Jets To Extend LS Thomas Hennessy
Although 2017 draft choices are not yet eligible for extensions, 2017 UDFAs are. The Jets took advantage of this by coming to terms with their long snapper.
Thomas Hennessy agreed to a four-year, $4.4MM extension, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will guarantee Gang Green’s third-year snapper $1.15MM — $625K in the form of a signing bonus — and tie him to the Jets through the 2023 season.
The Colts initially signed Hennessy as a UDFA two years ago but traded him to the Jets before the start of the 2017 season. He’s played in each of the Jets’ 35 games since. While there are no traditional stats to illustrate the 25-year-old specialist’s skill, the fact that his name does not come up often is probably a good sign.
Hennessy will move from a rookie contract to the going veteran snapper rate, becoming the 18th deep snapper to fall between the $1MM-$1.3MM salary range.
Falcons Place P Matt Bosher On IR
The Falcons have used two punters this season and will need to keep trotting out their second choice for a while. They placed ninth-year punter Matt Bosher on IR on Saturday. Matt Wile is back on Atlanta’s active roster to replace him.
Bosher played in three of the Falcons’ first four games, missing Week 3 because of a groin injury. He appeared on the team’s injury report again this week with the groin malady and will now be out at least eight weeks. The 31-year-old former sixth-round pick has been the Falcons’ punter since 2011.
Minnesota waived Wile, its punter throughout the 2018 season, after its preseason slate. After a one-game stint with the Falcons in 2016, Wile punted for the team in Week 3. The Falcons released him from their practice squad earlier this week but will turn to the fifth-year UDFA out of Michigan for the time being.
Bosher profiles as a potential IR-return candidate, joining guard Chris Lindstrom in that regard. Teams can only bring two players back from IR during a season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/19
Here are Friday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day.
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on IR: LB Willie Harvey
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from Bills): T Conor McDermott
- Signed: QB David Fales
- Placed on IR: DL John Franklin-Myers
- Waived: DL Bronson Kaufusi
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Ryan Lewis
- Waived/injured: TE Alex Ellis
Titans Activate T Taylor Lewan
Taylor Lewan is back on the Titans’ 53-man roster. The team activated its left tackle starter on Friday, placing running back David Fluellen on IR in a corresponding move.
Tennessee’s sixth-year cornerstone blocker failed a PED test, causing him to miss his first games since the 2015 season. Going into this year, the former first-round pick had not missed more than one game in a season since his 2014 rookie year.
The Titans gave Lewan a five-year, $80MM extension in 2018. Because the Raiders moved Trent Brown back to right tackle, Lewan’s deal still tops the left tackle market. He has made the past three Pro Bowls and operates as a central piece of the Titans’ run-based offense. Dennis Kelly filled in for Lewan during the season’s first quarter.
Seeing Titans action for a third straight season, Fluellen has been limited by a knee injury. He played in Tennessee’s first and fourth games this season. While Fluellen could come back in December, his status as Tennessee’s third-string back may not make him a priority IR-return candidate.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on injured reserve: S Brynden Trawick
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: T Conor McDermott
Chiefs Activate CB Morris Claiborne
The Chiefs have activated cornerback Morris Claiborne after the completion of his four-game suspension, the club announced today. In a corresponding move, guard Jeff Allen has been released.
Kansas City inked Claiborne to a one-year, $2MM deal in August with the knowledge that he was facing a four-game ban after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. At present, it’s unclear if Claiborne will immediately factor into the Chiefs’ plans on defense. Kansas City currently ranks ninth in pass defense DVOA, and each of the club’s top three corners — Bashaud Breeland, Charvarius Ward, and Kendall Fuller — have graded among Pro Football Focus‘ top-64 CBs, so Claiborne might not be needed right off the bat.
Claiborne, 29, has a concerning injury history, as he played in only 47 of a possible 80 games during the first five years of his career. But he managed to stay healthy during his past two years on the Jets roster, appearing in 30 games and playing nearly 2,000 defensive snaps since 2017. Last season, Claiborne posted two interceptions and ranked as a top-25 corner in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
Allen, meanwhile, was in the midst of his second stint with the Chiefs, with whom he’s spent six of his eight NFL campaigns. This year, Allen hadn’t played at all on the offensive side of the ball, and had seen only a handful of special teams snaps.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Miles Brown
- Released: RB Justin Davis
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Trenton Irwin
Houston Texans
- Released: LB Wyatt Ray
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Will Holden
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Travis Vornkahl
49ers Place Jason Verrett On IR
Another Jason Verrett IR trip will commence. The 49ers placed the veteran cornerback on IR and will reunite with corner Dontae Johnson.
Verrett played in one game with the 49ers. This will be the third straight season he will have landed on IR after playing in one or fewer games. The former first-round pick has played in two games since the start of the 2017 season. The ex-Charger defender tore an Achilles’ tendon last year, missing the entire 2018 season, and has dealt with ankle and knee trouble as a 49er. He ran into the knee issue during his 49ers debut — Week 3 against the Steelers.
He signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal, but his second-chance opportunity has not gone well. The 28-year-old Fairfield, Calif., native has displayed promise in his career but has played more than six games in a season once since going off the board at No. 25 in 2014. In that season, 2015, Verrett made the Pro Bowl.
While the TCU alum profiles as an IR-return candidate, with Matt Barrows of The Athletic noting the 49ers are “holding out hope” he can come back in 2019 (subscription required), this is yet another bad sign his comeback will take off. He played only four defensive snaps in his 49ers debut.
This will be Johnson’s third stint as a 49er and fourth contract of 2019. The former San Francisco cog who was a full-time 49ers starter as recently as 2017 has become an NFL nomad. In 2019 alone, he’s spent time with the Chiefs, 49ers and Chargers, playing in two Los Angeles games. The Bolts cut him to make room for Melvin Gordon on their active roster.
49ers To Re-Sign Jordan Matthews
Jordan Matthews will head back to San Francisco. The recently released wide receiver will re-sign with the team and take Jalen Hurd‘s roster spot, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The 49ers are placing Hurd on IR.
Hurd has been dealing with a back stress fracture, suffered in San Francisco’s first preseason game, and will now be out until at least December. He will join wideout Trent Taylor on the 49ers’ IR list. The 49ers used a third-round pick on Hurd this year, but he’s yet to debut.
Matthews signed with the 49ers early in the offseason but did not make the team. He participated in multiple workouts during the regular season’s audition circuit but did not sign anywhere.
The sixth-year wideout has not been able to re-establish his previously promising career track since being traded from Philadelphia to Buffalo in 2017 but stands to join former Bills teammate Marquise Goodwin, along with Dante Pettis and rookie Deebo Samuel, as notable 49ers receivers. A former second-round pick, Matthews is still just 27. He eclipsed 800 yards in a a season from 2014-16, doing so in both Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson‘s offenses.
Patriots To Sign Younghoe Koo
The Patriots will sign Mike Nugent to serve as their new kicker, but they’re not stopping there. In addition to that move, they’ll also add Younghoe Koo to the practice squad, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Patriots Place Stephen Gostkowski on IR]
Koo, 25, appeared in four games for the Chargers in 2017, connecting on three of his six field goal attempts and all nine of his extra point tries. Recently, he had a stint in the Alliance of American Football, before its abrupt ending midway through its inaugural season.
Koo’s struggles with the Bolts are well-documented, but his talent is clear. He did enough in ’17 to beat out Josh Lambo for the top job and the Patriots see enough potential in him to keep him on the ten-man squad.
He’ll be on standby in New England as a safety net for Nugent, who is taking over for Stephen Gostkowski.