SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/4/24

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

Isaiah Buggs will provide the Chiefs with some defensive line depth as they head into the playoffs. After playing a part-time role with the Steelers to begin his career, Buggs joined the Lions in 2022 and proceeded to have a career season, finishing with 46 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 17 games (13 starts).

That performance earned him a two-year, $6MM extension this past offseason. However, his playing time dropped in 2023, and he collected 12 tackles and one sack in 10 games (three starts) before getting released earlier this week.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith Out For Week 14

DECEMBER 10: Smith will indeed miss today’s divisional matchup. Lock is in line to start, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The 27-year-old will see No. 1 duties for the first time since 2021, the final year of his Broncos tenure.

Smith’s groin injury is one which is classified as having a two-week recovery timeline, ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds. As a result, it comes as little surprise that he will miss today’s contest. Seattle next has a Monday night game against the Eagles, and his ability to recover in time for that tilt will be worth watching in the coming days.

DECEMBER 8: Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith went into the team’s Thanksgiving matchup against the 49ers with a questionable designation as he dealt with a bruised elbow. Now, in this week’s rematch, Smith will once again come in questionable after tweaking his groin in practice yesterday, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

In the first game against their division rival, Smith struggled, perhaps due to the injury. Smith only completed 18 passes for 180 yards and an interception. The 49ers didn’t go easy on him as their defense tallied up 12 quarterback hits and six sacks. If another injury would deliver similar results, Seattle may think twice about putting him under center to start Sunday.

His newest ailment was a bit of a freak accident, as he tweaked his groin when he “stumbled over somebody.” Smith was held out of practice today in order to rest the groin, while head coach Pete Carroll remained vague about Smith’s chances of once again being able to play despite the questionable designation. It sounds like they’ll make their official decision during pregame warmups on Sunday.

If Smith can’t go, Drew Lock will be asked to step in and start in his place. Not only would this be Lock’s first start since he was a Bronco in 2021, but it would also be his first serious action at all since his time in Denver. Lock took the NFL by storm when, as a rookie, he stepped in as a starter after injuries to Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen. Lock would go 4-1 as a starter that year while throwing seven touchdowns to only three interceptions.

His first full season as a starter didn’t go nearly as well. In 13 starts, Lock’s completion percentage plummeted to 57 percent. He failed to match the efficiency of his rookie year as he threw only 16 touchdowns while leading the league with 15 interceptions. Lock lost the preseason starting battle to Teddy Bridgewater the following year, but started three games in injury relief, losing all three contests.

Since being traded to Seattle, Lock hasn’t seen any extensive action. As a Seahawk, he’s only appeared in two games, both coming this year. He came in during garbage time in the team’s win over the Giants and found a few drives as an injury replacement during the team’s loss to the Rams. Seattle is hoping that they can keep Lock’s usage low as they attempt to stay in the playoff race. They’ll hope that Smith will find no trouble in pregame warmups and be able to start with no limitations.

The concern is real, though. So much so that the Seahawks added quarterback Sean Mannion to their practice squad today. After Brett Rypien was signed off their practice squad by the Jets earlier this week, Mannion now stands as the only quarterback left to backup Lock, should Smith be unable to go. In order to make room on the practice squad for Mannion, Seattle released practice squad running back SaRodorick Thompson.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/6/23

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Dolphins swapped out a young secondary defender for a veteran defensive lineman. McKinley came in to play as an undrafted rookie last year after some injuries to the secondary, starting two games and notching an interception. Ellis is a former starter for the Raiders, Ravens, and Giants and could add some serious depth to the Dolphins’ line.

Nchami comes in to fill the practice squad spot vacated when defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher was signed to the Saints’ active roster today.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/31/23

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad transactions in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster

A new-look running backs room and the continuation of one of the best stories of the preseason underline today’s announcements. The Seahawks had made some cuts in the days leading up to the deadline, but here are the remaining moves the team made to get down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

While not a shock, the established running backs group looks a bit different from last year. The sole returners, Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas, will be joined on the 53-roster by rookie draft picks Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh.

