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.
Bears Waive RB Mike Davis
Mike Davis‘ short tenure with the Bears has already come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Bears have cut the veteran running back.
Following a 2018 campaign that saw Davis compiling a career-high 514 rushing yards with the Seahawks, Davis inked a two-year, $6MM deal with the Bears this past offseason. There was hope that he’d platoon with third-rounder David Montgomery, and the Bears even dealt Jordan Howard to accommodate the two new additions. Instead, the rookie has received the majority of the carries on offense (Montgomery has 121 of the team’s 181 rushes).
Davis has also fallen behind pass-catcher Tarik Cohen, leaving him with a minor role. In seven games (one start) this season, the 28-year-old Davis has 11 carries for 25 yards and seven receptions for 22 yards. He’ll be subject to waivers, and while he hasn’t had a chance to shine in 2019, a team will surely take a chance on him based off his 2018 performance. Meanwhile, the Bears will presumably add another running back to pair with Montgomery and Cohen, with practice squad backs Ryan Nall and Kerrith Whyte Jr. potentially being options.
While today’s move was partly performance-based, Rapoport notes that the front office was also motivated by the compensatory pick formula. This transaction will “helps them get a comp pick,” according to Rapoport.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Cole Luke
- Waived: DE Bryan Cox Jr.
Detroit Lions
- Released from IR: RB Tra Carson
Raiders To Sign D.J. Swearinger
Veteran safety D.J. Swearinger has found a new home. The Raiders are signing Swearinger to a deal, sources told Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Oakland worked out Swearinger earlier this week, and apparently liked what they saw. With their win over the Chargers on Thursday Night Football the Raiders are now 5-4, and right in the thick of things in the AFC playoff hunt. Their secondary has lagged all season, so it’s not shocking that they’re bringing in some veteran help for the postseason push. Safety Karl Joseph also suffered a significant foot injury Thursday night, which might’ve contributed to this decision.
Swearinger has shown he’s capable of playing at a fairly high level in the past, but has often had falling outs with his coaching staffs. Originally drafted by the Texans in the second-round back in 2013, he was cut after just two seasons following disagreements with Bill O’Brien.
He has since spent time with the Buccaneers, the Cardinals on two different occasions, and the Redskins. After a public beef with Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky he was waived toward the end of last season, and claimed by Arizona. He played every snap through the first four games of this season with the Cardinals, but was then suddenly cut. Oakland’s secondary has been pretty banged up and promising rookie safety Johnathan Abram is on injured reserve, so they needed some depth at the position.
Cardinals Place LB Brooks Reed On IR
The Cardinals signed Brooks Reed this offseason and used him in a reserve capacity. But the pass rusher’s time with the team could be over.
Arizona placed Reed on IR Friday, doing so because of a hamstring injury the 32-year-old linebacker sustained. Reed played in all nine Cardinals games this season after signing a one-year, $1.63MM contract.
Reed played four years with both the Texans and Falcons but saw his Atlanta run end this year when the team made him a cap casualty. After a one-sack 2018, Reed added one sack and five tackles this season. Reed’s sack totals have declined since his 2011 rookie season, when he recorded six. He has 22.5 for his career.
To replace Reed on the 53-man roster, the Cardinals promoted linebacker Pete Robertson. They also elevated cornerback Chris Jones from their taxi squad.
Ravens, L.J. Fort Agree To Extension
The Ravens have signed linebacker L.J. Fort to a two-year extension, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new deal will pay him $5.5MM in total with $3.25MM fully guaranteed at signing.
The pact more or less came out of the blue. Fort was released by the Eagles just five weeks ago and still has $1.9MM guaranteed remaining on his contract for 2019. Now, he has an early payday and a contract to take him through the 2021 season.
Fort earned solid grades for his work with the Steelers from 2015-2018, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. This year, he saw no defensive snaps for the Eagles, but he’s made frequent appearances for the Ravens in recent weeks. In the club’s Week 7 win over the Seahawks, Fort was on the field for 77% of the snaps and he rewarded their confidence in him by registering his first sack of the season.
Next up for Fort and the Ravens – a Sunday showdown with the 0-8 Bengals. In between now and then, he might wind up buying dinner for his teammates.
Browns To Sign J.C. Tretter To Extension
The Browns and center J.C. Tretter are in agreement on a three-year, $32.5MM extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The deal includes more than $23MM guaranteed, giving the lineman some serious security moving forward. 
Tretter, a Cornell product, has been having a strong season, even though the Browns are struggling as a whole. He currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 center in the NFL and routinely places as a top 10 player, per the advanced metrics.
The deal represents a solid pay bump from his last deal. The Browns inked Tretter to a three-year, $16.75MM deal in 2017, after he impressed as a versatile OL in Green Bay. The new deal more than doubles his guarantees and nearly doubles his overall haul.
Tretter and the Browns will return home on Sunday to face the Bills. Currently at 2-6, they’ll have to go on an absolute tear to get in the playoff chase.
Arden Key Done For Season
Raiders defensive end Arden Key suffered a broken foot during the team’s win over the Lions on Sunday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). After he received a second opinion from Dr. Robert Anderson, the Raiders announced that he will miss the rest of the season and be placed on IR.
The injury comes at a particularly poor time for Key, as the LSU product had recorded a sack in each of Oakland’s past two games and was finally beginning to display the pass rushing ability that once made him a potential first-round pick. A rocky final collegiate season in 2017 caused him to drop to the third round of the 2018 draft, and after posting just one sack in his rookie campaign, Key was making positive strides this year.
Key missed a game earlier this season due to a sprained patellar tendon, and after that diagnosis, the Raiders worked out a few edge defenders who could serve as a replacement.
In other Raiders-related injury news, cornerback Daryl Worley has a strained Achilles and will be getting an MRI, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Worley has started every game for Oakland this year and recorded his first pick of the season on Sunday.
Right tackle Trent Brown sustained a knee injury on Sunday and is also waiting on MRI results, per Bair.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived from injured reserve: S Damian Parms
New York Jets
- Activated from non-football injury list: CB Bless Austin
- Placed on injured reserve: S Rontez Miles
- Waived: LB B.J. Bello
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted: LB Quentin Poling
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers (Vikings): S Marcus Epps
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: T Sam Young
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/7/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OL Marcus Applefield
- Released: WR Sean Modster
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB James Vaughters
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: Tim Williams
- Released: G Ben Braden
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: P Jack Fox
New York Giants
- Signed: S Sean Chandler
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Darrin Hall
- Released: LB Sutton Smith