Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT Daylon Mack
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DT Treyvon Hester
Houston Texans
- Promoted: RB Scottie Phillips
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: RB Devine Ozigbo
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: T Yodny Cajuste
New York Giants
- Released from IR via injury settlement: S Montre Hartage
Pay Raise For Eagles’ Jason Peters
Jason Peters got what he wanted. On Thursday, the Eagles agreed to revise the veteran’s deal to pay him up to $8MM with $4MM guaranteed, according to agent Vince Taylor (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 
[RELATED: Eagles Sign Josh McCown To Practice Squad]
The Eagles brought Peters back this summer to fill-in for injured guard Brandon Brooks. The lifelong tackle agreed to do so at a lesser rate – $3MM in base pay, plus $3M in incentives tied to playing time. The package included some easily achievable bonuses ($400K for 75% playing time), plus some trickier ones ($350K for 75% PT + Super Bowl victory; $1MM for 90% PT + First-Team All-Pro selection).
Then, the injury bug bit Andre Dillard. Peters asked for a pay bump to move back to his native position and the Eagles obliged. The extra expense is well worth it for the Birds. While the 38-year-old has lost a step, he still turned in a solid 2019 – Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s sixth-best tackle among 81 qualifiers in 2019. Considering the going rate for tackles – and the dearth of talent at this stage of the offseason – it was a no-brainer. Even if Peters maxes out his full incentives package, he’s still a tremendous bargain at ~$8MM for the year.
Jets Sign Alec Ogletree To Practice Squad
The Jets have signed former Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree to the practice squad, per a club announcement. He’ll be joined by wide receiver Jaleel Scott, a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens.
[RELATED: Le’Veon Bell Addresses Rumored Issues With Adam Gase]
The Giants dropped Ogletree in February to save roughly $8MM against the cap. Just a couple of years ago, GM Dave Gettleman acquired him and the remainder of his four-year, $42MM extension from the Rams. The traditional stats have portrayed Ogletree as a consistently productive player – he has several 100+ tackle seasons to his credit, plus 12 interceptions and four pick-sixes for his career. The advanced metrics haven’t lined up, however, and Ogletree didn’t produce for the G-Men. Instead, they shed his salary and replaced him with newcomer Blake Martinez.
Now with the other tenants of the Meadowlands, Ogletree will be at the ready as an emergency call-up. The Jets project to start the year with Neville Hewitt and Avery Williamson as their starting inside linebackers with support from Harvey Langi and Blake Cashman.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/20
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB Raymond Calais
- Placed on non-football injury list: DE Terrell Lewis
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on injured reserve: P Blake Gillikin
Jaguars To Sign RB Dare Ogunbowale
The Jaguars are signing free agent running back Dare Ogunbowale, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Released by the Buccaneers last week after they signed fellow running back Leonard Fournette, Ogunbowale didn’t last long on the open market.
Jacksonville, of course, was the club that released Fournette, and it will now add Ogunbowale to a backfield that also includes Chris Thompson, Devine Ozigbo, and undrafted rookie free agent James Robinson, the latter of whom is listed as the nominal starter for Week 1.
Ogunbowale’s skill set would seem to overlap with that of Thompson. Both are running backs who excel in the passing game — the 26-year-old Ogunbowale caught 35 passes in 2019 on just 361 offensive snaps, but rushed just 11 times for 17 yards.
An undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in 2017, Ogunbowale will likely contribute immediately on the Jaguars’ special teams unit. He was a core special teamer for the Buccaneers last season, playing more than 60% of Tampa Bay’s ST snaps.
Prior to signing with Jacksonville, Ogunbowale visited the Raiders, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Las Vegas was on the lookout for another pass-catching back after trading rookie Lynn Bowden to the Dolphins last week.
Vikings Place Danielle Hunter On IR
The Vikings have placed defensive end Danielle Hunter on injured reserve, per a club announcement. To take his place on the roster, they’ve promoted kicker Chase McLaughlin from the practice squad. 
Thanks to the league’s modified IR rules for 2020, Hunter will only be required to sit out for three weeks before returning. It’s not clear if he’ll be ready to go by mid-October, however. All we know for now is that he’ll be out for Sunday’s opener against the Packers, plus the next two games against the Colts and Titans.
Hunter has been limited and out of practice with a rumored neck injury since August 16th. Fortunately, new addition Yannick Ngakoue is there to help keep the pressure on. He’ll be paired with Ifeadi Odenigbo, who will fill-in as the other starting bookend in Hunter’s absence.
