NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: QB Carson Strong
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Nate Landman
- Released: OL Parker Ferguson
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Cole Beasley (story)
- Released: WR Marquez Stevenson
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tae Hayes
- Released: RB Nate McCrary
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Storey Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Released: DL McTelvin Agim
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OT Jean Delance, C Michal Menet
- Released: DL Jack Heflin, WR Dede Westbrook
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Gerrid Doaks, WR D.J. Montgomery
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Robert Foster
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Kana’i Mauga, OT Willie Wright
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Marquiss Spencer
- Placed on IR: LB Marcell Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Anthony Harris, P Brett Kern
- Released: S Marquise Blair, WR Auden Tate
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: QB Kevin Hogan, OL Zach McCloud, G Jordan Roos, WR Jonathan Ward
Vrabel: Was Not Included In Jon Robinson Firing Decision
Mike Vrabel stands to inherit more decision-making power with the Titans going forward, with seven-year GM Jon Robinson now out of the picture. Vrabel and VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden are running the show presently.
But the fifth-year coach insists he was not part of the process that led to Robinson’s surprising ouster. “I was informed of the decision. This wasn’t a decision that included me,” Vrabel said (via NBC Sports’ Peter King). Vrabel and Robinson signed extensions in February. Robinson’s runs through the 2027 draft; it is a good bet Vrabel’s aligns with that since-discarded contract.
Amy Adams Strunk decided to make the change after studying Robinson’s moves, and the owner curiously cited the Titans’ run of player unavailability — leading to inflated IR contingents over the past two years — as part of the reason Robinson is out. While the Tennessee owner said she had made her decision prior to A.J. Brown‘s two-touchdown performance against his former team, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes the Titans’ loss to the Eagles did play a role in the dismissal.
Tennessee’s losses to Cincinnati and Philadelphia were part of the reason Adams Strunk cut bait so soon after authorizing the extension, Jones adds, noting this firing is not believed to have come about because of a power struggle between Robinson and Vrabel. Adams Strunk said she wanted the Titans to be regarded as one of the NFL’s elite teams. Despite an injury-affected 2021 Titans edition earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed, she cut the cord and will look for a new decision-maker to pair with Vrabel.
Robinson hired Vrabel in 2018, and the two have never had a losing season together. The Titans are coming off three consecutive playoff berths. Though, their Week 14 loss to the Jaguars does open the door to a once-seemingly insurmountable AFC South lead slipping away. The Titans (7-6) still have a two-game division lead.
Vrabel will be included in the Titans’ GM search, however, and Jones adds it is clear he will be more involved in personnel decisions henceforth. It will be interesting to see if Vrabel will also have final say over the Titans’ 53-man roster in 2023. The reigning NFL Coach of the Year has gained considerable respect around the league during his Nashville stay, but Robinson’s firing shocked executives around the league.
Firing a GM without a losing season on his resume during a season does represent an interesting look for the Titans, especially so soon after greenlighting an extension. The Titans’ GM search will obviously generate extensive attention once it begins in earnest.
Titans Cut Two Linebackers
The Titans moved on from a pair of linebackers today. The team announced that they’ve waived linebackers Ola Adeniyi and Joe Schobert.
Adeniyi joined the Titans prior to the 2021 campaign. During his first season in Tennessee, the linebacker collected 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks while playing a role on both defense and special teams. After re-signing with the organization this past offseason, the 25-year-old got into two games before being sidelined with a neck injury. He was activated for Week 13 but was a healthy scratch for Week 14, an indication that his spot on the roster could be at risk.
Schobert, a former Pro Bowler with the Browns, joined the Titans’ practice squad in late September. He was signed to the active roster in mid-November and got into six games (one start) for his new squad, compiling 16 tackles.
