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Matthew Wright

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/24

November 26th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE McCallan Castles

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Julius Welschof

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: DT Viliami Fehoko Jr.
  • Released: G Marquis Hayes

The Chiefs are set to roll with their third kicker of the season. With Harrison Butker on IR and Spencer Shrader sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kansas City had to add yet another leg to the roster. The team opted for Matthew Wright, who already has experience kicking with the franchise. Wright filled in for Butker twice in 2022, connecting on three field goals and eight extra points.

Wright has only got one extended look as a starter (when he got into 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021), but he’s still managed to get into at least one game per season over the past few years. Wright has already made an appearance in 2024, when he was responsible for 12 points in the 49ers win over the Seahawks last month.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/24

November 15th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor NFL moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

San Francisco 49ers

Wright was recently placed on injured reserve in order to make room for rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the active roster. He was an injury replacement for primary kicker Jake Moody before getting placed on IR himself. With Moody back, Wright’s place on the team became superfluous.

49ers To Activate WR Ricky Pearsall, Place K Matthew Wright On IR

October 18th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, Ricky Pearsall will make his NFL debut on Sunday. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday the first-round rookie wideout will be activated from the NFI list in time for Week 7.

The news does not come as a surprise since Pearsall began practicing this week. San Francisco had 21 days to activate him, but much less time than that will be required to bring him into the picture. The move confirms Pearsall’s impressive progress in recovering from the gunshot wound he suffered in August as the victim of an attempted robbery.

The 24-year-old’s move to the NFI list confirmed he would miss at least the first four weeks of the campaign. The team understandably took a cautious approach with his rehab process, and now he is set to handle a rotational role in San Francisco’s passing game. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are healthy, but fellow wideout Jauan Jennings will be sidelined for Week 7. That could allow Pearsall to log a notable workload in his debut.

The Arizona State and Florida product faces high expectations as the 49ers’ top pick in this month’s draft. Aiyuk is attached to a big-ticket deal, but Samuel has only one year (without guaranteed salary) left on his pact after 2024. That – coupled with the team’s other upcoming financial priorities, including a Brock Purdy extension – have led to speculation Samuel could be cut or traded this offseason. Moving on from him would position Pearsall to operate as key, cost-controlled offensive playmaker for years to come.

In other injury news, Shanahan added kicker Matthew Wright will be placed on injured reserve. San Francisco’s Jake Moody replacement is dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered during his season debut, and an IR stint will sideline him for at least the next four games. Former Packer Anders Carlson was added to the practice squad in the wake of Wright’s injury, and he will be elevated tomorrow to take on kicking duties for, potentially, the foreseeable future.

Bringing Pearsall onto the active roster will use up one of the 49ers’ in-season activations. They will now have six available, with a number of other players eligible to be brought off IR; that will be the case for Wright down the road, although by that point Moody may be full healthy.

49ers To Sign K Anders Carlson

October 15th, 2024 at 11:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Another short-term Jake Moody replacement option is in place for San Francisco. The 49ers are adding Anders Carlson to their practice squad, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Moody is dealing with a high ankle sprain, and his injury prompted a kicking addition last week. Matthew Wright was brought in, and the 28-year-old connected on all three of his field goal attempts and extra points in Week 6. Wright suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday, however, so this move will provide the team with a healthy insurance option.

Carlson was a sixth-round pick of the Packers last season, and he went 27-for-33 on field goal attempts during his rookie campaign. He missed five extra points, however, and Green Bay’s postseason run saw him miss one each of his field goal and extra point kicks. After struggling during the summer (one in which the Packers cycled through several kickers), Carlson was let go. Green Bay has relied on Brayden Narveson so far this year; the undrafted rookie has missed five of his 17 field goal tries.

Carlson has drawn interest since passing through waivers after roster cutdowns. The Auburn product visited the Bills last month amidst Tyler Bass‘ inconsistency. Bass remains in place with Buffalo for the time being, though. Carlson was also among the kickers who auditioned for San Francisco prior to Wright being signed. He did not do enough to land a deal right away, but his performance was clearly well-received.

