Transactions - Pro Football Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/23

By Ben Levine | at September 26, 2023 8:12 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Promoted: DT Roy Lopez

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed off Steelers practice squad: WR Simi Fehoko
Placed on IR: WR Mike Williams (story)

Minnesota Vikings

Released: RB Myles Gaskin

Seattle Seahawks

Waived from IR: WR Ra’Shaun Henry

Tennessee Titans

Promoted: OL Justin Murray
Placed on IR: S Mike Brown, RB Julius Chestnut

The Chargers officially placed Mike Williams on injured reserve today, opening a roster spot. The front office didn’t take long filling his spot on the depth chart, snagging receiver Simi Fehoko from Pittsburgh’s practice squad. The former fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he hauled in three catches in 10 games. The Stanford product also had a significant role on special teams during his time in Dallas.

Roy Lopez looked to be entrenched in Houston’s defense for the foreseeable future, with the former sixth-round pick starting 29 of his 33 appearances between 2021 and 2022. However, after collecting only 67 tackles and two sacks across those two seasons, he was waived/injured by the Texans at the end of the preseason. The defensive lineman caught on with Arizona’s practice squad late last week.

0 comments Arizona Cardinals Los Angeles Chargers Minnesota Vikings Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks Tennessee Titans Transactions Julius Chestnut Justin Murray Mike Brown (S)Mike Williams (Clemson)Myles Gaskin Ra'Shaun Henry Roy Lopez Jr.Simi Fehoko

Patriots Place DT Daniel Ekuale On IR

By Ben Levine | at September 26, 2023 7:24 pm

After suffering an injury during Sunday’s win over the Jets, Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale will miss at least a month. The team announced that they’ve placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Ekuale tore his biceps, an injury that will keep him off the field for at least four games.

After bouncing between the Browns and Jaguars to begin his career, Ekuale has found a home in New England in recent years. After getting into seven games with the Patriots in 2021, Ekuale appeared in 15 games for the team in 2022, getting into about one third of the team’s defensive snaps. The defensive tackle ultimately finished last season with 14 tackles and a pair of sacks.

Through the first three games of the 2023 season, Ekuale was seeing a similar role as he did in 2022. Pro Football Focus currently has the defensive tackle graded 50th among 128 qualifying interior defenders, although the site did give him a top-20 grade for his run defense.

Fortunately for the Patriots, the team isn’t in desperate need for defensive line help. Davon Godchaux and Lawrence Guy will continue to soak up most of the snaps in the middle of the defensive line, and the team could get creative with Christian Barmore. Sam Roberts also saw a bump in snaps once Ekuale exited Sunday’s game.

3 comments New England Patriots Transactions Daniel Ekuale

Falcons Place LB Troy Andersen On IR

By Sam Robinson | at September 26, 2023 3:19 pm

The Falcons will be without one of their starting linebackers for a while. Troy Andersen is headed to IR, the team announced. The 2022 second-round pick has run into multiple health issues to start his second season.

After missing Week 2 with a concussion, Andersen returned to action against the Lions. But he has encountered shoulder and pectoral injuries. Indicating Andersen’s injury “didn’t look good,” Arthur Smith said a potential season-ending IR stay could be on tap. An MRI confirmed a severe injury, per the team website. It is not known if Andersen suffered a torn pec, an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.

Although teams have eight IR activations to use in-season, Andersen may not factor into this roster math. Andersen went down during the fourth quarter of the Falcons’ Week 3 loss to the Lions. Nate Landman, a 2022 UDFA, stepped in for Andersen.

Arriving as last year’s No. 58 overall pick, the Montana State alum joined a Falcons team with a crowded linebacker group last year. Despite Foye Oluokun‘s defection to Jacksonville, Atlanta still rostered a host of veterans — Deion Jones, Rashaan Evans and Nick Kwiatkoski — along with Mykal Walker. The Falcons overhauled their linebacking corps upon hiring Ryan Nielsen as defensive coordinator. Jones, Evans, Kwiatkoski and Walker are all elsewhere, with ex-Saint Kaden Elliss added to anchor the team’s linebacking corps.

Playing behind the likes of Walker and Evans last season, Andersen did make five starts as a rookie. The Division I-FCS product notched 69 tackles (three for loss) last season, forcing a fumble. He started alongside Elliss to open this season. A Colorado alum, Landman played in 10 games as a rookie. After logging just 22 defensive snaps throughout his first season, Landman has already been on the field for 57 this year. He started in place of Andersen in Week 2 and looks to continue in that capacity moving forward. Sixth-year veteran Tae Davis sits as the other Falcons backup inside ‘backer. The Falcons have Andre Smith and Milo Eifler as their practice squad ILBs.

