Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21
Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: LB Dennis Gardeck
- Promoted: S Chris Banjo, OL Eric Smith
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Cam Lewis
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: S Kenny Robinson, RB Rodney Smith
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: WR Malik Turner
- Promoted: DT Austin Faoliu, DT Justin Hamilton, RB Nick Ralston, TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: LB Curtis Robinson, OL Austin Schlottmann
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: K Ryan Santoso
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from IR: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
- Placed on IR: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (story)
Houston Texans
- Promoted: QB Jeff Driskel, DB A.J. Moore, LB Hardy Nickerson
- Activated from IR: K Ka’imi Fairbairn
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DB Dicaprio Bootle
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
- Promoted: RB Buddy Howell, LB Justin Lawler
- Waived: S J.R. Reed
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: C Cameron Tom
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: G Dakota Dozier, CB Parry Nickerson
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: C Will Clapp, T Jordan Mills, WR Kenny Stills
New York Giants
- Promoted: C Jonotthan Harrison
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: S Ashtyn Davis, S Sharrod Neasman
- Promoted: OL Isaiah Williams
- Waived: RB Josh Adams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: OL Jack Driscoll, CB Josiah Scott
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: OT Chaz Green, WR Cody White
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: DL Maurice Hurst
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: WR Cody Thompson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Pierre Desir, TE Codey McElroy, CB Rashard Robinson
- Waived: DL Khalil Davis
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: DL Amani Bledsoe, FB Tory Carter
Buccaneers Sign Pierre Desir To Practice Squad
In the wake of a key injury in their secondary, the Buccaneers are signing a notable name. Tampa Bay has added veteran corner Pierre Desir, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
However, Desir will report to the practice squad initially instead of the active roster. The move comes after starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered an elbow injury in the Bucs’ opener that will have him sidelined for at least a few weeks. Not too long ago Desir was a highly regarded corner, although his stock has dropped sharply the past couple of years.
Last year he started eight games for the Jets, racking up eight passes defended and three interceptions, but was cut in November. He then spent the rest of the year with Baltimore but barely played. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir rose to prominence with the Colts.
He started 23 games for Indianapolis between 2018-19, and was given a three-year contract worth $22.5MM in March of 2019. He got $12MM guaranteed, but made it just one year into that pact.
Desir, who turned 31 last week, will give Tampa some solid depth and a veteran presence in their young secondary.
Seahawks To Sign Luke Willson, Release Pierre Desir
The John Reid trade did not mark the only cornerback transaction for the Seahawks on Tuesday afternoon. They are releasing Pierre Desir, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Desir’s surprising release will clear a roster spot for Luke Willson, whom Rapoport adds will return to the Seahawks. Willson, 31, made a return visit to Seattle on Monday. The veteran tight end has twice headed elsewhere, but he will once again return to the Pacific Northwest and aim to contribute as a role player.
The Seahawks originally drafted Willson in the 2013 fifth round. He signed with the Lions in 2018 and spent time with the Raiders in the summer of 2019, earning some Hard Knocks screen time with the latter, but ended up back in Seattle for the ’19 season. After a short stint with the Ravens last year, Willson re-signed with the Seahawks in December. They will now add him to a group that is again dealing with a notable injury.
Colby Parkinson is rehabbing from a second foot fracture. Willson will team with Will Dissly and free agency addition Gerald Everett, though the veteran should not be expected to play a big part in Seattle’s passing game. Willson has not surpassed 200 receiving yards in a season since 2016.
Desir’s departure is somewhat strange for a team that is not exactly oozing high-end cornerback talent. Though, it does continue a trend for the soon-to-be 31-year-old defender. The Colts cut Desir in March 2020, and the Jets ended up cutting him during the season.
Desir, who caught on with the Ravens last year, has been with five teams — including two Seahawks stints, the previous one coming from 2016-17 — but has enjoyed quality stretches. He worked as a full-time starter in 2018 and ’19 with the Colts, who extended him in 2019. The former Division II standout will look for a new home ahead of what would be his eighth NFL season.
Seahawks To Sign CB Pierre Desir
Veteran cornerback Pierre Desir will venture to a new team. The Seahawks are signing the well-traveled defender, according to his agency (on Twitter).
