Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Texans Sign RB Cam Akers

8:03pm: Akers’ Sunday tryout in Houston was a successful one as Wilson follows up his earlier report with an update that Akers has been signed by the Texans. After 15 starts in just over three years with the Rams and short stint in Minnesota, Akers now joins the Texans backfield for a third opportunity. He’ll now compete with Dare Ogunbowale and rookie sixth-round pick Jawhar Jordan for a backup role behind Mixon and Pierce.

In addition to Jackson and Williams, Wilson reports that Akers was joined in his workout by Ke’Shawn Vaughn. A former third-round pick out of Vanderbilt, Vaughn failed to catch on in Tampa Bay before spending part of last year on the Patriots’ practice squad.

1:40pm: The Texans have been busy in recent days with respect to investigating a backfield addition. Houston’s efforts on that front continued Sunday.

The team hosted Cam Akers on a workout, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The former Ram and Viking is among the players looking to find a new home as training camps open around the league. Houston also brought in veteran Deon Jackson and undrafted rookie Miyan Williams earlier this week.

Devin Singletary departed in free agency this year, and the Texans were suitors for a number of high-profile backs on the market. In the end, the team swung a trade with the Bengals for Joe Mixon and signed him to a new deal. The soon-to-be 28-year-old will thus handle lead back duties for the foreseeable future. 2022 fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce remains as a backup option.

Houston has nearly $19MM in cap space, so a move at the running back spot (or any other position) is certainly feasible. Akers, 25, should not be an expensive option for the Texans or any other interested team. Following the end of his Los Angeles tenure, he was dealt to Minnesota. The Florida State alum made just six appearances with the Vikings before he was sidelined with the second Achilles tear of his career.

To little surprise, Akers – who showed promise when healthy before falling out of favor with Sean McVay – remains unsigned deep into the offseason. He recently underwent a physical, and a report from earlier this month suggested the Vikings would be open to re-signing him if he passed. The fact that Akers is still available (and visiting other teams) is a sign he failed the physical or that Minnesota has moved on to other options. In any event, he will attempt to latch onto a roster in Houston or elsewhere in the coming days.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/24

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): DL Spencer Waege
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OL Trente Jones

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: DL Chris Collins

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: OL Ireland Brown, CB Jason Maitre

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: RB Terrell Jennings, G Ryan Johnson, LB Jay Person, DE Jotham Russell
  • Waived: RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Signed: DL Elijah Chatman
  • Waived: OLB Jeremiah Martin

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Waived: OL Kellen Diesch

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: DL Shakel Brown

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DE Nathan Pickering, LB Devin Richardson

Tennessee Titans

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/8/24

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • OL Barry Wesley

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, WR Davion Davis, CB D’Angelo Mandell

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/23

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: WR Daniel Arias

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: QB E.J. Perry

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/18/23

Today’s only practice squad transactions:

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: OL Brent Laing

New England Patriots

Hooper, an undrafted rookie out of Northwestern State, originally signed with the Packers after a rookie minicamp invitation. When he failed to make the initial 53-man roster in Green Bay, the Patriots swooped in, signing the young defensive back in mid-September. Two weeks later, Hooper was a free agent again, not signing with another team until late-November when he joined the Cardinals’ practice squad. After Arizona released him about a week ago, Hooper will rejoin the Patriots as a member of the practice squad, once again.

Buccaneers Waive RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Ke’Shawn Vaughn‘s time buried on Tampa Bay’s running back depth chart has come to an end. The Buccaneers announced on Friday that he has been placed on waivers.

As a result of the move, Vaughn can now be claimed by any interested team. Failing that, he will become a free agent. Unless he stays in Tampa Bay via the practice squad after clearing waivers, today’s news marks an end to his time with the team after being drafted in the third round in 2020.

Since then, Vaughn has been unable to carve out a signficant role in the Bucs’ backfield. His total carries remained relatively consistent through his first three seasons (26, 36, 17), but his workload had stagnated again in 2023. The 26-year-old has recorded 24 rushes this season, having found himself a healthy scratch for the past two months. Tampa Bay will move on rather than seeing Vaughn’s rookie contract expire at the end of the season.

The Vanderbilt product could get a head start on finding a new home in the near future, although his market on waivers or as a free agent will no doubt be limited. Vaughn has totaled 384 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns in his career, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He has added 14 catches for 81 yards and an additional score in the passing game in his limited opportunities. Tampa Bay has struggled to run the ball in recent years in particular, but the team is prepared to move forward with its other options on the RB depth chart.

That includes 2022 third-rounder Rachaad White, who split time with Leonard Fournette last season. The latter was released this offseason, paving the way for the former to handle undisputed lead back duties. White comfortably leads the Bucs in rushing this season with 745 yards, adding 419 through the air. Veteran Chase Edmonds and undrafted rookie Sean Tucker are in place as complementary options, and their availability and performances during the year have made Vaughn expendable.

Sitting at 6-7, Tampa Bay is in a three-way tie atop the NFC South. The division could send a second team to the postseason depending on how the wild-card race shakes out, so the Buccaneers will be team to watch down the stretch. Vaughn will not play a role in the end to their season and any potential playoff action, though.

Bucs’ T.J. Logan Likely To Miss Season

T.J. Logan just can’t catch a break. Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Logan sustained a patellar tendon injury in yesterday’s practice and is likely to miss the season (Twitter link).

A fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2017 draft, Logan missed his entire rookie campaign due to an injured wrist. He got some work as a kick returner in 2018, but Arizona waived him before the start of the 2019 campaign.

The Bucs claimed him off waivers, and he became Tampa’s primary return specialist, handling 13 punts and 13 kickoffs. Unfortunately, a thumb injury suffered last December cut his season a bit short, and now he will have to wait until 2021 to get back on the field.

A running back by trade, Logan had a good chance to reprise his role as the Bucs’ kick returner in 2020, and he may have had the opportunity to see some time as a change-of-pace option in the backfield. He has nine receptions and five rushing attempts in his career.

Making matters worse is the fact that the injury came from friendly fire. Per Patrik Walker of CBS Sports, linebacker Quinton Bell tackled Logan from behind during a non-tackling period of practice, drawing the ire of his teammates and head coach Bruce Arians.

As James Palmer of the NFL Network tweets, Arians has indicated that rookie RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn could get a shot at return duties. In addition to Vaughn, a third-round choice, and seventh-rounder Raymond Calais, the Buccaneers signed veteran LeSean McCoy to buttress their rushing attack, fronted by the inconsistent Ronald Jones.

15 NFL Players Land On NFL’s Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Dolphins, Browns, Ravens, Bengals, Steelers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Cowboys and Buccaneers have placed players on the newly created reserve/COVID-19 list. Here’s the full rundown, per the league’s transactions wire:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The reserve/COVID-19 designation is for players who have tested positive for the coronavirus or are in quarantine for potential exposure. In turn, these players are removed from the roster and allowed to return after three weeks.