0 comments Atlanta Falcons Transactions Troy Andersen

Falcons Sign T Storm Norton Off Saints’ Practice Squad

By Sam Robinson | at September 26, 2023 3:00 pm

Storm Norton spent the past six months with the Saints, signing with the team in March and ending up on its practice squad. But an intra-NFC South transaction will send him to New Orleans’ top rival.

The Falcons are signing Norton off the Saints’ P-squad, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Atlanta will be the veteran tackle’s sixth NFL destination. He is best known for a Chargers tenure that spanned from 2020-22.

Because they are poaching Norton off another team’s practice squad, the Falcons must keep the seventh-year blocker on their active roster for at least three weeks. Norton spent the past three seasons on the Chargers’ 53-man roster, working as a starter for most of the 2021 campaign. Norton, 28, started 15 games for the Bolts that year, beating out Trey Pipkins for the team’s right tackle job. Pipkins, however, won the following year’s competition to lead Norton to a backup role. The Chargers let Norton walk in free agency this offseason, re-signing Pipkins on a three-year, $21.75MM deal.

Norton, a 2017 UDFA, will join a Falcons team housing entrenched starters at tackle — in Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary — and one that rosters Isaiah Prince as its swingman. Prince, however, was inactive for the Falcons’ Week 3 game against the Lions.

A Toledo alum, Norton has journeyed to Detroit, Arizona, Minnesota, Los Angeles and New Orleans over the first seven years of his career. He only played in one game over his first three seasons — a 2018 cameo with the Vikings — but worked his way up the ladder in L.A. Norton will now have a chance to make an impression as a Falcons backup.

0 comments Atlanta Falcons New Orleans Saints Transactions Storm Norton

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/23

By Sam Robinson | at September 25, 2023 7:08 pm

Here are Monday’s practice squad transactions:

Cleveland Browns

Signed: TE Devin Asiasi

Tennessee Titans

Signed: S Dane Cruikshank

Cruikshank spent the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, seeing action in 44 games with the team that drafted him in the 2018 fifth round. The Arizona product spent last season with the Bears. While Cruikshank has only started four games, he has served as a regular backup to Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker. The 27-year-old defender played 414 defensive snaps for the 2021 Titans. Cruikshank, who finished last season on the Bears’ IR list, did not make the Jets’ 53-man roster after signing with the team in July.

0 comments Cleveland Browns Tennessee Titans Transactions Dane Cruikshank Devin Asiasi

Colts Sign CB Chris Lammons To Practice Squad

By Adam La Rose | at September 25, 2023 4:05 pm

4:05pm: Lammons’ time on the open market has proven to be rather short-lived. Per a team announcement, he has signed onto the Colts’ practice squad.

3:43pm: As is the case for Alvin Kamara, Monday marks the end of Colts cornerback Chris Lammons‘ suspension. Unlike the Saints running back, the latter is now on the lookout for a new home.

The Colts announced they have released Lammons, meaning he will not be given the opportunity to carve out a role upon his return to game action. Both he and Kamara were issued three-game suspensions to begin the campaign stemming from the violent altercation they were involved in during the 2022 Pro Bowl weekend in Las Vegas.

The players reached a settlement with the victim this past July, and entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor charge. Despite having previously been indicted by a grand jury on felony charges, then, it appeared likely Kamara and Lammons would be facing six-game personal conduct violations. The former met with commissioner Roger Goodell days before the bans were handed down.

Kamara’s pedigree as a five-time Pro Bowler (along with the the placement of Jamaal Williams on IR) will see him take on starting duties right away, but Lammons was never in line for such a signficant role with the Colts. The 27-year-old has played almost exclusively on special teams in his career, which began in Miami but saw him spend the next three seasons in Kansas City.

Lammons had a brief spell with the Bengals after being claimed off waivers, but he signed with the Colts in July. That move seemed to give him the opportunity to continue his third phase role at a minimum, though Indianapolis’ lack of experienced cover men could have paved the way to defensive playing time. Instead, the former UDFA is now a free agent.

Given the suspension and his role in the incident which led to the ban, it will be worth watching how interested teams around the league are in adding Lammons. With 42 games to his name, though, he could be a serviceable depth addition for clubs in need of in-season reinforcements.

1 comment Indianapolis Colts Transactions Chris Lammons

Ravens Re-Sign QB Josh Johnson, Place WR Tylan Wallace On IR

By Adam La Rose | at September 25, 2023 3:10 pm

SEPTEMBER 25: To little surprise, the Ravens have brought back Johnson by re-signing him to the active roster, head coach John Harbaugh announced on Monday. Releasing the veteran was simply a case of roster gymnastics and a move which allowed a healthy option at another position to dress on Sunday.

