Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/17
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Lavar Edwards
- Signed off Colts‘ practice squad: WR Matt Hazel
- Waived: DL T.Y. McGill
Detroit Lions
- Claimed off waivers: DT Rodney Coe
- Waived: DE Kasim Edebali
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted to active roster: DB Isaiah Johnson
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted to active roster: DL Darius Latham
- Placed on injured reserve: LB Cory James
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Victor Bolden
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: LB Paul Dawson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/12/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Jonathan Anderson, DL Caushaud Lyons
- Waived: DB Alex Carter
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Korren Kirven
Houston Texans
- Waived: WR Devin Lucien
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Matt Hazel
- Waived: CB Taurean Nixon
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: T Dillon Gordon
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Storm Norton
- Waived: S Jack Tocho
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Ryan O’Malley, DB Tim Scott
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Jahad Thomas, QB Joel Stave
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Jalston Fowler
- Waived: CB Trovon Reed
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/17
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated to return from injured reserve: QB Jeff Driskel
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Jets‘ practice squad: OL Geoff Gray
- Waived: DE Tyrone Holmes, WR Bryce Treggs
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted to active roster: DE Isaac Rochell
New York Giants
- Signed off Chiefs‘ practice squad: OL Damien Mama
New York Jets
- Promoted to active roster: RB Akeem Judd
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB/DE Bryan Braman
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted to active roster: DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: DT Rodney Coe
- Waived from injured reserve: T Justin Senior
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted to active roster: LB Riley Bullough
- Waived: CB Deji Olatoye
Seahawks DL Malik McDowell Arrested
Malik McDowell is spending his rookie season on the NFI list after an offseason accident, and the young defensive lineman’s troubles continued this weekend.
McDowell was arrested for disorderly conduct, TMZ Sports reports, early Sunday morning stemming from an incident at a nightclub in Atlanta. The Michigan State product’s arrest followed a profane tirade, one that was based around a financial transaction.
TMZ reporting the matter involved a $600 alcohol purchase McDowell wanted back. He was then told he hadn’t yet paid the $600 he sought. When this confusion resulted in incessant shouting from McDowell, he was thrown out of the club. TMZ reports McDowell then got into a shouting match with police officers after leaving the club.
The Seahawks did not comment on the matter prior to their game against the Jaguars, per ESPN.
A second-round pick, McDowell suffered injuries in a summer ATV crash that will keep him out all season. The Seahawks held out hope he could play this season, but he’ll have to attempt to rebound from a rough 2017 beginning in the offseason.
Seahawks RB Chris Carson Suffers Setback
Seahawks running back Chris Carson‘s attempt at a 2017 comeback has been halted for the time being, as head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Carson suffered a setback in his recovery from a broken leg, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
“(Carson) a little bit of an ankle turn. Just caught it a little bit,” said Carroll. “So just got to make sure we know what that means as he bounces back from it. We were looking to try to find a time when we could put him back on the practice field next week or the week after that.
We were looking with real optimism. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen after the little setback. We’ll have to see when we get though the weekend. We won’t know until like Wednesday or something of next week where that fits.”
As Carroll alluded to, Seattle was hopeful that Carson would be able to return from injured reserve at some point this year. In fact, Carroll said earlier this week that Carson had been “unbelievably ahead of schedule” in his rehab. While a return now appears doubtful, Carson could conceivably come back if/when the Seahawks earn a postseason berth. Carson has already been sidelined for more than eight weeks (the league minimum when placed on IR), so he can return to Seattle’s active roster at any time.
Carson, whom the Seahawks selected in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, had seized the club’s starting running back job before going down with injury. On 49 carries, the 23-year-old Carson had managed 4.2 yards per carry while also handling seven receptions. Even though he’s been absent for two months, Carson’s 208 yards rushing are still tops among Seattle running backs.
Without Carson available, the Seahawks have tried a number of options in the backfield with little success, as the club ranks just 22nd in rushing DVOA. The latest candidate for playing time is former fourth-rounder Mike Davis, whom Seattle claimed off waivers from San Francisco before the season began. Davis managed 64 yards on 16 carries in Week 13 against the Eagles.
Seahawks To Place OL Oday Aboushi On IR
The Seahawks will place guard Oday Aboushi on injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder, head coach Pete Carroll told 97.3 KIRO Radio.
Aboushi joined Seattle on a one-year contract this spring after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Jets and Texans. With the Seahawks, Aboushi started all eight games in which he appeared, grading out as the No. 60 guard among 76 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Aboushi bottom-five marks as a run blocker.
With Aboushi sidelined, Seattle is likely to turn to second-round rookie Ethan Pocic to fill in at right guard. Pocic played every snap at right guard in the Seahawks’ Week 12 victory over the Eagles, and has played more than half the club’s offensive snaps this season. Overall, of course, Seattle’s offensive line has struggled: the unit ranks 17th in adjusted sack rate and 30th in adjusted line yards, according to Football Outsiders.
