Falcons To Sign Keith Smith
The Falcons have signed former Raiders fullback Keith Smith to a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Smith was a surprise cut over the weekend but the Falcons were more than happy to scoop him up.
Smith, 27, was non-tendered by the Cowboys in 2018 and the Falcons were among the teams to show early interest. They missed out that March when he joined the Raiders, but they got their man just in time for the start of the 2019 campaign. Before the release, Smith was set to play out the backend of a two-year, $4.2MM deal with Oakland.
The Cowboys only used Smith on 12% of their snaps in 2017, but former Dallas special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia utilized him on more than 15% of the club’s offensive plays. In Atlanta, that number could climb even higher.
Colts To Sign QB Brian Hoyer
The Colts have agreed to sign Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12MM deal, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM tweets. The pact includes $9MM in guarantees, giving the veteran a whole lot of fiscal security.
For the Colts, the deal gives them additional experience under center in the wake of Andrew Luck‘s retirement. Jacoby Brissett – another ex-Patriot – will remain as the team’s QB1. Hoyer will be the top clipboard holder, so it remains to be seen what they’ll do with Chad Kelly when he returns from his two-game ban.
The Patriots wanted Hoyer back, but as Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter) notes, they were only willing to do a one-year deal. The Colts won out, in part because they were willing to sign the soon-to-be 34-year-old to a three-year contract.
Hoyer, a veteran journeyman, has started games for the Browns, Texans, Bears, and 49ers and has made other stops around the league. All in all, he’s got 37 starts to his credit across ten seasons.
Dolphins Release John Denney
The John Denney era could be over. On Monday morning, the Dolphins released their long snapper and longest-tenured player.
Denney, 40, was re-signed in February, setting the 40-year-old up for a 15th season in Miami. The good news is, that could still happen – the Dolphins are not rostering any other long snappers at the moment, so this could just be a bit of roster juggling from the Dolphins. Before the end of business on Tuesday, we should have a better picture of the Denney’s future.
Denney also boasts a streak of playing in 224 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL. He’s tied for the longest streak ever for a long snapper and he’ll own that record outright if he plays somewhere in Week 1.
Lions Re-Sign Logan Thomas
The Lions have re-signed tight end Logan Thomas. To make room, they placed defensive end Austin Bryant on injured reserve.
Thomas, 28, entered the NFL as a quarterback in 2014, but transitioned to tight end in 2016 when he joined the Lions’ taxi squad. after a few years with the Bills, he returned to Detroit on a one-year deal in March. He was a victim of Saturday’s cuts, but he apparently didn’t stray too far from town.
Bryant, meanwhile, has been rehabbing his way back from a torn pectoral muscle. The fourth-round rookie probably rushed things a bit, however, and suffered another upper-body injury on the practice field. The Clemson product offers length and pass-rush ability that could be useful for the Lions in the second half of the season.
Steelers, Joe Haden Agree To Extension
At long last, Joe Haden has agreed to a new deal with the Steelers. Haden’s brand new two-year extension will pay him $22MM and keep him under club control through the 2021 campaign (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
As a part of the deal, Haden will receive a $16.8MM signing bonus. For this year, he’ll earn his previously slated $10MM/year salary.
We’re still waiting on the specific breakdown of the pact, but it’ll likely lessen Haden’s cap hit in the near term, giving the Steelers some additional flexibility.
After missing time in 2018 with an injury, Haden returned to play 15 games last season. He graded out as a top-40 cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus – that’s a notch below his best Browns years, but the 30-year-old remains an upper-echelon cover man.
The Steelers added cornerbacks this offseason, signing Steven Nelson and drafting Justin Layne in Round 3. Meanwhile, they’ll move forward with disappointing 2016 first-rounder Artie Burns after cutting him an $800K bonus check in August.
Haden, meanwhile, has brought consistency as a boundary corner, something the Steelers have sorely lacked. His new deal is sizable for a 30-year-old, but it also makes plenty of sense for the Steelers.
Cardinals Place Robert Alford On IR
On Sunday night, the Cardinals placed cornerback Robert Alford on injured reserve to make room for the arrival of Cassius Marsh. Alford suffered a tibia fracture earlier this month, which calls for at least another six weeks in recovery. By placing him on IR, the Cardinals have made him ineligible for at least eight games. 
