Ravens Add G John Simpson To Practice Squad
Free agent guard John Simpson has found a new home after getting waived by the team that drafted him two seasons ago, signing to the practice squad of the Ravens as a veteran exception. Simpson provides a strong depth piece deep down the Ravens roster. 
Simpson is in his third season in the NFL. After a rookie season that saw him play here and there on the Raiders line, Simpson started every game for Las Vegas at left guard last year. Simpson started only the first two games of the season for the Raiders this season before being demoted to a backup role for both guard spots.
The former fourth-round pick out of Clemson losing his starting job at the beginning of the season didn’t come as a total shock. Before the season began, early reports out of camp indicated that only left tackle Kolton Miller and right guard Denzelle Good were guaranteed their starting spots. The reports, from Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic, claimed that rookie third-round pick Dylan Parham “could push (Simpson) at left guard or Andre James at center.”
Luckily for Simpson, Parham wouldn’t get a chance to take his job since he was first asked to replaced Good after a surprising retirement announcement. Unfortunately for Simpson, his job would soon be given to Alex Bars. The Raiders would waive Simpson shortly after an injury to Bars would push Simpson into extended relief duty for a game.
The move makes sense for the Ravens, who have experienced their fair share of offensive line injuries over the past few years. Starting tackles Ronnie Stanley and Ja’Wuan James have both missed significant time in recent years, helping to make sense of why Baltimore prefers to have so much quality depth at the offensive line.
Currently, behind a starting line of left tackle Stanley, left guard Ben Powers, rookie first-round center Tyler Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler, and right tackle Morgan Moses, the Ravens boast a true sixth-man on the line. Utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari has played significant time at all five positions on the line at the NFL-level. He has the ability to fill in for any of Baltimore’s starting lineman should they go down with injury with little-to-no drop-off in quality of play. Besides Mekari, Baltimore has fourth-round rookie Daniel Faalele as a backup tackle, Trystan Colon-Castillo as a backup center, and Ben Cleveland as a backup guard.
The quality of the depth is good, but the lack of quantity doesn’t leave the Ravens with much in the way of options in case of emergency. Adding Simpson to the practice squad gives Baltimore another quality backup option on their offensive line. To make room for Simpson on the practice squad, the Ravens released practice squad outside linebacker Julian Stanford.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/22
Today’s minor transactions from around the league:
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: T Christian DiLauro
- Placed on IR: LB Dakota Allen
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to active roster: RB Patrick Taylor
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed to active roster: CB Gregory Junior
- Waived: S Tyree Gillespie
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Earnest Brown IV, DE T.J. Carter
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/22
Just a couple practice squad moves from around the league today:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Tom Kennedy
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: DT Curtis Brooks
Bills Activate G Ike Boettger From PUP List
Ike Boettger is moving closer to making his return from the Achilles tear he sustained in December of last year. The Bills activated the veteran guard from their reserve/PUP list Monday.
Monday represented the last day Buffalo could keep Boettger off its active roster, with the team having designated him for return three weeks ago. The Bills brought Tre’Davious White off the PUP list earlier this season but did not play him for a few weeks after that. It will be interesting to see when the team redeploys Boettger, who was working as a starter before going down with the Achilles injury.
Boettger, 28, suffered the injury during the Bills’ Week 16 game last year. If he returns Saturday, it will mark a year out of game action for the former UDFA. White missed one year as well, going down during a Thanksgiving Day game in 2021 and not returning until the Bills-Lions Thanksgiving tilt.
An Iowa product, Boettger started 17 games for the Bills from 2020-21. The team made some additions up front this offseason, adding Rodger Saffold and Greg Van Roten at guard. The team matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for Ryan Bates as well. Bates and Saffold have worked as the AFC East champions’ starting guards for most of this season, but Bates missed the Bills’ Week 15 game because of an ankle injury. Boettger would be ticketed for a depth role at least. Buffalo having he and Van Roten (53 career starts, including three this season) as backup options up front would represent strong depth ahead of the postseason.
Boettger will not have much time to show he has returned to form ahead of a free agency bid, however. The Bills re-signed the fifth-year blocker on a one-year deal this offseason. He joins Saffold and Van Roten in being eligible for free agency in March. By virtue of matching Chicago’s Bates offer sheet, Buffalo has him under contract through 2025.
