NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/3/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Verone McKinley
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Matt Overton
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Colby Gossett
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Vitaliy Gurman
Cowboys, La’el Collins Agree To Deal
JANUARY 3, 6:50pm: The Cowboys and Collins have officially come to an agreement, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.
JANUARY 3, 11:00am: The Cowboys have not officially brought back Collins, with NFL.com’s Jane Slater indicating an agreement is not complete. Slater adds both sides want this to come to pass, but Mike McCarthy confirmed Wednesday the contract is not done.
Being a practice squad agreement, this deal does not bring much in terms of complications. McCarthy added (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the sides are “working through some things.” A Collins return appears likely, but it appears the particulars will take some time.
JANUARY 2: La’el Collins‘ lengthy free agency stay will end Tuesday. The visit Collins made to his original NFL home earlier today will result in a reunion. The Cowboys are bringing the veteran offensive lineman back, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.
This will be a practice squad deal, but it will be Collins’ first agreement since the Bengals cut him from their reserve/PUP list in September. Collins had met with the Jets, Giants and Bills (last week) since that separation but did not find a new gig. The Cowboys, who employed him from 2015-21, will step in and greenlight a return.
Initially signing Collins — a first-round-caliber talent who fell out of the 2015 draft due to an off-field concern at the time — as a UDFA, the Cowboys moved him from guard to right tackle early in his career and gave him two extensions to reward him for work at his second NFL position. Collins has been a right tackle regular for many years, though speedbumps have emerged during his career. This year qualifies, after the Bengals reconfigured their O-line without him in their first-string plans.
Collins operated as Dallas’ full-time right tackle from 2017-19 and again in 2021, though a PED suspension marred the final season of his first Cowboys stint. The team will sign off on a second stay, and Collins will represent insurance for a Cowboys team that has dealt with some injuries up front. Left guard Tyler Smith came out of Dallas’ Week 17 game with a full plantar fascia tear, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes. Tyron Smith and Zack Martin have dealt with maladies this year as well, though the former has logged 12 starts and has made a bigger contribution to this year’s Cowboys effort than last season’s.
Given a big-ticket extension this summer, Terence Steele — who suffered a torn ACL late last season — has not recaptured his pre-injury form just yet. Pro Football Focus ranks Steele in the bottom 10 among tackle regulars this season (75th), well off his quality 2022 performance that garnered the five-year, $82.5MM extension. The Cowboys plugged in Steele, a former UDFA, to succeed Collins last year — after the team designated the latter as a post-June 1 cut. Collins, 30, is set to return as insurance to close out what may still end up a lost year for the veteran blocker.
Tyler Smith has not been ruled out for Week 18, though Collins has not played guard in many years. The Cowboys slid the LSU alum to right tackle in 2017, and the Bengals did not consider kicking him back inside to accommodate the Orlando Brown Jr.. addition. Jonah Williams replaced Collins at RT this season. Collins has 86 starts on his resume but has not yet bounced back from the ACL and MCL tears he suffered in Week 16 of the 2022 season. The Cowboys made decent use of P-squad addition Jason Peters last season; Collins now resides in the veteran insurance role.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/24
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: LB Troy Andersen
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return from IR: S Ar’Darius Washington
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: WR Collin Johnson
- Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DL Viliami Fehoko
- Placed on IR: RB Deuce Vaughn
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: G Wes Schweitzer
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return from IR: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: OL Phil Haynes
Troy Andersen is eyeing a return for the regular season finale after having been sidelined since late September with a pectoral injury. The 2022 second-round pick started five of his 17 appearances as a rookie, finishing with 69 tackles. Andersen had 19 tackles in a pair of appearances this season, with the linebacker missing Week 2 while sitting in concussion protocol.
An ankle injury will end Deuce Vaughn‘s rookie season early, with the sixth-round pick finishing with 80 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches. Regular backup RB Rico Dowdle missed last week while dealing with a lingering ankle injury, but Vaughn’s removal from the active roster probably bodes well for Dowdle’s availability. Of course, this move will also lead to even more speculation surrounding a potential Dalvin Cook pursuit.