The spot allowing Johnson to return to Baltimore was opened by wideout Tylan Wallace being placed on IR, per a team announcement. The latter has appeared in 29 games across three seasons with the Ravens, playing primarily on special teams. A hamstring injury will shut down the 24-year-old for at least the next four weeks, though, while the team looks to rebound from yesterday’s overtime loss.

SEPTEMBER 23: The Ravens’ backup quarterback situation has become clearer for the time being. Josh Johnson was released on Saturday, per a team announcement.

As a result of the move, only Tyler Huntley remains on the active roster to serve as QB2 behind Lamar Jackson. Johnson’s time in the organization may not be over, however. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reports Baltimore’s preference would be to retain the latter via the practice squad. In any event, this marks the latest chapter in Johnson’s journeyman tour around pro football.

The 37-year-old signed with the Ravens this offseason, beginning his third stint with the franchise. Baltimore had attempted to add him last December, while Jackson was dealing with what turned out to be a season-ending knee injury. His latest pact brought Johnson – a veteran of the NFL, UFL, AAF and XFL – back to the Ravens and gave him a chance to win the backup job in the preseason.

Huntley had been dealing with a hamstring injury to start the year, so Johnson dressed as the backup for Weeks 1 and 2. Moving on from Johnson (at least temporarily) is a sign that Huntley, the Ravens’ starter for most of the end of 2022 in Jackson’s absence, including the team’s wild-card loss, is now fully healthy. The former UDFA will resume QB2 duties beginning tomorrow.

The Ravens released Anthony Brown (who made one start for them last season) earlier this month, leaving the team without a developmental passer on the taxi squad. That adds further to the likelihood Johnson will be brought back in the near future, though as a vested veteran he is not subject to waivers. Johnson is free to sign with any interested party, and 2022 saw the latest example of him leaving one team’s practice squad (Denver) to join another’s active roster with a greater chance of playing time (San Francisco). A repeat of that move could now take place in 2023, as the Ravens move forward with the familiar Jackson-Huntley pairing under center.

4 comments Baltimore Ravens Transactions Josh Johnson (QB)Tylan Wallace

Saints, Carl Granderson Agree To Extension

By Adam La Rose | at September 23, 2023 8:35 pm

8:35pm: Per PFF’s Brad Spielberger, Granderson will receive an $11MM signing bonus, and his 2023 and ’24 compensation is guaranteed at signing. His salary in 2025 ($7.73MM) will become guaranteed on the third day of the 2024 league year, and the same holds true the following year for $5.44MM of his 2026 compensation.

Annual sack incentives are also present in the deal, beginning at $500K for 12 sacks up maxing out at $2MM for 15. The Saints will save $200K in 2023 cap space with this extension, and Granderson’s cap hits after this year will range between $9.93MM and $14.95MM. With his new pact in place, he is now the highest-paid former UDFA (in terms of guaranteed money) amongst defensive linemen.

1:27pm: In a year in which they have ensured Cameron Jordan will remain in place for the foreseeable future, the Saints have done the same with fellow edge rusher Carl Granderson. The latter agreed to terms on a four-year extension Saturday, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds that Granderson will receive $52MM on this new deal. $35.3MM is guaranteed, making this quite the pay raise for the former undrafted free agent. Granderson was playing on the final year of his current contract, so he will now be on the books through the 2027 campaign, with this new pact taking the place of a void year in 2024.

The 26-year-old played sparingly during his first two Saints campaigns, but he has seen an uptick in playing time with each passing season. Granderson recorded five sacks in 2020, then set a new career high last year with 5.5. He also notched a new personal benchmark in tackles (53) and PFF grade (80.4) in 2022. That made his second New Orleans pact – a two-year, $5.63MM extension signed last March – seem like a bargain.

With Marcus Davenport having departed in free agency, a starting defensive end spot opposite Jordan was available this summer. Rather than former first-rounder Payton Turner, it was Granderson who got the nod for a first-team role on a full-time basis for the first time in his career. The latter has not disappointed to date, having racked up 2.5 sacks and seven QB pressures over the first two weeks of the season. He is currently PFF’s seventh-highest graded edge rusher in 2023.

Jordan and the Saints made it very clear during the offseason that they would work out a deal putting any speculation about his future to rest. They ultimately did just that in August, agreeing on a fully-guaranteed pact worth $27.5MM which will take him through 2025. The Jordan-Granderson pairing is now in place for the foreseeable future given today’s news.

With Turner currently sidelined with a turf toe injury, New Orleans has had to lean heavily on Jordan and Granderson as every-down rushers. They have shouldered the load effectively to date, with the Saints’ defense having led the team to a 2-0 start. With a $13MM-per-year deal now in place, Granderson (who has earned just over $3.2MM in the NFL to date) can carry on his encouraging start to the campaign with his long-term future having been taken care of in emphatic fashion.

0 comments New Orleans Saints Transactions Carl Granderson