NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/20
Here are the latest NFL practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: FB Tommy Bohanon, G Parker Ehinger, DT Braxton Hoyett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Shelton Gibson
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Bruce Hector
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Alex Tanney
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DL Leki Fotu
- Promoted: TE Seth Devalve, RB D.J. Foster
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: WR Stanley Morgan
- Placed on IR: CB Tony Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: FB/TE Andrew Beck
- Promoted: TE Troy Fumagalli, S Alijah Holder, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: CB Darryl Roberts
- Promoted: S Bobby Price
- Waived: TE Isaac Nauta
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: G Ben Braden, TE Dominique Dafney
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: RB Cullen Gillaspia
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: P Ryan Allen, C Joey Hunt
- Placed on IR: TE Noah Togiai
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: S Josh Jones, LB Shaquille Quarterman
- Promoted: TE Ben Ellefson, DT DaVon Hamilton, CB Nate Meadors, DL Caraun Reid
- Waived: RB Craig Reynolds
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: LB Asmar Bilal
- Promoted: LB Cole Christiansen, NT Breiden Fehoko
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
- Promoted: DB J.R. Reed
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: S Nate Holley
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DE Eddie Yarbrough, TE Brandon Dillon
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: TE Dalton Keene
- Promoted: TE/DL Rashod Berry, WR Donte Moncrief, DL Akeem Spence
- Waived: WR Isaiah Ford
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Devonta Freeman; Freeman remains on IR
- Promoted: DL Niko Lalos, QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- Promoted: DB Elijah Campbell, LB Noah Dawkins
- Released from IR: WR Chris Hogan
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: DT Raequan Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: T Chad Wheeler
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Bryan Mone
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: T Marshall Newhouse, LB Tuzar Skipper
Raiders To Promote DE Vic Beasley
Vic Beasley appears set to suit up for a second team this season. The Raiders are promoting their recent practice squad addition to their active roster, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets.
The Raiders signed Beasley last week. He needed nearly a week’s worth of negative COVID-19 tests to practice with his new team, but the former first-round pick will have a chance to redeem himself after an unproductive Titans tenure.
Beasley struggled for much of his Falcons tenure, but he was a 2016 first-team All-Pro after recording 15.5 sacks. He failed to justify Atlanta’s top-10 investment, but the Clemson product finished his contract year on a bit of a tear to finish with eight sacks. The Titans received little after signing Beasley to a one-year, $9.5MM deal; the sixth-year veteran pass rusher recorded zero sacks.
The Raiders, however, have a need on the edge. They have experienced issues sacking quarterbacks since trading Khalil Mack. The team’s Clelin Ferrell draft choice has yet to pay dividends, though 2019 fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby has helped make up for that. But the Raiders will have Ferrell back Sunday, with Crosby and now Beasley joining him as the team hopes to begin a late-season resurgence that ends with a playoff berth. The Raiders will hope to have ex-Beasley Falcons teammate Takkarist McKinley (currently on IR) as part of this equation before December ends.
Chiefs To Promote OL Stefen Wisniewski
Two weeks after rejoining the Chiefs as a practice squad stash, Stefen Wisniewski is on track to suit up for the team. The Chiefs are promoting their 2019 playoff starter ahead of their Week 13 game.
An injury derailed Wisniewski’s time with the Steelers, who reached an injury settlement with him to move him off their IR list. Now, Wisniewski will attempt to help Pittsburgh’s challenger for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Wisniewski was not on the Chiefs team that claimed home-field advantage two years ago, but the productive journeyman played a key role on last season’s team. The Chiefs turned to the former Raiders, Jaguars and Eagles interior O-lineman as one of their starting guards in each of the team’s three playoff games. Wisniewski has started in two Super Bowls.
The 31-year-old blocker may now profile as depth behind interior starters Andrew Wylie, Nick Allegretti and Daniel Kilgore. But it certainly would not surprise if Wisniewski commandeered one of Kansas City’s first-string slots. If nothing else, the 2020 season has required depth more than any other due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chiefs also placed linebacker Dorian O’Daniel on IR and promoted defensive back Chris Lammons.
Saints Activate DT Sheldon Rankins
One of the NFL’s best defenses will feature more defensive line talent than it has in recent weeks. The Saints activated Sheldon Rankins from IR on Saturday.
An MCL injury sidelined the contract-year defensive tackle since Week 8. While Rankins’ role has changed since his Achilles tear in the 2018 playoffs, he still represents a key depth piece for the Super Bowl-contending Saints. New Orleans has won eight straight games and now leads the league in total defense.
The Saints have used Rankins as a backup behind David Onyemata and Malcom Brown this season, but the former first-round pick was a full-time starter prior in the two seasons prior to his Achilles malady. Rankins has seen various injuries, including a 2019 ankle setback, affect his NFL status. But he will have a chance to make a final push for a reasonable free agency deal in the weeks ahead.
New Orleans placed wide receiver Marquez Callaway on IR to make room for Rankins. The team also promoted offensive lineman Will Clapp, cornerback Grant Haley, wideouts Juwan Johnson and Tommylee Lewis and defensive lineman Anthony Zettel from its practice squad.
Seahawks Move CB Tre Flowers To IR
The Seahawks now have two of their cornerback starters on IR. They placed Tre Flowers on the injured list Saturday, per Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter), sidelining him for at least three games.
