Titans Sign P Ryan Allen
As Brett Kern deals with a wrist injury, the Titans have turned to one of the top punters on the market. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Tennessee has signed Ryan Allen.
Allen made a name for himself by spending the first six seasons of his career with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowl rings. The Louisiana Tech product was a standout during Super Bowl LIII, with three of his five punts pinning the Rams inside the 20-yard line.
He inked a one-year extension with the Patriots the following offseason, but he ultimately lost his job to rookie Jake Bailey ahead of the 2019 campaign. Allen subsequently signed with the Falcons, and he proceeded to appear in eight games for them during the 2019 campaign. The 30-year-old was cut by Atlanta back in August, and he’s been sitting in free agency ever since.
In Tennessee, Allen will be reuniting with former Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, although you’ve got to assume that Allen’s stay with the Titans will be short. After all, Kern is a three-time Pro Bowler, and while his wrist injury will sideline him this weekend against the Bears, he should probably be back before the season ends.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Germain Ifedi
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: C Cody Whitehair (story)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Fred Johnson, CB Trae Waynes; Waynes remains on IR
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Chris Jones
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Lynn Bowden
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LB Hercules Mata’afa
- Placed on IR: CB Mark Fields
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: WR Justin Hardee, DT Sheldon Rankins (story)
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: DB Ryan Lewis
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Brandon Aiyuk, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Deebo Samuel, T Trent Williams (story)
Lions Sign Mohamed Sanu
The Lions have signed wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to the practice squad, per a club announcement. Sanu auditioned for Detroit on Monday and showed enough to land a deal with the 3-4 squad. 
Sanu is both experienced and well-traveled at this point. Last year, the Patriots acquired him from the Falcons in exchange for a second-round pick. Then, in September, the Pats surprised many by releasing him outright. After that, he had a brief 49ers stint with old pal Kyle Shanahan before landing with the Lions.
Sanu underwhelmed in his eight regular season games (six starts) with the Patriots last year, hauling in 26 receptions (on 47 targets) for 207 yards and one score. He was also invisible during New England’s playoff loss to the Titans as he caught just one pass for eleven yards. All in all, Sanu has registered 404 receptions for 4,516 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and 26 touchdowns over the course of his career.
Now, the 31-year-old will be on call for the Lions, who are keeping a close eye on Kenny Golladay‘s hip injury. If he’s called up to the main roster, he’ll have an opportunity to pair with one-time Bengals teammate Marvin Jones Jr.
Cardinals To Sign Johnathan Joseph
The Cardinals have agreed to sign cornerback Johnathan Joseph, according to Mark Berman of FOX26 (on Twitter). The Titans released the veteran earlier this week, enabling him to sign with any club.
[RELATED: Cardinals Bring Back DL Josh Mauro]
Joseph’s one-year deal with the Titans made him the NFL’s oldest corner in the 2020 season. He’ll keep that mantle — for now — though 37-year-old Tramon Williams could take it from him by signing with the Ravens.
Joseph, 36 years young, will help to fortify a quality secondary group in Arizona. Before the deadline, the Cardinals were said to be in the hunt for cornerback help, though they were tied to a much younger player in Chargers standout Desmond King. Joseph doesn’t profile as a potential replacement for Patrick Peterson in 2021, but he can offer support for the 5-2 contenders this year.
The former 2006 first-rounder will have a chance to debut on Sunday when his new squad faces the Dolphins at State Farm Stadium.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/5/20
We’ll keep track of the latest practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Seth Devalve
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Khari Lee
- Released: RB Dalyn Dawkins
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Ryan Glasgow
New York Jets
- Signed: C James Murray
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Jason Croom
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Josiah Coatney
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Alex Collins (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Cyril Grayson
- Released: WR John Hurst
Washington Football Team
- Signed: LB Justin Phillips
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Matt Judon
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: C Sam Tecklenburg
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB Elijah Lee
- Waived: C Evan Brown
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: CB Kevin Toliver
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jalen Elliott
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: S Henry Black, G Ben Braden, CB Stanford Samuels
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Theo Riddick
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: CB Dylan Mabin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Marcus Epps; Epps tested positive for the coronavirus but is believed to be asymptomatic, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link)
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: OL Tony Bergstrom, WR River Cracraft, S Johnathan Cyprien, TE Daniel Helm, RB Austin Walter, WR Kevin White
- Placed on IR: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE George Kittle (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LS Matthew Orzech
Aaron Jones On Track To Play In Week 9
Good news for a Packers team that has seen COVID-19 decimate its running back room: Aaron Jones is on track to play Thursday night.
