Josh Jones

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/1/21

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Colts Activate DL Dayo Odeyingbo From NFI List, Waive RB Jordan Wilkins

Dayo Odeyingbo suffered a torn Achilles in January but still managed to become a second-round pick. The Colts rookie appears set to make his NFL debut less than eight months later.

The Colts activated Odeyingbo from their non-football injury list Saturday, introducing the prospect of its top two draft picks playing together on the defensive line early. A Vanderbilt product viewed as a player who can line up at both defensive end and D-tackle, Odeyingbo went down while training for the draft. Like Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in 2019, Odeyingbo is set to see rookie-year action after suffering a major injury during the winter.

Indianapolis selected defensive end Kwity Paye in the first round and followed that up by selecting Odeyingbo in Round 2. The team let Denico Autry defect to Tennessee in free agency and did not re-sign Justin Houston. The Paye-Odeyingbo pair represents the Colts’ hopeful replacements. Odeyingbo, who goes 6-foot-6 and 276 pounds, recorded 12 tackles for loss as a junior with the Commodores and added 5.5 sacks as a senior. Paye has yet to record a sack in four-plus games played this season but has recovered two fumbles.

Among the other roster moves the Colts made before this afternoon’s Week 8 deadline, the team cut running back Jordan Wilkins. A 2018 draftee, Wilkins has backed up Marlon Mack and then Jonathan Taylor for more than three seasons. But fellow 2018 pick Nyheim Hines‘ passing-down and special teams ability won out, moving Hines higher on the depth chart and leading to an extension. Wilkins still saw sporadic time in the backfield from 2018-20 and resides as an interesting waiver option.

Wilkins averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a rookie and 6.0 per tote in 2019, seeing increased time when Mack missed games with injuries. The former fifth-round pick was not as efficient last season (3.7 per carry on a career-high 84 handoffs) and has not received a carry this year. Still, with the Colts previously placing Mack on the trade block, this Wilkins cut is an interesting decision.

The Colts promoted running back Deon Jackson and safety Josh Jones to their active roster and activated linebacker Jordan Glasgow from IR. Indianapolis also waived defensive tackle Khalil Davis.

Colts Activate Quenton Nelson From IR

Quenton Nelson will end up spending the minimum number of games during his first IR stay. The Colts activated the All-Pro guard ahead of Sunday night’s game against the 49ers.

A high ankle sprain stopped the three-time All-Pro’s start streak at 51 to start his career. Nelson kept that run going despite having foot surgery during training camp. Although Indianapolis went 2-1 without its top lineman, this certainly qualifies as good news for the team’s prospects in its second nationally televised game in three weeks.

The Colts will not have Braden Smith available, however. Indy’s right tackle will miss a sixth straight game due to foot and thumb injuries. Unlike Nelson, Smith has not spent time on IR this season. Nelson returned to practice earlier this week. Nelson, 25, will continue his track toward what will almost certainly be a record-setting guard extension. The Colts extended fellow 2018 draftees Smith, Darius Leonard and Nyheim Hines earlier this year. Nelson, however, has an extra year remaining on his contract thanks to the fifth-year option.

The Colts made room for Nelson by placing Julian Blackmon on IR. The second-year safety suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in practice this week. Former second-round pick Josh Jones, who joined the Colts’ practice squad this week, is now on the team’s active roster for its San Francisco trip. So is veteran wideout Keke Coutee. The Colts ruled T.Y. Hilton out earlier on Saturday. Hilton made his return from a neck injury last week, but he is now battling a quad ailment.

Jaguars Cut S Josh Jones

The Jaguars will release safety Josh Jones (Twitter link via PFT). Jones started for the Jaguars last season, but he won’t be a part of Urban Meyer‘s revamped roster.

Meyer & Co. re-upped Jones in March on a one-year deal. In 2020, the safety started 13 games for the Jags, his most first-string work since going off the 2017 draft board in Round 2.

