NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/19
NFL Workout Updates: 11/11/19
Here’s the latest from around the league’s workout circuit:
Cleveland Browns
- S Tre Sullivan, DT Destiny Vaeao
Green Bay Packers
- DT Carl Davis, DT Justin Ellis, DT David Parry
Houston Texans
- DE Joel Heath, DL Caruan Reid
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Jeff Badet, WR Amara Darboh, WR T.J. Jones, WR Andy Jones, WR Darius Jennings, QB Taylor Heinicke, CB Trevor Williams
New York Giants
- G Larry Allen Jr, WR Keon Hatcher, QB Tanner Lee, WR J.J. Nelson, K Elliott Fry, K Kaare Vedvik
Oakland Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/19
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: T/TE Bradley Sowell
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Joel Heath
- Waived: OL Dan Skipper
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: T Martinas Rankin
- Signed off Colts’ practice squad: T Jackson Barton
New York Giants
- Signed off Panthers’ practice squad: CB Corn Elder
- Waived: OL Evan Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers from Titans: OL Aaron Stinnie
- Waived: C Nate Trewyn
49ers To Activate TE Garrett Celek
With George Kittle doubtful to face the Seahawks, the 49ers will add a reinforcement. They are activating veteran Garrett Celek from the PUP list, Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets.
Celek has spent months recovering from a back injury and returned to practice last week. While the 49ers’ previous stance was to give Celek multiple weeks of practice before activating him, they are evidently satisfied by his progress.
This points to Kittle missing tonight’s game. To make room for Celek’s return, the 49ers waived cornerback Dontae Johnson. Celek joins Kittle, Levine Toilolo and Ross Dwelley as San Francisco’s active-roster tight ends. Kittle is battling ankle and knee injuries.
The 49ers’ longest-tenured skill-position player, Celek underwent back surgery in June. He has been with the team since 2012 and is still tethered to an extension he signed in 2016. The 31-year-old tight end only caught five passes last season, that limited work coming after his 2016-17 slates produced a combined 50 receptions for 686 yards and seven touchdowns.
Eagles, Brandon Brooks Agree To Extension
Brandon Brooks has bounced back quickly from the Achilles tear that consumed his offseason, and the Eagles have reached an extension agreement with their top-tier right guard. The Eagles announced Monday that Brooks signed a four-year extension.
The deal marks a massive raise for Brooks. He agreed to a four-year, $54.2MM re-up, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That makes Brooks the second-highest-paid guard in the game, with this contract’s $13.6MM AAV behind only Zack Martin‘s $14MM-per-year pact. Brooks was previously making $8MM annually. Brooks’ new contract comes with $30MM guaranteed, tying him for third among guards.
Brooks’ deal, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, is actually worth $56.2MM (Twitter link). That would bump him past Martin and make the two NFC East blockers the league’s only $14MM-per-year guards. The updated figure — $14.05MM AAV — would make Brooks the NFL’s highest-paid guard.
The Eagles had Brooks signed through the 2020 season but will reward him early. Brooks joins center Jason Kelce and left guard Isaac Seumalo as Eagle linemen who’ve agreed to 2019 extensions. Lane Johnson is also locked up through 2021. Interestingly, the Eagles have re-upped both Kelce and Brooks despite each being north of 30. Brooks turned 30 earlier this year; Kelce is 32.
An All-Pro candidate, Brooks re-emerged as one of the league’s best guards this season — despite suffering an Achilles tear in January. He rates as by far Pro Football Focus’ top overall lineman in 2019. The mammoth blocker initially caught on with Philadelphia in 2016, coming over after three seasons as a Houston starter. He delivered on the Eagles’ initial investment, playing a key role on the team’s Super Bowl LII line and last year’s playoff follow-up. A 2012 second-round pick, Brooks is on track for his third straight Pro Bowl honor.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/19
Colts QB Jacoby Brissett Won’t Play Sunday
NOV. 10: Brissett is considered week-to-week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Colts hope Brissett will return for next week’s game against the Jaguars, but nothing is certain at this point.
