Seahawks To Release Dontae Johnson
The Seahawks will release cornerback Dontae Johnson from injured reserve today, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Johnson was slated to start for Seattle, but a minor injury landed him on IR just prior to the season opener. 
Johnson is now healthy, Pelissero hears, so he should be ready to join any club in need of cornerback help right away. Johnson started in all 16 games for the 49ers last year, so there should be a fair amount of interest in his services.
In 2017, Johnson finished with career-highs in tackles (77) and passes defended (seven). Pro Football Focus wasn’t all that fond of his performance, however, ranking him 118th among 121 eligible cornerbacks.
Johnson was expected to start at outside cornerback alongside Shaquill Griffin and slot specialist Justin Coleman, but the Seahawks have used Tre Flowers in his stead.
Seahawks’ Earl Thomas Skips Practice Again
Recently, Earl Thomas skipped two Seahawks practices inside of a week. Unfortunately for Seattle, this could be the start of a pattern. On Wednesday, Thomas missed yet another team practice for non-injury reasons, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) hears. 
Thomas is in the final year of his contract and is frustrated after unsuccessfully pushing the team for a new deal. Thomas has said that he would like to stay with the Seahawks “if they want him,” but if they don’t want to pay him at the top of the safety market, he would likely prefer a trade elsewhere.
The veteran’s warm feelings towards the Cowboys have been well-documented and were underscored last week when he bowed to the Dallas bench after an interception. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Cowboys are likely to trade for him, though it’s believed that the Chiefs could make a play for Thomas. If Thomas continues to express his frustration by skipping practice, the Seahawks could be motivated to move on from him before the Halloween deadline.
Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB Robertson Daniel
- Released: DE Myles Humphrey
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Jerome Cunningham
- Released: RB Donnel Pumphrey
New England Patriots
- Signed: S David Jones
- Released: WR Jace Billingsley
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Amba Etta-Tawo
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Ryan Delaire
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Azeem Victor
NFL Workout Updates: 9/25/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted.
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Ufomba Kamalu, DE Ryan Russell, CB Linden Stephens, CB Ronald Zamort (link)
Atlanta Falcons
- LB B.J. Bello, LB Richie Brown, S Sharrod Neasman, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches, DE Jeremiah Valoaga (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- CB De’Vante Bausby, G Jermaine Eluemunor (visit), WR Janorian Grant (visit), CB Prince Charles Iworah, CB Kalan Reed (link)
Chicago Bears
- WR Reggie Davis, WR Cyril Grayson, WR Carlos Henderson (Twitter link via Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan)
Cleveland Browns
- CB D.J. Killings, CB Peyton Thompson (Twitter link via Caplan)
Detroit Lions
- LB Zaire Anderson, TE Marcus Baugh, TE Jerome Cunningham, LS Ryan DiSalvo, K Kai Forbath, TE Temarrick Hemingway, P Jeff Locke, P Brad Nortman, LS Jeff Overbaugh, LS Taybor Pepper, K Cairo Santos, LB Brandon Spikes (link)
Houston Texans
- LB Kevin Minter, DT Chris Okoye, LB Hayes Pullard, LB John Timu (Twitter link via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Chad Hansen, RB Jeremy Langford, QB Paxton Lynch (via Caplan, on Twitter)
Los Angeles Chargers
- TE Jerell Adams, TE Vince Mayle, TE Wes Saxton (link)
New England Patriots
- DT Michael Bennett, DE Ryan Delaire, DE John Simon, LB Azeem Victor (Twitter links via Balzer and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport)
San Francisco 49ers
- WR Deontex Alexander, S Kelcie McCray, S Eddie Pleasant (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- C Dillon Day, T Gerhard de Beer, T Christian DiLauro, DT David Parry (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- T Christian DiLauro (link)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Donnie Ernsberger, WR Shay Fields, TE Temarrick Hemingway, WR Roger Lewis, WR Kalif Raymond (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/18
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DE Ufomba Kamalu
- Cut: DE Alec James
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OL Jermaine Eluemunor, WR Janarion Grant
Denver Broncos
- Signed: P Colby Wadman
- Cut: DL Niles Scott
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Anthony Coyle
- Cut: C Austin Davis
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Vince Mayle, RB Detrez Newsome
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DL Cameron Malveaux
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR ArDarius Stewart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Josh Andrews
- Cut: C Jon Toth
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: C Marcus Henry
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond, G Ian Silberman
- Cut: DL Deon Simon, QB Logan Woodside
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/18
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: DL Datone Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Daeshon Hall (from 49ers’ practice squad)
- Promoted from practice squad: OT David Sharpe
- Placed on IR: LB Dylan Cole, WR Bruce Ellington
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Justin Jackson
- Released from IR: CB Craig Mager
- Waived: RB Detrez Newsome
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Martrell Spaight
- Placed on IR: DE William Hayes
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Jonathan Woodard
- Waived: WR Tanner McEvoy
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB Kenjon Barner
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Garrett Dickerson
- Waived/Injured: WR/KR Kaelin Clay
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Branden Jackson
- Waived: TE Darrell Daniels
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: OL Kevin Pamphile
Latest On Earl Thomas Front
- Dallas remains the favorite to acquire Earl Thomas, in the event the Seahawks trade him, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com writes. Thomas drew a penalty for bowing at the Cowboys’ bench following an interception in Seattle’s Week 3 win over Dallas. The Cowboys have offered a second-round pick for Thomas, but the Seahawks still want more. The safety nonetheless heard more rumblings about a deal with Dallas on Sunday, though. “Yeah, of course, I heard chatter. People were coming up to me and saying a trade might happen,” Thomas said. “Even pregame, a couple Cowboys coaches came up to me, I don’t know if they were playing psychological games, but they were like, ‘You ready for the trade tomorrow?” He remains a Seahawk, but the situation’s become quite strange.
