Malik Turner

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ersCardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Released from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • LB Joshua Onujiogu

Placed on IR:

Reverted to IR:

Signed to practice squad:

49ers Set 53-Man Roster, Plan To Place S Jimmie Ward On IR

The 49ers’ 53-man roster is set, with a couple of exceptions. Multiple players included among Tuesday’s cuts will be back with the team. Some will also stick around via the practice squad. Here is how San Francisco reached the 53-man limit:

Released:

Waived:

Kroft and Willis will be on the 53-man roster soon, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, who notes (via Twitter) the two have agreed to re-sign with the 49ers. Each is a vested veteran, allowing them to skip the waiver process. A Bengals draftee, Kroft spent two seasons in Buffalo and was with the Jets in 2021. A rotational D-lineman, Willis has been with the 49ers since 2020.

These two will take the roster spots of Jimmie Ward and linebacker Curtis Robinson, who will each be placed on IR. By waiting until Wednesday to move each to IR, the 49ers will ensure Ward and Robinson can play in 2022. Ward suffered what appears to be a significant hamstring injury and will miss at least the first four games this season.

Hasty has resided as a fill-in back for the 49ers over the past two seasons; they have needed him in each. The team currently rosters Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon and rookie Tyrion Davis-Price at running back. Snead and Turner signed with the 49ers this offseason; each has practice squad eligibility. Teams can carry up to six vested veterans on their 16-man taxi squads. Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy beat out Sudfeld for the 49ers’ No. 3 QB job. Offset language exists in Sudfeld’s deal, Maiocco tweets, allowing the 49ers to potentially be off the hook for the $2MM they guaranteed him.

Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that Jimmy Garoppoloback after taking a pay cut — will be Trey Lance‘s top backup. While this would have been quite the gamble, Shanahan said Purdy would have been Lance’s backup had Garoppolo not accepted the pay cut (Twitter link via Maiocco).

NFC WR Notes: Isabella, Turpin, Doubs, Turner

Andy Isabella came to the Cardinals in 2019 with plenty of expectations. The 2019 second-rounder has yet to live up to his potential, though, which has led to his name being involved in plenty of trade speculation.

Arizona was shopping the 25-year-old speedster in the run-up to free agency, after his first three seasons in the league resulted in just 31 catches and three touchdowns. Given that they granted Isabella permission to seek a new destination, it seemed inevitable that a swap could be coming, but nothing materialized.

Immediately after the draft – during which the Cardinals acquired Marquise Brown – the UMass alum was again available to outside teams. However, Isabella has impressed the team during training camp and preseason, and he appears to have increased his chances of finishing his rookie contract in the desert. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that he has “had as good a camp as just about anyone,” which should strengthen his grip on a roster spot. Aside from Brown, the Cardinals also have DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore and A.J. Green ahead of Isabella on the depth chart, but he could be in line for a career-year in 2022.

Here are some other WR notes from around the NFC:

  • The Cowboys took a flier on the USFL’s leading receiver, KaVontae Turpin, late last month. After the TCU alum enjoyed a two-touchdown preseason contest against the Chargers in the return game, HC Mike McCarthy was asked about whether or not Turpin would handle the team’s kick return duties come Week 1. “I think there is a great chance he will be returning kicks against Tampa Bay,” he responded (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram) – a rather ringing endorsement of the five-foot-nine, 153-pounder looking to turn his spring success into a full-time NFL role.
  • Aaron Rodgers was publicly critical of the young receivers the Packers are incorporating into their offense last week, but one of them has established a noteworthy rapport with the reigning MVP. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes that Romeo Doubs has “really” earned Rodgers’ trust this summer, something which could pay dividends for Green Bay’s offense. The Nevada product put up back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns to finish his college career, and has seen first-team reps in training camp. He could be in line for a productive rookie season in a WR corps featuring plenty of unknowns.
  • 49ers wideout Malik Turner received a fine of $5,750 for unsportsmanlike conduct during the team’s preseason win over the Vikings, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The 26-year-old split his first four seasons evenly between the Seahawks and Cowboys, playing primarily on special teams. He is likely to have a similar role in San Francisco, though the league’s discipline won’t help his impressions with the team in the build-up to the season.

49ers Sign WR Malik Turner

The 49ers hosted two veteran wide receivers on visits last week. Both are now signed. Following Marcus Johnson‘s agreement, the 49ers announced they signed Malik Turner on Monday.

Turner also agreed to a one-year deal. The former UDFA will join his third team, coming to San Francisco after two-year stays in Seattle and Dallas.

A University of Illinois product, Turner has worked as a backup and special-teamer for most of his career. The 6-foot-2 pass catcher has 29 career receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those TDs came last season, though each occurred in lopsided contests — two in a loss to the Broncos and one in the Cowboys’ 56-point outing against Washington. Turner, 26, also participated on 59% of the Cowboys’ special teams plays.

Both Turner and Johnson stand to compete for backup jobs with the 49ers. San Francisco has its top three receivers — Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings — under contract. That said, Samuel was frequently used in the backfield last season; Aiyuk produced an inconsistent sophomore campaign; Jennings is a former seventh-round pick who missed his rookie year. The team adding veteran help makes sense. Johnson and Turner join ex-Steelers return man/slot player Ray-Ray McCloud as 49ers offseason receiver additions.