The Seahawks promoted interior offensive lineman Joey Hunt from their practice squad earlier in the week to serve as depth, but general manager John Schneider & Co. are getting tight on cap space. As noted Tuesday, Seattle still hasn’t placed safety Kam Chancellor on injured reserve because it simply doesn’t have the cap room to pay another player for the rest of the year. Hunt, for what’s it worth, should count for $109K for the remainder of the year, a figure that will make a dent in the Seahawks’ $279K worth of space.
DeShawn Shead Returns To Practice
Down Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, the Seahawks’ depleted secondary could receive a boost in the near future. DeShawn Shead practiced for the first time since he tore his left ACL in the playoffs, Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times reports.
Shead’s recovery has taken almost a year because of two surgeries, a second in July, and he remains on the PUP list. The Seahawks have three weeks to decide if he’s healthy enough to make a contribution in what’s been a lost season for the sixth-year corner. Loh notes a Week 15 return isn’t off the table, although that might also be optimistic given how long it’s taken him to merely return to practice.
Shead was a full-time starter opposite Sherman last season and a part-timer in 2015. He deflected 14 passes and made 90 tackles last season, and after the ill-timed injury, re-signed with the Seahawks this offseason.
He’s attempting to return to a secondary that needs him. Rookie Shaquill Griffin and second-stint Seahawk Byron Maxwell are the team’s current starting corners. A Shead re-emergence would supply vital depth at the worst and, if he’s truly close to his 2016 form, a starter-level talent capable of making a difference in a complex NFC playoff race.
Browns Eyeing Ex-Chiefs GM John Dorsey
The Browns’ GM search is underway and we already have word on a potential frontrunner for the job. The Browns are eyeing former Chiefs GM John Dorsey and he is expected to emerge as a leading contender for the job, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini. 
[RELATED: Browns Fire VP Sashi Brown]
Owner Jimmy Haslam and his wife Dee Haslam are expected to interview candidates as early as this week, sources tell the duo. The early interviews may also include Seahawks executive Trent Kirchner and Packers executive Eliot Wolf, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
In his statement announcing the firing of Sashi Brown, Haslam said that he would be looking for “someone with strong experience and success in drafting and building consistently winning football teams.” Dorsey fits the bill, though he is not without his critics. Dorsey was canned by Kansas City late last offseason, reportedly because of his overly loose management style. The Chiefs also did a poor job of managing the salary cap, though that supposedly did not factor heavily into Clark Hunt’s decision fire him.
Because of the team is making experience a requirement, it sounds like former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning will not be considered for the job. Throughout the year, there were rumblings of Haslam working to lure Manning, potentially by offering a small stake in the team. Instead, it appears that the Browns will be making a more traditional hire.
Whoever takes over for Brown in Cleveland will have a lot going for them (in theory). In the 2018 draft, the Brows have an enviable stockpile including an extra first-round pick, two additional second round picks, a fourth-round choice, and a fifth-round selection. They could also have nearly $100MM in cap space, though it’s not a given that Haslam will spend it all.
Seahawks Notes: Carson, Shead, Chancellor
- If Pete Carroll‘s eternal optimism is to be believed, the Seahawks could soon witness the return of two key contributors, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. Defensive back DeShawn Shead — currently on the physically unable to perform list — is “really close” to practicing, per Carroll, and may even participate this week. Meanwhile, running back Chris Carson is “unbelievably ahead of schedule” as he returns from a broken leg, Carroll tells Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link), and he could also come back to practice in the next several weeks.
- Shead’s return could help a secondary that’s already lost cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Kam Chancellor for the remainder of the season. Chancellor, though, hasn’t officially been placed on injured reserve yet, and that’s because of the Seahawks‘ dire salary cap situation, tweets Condotta. Seattle has only ~$165K in cap space, per Over the Cap, meaning it doesn’t have the money to pay a player who’d replace Chancellor on the 53-man roster. It’s almost inconceivable that the Seahawks will use a 52-man roster for the rest of the year, so the club will likely attempt to restructure a contract to create more space.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Terrence Magee
- Waived: DB Jeremy Boykins
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Robertson Daniel
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: P Cory Carter, S Dean Marlowe
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Richie Brown
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Will Pericak, TE Colin Thompson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Justin Currie
- Waived: WR Rannell Hall
Detroit Lions
- Signed: C Leo Koloamatangi
- Waived: S Stefan McClure
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Robert Tonyan
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Devin Lucien, CB Josh Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: T Andreas Knappe
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: CB Sammy Seamster
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: T Isaiah Battle, WR Cyril Grayson, DT Garrison Smith
- Waived: TE Steve Donatell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Pete Robertson
- Waived: S Orion Stewart