Desir, who has spent time with five franchises since entering the NFL in 2014, agreed to a one-year Seattle deal Wednesday. He will join Ahkello Witherspoon as corners who have agreed to terms with the Seahawks this offseason. The Seahawks are also moving Damarious Randall back to corner.
Following three seasons in Indianapolis, Desir played in Baltimore and with the Jets last season. The Seahawks, however, have been interested in Desir for a bit now. They pursued him last year, after the Colts released him, but Desir opted to sign with the Jets. A year later, Seattle will bring him in.
The Colts extended Desir following his successful 2018 season, when the Division II product worked as a 12-game starter for an improved Indianapolis defense. But Desir was not as reliable in 2019, which led to the Colts bailing on the deal in 2020. The 6-foot-1 cover man graded outside Pro Football Focus’ top 100 corners last season, allowing quarterbacks to complete 77% of their passes when targeting him — well up from the 54% clip he posted in 2018 — during his time with the Jets and Ravens.
Nevertheless, the Seahawks will take a flier on the seven-year veteran who has also spent time with the Browns and Chargers. Seattle lost Shaquill Griffin this offseason and should still be considered a candidate to add a corner early in the draft. But the team will try Desir, who is going into his age-31 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/15/21
Here are the latest NFL minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: CB Pierre Desir, QB Tyler Huntley
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson, RB Antonio Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: DL Brian Price, CB KeiVarae Russell
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Jared Veldheer; Veldheer tested positive for the coronavirus
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: G Alex Cappa
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: OL Sean Harlow, WR Chris Rowland
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: CB Pierre Desir, QB Tyler Huntley
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: LB Clay Johnston, T Matt Kaskey
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: DB Xavier Crawford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from IR: CB Tony Brown
- Promoted: WR Trenton Irwin, LB Keandre Jones
- Waived: S Trayvon Henderson
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: C Javon Patterson
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: FB Sewo Olonilua
- Placed on IR: DT Antwaun Woods
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB LeVante Bellamy
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: DL Brian Price, RB Dexter Williams
Houston Texans
- Promoted: Steven Mitchell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks, FB Bruce Miller, RB Craig Reynolds
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: CB Deandre Baker, LB Omari Cobb, WR Gehrig Dieter, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
- Placed on IR: CB Sidney Jones
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: DT Maliek Collins
- Promoted: CB Rashaan Gaulden, LB James Onwualu, DB Javin White
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: DE Joe Gaziano, TE Matt Sokol
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: OL Jamil Demby, S JuJu Hughes
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jordan Thomas
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: RB La’Mical Perine
- Promoted: LB Noah Dawkins, LB Sharif Finch, LB Brady Sheldon
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: RB Jordan Howard, DT T.Y. McGill, DE Joe Ostman, TE Caleb Wilson
- Placed on IR: CB Kevon Seymour, DE Josh Sweat
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: LB Tegray Scales, K Matthew Wright
- Waived: OL Derwin Gray
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: DL Bryan Mone
- Promoted: WR Penny Hart
- Placed on IR: G Phil Haynes
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: LB Brooks Reed
Washington Football Team
- Activated from IR: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
- Promoted: QB Steven Montez
- Waived: WR Dontrelle Inman
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: CB Delrick Abrams Jr.
