Terrell Lewis

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/18/24

Here are Thursday’s reserve/futures deals:

Los Angeles Rams

  • K Tanner Brown

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

  • WR Brycen Tremayne

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/23

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Released: QB Reid Sinnett

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

  • Released: DL Junior Aho

New Orleans Saints

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/23

Today’s taxi squad moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons 

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Michael Strachan

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: QB Ian Book, DB William Hooper

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These BearsLionsPackers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Placed on IR:

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Detroit Lions

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Claimed:

Released:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Placed on IR:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/23

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

  • Placed on IR: LB De’Jon Harris

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/22

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: QB James Morgan
  • Released: QB Carson Strong

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: G Parker Ferguson, DB Devon Key
  • Released: LB Harvey Langi

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DT Jarrod Hewitt

Tennessee Titans

Rams To Waive OLB Terrell Lewis

The Rams are set to let go of a recent third-round draft pick as they are reportedly waiving outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. It’s a bit of a surprising move considering the team lacks much depth at outside linebacker.

Lewis was largely considered a risky steal when he was selected by Los Angeles in the third round. The Alabama-product rose up draft boards early in his collegiate career before a torn ACL sidelined him for the entire 2018 season. After appearing in 11 games in 2016 with little playing time as Terrell Hall, he legally changed his last name to Lewis going into his sophomore year. After tearing a ligament in the first game with “Lewis” on his jersey, he would miss the next ten games, returning for the regular season finale and a postseason run that would include an SEC Championship game and two College Football Playoff games. His first collegiate start would be in the Crimson Tide’s National Championship win over Georgia in overtime.

Between the two long-term injuries he suffered in college and only appearing in 26 games over four years, scouts were iffy on Lewis’s durability. But after a strong redshirt junior season that saw Lewis rack up 31 tackles, six sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss, and saw him play in 11 of the team’s 13 games that year, Lewis had a strong opportunity in the NFL Draft. Evaluating entering the draft early with his injury history led Lewis to an easy decision and he became a Ram.

Unfortunately for both parties, Lewis’s professional career has been more of the same. He spent the first four weeks of his rookie season on the team’s non-football injury list and would miss five more games later in the year, including a playoff loss to the Packers. His second year with the Rams last season started off promising. After showing a healthy start to the year, Lewis earned his first start in the NFL and tallied a sack in three straight games. He followed that up with three straight starts before eventually, the injury bug struck again. After two games with diminishing playing time, Lewis would sit out the rest of the season, including a four-game playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl win over the Bengals.

This year, once again, started off with promise. Lewis was a constant presence rotating into the Rams linebacking corps behind a usual starting lineup of Bobby Wagner, Ernest Jones, Leonard Floyd, and Justin Hollins. Lewis often split time with Hollins, eventually taking over his starting spot after Hollins was waived in late-November. But after only three starts, Lewis found himself on the injured list once again. Lewis injured his back in a loss to the Chiefs, suffering a disc bulge that limited his flexibility. He’s now missed the last two games and it appears that the Rams have seen enough.

With Lewis out, the Rams have not really gone the replacement route. They have begun to incorporate some linebacking reserves like rookie seventh-round pick Daniel Hardy, undrafted rookie Keir Thomas, and Christian Rozeboom, but, for the most part, the Rams have been playing far fewer four-linebacker sets, relying on their top-three linebackers, Wagner, Jones, and Floyd.

Lewis will head to waivers where he may be lucky enough to find his way to a team with the patience and depth at outside linebacker to weather any potential future absences. He still provides impressive measurables and pass rushing ability for any teams willing to stake a claim on the waiver wire.

IR/Activation Notes: Njoku, 49ers, Rams, Giants

David Njoku is back. The Browns announced this morning that they’ve activated the tight end from the injured reserve.

The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury during Cleveland’s season opener, and he was subsequently placed on IR. He was designated for return earlier this week, and coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that Njoku would see the field sooner than later. The tight end had three receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown in Week 1, surpassing some of the totals he compiled during his injury-plagued 2019 campaign.

Njoku requested a trade back in July, only to rescind it in early August. While the former first-rounder sits behind free agent addition Austin Hooper on the depth chart (and has to battle the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Kareem Hunt for targets), Njoku should still see a role in the offense going forward.

Let’s check out some more IR/activation notes from around the NFL…

  • The 49ers‘ injury woes continue, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (biceps) and cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee/hip) are heading to the IR. Ansah joined San Francisco in late September, and he’s proceeded to appear in two games. He spent the 2019 campaign with the Seahawks, finishing with 18 tackles, two forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks. Williams has spent the past three-plus seasons with the 49ers, and he’s started two of his four appearances this season. Fortunately, there is some good news out of San Francisco, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will start Sunday against the Dolphins (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). Garoppolo has missed the past two-plus games, with the team mostly turning to Nick Mullens in his stead.
  • 2020 third-round pick Terrell Lewis could make his debut for the Rams this weekend. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets that the rookie linebacker has been activated off the IR. Following a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Lewis underwent a knee scope just before the start of the season. The former Alabama standout could immediately see some time on the edge for the Rams.
  • The Giants placed linebacker Oshane Ximines on IR with a shoulder injury, reports SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (via Twitter). The 2019 third-rounder saw time in all 16 games as a rookie, finishing with 4.5 sacks. He started three of the Giants first four games in 2020, collecting five tackles.

Rams Draft OLB Terrell Lewis At No. 84

The Rams used the No. 84 overall pick to bolster their pass rush. They took outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, giving Alabama its eighth pick thus far in this draft.

Lewis was on track to be picked higher at one point, but an ACL tear in 2018 sidetracked his career. Lewis missed all of the 2018 season, returned in 2019 and registered six sacks for the Crimson Tide.

The Rams moved on from Clay Matthews after one season and let Dante Fowler defect to the Falcons. While Los Angeles added former Bears first-rounder Leonard Floyd and still has Samson Ebukam on its roster, the team probably needed additional help on the edge.

Injuries dogged Lewis for much of his college career. He missed all but four games in 2017 and ended his Alabama run having played in only 14 games. But 10 of those came this past season, and Lewis will look to build on that as a pro.