Bengals Sign DE Anthony Zettel
The Bengals have signed free agent defensive end Anthony Zettel, the club announced today. He’ll take the roster spot of recently-released Samaje Perine.
Cincinnati is extremely banged up at the defensive end position, so the club can use plenty of help. Carlos Dunlap didn’t play in Week 6 and hasn’t practiced this week while battling a knee injury, while Carl Lawson — who did play against the Ravens on Sunday — has been held out of practice with a hamstring issue. Veteran Kerry Wynn, meanwhile, was recently placed on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2.
Zettel, 27, was a 2016 sixth-round pick of the Lions. He started all 16 games and posted 6.5 sacks in 2017, but was waived after the season despite that performance. Zettel spent the 2018 campaign with the Browns, playing on roughly 15% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/17/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
- Released: WR Jordan Veasy
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Arthur Maulet
- Placed on injured list: OL Brandon Hitner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Kahzin Daniels
Jaguars Sign CB Parry Nickerson
Days after trading their top cornerback to the Rams, the Jaguars have made an addition to their defensive backfield, announcing today that they’ve signed free agent cornerback Parry Nickerson.
Jalen Ramsey hadn’t been in the Jaguars’ lineup since Week 3, meaning Jacksonville had been turning to second-year pro Tre Herndon to play outside cornerback opposite A.J. Bouye. Herndon hasn’t been very successful, grading out as a bottom-10 corner league-wide per Pro Football Focus.
Nickerson was well-regarded before becoming a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2018, so there’s a chance he could see significant action by season’s end. However, the results of his rookie campaign weren’t anything special, as Nickerson ranked as the fourth-worst cornerback among players with at least 200 defensive snaps, per PFF.
A Tulane product, Nickerson played in all 16 games (two starts) for the Jets last season before being dealt to Seattle this offseason. He spent time with the Seahawks’ practice squad before being cut loose earlier this week.
Before signing Nickerson, the Jaguars also auditioned fellow corners Jordan Brown, Kenneth Durden, Arrion Springs, according to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
Lions Claim RB Tra Carson
The Lions are making a change to their running back depth chart. Detroit has claimed Tra Carson off waivers from the division-rival Packers while waiving Paul Perkins, the club announced today.
Carson, a former undrafted free agent, has been in the NFL since 2016, but he’s mostly bounced between active and practice squads with the Bengals and Packers. His most significant game action actually came in Week 5 of this year, when he handled six carries for 14 yards and posted four receptions against the Cowboys.
Turning 27 years old next week, Carson has some ties to the Detroit staff, as Lions running back coach Kyle Caskey previously tutored Carson in Cincinnati. Carson will slide into a Lions depth chart that includes starter Kerryon Johnson as well as backups Ty Johnson and J.D. McKissic.
Perkins, 24, was selected by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and put up 456 yards during his rookie campaign, but hasn’t done much since. He spent the 2018 campaign on injured reserve before being claimed by the Lions last month.
Chargers Place Travis Benjamin On IR
Yet another key Charger will head to IR. The team placed Travis Benjamin on its injured list Thursday, due to a quadriceps injury. The Bolts signed defensive lineman T.Y. McGill to take Benjamin’s roster spot.
The Chargers and Benjamin agreed to an extension this year. The veteran wide receiver is now signed through the 2020 season. Despite the other injuries the Bolts have suffered at wideout, the 29-year-old Benjamin has only caught six passes for 30 yards in five games.
Benjamin joins Derwin James, Mike Pouncey, Adrian Phillips and Dontrelle Inman on Los Angeles’ IR list. Among the Bolts’ receiving corps, Inman, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have battled injuries since training camp. The Bolts have also been without Russell Okung and Melvin Gordon for extensive stretches, though the former has returned to practice. All of these absences have obviously weakened the Chargers, whose four losses match their 2018 season-long total.
This is Benjamin’s fourth season as a Charger. His yardage total has decreased each year. That stands to continue, with the veteran now being unable to return until at least mid-December because of this transaction. A former UDFA, McGill played in four games for the 2018 Chargers. He has not played in 2019.
Bengals To Release RB Samaje Perine
The Bengals are releasing running back Samaje Perine, according to a source who spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio (on Twitter). 
Perine had some buzz as a fourth-round pick in Washington a couple of years back, but has yet to break out as a pro. The Oklahoma product was a key special teams player in Cincinnati, but they’ve decided to move on from him.
Perine managed 603 yards in his rookie season, but averaged just 3.4 yards on his 175 attempts. Then, in 2018, he carried the rock just eight times. With the Bengals, he saw a grand total of five snaps.
The Bengals are 0-6 as they head into this week’s matchup against the Jaguars.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed off Jets’ practice squad: WR Greg Dortch
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Justin Hamilton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Alex Singleton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Amara Darboh
Raiders Extend TE Darren Waller
The Raiders are signing breakout tight end Darren Waller to an extension through the 2023 season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the transaction.
Oakland already controlled Waller’s rights for the 2020 campaign, as the former sixth-round pick had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent next spring. Waller’s new deal is essentially a three-year extension on top of what would have been a one-year RFA tender, tweets Pelissero, adding Waller will collect roughly $9MM annually under his new pact.
Waller has played in just five games as a result of the Raiders’ early bye week, but he still ranks second to only Austin Hooper in receptions among tight ends, and is sixth at the position with 359 receiving yards. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus grades Waller as the league’s ninth-best run-blocking tight end.
Waller, 27, was selected by the Ravens in the 2015 draft. Suspended twice by the NFL (the second time for a full season), Waller has since courageously overcome addictions involving cocaine and opiates. Oakland signed him off Baltimore’s practice squad last November, and has been rewarded with one of the more surprising stories of the 2019 season.
While full details of Waller’s extension aren’t in just yet, a $9MM annual average would rank fifth among tight ends behind Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, Kyle Rudolph, and Greg Olsen. In terms of guarantees, Trey Burton leads the way with the $22MM he received under his free agent deal with the Bears.
Texans Sign OT Chris Clark
The Texans have signed offensive tackle Chris Clark and placed fellow offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson on the non-football injury list, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Houston also waived quarterback Alex McGough.
Clark should be familiar with Houston, as he played from the Texans from 2015-17, starting 37 games during that time. Last season, the now-34-year-old Clark didn’t land a contact until the regular season was already underway, but ended up starting 15 games for the Panthers.
It’s unclear if Clark will be immediately called upon to start for Houston this time around. Incumbent right tackle Tytus Howard went down with a knee injury in Week 6 and will miss time, but he’s expected to return at some point this year. Clark, fellow new signee Dan Skipper, and Roderick Johnson all represent options to play on the right side of the Texans’ offensive line.
Henderson, 27, re-signed with Houston this offseason on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. He began the 2019 campaign as the Texans’ starting right tackle, but was benched after Week 1. Henderson is now dealing with a back injury, tweets Wilson, one that likely occurred away from the football field given that he was placed on NFI.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tom Kennedy
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Damarea Crockett, CB Tremon Smith
- Cut: TE Ethan Wolf
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Kyle Murphy
- Cut: C Marcus Henry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Derrick Gore
- Cut: RB Detrez Newsome, OT Tyree St. Louis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DB Jayson Stanley
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Frankie Luvu
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Keegan Render
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
- Cut: WR Malik Henry
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, WR Ishmael Hyman, RB Aca’Cedric Ware
Washington Redskins
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson