NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/20
Today’s practice squad adds and drops:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Cale Garrett
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Austin Walter
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Ross Cockrell, C Zach Shackelford
Giants Sign Devonta Freeman
It’s officially official. On Wednesday morning, the Giants announced the signing of running back Devonta Freeman. To clear a spot for him on the active roster, the Giants have placed wide receiver Sterling Shepard on injured reserve with a turf toe injury.
[RELATED: Giants Place Sterling Shepard On IR]
It’s a one-year deal worth up to $3MM, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network adds that the contract has a base value of $1.07MM (prorated to $944K) and includes $280K in per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter link). Freeman can earn up to $1.15MM in rushing yards/TD incentives, he will earn $250K if he makes the Pro Bowl, and he will pull down another $250K if he gets a First Team All-Pro nod.
Agent Drew Rosenhaus claims that his client “turned down more money from other teams because he likes the opportunity with the Giants best.” That may or may not be typical agent spin. Not long ago, Freeman was one of the NFL’s highest-paid running backs. But, since his fall from the top, he’s had a hard time finding the type of money he’s accustomed to.
The 28-year-old turned down a Seahawks offer believed to be worth a concrete $3MM and rebuffed inquiries from the Eagles earlier this offseason. Freeman’s tepid market coupled with his pickiness led to a divorce between him and his longtime agent, leading him to Rosenhaus.
It’s been a while since the 28-year-old has flashed his Pro Bowl talent. Injuries limited Freeman to only two games in 2018, and he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in 14 games last season. That underwhelming performance led to him being ranked 41st among 43 running backs in success rate, per Football Outsiders.
In New York, he’ll look to carve out a role following Saquon Barkley‘s season-ending injury. It’s not a given that he’ll be the Giants’ lead back right off the bat, as Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman are also on the depth chart.
Giants Place Sterling Shepard On IR
The Giants are placing Sterling Shepard on injured reserve with turf toe, per a club announcement. The move will open up a spot for the arrival of running back Devonta Freeman. 
Shepard has been a focal point of the Giants’ offense so far this year, reeling in eight grabs for 76 yards off of ten targets. Fellow wideout Darius Slayton and tight end Evan Engram are the only Giants to have received more looks from Daniel Jones in 2020.
The Giants are now facing a season without star running back Saquon Barkley and a three-game stretch (at minimum) without Shepard. The addition of Freeman will help maintain some of their offensive firepower, but this is a Giants team that is clearly in trouble. After falling to the Steelers and Bears to open the year, the Giants will take on the 49ers at home, the Rams on the road, and the rival Cowboys in Dallas.
Without Shepard, the Giants are left with Slayton, Golden Tate, Damion Ratley, and C.J. Board as their wide receivers. They may look to draw from their expanded practice squad for help, where WRs Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, and Derrick Dillon are at the ready.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: S Ibraheim Campbell, CB Tremon Smith
- Placed on IR: S Malik Hooker (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LB Hardy Nickerson
New York Giants
- Promoted: CB Ryan Lewis
New York Jets
- Promoted: WR Josh Malone
- Placed on IR: CB Arthur Maulet
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: CB Linden Stephens
- Placed on IR: WR Phillip Dorsett
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/22/20
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Rick Leonard
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: DB Tyler Hall, QB Kyle Lauletta, DT David Moa
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Sean Culkin
- Placed on practice squad IR: Xavier Grimble
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Marqui Christian
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: G Alex Redmond
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Jalen Jelks, K Matthew McCrane
- Released: DT Tanzel Smart
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Deyon Sizer
Detroit Lions
- Released: RB Jonathan Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Released: LB Greg Roberts
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Hale Hentges, TE Ethan Wolf
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DB Josh Nurse
- Released: RB Craig Reynolds
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: S Jahleel Addae
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DB Nate Meadors
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Jermaine Grace
- Released: OL Tyler Haycraft
New York Jets
- Released: LB Paul Worrilow
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Alex Barrett
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: TE Daniel Helm
Giants Expected To Sign Devonta Freeman
After bringing in Devonta Freeman for a visit, the Giants have put the veteran running back through COVID-19 testing protocols. If the former Falcons Pro Bowler’s tests come back negative, they are expected to sign him, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link).
The Giants used Jerry Reese-era holdover Wayne Gallman as Saquon Barkley‘s primary replacement last season, when the star running back rehabbed a high ankle sprain. A year later, it looks like Freeman and Dion Lewis will be tasked with filling the void. The Giants placed Barkley on IR Tuesday after his ACL tear.
Freeman visited the Eagles late last week and met with the Jaguars earlier this month. But he is on Day 2 of coronavirus testing with the Giants, who suddenly need running back help more than the other teams that previously considered Freeman. The 28-year-old back waited for a quality fit this offseason, rejecting a Seahawks offer believed to be worth $3MM and initially spurning the Eagles’ interest. It appears the Giants will be his second NFL destination.
The former Super Bowl starter has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. Each of those — in 2015 and ’16 — included 1,500-plus scrimmage yards and garnered him Pro Bowl invites. However, the former fourth-round pick has not been especially productive since 2017. Freeman missed almost all of the 2018 season due to injury and was not the same back in 2019, when he played in 14 Falcons games and averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. The 2020 Falcons cap casualty will aim to re-establish himself in New York, which has 14 Barkley-less games on tap.
