18 teams had their seasons come to an end yesterday, and their front offices have already turned the page to the 2023 NFL seaon. This started today, as a number of players were signed to reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
It sounded like Trace McSorley had an opportunity to stick on the roster as a third QB behind Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy, but the Cardinals decided to carry only a pair of quarterbacks through their first wave of cuts. There’s a chance that McSorley resurfaces on the practice squad. The former sixth-round pick has seen time in three career games, completing three of his 10 pass attempts for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Aaron Brewer is a bit of a surprise cut after serving as the Cardinals full-time long snapper for the past six years. However, there’s a good chance the 32-year-old lands back on the active roster once the Cardinals place players on their respective reserve lists. The same could also probably be said of tight end Stephen Anderson, who caught 24 passes across 33 games with the Chargers over the past two seasons.
Marquis Hayes was a seventh-round pick by the Cardinals in this year’s draft. The Oklahoma product will sit out his rookie campaign while sitting on injured reserve.
The Cardinals made plenty of headlines yesterday by making quarterback Kyler Murraythe league’s second-highest paid player. They have made some other, less substantial moves today.
The team announced that tight end Maxx Williamshas been placed on the active/PUP list. The 28-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury in October, leaving a significant hole in Arizona’s offense. To fill the void, the Cardinals traded for Zach Ertzdays later. Still, Williams did enough in his third year in the desert to earn a one-year contract this offseason.
The former second-rounder is no stranger to injuries. Williams has played a full season only once in his seven-year career, back in 2019. Since then, he has made just 14 appearances in total, prompting the Cardinals to retain Ertz and add Trey McBridein the draft. Williams will therefore have plenty of competition for playing time upon his return.
Meanwhile, the team also confirmed the signing of wideout Victor Bolden Jr. The five-foot-nine, 175-pounder played a pivotal role in helping the Birmingham Stallions win the USFL title. Overall, he ranked fourth in the spring league with 415 receiving yards, numbers which translated to the championship game (of which he was named MVP). In addition, he showcased his ability as a returner, with 794 yards on special teams. That was Bolden’s calling card during his previous stint in the NFL, which began by signing as a UDFA with the 49ers in 2017 and ended last summer when he was waived by the Lions.
Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: C Ryan Kelly, WR Zach Pascal, QB Carson Wentz; the trio landed on the coronavirus list due to being high-risk close contacts, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets
