Giants To Sign Buck Allen, Cut Jon Hilliman
The Giants moved fast to fortify their backfield. Buck Allen‘s Friday workout will produce a signing, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeting the former Raven will replace Jon Hilliman on the Giants’ roster.
Hilliman fumbled twice in Thursday night’s loss to the Patriots and will head to the waiver wire. Big Blue also worked out C.J. Anderson and Akeem Hunt but will go with Allen, who is now with his second team since his Ravens contract expired.
A 2015 fourth-round pick, Allen caught on with the Saints but saw that tenure end quickly. New Orleans placed him on IR and parted ways with the fifth-year running back via injury settlement. After Allen’s first known workout since that move, he has another gig. Allen, 28, posted two 500-yard seasons in Ravens backfield committees, in 2015 and ’17, though each came with sub-4.0-yards-per-carry averages.
A Rutgers product, Hilliman was a Giants 2019 UDFA summoned to action because of Saquon Barkley‘s high ankle sprain and Wayne Gallman‘s concussion. Hilliman began the season on New York’s practice squad and could return to that 10-man unit if he clears waivers. Though, he will be doing so after a rough nationally televised outing. Barkley is expected to return for Week 7, with Gallman’s timetable a bit murkier. In Allen, Giants now have some experienced depth behind their top duo.
Steelers Promote QB Paxton Lynch
For the first time since the Broncos’ 2017 finale, Paxton Lynch will return to an active roster. The Steelers promoted him in advance of their Week 6 game in Los Angeles.
With Mason Rudolph ruled out, the former first-round pick will serve as Devlin Hodges‘ backup. Lynch caught on with the Steelers’ practice squad earlier this season. Pittsburgh has lost both Rudolph and Ben Roethlisberger to injury in five games. Both Hodges and Lynch were in-season roster additions.
One of the bigger first-round miscalculations in modern NFL history, Lynch spent 2018 out of football after the Broncos waived him in September 2018. He caught on with the Seahawks via reserve/futures contract but did not beat out Geno Smith for their backup job. The Steelers added the former No. 26 overall pick as an in-case-of-emergency option, but Earl Thomas‘ hit on Rudolph made Pittsburgh exercise its emergency scenario.
The Steelers also promoted running back Trey Edmunds and waived outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott and guard Fred Johnson. Edmunds is the brother of Steelers safety starter Terrell Edmunds.
Broncos Give Andy Janovich Three-Year Extension
Broncos fullback Andy Janovich missed the first few games of the season, but that didn’t stop him from getting paid. Denver is giving Janovich a three-year extension, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
The deal will be worth $5.7MM tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who notes it’ll pay him a signing bonus of $1.35MM with $3.22MM fully guaranteed. Janovich is now the league’s third-highest paid fullback, and his deal runs through 2022 now. He had previously been scheduled to be a free agent after this season as he’s currently playing out the final year of his rookie deal. The Broncos originally drafted Janovich in the sixth-round back in 2016.
A Nebraska product, Janovich has become something of a fan favorite in Denver. He suffered a pec injury during training camp that knocked him out for the first few weeks of the season, but he returned a couple of games ago. Last season Janovich carried the ball only twice for five yards, while reeling in eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Last year he played about 22 percent of the offensive snaps, and is a key member of some of their special teams units. Broncos GM John Elway issued a statement on the extension, which you can read courtesy of this tweet from Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, calling Janovich “exactly what you look for in a fullback,” and saying it’s “nice to see how Andy’s hard work has paid off.”
Falcons To Sign P Kasey Redfern
The Falcons will sign punter/kickoff specialist Kasey Redfern, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Redfern will join the practice squad on Friday but will be added to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. 
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Redfern, it seems, will take the place of Matt Wile, who was signed after Matt Bosher landed on injured reserve. The Falcons, just a couple of days ago, also inked former University of Arkansas punter Sam Irwin-Hill to the practice squad, so there’s still some punter shuffling to be sorted out.
Wile struggled against the Texans and launched multiple kickoffs out of bounds. The Falcons lost 53-32, dropping them to 1-4 on the season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/19
Here are Thursday’s practice squad decisions:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: QB Tyler Bray
Houston Texans
- Signed TE Keenen Brown, OL Marcus Henry
- Released: S Chris Johnson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G Lester Cotton
Washington Redskins
- Signed: WR Jester Weah
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Jehu Chesson
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/19
Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears
- Re-signed: TE Bradley Sowell
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Austin Walter
- Waived: QB Alex Tanney
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: C Nate Trewyn
Raiders To Release WR J.J. Nelson
The Raiders are planning to release J.J. Nelson, but this is not to make room for Zay Jones. The team will retain its seven-wideout roster arrangement, with Field Yates of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) the team is bringing back recently cut pass catcher Marcell Ateman.
Oakland signed Nelson this offseason but has not seen much from the former Arizona deep threat. A vested veteran who will become a free agent, Nelson played in just two games and has four receptions for 36 yards this season. Nelson did score a touchdown in Week 3 against the Vikings, but he’s battled a leg injury in recent weeks.
Ateman went unclaimed on waivers earlier this week. The 2018 seventh-round pick played 28 snaps in the Raiders’ win over the Bears in London. He will return to a Raiders receiver room that still houses Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, Keelan Doss, Dwayne Harris, Trevor Davis and Jones.
Nelson signed a one-year, $1MM deal as a free agent. He has not been especially productive since Bruce Arians’ departure from Arizona, having totaled 100 yards since the start of the 2018 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/19
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Ramik Wilson
- Released: CB Chris Jones
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: LB Noah Dawkins
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/9/19
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Wes Hills
- Released: DE Eric Lee
Houston Texans
- Released via non-football illness designation: TE Jerell Adams
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Ben Koyack
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: S Shalom Luani
- Released: TE Matt Sokol
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson, QB Chad Kanoff
Chargers Place C Mike Pouncey On IR
That’s a wrap on Mike Pouncey‘s season. On Wednesday, the Bolts placed the center on injured reserve, per a club announcement. 
Pouncey, a four-time Pro Bowler, exited the Chargers’ loss early on Sunday with a neck injury that required surgery. That will rule him out for the year and, potentially, could impact his ability to play beyond 2019.
The Chargers moved Dan Feeney from left guard to center to replace Pouncey, and plugged Forrest Lamp into Feeney’s spot. That’ll likely be the game plan going forward, but the club has yet to announce anything on that front.
To help fill the void, the Chargers signed center/guard Ryan Groy. Groy spent the last four seasons with the Bills and spent this past offseason with the Saints. He has 55 career appearances, including 17 starts, to his credit, with most of his time spent at center.
It’s another bad blow for the Bolts, who have already placed safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips on IR this year. On the offensive line, they’ve been without left tackle Russell Okung.
Pouncey‘s recent one-year, $9MM extension with the Chargers takes him through the 2020 season and guarantees him $5MM in new money.