NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp, WR Aaron Wallace
- Placed on IR: DL Andrew Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: T David Steinmetz
- Released: CB Andre Chachere
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Saeed Blacknall
- Released: WR Rashard Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Anthony Fabiano, CB Jeremiah McKinnon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Malachi Dupre
- Released: RB Troymaine Pope
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB David Amerson
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Chris Jones, WR Jalen Tolliver
- Released: DE Vontarrius Dora
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from Eagles practice squad: OL Josh Andrews
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Josh Shaw
Lions Sign DB Don Carey
Don Carey is back in Detroit. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that the veteran defensive back has signed with the Lions. The team waived defensive end Eric Lee to clear a roster spot.
Carey bounced around the league after being selected in the sixth round during the 2009 draft. However, the Norfolk State product seemingly found a home in Detroit. After signing with the organization in 2011, Carey proceeded to play the next seven years for the organization. The 31-year-old served as mostly a backup and special teamer during his tenure with the Lions, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled nine tackles and one forced fumble in 13 games.
Carey signed with the Jaguars way back in March, but he was placed on injured reserve during the preseason. He was subsequently released by the organization, and he only garnered a single workout (with Detroit) back in September. Carey will likely slide to the bottom of the Lions cornerback depth chart behind Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson, Teez Tabor, DeShawn Shead, and Mike Ford.
Lee appeared in five games for the Lions this season, compiling a pair of tackles. He actually started five of his six games with the Patriots in 2017, finishing with 19 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two passes defended, a safety, and an interception. He also appeared in all three postseason games for New England.
Buccaneers Place O.J. Howard On IR
The Buccaneers have placed tight end O.J. Howard on IR, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The tight end suffered foot and ankle injuries in Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Giants and those issues will require extra time to heal. 
With that, Howard’s second season as a pro will end with 34 catches for 565 yards and five 5 touchdowns. On the plus side, the injury is not expected to hurt him in the long run, so he should be ready to participate in practices next summer.
The Howard injury should mean an uptick in targets for fellow tight end Cameron Brate. Brate has shined in the past, but he has recorded just six grabs for 45 yards and no touchdowns in the past three games.
Head coach Dirk Koetter badly needs Brate to step up in Howard’s absence. The team’s 3-7 record has Koetter on the hot seat and he’ll need a strong finish in order to save his job.
Broncos Release Adam Jones
The Broncos have released cornerback Adam Jones. The veteran disclosed the news himself on social media and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) has confirmed the transaction. 
“Well ,Denver it was good,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for the opportunity!!!! On to the next.”
Jones, 35, hooked on with the Broncos late in the preseason. At the time, the Broncos saw him as a strong No. 4 cornerback and punt returner, but he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He’s done after seven games and ten punt returns for just 25 yards in total.
The Bengals declined Jones’ 2018 option earlier this year and he didn’t draw a ton of interest afterwards. Despite his past accomplishments, Jones was limited to just nine games with the Bengals in 2017 and didn’t fare particularly well on 299 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus assigned Jones the worst mark (47.1) of his entire career, framing him more as a punt returner than a reliable corner.
Given his age and dropoff in performance, this could be the end of the line for Jones in the NFL.
Bengals Place Preston Brown On IR
The Bengals placed linebacker Preston Brown on injured reserve, per a team announcement. To fill his spot, the club signed defensive end Kasim Edebali. 
Brown missed the club’s Week 11 game against the Ravens with a leg injury and it turned out to be a season-ender. The 26-year-old will finish out the year with 42 tackles, two sacks, and four passes defensed in seven starts.
Brown led the league in tackles in 2017 while playing the third-most defensive snaps (1,180) of any linebacker in the NFL. Despite his success with the Bills and a near-perfect attendance record, he wound up settling for a one-year free agent deal with the Bengals in March. Brown was hoping to use that deal as a platform to a big payday in the 2019 offseason, but he’s back to square one after an underwhelming year in Cincinnati.