Should Wright be forced to miss this week’s game (a Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs), it will be Carlson in place to handle kicking duties. Moody could be an IR candidate based on his recovery timeline, but no move on that front has been made yet. Over at least a short-term period, Carlson could find himself seeing game action with San Francisco.

49ers To Add K Matthew Wright

October 8th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers look to have their temporary kicker selected. After a five-specialist workout, San Francisco is going with Matthew Wright. The veteran fill-in will be added to the team’s practice squad, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

The 49ers lost starting kicker Jake Moody to a high ankle sprain during their Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, and their next game on Thursday gave them little time to find a replacement.

Wright has spent four years in the NFL as a mercenary kicker for teams in need of stopgap solutions due to injury like the 49ers. He played 14 games for the Jaguars in 2021 after Josh Lambo went down, and has also spent time with the Steelers, Chiefs, and Panthers. Wright has made 40 of his 47 career field goal attempts (85.7%), with a long of 59, and his PAT conversion rate is 94.6%.

Wright beat out Randy Bullock, Anders Carlson and Matt Coghlin for San Francisco’s kicking job, per Schefter. Riley Patterson also auditioned for the gig, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wright will have to quickly get on the same page as punter/holder Mitch Wishnowsky. Wishnowsky hit a 26-yard field goal against Arizona, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan declined to give him a chance from 44 yards, instead electing to attempt a fourth-and-23. The conversion failed, and the Cardinals would go on to score 10 unanswered points to win.

Wright is expected to be elevated from the practice squad for the 49ers’ Thursday matchup with the Seahawks. He will need to overcome a raucous Seattle crowd to help San Francisco keep up in the NFC West.

Packers Targeted K Brayden Narveson As UDFA?

September 2nd, 2024 at 3:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers’ multi-faceted kicker competition included a number of faces seeing time in the offseason, training camp and preseason. In the end, neither incumbent Anders Carlson nor veteran Greg Joseph earned the Week 1 gig. Instead, that job has gone to Brayden Narveson, a waiver claim following roster cuts.

Narveson joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent this spring. Tennessee already had veteran Nick Folk in place, and the 39-old will indeed handle kicking duties in 2024. As a result, the Titans attempted to have Narveson pass through waivers and land on the practice squad. The Packers’ decision to claim him changed that plan, though.

“I was fully anticipating re-signing with the Titans on the practice squad,” the 24-year confirmed (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). “Even from the forefront, when they were recruiting me, if you will, during the draft, that was the guiding idea that that was probably what was going to happen. But at the same time, I prepared, I got opportunities in the games, I executed in the games.”

Narveson’s performance in the preseason put him on the Packers’ radar as they attempted to sort out their kicking situation. General manager Brian Gutekunst noted in an interview with Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that the team attempted to sign Narveson after the draft had concluded. The Packers still had Carlson (a 2023 sixth-round pick) in the fold at that time, and Lambeau Field is certainly not the most attractive setting for rookie kickers to attempt to launch their careers compared to other venues.

Notably, Demovsky reports the Packers did not, in fact, make an offer to Narveson as a UFDA. The Iowa State, Western Kentucky and NC State product’s only known offer came from the Titans, explaining his decision to sign with the team despite having to compete with Folk. Now, he will aim to earn a long-term stint in Green Bay in his first regular season action. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur expressed his confidence in Narveson after only two practices with the Packers, during which he went 10-for-11 on field goal attempts.

Narveson’s college career saw him convert at an accuracy rate above 79% only once in a season, during the 2020 campaign. After Carlson had an up-and-down rookie year, Narveson will look to carry over the momentum he built for himself during the summer. Gutekunst added (via Dougherty) Green Bay showed interest in free agent kickers likes Matthew Wright and Chad Ryland – cut by the Steelers and Patriots, respectively, last week – but the team will rely on a less experienced option to start the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/24

August 26th, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Ely Allen

There have been plenty of posts today about a number of teams releasing and waiving players ahead of roster cuts. Here are the best of the rest of the minor moves for Monday:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DE Justin Blazek

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: DE Levi Bell
  • Released: C Mike Panasiuk

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived: CB Willie Roberts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Nelson was an effective swing tackle for the Lions in the past three years. While he wasn’t able to stick with the Giants, he’s likely to draw interest elsewhere in the NFL.