49ers Host Marcus Johnson, Malik Turner

On Wednesday, the 49ers met with free agent wide receivers Marcus Johnson and Malik Turner (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network). There’s no deal just yet, but both players could be considered for spots on SF’s 90-man offseason roster.

[RELATED: Frank Gore To Retire]

Turner, fresh off of a recent meeting with the rival Cardinals, first entered the league in 2018 as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks. He saw time in 21 games for Seattle between 2018 and 2019, followed by 20 games with the Cowboys (2020 and 2021). He’s spent the bulk of his time on special teams, though he’s notched 29 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns over the course of his career.

It’s a similar story for Johnson, who has 51 catches, 839 receiving yards, and three touchdowns to his credit across five seasons with the Eagles, Colts, and Titans. Although his sample size is limited, Johnson has shown that he can be a real deep threat. He’s averaged 16.5 yards per catch as a pro, including 2020 when he posted 18.2 ypc for the Colts.

In other team news, longtime 49ers legend Frank Gore finally decided to call it a career on Sunday. Gore, 39 in May, leaves the game with exactly 16,000 regular season yards and a career 4.3 yards per carry average.

Cardinals Host WR Malik Turner

The Cardinals receivers corps is questionable at best, so the team is looking to add some reinforcement. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Cardinals hosted wideout Malik Turner today.

The former undrafted free agent spent the past two seasons in Dallas, seeing time in 20 games. All of his offensive production came in 14 games this past year, when he collected 149 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 12 touches. Turner also had a consistent role on special teams.

The receiver spent the first two seasons of his career in Seattle, collecting 265 yards and one touchdown. He also got into one playoff game for the Seahawks, dropping a critical pass in a loss to the Packers. In an ironic twist, Turner had a brief stint with the Packers organization the following season.

DeAndre Hopkins remains atop the depth chart, but he was limited to only 10 games and 572 receiving yards last season. With Christian Kirk out of the picture, the team will need one of their other receivers to step up. The team is rostering the likes of Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch, Antoine Wesley, and Andy Isabella.

Cowboys Believe Gallup Is Done For Year

In the second quarter of today’s game against the Cardinals, Cowboys’ wide receiver Michael Gallup injured his knee while pirouetting back to the ball on a catch that resulted in a touchdown as he fell into the end zone. Upon landing, the 25-year old out of Colorado State immediately reached for his knee. Local Cowboys reporter Michael Gehlken was quick to tweet out a statement from team owner Jerry Jones after the game that Dallas believes Gallup has torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Gallup will undergo an MRI exam on Monday to confirm the early diagnosis.

Gallup missed 8 weeks earlier in the season when he was placed on IR after straining his left calf in the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. Since rejoining the team in Week 10, Gallup quickly regained his position as WR3, behind CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper. He was looking to play a crucial role in the league’s top offense, in terms of yards per game, as they roll into the playoffs. Dallas will rely on Boise State product Cedrick Wilson to fill the empty role, as they did during Gallup’s IR stint. Behind Wilson, reserve receivers Noah Brown, Malik Turner, and Simi Fehoko have spent time on the active roster, but haven’t shown much in terms of production.

This is unfortunate timing for Gallup as he will go into the offseason as a free agent. On the bright side, Gallup has given the league a strong sample of his work in previous years. In 2019, Gallup caught 66 balls for 1,107 yards and 6 touchdowns despite only playing in 14 games. Last year, despite competing with Cooper and Lamb for targets, Gallup still recorded 59 catches for 843 yards and 5 touchdowns. He showed similar yardage per game in his limited time this year. It looks like, due to an unfortunately timed injury, someone in the league will probably get a good deal on a solid starting receiver.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21

Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: CB Cam Lewis

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Place DT Neville Gallimore, CB Kelvin Joseph On IR

Two young Cowboys contributors will miss at least the team’s September portion of the season. Both defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph will begin their seasons on IR.

Gallimore is recovering from a dislocated elbow, while Joseph suffered a groin injury during Dallas’ preseason finale last week. While each is expected to return this season, neither can do so before Week 4. Gallimore’s timeline lines up with that return date.

The Cowboys made Joseph one of their top additions this offseason, one in which numerous resources went to a defensive repair effort. Dallas selected Joseph 44th overall. The 20-year-old defender who played at LSU and Kentucky was unlikely to begin the season in the Cowboys’ starting lineup, but this represents a setback to start his pro career.

Dallas also placed tackle Josh Ball, wide receiver Malik Turner and tight end Sean McKeon on IR. This batch of moves will free up roster spots for a few players coming off the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. CeeDee Lamb, safety Damontae Kazee and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins are coming off the coronavirus list Thursday.

Cowboys Claim WR Malik Turner

The Cowboys have added another pass-catcher, as Dallas claimed former Seahawks and Packers receiver Malik Turner off waivers Sunday morning.

A 2018 UDFA from Illinois, Turner spent most of his rookie season on Seattle’s practice squad. He played a decent-sized role on offense for them last year though, appearing in 15 games and making three starts. Overall he played around 22 percent of the offensive snaps while also playing a big role on special teams. He finished the year with 15 receptions for 245 yards and a touchdown, averaging a robust 16.3 yards per catch.

Seattle originally tendered him as an exclusive rights free agent, then pulled that tender. He waited until August to sign with the Packers, then was cut yesterday. The Cowboys have a great receiving trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb, but they don’t have much after that so it makes sense to pick up someone like Turner and see if he can develop behind them.