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo gets rewarded for his outstanding preseason performance and will be suiting up in Week 1 of the regular season. The UCLA standout could even earn some significant playing time early as rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba deals with a fractured wrist and Dareke Young and Cody Thompson also deal with injuries.

Veteran former first-round pick Artie Burns survives the final round of roster cuts. Finally healthy, Burns played well in the slot, moving inside as rookie first-round pick Devon Witherspoon dealt with injuries and Coby Bryant played a bit at safety.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
  • Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.

Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.

Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.

Saints Sign WRs Keke Coutee, Lynn Bowden

Keke Coutee and Lynn Bowden worked out for the Saints at their minicamp this week, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill notes (Twitter links). Each will earn an invitation to the next Saints round of practices.

The Saints are signing both wide receivers, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Additionally, New Orleans waived wideout Malik Flowers, running back SaRodorick Thompson and offensive lineman Yasir Durant.

Coutee, 26, spent last season with the Colts; Bowden, 25, logged time on the Patriots’ practice squad. The former mid-round picks will vie for backup spots in New Orleans, which lost Jarvis Landry this offseason. The Saints still re-signed Michael Thomas, hoping the NFL single-season reception record holder can shake the injuries that have defined his 2020s, and return second-year speedster Rashid Shaheed. Longtime tertiary option Tre’Quan Smith also remains rostered, while the Saints signed Bryan Edwards and drafted A.T. Perry in the sixth round.

Best known for his time as a Texans slot receiver, Coutee failed to make Houston’s 2021 active roster and trekked to Indianapolis. The Texas Tech alum served as a regular punt returner with the Colts last season. That represented his most notable work since 2020, when the former fourth-round pick established a career highs with 33 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Since Deshaun Watson‘s on-field Houston finale, however, Coutee has only caught two passes. He auditioned for the Packers earlier this offseason.

A former third-round Raiders pick, Bowden is probably best known for being traded to the Dolphins before he could suit up for a game in Las Vegas. The 2020 draftee saw some action as a Dolphins slot/gadget performer as a rookie, hauling in 28 passes for 211 yards. He has not caught a pass since. The Dolphins dangled Bowden in trades last year before ultimately cutting him. The Patriots picked up the Kentucky alum and stashed him on their practice squad. The Pats waived Bowden in May. Like Coutee, Bowden has a return background — just not in the NFL. He saw punt-return action at Kentucky in each of his three seasons.

A three-year veteran, Durant played in one game for the Saints last season. The 6-foot-7 tackle out of Missouri has two career starts on his resume. A rookie out of Texas Tech, Thompson was part of New Orleans’ UDFA contingent last month. Flowers set the Division I-FCS record for kick-return touchdowns, with seven, and sits behind only Shaheed in Big Sky Conference history in return average.

Saints Announce 11-Man UDFA Class

The Saints have announced an 11-man UDFA class after drafting seven players over the course of the last three days. Here are the undrafted talents who will begin their pursuit of an NFL job with New Orleans:

Two of the above players, Davis and Orji, received guarantees in excess of $200K, as Greg Auman of FOX Sports tweets.

Davis has the size (6-5, 217 lbs.) and length that could allow him to find success in the pros, and he showed off serious big-play ability at the collegiate level, averaging roughly 20.4 yards per catch over four years at South Carolina State. That included 45 catches for 934 yards and 11 TDs in 2022.

That production, however, came against FCS competition. While the size of Davis’ guarantee indicates he was a priority signing, there are elements of his game — like his issue with drops — that he will need to clean up in order to have a shot at cracking the roster.

Orji, meanwhile, was a three-year starter for the SEC’s Commodores, as well as a team captain. Despite averaging nearly 100 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss over the past two seasons, he also missed a lot of tackles and does not have the speed that would make him an elite defender in today’s NFL. Still, there was a chance that he would hear his name called on Day 3 of the draft, and he should have a decent chance of sticking as a backup defender or special teamer.