The Alford injury hurts Arizona, especially since star cornerback Patrick Peterson is serving a six-game suspension for a PED violation. The Cardinals will do their best to get by against the Lions, Ravens, Panthers, Seahawks, Bengals, and Falcons without P2, and the Giants and Saints (and perhaps others) without Alford.
If all goes well in Alford’s recovery, he could conceivably return for Arizona’s Oct. 31 game against the Niners. For now, the Cardinals will rely on Tramaine Brock and rookie Byron Murphy to start the season.
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Nate Becker
- CB Cam Lewis
- OL Erik Magnuson
- DT Kyle Peko
- RB Christian Wade*
- WR Duke Williams
- DE Eddie Yarbrough
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed:
- DE Trent Harris
- LB Deon Lacey
- DE Avery Moss
- DB Steven Parker
- DB Ken Webster
- Waived:
- LB Terrill Hanks
- DB Montre Hartage
- TE Chris Myarick
- OL Zach Sterup
- DL Adolphus Washington
New England Patriots
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Stephen Anderson
- LB Terez Hall
- FB Jakob Johnson
- DL Ufomba Kamalu
- LB Calvin Munson
- OL Dan Skipper
- OL Tyree St. Louis
- DL Nick Thurman
New York Jets
- Claimed:
- WR Braxton Berrios
- DE John Franklin
- DB Bennett Jackson
- K Kaare Vedvik
- Released:
- Waived:
- Signed to practice squad:
- OL Calvin Anderson
- OL Ben Braden
- CB Kyron Brown
- QB Luke Falk
- RB Valentine Holmes*
- LB Jamey Mosley
- WR Jeff Smith
* = International Pathway Program player
Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed:
- Signed:
- DE Cassius Marsh (story)
- Waived:
- RB T.J. Logan
- LB Pete Robertson
- LB Tanner Vallejo
- Signed to practice squad:
- QB Drew Anderson
- LB Dante Booker
- CB Nate Brooks
- TE Darrell Daniels
- LB Vontarrius Dora
- WR A.J. Richardson
- TE Caleb Wilson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Dakota Allen
- TE Kendall Blanton
- TE Chandler Brewer
- DT Marquise Copeland
- DB Donte Deayon
- DE Landis Durham
- RB John Kelly
- OL Jeremiah Kolone
- S Jake Gervase
- QB John Wolford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed:
- DB Antone Exum
- Placed on IR:
- Signed to practice squad:
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- DT Kevin Givens
- S Marcell Harris
- TE Daniel Helm
- WR Malik Henry
- LB Elijah Lee
- G Ross Reynolds
- DE Jeremiah Valoaga
- RB Jeff Wilson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Jazz Ferguson
- WR Terry Wright
- TE Jacob Hollister
- CB Simeon Thomas
- G Jordan Roos
- T Elijah Nkansah
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Denver Broncos
- Signed:
- Claimed:
- TE Andrew Beck
- CB Davontae Harris
- C Corey Levin
- WR Diontae Spencer
- Waived:
- WR River Cracraft
- T Jake Rodgers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to practice squad:
- WR Jody Fortson
- TE Nick Keizer
- RB Marcus Marshall
- C James Murray
- QB Kyle Shurmur
- WR Cody Thompson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to practice squad:
- OL Chris Brown
- OL Spencer Drango
- CB Kemon Hall
- DE Anthony Lanier
- WR Artavis Scott
- WR Jason Moore
- RB Detrez Newsome
- WR Andre Patton
- TE Matt Sokol
Chiefs Place Chad Henne On IR
The Chiefs carried Chad Henne onto their 53-man roster but will not have him at practice for at least six weeks. Henne will be placed on IR. Matt Moore took his place as Kansas City’s backup quarterback.
Additionally, the Chiefs re-signed Jeff Allen and released Jeremiah Attaochu. The Chiefs released Allen on Saturday. Their former second-round pick already had multiple stints on the roster; he’ll be back as a depth piece up front. The Chiefs signed Attaochu earlier this year, one of several new edge players brought in under DC Steve Spagnuolo.
Henne cannot return to the Chiefs’ active roster for at least eight weeks. The veteran passer recently underwent ankle surgery.
Moore and Patrick Mahomes are the only quarterbacks on Kansas City’s roster. Moore has not played since the 2017 season. The Chiefs, however, signed Kyle Shurmur to their practice squad. A rookie out of Vanderbilt, Shurmur is Giants HC Pat Shurmur’s son.