Tim Boyle

Titans Sign QB Trevor Siemian, Release QB Tim Boyle

The Titans have not looked to add a quarterback in the wake of losing Will Levis for the season. The team has nevertheless made a change at the position.

Trevor Siemian was signed by Tennessee on Monday, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, Tim Boyle was released. Siemian will now receive an opportunity to compete with Brandon Allen for the backup gig (or at least solidify the QB3 spot) over the remainder of the offseason. Boyle will hit free agency in a bid to find another opportunity before roster cuts.

The Titans selected Cam Ward first overall in this year’s draft, and the Levis injury further ensured he will handled starting duties right away during his rookie campaign. The free agent departure of Mason Rudolph has led to a number of moves for the team this offseason, though. That included signing Boyle in March; the journeyman has made 23 appearances and five starts in the NFL and played in Tennessee’s preseason opener. Boyle completed four of 13 attempts with one interceptions against the Buccaneers.

In the wake of that performance (plus his showings in practice, of course), the Titans have decided to move on. Siemian will now join the fold in time for the team’s final two preseason games. The 33-year-old has made 33 starts in his career, including three with the Jets in 2023; that doubles as his most recent regular season game action. Siemian spent much of last year with the Titans on their practice squad, being elevated to the gameday roster three times but never seeing the field.

The former seventh-rounder is thus a familiar face to head coach Brian Callahan and Co. The same is also true, however, of Allen based on his time with Callahan in Cincinnati. Both veterans will offer experience to Ward provided they survive roster cuts. If Siemian is released later this month, he will obviously be a practice squad candidate.

To no surprise, the Titans also activated center Lloyd Cushenberry from the active/PUP list today. The 2024 free agent signing has been rehabbing the Achilles tear which cut his debut Tennessee campaign short, but Callahan recently noted a return to practice was likely in store. Cushenberry will use the coming weeks to prepare himself for starting duties on an offensive line which has undergone a number of changes this offseason.

Titans Unlikely To Add Another Quarterback

The Titans are down a quarterback following Will Levis‘ sudden season-ending shoulder surgery. While the injury opens up even more camp reps for first-overall pick Cam Ward, there was some speculation that the organization could look to add another player at the position.

[RELATED: Titans QB Will Levis To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery]

It sounds like that won’t be the case. Titans GM Mike Borgonzi told reporters that he feels good about his current grouping of quarterbacks and doesn’t anticipate adding another player to the mix (via Jim Wyatt of the team’s website). Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com passed along a similar sentiment yesterday, stating that the Titans are unlikely to add a fourth QB to the depth chart.

To the Titans’ credit, the team did add a pair of veteran QBs to their roster this offseason, bringing in both Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. Allen brings 10 games of starting experience to Tennessee, one of which came last season with the 49ers. In that contest, the veteran completed 17 of his 29 pass attempts for 199 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a San Francisco loss. Boyle is winless in his five career starts, including a two-game starting gig with the Jets during the 2023 campaign.

Those two options are uninspiring, and there’s a chance the team only carries one backup heading into the regular season. Allen would appear to have the upper hand in the QB2 competition, as the player previously worked with head coach Brian Callahan when the two were in Cincinnati.

“He’s got a great feel for the system, how to operate,” Callahan said of Allen (via John Glennon of the Nashville Post). “He understands the role of the backup quarterback. He’s got a lot of experience he can share with Cam as well, from all the places he’s been, and things he’s done and seen … He can help manage the offense, operate it when he steps in there.”

Despite being in the NFL for only two seasons, Levis brings more starting experience than his two potential replacements, as the former second-round pick got an extended look as QB1 between 2023 and 2024. The team’s addition of Ward put Levis in a somewhat awkward spot, and the incumbent was a popular name in trade rumors this offseason. With Levis now out for the season, he’ll be sticking in Tennessee at least through the 2025 campaign.

Latest On Titans’ QB Situation

Cam Ward has not officially won the Titans’ starting quarterback gig yet, but it remains the expectation that will be the case this summer. Beyond this year’s No. 1 pick, Tennessee has a number of interesting decisions to make.

Returnee Will Levis saw some time with the first-team offense during spring practices, and he is thus a candidate to win the starting gig at training camp. More realistically, though, the former second-rounder is in line to begin the campaign as Tennessee’s backup. Trade rumors have swirled in Levis’ case, but new general manager Mike Borgonzi has insisted no efforts were made before or during the draft to move him.

Team reporter Jim Wyatt notes Levis can be penciled into the QB2 spot (pending a summer push on the part of an interested team to work out a trade). That would leave Ward in place to operate as Tennessee’s starter, with his development playing a central role in the team’s 2025 success. The Titans have two other passers in place entering training camp in the form of Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle.

