Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/23
Sunday’s minor moves around the league:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: DT Mike Pennel, WR Montrell Washington
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: CB Brandon Facyson
- Elevated: TE Cole Fotheringham, FB Jakob Johnson
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: T Evan Neal
- Activated from IR: T Matt Peart
- Elevated: K Mason Crosby (story), LB Tomon Fox
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: DB Tristin McCollum, KB Brandon Smith
Facyson has not played all season, but the Raiders opened his practice window on Dec. 6, making him eligible to return to the field. The 29-year-old played for the Colts last season, but he spent the previous year with the Raiders, starting nine of his 12 games. Facyson is under contract through 2024, but none of his $2.27MM salary is guaranteed. Logging some game action down the stretch could thus be beneficial to his roster security.
Neal has missed the past five games due to an ankle injury, and today’s move means he will be shut down for the remainder of the season. The 2022 first-rounder underwhelmed when on the field, to the point where a switch to guard was suggested. No such move has been given consideration, but Neal will nevertheless face considerable expectations to rebound in 2024. Peart will have the chance to see playing time late in the year after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5.
Chiefs Place RB Jerick McKinnon On IR
The Chiefs’ backfield will be shorthanded through the remainder of the regular season. The team announced on Sunday that running back Jerick McKinnon has been placed on injured reserve. 
Players moved to IR are forced to miss at least four weeks, meaning McKinnon will be sidelined for Kansas City’s three remaining contests in the regular season. The Chiefs will need to progress to at least the divisional round of the playoffs for the 31-year-old to be eligible to return. That could entail a win in the wild-card round with him out of the lineup, though the defending champions are still in play for the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
McKinnon missed practice all week due to a groin injury, and he was ruled out today for the team’s Christmas Day contest against the Raiders. Given the subsequent move to IR, though, Kansas City will need to rely more heavily on starter Isiah Pacheco and former first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Losing McKinnon will likely not represent the loss it would have in previous seasons, however.
The Georgia Southern alum has been much less involved in the run game compared to last season, receiving no more than four carries in a game this season. McKinnon’s two most productive games on the ground in 2023 came in the team’s two most recent contests, with only 19 and 11 rushing yards. The former third-rounder has remained a consistent option in the passing game, though, totaling 192 yards and four touchdowns on 25 receptions.
In spite of a career-low 2.9 yards per carry average, McKinnon’s role will thus need replacing in large part by Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs have filled McKinnon’s roster spot with another option in the backfield, though, signing La’Mical Perine from the practice squad. The latter has made just two appearances in his debut Chiefs campaign, receiving a single carry. Perine’s usage will likely be restricted to special teams duty.
Kansas City currently has six IR activations remaining, although one of those will be needed for wideout Mecole Hardman, who was designated for return earlier this week. McKinnon will look to return to health in time for the postseason after playing a signficant role in the Chiefs’ title run last year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/23
Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: WR Dan Chisena, WR Kaden Davis
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on IR: FB Keith Smith
- Signed to active roster: TE Tucker Fisk
- Elevated: P Pat O’Donnell, OL John Leglue
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: RB Leonard Fournette
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: G Gabe Jackson, G J.D. DiRenzo
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: WR Collin Johnson
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: S Tanner McCalister, LB Charlie Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Elevated: DT Carl Davis, RB Malik Davis
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: QB Ben DiNucci, OLB Ronnie Perkins
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: K Michael Badgley (story), TE Anthony Firkser
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: WR Bo Melton, S Benny Sapp
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: WR Ethan Fernea
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: CB Ethan Bonner, OLB Melvin Ingram
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: WR Lucky Jackson, CB Jaylin Williams
New York Jets
- Elevated: FB Nick Bawden, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: CB Kelvin Joseph, S Ty Okada
Tennessee Titans
- DB Shyheim Carter, CB Tay Gowan
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: LS Tucker Addington, OL Nolan Laufenberg
The Bills will not have depth running back Ty Johnson available for tonight’s game, leading to the decision to elevate Fournette. The former Super Bowl champion will thus make his Buffalo debut, although with lead back James Cook in the lineup, Fournette will likely not receive many looks on offense. The latter has already returned a kickoff for the first time in his career, however.
