NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/23
Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: FB Ben Mason
Carolina Panthers
- Released: QB Jake Luton
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Craig James
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Izaiah Gathings, WR Anthony Miller
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: CB Troy Pride Jr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from practice squad/injured reserve: T Silas Dzansi
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Saints): RB Tony Jones Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Penny Hart
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: RB Patrick Taylor
- Released: OLB Justin Hollins
- Elevated: CB Corey Ballentine
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Tyler Hall, CB Troy Pride Jr.
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Christopher Hinton
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: G Tommy Kraemer
Jones will be headed to his third team since the preseason concluded. With James Conner going down with a knee injury, the Cardinals are better equipping themselves in the backfield. Jones, who went to camp with the Broncos and had returned to the Saints, will head to the desert. Jones scored two touchdowns in the Saints’ Week 2 win over the Panthers and played in three other Saints games this season. But the team waived him Saturday. Jones will join Keaontay Ingram and rookie UDFA Emari Demercado on Arizona’s active roster; Damien Williams resides on the Cardinals’ practice squad. Ingram has missed time with a neck injury recently.
Because the Packers have used up their practice squad elevations with Taylor, they are signing him to their 53-man roster. Taylor will come up to replace Aaron Jones, whom the Pack declared inactive. Despite Jones having returned for Week 4, the standout starter is out again with a hamstring injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/23
Today’s taxi squad moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams
- Placed on IR: S Jovante Moffatt
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Godwin Igwebuike
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Michael Strachan
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Michael Bandy
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: T Sebastian Gutierrez, CB Troy Pride Jr.
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Jaret Patterson, OLB Ty Shelby
New England Patriots
- Signed: QB Ian Book, DB William Hooper
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Faion Hicks, TE Michael Jacobson, OLB Terrell Lewis, LB Ty Summers
- Placed on IR: LB Ryan Connelly
- Released: WR Jontre Kirklin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL John Molchon
Saints Officially Set 53-Man Roster
The Saints welcomed back some old faces and said goodbye to others on their way towards setting their initial 53-man roster. Here are the moves the team made in their efforts to select the team they will open the season with:
Released:
- LB Ryan Connelly
- TE J.P. Holtz
- TE Jesse James
- T Storm Norton
- CB Bradley Roby
- LB Jaylon Smith
- LB Ty Summers
- RB Darrel Williams
Waived:
- S Johnathan Abram
- LB Nick Anderson
- WR Kawaan Baker
- FB Jake Bargas
- WR Lynn Bowden
- DL Jerron Cage
- WR Shaq Davis
- DT Prince Emili
- OL Mark Evans II
- G Chuck Filiaga
- DB Adrian Frye
- P Blake Gillikin
- DT Jack Heflin
- DB Anthony Johnson
- OL Lewis Kidd
- WR Jontrae Kirklin
- G Tommy Kraemer
- TE Lucas Krull
- DE Niko Lalos
- RB Ellis Merriweather
- S Smoke Monday
- LB Anfernee Orji
- DE Kyle Phillips
- OL Alex Pihlstrom
- DB Troy Pride
- OL Calvin Throckmorton
The veteran tight end James will have to continue his recent tour of the NFL. He, Holtz, and Krull fell victim to the reunion of New Orleans and former All-Pro Jimmy Graham.
On defense, Smith failed to make the roster after starting 11 games for the Giants last year. Roby is another player who was initially expected to contribute, but will have to pack up his locker.
With the emergence of rookie third-round pick Kendre Miller and the eventual return of Alvin Kamara, keeping Williams in the running backs room just wasn’t worth the roster spot.
On special teams, the third-year punter Gillikin lost the punting battle with undrafted rookie signee out of Miami (FL) Lou Hedley. The viral, jacked, tatted-up, Australian, 30-year-old rookie punter makes his first NFL roster as part of the Saints’ new-look special teams group.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/23
Teams continue to sign players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- P Nolan Cooney, OL Julién Davenport, LS Joe Fortunato, K Elliott Fry, CB Nate Hairston, S JuJu Hughes, LB Blake Lynch, TE Chris Pierce, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Lachavious Simmons, WR Auden Tate, S Josh Thomas, OL Badara Traore, WR Javon Wims
Denver Broncos
New Orleans Saints
- G Koda Martin, CB Troy Pride
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DB Madre Harper, DB Kenny Robinson, DB Chris Wilcox
WR Dazz Newsome Auditions For Titans, Schedules Patriots Workout
The Bears’ new regime cut the cord on wide receiver Dazz Newsome quickly, waiving the former sixth-round pick before his second season. Unclaimed on waivers, Newsome has generated interest as a free agency addition.