- Thomas said after Seattle’s win he missed two practices last week to protect himself from injury, and he expects to be fined for the absences. This is consistent with a report that emerged pregame Sunday. “I need to make sure my body is 100,” he said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. “I’m invested in myself. If they was invested in me, I would be out there practicing. But if I feel like anything — I don’t give a damn if it’s small, I’ve got a headache — I’m not practicing. But I don’t want that to be taken the wrong way. I know I’m going to get fined. But that’s just where I’m at with that.” Pete Carroll said the Seahawks still “love” Thomas as a person and a player and described communication between the team and the All-Pro safety as “ongoing.” Carroll did not specify if this communication is regarding an extension.
Falcons Not Interested In Earl Thomas, Eric Reid
Falcons coach Dan Quinn says the team is not interested in acquiring a high profile safety such as Earl Thomas or Eric Reid, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Although the team has lost starter Ricardo Allen for the season, Quinn says he’s confident in the ability of Damontae Kazee to hold down free safety with Jordan Richards and Kemal Ishmael at strong safety. 
Quinn added that Reid’s participation in national anthem protests were not a factor in the team’s decision. Rather, he says that he likes the team’s internal options.
As for Thomas, one has to imagine that the Falcons are simply unwilling to pay the necessary price to acquire him from the Seahawks in a trade. Thomas has been vocal about his desire for a new deal and trade speculation is percolating once again after the three-time All-Pro skipped two practices inside of one week.
While the Chiefs and Cowboys could be among the clubs to pursue Thomas, it sounds like the Falcons can be scratched off of the list.
Seahawks Work Out DT David Parry
The Seahawks worked out veteran defensive tackle David Parry on Monday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Parry became available when the Vikings cut him to make room for Tom Johnson, who was made available after being released by the Seahawks.
If the Seahawks sign Parry, it will effectively complete a one-for-one swap of defensive tackles between Seattle and Minnesota. It’s a “trade” that the Seahawks did not want to make. The Seahawks cut Johnson before their Week 2 contest in order to sign a reserve safety for depth, but hoped to re-sign Johnson after the game was over. The Vikings foiled their plans, however, and quickly scooped him up.
Parry appeared in each of the Vikings’ first two games and recorded a sack in their tie against the Packers in Week 2.
Seahawks Considering Heavy Fine For Earl Thomas; Chiefs Could Trade For Him
After Seahawks star safety Earl Thomas held out from all offseason work in the hopes of landing a new contract, he ultimately reported to the team and has played in Seattle’s first two games this season. But the relationship between player and team is not in a good place, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that Thomas missed practice twice this week and that the Seahawks are considering fining Thomas a significant amount for conduct detrimental to the team. No final decision has been made in that regard.
Of course, trade rumors have swirled around Thomas for months, as he is entering the last year of a four-year deal and the Seahawks are in something of a rebuilding phase. If the Seahawks are going to trade Thomas, it has long appeared as though the Cowboys will be their trading partner. Dallas expressed the most interest in Thomas this offseason, having offered a second-rounder to Seattle in exchange for Thomas, and the Cowboys currently employ former Seahawks DC Kris Richard, who is a big Thomas fan (Richard has also been calling plays for the Dallas defense this year). Such a trade would also represent a homecoming for Thomas, a Texas native who played his college ball at the University of Texas. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this morning that there are several people within the Cowboys organization who hope that the two sides will rekindle trade talks in short order.
However, Mortensen says that it is a “super long shot” that Thomas lands in Dallas, although he says the Chiefs have emerged as a potential landing spot. Seattle has engaged in trade talks with both Dallas and Kansas City, and it could be that Eric Berry‘s long-term outlook is creating a need for the 2-0 Chiefs to enter the bidding for Thomas. Kansas City has $11MM of cap space, so it could absorb the remainder of Thomas’ $8.5MM 2018 salary, and the team’s long-term prospects could be bright enough to convince Thomas to sign a multi-year deal.
If the Seahawks fall to 0-3 today, it stands to reason that they would be more willing to part with their top trade chip, as they would only net a 2020 third-round compensatory selection if they were to keep Thomas through 2018 and let him walk in free agency. Plus, it seems that the tension between Thomas and Seattle is beyond a point where the two sides would consider extending their relationship, so it may make sense for the Seahawks to move on now.
Albert Breer of TheMMQB says several teams are monitoring the Thomas situation, and there is a sense that he could be traded before the October 30 deadline.