NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/21
Here are the latest practice squad moves from around the league:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Nate Orchard
- Released: RB Kerrith Whyte
Minnesota Vikings
- Reinstated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jake Bargas
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Niles Scott
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB KeiVarae Russell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: QB DeShone Kizer
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Austin Fort
Washington Football Team
- Released: C Tyler Gauthier
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/24/21
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: WR Isaiah Coulter, LB Sam Kamara
Denver Broncos
- Designated for return: LB Micah Kiser
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Austin Schlottmann
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: G Parker Ehinger
- Placed on IR: CB A.J. Parker
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OLB Jonathan Garvin
Houston Texans
- Promoted: DL Derek Rivers
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: FB Sutton Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: WR Robert Woods (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: LB Vince Biegel
- Placed on IR: CB Jamal Perry, LB Brennan Scarlett
- Designated for return: OL Michael Deiter
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: DE Tashawn Bower
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: DB Nate Ebner
- Promoted: TE Chris Myarick
New York Jets
- Promoted: FB Nick Bawden
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: LB Davion Taylor
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Logan Woodside
Titans WR Marcus Johnson Done For Season
Marcus Johnson is done for the season. The Titans veteran wideout has been placed on injured reserve, reports Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (via Twitter). Since this is Johnson’s second IR stint of the season, he’ll have to sit out the rest of the 2021 campaign.
Johnson suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that knocked him out for the majority of the contest. The receiver was a standout during training camp and preseason, but he landed on IR prior to the start of the season. He ended up returning in Week 5 and has played in each of the Titans last seven games (with three starts). In total, the 27-year-old has collected 158 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches.
In total, Johnson has seen time in 41 career games, hauling in 51 receptions for 839 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to his stint in Tennessee, he spent three seasons with the Colts.
With Julio Jones on IR, Johnson was expected to see a larger role in the offense, and he had a breakout game with an 100-yard outing in Week 10. A.J. Brown is also banged up, meaning the Titans passing attack could be led by the likes of Chester Rogers, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Dez Fitzpatrick during this weekend’s showdown with the Patriots.
Johnson wasn’t the only Titans player to land on IR today. The team also cornerback Chris Jackson on injured reserve.
Titans Add Golden Tate To Practice Squad
The Titans have signed wide receiver Golden Tate to the practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The veteran wide receiver has yet to play this year, but he could be a quick promotion away from making his 2021 debut.
[RELATED: Titans Release Adrian Peterson]
“I would love to go back home to Tennessee,” Tate told SiriusXM NFL Radio back in June (Twitter link). “[I’d also like to go to] Indy, over with Carson Wentz. Obviously, the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford too.”
Tate, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has gotten his wish. The 33-year-old saw time in 23 games for the Giants over the past two seasons, collecting 84 receptions for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns. Before that (and the PED suspension), he captured a Super Bowl championship with the Seahawks and made the Pro Bowl with the Lions in 2014. From 2014-17 he had at least 1,000 yards in three of four seasons, but the expectations a bit lower at this stage of his career.
Meanwhile, the Titans have released fellow one-time star Adrian Peterson from the 53-man roster. So, if all goes well for Tate, he could earn a quick promotion to the varsity squad.
Titans Waive Adrian Peterson
The Titans have released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. Peterson, who signed with the Titans just three weeks ago, will be available to the rest of the NFL on the waiver wire.
Following the injury to Derrick Henry, the Titans signed the future Hall of Famer to their practice squad. Peterson ended up getting into three games (two starts) with Tennessee, collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was held to a season-low 15 offensive snaps on Sunday, with Dontrell Hilliard getting the bulk of the looks at RB. Hilliard’s performance (82 total yards) probably spelled the end of AP’s stint with the Titans. For the time being, the team will move forward with Hilliard, D’Onta Foreman, and Jeremy McNichols as their running back group.
Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018. There’s a chance he still finds another gig during the 2021 campaign; we previously heard that the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Titans.
Peterson, 36, is still less than 200 rushing yards away from the 15,000 mark. Depending on where he lands, he could be just a few weeks away from joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders in the elusive club. He’s also about 500 yards away from leapfrogging Sanders for fourth all time in rushing yards and six rushing TDs away from besting Marcus Allen for third place.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/23/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: K Brian Johnson
Denver Broncos
- Activated from COVID-19 list: OLB Pita Taumoepenu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Jon Dietzen
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corliss Waltman
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Malcolm Perry
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Jace Sternberger
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, RB Rodney Smith, DE Kevin Strong
- Released: WR Chris Rowland, DT Niles Scott
Washington Football Team
- Signed: C Tyler Gauthier
- Released: LB Anthony Hines, WR Damion Willis
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: QB Chris Streveler
Buffalo Bills
- Designated for return: WR Marquez Stevenson
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: DL Margus Hunt
- Placed on IR: DB Duke Shelley
Denver Broncos
- Waived: CB Mac McCain
Houston Texans
- Released: RB Phillip Lindsay (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Dalvin Tomlinson
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Joe Flacco, QB Mike White
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LS Carson Tinker
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: RB Dontrell Hilliard, DB Buster Skrine, LB John Simon
- Placed on IR: CB Chris Jackson
- Designated for return: FB Khari Blasingame
Titans Place LB Bud Dupree On IR
Injuries are stacking up in Tennessee. Bud Dupree will head to IR for a second straight November. This year, the veteran pass rusher is battling an abdominal injury. He must miss three games because of this transaction.