Flowers will join Quinton Dunbar on Seattle’s IR and leave the team thin on the boundary. Shaquill Griffin does not have much in the way of experienced coverage help at the moment.
It is unlikely Flowers will miss the rest of the season; he is battling a hamstring ailment. And if there was an ideal time for the Seahawks to be without a starting defender, this would be it. Over the next three weeks, the Seahawks will play the Giants, Jets and Washington.
The third-year corner has been a starter for most of his Seattle tenure. Although the Dunbar trade minimized Flowers to a degree, the former fifth-round pick has remained essential to Seattle’s defensive equation. He has started seven games this season, albeit for one of the league’s worst pass defenses. Having played 15 games (all starts) in each of his first two seasons, this will be Flowers’ longest absence as a pro.
Packers Place C Corey Linsley On IR
While Corey Linsley required a cart to leave Lambeau Field on Sunday night, he is not believed to be out for the season. That said, the Packers will be without their starting center for some time.
Linsley’s knee sprain prompted the Packers to move him to IR on Saturday. This will be a blow to both the Packers and the contract-year blocker, who has enjoyed a strong age-29 season.
Pro Football Focus slots Linsley on a separate tier from other centers this season, grading the seventh-year Green Bay snapper as by far its No. 1 player at the position. While the Packers have versatile lineman Elgton Jenkins capable of taking over at center, this will be a setback for the team’s top-tier O-line.
Notable extension talks between the Packers and Linsley have not yet come to pass. The team recently made standout left tackle David Bakhtiari the league’s highest-paid left tackle and by far the highest-paid O-lineman in franchise history. As of now, Green Bay is projected to be more than $16MM over the reduced 2021 cap. That will complicate matters for a team that has Linsley and Aaron Jones as UFAs-to-be. Linsley signed his first Packers extension in 2017.
Dolphins Activate RB Myles Gaskin
The Dolphins exited Week 12 with an injury-wrecked running back situation, but they will have their top 2020 rusher back in action this week.
Myles Gaskin will move from the Dolphins’ injured reserve list to their active roster. And based on Miami’s depth chart situation, the team will need him to avoid any setbacks.
Although the Dolphins will have Gaskin back, they are down Matt Breida, Salvon Ahmed and recent trade acquisition DeAndre Washington. Breida is on Miami’s reserve/COVID-19 list, while Washington and Ahmed are dealing with injuries. Both are doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Gaskin and Patrick Laird reside as the healthy Dolphin backs.
Gaskin displayed promising form prior to going down with an MCL sprain a month ago. The 2019 seventh-round pick surged ahead of Breida and Jordan Howard in Miami’s pecking order, rendering the latter a healthy scratch. The Dolphins cut Howard soon after. Gaskin has produced 585 scrimmage yards and two TDs in seven games this season — well north of his rookie-year numbers — and stands to be a key cog in the Dolphins’ playoff pursuit.
Eagles Promote RB Jordan Howard
When the Eagles take the field tomorrow against the Packers, they’ll be joined by a familiar face. Philadelphia has promoted veteran running back Jordan Howard from the practice squad, the team announced on Twitter. The Eagles have also promoted defensive tackle Raequan Williams.
Howard appeared in 10 games for the Eagles during the 2019 campaign, starting four of those contests. He ultimately finished the season having compiled 525 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 119 carries (good for 4.4 yards per carry), and that included an 87-yard, two-touchdown performance in a victory over Green Bay.
Howard signed a two-year, $9.75MM deal with the Dolphins this past offseason, but his brief stint in Miami proved to be underwhelming. The 26-year-old appeared in five games (three starts) for the Dolphins, running for 33 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. He was released by the Dolphins in mid-November, and he quickly caught on with the Eagles practice squad.
Now, Howard will have an opportunity to reinsert himself into an inconsistent running back corps. The Eagles have turned to three running backs this season, including Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Corey Clement.
Williams joined the Eagles this offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State. The 23-year-old made his NFL debut after being promoted to the active roster in Week 8.
Texans Activate RB David Johnson From IR
David Johnson should be back on the field tomorrow for the Texans. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that Houston is activating the veteran from injured reserve. The Texans are also promoting wideout Steven Mitchell from the practice squad.
Johnson suffered a concussion during his team’s Week 9 win over the Jaguars, landing him on injured reserve. Over the past three-plus games, the Texans have mostly leaned on pass-catching back Duke Johnson to lead their rushing attack, although C.J. Prosise started digging into those carries during Houston’s Thanksgiving-day win over the Lions.
Following a number of injury-filled campaigns, the Cardinals dealt Johnson to Houston this past offseason in the DeAndre Hopkins trade. While the 28-year-old has an All-Pro nod on his resume, he still hasn’t rebounded to the point of justifying the three-year, $39MM extension he signed with Arizona back in 2018.
In eight starts this season, Johnson has rushed for 408 yards and three touchdowns on 103 carries, good for only 4.0 yards per carry. Further, while Johnson used to be a force catching the ball (he had 80 receptions back in 2016), he’s only hauled in 16 catches for 161 yards and one score in 2020.
Mitchell, a former undrafted free agent out of USC, has spent most of his three-year career with the Texans organization. The 26-year-old has appeared in five career games (one start), hauling in two catches for 37 yards.