Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/23
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on PUP: WR Marquez Stevenson
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from PUP: WR Anthony Schwartz
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from PUP: LB Tariq Carpenter, OT Caleb Jones, S Tarvarius Moore
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Ty Scott
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Isiah Brown
- Waived/injured: CB Jordan Perryman
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Blake Lynch
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Kevin Atkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Kyahva Tezino
- Activated from PUP: P Mitch Wishnowsky
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Ben Burr-Kirven
Washington Commanders
- Released: S Xavier Henderson
Ben Burr-Kirven was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks back in 2019, and he transformed into a key special teamer through his first two seasons in the NFL. However, he suffered a knee injury during the 2021 preseason that ended up wiping out that entire season. The issues persisted in 2022, and after spending that year on PUP, he was ultimately released in March. Coach Pete Carroll apparently reversed course and ended up bringing back the linebacker.
“He’s in a little bit of an experimental mode,” Carroll said earlier this year (via the team’s website). “The surgeries that he has had and the process he is going through, he is making progress. He’s always in the weight room with us. He’s always here working with a tremendous mentality. The nerve issues, really intricate stuff going on, so he’s had to have a really good attitude about it to stay in the fight and he is. He’s planning on getting back out there. So, we are going to give him every chance. If he can do it, this is going to be the place that he does it.”
Xavier Henderson was released today with an injury settlement, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The undrafted free agent landed on the physically unable to perform list earlier this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/23
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league as teams prepare their rosters for training camp:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on NFI: OLB Tyus Bowser
- Placed on PUP: RB J.K. Dobbins, FB Patrick Ricard, CB Damarion Williams, DT Rayshad Nichols, WR Mike Thomas
- Placed on reserve/did not report list: WR Rashod Bateman
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Austin Watkins
- Placed on NFI: WR Marquise Goodwin, G Colby Gossett, WR Anthony Schwartz, WR Mike Woods
Denver Broncos
- Signed: K Brett Maher
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on NFI: WR Grant Dubose, TE Camren McDonald
- Placed on PUP: WR Jeff Cotton, OLB Rashan Gary, C Jake Hanson, CB Eric Stokes
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: DT Nick Thurman
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on NFI: DE Tyree Wilson
- Placed on PUP: DT Byron Young
New England Patriots
- Placed on PUP: S Cody Davis, G Michael Onwenu, DT Justus Tavai
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Damarea Crockett, DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- Waived: WR Izaiah Gathings
Washington Commanders
- Placed on PUP: S Xavier Henderson
There are some big names in Baltimore that won’t be healthy to open camp. Two offensive youngsters who can’t seem to stay on the field, Dobbins and Bateman, continue to struggle to get healthy. Bateman sat out most of the spring after receiving a cortisone shot in hopes it would help get him back in time for camp. While he didn’t report, general manager Eric DeCosta expects him back soon, according to the team’s editorial director Ryan Mink. Dobbins has started thinking about his second contract this summer, and getting healthy will be key to gaining any leverage in negotiations. Ricard is no surprise, as head coach John Harbaugh predicted this placement a month ago. Bowser, though, experienced an unexpected flare up in his knee this spring after missing eight games last season.
In Cleveland, Goodwin experienced a medical scare recently when discomfort in his legs and shortness of breath turned out to be blood clots in his legs and lungs, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. He will miss the start of training camp as the clots are addressed.
In Denver, a kicking competition appears to be in the cards. The team held a workout for Maher, Elliott Fry, and Parker White back in May and ended up signing Fry. Now, with Maher joining the team, and the exit of Brandon McManus, the position battle between Maher and Fry will continue.
In Wisconsin, Gary and Stokes each ended their season after Week 9 of last year due to long-term injuries. Both will continue slowly working their way back in order to play big roles on defense.
In Vegas, Wilson, this year’s seventh overall pick, will have to be patient in finding his way to the field for his rookie year. He was expected to be cleared for training camp after ending his college career with a Lisfranc injury, but he’ll have to wait just a bit longer. The Raiders are counting on him to relieve some of the defensive responsibilities of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby.
Commanders Add 12 UDFAs
The Commanders reached agreements with 12 undrafted free agents. Here is the NFC East team’s post-draft class:
- WR Kazmeir Allen (UCLA)
- WR Zion Bowens (Hawaii)
- OL Mason Brooks (Ole Miss)
- QB Tim DeMorat (Fordham)
- S Xavier Henderson (Michigan State)
- DE Joshua Pryor (Bowie State)
- WR Jalen Sample (Minnesota State)
- S Kendall Smith (Illinois)
- CB D.J. Stirgus (Missouri Western)
- WR Mitchell Tinsley (Penn State)
- WR Brycen Tremayne (Stanford)
- CB Nick Whiteside (Saginaw Valley State)
Ron Rivera‘s team hunted for wide receiver help during the post-draft signing period. In addition to the five receivers in this group, the Commanders offered Oklahoma Baptist wideout an $80K guarantee. But he ended up with the Falcons. Washington still authorized some decent UDFA guarantees to receivers.
Tinsley received a $120K guarantee to sign, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds Tremayne signed for $100K (Twitter links). Tremayne totaled eight touchdown receptions over the past two seasons and caught 38 passes for 490 yards during his senior year. While Tinsley joins Jahan Dotson as an ex-Nittany Lions wide receiver, he was not teammates with the Commanders’ 2022 first-rounder. Tinsley transferred from Western Kentucky in 2022. One of Bailey Zappe‘s targets during his monster Hilltoppers one-off, Tinsley totaled 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in that pass-crazed system in 2021. In his Big Ten season, Tinsley amassed 577 yards and five scores.
A former Tinsley teammate at Western Kentucky, Brooks was a first-round USFL draft choice last month. He will put that potential option on hold. The 5-foot-9 Allen won the 100-meter dash in one of the toughest states to do so (California) and operated as the Bruins’ kick returner in multiple seasons. Henderson started 40 games for the Spartans, taking advantage of his extra year of eligibility.
The Jets extended DeMorat a rookie-camp invite, Pelissero adds (on Twitter), but he will join a few non-Division I-FBS UDFAs in Washington instead. DeMorat finished his final Fordham season as a Division I-FCS first-team All-American, lighting up scoreboards during a 56-touchdown pass senior season. DeMorat finished last season with 4,891 passing yards. He finished as a three-time first-team All-Patriot League selection and parlayed his record-setting career into a East-West Shrine Bowl invite.
At receiver, Washington has three defined starters — Dotson, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel — and former third-round pick Dyami Brown remains rostered. But this UDFA batch will vie for backup jobs. Although Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett headline Washington’s QB room, the team also has ex-Georgia starter Jake Fromm on its offseason roster. The team did not draft a quarterback.