This is not expected to be a long-term injury, with Ian Rapoport noting (via Twitter) Dupree should be back after the three-game minimum.
While this is obviously a better outlook for Dupree than last November, when he suffered a torn ACL, this extends a run of injury misfortune for the team atop the AFC. The Titans now have Dupree, Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and first-round pick Caleb Farley on IR.
Dupree has already missed three games this season, with those absences coming earlier in the year. The former Steelers first-round pick has just one sack and seven tackles in his seven-game Titans tenure thus far.
Despite the knee injury and offseason rehab, the Titans gave Dupree a five-year, $82.5MM contract in March. Tennessee has missed on a few edge rushers in recent years, with Cameron Wake, Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley not contributing much to the cause. However, homegrown standouts Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons have done well to prop up an improved Titans defense this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/21
We’ll keep track of today’s stream of minor moves right here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: LB Tanner Vallejo
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on IR: OLB Pernell McPhee
- Activated from IR: G Ben Cleveland
- Promoted: G/DT Khalil McKenzie, QB Trace McSorley, LB Joe Thomas
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: G John Miller
- Placed on IR: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: S Deon Bush
- Promoted: WR Isaiah Coulter, OLB Ledarius Mack
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: TE Mason Schreck
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager, DE Porter Gustin, CB Herb Miller
- Waived: RB John Kelly
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: CB Kyron Brown, CB Deante Burton
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Drew Lock
- Activated from IR: CB Michael Ojemudia, LB Justin Strnad
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: WR Tom Kennedy, OL Tommy Kraemer, K Aldrick Rosas
- Waived: DL Kevin Strong
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: La’Darius Hamilton, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: DB Terrence Brooks
- Placed on IR: LB Hardy Nickerson
- Promoted: DL Derek Rivers
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: S Jahleel Addae
- Waived: CB Anthony Chesley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: WR John Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Daniel Brown
- Promoted: WR Daurice Fountain
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: S Roderic Teamer
- Placed on IR: FB Alec Ingold (story)
- Promoted: FB Sutton Smith
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: DL Andrew Brown, DL Forrest Merrill, CB Kiondre Thomas
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: RB Duke Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DB Myles Dorn
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: RB Tony Jones Jr.
- Waived: CB Ken Crawley, WR Kevin White
- Promoted: T Caleb Benenoch, DT Josiah Bronson, OL Will Clapp, CB KeiVarae Russell
- Placed on IR: DT Malcolm Roach
New York Jets
- Promoted: FB Nick Bawden, DE Ronald Blair
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: OL Jack Anderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: DL Daniel Archibong, LB Delontae Scott
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: CB Gavin Heslop
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: TE Tommy Hudson
Titans Eyeing Derrick Henry January Return?
A few Derrick Henry timelines have been tossed around since the two-time reigning rushing champion went down. The latest suggests the Titans have not given up on their impact running back returning this season.
The Titans are optimistic Henry can return in early January, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (video link). Henry is rehabbing a Jones fracture, an injury that an initial report indicated would knock him out for the season. But the AFC-leading team has a Henry return on its back burner.
Henry suffered the foot fracture on Halloween, and the Titans’ ground game has declined considerably. Adrian Peterson has averaged 2.3 yards per carry in two games since joining the team, and Jeremy McNichols is in the Titans’ concussion protocol. D’Onta Foreman has perhaps looked the best of Tennessee’s backs, but the workout circuit regular-turned-emergency fill-in is at 3.7 yards per tote. The Titans have continued to win without Henry, but their Julio Jones-less offense did not have an easy day in a narrow win over the Saints.
Tennessee is 1.5 games up in the race for the AFC’s bye and has wins over Buffalo and Kansas City. A bye would certainly boost Henry’s chances of returning this season. With the NFL adding a week to its schedule, the divisional round does not begin until Jan. 22. Even if the Titans fall out of the bye position, it appears they are not ruling out Henry returning for a mid-January wild-card game. Deebo Samuel beat the three-month mark in his recovery from a Jones fracture last year. The 49ers wide receiver suffered a Jones fracture in mid-June of last year and returned for the team’s Week 4 game on Oct. 4.
The Titans have Henry signed to a four-year, $50MM extension, which runs through 2023. Despite going down in Week 8, Henry still leads the NFL with 937 rushing yards. The organization will surely weigh Henry’s long-term health into a return equation, but it appears the sixth-year vet’s rehab is going well. The Titans also may have one of their better chances to reach a Super Bowl. The franchise has not earned a playoff bye since 2008 and has ventured to one Super Bowl in its history. Henry obviously would change the team’s playoff outlook.