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: CB Pierre Desir, QB Tyler Huntley, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Waived: TE Luke Willson
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: CB Xavier Crawford
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: G Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: CB Trevon Diggs
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chidobe Awuzie
- Promoted: T Jordan Mills, RB Sewo Olonilua, CB Chris Westry
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, LB Justin March-Lillard
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: T Halapoulivaati Vaitai
- Promoted: LB Kareem Martin, OL Marcus Martin, CB Alex Myres
- Placed on IR: DL Da’Shawn Hand
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: LB Brennan Scarlett
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, WR Chad Hansen, DT Auzoyah Alufohai
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: OL Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: CB Chris Claybrooks, G Andrew Norwell
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Tre Herndon
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Isaiah Johnson
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: DB Jake Gervase
New England Patriots
- Activated off IR: LB Shilique Calhoun
- Waived: DT Isaiah Mack
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: OL Will Clapp, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR Juwan Johnson, WR Tommylee Lewis
- Waived: TE Garrett Griffin, QB Trevor Siemian
- Placed on IR: WR Deonte Harris
New York Giants
- Activated off IR: S Adrian Colbert
- Promoted: QB Clayton Thorson, QB/WR Joe Webb, DB Jarren Williams, DB Quincy Wilson
- Waived: DB Montre Hartage
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: K Sam Ficken
- Promoted: LB Noah Dawkins, LB Sharif Finch, DL Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Blake Countess, CB Jameson Houston
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from IR: LB Mark Nzeocha
- Promoted: TE Daniel Helm, OL Dakoda Shepley, OL Isaiah Williams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Charlie Woerner
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/suspended list: DE Damontre Moore
- Placed on IR: RB Travis Homer, OL Jamarco Jones
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: LB Brooks Reed, OL Daniel Munyer, LB Wyatt Ray
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Kalif Raymond
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: QB Steven Montez, RB Michael Warren
Ravens To Sign Pierre Desir
Pierre Desir fell upwards. After being released by the lowly Jets earlier this month, the cornerback has agreed to sign with the Ravens (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). The deal will become official once Desir clears COVID-19 testing.
The Jets signed Desir to a one-year deal worth $4MM, plus incentives. He was on the field for nearly every down, but, like the rest of the Jets’ D, he wasn’t terribly effective. To date, he’s registered 47 tackles, eight passes defended, and three interceptions, but he often struggled in coverage.
On the flipside, the Jets’ front seven wasn’t putting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It’s also worth noting that Desir was the NFL’s second-best cornerback in 2019, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He’ll now join a secondary that has been mostly solid throughout the year, despite some hiccups against the Titans. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Chuck Clark struggled on Sunday, but they figure to be much more reliable going forward.
The Ravens will have Desir on Thursday night against the Steelers, but they won’t have running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins available. Both players have been ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19.
Jets Release Pierre Desir
The 0-9 Jets are making a change on defense. New York is releasing veteran cornerback Pierre Desir, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets.
New York signed him to a one-year deal with a base value of around $4MM and max value of $5.5MM with incentives back in March, hoping he could be their top corner this year. Desir had been playing a near every down role, starting all but one game this season, so this is a pretty big shakeup for Gregg Williams’ defense. Obviously Desir is a vet who is set to be a free agent at the end of the year, so as his play has slipped there’s no reason for the tanking Jets not to get a look at some of their younger guys.
Desir will finish his Jets tenure with 47 tackles, eight passes defended, and three interceptions. The three picks are solid, but Desir often struggled in coverage and was pulled from games a couple of times. A fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir spent his first two years in Cleveland before getting cut. After brief stints with the Chargers and Seahawks, he found a home in Indianapolis.
He was with the Colts for three seasons, and was a full-time starter in 2018 and 2019. After a surprisingly strong 2018 campaign he was rewarded with a three-year, $22.5MM deal, but was cut after just one season of that. Since it’s this late in the year Desir will go on waivers, and it’ll be interesting to see if a contending team in need of secondary help decides to claim his expiring contract. Bryce Hall, a rookie sixth-round pick from Virginia who was recently activated off the NFI list, should be one of the aforementioned young guys who gets more run with the Jets moving forward.
Jets Contract Details: Perriman, Desir, McGovern
Here’s some of the contract details for a number of Gang Green’s offseason additions:
Connor McGovern, (Jets): three-year, $27MM, $17MM guaranteed; $4MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $5MM (fully guaranteed), 2021: $8MM (fully guaranteed), 2022: $9MM; $1MM roster bonus in 2020, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.
Breshad Perriman, (Jets): one-year, $6.5MM, $6MM guaranteed; $3MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $3MM (fully guaranteed); $500k in per-game roster bonuses, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.
Pierre Desir, (Jets): one-year, $4MM, $2MM guaranteed; $2MM signing bonus; salaries 2020: $1.25MM; $375k in attainable incentives, $500k in per-game roster bonuses, and $1.37MM in incentives based on playing time and awards, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic New York.