Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/23
Here are the minor moves made around the league in advance of the Week 7 slate of Sunday games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from NFI list: CB Garrett Williams
- Elevated: RB Damien Williams, CB Bobby Price
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: DL Lacale London, TE Tucker Fisk
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: DT Kendal Vickers
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: OL Doug Kramer
- Elevated: CB Joejuan Williams
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: RB Deon Jackson
- Elevated: QB P.J. Walker, LB Charlie Thomas
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: TE Greg Dulcich
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: DE Josh Paschal
- Released: TE Darrell Daniels
- Elevated: RBs Mohamed Ibrahim, Devine Ozigbo
Green Bay Packers
- Released: OLB Justin Hollins
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: QB Nathan Rourke
Kansas City Chiefs
- Restored to active roster (from suspension exemption): DE Charles Omenihu
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Cornell Armstrong
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: WR Keelan Doss, S Mark Webb
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: TE Tanner Conner
New England Patriots
- Elevated: WR Jalen Reagor, DT Trysten Hill
New York Giants
- Elevated: QB Tommy DeVito, G Jalen Mayfield
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: C Joey Hunt
- Waived: OL Ben Brown
- Elevated: WR Easop Winston, RB SaRodorick Thompson
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: DT Abdullah Anderson, CB Tariq Castro-Fields
Dulcich already had one IR stint this season due to an aggravation of last year’s hamstring injury. The 2022 third-rounder has appeared in only two contests so far this season, and in the most recent one he suffered yet another setback. As a result, he will once again be shut down for at least four weeks.
The Giants’ decision to again promote DeVito points to starter Daniel Jones missing another game. Indeed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Jones is considered a “longshot” to play tomorrow against the Commanders. It will in all likelihood be Tyrod Taylor under center for New York in Week 7 while Jones continues to recover from his neck injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/23
Minor transactions from around the league today:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB Tony Jones Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: S Micah Abernathy
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed to active roster: QB Nathan Rourke
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: CB Tyler Hall
- Placed on IR: S Roderic Teamer
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: G Justin Pugh
- Signed off Eagles’ practice squad: OL Tyre Phillips
- Waived: TE Lawrence Cager
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: WR Cody Thompson
The Giants are dealing with an unprecedented epidemic at offensive tackle right now as their injury report starts to read like a phone book. Already missing starter Andrew Thomas and primary backup Matt Peart, New York went into Sunday night’s game with Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu bookending the line. Pugh had recently been brought in to help address the team’s depth at guard, but when Ezeudu exited the game with a toe injury, and was subsequently placed on injured reserve, Pugh kicked out and played the rest of the game at tackle with the first-team offense. Pugh will now serve as depth at tackle, as will Philips, who started his career in Baltimore as a guard before proving his versatility for the Ravens and Giants. He started five games for New York last year.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/23
Wednesday’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Jacob Saylors, S Arnold Tarpley III
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Michael Bandy
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE John Samuel Shenker
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Trishton Jackson
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE William Bradley-King, RB Patrick Taylor
- Released: DL Manny Jones, WR T.J. Luther
New York Giants
- Signed: G Jalen Mayfield
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Cody White, T Greg Eiland
- Released: QB Holton Ahlers
Seahawks May Not Be Sold Until At Least 2025
The Seahawks are not expected to be put up for sale until 2025 at the earliest, according to Mark Maske of the Washington Post. If the franchise were to be sold before May 2024, the club would owe 10% of the sales price to the state of Washington pursuant to the terms of a 1997 referendum that funded the construction of Lumen Field. That provision is no longer applicable after May 2024, which led some to believe that owner Jody Allen would begin looking for a buyer next year.
However, Allen has yet to give any indication that she intends to sell the team in the foreseeable future. Allen inherited the ‘Hawks from her brother, Paul Allen, who passed away in October 2018, and while Paul’s estate plan calls for his assets to be sold and the proceeds donated to charitable causes, Jody has made it clear that there is no deadline for such a sale.
“A time will come when [a sale is consummated] given Paul’s plans to dedicate the vast majority of his wealth to philanthropy, but estates of this size and complexity can take 10 to 20 years to wind down,” Jody said last year. “There is no preordained timeline by which the teams must be sold. Until then, my focus – and that of our teams – is on winning.”
That statement followed a report from May 2022 indicating that Jody had no immediate plans to sell, and her position seems unchanged, despite the forthcoming expiration of the 1997 referendum provision. And, as the value of NFL teams continues to soar, it stands to reason that she would be in no hurry to put the Seahawks on the market.
