Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East
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 Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Washington moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Dallas Cowboys
Signed to practice squad:
- OL Isaac Alarcón, DB Kyron Brown, CB Deante Burton, S Tyler Coyle, QB Ben DiNucci, DE Austin Faoliu, DT Justin Hamilton, RB JaQuan Hardy, C Braylon Jones, WR Osirus Mitchell, FB Nick Ralston, WR Brandon Smith, DE Breeland Speaks, TE Jeremy Sprinkle, S Darian Thompson
New York Giants
Placed on IR:
- WR John Ross, LB Elerson Smith
Signed:
- WR C.J. Board (Board was cut (below) before getting re-signed), LS Casey Kreiter
Claimed:
- LB Justin Hilliard (from 49ers), WR Collin Johnson (from Jaguars), LB Quincy Roche (from Steelers)
Waived:
- WR C.J. Board, LB Trent Harris, WR Dante Pettis
Signed to practice squad:
- OL Jackson Barton, OL Jake Burton, WR Matt Cole, TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart, TE Jake Hausmann, OL Brett Heggie, DL Willie Henry, LB Niko Lalos, DL David Moa, S Jordyn Peters, RB Sandro Platzgummer, WR David Sills, OL Kenny Wiggins, WR Damion Willis
Philadelphia Eagles
Signed to practice squad:
- S Grayland Arnold, OL Kayode Awosika, OT Le’Raven Clark, WR Travis Fulgham, WR John Hightower, RB Jordan Howard, RB Jason Huntley, CB Michael Jacquet, CB Craig James, WR KeeSean Johnson, DE Matt Leo, G Sua Opeta, OL Ross Pierschbacher, S Elijah Riley, LB JaCoby Stevens, DT Raequan Williams
Washington Football Team
Placed on IR:
Signed:
- LB David Mayo
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Peyton Barber, OL Beau Benzschawel, DE William Bradley-King, WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, C Keith Ismael, CB Danny Johnson, LB Jordan Kunaszyk, G Wes Martin, LB Jared Norris, S Jeremy Reaves, DE Bunmi Rotimi, OT David Steinmetz, C Jon Toth, DT Daniel Wise, DT Gabe Wright
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West
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 Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers moves are noted below.
Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
Signed to practice squad:
- S Chris Banjo, WR Andre Baccellia, OLB Ron’Dell Carter, WR Greg Dortch, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Kylie Fitts, OL Sean Harlow, DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Koda Martin, TE Ross Travis, CB Jace Whittaker, S James Wiggins
Los Angeles Rams
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Landen Akers, RB Otis Anderson, TE Kendall Blanton, OT Chandler Brewer, DL Earnest Brown IV, DT Marquise Copeland, DB Dont’e Deayon, DB Tyler Hall, RB Buddy Howell, LB Micah Kiser, G Jeremiah Kolone, WR J.J. Koski, LB Justin Lawler, DB Kareem Orr, OT Max Pircher (international practice squad player; does not count toward L.A.’s 16-man total)
San Francisco 49ers
Signed:
- OL Jake Brendel, CB Dontae Johnson
Placed on IR:
- CB Davontae Harris, DL Maurice Hurst Jr.
Signed to practice squad:
- DL Alex Barrett, WR Travis Benjamin, WR River Cracraft, DL Darrion Daniels, OL Alfredo Gutierrez (international player; does not count against practice squad limit), FB Josh Hokit, TE Tanner Hudson, OL Corbin Kaufusi, OL Senio Kelemete, TE Jordan Matthews, S Jared Mayden, OL Colton McKivitz, QB Nate Sudfeld, LB Elijah Sullivan, CB Dee Virgin
Seattle Seahawks
Claimed:
- OT Dakoda Shepley (from 49ers), DB Nigel Warrior (from Ravens)
Signed:
- QB Jake Luton
Released/Waived:
- QB Sean Mannion
- G Phil Haynes
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Myles Adams, LB Aaron Donkor, G Greg Eiland, WR Aaron Fuller, WR Penny Hart, DT Jarrod Hewitt, WR Cade Johnson, RB Josh Johnson, G Pier-Olivier Lestage, TE Tyler Mabry, DT Robert Nkemdiche, CB John Reid, LB Jon Rhattigan, WR Cody Thompson
49ers Get Roster Down To 53
The 49ers made a long list of transactions today to get down to 53 players. Several of these moves have previously been reported, but for posterity’s sake, we’ve listed them all below.
Placed on reserve/PUP list
- DB Tarvarius Moore
- RB Jeff Wilson
Placed on IR
- OT Shon Coleman
Released
- WR Travis Benjamin
- OL Jake Brendel
- S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
- RB Wayne Gallman
- CB Dontae Johnson
- OL Senio Kelemete
- TE Jordan Matthews
- TE MyCole Pruitt
- QB Nate Sudfeld
- DL Eddie Yarbrough
Waived
- DL Alex Barrett
- WR River Cracraft
- DL Darrion Daniels
- OL Alfredo Gutierrez
- S Jared Mayden
- OL Colton McKivitz
- CB Alexander Myres
- OL Dakoda Shepley
- LB Elijah Sullivan
- WR Nsimba Webster
Placed on Reserved/Suspended List
49ers To Release Travis Benjamin
Another familiar veteran has found himself on the chopping block. The 49ers are cutting receiver Travis Benjamin, a source told veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (Twitter link).
Benjamin sustained a concussion during the team’s preseason finale, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweets, so maybe that had something to do with the decision. After Richie James Jr went down with a knee injury, the initial thought from many was that Benjamin would be in line to take over as punt returner, potentially saving him from being a cutdown casualty.
Apparently not so, as Kyle Shanahan has other plans for the team’s return game. A fourth-round pick out of Miami in 2012, Benjamin began his career with the Browns. He had a breakout 2015 campaign when he racked up 966 yards and five touchdowns. After his rookie deal ran out, he earned a four-year $24MM deal from the Chargers.
He put up some decent numbers in his first two years with the Chargers, but fell off after that. Benjamin signed a one-year deal with the 49ers last offseason, but opted out of the 2020 campaign. He does have a solid history with punt returns, with four career return touchdowns on 109 tries.
49ers To Cut Senio Kelemete
The 49ers will release offensive lineman Senio Kelemete en route to the 53-man deadline (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). He’ll likely reappear on the Niners’ 16-man practice squad, Pelissero hears.
Kelemete joined the Niners in June to provide some much needed OL depth in the wake of Justin Skule‘s season-ending ACL tear. However, the 49ers prefer the rest of their options at tackle and guard, including incumbent backup guard Tom Compton.
Kelemete came into the league as a fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2012. After one year in the desert, he spent the next five years with the Saints followed by three years with the Texans. He still had one year to go on his Texans deal, but they released him in February to save $1.73MM against the 2021 salary cap.
Kelemete appeared in 14 games with five starts for the Texans last season. For his career, he’s made 42 total starts at different positions along the offensive line. His versatility could make him an appealing pickup for other clubs, which would rule him out for the Niners’ taxi squad.
49ers To Trade LB Jonas Griffith To Broncos
Tuesday has marked a two-trade morning for new Broncos GM George Paton. After sending wide receiver Trinity Benson to the Lions, the Broncos are acquiring linebacker Jonas Griffith from the 49ers.
Griffith will head to Denver in exchange for a 2022 sixth-rounder and a seventh in 2023, Mike Klis of 9News notes. San Francisco will also send a 2022 seventh-rounder to Denver in this deal. This trade construction is similar to the deal Paton completed with Detroit, which involved Benson and a pick going to the Lions in exchange for two draft choices.
A 250-pound linebacker out of Indiana State, Griffith arrived in the NFL as a UDFA last year. He spent time on the Colts and 49ers’ practice squads and landed a reserve/futures deal with San Francisco in January. He figures to contribute as a special-teamer in Denver.
49ers Waive WR Richie James
SATURDAY: The 49ers will drop James from their roster for the time being. San Francisco waived the wide receiver with an injury designation and re-signed wideout River Cracraft to take James’ roster spot.
