NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/23
Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Carl Davis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DB Reese Taylor
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Keondre Coburn
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Zach VanValkenburg
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Adam Prentice
The Cowboys are Davis’ third team this year. Going to camp with the Patriots, Davis did not make the team. The veteran nose tackle had seen action with New England over the past three seasons. The Seahawks added Davis, 31, to their practice squad in September but released him five weeks later. The former Ravens starter and Colts, Browns and Jaguars contributor has 19 career starts. Davis played 216 defensive snaps last season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/23
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: LB Josh Ross
Chicago Bears
- Waived: RB Darrynton Evans
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from IR: WR Charlie Jones
- Elevated: WR Shedrick Jackson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived from reserve/retired list: LB Myles Jack
- Waived from reserve/suspended list: T Bernard Williams
The Bengals are without Tee Higgins for a second straight game. They added two wideouts to their active roster and are using their first injury activation this season, bringing Jones back after an IR stay. Cincinnati placed Jones on IR in late September due to a thumb injury. A fourth-round rookie who played at three Division I-FBS schools (Buffalo, Iowa, Purdue), Jones worked as the Bengals’ punt returner early this season. The Day 3 rookie made an early impact, already notching a return touchdown in his three-game work sample.
Chicago added Evans in October, doing so just after Khalil Herbert sustained an injury that required an IR stint. With Roschon Johnson also missing two games due to a concussion, Evans saw increased work behind D’Onta Foreman in the Bears’ depleted backfield. With Johnson back, Evans has seen just six offensive snaps in each of the past two games. This cut looks to lay the groundwork for the Bears activating Herbert soon. On IR due to a high ankle sprain, Herbert would represent the Bears’ final injury activation this season. They would be the first team this year to use all eight.
A productive player in Jacksonville, Jack spent last season in Pittsburgh before being released in March. The Eagles took a flier on the former second-round pick during training camp, signing both he and Zach Cunningham. While Cunningham has managed to move from a months-long free agency stay to a Philadelphia starter, Jack opted to retire in August. Were the UCLA alum to continue his career, the Eagles no longer hold his rights.
In a strange bookkeeping transaction, the Eagles also removed their 1994 first-round pick from the reserve/suspended list. Philly used Williams as a 16-game starter in 1994, when he protected QBs Randall Cunningham and Rodney Peete in Rich Kotite‘s final season as HC. A 1995 drug suspension led to Williams’ career ending.
Eagles Place LB Nakobe Dean On IR
NOVEMBER 16: To little surprise, Dean was indeed placed on IR Thursday, per a team announcement. He can be activated a second time, but the news nevertheless confirms another extended absence in what has been an injury-plagued campaign. Once safety Justin Evans and offensive lineman Cam Jurgens are brought back into the lineup, the Eagles will have five IR activations remaining.
NOVEMBER 8: Nakobe Dean‘s first season as a starter may not end up including much game action. The Eagles are preparing to place the second-year linebacker on IR for a second time.
The 2022 third-round pick suffered a Lisfranc sprain, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. A visit with a foot specialist is on tap, but another trip to IR is expected. Dean missed four games earlier this season due to a foot injury as well. This is a separate foot injury, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, who notes the Georgia alum sustained an injury to his right foot in September.
The Eagles would have the option of activating Dean for a second time, as the 49ers did with Elijah Mitchell last season. But both activations would count against the defending NFC champions’ allotted eight for the season. Philly has used just one activation thus far — on Dean in Week 6 — so it would stand to reason Dean would be a candidate to return down the stretch. (Teams cannot activate the same player three times in a season, however.) Of course, the matter of Dean being able to play again this season is uncertain.
With Dean heading to IR again, he will not be eligible to come back until at least Week 15. The Eagles are on bye this week. The team used Nicholas Morrow extensively during Dean’s first absence. Morrow has retained a role since Dean’s October activation, but the former Raiders and Bears starter went from an every-down player to a part-timer. The Eagles needed him to step up against the Cowboys, with Dean again out of the mix, and likely will again going forward. Pro Football Focus still ranks Morrow as a top-10 off-ball linebacker, giving the Eagles a solid replacement option as they determine another rehab path with Dean.