The Titans added pass rusher Tarell Basham last week and immediately threw him into the fire, with the 28-year-old logging 26 defensive snaps. With Zach Cunningham eyeing a return from injured reserve, pass-rushing snaps were clearly drying up, leading to today’s moves.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/22
Here are the minor moves around the league in advance of the Week 14 slate of games:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed off Titans’ practice squad: QB Logan Woodside
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: QB Anthony Brown, S Ar’Darius Washington
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: WR John Brown
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from NFI list: DL Henry Anderson
- Waived: CB Tae Hayes
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: S Mike Brown, LB Tae Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: T Aviante Collins
- Placed on IR: CB Anthony Brown (story)
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: T Quinn Bailey
- Elevated: G Netane Muti, LB Harvey Langi
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: OL Ross Pierschbacher
- Elevated: LB Jarrad Davis, CB Jarren Williams
- Placed on IR: CB Chase Lucas
Houston Texans
- Elevated: WR Jalen Camp, QB Jeff Driskel
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: OLB K’Lavon Chaisson
- Elevated: LB Ty Summers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: C Hroniss Grasu
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: CB Kemon Hall
- Elevated: DL Christopher Hinton, S Raheem Layne
- Placed on IR: TE Richard Rodgers
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: WR Freddie Swain
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: S Myles Dorn, CB Tay Gowan
New York Giants
- Elevated: DT Ryder Anderson, CB Zyon Gilbert
New York Jets
- Elevated: LB Marcell Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: LB Christian Elliss
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: RB Tevin Coleman, S Dontae Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from PUP list: LB Jon Rhattigan
- Elevated: RB Godwin Igwebuike, WR Laquon Treadwell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: LB K.J. Britt
- Elevated: WR Deven Thompkins, S Nolan Turner
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: WR Chris Conley, LB Jack Gibbens, CB Greg Mabin
- Activated from IR: WR Racey McMath, CB Josh Thompson
- Elevated: RB Julius Chestnut, CB Davontae Harris
- Placed on IR: LB David Long
- Released: DL Larrell Murchison, OL Jordan Roos
Titans Rule Out Several Players For Sunday’s Game
The Titans will be without a handful of significant players for tomorrow’s game against the Jaguars. Jim Wyatt of the team’s website tweets that wideout Treylon Burks, cornerback Kristian Fulton, and linebacker David Long are among those who have been ruled out for Sunday.
Burks suffered a concussion last weekend against the Eagles and missed practice throughout the week. The rookie first-round pick missed a chunk of the season while recovering from a turf toe injury. In the four games since his return to the field, Burks has hauled in 15 catches for 230 yards and one touchdown. The Titans will surely add another WR to the roster before tomorrow’s game, as Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and C.J. Board are currently the only healthy options on the roster.
Long, a former sixth-round, is having a career season, with the linebacker currently pacing the Titans with 86 tackles. Long didn’t practice this week after suffering a hamstring injury against Philly. Fulton, a former second-round pick, has started all 10 of his appearances in 2022. The defensive back suffered a groin injury last Sunday. His absence won’t be made any easier with cornerback Tre Avery also ruled out with a concussion.
The Titans will also be without defensive lineman Denico Autry and wide receiver C.J. Board against Jacksonville.
Titans Owner: A.J. Brown Game Did Not Factor Into GM Decision
While A.J. Brown‘s performance in his first game against the Titans did not represent a good look for his first NFL franchise, Amy Adams Strunk said the game did not factor into her decision to fire GM Jon Robinson.
The Titans owner indicated her decision to can the seventh-year GM was already made, despite having signed Robinson to an extension in February. Rumored to be displeased with the state of her team’s roster, Adams Strunk preferred to let Robinson go early rather than going through a lengthy delay.
“I’d already made my decision,” Strunk said, via the Associated Press’ Teresa Walker. “A.J. had a great game. More power to him, but that didn’t actually have anything to do with that.
“… Once I made the decision, I was like, ’I can’t sit on it. I’ve got to go ahead and do it to be fair to Jon.′ I don’t know how many weeks we have left in the season. There could be a lot more hopefully in our season, and it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do to drag this along.”
[RELATED: Brown’s Knee Trouble Influenced Titans’ Trade?]
Adams Strunk confirmed she was in the loop on the negotiations that led up to the draft-night Brown trade, Walker adds, but after studying Robinson’s body of work — from drafts to free agency to season performances — she opted to cut bait. This comes after Robinson, teaming with HCs Mike Mularkey and Mike Vrabel, did not have a losing season while running the team. The Titans went 3-13 the season before Robinson’s hire.
The timing here is obviously interesting, with Robinson’s recent extension running through the 2027 draft. Ownership’s decision here has dismayed many around the league, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe notes (subscription required), adding that Robinson should not have trouble landing another high-profile position soon.
“I told the fans from the very beginning that I want to win it all, and I want to be one of those elite teams that people are always scared of, and it’s my responsibility,” Strunk said. “And eventually it’s up to me to make those kind of decisions that get us there.”
Tennessee has advanced to three straight playoff brackets, earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed — for the first time since 2008 — last season. The Titans flamed out immediately after their bye, losing to the Bengals despite sacking Joe Burrow nine times. The 2019 team did upset the Patriots and Ravens en route to the AFC championship game, however. This year’s squad has lost two straight, but with the rest of the AFC South either rebuilding or underwhelming, the Titans (7-5) remain on track to make another postseason berth.