After starting five of his 23 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL, Phil Haynes entered the 2023 campaign as Seattle’s starting right guard. He started each of Seattle’s first eight games this season before landing on injured reserve with a toe injury. Anthony Bradford has been starting at the position in Haynes’ place, and he could keep his starting gig with Jason Peters sidelined with a foot injury.
Lions DL Alim McNeill Returns To Practice
The Lions will be getting some defensive reinforcement in time for the playoffs. Per Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, defensive tackle Alim McNeill returned to practice today.
[RELATED: Lions Waive DL Isaiah Buggs]
By designating the 23-year-old for return, the Lions opened his 21-day window for activation. After landing on injured reserve in early December, it sounds like McNeill will be back on the field for Detroit’s season finale, with Rogers noting that the defensive lineman will play with a custom brace on Sunday.
McNeill suffered an MCL injury in Week 13 that required a minimum stay on the IR. Per Rogers, the injury didn’t require surgery and was simply a sprain. That could explain why the third-year pro was able to return to practice so quickly.
“Yeah, it’ll be good. It’s going to be good to get him back,” head coach Dan Campbell said today (via the team’s website). “And I know he’s looking forward to it just like we are, so he’s excited and he’ll get some work again here for us. You always, this time of year, for him, it’s going to kind of feel like Game 1 again. He’ll be fresh, have fresh legs and a fresh energy about him, so it’s good.”
The 2021 third-round pick was playing some of the best football of his career prior to the injury. McNeill started all 12 of his appearances this season, and he collected three sacks, three tackles for loss, and four QB hits in the five games prior to being sidelined. Pro Football Focus has been especially fond of his performance in 2023, ranking him fifth among 131 interior defenders.
Defensive tackle Benito Jones has continued playing about 55 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, even with McNeill out of the lineup. Isaiah Buggs and Levi Onwuzurike both saw an uptick in snaps while their teammate was out of the lineup, and the team has already cleared up some of their depth by cutting Buggs from the active roster.
Cowboys To Sign LB Damien Wilson
JANUARY 3: As is the case with Collins, Wilson’s visit has produced an agreement. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the latter has signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad, while David Moore of the Dallas Morning News adds Wilson and Collins will likely have their respective deals finalized tomorrow. Wilson will therefore be available for the team’s regular season finale as well as the playoffs.
JANUARY 2: In preparation for the postseason, the Cowboys are bringing in a pair of familiar faces. Offensive tackle La’el Collins is visiting Dallas today, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The same is true of linebacker Damien Wilson, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. 
Both players began their careers with the Cowboys. Collins logged 71 starts across six seasons in Dallas, most of which came at right tackle. In his debut season, however, he played at left guard, something which could be of signficant importance given the injury status of Tyler Smith. The latter has been dealing with a plantar fascia tear, so Collins could serve as veteran insurance along the interior.
The former UDFA could also step in at right tackle if called upon. His replacement, Terence Steele, has struggled in his second season as a starter at that position. A strong showing in 2022 earned Steele a five-year, $82.5MM deal this fall, but the Texas Tech product has seen his PFF evaluation regress to a mark of 50.6 this year. Collins (who visited the Bills last week) would provide experience along the edge if he were to return to Dallas.
Wilson, like Collins, has not played in 2023. The 30-year-old played for the Cowboys from 2015-18, and the expiration of his rookie contract led to a number of short-team deals with the Chiefs, Jaguars and Panthers. Halfway into a two-year contract with Carolina, Wilson was released. That cost-cutting move followed the second arrest of his career, and he has not been connected to an NFL gig until today.
That is due in part to the four-game suspension he served earlier in the campaign, but he is free to join any interested team in advance of the playoffs. In need of depth at the second level due to injuries at the linebacker position, the Cowboys would represent a logical landing spot for Wilson as he aims to see game time this year and help his free agent stock along the way.
Both players will undergo workouts in the near future. Should they be successful, the Cowboys would likely add them to the practice squad while returning to game shape. One or both could find themselves in position to make a contribution to Dallas in the playoffs should today’s audition produce an agreement.
Dolphins’ Jerome Baker Returns To Practice; Xavien Howard Unlikely For Week 18
The Dolphins are moving closer to making their final IR-return decision. With one activation remaining, Miami is preparing to use it on Jerome Baker. The veteran linebacker returned to practice Wednesday.