Allen has familiarity with head coach Brian Callahan given their time spent together in Cincinnati. The 32-year-old has only made 18 appearances (and 10 starts) during his career, so he profiles as a No. 3 option at best. Wyatt notes Allen received more reps during the spring than Boyle, pointing to him having an advantage for the third-string gig. Presuming Boyle finishes the summer fourth on the depth chart, he will be a prime candidate to find himself amongst the team’s roster cuts.

Plenty of time remains for the pecking order at the quarterback spot to change, of course. How the four signal-callers fare during padded practices will make for one of the Titans’ top summer storylines. As things stand now, though, few surprises (if any) with respect to the depth chart should be expected.

Titans Sign QB Tim Boyle

While the Titans continue to move closer to selecting a quarterback with the first-overall pick, the team has added some veteran help at the position. The Titans announced today that they’ve signed quarterback Tim Boyle.

A 2018 UDFA, Boyle has settled into a clear backup role at this point of his career. The veteran has appeared in 23 career games, spending time with the Packers, Lions, Bears, Jets, Texans, Dolphins, and Giants. He’s gone winless in his five career starts, tossing four touchdowns vs. nine interceptions in those outings.

The 30-year-old bounced around the league a bit in 2024. He was cut by the Texans at the end of the preseason before landing on Miami’s practice squad. He got into two games with the Dolphins but was ultimately cut in October. He landed with the Giants, where he’d finish the season. In total, Boyle got into three games last year, completing 27 of his 50 pass attempts for 276 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

The Titans already brought in another veteran QB this offseason in Brandon Allen, and the two acquisitions join holdover Will Levis on the depth chart. A 2023 second-round pick, Levis wasn’t drafted by the current Titans regime, and the addition of a second clear backup could signal that Levis will inevitably be shuttled off the roster. There’s also a chance the Titans skip the QB position or trade out of the No. 1 pick, although that’s seeming increasingly unlikely as the team prepares for a second meeting with Cam Ward.

Dolphins To Prioritize Backup QB Job

Despite Tua Tagovailoa‘s history of concussions, the Dolphins did not upgrade at backup quarterback in 2024, sticking with Skylar Thompson and releasing Mike White before the start of the regular season.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said on Tuesday that the team was pursuing “a couple of top-flight backup QBs,” during last offseason, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but couldn’t finalize any signings due to salary cap constraints. Instead, they had Thompson and White compete for the backup job in training camp.

White lost and joined the Bills’ practice squad, forcing the Dolphins to scramble in Week 2 when Tagovailoa went down. They signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad and Tim Boyle off the street, though neither represented a serious improvement over Thompson.

Grier is determined to have more success finding a new backup after Huntley, Boyle, and Thompson went 2-4 as starters this season. The three combined for a 78.67 passer rating across their appearances, which would rank third-worst among qualified quarterbacks.

The annual quarterback carousel will give Grier plenty of options this offseason, though the Dolphins remain strapped for cap space. They’re already in the red for 2025 with just 37 players under contract, per OverTheCap. The usual array of cuts and restructures can free up some money, but Miami will still need to fill and upgrade their roster if they want to make the playoffs in 2025. Grier will have to balance his desire to shore up his quarterback room with his need to improve other areas of the team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/24

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB K.J Cloyd

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins has made just 64.0% of his field goal attempts this season, which includes two misses from inside 40 yards. Patterson kicked for Cleveland when Hopkins was injured at the end of last season, and his addition to the practice squad indicates that head coach Kevin Stefanski is considering a similar change this year.

The Titans signed Narveson as insurance for starter Nick Folk, who is dealing with an injury, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Narveson began the season as the Packers’ kicker, but after missing five of his 12 field goal attempts, all of which came inside of 50 yards.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24

Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.

Giants Activate OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, Promote QB Tim Boyle

To no surprise, Kayvon Thibodeaux will be back in action for the Giants in Week 12. The third-year edge rusher was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, per a team announcement.

Thibodeaux returned to practice earlier this week, opening his 21-day activation window. The team expected to have him back in time for tomorrow’s game against the Buccaneers, and that will indeed be the case given today’s move. Having recovered in full from wrist surgery, Thibodeaux will reprise his role as a starter along the edge for the Giants.

The former No. 5 pick has been out since Week 5, and in his absence Brian Burns and Azeez Ojulari have handled heavy workloads at the OLB spot. The latter was the subject of trade talk leading up to the deadline earlier this month, but New York elected to retain him. That move came as something of a surprise given Ojulari’s status as a pending free agent and the lack of contract talks which have taken place in his case. Nevertheless, it allowed him to continue adding to his sack total (which now sits at six) ahead of a potential trip to the open market.

Ojulari will return to rotational duties with Thibodeaux back in the fold, though. The Oregon product has started each of his 36 games with the Giants, including the entirety of the 2022 campaign during which Thibodeaux took a major step forward in production. He posted 11.5 sacks, raising expectations for this season (the first with Burns in the fold). Thibodeaux only managed a pair of sacks before landing on IR, but now that he is healthy he will look to deliver a strong finish to the year. Doing so could help his chances of landing an extension this offseason, the first during which he will be eligible for a new deal.