The standout running back has missed the past two games with a calf injury, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports he is expected to be active against the 49ers (Twitter link).
A.J. Dillon‘s positive coronavirus test led to the Packers’ top Jones replacement — Jamaal Williams — being deemed a high-risk close contact. On the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, Williams and Dillon will miss tonight’s game. The Packers having Jones active would be critical, though the notoriously cautious team will see how its starter looks in pregame warmups, per Schefter.
Green Bay promoted running back Dexter Williams from its practice squad Thursday and has return specialist Tyler Ervin set to play. Were Jones to experience pregame issues with his calf, the Packers would be extremely shorthanded in their backfield. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Williams has five career carries. Despite being a 2016 draftee, Ervin has 10 career totes.
Jones has been one of the NFL’s best backs over the past two seasons. After his 19-touchdown 2019 season, the former fifth-round pick is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this year. Jones has scored seven TDs in five games. He suffered the calf injury in practice prior to Green Bay’s Week 7 game in Houston. Returning to full strength will be key for Jones, who hopes to join several of his 2017 running back draft classmates in securing a big payday. His rookie contract expires at season’s end.
Dolphins Place Myles Gaskin On IR
The Dolphins will place running back Myles Gaskin on injured reserve, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Per league rules, Gaskin will be out for the next three games. On the plus side, head coach Brian Flores doesn’t anticipate that he’ll miss more than that.
[RELATED: Chiefs Trade RB DeAndre Washington To Dolphins]
The Dolphins anticipated that Gaskin would need time to recover from his sprained MCL, which is why they traded for Chiefs running back DeAndre Washington just prior to the deadline. Meanwhile, Matt Breida is still working his way through a hamstring injury, so Washington could see a larger-than-anticipated role against the Cardinals on Sunday. In a worst case scenario, Jordan Howard still figures to lead the way in touches, with support from Patrick Laird and Salvon Ahmed.
Gaskin, 23, has averaged 3.9 yards per carry through seven games. He’s been more of a contributor as a pass-catcher — so far, he’s registered 30 catches for 198 yards. With or without Gaskin, the Dolphins could use some improvement out of their ground game. The Dolphins have one of the league’s weakest rushing offenses with an average of just 98 yards per contest.
Seahawks Sign Alex Collins
The Seahawks have signed running back Alex Collins to the practice squad, per a club announcement. Collins will head to the practice squad alongside linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was brought back after a brief hiatus. 
[RELATED: Mychal Kendricks Returns To Seahawks Practice Squad]
The Seahawks worked out Collins back in January, but didn’t end up signing him at the time. Months later, he’s back. They’re plenty familiar with Collins, as he started his career with the Seahawks back in 2016. A fifth-round pick out of Arkansas, Collins was waived after a rookie season where he played sparingly. He signed with Baltimore, and ended up having a breakout 2017 season with the Ravens.
Collins became their full-time starter, racking up 973 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. After that, his career took some odd turns. A 2018 foot injury cut his season short and his arrest in the 2019 offseason prompted the Ravens to drop him. After spending all of 2019 out of football, this marks Collins’ first opportunity to get his career back on track.
Lions Place QB Matthew Stafford On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Lions announced earlier tonight that they’ve placed Matthew Stafford on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the quarterback will have to miss any time.
As ESPN’s Adam Schefter explains on Twitter, Stafford is “considered a high-risk, close contact from a non team member.” Since his most recent contact came on Monday, the veteran will be eligible to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, making him eligible to play against the Vikings this weekend.
Of course, everything could change if Stafford’s tests don’t come back negative. Fortunately, his wife, Kelly, stated on Instagram that the 32-year-old hasn’t tested positive.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes, Stafford landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list back in July. It was later learned that his test showed a false positive, prompting changes to the NFL’s testing protocol.
Stafford’s completed only 61.4-percent of his passes this season, his worst showing since 2014. However, he’s still put up solid counting numbers, including 1,916 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and only five interceptions in seven games. In the event that Stafford was sidelined, the team would turn to either Chase Daniel or David Blough.