Newsome was part of a Titans workout Friday, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets, and is slated to audition for the Patriots on Sunday. While the North Carolina alum would make for an interesting flier, he will soon be competing with dozens of receivers in a similar position. Teams are required to cut down from 80 to 53 by 3pm CT Tuesday.
A four-year Tar Heels contributor, Newsome joined Javonte Williams, Michael Carter and Dyami Brown in a strong nucleus surrounding Sam Howell. Despite both Newsome and Brown surpassing 1,000 yards in 2019, with Brown at 1,034 and Newsome at 1,018, Washington took the latter in Round 3 last year. Newsome fell to pick 221.
Newsome primarily worked as a punt returner for the Bears last season, one that began after he suffered a broken collarbone in the offseason, but only played in three games. Newsome also spent time on the Bears’ practice squad. With P-squads still at 16 for the 2022 season, Newsome figures to have another opportunity soon.
The Patriots are down their second-round pick, wideout Tyquan Thornton, for an extended stretch because of a collarbone injury. Even with Thornton almost certain to begin the season on IR, the Pats still have a host of veterans — Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor and DeVante Parker — in line to be regulars.
The Titans have Robert Woods atop their depth chart and have seen nice early returns from fifth-round rookie Kyle Phillips. Treylon Burks has not been as quick to assimilate, but the first-round pick obviously remains a key part of the team’s future. Spot starter Nick Westbrook-Ikhine also remains in the picture for Tennessee, which made Jets wideout Vyncint Smith, ex-Panthers cornerback Troy Pride, 2021 Broncos fifth-round corner Jamar Johnson and quarterback Kurt Benkert part of Friday’s workout, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets.
NFL Workouts: 7/25/22
As players are moved to the PUP and NFI lists and rosters are starting to take shape for the start of training camps, many players are searching for opportunities to make a team.
Here’s the list of players who have received workouts or taken visits today and this past weekend:
Atlanta Falcons
- CB DeMarkus Acy, CB Cortez Davis, CB Troy Pride
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Wayne Gallman, RB Corey Clement (signed), QB Vad Lee
Buffalo Bills
- CB Luq Barcoo, CB Donte Deayon, TE Stephen Carlson, TE Austin Fort, TE Gene Scott, S Marqui Christian, G Jamil Demby, G Jordan Simmons (signed), T Drew Himmelman, DE Damontre Moore, C Cole Toner
Carolina Panthers
- NT Danny Shelton (story)
Chicago Bears
- OL Michael Schofield (signed)
Cincinnati Bengals
- LB T.J. Brunson, LB Tegray Scales (signed), DT Domenique Davis (signed), DE Raymond Johnson (signed), DE Chris Odom, TE MyCole Pruitt
Green Bay Packers
- QB Nate Stanley, WR Jonathan Adams, WR Osirus Mitchell (signed), WR Ryan Wisniewski, C Ty Clary, G Denzel Okafor, CB Donte Vaughn, S Dallin Leavitt (signed)
Houston Texans
- RB Austin Walter, RB Artavis Pierce, RB Max Borghi, RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Isaiah Ford, WR John Hurst, WR Ishmael Hyman, WR Tyson Morris
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Kyle Sloter (signed)
Kansas City Chiefs
- T Evin Ksiezarczyk (signed), David Steinmetz (signed)
Las Vegas Raiders
- S Steven Parker, S Jarrod Wilson, DE Abdullah Anderson, TE Ryan Becker, TE Cole Hikutini, TE Ethan Wolf
New England
- WR Derrick Dillon, WR Terry Godwin, WR Andrew Jamiel, WR Cinque Sweeting, TE La’Michael Pettway
New York Giants
- T Kendall Lamm, TE Eric Ebron, S Andrew Adams (signed), S Jack Koerner, T Caleb Benenoch, T Kamaal Seymour, DT Darrion Daniels, TE Kahale Warring, WR Marcus Kemp, DE Nicholas Williams
New York Jets
- WR Pharoh Cooper, WR Rashard Davis, QB Chris Streveler, G Isaiah Williams (signed)
Philadelphia Eagles
- RB JaQuan Hardy, TE Connor Davis, TE Jaeden Graham, TE Farrod Greene, RB Trey Ragas, WR Lance Lenoir, C Cameron Tom
San Francisco 49ers
- DE T.J. Carter, DT Tomasi Laulile, DT Robert Nkemdiche
Seattle Seahawks
- K Brandon Aubrey, DT Jared Brinkman, DT Antonio Valentino, TE Jake Hausmann, TE Rodell Rahmaan, DE Adam Rodriguez
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- TE Kyle Rudolph (signed)