Signed to the Dolphins’ practice squad last week, Ingram will also make his 2023 debut in Week 16. The 34-year-old last played during his Miami stint in 2022, during which time he started three games and recorded six sacks. With Jaelan Phillips out for the year, Ingram will look to once again give the Dolphins a rotational presence off the edge.
Vikings Activate LB Jordan Hicks From IR, Waive LB Nick Vigil
Marking another step in his recovery process from a frightening injury situation, Jordan Hicks is set to return to the field. The veteran linebacker was activated from injured reserve by the Vikings on Saturday, per a team announcement. 
Hicks returned to practice this week after recovering from emergency surgery brought about by a case of compartment syndrome. The injury caused a six-week absence and threatened to keep him out for the remainder of the campaign. Hicks is now in place to resume starting duties at the second level. Nick Vigil, who had filled in during Hicks’ absence, was waived to make room on the roster.
Minnesota has managed to stay in contention for a playoff spot despite injuries to the likes of Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. Losing Hicks marked a blow to the team’s defense as well, though, given his importance to the unit. Despite the missed time, the 31-year-old still ranks third on the team in tackles with 87. Hicks has added one interception, one sack and a fumble returned for a touchdown in his second Vikings campaign.
The former third-rounder drew trade interest ahead of the deadline, but the Vikings opted against a seller’s stance. As a result, he remains in place to close out the campaign, something which will be a welcomed development for Minnesota’s defense. That unit in general, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores in particular, have drawn praise for their play (the closing stages of last week’s loss to the Bengals notwithstanding).
Hicks’ injury created a larger workload for Ivan Pace Jr. at the linebacker spot. The undrafted rookie has impressed during the year, but especially in recent games with at least nine tackles in each of the past four contests. He and Hicks will look to keep Minnesota’s playoff push alive as the 7-7 outfit prepares for the first of two games against the Lions within the final three weeks of the campaign. Vigil, meanwhile, will be available to sign with the Vikings or any other team if he clears waivers.
Titans Place DL Jeffery Simmons, LB Jack Gibbens On IR
The Titans were on busy on Saturday with respect to roster decisions. Among the many moves made on Saturday was defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons and linebackers Jack Gibbens and Luke Gifford being placed on injured reserve. 
Players moved to IR are required to miss at least four weeks. Since the Titans have been eliminated from postseason contention, the news confirms that trio will not see the field again in 2023. The loss of Simmons and Gibbens in particular will deal a signficant blow to Tennessee’s defense to close out the season. The Titans’ special teams unit will also be notably weaker without Gifford in the fold.
Simmons has already missed the past two games due to a knee injury. Head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear a multi-week absence would be on tap, so with the Titans out of contention it comes as little surprise that they will shut him down for the rest of the year. 2024 will mark his next action; it also represents the beginning of his four-year, $94MM extension signed this offseason.
The 26-year-old was one of many young defensive tackles who earned a substantial raise, and he maintained his status as an impact defender this season. Simmons racked up 44 tackles (including 10 for loss) along with 5.5 sacks in 2023. Especially with Teair Tart out of the picture, Tennessee’s D-line will look much different to close out the year.
Gibbens did enough last season to earn a signficant role in 2023. The former UDFA logged a 66% snap share on defense this season, starting 13 of his 14 appearances. Gibbens totaled 92 tackles (which ranked second on the team), proving his value as a key member of the Titans’ front seven. He is a pending exclusive rights free agent, and it will be interesting to see how the team handles his financial future given the impact he made this year.
Gifford joined Tennessee this offseason on a two-year, $4MM deal. As was the case during his Cowboys tenure, he was used almost exclusively on special teams in his debut Titans campaign. Gifford saw a career-high 83% snap share in the third phase, compared to just eight total defensive snaps. He could have seen a more diverse workload in Gibbens’ absence, but instead he will join safety Amani Hooker in being shelved for the final weeks of the season.