The Eagles like Sam a lot at safety, but with a number of veterans atop the depth chart, there wasn’t room for him on the roster. The team plans to retain him on the practice squad should he clear waivers, per Andrew DiCecco of 975 The Fanatic. The Buccaneers have similar plans with Isaac, Taula, and Wisdom.

Steelers Sign K Matthew Wright

April 10th, 2024 at 5:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Matthew Wright is set to begin another stint with the Steelers. The journeyman kicker signed with Pittsburgh on Wednesday, per a team announcement.

Wright originally joined the Steelers as a UDFA in 2019. It was one year later that he made his regular season debut, one which came after a brief spell in the XFL. The Central Florida product played in three games in 2020, making each of his kicks.

That led him to the Jaguars, the team with which he spent the 2021 campaign. Wright played 14 games with Jacksonville, but he found himself on the move once again in 2022. After beginning that season with Kansas City (and appearing in a pair of games), Wright was signed off the Chiefs’ practice squad to return to Pittsburgh. Filling in for an injured Chris Boswell, a the 28-year-old connected on 12 of 14 field goal attempts and went seven-for-seven on extra points.

This past season, Wright continued to bounce around the NFL, finding himself on the active roster and practice squads of the Chiefs, Panthers, 49ers, Falcons and Patriots. His lone regular season action came with Carolina. For his career (24 games), Wright has a field goal accuracy of 85.1%. He has made all but two of his 37 extra point attempts.

Pittsburgh still has Boswell on the books for the next three years, and the 33-year-old posted a field goal accuracy rate above 90% for the sixth time in his career last season. The reunion with Wright is therefore simply a depth addition which will give the Steelers another option at the position during training camp.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/24

January 6th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Ely Allen

The last week of pregame transactions and gameday callups for several teams this season:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Placed on IR: T Mike McGlinchey
  • Activated from IR: T Alex Palczewski
  • Signed to active roster: CB Art Green
  • Elevated: S Devon Key

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Placed on IR: TE Hunter Henry
  • Signed to active roster: TE La’Michael Pettway
  • Elevated: TE Matt Sokol, OL Andrew Stueber

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Several teams whose season is set to come to an end tomorrow have elected to move injured players to injured reserve in order to create roster spots for practice squad options, particularly those who have had their three gameday elevations exhausted. In the case of the Broncos, McGlinchey will see his debut campaign in the Mile High City come to a premature end. Signed to a five-year, $87.5MM deal, the 28-year-old was part of a revamped O-line which did not produce the desired rebound on offense. Manning his usual right tackle spot, McGlinchey was charged with eight sacks and 49 pressures allowed by PFF, resulting in an overall grade of 67.5.

While the Giants will have an interesting decision to make with respect to Xavier McKinney‘s future, they will have Pinnock on the books for at least one more season. The latter’s rookie contract is set to expire following the 2024 campaign, one in which he will no doubt remain a vital member of New York’s secondary. Pinnock has recorded 85 tackles, two interceptions (including a 102-yard pick-six), six pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles while logging over 1,000 defensive snaps this season. A return to health and a continuation of his 2023 level of play will be sorely needed next fall.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/2/24

January 2nd, 2024 at 6:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: S Jeremy Lucien

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: TE E.J. Jenkins
  • Placed on practice squad injured list: TE Cole Fotheringham

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn
  • Released: LS Alex Matheson

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Teams can begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts Jan. 8. P-squad contracts expire seven days after the regular season concludes, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reminds teams are not limited regarding the number of times they can elevate a player from a taxi squad during the playoffs. In the regular season, players are capped at three gameday elevations.

The Panthers are expected to sign Boone to a futures deal next week, per the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. After three years with the Vikings and two with the Broncos, Boone played in nine games with the Texans this season. As for Wright, this marks a reunion. While Wright’s first Panthers stay did not last long (Aug. 26-30), Carolina may need him due to Eddy Pineiro‘s hamstring injury.

Amid the Jets’ wave of O-line injuries, they signed Saffold. While the former Rams, Titans and Bills starter was with the Jets for several weeks, he did not see any game action in his 14th NFL season.

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