The Packers chose Jones 61st overall in 2017 but cut him ahead of the 2019 season. Jones, who started 12 games as a Packer from 2017-18, landed with the Cowboys but did not see much action in 2019. The Jaguars claimed Jones off waivers in December 2019 and turned to him during a grim 2020 season. The North Carolina State alum made 83 tackles and intercepted a pass in his lone Jags slate; Pro Football Focus graded Jones 89th overall among qualified safeties in 2020.

Jaguars To Re-Sign S Josh Jones

A starter for the Jaguars last season, Josh Jones will return to the team despite its regime change. The veteran safety agreed to terms to stay with Jacksonville on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Jones started 13 games for the Jags last season, his most frequent first-string work since going off the 2017 draft board in Round 2. He will be back in the mix under Urban Meyer and defensive coordinator Joe Cullen.

The Packers chose Jones 61st overall in 2017 but cut him ahead of the 2019 season. Jones, who started 12 games as a Packer from 2017-18, landed with the Cowboys but did not see much action in 2019. The Jaguars claimed Jones off waivers in December 2019 and turned to him during a grim 2020 season. The North Carolina State alum made 83 tackles and intercepted a pass in his lone Jags slate; Pro Football Focus graded Jones 89th overall among qualified safeties last season.

Jacksonville signed Rayshawn Jenkins from the Chargers but otherwise returns most of its safety group from last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/20

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/20

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team 

Broncos Notes: Draft, Lindsay, O-Line

At pick No. 83, the Broncos drafted center Lloyd Cushenberry. The starting snapper for national champion LSU is the early favorite to be Denver’s Week 1 center. However, he may well have been the Broncos’ second choice for this role. The Broncos had a deal in place to move up to No. 79, where they would have taken Temple center Matt Hennessy, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. The Jets were set to drop from No. 79 to No. 83 and add a Day 3 pick from the Broncos to do so, Mehta notes. The Falcons, however, scuttled these plans by drafting Hennessy at No. 78. Instead of moving up for Cushenberry, the Broncos stood pat. Interestingly, the Jets’ signing of two-year Broncos starter Connor McGovern created a Denver need at center. With the Falcons interrupting a Jets trade-down maneuver, Gang Green took defensive end Jabari Zuniga at No. 79.

Here is the latest out of Denver:

  • Melvin Gordon‘s two-year, $16MM Denver deal surprised many, with the Broncos already featuring two-time 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay. Count Lindsay as one of those surprised by the move. “It caught me off-guard,” Lindsay said during an interview with NFL.com’s Terrell Davis (video link via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala). “It was like, ‘OK, I’ve put in work.’ It makes it seem like they don’t respect you enough to know the work you’re putting in. I was really upset at the beginning. I’m not gonna lie.” Lindsay said soon after he has since come around to the prospect of splitting time with Gordon, viewing the ex-Charger as another weapon in a retooled offense. As a 2018 UDFA, Lindsay is extension-eligible. He is set to make just $750K but has not indicated plans for a holdout.
  • Although the Broncos passed on Garett Bolles‘ $11MM fifth-year option, they did not draft a tackle. The team passed on both Ezra Cleveland and Josh Jones in Round 2, doing so to take Penn State speedster K.J. Hamler at No. 46. The Broncos passed on the blockers because they did not view either as having the chance to beat out Bolles or Elijah Wilkinson at left tackle, per Troy Renck of Denver7. Wilkinson, who played right tackle most of last season because of Ja’Wuan James‘ injury, is set to compete with Bolles for Denver’s starting left tackle gig.
  • Despite Bolles’ penchant for holding penalties and failure to thus far live up to his first-round billing, the Broncos are not in the market for a free agent tackle, Jhabvala notes (subscription required). Jason Peters, Donald Penn, Kelvin Beachum and Cordy Glenn are the most notable names available.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/19

A handful of minor moves to pass along:

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Claimed off waivers (from Packers): CB Tony Brown

Denver Broncos

  • Claimed off waivers (from Texans): DE Joel Heath

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): S Josh Jones

Pittsburgh Steelers

As veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer points out (on Twitter), the waiver claims will be deferred to February 3rd (the day after the Super Bowl).

Minor NFL Transactions:

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Promoted from practice squad: QB Drew Anderson
  • Placed on IR: TE Darrell Daniels

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets