Saints Place Krishawn Hogan On IR
The Saints have placed Krishawn Hogan on injured reserve. Thanks to a hamstring injury, Shead will miss the Saints’ regular season finale against the Panthers and the postseason. 
Hogan joined the Saints’ taxi squad in September and earned a promotion to the active roster in October. In eight games, he saw time on 83 offensive snaps and 77 special teams snaps. Last week against the Titans, he notched the first reception of his NFL career.
Hogan’s roster spot will be filled by veteran DeShawn Shead, who agreed to terms on Christmas Eve. The former Legion of Boomer can play cornerback and safety, a major help for New Orleans’ banged-up secondary.
Without Hogan, the Saints will move forward with Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Deonte Harris, and Tre’Quan Smith at wide receiver.
Chiefs Place Spencer Ware On IR
The Chiefs have placed running back Spencer Ware on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. To fill his spot on the roster, the club activated defensive tackle Xavier Williams from IR. 
Ware returned to the Chiefs on December 3rd, but his stay was short-lived. At the time, starter Damien Williams was hampered by a rib injury, but he returned to action last week. The Chiefs now have three healthy RBs in Williams, LeSean McCoy, and sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson.
Ware spent four years with the Chiefs between 2015 and 2018. The LSU product had his best season in 2016, when he ran for 921 yards and three scores on 214 carries. He also added another 33 receptions for 447 yards and two touchdowns that season. Ware sat out the 2017 campaign recovering from a torn PCL and knee damage, and he saw a reduced role for the Chiefs in 13 games last year.
He signed with the Colts back in April, but ankle surgery landed him on PUP, then the free agent pile in September. In this run with the Chiefs, Ware carried the ball 17 times for 51 yards in three games.
The Chiefs will enter the playoffs as the AFC West champions. They still have a outside shot at a first-round bye if they beat the Chargers, but they’ll also need the Dolphins to defeat the Patriots.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/25/19
Christmas edition:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S A.J. Howard
New York Giants
- Signed: FB George Aston
- Released: P Sean Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Tray Matthews
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/24/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB J.T. Barrett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR River Cracraft
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: G Colby Gossett
- Placed on IR: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: OT Quinn Bailey
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed: DL Jeremiah Valoaga (from 49ers)
Buccaneers Promote Franklin, Mickens
The Buccaneers promoted cornerback John Franklin and wide receiver Jaydon Mickens from the practice squad to the active roster on Tuesday. To make room, the Buccaneers waived wide receiver Ishmael Hyman and tight end Jordan Leggett.
Franklin has been playing cornerback on the Bucs’ taxi squad for the past six weeks, but he also played quarterback in college. After running the scout team offense in practice last week to mimic Deshaun Watson, it’s possible that Franklin could also see time under center in the Bucs’ season finale or at some point next year, if he sticks on the roster.
“Johnathan Franklin did an unbelievable job being Deshaun Watson last week at quarterback,” said head coach Bruce Arians. “He gave our defense a tremendous look. [He] made me think about, ‘Hmm, what do we want to do with him?’ He’s really a corner, but he’s been a quarterback and he’s been a receiver. He’s a really good athlete – it’s just finding a niche for him.”
Four new players have debuted for the Bucs over the last couple of weeks as they take a look ahead towards their 2020 plans. Franklin and Mickens have a chance to join that group. Mickens already has 16 regular season games under his belt thanks to his time with the Jaguars.
Mickens entered the league as UDFA with the Raiders in 2016 and spent his entire rookie season on Oakland’s practice squad. Since then, he’s spent time with the Jaguars (taxi squad and active roster) and had a stay on the Panthers’ training camp roster over the summer. In 16 games for the Jags, he recorded six receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He also averaged 8.9 yards on 39 punt returns and 21.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
The Bucs will wrap up the 2019 season against the Falcons on Sunday.
Bengals Waive OLB Sharif Finch
That was fast. On Tuesday, the Bengals cut outside linebacker Sharif Finch, just hours after claiming him off waivers.
The Bengals claimed Finch off waivers following his release from the Titans. Unfortunately, a failed physical 86’d his Cincinnati stint before it could even begin.
The reason for his failed physical is not known, but it could be tied to the shoulder injury that held him back over the offseason. If it’s not a serious red flag, the Giants and Lions could consider claiming him – both clubs tried to grab him earlier in the week, but they were trumped by the Bengals and their league-worst record.
Finch, 24, appeared in 23 games (three starts) for the Titans between 2018 and 2019. He notched 3.5 sacks in that span – including two sacks this year – and 40 total tackles.
Seahawks Place Carson, Prosise On IR
The Seahawks have officially placed running backs C.J. Prosise and Chris Carson on injured reserve. The move was expected after they suffered hip and arm injuries, respectively, over the weekend. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Sign Marshawn Lynch]
The Seahawks, of course, have already filled the void by signing one-time franchise star Marshawn Lynch and old friend Robert Turbin. Both players will be eligible for Seattle’s Week 17 finale against the 49ers, which will decide the outcome of the NFC West. If they lose, they’ll still be in as a wild card team, and they’ll have Lynch and Turbin on hand to keep the chains moving.
Rashaad Penny recently landed on injured reserve with an ACL injury, so the Seahawks are entering the playoffs with a totally new RB depth chart. Before all of this, Carson was enjoying a strong year. He finished out the season with 1,190 yards on the ground and nine total touchdowns. Penny, in a much smaller sample size, was averaging 5.7 yards per tote. Prosise averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
Cowboys Make Four Roster Moves
As Dallas’ disappointing season winds down, they made a few roster moves Tuesday. The team has placed linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and guard Xavier Su’a-Filo on injured reserve, while signing linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong and offensive tackle Wyatt Miller to the active roster to take their places.
We heard yesterday that Vander Esch would undergo season-ending neck surgery, so this move was just a formality for him. Su’a-Filo had been starting at guard for the past month, meaning the Cowboys will be making an offensive line change for their Week 17 date with the Redskins. Dallas can still sneak into the playoffs as the NFC East champ, but they’ll need the Eagles to lose to the Giants for that to happen. Su’a-Filo was the 33rd overall pick of the 2014 draft by the Texans. He started for a while in Houston, but was mostly a disappointment.
He came to the Cowboys early on last season on a two-year deal, and ended up starting eight games. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this spring. Armstrong is a journeyman who has bounced around the league a lot over the past handful of years, appearing in five games for the Saints earlier this season. Miller is a rookie UDFA from UCF who had been on the Bengals’ practice squad.
Saints Sign DB DeShawn Shead
The Saints are making a late-season move for some secondary depth. New Orleans is signing veteran defensive back DeShawn Shead, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Shead originally signed with the Seahawks as an UDFA out of Portland State in 2012, and became a member of their vaunted ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary. He started six games for them in 2015 and 15 in 2016, also winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the team. After becoming a full-time starter in 2016 he tore his ACL in the playoffs, causing him to miss almost the entire 2017 season. In March of the following year he signed a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Lions, and he appeared in 12 games for them.
He returned to Seattle in July of this year, but couldn’t make it out of camp with the team. Shead worked out for the Saints last week, before they ultimately signed D.J. Swearinger. He’s been making the workout rounds recently, also auditioning for Detroit, Oakland, and Jacksonville over the past couple of months.
New Orleans’ secondary is pretty banged up at the moment, so the signing makes some sense. Starting safety Von Bell has been hurt, and fellow safety Marcus Williams went down during their win over Tennessee this past week. Shead can play both corner and safety, and will be a decent depth piece.