Robinson, who fired Mularkey after back-to-back winning seasons, made a number of solid draft choices to help put the team in position to contend after Ryan Tannehill‘s 2019 arrival via trade (for fourth- and seventh-round picks). The team has never extended one of Robinson’s first-round picks, however, and the 2020 Isaiah Wilson whiff represented one of this era’s worst draft choices. The Titans have also seen a number of players go on IR over the past two seasons; their 16 players on IR leads the NFL this year. Adams Strunk mentioned the number of players the injuries have forced the Titans to use, per Walker, who notes the team has used 76 players this season. Tennessee set an NFL record by using 91 last year.
Adams Strunk did not mention offensive coordinator Todd Downing‘s DUI arrest or the NFL investigation that emerged in the aftermath as a reason for the firing. That brought another major headline for the team due to the timing between the Titans’ plane landing from Wisconsin and Downing’s arrest. Downing remains in place as OC, though Vrabel said that could change depending on the investigation.
This surprising decision also did not come about because of a Vrabel ultimatum, Adams Strunk added. Vrabel and VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden will coordinate personnel moves for the rest of this season. Adams Strunk did not rule out the Titans waiting until after the Super Bowl to make the right hire, if necessary, and Walker adds Vrabel will be involved in the process.
A.J. Brown Knee Trouble Influenced Titans’ Trade Decision?
Following the Titans’ decision to send A.J. Brown to the Eagles, they dealt with a quick revenge game. The recently extended wide receiver made a rather notable impact in Week 13’s Tennessee-Philadelphia matchup — an Eagles rout. Although other factors undoubtedly contributed to Jon Robinson‘s ouster, the GM’s decision to unload Brown certainly played a role.
Titans ownership extended Robinson and Mike Vrabel in January, but a recent report indicated owner Amy Adams Strunk had become displeased with the state of the team’s roster. Brown’s absence is the most significant difference between last season’s Titans roster and this one, and the narrow gap between the fourth-year wideout’s 119-yard, two-touchdown day and Robinson’s firing is difficult to overlook.
The Titans were the first team to act on a contract impasse with a fourth-year wideout this offseason, bowing out of negotiations early by sending Brown to the Eagles — for first- and third-round picks — and drafting Treylon Burks. Tennessee’s front office viewed Brown’s health as a potential long-term issue, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, who notes Robinson and personnel staffers had concerns about the talented receiver’s early-career knee trouble.
Knee trouble did plague Brown, 25, at points during his Tennessee tenure. He underwent surgery on both knees during the 2021 offseason. That followed a season in which Brown missed games and extensive practice time due to a knee contusion. Knee trouble also recurred during the 2021 preseason, but it was a chest injury led Brown to a three-game IR stay last year.
The Titans had started negotiations with Brown in late March, and Robinson said he wanted the former second-round pick to be a long-term Titan. A day before the draft, a report indicated Brown had been in touch with the Titans’ coaching staff and the sides’ relationship was fine despite an early proclamation the wideout would skip offseason work absent a new deal. Brown later said the Titans did not offer him a $20MM-per-year deal and mentioned it would not have taken the Eagles’ ultimate price — $25MM AAV — to keep him in Nashville.
Vrabel’s draft-room reaction became one of the more memorable visuals from this year’s draft weekend, and the Titans have been unable to replace the production the Ole Miss alum provided during his rookie-contract years. Brown (950 receiving yards) is averaging a career-high 79.2 per game with Philly, and his nine touchdown receptions are two shy of a career-best mark (set in 2020). The Titans have featured one of the league’s worst passing attacks, with no player above 375 receiving yards yet. Burks (team-leading 359 yards in just eight games) has shown promise, but various issues have forced him to miss offseason time and game action this year. Coming off ACL surgery, Robert Woods (357 yards in 12 games) has not recaptured the form he showed with the Rams.