To make room on the 53-man roster, the Bills waived defensive tackle Brandin Bryant. The Florida Atlantic product has played in four Bills games this season and seen defensive action in each. He logged 10 defensive snaps against the Dolphins on Saturday. Bryant, who has been with Buffalo since 2020, could return to the team on a practice squad deal if he clears waivers.
Packers Waive WR Sammy Watkins
After an underwhelming tenure in Green Bay, Sammy Watkins is headed elsewhere to finish the season. The Packers are waiving the veteran wideout, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the move.
Watkins, 29, has bounced around in recent years while struggling to stay healthy. He spent last season in Baltimore, after signing a one-year deal to provide the Ravens with a veteran pass-catcher while rebuilding his free agent value. He was unable to replicate his more productive campaigns with the Bills, however, leading him to join Green Bay in April on another one-year contract.
Watkins’ arrival came after an offseason in which the Packers traded away Davante Adams and saw Marquez Valdes-Scantling depart in free agency. That left an opening for the veteran to take on at least a rotational role in a new-look WR room led by Allen Lazard and multiple rookies. His first two weeks as a Packer were promising, but another hamstring issue led to an early IR stint. Overall, Watkins has totaled just 206 scoreless yards on 13 receptions in 2022.
The move comes as Romeo Doubs is ready to return from an ankle injury. The fourth-rounder has yet to play since Week 9, but could compliment leading receivers Lazard and fellow rookie Christian Watson now that he is back in the fold. Randall Cobb is also available as a veteran pass-catcher who has out-performed Watkins so far this season.
Watkins will now go on waivers, making him available for any teams looking for late-season wideout depth. Any acquiring team would be responsible for the remainder of his contract, which includes just over $186K in base salary and modest games-played bonuses (Twitter link via Pelissero). Should he go unclaimed, the former fourth overall pick will become a free agent – something which would give him an open choice of destinations for the remainder of this season as he continues to search for a permanent NFL home.
Chiefs Designate WR Mecole Hardman For Return
DECEMBER 18: Toney will suit up for Kansas City’s Week 15 contest against the Texans, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The team expects to have Hardman back for its Week 16 tilt with the Seahawks.
DECEMBER 14: The Chiefs have been shorthanded at the receiver position lately, but that could change soon. Mecole Hardman is returning to practice today, as noted (on Twitter) by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. 
This opens Hardman’s 21-day window to be activated from IR. A return at some point in the near future would be expected, given the team’s previously stated hope that his time on the sidelines would not extend through the remainder of the regular season. Hardman has been out since Week 9 with an abdominal injury.
The former second-rounder has seen a career-high 53% snap share on offense this season, his fourth with the team. He has once again served as a complimentary pass-catcher within the Chiefs’ league-leading aerial attack, albeit one whose target totals had increased with each passing season. That trend will stop in 2022 due to his missed time, but with four touchdowns, the Georgia alum could have a chance at setting a new watermark from the six he scored as a rookie.
Any further production on offense this season – or, if called upon, on special teams where he first established himself early in his tenure – will of course be noteworthy as Hardman is a pending free agent. His career over the course of his rookie contract has been marked by a lack of a dominant, breakout campaign, but also an ability as a return man and vertical threat.
Hardman should once again step into a rotational role behind free agent signings JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who have each enjoyed productive seasons in 2022. With trade acquisition Kadarius Toney dealing with a lingering hamstring issue, his availability could remain a question mark down the stretch. Hardman will be a welcomed sight as Kansas City looks to earn the top seed in the AFC while getting healthy on offense.
Saints Activate C Erik McCoy, LB Chase Hansen
In a move foreshadowed earlier in the week, the Saints have brought back a key member of their offensive line. The team announced on Saturday that center Erik McCoy has been activated from IR. 
The 25-year-old was designated for return on Wednesday, opening his 21-day activation window. He had missed the past four games, as required by injured reserve rules, but a return to action along this timeline is encouraging for his health outlook down the stretch. The same holds true of linebacker Chase Hansen, who has played exclusively on special teams to date.
