Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: QB Tyler Bray
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: LS L.P. Ladouceur
- Signed: LS Drew Scott
Denver Broncos
- Waived: WR Jimmy Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Signed exclusive rights tender: G Lucas Patrick
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed ERFA tender: LS Luke Rhodes
Los Angeles Chargers
- Re-signed: WR Geremy Davis
New York Giants
- Re-signed: LB Nate Stupar
New York Jets
- Re-signed: TE Eric Tomlinson
Bears Activate OG Kyle Long From IR
The Bears will be receiving a boost just in time for the playoffs. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team will be activating offensive lineman Kyle Long off the injured reserve today. To make room on the roster, Chicago waived quarterback Tyler Bray (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).
Long suffered a foot injury during his team’s late-October victory over the Jets. The injury involved a tendon, and it wasn’t related to his broken ankle from 2016. His estimated time of recovery was six to eight weeks, and Long was healthy enough to be activated by the time he was eligible to return. Earlier this week, head coach Matt Nagy acknowledged that Long had completed an entire week of practice and would likely play most of the game this weekend.
‘‘Just talking to him throughout the week, I feel pretty good with him playing most of the game,’’ Nagy told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times. ‘‘But we’ve just got to kind of see if that’s where we’re at and if it is a pitch count. I think a lot of that, honestly, is going to be more so when you’re in the game: How’s he feeling?
‘‘If he’s feeling good, keep him going. If he’s not . . . maybe it’s just between all of us talking, ‘Hey, let’s just get him out.’ It’s good for him any way you look at it.’’
The 2013 first-round pick has battled through injuries over the past three years, missing a total of 22 games during that span. When he’s been in the lineup, Long has been among the top offensive guards in the entire league. Pro Football Focus only ranks him 28th among 79 eligible guards in 2018, but he was previously an annual inclusion in the top-five.
Current starting offensive guards Eric Kush and James Daniels have seen their way in and out of the starting lineup this season, and Long will surely replace one of them. Daniels, a second-round rookie, has graded out as the better lineman this season, per Pro Football Focus.
Bears To Promote QB Tyler Bray, Cut CB Marcus Cooper
Marcus Cooper‘s second Bears season did not feature much work. The veteran cornerback logged just three defensive snaps in 2018, and his time with Chicago may be ending.
The Bears, who are facing the prospect of being without Mitch Trubisky for their Thanksgiving Day game against the Lions, promoted quarterback Tyler Bray from their practice squad, Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
Trubisky was sore this morning and didn’t have as much shoulder movement as he expected to, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding it’s likely Chase Daniel will start in Detroit. This would be Daniel’s first start with the Bears. He did see action in blowout wins over the Buccaneers and Bills, however. Trubisky is listed as doubtful, pointing to a Daniel start in a key game for the NFC North-leading Bears.
Chicago may well have the quarterback depth chart the Chiefs once did behind Alex Smith for a three-year stretch earlier this decade. Both Daniel and Bray were Kansas City backups during a few of Matt Nagy‘s seasons in Kansas City. Despite being a 2013 UDFA, Bray — a Tennessee product — has only thrown one pass in a game. He signed with the Bears this offseason.