NOV. 9: Jacoby Brissett has been downgraded to ‘OUT’ for the Colts matchup against the Dolphins tomorrow, reports Stephen Holder of The Athletic (via Twitter). This means Brian Hoyer will take over as the starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, the Colts made a handful of moves to accommodate this lineup change. The team announced that quarterback Chad Kelly (along with wideout Marcus Johnson) has been promoted from the practice squad. To make room on the roster, the team has waived wideout Deon Cain and defensive tackle Kyle Peko.
Brissett injured his MCL during last week’s loss to the Steelers, putting a sudden halt on his breakout campaign. Taking over for Andrew Luck, the 26-year-old has completed 64.8-percent of his passes for 1,649 yards, 14 touchdowns, and three picks. He’s also added another 37 rushes for 110 yards and one score. Hoyer filled in admirably during last week’s loss, throwing for 168 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll be getting his first start since 2017.
Kelly, the Mr. Irrelevant of the 2017 Draft, was suspended for the first two games of this season. After getting waived by the Colts, he subsequently joined the team’s practice squad. Should Hoyer be sent to the sideline, Kelly could see himself playing in his second career game. Johnson, a former undrafted free agent out of Texas, has 11 career receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown.
Cain, a 2018 sixth-round pick, spent his rookie year on the injured reserve as he recovered from an ACL injury. The 23-year-old got into seven games (three starts) this season, hauling in four receptions for 52 yards. Peko, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Bills earlier this week.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Ryan Nall, LB James Vaughters
- Waived: TE Bradley Sowell
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Evan Brown
- Waived: DL Olsen Pierre
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cody Hollister
- Waived: OL Aaron Stinnie
Raiders To Sign Dion Jordan, Place Karl Joseph On IR
Former top-five pick Dion Jordan will resurface in Oakland. The Raiders and the veteran defensive end agreed to terms, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Jordan will join D.J. Swearinger as late-week Raiders additions. To make room on the 53-man roster, Karl Joseph will head to IR. Joseph suffered a foot injury late in the Raiders’ Thursday win over the Chargers.
This marks yet another chance for Jordan, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Suspensions nearly chased the Oregon product out of the league, but he did play 12 games for the Seahawks last season. Multiple teams were interested in adding him this year. Jordan, who was banned 10 games for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, will join a Raiders team that recently lost Arden Key for the season.
Jordan missed the 2015 season because of a substance-abuse ban and was shelved for all of 2016 as well. The pass rusher has battled both bans and injuries, having never come close to justifying his draft position. Jordan did register a career-high four sacks for the 2017 Seahawks, however. He recorded 1.5 last year.
A 2016 first-round pick, Joseph has started nine games this season. The Raiders did not pick up his 2020 option, and the West Virginia product may be headed toward free agency in March. While the Raiders have not ruled out retaining him, Jon Gruden has not been shy about jettisoning Reggie McKenzie‘s first-round picks. The previous GM’s other first-rounders left when Gruden took over — Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, Gareon Conley — have all been traded over the past 15 months.
In order to get both Swearinger and Jordan on the roster, the Raiders also waived linebacker Quentin Poling.
Falcons Place RB Ito Smith On IR
For the second straight season, Ito Smith will land on the injured reserve. The Falcons announced today that they’ve placed the running back on the injured reserve (via the team’s website). Atlanta promoted offensive lineman Sean Harlow from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
Smith, a 2018 fourth-round pick, was expected to play a bigger role in the Falcons’ backfield following Tevin Coleman‘s move to the 49ers. However, he’s seen even less work during his sophomore campaign; after rushing for 315 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries last season (14 games), he’s only compiled 106 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries this year (seven games). He’s also hauled in 11 receptions for 87 yards this season, which is about on pace with his rookie numbers.
With Smith sidelined, the Falcons will likely turn to former fifth-rounder Brian Hill. The 24-year-old has appeared in four games this season, rushing eight times for 40 yards and one touchdown. The Falcons are also rostering Kenjon Barner and Qadree Ollison.
Harlow was a fourth-round pick by the Falcons back in 2017, but he hasn’t seen the field during two stints with the organization. Offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer was ruled out of Sunday’s game with a concussion, and coach Dan Quinn told Will McFadden of AtlantaFalcons.com that Harlow could somewhat replace his injured teammate’s versatility.