FRIDAY: As the preseason winds down, the 49ers have suffered a significant injury. Receiver Richie James has a knee issue that requires surgery, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Friday.
Shanahan said the injury will keep James sidelined for at least six weeks. A hamstring injury limited James to 11 games last season, but he still managed to play a pretty big role on offense. After serving mostly as a return man during his first two years in the pros, James was thrust into a more prominent position due to San Francisco’s health issues at receiver.
He ended up finishing with 23 catches for 394 yards and a touchdown in those 11 games. Often used as a deep threat, he averaged a robust 17.1 yards per reception. His true breakout came during a Thursday Night Football game you may recall, when he had 184 yards against the Packers.
After returning 33 in 2019, James only returned six punts last year as he focused on his receiving work. The timeline presented by Shanahan means he’ll miss at least the first handful of regular season games. He’ll presumably go on IR after the cutdown to 53 so that he’ll be able to play again this season.
It’s a tough break for the Middle Tennessee product as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. He was a seventh-round pick back in 2018. James was expected to be the punt returner again in 2021, a role which now will likely fall to veteran Travis Benjamin.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: S Brian Cole
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: QB Jake Dolegala
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Corbin Kaufusi
- Waived: S Kai Nacua
49ers, Colts Were Also On Matthew Stafford’s Destination List
The Rams paying up for Matthew Stafford led to numerous quarterback dominoes falling this offseason. Stafford is close to debuting with the Rams, who are among the NFC frontrunners, but he would have been fine being traded to two other teams earlier this year.
After Stafford asked the Lions to trade him in January, he listed the 49ers and Colts — in that order — behind the Rams on his destination wish list, according to Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com. Both teams entered the sweepstakes, with Kyle Shanahan confirming the 49ers’ interest, but neither’s offer approached the Rams’ proposal of two future first-rounders and change.
The Colts discussed Stafford with the Lions but were a bit leery about the 33-year-old passer’s long-term trajectory. They are not believed to have offered their 2021 first-round pick for the 12-year veteran. Indianapolis ended up sending Philadelphia a 2021 third-rounder and a 2022 pick that could well become a first for Carson Wentz. The 49ers were not believed to have been one of the six-plus teams to submit offers for Stafford, though Shanahan studied the QB while he was on the trade block and expressed disappointment upon learning the Rams acquired him. San Francisco then traded two future firsts and change to move up to No. 3 overall for Trey Lance.
Stafford also said there were teams he wanted to avoid. The Patriots are believed to be one, and Wickersham adds the Panthers were another. Carolina did offer its first-round pick — No. 8 overall — along with Teddy Bridgewater and a fifth-rounder. Carolina’s involvement here eventually led to Bridgewater being traded to another unsuccessful Stafford suitor — Denver — and Sam Darnold going to the Panthers. The Rams acquiring Stafford also led Washington, which offered its first-round pick as well, to move elsewhere. The Lions-Rams deal certainly served as the 2021 offseason’s pivot point.
Although Stafford did not have a no-trade clause, the Lions accommodated him after a lengthy January meeting when he asked to be dealt. Stafford initially went to Lions ownership about the trade request, Wickersham adds, noting that the team execs in that meeting were surprised but understood the veteran passer’s position as another rebuild approached.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: CB Luq Barcoo
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Steven Sims
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Nate Hall
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Austin Calitro
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed (from Rams): TE Kyle Markway
- Waived: DE Romeo McKnight
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: RB Rico Dowdle
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Damontae Kazee, G Connor Williams
Houston Texans
- Waived: WR Taywan Taylor
Indianapolis Colts
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Damontre Moore
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed (from Bears): OL Badara Traore
- Waived: OL Garrett McGhin
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Nate Evans
- Waived: DL Frederick Smith Jr.
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LS Steven Wirtel
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: OT Evin Ksiezarczyk
- Released from IR via injury settlement: K Riley Patterson
New England Patriots
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Marvin Hall
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: QB Clayton Thorson
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from active/PUP list: S Jaquiski Tartt
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed (from Jaguars): OL Derwin Gray
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OLB Harold Landry