Tennessee Titans
- S Jalen Elliott, CB Joshua Kalu (signed)
NFL Workout Updates: 7/23/22
This week saw two free agents in very different situations get workouts:
- Former Panthers cornerback Troy Pride worked out for the Ravens on Thursday, according to Adam Caplan of Fox Sports. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Pride started eight games as a rookie before being placed on injured reserve to end the season. A torn ACL in the preseason last year forced him to miss the entire 2021 season. The Panthers waived Pride in May after he failed his physical. He’s looking to join a Ravens defense that currently rosters Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, Kyle Fuller, Jalyn Armour-Davis, and others. Baltimore is likely more than willing to add depth at the position after seeing Humphrey and Peters both suffer season-ending injuries last year. The team also cut 2019 fourth-round pick Iman Marshall today, so Pride could be a potential depth addition behind the other two offseason additions of the veteran Fuller and the rookie Armour-Davis.
- Another USFL story is in the works as former New Orleans Breakers quarterback Kyle Sloter was hosted by the Jaguars on a free agent visit this week, as reported by ESPN’s Field Yates. Sloter has spent time on many NFL practice squads and rosters over the years. Since going undrafted in 2017, Sloter has signed to join the Broncos, Vikings, Cardinals, Lions, Raiders, and Vikings again before his stint in the USFL. Sloter wasn’t one of the names expected to jump leagues. In his 9 weeks of play, Sloter completed 57.7% of his passes for 1,798 yards while throwing only 9 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Perhaps the playing experience will help solidify Sloter into a backup role with a squad or maybe he’ll be slotted as a camp arm. Regardless, with this visit, he’s aiming to compete with C.J. Beathard, Jake Luton, and EJ Perry for the right to backup Trevor Lawrence in Duval.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Christian Blake, S Tae Daley, QB Jarrett Guarantano, OL Greg Long, RB T.J. Pledger, WR Jared Smart
- Waived: LB Ron’Dell Carter, OL Marcus Henry, LB Changa Hodge, S Kekaula Kaniho, DL Will Miles, WR Stephon Robinson
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Tucker Fisk
- Waived: WR Chad Hansen, TE Daniel Helm, DB Luther Kirk
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Vince Biegel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT C.J. Brewer, DT Prince Emili, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, T Will Ulmer
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OT Wyatt Miller, TE Jared Scott
- Waived: DB Drew Hartlaub (left squad), CB Troy Pride Jr. (failed physical)
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Junior Faulk
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Zack Johnson
- Waived: CB Cortez Davis
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OLB Natrez Patrick
- Waived: OLB Jessie Lemonier
Houston Texans
- Claimed: DB Kendall Sheffield (from Falcons), WR Connor Wedington (from 49ers)
- Waived: CB Reggie Robinson
- Waived/injured: S Kolby Harvell-Peel
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Naz Bohannon, WR Marvin Hall, WR Willie Johnson, WR Ryan McDaniel
- Waived: WR Terry Godwin, WR Josh Hammond, S Sean Mahone, OL Marcus Tatum
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Stanford Samuels III, T Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
- Waived: C Brett Heggie, WR Tré Turner
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB William Kwenkeu
- Waived: LB Tuf Borland
New England Patriots
- Signed: LS Ross Reiter
- Waived: DB Devin Hafford, QB/WR D’Eriq King
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Keric Wheatfall
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Elijah Jones, T Liam Ryan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Kameron Brown, DL Mike Greene, TE J.J. Howland
- Waived: DL Kobe Smith, WR Austin Watkins
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kenneth George
- Placed on IR: S Jamal Carter
Washington Commanders
- Claimed (from Broncos): T Drew Himmelman
- Signed: CB Nijuel Hill, LB Bryce Notree
- Waived: G Zack Bailey, LB Jordan Kunaszyk