NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/19
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, TE Darrell Daniels
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Bruce Anderson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, DB Tevaughn Campbell, WR Anthony Johnson
- Cut: LB Curtis Akins, DB Kemon Hall
- Placed on practice squad IR: WR Artavis Scott
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR T.J. Rahming
- Cut: LB Christian Sam
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Nate Brooks
- Cut: OL Colby Gossett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Alex Ellis
Giants Re-Sign WR T.J. Jones
Sterling Shepard is uncertain for Sunday’s Week 2 Giants-Bills game, so Big Blue is turning back to recently released receiver. The Giants brought back T.J. Jones on Wednesday.
Jones was with the Giants during the preseason but did not make their 53-man roster. In moving him to the roster now, the Giants placed outside linebacker Kareem Martin on IR.
While Jones has experience as a receiver and return man from his Lions run, the Giants may need him as a pass catcher Sunday. Shepard is in concussion protocol and did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, and Golden Tate‘s suspension runs three more games. The Giants are down to former Broncos backups-turned-second-year Giants Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler, along with fellow Year 2 Giant Russell Shepard.
Playing behind Tate and Marvin Jones in 2017, T.J. Jones established career highs in receptions (30) and yards (399). T.J. Jones caught 19 passes for 190 yards in 15 games last season.
The Giants signed Martin to a three-year, $15MM deal in 2018. One of James Bettcher‘s former Cardinals charges, Martin suffered a knee injury Sunday that Pat Shurmur indicated (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, on Twitter) would take weeks to heal. The sixth-year pass rusher has notched just 1.5 sacks in 17 Big Blue games. Martin will be eligible to return after eight weeks.
Jets’ Quincy Enunwa Done For Season
Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Sadly, given Enunwa’s previous neck injury, this could be a career-ender for the 27-year-old. 
This is the second time in three seasons that Enunwa’s season ended prematurely due to a neck injury. In 2017, it cost him the entire campaign.
Enunwa suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Jets’ season-opening loss to the Bills. Somehow, he managed to return to action later on, but was targeted just three times in total.
The Jets inked Enunwa to a four-year, $36MM extension back in December. There is no good news here, but the silver lining is that Enunwa will collect on at least $10MM, the fully-guaranteed amount of the pact. He also has $6MM guaranteed for injury in 2020.
The Jets traded for Patriots wide receiver Demaryius Thomas this week, a move that was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time. Now, we know that the deal was about more than Adam Gase reuniting with an old friend – Thomas will attempt to step in for Enunwa, one of the Jets’ most talented offensive players.
Patriots To Sign Marshall Newhouse
The Patriots are signing veteran tackle Marshall Newhouse, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Newhouse visited and worked out for the Pats on Monday and the two sides shook on it 48 hours later.
Newhouse should help provide depth at right tackle after starter Marcus Cannon was forced out of Sunday’s win with a shoulder injury. The Pats won’t have to cut anyone to bring him on, either – they had a vacancy after shipping wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets.
Newhouse was with the Saints this offseason, but didn’t make it through the Labor Day Weekend cut. Last year, he appeared in eleven games for the Panthers and three for the Bills. For his career, Newhouse has 72 starts to his credit.
Raiders’ Johnathan Abram Done For Year?
Raiders safety Johnathan Abram has suffered a serious shoulder injury, according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The torn rotator cuff combined with a torn labrum will likely a season ender, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic. The Raiders are expected to place Abram on injured reserve, with no possibility of return. 
The Raiders used one of their three first-round picks to select Abram this year and installed him as a starting safety alongside Karl Joseph. The rookie was lauded for his tenacity throughout the offseason and his energy will be missed by the Raiders much as his production.
Even though he suffered his injury in the first quarter, Abram stayed on the field to play in 77% of the team’s snaps against the Broncos on Monday night.
“That’s the identity we’re trying to bring back: fast, physical and aggressive,” Abram said Monday night. “You come across the middle, we’re going to get you.”
The Raiders are expected to use Curtis Riley in Joseph’s absence with some help from Erik Harris. Tafur suggests that defensive coordinator Paul Guenther could also call up old friend George Iloka, a one-time Bengals standout who remains on the free agent market. In theory, the Raiders could also move nickel corner Lamarcus Joyner back to his native safety position to fill the void.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/19
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: LB Alvin Jones
Houston Texans
- Promoted from practice squad: QB Alex McGough
- Waived: CB Cornell Armstrong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: WR Byron Pringle
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dominique Hatfield, C Aaron Neary, LB Trevon Young
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DL Mitchell Loewen
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Alex Ellis
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OLB Jayrone Elliott
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Simeon Thomas
- Waived: TE J.P. Holtz
- Waived/injured: CB Greg Stroman
Texans Release Aaron Colvin, Sign Phillip Gaines
In the wake of Monday night’s heartbreaking loss, the Texans are making a surprising move. Houston is releasing veteran cornerback Aaron Colvin, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
In a corresponding roster move the team signed fellow corner Phillip Gaines to a one-year deal, according to a tweet from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Texans are taking a massive financial loss by cutting Colvin right now. Just last March, they signed him to a four-year, $34MM deal with $18MM in guaranteed money. As Schefter pointed out, he still had a $7.5MM guaranteed salary for 2019 which Houston will now be eating.
Colvin originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Jaguars back in 2014. After spending his first four years in Jacksonville, he landed the massive deal from his former AFC South rivals. The marriage was never a good fit from the start, and it was clear right away there were problems.
Colvin started only two games last year, and also missed time with an ankle injury. He started last night’s game against the Saints and that was apparently the final straw as Houston’s secondary struggled to contain Drew Brees. The Texans have been sniffing around for cornerback help for a while and have now settled on Gaines, a 2014 third-round pick of the Chiefs.
After four years in Kansas City, Gaines started six games for the Bills last year and also spent some time with the Browns. Colvin thrived as a nickel corner in Jacksonville, and should draw significant interest on the open market, albeit at a much cheaper price. As Adam Caplan of Sirius XM points out in a tweet, longtime Texan Johnathan Joseph and fellow starter Bradley Roby are both in the final year of their deals, so Houston’s secondary could look quite a bit different in 2020.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/19
Today’s practice squad moves will be posted here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: RB Mark Thompson, CB Terrell Bonds
- Released: WR Sean Modster, LB Donald Payne
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: DB Kemon Hall
Miami Dolphins
- Released: OT Zach Sterup
New York Jets
- Signed: LB James Burgess, OL Ben Braden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Devlin Hodges
Washington Redskins
- Released: LB Darrell Williams
Eagles Sign DT Akeem Spence
In the wake of Malik Jackson‘s season-ending injury, the Eagles are adding some reinforcements on the defensive line. The team is signing veteran defensive tackle Akeem Spence to a one-year deal, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).
Spence had been with the Dolphins in camp, but didn’t survive final cuts. He originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2013, and has a good amount of starting experience. He signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Lions in 2017, but was traded to the Dolphins after just one season. He spent 2018 in Miami, and ended up starting all 16 games for them. For his career, he has 179 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 88 games and 57 starts.
The loss of Jackson was a tough blow, but the Eagles still have a very solid defensive interior. They have one of the league’s best defensive tackles in Fletcher Cox, and Timmy Jernigan should step up and play a bigger role in Jackson’s absence. Ideally, Spence won’t be much more than depth this season.
Patriots Trade Demaryius Thomas To Jets
The Patriots have traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Jets, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). In exchange, the Jets will send a 2021 sixth-round pick to New England. 
It’s a rare intra-divisional trade for two teams that have a storied history together. But, after the Patriots used draft capital to strengthen their offensive line in August, they were eager to recoup some ammo. Meanwhile, head coach Adam Gase was eager to reunite with Thomas, who was among the league’s best receivers during their time together in Denver.
Thomas is now on to his fourth team in the past year after being traded for the second time in 2019. The first swap saw him traded from the Broncos to the Texans just prior to the 2018 trade deadline. Now, after a cup of coffee with the Pats, he’s on to the Jets.
The Jets believe that Thomas can help them move the chains, even though he’s clearly not the player that he once was. The Patriots, meanwhile, will have the services of newcomer Antonio Brown, one of the game’s greatest receivers of all-time.