The Vikings have four more years of club-friendly control over Hunter, thanks to the five-year, $72MM deal extension he inked in 2018. Now entering his age-26 season, Hunter has 54.5 career sacks to his credit.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad updates here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Michael Dogbe
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Deone Bucannon
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Jordan Devey, DE Chris Slayton
- Released: RB Antonio Williams
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Keandre Jones, G Keaton Sutherland
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: T Greg Senat
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Elijah McGuire, T Eric Smith
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Kerrith Whyte
- Released: WR Victor Bolden
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Robert Foster, LB De’Jon Harris
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Ibraheim Campbell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OT Jaryd Jones-Smith
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Corey Levin
- Released: FB Paul Quessenberry
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Marcus Willoughby
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT T.Y. McGill
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Anthony Rush, WR John Ursua
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Cameron Batson, LB Malik Jefferson
Steelers’ Ryan Shazier Retires From NFL
On Wednesday, Ryan Shazier officially announced his retirement from football. This was the expected move after the Steelers placed the beloved linebacker on the reserve/retired list in March.
[RELATED: Steelers, Cam Heyward Agree To $71MM+ Extension]
Shazier was a Pro Bowl linebacker before a devastating spinal injury in 2017. Initially feared that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, Shazier battled his way back to being able to run and train, and has been an incredible source of inspiration along the way. The Ohio State product ultimately wasn’t able to return to the field, but he won’t be far from the game. The Steelers will continue to have Shazier involved as a mentor and likely as a full-fledged assistant, once the pandemic is in the past.
Shazier earned a Pro Bowl selection in his final NFL season, despite playing in only 12 games. Prior to that, he logged 55 tackles in each of the previous two seasons. Although he did not get to realize his full on-field potential, he’ll continue to serve as an inspiration for players and fans everywhere.
“When I was five years old, I made the greatest discovery of my life,” Shazier said (via Twitter). “I discovered the game that I love – the game of football. Ever since then, I’ve given my life to the game. I love everything about it…It made me money and gave me a life most people could only dream about. I’m here today to make sure the world knows how much I still love football, how grateful I am for everything football gave me. And I’m here to let the world know that today I am officially retiring from the game I love so much.”
Aqib Talib Retires From NFL
Longtime NFL cornerback Aqib Talib is calling it a career. Talib announced his retirement on his talk show, where he’ll be turning his full attention. 
“Aqib Talib is officially retired, and I’m bringing my talents to the booth,” Talib said (Twitter link). “Football gave me so much in life. Once that negative thought crossed my mind, I was like, my heart, my competitive edge … like, I ain’t really in it like that no more… I just wasn’t feeling it no more, honestly.”
Talib, 34, appeared in five games with the Rams last year before suffering a rib injury. Then, just before the October trade deadline, he was shipped to the Dolphins. The deal was effectively a salary dump for Denver – Talib never suited up in Miami, and the Dolphins got a fifth-round pick out of the swap.
Still, there were opportunities for the hard-nosed veteran. Talib claims the Patriots offered him a one-year deal worth up to $6MM to help cover tight ends in specific packages. Ultimately, Talib turned it down, because the fire wasn’t there.
Talib entered the league as a first-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2008 and starred for them up until 2012, when he was shipped to the Patriots in a midseason trade. Talib captured his first Pro Bowl nod with the Pats in 2013 and later won a championship ring with the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. He leaves the game with 462 career tackles, 125 pass breakups and 35 interceptions across 148 games.
Rams Sign Jalen Ramsey To Extension
The Rams have locked down their shutdown corner. On Wednesday, the Rams announced a brand new five-year deal for Jalen Ramsey. It’s a five-year add-on worth $105MM, making Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The pact, which averages out to $21MM per year, also comes with $71.2MM guaranteed at signing, another new record for the position. The deal comes after months of talks between the two sides, though recent word was that the talks were not moving in the right direction. Ultimately, the Rams were motivated to find middle ground, especially since they sent a wealth of draft capital to the Jaguars to acquire him.
The Rams shipped two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Jaguars for Ramsey last October. Between his three games with the Jaguars and nine games with the Rams, Ramsey recorded just 50 tackles and one interception. He didn’t play up to his usual standards in L.A., but the belief is that he’ll play up to his whopping new deal.
Ramsey’s contract vaults him ahead of Tre’Davious White, who grabbed the mantle of highest-paid corner just days ago with $17.5MM/year. He also passed Byron Jones on a rocket ship for the most guaranteed cash paid to a cornerback. Jones, who inked his own sizable deal with the Dolphins earlier this year, secured roughly $57MM in guarantees.
Ramsey told the club that he wouldn’t hold out in 2020 if he didn’t have a new deal in place, but there were no promised made regarding a potential franchise tag in 2021. Without that safety net in place, the Rams did not want to roll the dice.