Cooper re-signed with the Bears on a one-year, $1.5MM deal this year as well. He started in four games and played in 15 last season, making 30 tackles. The 28-year-old corner missed time this year with a hamstring injury but has been buried on Chicago’s depth chart. He will head to waivers.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, S Demetrious Cox, CB Chris Jones
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Christian LaCouture
Chicago Bears
Signed:
- OL Dejon Allen
- DL Abdullah Anderson
- QB Tyler Bray
- WR Tanner Gentry
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- RB Ryan Nall
- OL James Stone
- LB Josh Woods
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
- OL Christian DiLauro
- DL Daniel Ekuale
- DL Zaycoven Henderson
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- OL Kyle Kalis
- TE Pharoah McKever
- DB Jeremiah McKinnon
- DB Montrel Meander
- DB Tigie Sankoh (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- WR Da’Mari Scott
- LB Brady Sheldon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Bo Scarbrough
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT John Atkins, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, DE Eric Lee
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Avery Gennesy, OLB Jeff Holland
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Mike Tyson
Indianapolis Colts
Signed:
- G Jamil Douglas
- RB Jeremy McNichols
- DE Carroll Phillips
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- DE Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Thomas Duarte, QB Cardale Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, T Eric Smith
New York Jets
Signed:
- WR Deontay Burnett
- C Nico Falah
- OT Dieugot Joseph
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- DL Bronson Kaufasi
- QB John Wolford
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G/T Denver Kirkland, DB Terrell Sinkfield, DB Rico Gafford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Zack Golditch
Seattle Seahawks
Signed:
- RB Lavon Coleman
- DT Frank Herron
- CB Akeem King
- TE Marcus Lucas
- QB Alex McGough
- T Elijah Nkansah
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- G Jordan Roos
- WR Caleb Scott
- LB Antwione Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed:
- OL Cole Boozer
- CB Javien Elliott
- DE Demone Harris
- TE Tanner Hudson
- S Godwin Igwebuike
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- LB Eric Nzeocha (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- DE Pat O’Connor
- RB Dare Ogunbowale
- LB Azeem Victor
- WR Bobo Wilson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Coleman Shelton, WR Austin Proehl, DL Deon Simon, QB Logan Woodside
Bears Trim Roster To 53
The Bears have reduced their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:
Waived:
- T Dejon Allen
- DT Abdullah Anderson
- LB Jonathan Anderson (injured)
- WR Demarcus Ayers
- LS Tanner Carew
- DB Rashard Fant (injured)
- DB John Franklin
- WR Tanner Gentry
- DB Doran Grant
- G Brandon Greene
- LB Ro’Derrick Hoskins
- WR Garrett Johnson
- WR Malachi Jones
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Cre’von LeBlanc
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- G Jordan Morgan
- RB Ryan Nall
- DE Elijah Norris
- DB Nick Orr
- G Will Pericak
- TE Colin Thompson
- LB John Timu
- DT Cavon Walker
- P Ryan Winslow
- LB Josh Woods
Released:
- QB Tyler Bray
- RB Knile Davis
- LB Kasim Edebali
- WR Bennie Fowler
- DT John Jenkins
- T Matt McCants
- DE Nicholas Williams
Placed on injured reserve:
- WR Marlon Brown
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claim: LB Jeremy Cash
- Waived: DT Josh Mauro
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed: OT Zach Banner
Chicago Bears
- Signed: QB Tyler Bray
- Re-signed: TE Daniel Brown
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: LB Lerentee McCray
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: DT Dylan Bradley
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: P Colby Wadman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Cameron Lynch
AFC Notes: Raiders, Flacco, A. Mack, Bills, Titans
The Raiders need to find a running back to complement Latavius Murray, opines Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Bair lists Chris Johnson, Tim Hightower, Matt Forte, James Starks and Ronnie Hillman as potential fits through free agency.
Earlier tonight, PFR’s Rory Parks previewed the Raiders’ offseason in depth and, like Bair, named RB as a position the club could address. Click here for the rest.
More from the AFC:
- Reworking quarterback Joe Flacco‘s deal and cutting $9MM off his $28MM-plus cap hit for this year would go a long way toward helping the Ravens make improvements, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. As of Wednesday morning, the Ravens and Flacco haven’t discussed a restructuring.
- The notion that Browns center Alex Mack has a clause in his contract preventing the team from placing the franchise or transition tag on him is untrue, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Corry notes (via Twitter) that Mack does have a no-trade clause, though. The 30-year-old is expected to opt out of his current deal in the coming weeks and become a free agent.
- A pair of escalators affecting the Bills‘ salary cap have been triggered, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets (Twitter links). Tyrod Taylor‘s cap number this season has increased from $1.3MM to $3.3MM based on an escalator and how his ’16 playtime incentive is treated. Bills center Eric Wood also hit an escalator that increases his 2016 cap number by $650K.
- Out of their pending free agents, the Titans are prioritizing nose tackle Al Woods and tight end Craig Stevens, Terry McCormick of Cover32.com reports. Woods made a career-high nine starts last season. Stevens has been a Titan since 2008 and is discussing a new deal with the team, per McCormick.
- Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniel is scheduled for free agency, but the club has too many other needs to worry about investing a decent chunk of money in a reserve signal caller, writes Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Teicher believes it’s time for either Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray to step up and take over for Daniel as Alex Smith‘s top understudy. Although the two have been Chiefs for a combined seven years, neither has appeared in a regular-season game.
