Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Leonard Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Tre’Von Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Ramon Humber
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Saeed Blacknall
Washington Redskins
- Waived: CB Joshua Holsey
Chargers’ Joey Bosa Returns To Practice
Joey Bosa could be nearing a return to the field. The star linebacker joined the Chargers for practice on Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity. Bosa still may need time time to get in football shape, but it’s a positive development. 
[RELATED: Chargers’ Denzel Perryman Done For Year]
Bosa, 23, has been sidelined with a bone bruise all year long. Initially, doctors were hopeful that he would be able to suit up for Week 9, but the injury took longer than expected to heal.
The Chargers ranked third against the pass last season thanks in large part to Bosa, but they’ve somehow managed to stay afloat without him. The Bolts are 7-2 with their only losses coming against the Rams and Chiefs, two of the very best teams in the NFL.
In his first two NFL seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. The Bolts have the former No. 3 overall pick under contract through 2019 and will control him through at least 2020 via the fifth year option.
Chargers’ Denzel Perryman Done For Year
Chargers star linebacker Denzel Perryman suffered an injury to his LCL and probably needs hamstring surgery as well, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The double whammy will land him on injured reserve, ending his season. 
The Chargers have been one of the league’s surprise successes this season and Perryman deserves serious credit for their 7-2 start. Through nine games, the 25-year-old (26 in December) tallied 51 total tackles and an interception. The inside linebacker doesn’t have any sacks, but he is ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 23rd best linebacker on the strength of his pass rush pressure.
Perryman, a second-round pick in 2015, is no stranger to injury. Last year, Perryman started the year on IR and went right back after seven games.
Without Perryman, the Chargers will likely turn to Korey Toomer or Nick Dzubnar in the middle. It also stands to reason that they’ll add a linebacker, especially since Kyzir White is on IR and Chris Landrum is healing up from a hip injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/18
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Montay Crockett
- Released: OL Kyle Friend
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Arrion Springs
- Released: OL Jake Eldrenkamp
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Andy Jones
- Released: TE Hakeem Valles
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DE Anthony Lanier, LB Kyle Wilson
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Quadree Henderson
New York Jets
- Signed: RB De’Angelo Henderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Emmanuel Ellerbee
Chargers To Cut K Caleb Sturgis
The Chargers will release kicker Caleb Sturgis, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). To replace him, the teams plans to promote Michael Badgley from the practice squad. 
The move hardly comes as a surprise after Sturgis missed a field goal and two extra points against the Seahawks on Sunday. It was his first game back from a quad injury, but even before that, he missed three field goals and four extra points.
While Sturgis was out, Badgley nailed all three of his field goal tries and went 7-for-7 on extra points, so they have reason to trust the 23-year-old over the veteran. His first assignment as the team’s “full-time” kicker will come on Sunday against the Raiders.
Despite Sturgis’ struggles, the Chargers pulled out a 25-17 win over the Seahawks. Riding a five game win streak, they now stand at 6-2 and have a real chance at catching the Chiefs for the divisional lead.
Chargers TE Hunter Henry Could Still Return In 2018
Chargers tight end Hunter Henry, who suffered a torn ACL in May, still has a chance to return to the field this season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While a Henry comeback is a still considered a “long shot,” the third-year pro could give the Los Angeles offense a boost as the postseason nears.
This isn’t the first time a potential Henry return has been discussed, as reports as early as August suggested Henry could be available late in the 2018 campaign. Clearly, Los Angeles wouldn’t bring Henry back unless it had a legitimate shot at the postseason, and following a 5-2 start, the Chargers certainly have that. Per FiveThirtyEight.com, Los Angeles has a 75% chance of earning a playoff berth, although it will almost assuredly be as a wild card team given the success of the AFC West-leading Chiefs.
Henry is currently on the non-football injury list, but because he’s already been sidelined for an NFL-mandated six games, he’s eligible for activation at any time. Per Schefter, Henry has not suffered any recent setbacks while both running and squatting, and Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said Henry has “looked a lot better than I thought he would.”
The Chargers could certainly use Henry, as they’ve received virtually nothing from their current stable of tight ends. Los Angeles re-signed franchise icon Antonio Gates prior to the season and he leads the club’s tight ends in both receptions (12) and yards (123), while Virgil Green is pacing the Chargers’ tight ends in snaps.
Chargers Place LB Kyzir White On IR
Kyzir White‘s promising rookie season has likely come to an end. The Chargers announced that they’ve placed the linebacker on the injured reserve. The team has promoted cornerback Jeff Richards from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
White, a fourth-round pick out of West Virginia, was moved from safety to linebacker shortly after being selected in the 2018 draft. He ended up earning one of the starting gigs, and he proceeded to start each of his three games. In those three appearances, White compiled 17 tackles, two passes defended, and one interception. The 22-year-old didn’t end up playing enough snaps to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus‘ rankings, but his score would have placed him just outside the top-30 among 81 eligible linebackers.
Unfortunately, the rookie suffered a knee injury during Week 3, and he subsequently underwent surgery. The organization presumably thought that he’d be able to return to the field before the end of the season, explaining why they kept him on the active roster for so long.
Richards, a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Emporia State, has spent time in the AFL, CFL, and NFL. Besides a brief stint with the Buccaneers, he’s spent most of the past two seasons on the Chargers practice squad. He had a standout preseason, compiling 11 tackles and one pass defended.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/31/18
Here are the practice squad decisions teams have made on Halloween:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Gabe Holmes, DT Vincent Valentine.
- Released: DT Pasoni Tasini, TE Andrew Vollert
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Taveze Calhoun
- Cut: CB Deante Burton
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Robert Jackson
- Cut: DB Arrion Springs
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DE Alex Barrett
- Cut: TE Jerome Cunningham
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Lavon Coleman
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: K Michael Badgley
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed DL Ifeadi Odenigbo
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Jeremy Boykins
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/18
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OG Colby Gossett (off Vikings practice squad), TE John Phillips
- Released: OL Blaine Clausell, TE Gabe Holmes
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: DL Michael Bennett
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: DE Albert McClellan
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: CB Dontae Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: MLB Hayes Pullard
- Waived: K Mike Badgley
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: OG Jamon Brown
New York Giants
- Waived: CB Mike Jordan
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: DE/OLB James Cowser
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: DT Bruce Hector
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Victor Bolden, CB Greg Mabin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Javien Elliott
- Released: LB Kevin Minter
Washington Redskins
- Waived: LB Cassanova McKinzy
Joey Bosa Not Ruled Out For Week 9
- Joey Bosa could make his season debut on Sunday. At least, the Chargers haven’t ruled it out. Anthony Lynn said it was possible Bosa plays in Week 9, per Eric Williams of ESPN.com. Lynn said Bosa was getting closer. He’s missed seven Bolts games this season because of a bruised left foot, an injury he aggravated before Week 1. Lynn added he’s not ruling Melvin Gordon out, either.