoa

May 8th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Veteran wide receiver Zay Jones continues to make the rounds after getting released by the Jaguars last week. Since then, the 29-year-old pass catcher has taken visits with the Titans, Cardinals, and Cowboys. The newest report has Jones scheduling a visit with the Chiefs tomorrow, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

An impressive 2022 campaign that saw Jones catch 82 balls for 823 yards and five touchdowns, all career highs except for the touchdowns, was virtually erased by a disappointing 2023 campaign in which the receiver missed eight games due to a PCL issue and femur damage. The Jaguars opted not to finish out Jones’ final season of a three-year contract, for which Jones would have represented a $6.57MM cap charge.

In Kansas City, Jones could be a part of a completely new-look wide receiving corps for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have added Marquise Brown in free agency and Texas first-round rookie Xavier Worthy in the draft. They also return Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, and Noah Gray from last year, but Rice could be facing some legal trouble, and if healthy, Jones would be an improvement over the other three while playing alongside Brown and Worthy.

Here are a few other workouts happening around the NFL:

  • Career depth running back Jonathan Ward is participating in the Steelers rookie minicamp, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Over four years with the Cardinals and Titans, Ward only has 69 career rushing yards on 17 carries. He’s proven to be an active special teams contributor during that time, though.
  • The Broncos took a look at veteran linebacker Ty Summers at their rookie minicamp this past weekend, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Summers only has one career start over five years with the Packers, Jaguars, and Saints but has appeared in 71 games over that span. A linebacker with some speed, Summers is a productive special teamer, as well.
  • After agreeing to participate in the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp, undrafted Maryland quarterback, and brother of the Dolphins’ starting passer, Taulia Tagovailoa will attend the Cardinals‘ rookie minicamp this week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The rookie will audition to join last year’s fifth-round pick Clayton Tune and 2022’s third-round pick for Atlanta Desmond Ridder as potential backup arms for Kyler Murray in 2024.
  • An undrafted linebacker who graduated from Harvard before playing as a graduate transfer at Villanova, Daniel Abraham has been invited to minicamps for both the Falcons and the Seahawks, per Wilson. The speedy linebacker obviously poses some interest due to both his athleticism and his intellect.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/23

December 11th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Packers signed Drake to their practice squad last week, doing so as Aaron Jones continues his rehab from an MCL sprain. The Packers ruled out Jones for a third straight game Monday night. Drake has been with four teams (Colts, Ravens, Browns, Packers) since training camp.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/23

November 21st, 2023 at 6:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Released: DB Cameron McCutcheon

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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