With McCoy back in the fold, New Orleans will once again have their full-time starter in the middle of their o-line. McCoy played every snap of the 2022 season before going down in Week 9 with a calf injury. He dealt with a similar issue the year before, which caused him to miss games for the first time in his four-year career. The former second-rounder graded out in the top-five amongst all centers as a rookie, earning a 78.0 rating from PFF. 2022 has, however, continued his emerging trend of grades in the mid-60s, which have placed him mid-pack at the position.
The move will allow Cesar Ruiz to return to his usual right guard spot. That should help the team’s offensive front in their attempts to improve on the ground during their late-season playoff push. The Saints rank 21st in rushing yards per game with 110, and sit 28th with an average time of possession of 29 minutes. Improvement in those areas could spark a December turnaround and keep the team in contention for the NFC South title.
In a corresponding roster move, New Orleans placed linebacker Zack Baun on IR. The 2020 third-rounder has, similarly to Hansen, been used on special teams far more than defense. The former will now miss the remainder of the regular season after being sidelined for just one contest over the course of his first two years in the league. Hansen will likely re-take a significant third phase role in his absence, beginning on Sunday for New Orleans’ divisional contest against the Falcons.
Broncos Activate OLB Randy Gregory, RT Billy Turner
Week 15 will mark the return date for one key Broncos player on each side of the ball. The team announced on Saturday that edge rusher Randy Gregory and right tackle Billy Turner have been activated from IR. 
[RELATED: Broncos Place Dre’Mont Jones On IR]
The move comes as little surprise, since the pair were designated for return earlier this week. That opened up their respective 21-day windows to be activated, and will allow them to play a role in the closing stages of what has been a lost season in the Mile High City.
Gregory’s arrival in Denver was a main talking point in the offseason, after he signed with the Broncos on a five-year, $70MM deal. That, in turn, came after a contract of identical length and value which would have kept him with the Cowboys fell through, something which greatly affected his former team’s outlook on the position during the spring. He was able to get healthy in time for the beginning of his first campaign with the Broncos.
That stretch lasted less than four full games, however, as the 30-year-old suffered a knee injury against the Raiders in early October. He has been sidelined ever since, interrupting what had been a promising start to his Broncos career; Gregory notched two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in the early portion of the season. The team’s defense has remained elite in several categories in his absence, though a return to the form he showed in the fall would provide a significant boost to a Denver edge rush which ranks mid-pack in sacks and no longer includes Bradley Chubb.
Turner, meanwhile, suffered a knee injury of his own in November, and was expected to miss considerable time as a result of it. His absence further compounded the myriad injuries Denver has dealt with along the offensive line in general, and the right tackle position in particular. Cameron Fleming has occupied that spot in Turner’s absence, and head coach Nathaniel Hackett said yesterday that a decision has not been made whether it will be he or Calvin Anderson manning the blindside with Turner back in his familiar RT role. A pending free agent, the latter would be well-suited to have a healthy and effective close to the season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: G Will Hernandez
- Promoted: CB Nate Hairston, DL Manny Jones
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: LB Brandon Smith
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: TE Jake Tonges, WR Nsimba Webster
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: C Brock Hoffman
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Devine Ozigbo, QB Jarrett Guarantano
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: RB Craig Reynolds
- Promoted: LB Jarrad Davis, QB Joshua Dobbs
- Waived: WR Tom Kennedy
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated off IR: TE Donald Parham
- Promoted: DL Christopher Hinton, S Raheem Layne
- Waived: WR Jason Moore
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed to active roster: RB Malcolm Brown
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: WR Braylon Sanders
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Kirk Merritt
- Waived: Nephi Sewell
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: OL Ben Bredeson
- Placed on IR: OL Joshua Ezeudu
- Promoted: LB Landon Collins, QB Davis Webb
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Promoted: S Will Parks, DL Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: LB Christian Elliss, P Brett Kern
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: LB J.J. Russell, WR Deven Thompkins
Washington Commanders
- Promoted: G Wes Martin
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/22
A handful of practice squad transactions to pass along:
New York Jets
- Signed: S Will Parks
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Wayne Gallman
- Released: WR Jaylen Smith
The Jets re-signed Parks to their practice squad and immediately elevated him to the active roster, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic (on Twitter). The defensive back has bounced on and off the Jets roster this season, but he’s still managed to appear in 11 games.