NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, S Demetrious Cox, CB Chris Jones
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Christian LaCouture
Chicago Bears
Signed:
- OL Dejon Allen
- DL Abdullah Anderson
- QB Tyler Bray
- WR Tanner Gentry
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- RB Ryan Nall
- OL James Stone
- LB Josh Woods
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
- OL Christian DiLauro
- DL Daniel Ekuale
- DL Zaycoven Henderson
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- OL Kyle Kalis
- TE Pharoah McKever
- DB Jeremiah McKinnon
- DB Montrel Meander
- DB Tigie Sankoh (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- WR Da’Mari Scott
- LB Brady Sheldon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Bo Scarbrough
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT John Atkins, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, DE Eric Lee
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Avery Gennesy, OLB Jeff Holland
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Mike Tyson
Indianapolis Colts
Signed:
- G Jamil Douglas
- RB Jeremy McNichols
- DE Carroll Phillips
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- DE Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Thomas Duarte, QB Cardale Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, T Eric Smith
New York Jets
Signed:
- WR Deontay Burnett
- C Nico Falah
- OT Dieugot Joseph
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- DL Bronson Kaufasi
- QB John Wolford
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G/T Denver Kirkland, DB Terrell Sinkfield, DB Rico Gafford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Zack Golditch
Seattle Seahawks
Signed:
- RB Lavon Coleman
- DT Frank Herron
- CB Akeem King
- TE Marcus Lucas
- QB Alex McGough
- T Elijah Nkansah
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- G Jordan Roos
- WR Caleb Scott
- LB Antwione Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed:
- OL Cole Boozer
- CB Javien Elliott
- DE Demone Harris
- TE Tanner Hudson
- S Godwin Igwebuike
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- LB Eric Nzeocha (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- DE Pat O’Connor
- RB Dare Ogunbowale
- LB Azeem Victor
- WR Bobo Wilson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Coleman Shelton, WR Austin Proehl, DL Deon Simon, QB Logan Woodside
Seahawks To Place RB J.D. McKissic On IR
The Seahawks carried J.D. McKissic through to their 53-man roster, but he will not be available for at least eight weeks now.
McKissic will head to IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Former Browns linebacker Jermaine Grace, whom the Seahawks claimed off waivers, will take McKissic’s roster spot, per Yates.
A third-year running back, McKissic is dealing with a Jones fracture in his foot. He was not slated to be ready for Week 1 and will now have plenty of time to heal up. It’s not certain Seattle will bring him off IR when he’s healthy, however. The Seahawks only have two IR-return slots, and whether McKissic is brought back for second-half action this season will depend on how the team fares with injuries during the first half.
Seattle may also be without Rashaad Penny in Week 1. Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise and Mike Davis represent the Seahawks’ current healthy running backs. They carried five through to their 53-man unit, presumably knowing McKissic was IR-bound. Had the Seahawks placed their agile backup on IR before Saturday’s cutdown day, he would have had to miss the entire season.
A former UDFA, McKissic saw action in 13 games last season in a complex campaign for Seahawks running backs.
The Browns waived Grace on Sunday to make room for one of the five new players they added via post-cutdown waivers. A 2017 UDFA who saw scant action as a rookie with the Falcons and Colts last year, Grace will join a Seahawks linebacking corps that will likely be without K.J. Wright in Week 1.
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cardinals, Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Arizona Cardinals
Signed:
- DE Zach Moore
Claimed:
Cut:
- OL Evan Boehm
- T Will Holden
- DE Vontarrius Dora (injured)
- S A.J. Howard (injured)
Practice squad:
- RB Elijhaa Penny
- OL Will House
- DE Alec James
- QB Charles Kanoff
- DT Pasoni Tasini
- WR Jalen Tolliver
- TE Andrew Vollert
Los Angeles Rams
Practice squad:
- DB Dominique Hatfield*
- TE Temarrick Hemingway*
- WR Khadarel Hodge
- G Jeremiah Kolone
- TE Henry Krieger-Coble
- WR Steven Mitchell
- DB Steven Parker
- QB Luis Perez
- DB Ramon Richards
San Francisco 49ers
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Steven Dunbar
- TE Ross Dwelley
- CB Emmanuel Moseley
- QB Nick Mullens
- DB Tyvis Powell
- DL Niles Scott
- LB Pita Taumoepenu
- OL Najee Toran
- RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
Seattle Seahawks
Claimed:
Cut:
- DL Branden Jackson
- OL Rees Odhiambo
* = practice squad exception
Patriots Claim Two Wide Receivers
The Patriots’ wide receiver group just got more crowded. The Pats have claimed former Jet Chad Hansen and ex-Seahawk Amara Darboh, as Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.