The eventual price tag could be driven even higher if the league ultimately relaxes the requirement that a buyer of a team must come up with 30% of the purchase price in cash. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observed last month, that rule — along with the rule that limits the amount of debt that a buyer can take on, even when there are sufficient assets to support the debt — has limited the number of bidders in previous sales, which in turn has prevented the seller from maximizing their profit. If less liquidity and more debt is permitted, then more buyers can get in the mix.
As we have written before, the league wants Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to join its ownership club, and Maske says that some owners are hopeful Bezos will be involved in the bidding for the Seahawks. However, when Bezos or any other prospective purchaser will have the opportunity to make an offer remains an open question.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/14/23
Here are today’s minor transactions heading into the Week 6 weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: OL Dennis Daley
- Elevated: CB Bobby Price, RB Damien Williams
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: S Micah Abernathy, DT LaCale London
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: RB Keaton Mitchell
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Baylon Spector
- Elevated: CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: CB Kyler Gordon (story)
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: CB Khalil Dorsey
- Signed to active roster: T Dan Skipper
- Elevated: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Placed on IR: RB Zonovan Knight, CB Emmanuel Moseley (story)
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: WR Noah Brown
- Elevated: CB D’Angelo Ross
- Waived: CB Alex Austin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Tyler Hall, G Netane Muti
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: DT Marquise Copeland, DT Cory Durden
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: G Robert Jones
- Elevated: TE Tanner Conner
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: RB Jordan Mims
- Elevated: TE J.P. Holtz, S Daniel Sorensen
- Placed on IR: FB Adam Prentice
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: G Jalen Mayfield
- Elevated: QB Tommy DeVito, G Justin Pugh
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: LB Nakobe Dean
- Elevated: WR Devon Allen, CB Mekhi Garner
- Placed on IR: WR Quez Watkins
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Shemar Jean-Charles, LB Curtis Robinson
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: WR Cody Thompson
- Placed on IR: CB Coby Bryant
Dean took the starting role the Eagles had in store for him in Week 1, but a foot injury interrupted his second NFL campaign. The 22-year-old was poised to return ahead of Sunday’s game by returning to practice earlier this week, though, and a first-team role is expected to await him upon suiting up. Dean taking on a heavy workload will relegate Nicholas Morrow (who was promoted from the practice squad) to backup duty despite the latter’s strong performances so far.
Seattle has seen fellow corners Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen enjoy considerable success, but the team’s secondary will be shorthanded without Bryant. The latter will miss at least the next four weeks as a result of the IR move as he recovers from a toe injury. The 2022 fourth-rounder, who has seen his defensive snap share jump from 65% to 77% this year, has not played since Week 2.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Rashaan Evans (story)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Brandon Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Holton Ahlers
- Released: S Teez Tabor
The Seahawks are bringing Holton Ahlers back to their squad after the UDFA spent the preseason with the organization. Ahlers had a standout 2022 campaign at East Carolina, completing 67.2 percent of his passes while tossing 28 touchdowns vs. five interceptions. He’ll be taking the taxi-squad spot previously held by Teez Tabor, who already earned one promotion to the active roster in 2023.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/23
Monday’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: CB Kris Boyd, OL Ilm Manning, CB Christian Matthew
Detroit Lions
- Reinstated from suspension: WR Jameson Williams
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Reinstated from suspension: LT Cam Robinson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: WR Dez Fitzpatrick
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: WR Cody Thompson, CB Lance Boykin
Tennessee Titans
- Reinstated from suspension: T Nicholas Petit-Frere
As part of the new terms regarding the NFL’s gambling policy, players hit with six-game bans for gambling on non-NFL events while at team facilities have seen their suspensions reduced. As a result, Williams and Petit-Frere will be able to return as early as Week 5. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes that each player will receive a one-week roster exemption, after which they will need to be activated.
The same holds true of Robinson, who was suspended for the season’s opening month due to a PED violation. That ban cost the 27-year-old over $3.5MM in salary and voided the remaining guarantees in his deal, which runs through 2024. The Jaguars have had an up-and-down start to the season on offense, but the unit has fared well in pass protection so far with only eight sacks allowed. Still, Robinson’s return to the blindside will be welcomed in Jacksonville.
Seahawks S Jamal Adams Considered Retirement
Monday night’s season-debut for Seahawks safety Jamal Adams will not only be the first game he’s played in since suffering a season-ending quadriceps injury in the team’s season opener last year, but it will also be his first game back in MetLife Stadium since being traded by the Jets in 2020. The sentimental returns are only emphasized by recent reports from Brady Henderson at ESPN that, after his most recent brush with serious injury, Adams considered retiring from the game of football altogether. 