Baker moving from the IR-return window back to the 53-man roster would close the book on the Dolphins’ injury activations this season. Isaiah Wynn and Salvon Ahmed reside on Miami’s IR. While Mike McDaniel did not close the door on Wynn returning when he went down in November, the second-year Dolphins HC classified the left guard starter coming back as an unlikely scenario.
A sixth-year Dolphins linebacker, Baker has been out since suffering an MCL injury in early December. The Dolphins gave Baker a three-year, $37.5MM extension in 2021; the deal runs through the ’24 season. Baker has been a starter since his rookie season, making 82 starts for the team that drafted him in the 2018 third round.
McDaniel did not confirm Jaylen Waddle would miss Sunday’s pivotal Bills rematch, though that is the expectation. But the young HC did say (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) Xavien Howard is not expected to go in Week 18. Howard sustained a foot injury against the Ravens.
Baker, 27, has excelled as a hybrid performer during his career. Stationed as an off-ball linebacker, the Mike Tannenbaum-era draftee has 22.5 career sacks. Only 1.5 of those have come in Vic Fangio‘s defense this season, but Baker has extensive pass-rushing productivity in his past. That could be relevant for a Dolphins team that has seen Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb suffer season-ending injuries. The Dolphins have until Saturday afternoon to activate Baker from IR.
Defensive injuries hounded Fangio during his time in Denver, when Chubb and Von Miller rarely saw the field together during the current Dolphins DC’s three-season run as the Broncos’ head coach. The Chubb ACL tear coming a month after Phillips’ Achilles tear reminds of those Broncos health issues, though these maladies have hit a Dolphins team that clinched a playoff berth. Miami, which played half the season without Jalen Ramsey, can lock down the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a win over Buffalo. A loss would drop the Dolphins to a wild-card position.
The Dolphins lost Howard four plays into their blowout defeat against the Ravens. While the team played without Ramsey for a chunk of the season, it was unable to deter Lamar Jackson in a likely MVP-clinching performance. The Ravens superstar threw five touchdown passes against the depleted Dolphins, who lost Chubb late in the game.
Howard, 30, has missed three games this season already. While Pro Football Focus has not viewed Howard’s ninth NFL season as especially strong, ranking him 99th among cornerbacks, the veteran ballhawk is a key part of Miami’s defense. Howard has 29 career interceptions, though only one of those thefts has come this season. It would certainly sting the Dolphins if he and Waddle were unavailable, as Miami has seen a number of starters go down during the season’s second half.
Lions To Cut OLB Bruce Irvin
Used as a rotational pass rusher in two Lions games, Bruce Irvin no longer looks to be in the NFC North champions’ plans. Thanking the Lions for his opportunity Wednesday morning, Irvin pointed to heading elsewhere.
The Lions have set in motion plans to use nearly all of their remaining IR activations soon. In addition to C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Alim McNeill moving close to coming off Detroit’s injured list, defensive end James Houston has been practicing since being designated for return last week.
The Lions initially added Irvin in mid-November; he has now been with six NFL teams. Although the 12th-year edge rusher has played in two games with Detroit, the Lions would be cutting him from their practice squad.
Irvin, 36, played in two games as a gameday elevation and was elevated on Dec. 16 — for a game he did not ultimately play in — as well. With teams limited to three elevations before they are forced to use the waiver system to move players on and off the roster, the Lions are cutting Irvin rather than signing him to their 53-man roster. This move will send Irvin directly to free agency, as P-squad players do not pass through waivers when cut.
Irvin played 42 defensive snaps during his two-game run in Detroit. One of those produced a sack against the Saints. The former first-round pick now has 56.5 career QB drops. The Lions designated Houston for return on Dec. 28. He suffered a broken ankle in Week 2. Like Gardner-Johnson, Houston has made it all the way back from an injury that often ends players’ seasons.
The Lions have four IR activations remaining. It certainly appears that number will be at one by the time the team’s playoff game comes around. The returns of Houston, McNeill and CJGJ will strengthen the Lions’ defense ahead of their postseason opener, assuming each defender is given the go-ahead to rejoin the 53-man roster.