The Giants also promoted Tim Boyle from the practice squad. The journeyman quarterback was added to the taxi squad this week, suggesting he could replace Daniel Jones as New York’s emergency third quarterback for the rest of the season. With Jones now out of the organization, Boyle is set to handle QB3 duties behind Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock.

In a corresponding move, outside linebacker Tomon Fox was waived. The former UDFA has made 24 combined regular and postseason appearances, all with the Giants. A regular presence on special teams, Fox could remain with New York on a practice squad deal provided he clears waivers.

Daniel Jones’ QB3 Status Uncertain; Latest On Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll

For QB bubble-wrap scenarios, Daniel Jones‘ now looks closer to where Washington once went with Robert Griffin III compared to the two Jarrett Stidham AFC West instances over the past two seasons. It is conceivable Jones does not dress again as a Giant.

Today, the Giants went through practice with the six-year starter as the No. 4 quarterback. Recent practice squad addition Tim Boyle worked ahead of Jones, and Brian Daboll said (via the33rdTeam.com’s Ari Meirov) he is not certain which of the two will be the emergency No. 3 option in Week 12.

[RELATED: Giants Starting Tommy DeVito In Week 12]

Drew Lock handled the Giants’ scout-team work Wednesday, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy adds. No. 3 QBs often operate in that role during practices, but the Giants will not ask Jones to do so. This further points to the team doing as much as it can to ensure the veteran starter — who suffered an ACL tear in 2023 and missed two stretches due to neck issues during his career — stays healthy, as a $23MM injury guarantee would come into play if an injury prevented Jones from passing a physical by the start of the 2025 league year. Otherwise, the Giants can move on for minimal — all things considered — dead money.

Yes, Jones received a staggering six seasons — give or take some injury absences and Eli Manning starting the first two games of the 2019 season — of run as the Giants’ starter and is in Year 2 of a four-year, $160MM contract, but this demotion is not going over too well in the team’s locker room. Dexter Lawrence called Jones the best quarterback on the team, and Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adds others are disappointed by the way the Giants have effectively moved the QB out of the picture by dropping him to the third (or fourth) string.

Last year, Boyle ended up going from Zach Wilson‘s replacement to the waiver wire within hours; this came after Robert Saleh had still called Wilson the Jets’ best quarterback. While Boyle has a chance to serve as the other Big Apple team’s emergency QB Sunday, Lock is obviously disappointed by the team’s decision to start Tommy DeVito over him. Lock said (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) both Daboll and GM Joe Schoen met with each QB on Monday to discuss the depth chart shuffle. Lock is tied to a one-year, $5MM deal and has 23 starts to DeVito’s six.

That said, the Giants viewing DeVito as a better runner and recalling the spark he provided last year’s team factored into the decision, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano adds. A 2023 UDFA, DeVito profiles as the best candidate among the current QBs to remain on the Giants’ roster beyond this season. Jones will be cut, likely via a post-June 1 designation, and Lock will presumably move on to another backup gig. Though, Lock’s stock has tumbled since the Broncos’ 2021 Teddy Bridgewater trade.

As for Jones, he remains with the Giants. Russell Wilson being demoted largely for contract reasons did not lead to him leaving the Broncos immediately, though Derek Carr did step away from the Raiders after Stidham replaced him in Week 17 of the 2022 season. Washington had picked up Griffin’s fifth-year option in 2014, but when those were guaranteed for injury only, teams could bail free of charge the following year as long as the player passed a physical. Washington indeed released RG3 after his bubble-wrap season, when Kirk Cousins started throughout.

While this latest contract-related QB move could be interpreted as a tanking decision, that would be quite odd given Daboll and Schoen’s tenuous statuses. John Mara‘s votes of confidence preceded nothing but losses, and some around the league remain skeptical. Both the coach and GM’s jobs are likely on the line, with others around the NFL viewing it as closer to a 50-50 proposition the duo is retained, per Graziano colleague Jeremy Fowler.

Both leaders took over a rebuild situation, and Mara has hoped to avoid another quick dismissal. The New York owner fired Ben McAdoo during his second season and then canned Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge following theirs. Daboll has gone 8-19 since his 2022 Coach of the Year season. Schoen admitted (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) the better-than-expected 2022 season prompted him to make moves that did not serve the organization’s long-term interest. Jones’ extension, after the Giants declined his fifth-year option in 2022, would certainly top that list.

Mara gave Dave Gettleman four full seasons as GM; with Schoen delivering a 2022 playoff berth, this would be a quick hook. Still, Schoen’s actions during Hard Knocksfirst offseason project did not portray him well, as Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney are having All-Pro-caliber seasons. Whether Daboll and Schoen are brought back may now come down to DeVito, representing how far the regime has fallen.