The Patriots thinned the herd in recent weeks by dropping Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell from the roster (Eric Decker’s retirement also took away one potential option, though he was probably a longshot to make the team). Now, Hansen and Darboh will help to fill in for Julian Edelman during his four-game ban.
Currently, the Pats project to carry Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, Matt Slater, and the two newbies on their Week 1 roster. Miami speedster Braxton Berrios was also in the mix for a spot, but the team’s decision to place him on IR has taken him out of the equation.
Seahawks Move Roster To 53
Placed on NFI:
- TE Ed Dickson
Placed on injured reserve:
- QB Austin Davis
- CB Byron Maxwell
- LB Erik Walden
- T Jamarco Jones
Cut:
- S Maurice Alexander
- LB D.J. Alexander
- DE Ricky Ali’fua (injured)
- CB Elijah Battle
- T Isaiah Battle
- LB Emmanuel Beal (injured)
- G Willie Beavers
- CB Jeremy Boykins
- WR Marvin Bracy
- TE Kyle Carter
- WR Amara Darboh
- LB Josh Forrest
- WR Cyril Grayson
- C Marcus Henry
- RB Gerald Holmes
- DT Joey Ivie
- S Lorenzo Jerome
- CB Akeem King
- FB Daniel Marx
- QB Alex McGough
- S T.J. Mutcherson (injured)
- G Skyler Phillips
- LB Jake Pugh
- CB Trovon Reed
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- G Jordan Roos
- WR Caleb Scott
- RB Justin Stockton
- WR Demore’ea Stringfellow
- TE Tyrone Swoopes
- WR Malik Turner
- S Mike Tyson
- TE Clayton Wilson
Colts To Acquire WR Marcus Johnson From Seahawks
Marcus Johnson will head to another new team this year. A two-trade offseason will ensue for the wide receiver; the Colts agreed to acquire him from the Seahawks, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets.
The Colts are sending tight end Darrell Daniels to Seattle, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This will mark an interesting second-year UDFA-for-second-year UDFA exchange.
The Seahawks acquired Johnson from the Eagles in the Michael Bennett trade earlier this year. Now, the Colts will add Johnson to a thin wideout corps — one that lost promising rookie Deon Cain for the season.
Johnson collected a Super Bowl ring last year as a rookie, catching five passes for 45 yards last season. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound pass-catcher showed a nice rapport with Russell Wilson this preseason, per Henderson, but the Seahawks’ receiver contingent is slightly more crowded than the Colts’.
Daniels will join a Seahawks tight end corps that lost Jimmy Graham. Daniels played in 12 Colts contests last season and caught three passes.
Seahawks Not Ready To Trade Earl Thomas
Based on the offers the Seahawks so far for Earl Thomas, the Seahawks are planning to hold onto their disgruntled All-Pro safety, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The only known offer has come from the Cowboys, who did not want to trade a second-round pick for the 29-year-old safety, but it’s obviously possible other proposals have emerged over the past several months. But Thomas remains a Seahawk and has not shown any interest in returning unless given a contract extension or shipped out of Seattle via trade.
A eight-year veteran, Thomas has skipped Seattle’s offseason activities. The Seahawks have slid Bradley McDougald to Thomas’ free safety spot. One season remains on Thomas’ four-year, $40MM deal.
Seahawks Acquire S Shalom Luani From Raiders
The Seahawks have acquired safety Shalom Luani from the Raiders, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link). Oakland acquired a 2019 seventh-round pick.
Luani, 24, will now reunite with former Oakland defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., who now holds the same position in Seattle. A seventh-round pick in last year’s draft, Luani appeared in 16 games (one start), playing on roughly 17% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps and 68% of the club’s special teams snaps.
As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets, Luani could help the Seahawks as fellow safety Tedric Thompson deals with injury issues.
Multiple Teams Expressing Interest In Earl Thomas
Multiple teams have contacted the Seahawks to express interest in safety Earl Thomas, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
While the identity of the clubs interested in Thomas remains unknown at this point, it’s an interesting development in the Thomas sage. Thus far, only the Cowboys are known to have had talks regarding a Thomas trade, so the mere fact that other teams are now in the mix could potentially give Seattle more leverage in negotiations.
Thomas, of course, is seeking a contract extension as he enters the final season of his pact. But the Seahawks have shown no willingness to discuss a new accord, and Pelissero similarly reports the two sides are still at a stalemate.
Thomas is set to earn a base salary of $8.5MM and count for $10.4MM on Seattle’s salary cap. That salary is courtesy of a four-year, $40MM extension which Thomas signed in 2014, a deal which now makes him the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid safety in terms of annual value.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/18
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: CB Darius Hillary
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: LB Jason Hall
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived from injured reserve: RB Charles Sims