- In a Monday roundup of Ravens news and notes, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun discusses the possibility of the team trading down from the No. 6 pick, and reexamines the likelihood of cornerback Kyle Arrington being released.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
PUP, NFI Players Soon Eligible To Practice
Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the Giants and Eagles, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many clubs could be welcoming injured players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to the practice field.
Of course, just because those players are able to return to practice doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player currently on the PUP list could return to the field for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest.
The rules for NFI players are similar to those for PUP players. If a player on either reserve list doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, his 2015 season will officially be over.
Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who can begin practicing as soon as this Tuesday:
- Atlanta Falcons: T Lamar Holmes
- Baltimore Ravens: TE Dennis Pitta
- Buffalo Bills: CB Cam Thomas
- Chicago Bears: WR Kevin White
- Cincinnati Bengals: LB Vontaze Burfict, LB Sean Porter
- Dallas Cowboys: OL Chaz Green
- Minnesota Vikings: CB Josh Robinson
- New England Patriots: LB Dane Fletcher, DT Chris Jones, WR Brandon LaFell
- New York Giants: T Will Beatty
- New York Jets: RB Stevan Ridley
- Pittsburgh Steelers: T Mike Adams
- San Francisco 49ers: C/G Daniel Kilgore
- Seattle Seahawks: CB Jeremy Lane, WR Paul Richardson
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: DT Akeem Spence
And here are the players currently on their teams’ non-football injury or illness lists, who are also eligible to begin practicing this Tuesday:
- Arizona Cardinals: WR Damond Powell
- Buffalo Bills: CB Leodis McKelvin
- Cincinnati Bengals: T Cedric Ogbuehi
- Cleveland Browns: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Randall Telfer, RB Glenn Winston
- Dallas Cowboys: LB Mark Nzeocha
- Houston Texans: T David Quessenberry
- Kansas City Chiefs: QB Tyler Bray
- San Francisco 49ers: WR DeAndre Smelter
- Seattle Seahawks: DT Jesse Williams
In addition to monitoring players on the PUP and NFI lists, it’s worth keeping an eye on players who have been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this IR-DTR spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.
That means that a player who was placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing on Tuesday, though he won’t be eligible to return to game action until Week 9. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after Week 1 will have to wait until next Tuesday – October 27 – to return to practice, while other IR-DTR players will have to wait until November to practice.
Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as Tuesday:
- Baltimore Ravens: DE Brent Urban
- Cleveland Browns: CB Charles Gaines
- Detroit Lions: CB Alex Carter
- Miami Dolphins: RB Jay Ajayi
- Minnesota Vikings: C John Sullivan
- New England Patriots: C Bryan Stork
- New York Jets: CB Dee Milliner
- Pittsburgh Steelers: C Maurkice Pouncey
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: T Demar Dotson
- Tennessee Titans: RB David Cobb
Chiefs Extend Tyler Bray Through 2017
Quarterback Tyler Bray underwent surgery on a torn ACL back in January, and will open the 2015 season on the Chiefs’ reserve/non-football injury list, but as GM John Dorsey said at February’s draft combine, Bray remains in the team’s plans. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Kansas City has signed Bray to a two-year extension, keeping him under team control through the 2017 season.
Bray, 23, tore his ACL playing basketball, which is why he landed on the NFI list, rather than injured reserve. When a player suffers a non-football injury, a team can elect to withhold his salary, but the Chiefs will pay Bray the full $510K he’s owed for 2015, as part of the extension agreement, according to Yates.
While the Chiefs made a concession on this year’s salary, they’ll get a good bargain on the two new years of Bray’s contract. Per Yates, those two years have a base value of just $1.925MM, with no guaranteed money.
The fact that Bray’s 2016 and 2017 seasons feature no guarantees means his roster spot in Kansas City is far from safe. But if the Chiefs like what they see from the former UDFA as he recovers from his ACL tear, the team could consider promoting him to the No. 2 role next season, with Chase Daniel‘s contract set to expire in March.
Chiefs Waive Junior Hemingway, Tavon Rooks
The Chiefs have waived Junior Hemingway and Tavon Rooks as a part of their effort to get down to a 75-man roster, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. KC also placed Justin March on IR and Tyler Bray on the NFI list.
Hemingway, a wide receiver, was selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Over the last two seasons, he has hauled in a combined 25 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Rooks, a sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft, offers great size for the tackle position at 6’5″, 280 pounds.