Edebali, a fifth-year pro, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints, before bouncing around between the Broncos, Lions, Rams, and the Saints once again in 2017. He has 61 career games and eight sacks to his credit.
The Bengals’ defense has not lived up to expectations this year and ranks just 27th in defensive DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. Brown wasn’t setting the world on fire before his injury, but losing him surely will not help matters.
The 5-5 Bengals will face the Browns without Brown on Sunday afternoon.
Eagles Activate DT Timmy Jernigan
The Eagles have activated defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the NFI (Non-Football Injury) list. To make room, they’ve waived fellow defensive tackle T.Y. McGill. 
Jernigan has been on the NFIO list since undergoing back surgery in May, but he returned to the practice field earlier this month. After a 48-7 drumming at the hands of the Saints, the Eagles can certainly use the help.
Jernigan, 26, started in 15 games for the Eagles last year plus the entirety of their Super Bowl run. In the regular season, Jernigan notched 29 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine tackles for a loss.
The fifth-year pro will look to keep the 4-6 Eagles in the playoff fight upon his return. He’ll also look to secure his future in Philadelphia. After his operation, the Eagles pushed Jernigan to alter the remaining three years on his four-year, $48MM extension. Those seasons are now team option years with no guaranteed money.
Jernigan’s 2018 debut may come against the Giants on Sunday afternoon. It stands to reason that he will come off the bench in his first game back, offering support to Fletcher Cox and Haloti Ngata.
Colts Place CB D.J. Killings On IR
The Colts placed cornerback D.J. Killings on injured reserve and waived cornerback Arthur Maulet, according to a team announcement. The Colts already plucked offensive lineman Josh Andrews from the Eagles’ practice squad to fill one roster spot, but they have one more vacancy left to fill. 
Killings was promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad last week, but an ankle injury limited him in practice. It turns out that his ankle injury is severe enough to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
It’s a frustrating turn of events for Killings, but he’s been here before. He lost his 2015 season at UCF to injury but bounced back in the next season to start in all 13 games. He recorded 42 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack, and 11 pass break-ups in his final year on campus, leading to a healthy amount of interest following the 2017 draft. Killings will now set his sights on the 2019 season when he’ll look to see his first live action in the NFL.
Broncos To Sign OT Cyrus Kouandjio
The Broncos have agreed to sign offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Kouandjio was with the Broncos last year and started their final game at right tackle, so the team is familiar with what he has to offer. 
Kouandjio worked out alongside several other offensive lineman on Tuesday and looked sharper than the rest of the pack. He’ll bolster the offensive line after the loss of Max Garcia, who is done for the year with a torn ACL.
Denver’s offensive line has been decimated by injury this year and the loss of Garcia was just the latest blow. Before that, guard Ronald Leary went down with a Achilles tear in mid-October and starting center Matt Paradis suffered a fractured fibula in early November.
Kouandjio showed some promise with the Bills, but he was waived in 2017 after an odd off-field incident in which he was found partially undressed in a field near the scene of a car accident. The former second-round pick now has an opportunity to showcase himself ahead of free agency in the spring and restore his stock.
Colts To Sign Josh Andrews
The Colts are expected to sign center/guard Josh Andrews off the Eagles’ practice squad, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Starter Ryan Kelly is likely to miss time with a knee injury suffered on Sunday, so Andrews will provide them with depth in the interim.
Kelly went down in the fourth quarter of the Colts’ 38-10 win over the Titans on Sunday. It’s especially unfortunate since Kelly may be in the midst of his best season to date. The former first-round pick ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 center in the NFL and has started in all ten of the Colts’ games so far. Meanwhile, the 5-5 Colts kept their playoff hopes alive with the win over the Titans and have a chance at the postseason if they finish strong over the final six games.
Andrews, 27, entered the league as a UDFA with the Colts in 2014. He has 16 games of experience between 2015 and 2016, but has not seen live action in the last two years.