Browns Add G Rodger Saffold
Rodger Saffold spent two months on the Jets’ practice squad but never made his way into a game uniform in his 14th NFL season. The Jets released Saffold from their P-squad Tuesday, opening the door for another opportunity.
The Browns will add the veteran guard, announcing Wednesday he is now part of their 16-man taxi squad. Saffold, 35, is a Cleveland-area native who has started 173 career games. He will now represent depth for the playoff-bound Browns.
Prior to this season, Saffold was viewed as a surefire starter. The Bills used him as such throughout last season. Saffold spent nine years with the Rams and the next three with the Titans, coming to Tennessee on a big-ticket free agency pact following Super Bowl LIII. Tennessee released Saffold last year, leading him to Buffalo.
Injuries have ransacked the Browns up front this season, though they somehow have not deterred Joe Flacco during his surprising renaissance in his age-38 slate. The Browns are without tackle starters Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin, with replacement first-stringer Dawand Jones out for the season as well. Cleveland has been healthier at guard, seeing Pro Bowlers Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller miss just one game combined. But the team now has Saffold in place as a veteran insurance piece.
A second-team All-Pro during Sean McVay‘s first season with the Rams (2017), Saffold received two Pro Bowl invites as an alternate over the past two seasons. In 2021, he helped D’Onta Foreman effectively replace an injured Derrick Henry as the Titans booked the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That came three years after Saffold started in Super Bowl LIII for the Rams. The Titans gave him a four-year, $44MM deal in 2019.
Saffold joins Flacco as well-paid veterans who accepted a Browns P-squad deal. It remains to be seen if the veteran blocker will also follow the quarterback onto Cleveland’s active roster.
Jaguars Designate Christian Kirk For Return
Christian Kirk‘s Week 13 injury has made a considerable impact on the Jaguars’ passing attack. The sixth-year wide receiver underwent core muscle surgery, a procedure that threatened his availability for the rest of the season. But the Jags still have a chance to see Kirk return to action.
Jacksonville designated Kirk for return from IR on Wednesday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Considering this is the first week Kirk could return to practice, the 2022 free agency addition being ready this soon represents a somewhat surprising development.
The former Cardinals second-rounder was believed to need more recovery time. With the Jags in danger of missing the playoffs, they will see how their slot target looks ahead of a win-and-in Week 18 showdown. The Jaguars will face the Titans on Sunday. A win would give them a second straight division title for the first time since the franchise’s back-to-back AFC Central crowns in 1998 and ’99. The team may need some injury timetables to break right to have a good shot at hanging onto this hope.
While the Jags were able to win without Kirk, Zay Jones and Trevor Lawrence, they faced the Panthers in Week 17. Although the Titans have not won a game in the AFC South this season, they represent a more formidable obstacle compared to Carolina. Lawrence did not practice last week, missing his first NFL game, and Jones has not played since Week 15.
Kirk went down in the first half of the Jags’ overtime loss to the Bengals. Illustrating Kirk’s impact, Jacksonville (9-7) entered that Monday-night game 8-3. While Lawrence’s run of setbacks has impacted the Jags during this span as well, the team has struggled offensively for most of the past month without its $18MM-per-year pass catcher. After his first 1,000-yard season, Kirk was on pace for a second prior to the injury. He compiled 787 yards on 57 receptions, scoring three touchdowns in his second Jaguars season.
The Jags defeating the Titans would ensure two AFC South teams qualify for the playoffs, with Saturday night’s Colts-Texans matchup a win-and-in game. If Tennessee upsets Jacksonville, the winner of the Houston-Indianapolis matchup would claim the division title. Lawrence’s availability will be paramount for the Jags, and the prospect of Kirk being back as well would obviously bolster their chances of salvaging their season with a playoff berth.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/2/24
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: WR Jonathan Mingo
- Signed from practice squad: G J.D. DiRenzo
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from practice squad: WR Juwann Winfree
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: WR Tyler Johnson
- Placed on IR: CB Shaun Jolly
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: OL Tyre Phillips (story)
A foot injury will end Mingo’s season a game early. Struggling with drops as a rookie, Mingo will finish his season averaging 9.7 yards per catch (43/418). The No. 39 overall pick’s rookie contract runs through 2026.