To fill the open roster spots, the Titans announced the signings of linebacker JoJo Domann, along with offensive linemen John Ojukwu and Andrew Rupcich. All three were on the team’s practice squad, and they will now have the opportunity to see game action as Tennessee’s injury list continues to grow.
Colts To Sign T Jared Veldheer
TODAY, 11:30am: Veldheer has earned a promotion to the Colts active roster, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. This will put the veteran offensive lineman in a position to play in an NFL game for the first time since the 2021 playoffs. It’s a standard elevation for Veldheer, who signed with Indy’s practice squad earlier this month.
DECEMBER 11, 11:10am: Jared Veldheer is set to un-retire and re-enter the NFL after a lengthy absence. The veteran tackle has agreed to a deal with the Colts, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 
The 36-year-old’s most recent game action came with the Colts. He made one appearance in the regular season for Indianapolis in 2020. He also started one contest for them in the playoffs before joining the Packers later in that same postseason. After nearly making NFL history by starting playoffs games for different teams in the same year, Veldheer is now in position to make a return to the NFL.
The former third-rounder worked out for the Colts last week, as noted by ESPN’s Field Yates. That visit has quickly produced an agreement. Pelissero notes this is a practice squad deal, which has become commonplace for in-season veteran additions around the NFL. Veldheer will be eligible to join the Colts as a gameday elevation up to three times if he is deemed capable of providing at least depth along the offensive line down the stretch.
The veteran has 114 starts to his name, most of which have come at left tackle. Veldheer logged over 1,000 snaps on the blindside four time in his career, including two seasons each with the Raiders and Cardinals. He consistently drew strong PFF evaluations across his first seven campaigns in the league, but in his final season with Arizona, he split his time between left and right tackle.
Veldheer spent one season as a full-time RT with the Broncos in 2018. He played sparingly after that, however, although he still managed to impress from a pass blocking standpoint in terms of PFF evaluation at times. The Hillsdale alum – who was hit with a six-game suspension in 2021 – could offer flexibility at either tackle spot in the event he were to see game time with a Colts team seeking to make a postseason push as one of six AFC teams sitting at 7-6 on the year.
Indianapolis has 2022 third-rounder Bernhard Raimann in place as a starter on the blindside. The Central Michigan alum has taken a step forward with a PFF grade of 79.5 this season in 11 games played. Right tackle Braden Smith, however, missed yesterday’s loss to the Bengals after suiting up for the the Colts’ Week 13 game. In the event Smith were unable to play in Indianapolis’ next contest, Veldheer could step in as a spot-starter or at least be elevated to serve as a backup.
Bears Extend K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos is sticking around Chicago for the foreseeable future. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears have signed their kicker to a four-year extension.
The four-year deal is worth $16.5MM, including $9.5MM in guaranteed money. The contract will keep Santos in Chicago through at least the 2027 season. The veteran was playing on the final year of a three-year, $9MM contract he signed with the organization back in 2021.
Santos has established himself as the most accurate kicker in franchise history thanks to his ongoing four-year stretch with the organization. Since re-joining the Bears in 2020 (Santos had a two-game stint with the organization in 2017), Santos has connected on 91.2 percent of his field goal attempts and 92.7 percent of his extra point tries.
The 32-year-old has continued to be reliable in 2023. In 14 games, Santos has connected on 27 of his 29 field goal tries (93.1 percent) and 24 of his 26 XP tries (92.3 percent). Per ESPN’s Field Yates, Santos has also converted 10-straight field goals from at least 50 yards, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Santos has revived his career in Chicago. After spending his first three-plus seasons as the Chiefs primary kicker, he bounced around the NFL for a few years. Between 2017 and 2019, Santos spent time with the Chiefs, Bears, Jets, Rams, and Buccaneers, with the kicker connecting on only 68.8 percent of his field goals over that span. As noted, he’s been significantly more dependable in Chicago, and the Bears are rewarding his consistency with a long-term deal.