Adams started off his career relatively healthy, only missing two games over his first three seasons in New York. Since coming to Seattle, though, Adams has missed 28 of a possible 53 regular season contests with an assortment of injuries. While some injuries to his groin, elbow, and fingers were minor ailments, two shoulder labrum tears and the most recent torn quad tendon have forced him to miss extended periods during his time as a Seahawk. The litany of injuries has had a lasting effect on Adams, leaving him in a “dark place” shortly after he learned he’d be out for the 2022 season.
“It was tough,” Adams told reporters in his first media appearance since suffering the quadriceps injury. “I thought about retiring. I thought about a lot of things. ‘Is this going to be it for me?’ I didn’t know, but I knew eventually. After I got that MRI, I told myself I’m going to be back. I didn’t know when or how, but I was going to figure it out.”
It didn’t take long for Adams to formulate when that return would come. He soon determined that, knowing his recovery would keep him from participating in most of the summer and preseason, he would need a few weeks of regular season practice before returning to action. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list a week before roster cuts, and Week 4 was circled on the schedule.
Another player returning to MetLife for the first time since joining the Seahawks, safety Julian Love has been starting alongside free safety Quandre Diggs in Adams’ place so far this year. Head coach Pete Carroll announced that Adams would have no restrictions in his return from injury, while defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt was a bit more hesitant in making any promises, telling the media that they’d “feel that out as they go.”
We’ll likely have to wait until Monday to see Seattle’s exact plan for working Adams back into the mix. Maybe, he’ll truly be full-go and play 100 percent of the team’s defensive snaps against the Giants. Maybe, he’ll split time with Love as the team tests just how much Adams can handle in his first contest in over a year. Or, maybe, Adams just gets his feet wet, testing out the repairs to his knee and seeing if he really is ready to go full speed. Regardless, we’re due for a momentous return that, for a moment, seemed like it may never happen.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/29/23
Today’s only practice squad transaction heading into the weekend:
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Cody Thompson
Bears Offered Seahawks Three First-Rounders For Russell Wilson In 2021
When Russell Wilson‘s agent named Chicago as an acceptable trade destination in 2021, the Bears sprang into action. They made what was labeled at the time as a “very aggressive” offer for the perennial Pro Bowler. More details on that proposal have since emerged.
Then-Bears GM Ryan Pace is believed to have offered three first-rounders, a third and veteran players for Wilson in March 2021, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. At the time, Wilson had listed the Bears, Cowboys, Saints and Raiders as teams for whom he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause. While the Broncos were subsequently added to his list, they were not part of the original group.
At this point, the Seahawks were not prepared to trade their franchise quarterback. John Schneider took the offer to Pete Carroll, who determined he did not want to trade Wilson, Finley adds. It is not known which players the Bears were prepared to deal away in 2021, which ended up being Pace’s final year on the job in Chicago.
This was one of the original Wilson what-ifs. The Commanders offered three firsts for Wilson in 2022, beating the Broncos in terms of Round 1 choices included, but he would not waive his no-trade clause for Washington. The Eagles and Browns also pursued the potential Hall of Famer in 2022, but Wilson determined Denver would be the best fit.
The Seahawks turned down the offer in March 2021, leading the Bears to the draft. Pace initially sent the terms to Schneider at Trey Lance‘s pro day in Fargo. A month later, the Bears then vaulted up to No. 11, (via the Giants) to nab Justin Fields. While the Fields-Bears fit has proven rocky, the Ohio State product’s run-game brilliance in 2022 notwithstanding, Chicago did not have to give up what it would have cost to pry Wilson from Seattle.
A year after this offer did not move the needle for the Seahawks, they engaged the Broncos on a swap that came to pass in March 2022. The Seahawks then received a stunning season from three-year Wilson backup Geno Smith and have him signed to a team-friendly deal, which becomes a pay-as-you-go accord following this season.
The Bears, of course, signed off on a similar trade in 2009. They sent the Broncos two first-rounders, a third and Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler in April 2009, with that swap coming weeks after a Cutler-Josh McDaniels feud developed. Cutler ended up setting franchise records for QB starts, passing yards and touchdowns but only piloted Chicago to one playoff berth in his eight-year run. The Bears have struggled to replace the strong-armed passer, who had arrived in Chicago ahead of his age-26 season. Mitch Trubisky bombed, and Fields enters Week 4’s Broncos matchup with the NFL’s lowest QBR.
Wilson has not lived up to the Broncos’ investment, and the decision by management to authorize a five-year, $245MM extension — featuring $124MM fully guaranteed — before seeing how the trade acquisition fit with Nathaniel Hackett has hurt the organization. After the Hackett fit proved disastrous, Wilson has shown better form with Sean Payton. Of course, the Broncos join the Bears at 0-3, thanks largely to a suddenly leaky defense. Wilson, 34, will attempt to continue his progression in Payton’s offense, but his long-term future in Denver is far from certain.