The Eagles are paying up for Brown, having authorized a four-year, $100MM extension that included a receiver-record $56MM fully guaranteed. The Titans’ reboot at receiver did not precede other teams operating similarly, and Philly’s $25MM-per-year Brown accord gave the Commanders, Seahawks and 49ers a road map. Terry McLaurin, D.K. Metcalf and Deebo Samuel all missed offseason time because of contract issues, but they ended up each signing three-year deals worth between $23.2MM and $24MM. Burks can be kept on a rookie deal through 2026, via the fifth-year option, but plenty will be on the former Arkansas standout’s shoulders going forward.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/8/22
Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Javelin Guidry
Denver Broncos
- Signed: T Quinn Bailey
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: C Austin Reiter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Andre Chachere
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DE Sam Okuayinonu
Titans CB Caleb Farley To Undergo Surgery, Miss Rest Of Season
Injury trouble will shut down Caleb Farley for a second straight season, and the nature of this injury invites concern about the former first-round pick’s long-term outlook.
Already on Tennessee’s IR, Farley will not return this season due to another back surgery. Farley is undergoing a microdiscectomy procedure to repair a herniated disk, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). While the second-year cornerback is expected to be ready for the Titans’ offseason program, he has dealt with extensive injury trouble dating back to early in his college career.
Farley has suffered two ACL tears — one during his freshman year at Virginia Tech, the other last season — and will have undergone three back surgeries since 2019. Farley underwent a surgery to address a 2019 back injury, and while he played 10 games that season to vault himself onto the first-round radar, he needed a microdiscectomy in March 2021. Neither that procedure nor Farley’s 2020 COVID-19 opt-out deterred the Titans from using their 2021 first-rounder on him, but the team has not received much of a return on that investment.
The former high-end prospect went down three games into his rookie season, which did not begin on time, and has only played 103 defensive snaps this year. Farley could not move into Tennessee’s starting lineup to start this season, and after starting one game (Week 2), he returned to a backup role the rest of the way. This amounts to another lost season for the 6-foot-2 defender.
The Titans fired the GM who chose Farley — Jon Robinson — earlier this week. While Robinson certainly had draft hits — Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard, Harold Landry, Jeffery Simmons — he took one of this era’s biggest busts (tackle Isaiah Wilson) in the 2020 first round and chose Farley last year. Simmons was an injury risk when the Titans chose him; he had suffered an ACL tear while training for the 2019 draft. While Simmons has rewarded the Titans and will enter 2023 ticketed for a monster extension, Farley will face a crucial year after this latest injury-induced shutdown.
In the years sandwiching their Farley choice, the Titans used second-round picks on Kristian Fulton and Roger McCreary. Those two have been season-long starters, helping a team that has been without slot corner Elijah Molden for most of the season. The Titans placed Molden on IR for the second time Wednesday; a groin injury has plagued the second-year cover man since before the season began.
Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order
The NFL now has its first teams eliminated from playoff contention. The Texans and Bears, as they essentially have been doing throughout this season, are playing for next year. Other eliminations will soon follow, as the league’s playoff picture heats up.
Through that lens, the 2023 draft order will become an increasingly more pertinent topic. The 2023 draft will present an interesting subplot near its outset. Traded picks are set to produce early selections for the Seahawks, Lions and Eagles. Each of those picks currently land in the top five, as the teams on the other end of those trades — the Broncos, Rams and Saints — have disappointed, spectacularly so in Los Angeles and Denver’s cases.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order would look entering Week 14:
- Houston Texans: 1-10-1
- Chicago Bears: 3-9
- Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
- Carolina Panthers: 4-8
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8
- Arizona Cardinals: 4-8
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-8-1
- Atlanta Falcons: 5-8
- Green Bay Packers: 5-8
- Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-7
- Detroit Lions: 5-7
- Los Angeles Chargers: 6-6
- New England Patriots: 6-6
- Washington Commanders: 7-5-1
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-6*
- Seattle Seahawks: 7-5*
- Tennessee Titans: 7-5*
- New York Jets: 7-5*
- New York Giants: 7-4-1*
- Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)*
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-4*
- Cincinnati Bengals: 8-4*
- Dallas Cowboys: 9-3*
- Kansas City Chiefs: 9-3*
- Minnesota Vikings: 10-2*
- Buffalo Bills: 9-3*
- Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1*
* = Denotes playoff team
The 2023 first round will resemble 2008 and 2016, when the Patriots were docked their Round 1 pick for their respective “gate” scandals. This year’s Dolphins saga never developed “gate” status, but the team lost a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-rounder due to the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering case. Thus, a 31-pick first round will commence.
While the Broncos, Rams and Browns lost their first-round picks due to trades for quarterbacks, the Saints passed theirs to the Eagles in this year’s pre-draft trade that allowed New Orleans a path toward moving up for Chris Olave. The No. 16 pick which was initially transferred from the Colts to the Eagles in 2021’s Carson Wentz trade was then moved to the Saints, netting Philadelphia a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second.