Letting Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards walk in free agency, the Eagles centered their linebacker plan around Dean. Morrow and eventual starter Zach Cunningham arrived on veteran-minimum deals, with the organization allocating money elsewhere this offseason. The team effectively redshirted Dean in 2022 but had him wearing the green dot to start this season. In five games, the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year has made 30 tackles — including 13 in the Eagles’ Week 8 win over the Commanders — and notched a half-sack.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/23
Wednesday’s minor roster moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: OL Doug Kramer
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return from IR: G Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated for return from IR: TE Peyton Hendershot
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: LS Jake McQuaide
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Designated for return from IR: WR Parker Washington
Las Vegas Raiders
- Designated for return from IR: S Roderic Teamer
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed off Giants’ practice squad: OLB Justin Hollins
- Designated for return from NFI: S J.T. Woods
- Placed on IR: OLB Chris Rumph (story)
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: TE Kenny Yeboah
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: G Nick Zakelj
Tennessee Titans
- Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): G Calvin Throckmorton
- Placed on IR: LB Chance Campbell
So far this year, Zakelj, the second-year interior offensive lineman, has only appeared in four games on special teams, but the team intended for him to compete with free agent signing Jon Feliciano for the backup center job behind starter Jake Brendel. With Aaron Banks out last week, and with the coaches wanting to get Feliciano more involved at right guard anyway, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Zakelj became a key backup at center. Unfortunately for Zakelj and the 49ers, a torn bicep will require surgery, taking Zakelj out for the remainder of the season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Jordan Matthews
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on practice squad IR: C Billy Price
Houston Texans
- Released: CB Jason Verrett
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson
New York Jets
- Signed: DT Tanzel Smart
- Released: CB Craig James
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Breiden Fehoko
- Released: LB Tyler Murray
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Spencer Waege
- Released: DE Austin Bryant
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Ross Blacklock
Price was brought in to serve as center depth after an injury to starting center Tyler Biadasz. He ended up losing the backup center job to Brock Hoffman, who has played in nine games and started one of them for the Cowboys this year.
Verrett, a veteran cornerback, has been stuck on the Texans practice squad for just over a month now without making an appearance. Despite following former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to Houston, he reportedly didn’t fit the plan for the team moving forward, mostly due to the fact that he doesn’t play on special teams. This extends Verrett’s NFL absence as he has still not seen regular season action since September of 2021.
Cardinals Claim RB Michael Carter
5:19pm: The Buccaneers and Commanders also put in Carter claims, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Both four-win teams reside behind the Cardinals in the waiver order, leading the young running back to the desert.
3:47pm: Michael Carter did not advance far down the waiver priority list. His name stopped at the Cardinals, who submitted a successful claim, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The 2-8 team will move see what the third-year back can provide.
The Jets made the surprising decision to waive the backup running back Tuesday. The 2021 draftee is signed through 2024. This marks another reserve RB addition for the Cardinals, who have cycled through a few this season. Carter, 24, is due a nonguaranteed $1.1MM next year.
Both Damien Williams and Tony Jones Jr. emerged as backups during the Cardinals’ stretch without James Conner. The team moved on from both last week, with Conner back in the fold after a four-week IR stay. Despite Conner’s return to the 53-man roster, Arizona will still gauge Carter’s fit in Drew Petzing‘s offense.
One of two Michael Carters the Jets drafted in 2021, the North Carolina alum showed some promise as a rookie. In the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime’s first offseason, the Jets chose Carter in Round 4. Carter proceeded to lead the Jets in rushing that season, totaling 639 yards (4.3 per carry) and four touchdowns. The former Javonte Williams Tar Heels teammate nearly reached 1,000 scrimmage yards as a rookie, contributing 325 through the air as well. Carter’s scrimmage-yards total that year paced the Jets by more than 300.
