NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Peli Anau
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Nelson Spruce
- Released: LB Jason Thompson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: TE Scott Orndoff
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DB Charlie Miller
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LeShun Daniels
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Jalin Marshall
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Jordan Dangerfield
- Released: S Jacob Hagen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Josh Forrest
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Andreas Knappe
- Released: OL Jerry Ugokwe
Branden Albert Declines Seahawks’ Offer
The Seahawks tried to sign Branden Albert, but they apparently did not put enough money on the table. Despite receiving an offer, the tackle has left the Seattle area without a deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Over the weekend, Albert postponed a scheduled meeting with the Giants since he was close to signing with Seattle. Now that he’s not joining up with the Seahawks, it’s possible that he will circle back to the G-Men.
Albert’s asking price may have been to high, but the Seahawks’ best and only alternative right now is to move forward with Rees Odhiambo, who ranks as the worst tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite the shaky offensive line, the Seahawks are 3-2 as they come off of their bye week. Strangely enough, the Giants are next up on the schedule.
Seahawks Trying To Trade For O-Line Help, Focusing On Duane Brown
- The Seahawks are making a concerted effort to improve their O-line via trade, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who says the team is focused on landing disgruntled Texans star Duane Brown. We heard last week that the Texans intend to retain Brown, but that could always change if Seattle’s offer is strong enough.
Money Behind Albert/Seahawks Holdup?
- Branden Albert worked out for the Seahawks this week and was still in the Seattle area as of Friday, but finances may be holding up a deal. While no terms have been reported about a potential Albert/Hawks agreement, the Seahawks may be attempting to save a week’s worth of salary by not signing Albert until the start of next week, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com writes. The Seahawks are off this week. Albert was also scheduled to work out for the Giants, who are having similar offensive line issues, but has yet to do so.
Branden Albert Still In Seattle Area
Free agent offensive tackle Branden Albert is still in the Seattle area after working out for the Seahawks on Monday, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Albert, 32, had reportedly been set to meet with the Giants at some point this week, but as of last night, he hadn’t yet left for New York. Whether that means he’s close to a contract with the Seahawks is unclear, but Albert would almost certainly be an improvement over Seattle blindside protector Rees Odhiambo, who currently ranks as the worst tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus. The Giants, too, could use help along the offensive line, as Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart have posted below-average results through five games. Albert, of course, had an eventful offseason that included a “retirement” after being traded from the Dolphins to the Jaguars.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/10/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- DT Mike Purcell; CBs Trevin Wade, B.W. Webb (link)
Buffalo Bills
- DBs Lonnie Ballentine, Antone Exum (link via Adam Caplan)
Detroit Lions
- DT Will Sutton (link via Caplan)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Tevaun Smith; G Cameron Hunt; DL Sean Daniels; DBs Charlie Miller, Ahmad Thomas (link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
- QB Connor Shaw; WRs Rivers Cracraft, Paul Turner; T Steven Moore; DBs J.R. Nelson, Marcus Sayles (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Lamar Atkins; FB Glenn Gronkowski; C Taylor Boggs; DBs Anthony Cioffi, K.J. Dillon (link)
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Sterling Bailey, Patrick Gamble, Jaye Howard; DT Toby Johnson (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- T Andrew Lauderdale; LB Josh Forrest (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LBs Johnathan Calvin, Jayrone Elliott; DE Cashaud Lyons (link)
NFC Notes: Lions, Stafford, Eagles, Seahawks, Bears
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a hamstring injury and a sprained ankle in Detroit’s 27-24 loss to Carolina, a source tells ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. Stafford’s status is currently up in the air and his week of practice will determine whether he plays Sunday against New Orleans. The good news is that if Stafford does miss time, it sounds like it won’t be a lengthy absence.
Here’s a look at the NFC:
- Eagles coach Doug Pederson admitted to reporters that it’s going to be tough to get lineman Lane Johnson through the league’s concussion protocol in time for Thursday night’s game (Twitter link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com).
- Seahawks running back Chris Carson lost a good chunk of money thanks to his injury and the split in his contract, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) points out. His weekly salary is now based off $348K while on IR rather than $465K.
- Bears linebacker John Timu, who was carted off the field on Sunday with a scary-looking injury, only suffered a high-ankle sprain (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). He’ll be out 2-4 weeks, which is a much better prognosis than many expected at first.
Seahawks Work Out Branden Albert
It sounds like Branden Albert could play football this year after all. The offensive tackle worked out for the Seahawks on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
Albert, a former Pro Bowler, dominated headlines in the offseason. On paper, he was slated to start at left tackle for the Jaguars after they acquired him via trade with the Dolphins. After unsuccessfully pushing Jacksonville for a revised contract, Albert retired and then tried to flip-flop only to have the door slammed in his face. Albert has been free to sign with any team since August, but this marks the first mention of him we’ve heard this fall.
The Seahawks have had glaring holes on the offensive line for some time and Albert could help to improve the unit. Per the metrics at Football Outsiders, Seattle has just the 23rd ranked O-Line in the NFL. Left side starter Rees Odhiambo is the lowest ranked qualified tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, and starting right tackle Germain Ifedi isn’t rated much better.
Albert missed one-quarter of last season due to injury and registered a career-worst 42.2 overall score on PFF. However, he’s been strong in the past, including 2013 and 2015 campaigns which resulted in Pro Bowl nods.
Cliff Avril’s Career In Doubt
We heard several days ago that Seahawks DE Cliff Avril is dealing with a serious stinger, numbness in his arm, and is expected to miss an indefinite period of time. Unfortunately, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), Avril’s career could be over.
Per Glazer, the injury is far more serious than expected, and Avril will have to determine whether it is worth jeopardizing his long-term health to try and get back on the field.
Avril, 31, has been a stalwart for the Seahawks in recent years, as he appeared in 63 of 64 games from 2013-16 and racked up 33.5 sacks during that time. Although he’d been on the field for 68% of Seattle’s plays thus far, Pro Football Focus hasn’t been enamored with his work — Avril has graded as a bottom-five edge defender and earned horrible marks as a pass-rusher, per PFF.
Avril does have a Super Bowl ring, which he earned with Seattle at the end of the 2013 season. He is in his tenth season, his fifth with Seattle, after spending the first five years of his career with Detroit. The Lions selected him out of Purdue in the third round of the 2008 draft, and he quickly established himself as a capable pass rusher, racking up five sacks in his rookie season. He has compiled a total of 74 sacks in his career, and though Seattle has the horses to help make up for his production, his absence will still be felt (PFF’s evaluation of his 2017 work notwithstanding).
Luke Joeckel To Have Knee Surgery; Eddie Lacy Being Treated As Starter
- Seahawks RB Eddie Lacy looked sharp in last week’s win over the Colts, and Rapoport tweets that, with fellow running back Chris Carson likely to miss the rest of the season, Seattle is treating Lacy like the starter. However, the team may still elect to use a committee approach rather than devote a lion’s share of the carries to Lacy.
- Seahawks G Luke Joeckel is expected to play against the division-rival Rams today and then undergo knee surgery during the team’s bye next week, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Joeckel has performed reasonably well in his first year in Seattle, and it is unclear whether his surgery will force him to miss the team’s next game, which will take place on October 22.