Chargers Waive DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
Not long after the Chargers fired Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley, one of the duo’s key defensive investments will follow the power duo out the door. The Chargers are waiving defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The team has since announced the move.
The team gave Joseph-Day, a former Rams regular, a three-year, $24MM deal in 2022. No guaranteed money remained on the contract post-2023. This move will undoubtedly generate interest among contending teams, though Joseph-Day’s vested-veteran status will not keep him off the waiver wire due to the trade deadline having passed. It will cost the Bolts more than $3MM to cut the sixth-year veteran now.
Joseph-Day, 28, has started throughout his Chargers tenure, proving durable along a defensive front that has lost pieces in each of the past two seasons. Joseph-Day has started 30 games as a Charger. This season, the veteran interior D-lineman has matched his career-high with three sacks while establishing a new career-best mark with 11 QB hits. The latter number betters Joseph-Day’s previous top mark by five.
Pro Football Focus grades Joseph-Day as a mid-pack interior D-lineman, slotting him just outside the top 60 at the position. That represents an improvement from his 2021 placement but comes after he played a key role alongside Aaron Donald in Los Angeles. A former sixth-round pick, Joseph-Day boosted his free agent stock by starting for multiple Rams teams. Though, a chest injury kept Joseph-Day out of action for much of their Super Bowl-winning 2021 season. Joseph-Day returned in time to be activated for Super Bowl LVI but only played three defensive snaps that night. That did not blunt his offseason momentum much.
Joseph-Day resided as one of the NFL’s better run defenders prior to his 2021 injury, leading to the Chargers’ investment. Staley had pushed the front office to supply him with defensive upgrades in 2022. A number of regulars came in. Joseph-Day joined Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson as high-profile additions, while Kyle Van Noy and Bryce Callahan came over and played regularly as well. But it is safe to say the Chargers will be making major changes to their non-Justin Herbert setup going forward.
This move comes shortly after the Chargers fired their defensive line coach. The team axed D-line coach and run-game coordinator Jay Rodgers not long after the Staley and Telesco firings. The Chargers, who have again seen Joey Bosa miss a stretch due to injury, rank 29th defensively. They are better against the run, ranking 18th (as opposed to 30th against the pass), and have seen a rejuvenated Mack notch 15 sacks; that matches the former Defensive Player of the Year’s career-high total. But Staley’s troops could never be relied upon during his tenure, ranking outside the top 20 on the whole in each of his three seasons.
Joseph-Day is due a nonguaranteed $7.5MM in 2024. The Chargers have paid out most of his $6.5MM base salary this season; only $1.15MM remains on the contract for the season’s remainder. While that might give some teams pause, Joseph-Day’s track record and a manageable 2024 salary may not allow him to reach free agency. Joseph-Day joins Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul and Marcus Peters as longtime defensive starters waived recently.
Staley hired Rodgers in 2021, bringing him over from Chicago, where he served as the Bears’ defensive line coach for six years. Rodgers also resided as the D-line coach under John Fox in Denver, coaching in Super Bowl XLVIII. The ex-Fox/Vic Fangio lieutenant will be in search of a new team for the 2024 season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/22/23
Here are Friday’s minor moves around the league:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster: DT Domenique Davis
- Elevated: WR Shedrick Jackson, CB Sidney Jones
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: CB Chris Lammons
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: QB Max Duggan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: S Elijah Riley
- Signed to active roster: LB Kyron Johnson
- Elevated: LB Myles Jack, S Eric Rowe
Washington Commanders
- Signed to active roster: RB Derrick Gore
Duggan was waived earlier this week when the Chargers elected to add Will Grier to their active roster. Duggan went unclaimed, to little surprise, leaving him free to re-join the Bolts in short order. The seventh-round rookie has yet to see regular season game time, and that will likely remain the case with Easton Stick and now Grier ahead of him on the depth chart. He will remain in the organization for the time being, however.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/22/23
Friday’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Pat O’Donnell
- Released: LB Frank Ginda
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Nesta Jade Silvera
New York Jets
- Signed: FB Nick Bawden
- Released: CB Kalon Barnes