Carter enjoyed that notable rookie season despite missing three games, but with the Jets finishing 4-13, it did not generate too much acclaim. The Jets drafted Breece Hall in the 2022 second round, demoting Carter. The team also signed Dalvin Cook this offseason, bringing in the ex-Vikings Pro Bowler as Hall insurance. While Carter held off Bam Knight for a roster spot this year, the team is expected to give more playing time to rookie fifth-rounder Israel Abanikanda. Carter averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season, filling in as one of the Jets’ solutions following Hall’s ACL tear.
The Cardinals have kept Keaontay Ingram and rookie UDFA Emari Demercado in place as Conner’s backups. Carter will join the roster as a fourth running back, potentially providing aid on passing downs. That said, Demercado has missed the past two games with a toe injury. Carter will supply more depth to a Cardinals team that could look to him as a multiyear contributor. This regime did not authorize Conner’s three-year, $21MM extension, calling the veteran’s 2024 status into question. For now, Carter profiles as a Conner backup in the again-Kyler Murray-led Cards attack.
Seahawks Open T Abraham Lucas’ Practice Window
The Seahawks lost both their starting tackles in Week 1. While Charles Cross returned not long after, the team has been without its starting right tackle since the opener. After missing half the season, Abraham Lucas is on his way back.
Lucas received a return designation Wednesday, per The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, coming back to practice for first time in more than two months. A knee injury sidelined Lucas against the Rams. It is now a possibility the second-year blocker makes his return for the Week 11 Seahawks-Rams rematch.
[RELATED: Week 11 Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
Voyaging to the playoffs despite starting two rookie tackles, the Seahawks were naturally expecting the Cross-Lucas tandem to improve in its second season. Lucas’ injury put those plans on hold. The Seahawks have turned to Stone Forsythe as their RT replacement. Jason Peters, who is in his age-41 season, has been rotating in as well. The team signed Peters in the wake of the Cross and Lucas maladies, and the 20th-year lineman has played over the past three weeks. Peters played 55 offensive snaps to Forsythe’s 25 against the Commanders.
Seattle chose Cross ninth overall and bookended him with Lucas, who went 72nd. The Washington State alum started 16 games. Together, Lucas and Cross played more than 94% of Seattle’s offensive snaps, becoming a crucial reason for Geno Smith‘s Comeback Player of the Year campaign and the 2022 Seahawks edition’s surprising playoff appearance.
As the Seahawks became the rare team to turn to two rookie tackles, Pro Football Focus graded Lucas just inside the top 40 among tackles last season. The team made changes at center and right guard this season, with Austin Blythe retiring and the team cutting Gabe Jackson. PFF has not viewed the replacements — free agency addition Evan Brown and former backup Phil Haynes — as especially effective thus far, ranking Haynes 55th among guards and Brown 26th at center. These showings have prompted the advanced metrics site to rank Seattle’s O-line 25th after Week 10. Lucas’ return would certainly stand to help matters, but the team has some issues to iron out at the midpoint.
Patriots Designate T Riley Reiff For Return
The Patriots’ top offseason acquisition to staff their right tackle spot has not been available much this season, but the team still has Riley Reiff in its plans. Despite already using one IR activation on Reiff this year, the Patriots once again designated him for return, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.
Reiff is back at Pats practice Wednesday, signifying the return designation. The NFL’s 2022 rule update, which reintroduced limits on how many players can return from IR in a season, allows for the same player to be designated for return twice. Both moves, however, will count toward the Pats’ eight-activation total. So far, the team has only used three. Reiff landing on IR for a third time would end his season; he has three weeks to be activated or would revert to season-ending IR.
An October activation went to Reiff, who was initially placed on IR just before the season. A leg injury shut Reiff down at that point. A knee injury, which Bill Belichick classified as a new malady rather than an aggravation of the previous ailment, led Reiff back to IR two weeks later. The Patriots are on bye this week, but Reiff became eligible to return to practice after Week 10. It seems likely the 34-year-old blocker will be back on the Pats’ active roster soon.