Gallman remains on the Giants’ 53-man roster, but Joe Judge turned to Lewis — whom he coached in New England — after Barkley’s injury. The Giants gave Lewis a one-year, $1.55MM deal this offseason. He figures to share work with Freeman, whose expected deal will almost certainly be a one-year pact.
Colts Place Parris Campbell On IR
The Colts have placed wide receiver Parris Campbell on injured reserve with a PCL injury, per a club announcement. Campbell’s timetable for return is unclear, but he’ll miss at least three weeks per the league’s modified IR rules for 2020. 
[RELATED: Colts’ Malik Hooker Suffers Torn Achilles]
Campbell went down in the first quarter of the Colts’ Week 2 contest against the Vikings and had to be carted off of the field. He did not return to the field, but he could return for the Colts before the year is through. It’ll all come down to whether Campbell gets surgery. If doctors determine that the ligament can heal on its own, Campbell might be able to come back.
The Colts had high hopes for the second-year slot receiver, especially after his 4.3-second 40-yard-dash speed was on full display in the season opener. Against the Jaguars, Campbell notched six catches for 71 yards, good for nearly 12 yards per grab. Now, the Colts will have to find inside help elsewhere. Running back Nyheim Hines could see some time as a receiver, but it might behoove the club to explore outside options.
Although Campbell has a chance to return, the same can’t be said for former first-round pick Malik Hooker. The safety is out for the year after suffering a torn Achilles, his latest in a line of serious injuries.
Washington Places Brandon Scherff On IR
The Washington Football Team has placed offensive lineman Brandon Scherff on injured reserve, per a club announcement. Scherff suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday against the Cardinals, which will keep him out of action for at least three weeks. In a related move, Washington promoted wide receiver Cam Sims from the practice squad. 
At minimum, Scherff will miss the next three games against the Browns, Ravens, and Rams. If he’s cleared in time, he’ll be eligible to return on Oct. 18 against the Giants at the Meadowlands.
Thanks to the franchise tag, Scherff is set to play out 2020 on a one-year, $15.03MM deal. The three-time Pro Bowler was the first guard to receive the franchise tag since 2011, and that’s largely due to the league’s arcane rules regarding offensive lineman. Per the collective bargaining agreement, guards and tackles are classified under the same “offensive lineman” banner. Those franchise tender salaries are calculated off of the average of the top five at any given position, and teams aren’t keen on paying tackle money to guards. At least, they haven’t historically been keen on that. Scherff is one of the better interior linemen in the league, and the cost of quality guards has risen dramatically.
Since entering the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Scherff has started in all 67 of his games. Unfortunately, he’s also missed a good chunk of time. Between 2018 and 2019, he was sidelined for 13 games. He’s one of the league’s very best interior protectors when he’s healthy, but the injury bug has unfortunately bitten him once again.
49ers’ Solomon Thomas Suffers Torn ACL
The hits just keep on coming for the 49ers. Shortly after learning that defensive end Nick Bosa is done for the year with a torn ACL, the 49ers announced that defensive lineman Solomon Thomas has suffered the same injury. Needless to say, Thomas’ year is over. 
[RELATED: 49ers’ Nick Bosa Done For Season]
Thomas didn’t just go down in the same game — he went down two plays after Bosa. This marks a lost season for the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft after a string of disappointing campaigns. The Stanford product started at least 12 games in each of his first two seasons but was first string just three times in 2019. After playing on just 41% of the Niners snaps, he turned into more of a role player than the star SF envisioned. This year, he started in both of his games, but he won’t have an opportunity to build off of that.
In 2017, Thomas was widely regarded as the second-best defensive lineman in the class, behind only Myles Garrett. On draft night, the Niners sent their No. 2 overall pick to the Bears and tapped Thomas, even though they already had a loaded defensive front featuring Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner. With that, the Bears got Mitchell Trubisky and the 49ers got a king’s ransom for sliding down just one spot. Unfortunately, they missed on Thomas. In four seasons (really, three seasons-and-change), Thomas registered six total sacks while starting just 30 games.
In other Niners injury news, the club received good word on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s day-to-day with his high-ankle injury, giving him a small chance of playing this week against the Giants and a better chance of returning for Week 4 against the Eagles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Running back Raheem Mostert, meanwhile, will be out for several weeks with a knee injury.
Broncos To Sign Blake Bortles
That was fast. Just moments after we learned of Blake Bortles‘ visit with the Broncos, the quarterback agreed to sign with Denver (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Everything is in place for a one-year deal, pending COVID protocols. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Courtland Sutton Tears ACL]
This marks Bortles’ third stop in the NFL, following stints with the Jaguars and Rams. Now, Bortles will join the Broncos to give them support under center as Drew Lock heals up. Lock is expected to miss three-to-five weeks with a severe strain of his rotator cuff.
The 28-year-old enjoyed his best season in 2015 when he threw for 4,428 yards with 35 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. In 2017, he was under center for the Jaguars’ deep playoff run, though he was unable to keep their lead in the second half of the AFC title game against the Patriots.
The Broncos have yet to formally move Lock to injured reserve, but they already have available spots following injuries to Courtland Sutton and defensive end Dre’Mont Jones. Sutton, unfortunately, is done for the year with an ACL tear.