Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: G Ike Boettger
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Kendall Sheffield
New England Patriots
- Waived: G Hayden Howerton
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Marcus Kemp
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
Washington Commanders
The Cowboys are adding some reinforcement to their secondary. Dallas is signing cornerback Kendall Sheffield to the practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery]
The team could use some extra depth at the position after cornerback Jourdan Lewis went down with a season-ending foot injury. Fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland is expected to take on the starting nickel role, but the front office still wanted to add some extra depth at the position.
Sheffield is a logical choice. While the 26-year-old will initially start on the taxi squad, he’ll likely find himself on the active roster sooner than later. He’s already familiar with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s system thanks to their time together in Atlanta, and Sheffield’s ability to play both outside and nickel should provide him with more opportunities for reps.
Sheffield was a fourth-round pick by the Falcons in 2019. He started 20 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, collecting 97 tackles and six passes defended. With Quinn out in Atlanta for the 2021 campaign, the cornerback saw a reduced role. He didn’t start any of his nine games last season while collecting only four tackles. He caught on with the Texans in May and landed on IR before the start of the 2022 season. He was cut from IR earlier this month.
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Texans released a number of veterans today as they reduced their roster to 53 players:
Davis Mills and Kyle Allen sit atop Houston’s QB depth chart, making Jeff Driskel expendable, but there’s a chance the veteran sticks around as a third quarterback via the practice squad. Driskel spent the 2021 campaign in Houston, getting into a single game. He’s started nine of his 16 career games, tossing 13 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions.
Chris Conley has spent seven seasons in the NFL, and he could have provided some experience to the receivers room. There’s a chance the veteran could end up back in Houston, as the Texans decided to carry only four wideouts in Nico Collins, Brandin Cooks, Phillip Dorsett, and Chris Moore.
Antony Auclair started 13 games for Houston last season, mostly serving as a blocking tight end. Terrence Brooks started three of his 11 appearances, collecting 21 tackles.
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Jacksonville Jaguars
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Football Team
Kendall Sheffield is heading to the IR. The Falcons placed the cornerback on injured reserve today, according to Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
Sheffield was a fourth-round pick by Atlanta in 2019, and he proceeded to start 20 of his 29 games through his first two seasons in the NFL. That included a 2020 campaign where the defensive back compiled 51 tackles, one forced fumble, and three passes defended in 13 games (nine starts).
The 25-year-old had been dealing with an undisclosed injury for weeks, and he finished the preseason without getting a snap. Now, he’ll be sidelined for at least the next three weeks, but it’s uncertain if he’ll have his starting gig when he returns. AJ Terrell, Fabian Moreau, and Isaiah Oliver are currently expected to lead the depth chart at cornerback.
With Sheffield sidelined, Chris Williamson could be an option to get promoted from the practice squad.
The Falcons announced the signing of first-round tackle Kaleb McGary on Thursday. In addition to McGary, the club also inked fourth-round cornerback Kendall Sheffield.
The Falcons used their first Round 1 pick (No. 14) overall on Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom. But, they weren’t done revamping their offensive line, and they refused to let McGary get away. The Falcons traded their second- and third-round picks to the Rams to move back into the first round and snag McGary at No. 31 overall, giving them an alternative to Ty Sambrailo at right tackle.
Sheffield began his collegiate career at Alabama before taking his talents to Ohio State, where he spent the last two seasons. Last year, he notched 35 tackles and two interceptions, putting him on the NFL radar. He’ll now look to stand out in an Atlanta cornerback group that is without Robert Alford and Brian Poole.
With McGary and Sheffield taken care of, the Falcons have just one straggler left in Lindstrom.
We heard yesterday that Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield had suffered a torn left pectoral while bench pressing at the NFL scouting combine, and now we have an update. Sheffield has a partially torn pec, but he won’t need surgery for the injury, he told Kimberly Jones of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Sheffield is apparently in good spirits, and remained at the combine to support the other cornerbacks participating in drills. While it’s still a tough blow, it’s not as quite as serious as it initially seemed, and he’s lucky to dodge surgery. Fellow Buckeye Billy Price tore his pec doing the bench press at last year’s combine and ended up having to have surgery and miss the entire offseason program.
It’s still unclear how long Sheffield will be sidelined, but it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a prolonged absence or anything that will impact his draft status too much. It’s a shame Sheffield didn’t get to participate in the 40-yard dash or any of the other drills, because he was expected to test very well. He’s a great athlete, and a source told Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link), that he had been clocking in the 4.2’s during his combine training. Anderson added in a second tweet that the “hope is” it’s just a 4-6 week injury. Most mock drafts projected Sheffield as a middle round pick heading into the combine.