Reiff, who signed a one-year deal worth $5MM this offseason, avoided a notable injury last season and ended up transitioning from a Bears swingman to their right tackle starter. While the Patriots were rumored to be eyeing a bigger splash at right tackle, they instead signed Reiff and made other lower-level investments to staff the position. The team has since moved guard Michael Onwenu to right tackle, thus making Reiff’s return interesting on multiple fronts.
Onwenu has played right tackle extensively, but the former sixth-round pick began the past two seasons at guard. Although the team planned to start Onwenu at right guard and Reiff at right tackle to begin the year, Bill Belichick said Onwenu is staying at right tackle. Reiff has also spent time at guard this year, playing inside in Week 5 and having previously worked at the position in the summer. Reiff has spent nearly his entire career at tackle, lining up on the left and right edges for his bevy of teams. If Onwenu is truly entrenched at RT, Reiff may well have another chance at guard.
Reiff, who will turn 35 in two weeks, is likely nearing the end of a lengthy career. This is Year 12 for the former Lions first-round pick. He has started 149 career games and played in 164, suiting up for the Lions, Vikings, Bengals, Bears and Patriots. While a season-ending injury prevented Reiff from helping the Bengals clinch a Super Bowl LVI berth, the Iowa alum had never played fewer than 12 games in a season. The two IR stints this year ended that streak.
Vikings Open Nick Mullens’ Practice Window
Wednesday morning’s stream of quarterback news will continue with a Vikings update. They will have one of their original active-roster QBs back at practice this week. Nick Mullens will begin work toward an IR activation, being designated for return.
The Vikings placed Mullens on IR last month with a back injury. In the time since that transaction, the team lost sixth-year starter Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles and saw replacement Jaren Hall sustain a concussion. This has opened the door to Josh Dobbs, who should be expected to keep the job for the foreseeable future.
Mullens has been with the Vikings, however, for the past two seasons. The former 49ers UDFA returning will fortify Minnesota’s QB position, which featured in-season practice squad addition Sean Mannion backing up Dobbs in Week 10. Hall had not yet cleared concussion protocol, moving Mannion back into his old job as the Vikes’ backup. Mullens would stand to be on track to reclaim that role, though it is not certain he will be ready to do so this week. The Vikings have three weeks to activate Mullens.
The Vikings have gone from 0-3 to 6-4, making a remarkable turnaround without Justin Jefferson available for most of this stretch. Dobbs piloted the team to wins in its past two games, coming off the bench to lead a win over the Falcons days after being acquired from the Cardinals. Dobbs continued one of the more eventful stretches in QB-journeyman annals last week, leading a win over the Saints. If the Vikings can turn this into a playoff spot, they would join the 2018 Texans as the only 0-3 teams to recover and advance to the playoffs.
Minnesota designated Jefferson for return last week, and while the all-world wide receiver has not considered shutting himself down for the season, he made it clear he will not return at less than 100%. Considering the number of hamstring aggravations in recent years, it would not surprise to see Jefferson need multiple weeks in the IR-return window before coming back. The Vikings face the Broncos on Sunday night. Minnesota remains in good shape regarding its IR activations; the team has only used two thus far, opening the door to both Jefferson and Mullens coming back.
After initially bringing in Mullens just before the 2022 season, the Vikings re-signed him to a two-year, $4MM deal in March. Mullens, 28, has not started a game as a Viking, as Cousins’ previous run of durability kept his backups on the bench for the bulk of this six-year period. But the veteran backup has completed 21 of 25 passes over four appearances with the team.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OT Josh Wells
- Released: TE Eric Tomlinson
Carolina Panthers
- Released: G Deonte Brown
Denver Broncos
- Released: CB Reese Taylor
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Michael Schofield, CB Kindle Vildor
- Released: CB Anthony Averett, RB Devine Ozigbo
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Austin Ajiake
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Jaylon Thomas
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: S Mark Webb
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed:RB Myles Gaskin
- Released: DL Michael Dogbe
New Orleans Saints
- Released: DE Jordan Willis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Lecitus Smith, TE Noah Togiai
- Released: TE E.J. Jenkins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: G Joey Fisher, TE Scotty Washington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Jaquan Johnson
- Released: DE C.J. Brewer