NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: S Adrian Colbert
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Owen Carney, WR Tyron Johnson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: LB Tae Davis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DB Lamar Jackson
- Released: WR Kaden Davis, RB Tyreik McAllister
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Jarren Williams
- Released: WR Josh Johnson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Nick Guggemos
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Kenny Young
- Placed on IR: OL Drew Desjarlais
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Devery Hamilton, LB Quincy Roche, DB Trenton Thompson
- Released: WR Robert Foster
New York Jets
- Signed: S Kai Nacua, RB Jonathan Ward
- Released: WR Diontae Spencer, DL Marquiss Spencer
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: RB Kennedy Brooks, T Roderick Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Renell Wren
- Released: WR Josh Malone
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Kemoko Turay
- Released: CB Ka’dar Hollman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB J.J. Russell
- Activated from IR: CB Anthony Chesley
- Released: DL Khalil Davis, CB Quandre Mosely
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Reggie Roberson Jr.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: S A.J. Thomas
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to active roster: S Innis Gaines
Free Agents
- Retired: RB/FB Elijhaa Penny
Penny announced his retirement on Twitter. The former undrafted free agent started his career with the Cardinals before spending four seasons with the Giants. He got 83 carries during his five years in the NFL, collecting 302 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He also added 25 receptions for 147 yards and one score. He was most known for his special teams ability, with Penny having appeared in at least 50 percent of his team’s ST snaps in four of his five seasons.
Chiefs To Add DT Brandon Williams
Less than a week after the Eagles raided the veteran defensive tackle market by adding Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, the Chiefs reached an agreement with another big name.
Kansas City is adding Brandon Williams on a practice squad deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While Williams will take the increasingly common P-squad route, Schefter notes the intent is for the veteran interior D-lineman to move up to the active roster soon.
The Ravens did not re-sign the nine-year veteran this offseason. An eight-year starter in Baltimore, Williams has not played since last season. While Williams spent his entire NFL career in Baltimore, he played his college ball in Missouri — at Division II Missouri Southern.
Williams, 33, started 114 games with the Ravens from 2014-21. The veteran run-stuffer re-signed with the team on a five-year, $52.5MM contract in 2017 and did well to play out that contract. The Chiefs’ employment of Joe Cullen as their defensive line coach may well have played a role in Tuesday’s addition. Cullen, who spent the 2021 season as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator, coached Williams from 2016-20 as the Ravens’ D-line coach.
In their Chris Jones-fronted D-tackle group, the Chiefs have the recently re-signed Derrick Nnadi, free agent pickup Taylor Stallworth and 2019 third-round pick Khalen Saunders. The team lost third-year contributor Tershawn Wharton to an ACL tear in October.
Raiders Place CB Anthony Averett On IR
For the second time this season, Anthony Averett is on injured reserve. The Raiders moved the free agent acquisition to IR on Tuesday; a toe injury will send the fifth-year cornerback there this time.
Averett missed a chunk of the season due to a broken thumb sustained in Week 1. The Raiders used one of their injury activations to bring Averett back to their active roster in October. Turf toe will shut Averett down for at least another four games, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.
This offseason’s IR rule change would allow for the team to activate Averett again, but he must miss at least four games, shelving him until Week 17. Activating Averett a second time would count toward the Raiders’ eight injury activations. The timeline here could well lead to an Averett shutdown.
The Raiders added Averett on a one-year, $4MM deal and have turned to him as a starter. Trading Trayvon Mullen to the Cardinals on cutdown day, the Raiders installed Averett as a starter opposite March trade get Rock Ya-Sin. Averett has worked as a starter in six of the seven games he has played with Las Vegas. Pro Football Focus has not been particularly impressed with the ex-Raven, slotting him just inside the top 100 among corners this season.
Las Vegas has not been able to deploy its top three corners together for much of the year. Second-year cover man Nate Hobbs has been on IR for several weeks, though he is on the way back after being designated for return last week. A broken hand sent Hobbs to IR. This has affected the Raiders’ defensive capabilities. Patrick Graham‘s unit ranks 26th in points allowed and 27th in total defense.
To replace Averett on their active roster, the Raiders signed cornerback Tyler Hall from the practice squad. In his first season with the Raiders, Hall has played in two games, doing so in each of the past two weeks as a gameday elevation.
Cowboys To Waive DE Tarell Basham
The Cowboys dangled Tarell Basham in trades before the deadline, despite the veteran pass rusher being on IR at the time. No takers emerged. Nearly a month later, Dallas will still move on.
Dallas is waiving Basham on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Basham is attached to a two-year, $5.5MM deal agreed to in 2021. Less than $700K remains on that deal, potentially opening the door to a claim. Mike McCarthy said this transaction came about because of a roster crunch, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer tweets, with the team needing to clear space for Tyron Smith and James Washington eventually.
Although the Cowboys used one of their injury activations on Basham this season, he has not seen much action since returning. Basham played eight defensive snaps against the Packers in Week 10; he has not been active for any other game since the Cowboys moved him off IR. The Cowboys have assembled a deep pass-rushing contingent, leaving less work available for Basham, who collected seven sacks between the 2020 and ’21 seasons.
This move follows the Cowboys’ decision to cut defensive tackle Trysten Hill shortly after the trade deadline. The team shopped both Basham and Hill during the season. The Cardinals claimed Hill’s rookie deal; Basham being tied to veteran money complicates his status to some degree.
A third-round pick in Chris Ballard‘s first Colts draft, Basham did not last too long in Indianapolis. The Colts moved on in 2018, but the Jets came in with a waiver claim in October 2018. Basham spent the next three seasons in New York. He created a bit of a market for himself in his 2020 contract year, forcing three fumbles and tallying 3.5 sacks. The Cowboys added him to new DC Dan Quinn‘s stable up front and used him as a six-game starter in 2021, when both DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory missed time due to injury.
This year, however, the Cowboys bought in bulk up front. Gregory’s 11th-hour decision to spurn the Cowboys led the team to re-sign Dorance Armstrong, add Dante Fowler in free agency and draft Sam Williams in Round 2. With Lawrence going through a much healthier season, Dallas did not have much room for Basham. The sixth-year defender spent much of his season on IR after a Week 1 quadriceps injury but is healthy now.
Packers To Waive S Johnathan Abram
The Packers will become the second team this month to move on from Johnathan Abram. Green Bay is waiving the former first-round pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Abram ended up playing just one defensive snap with the Packers in two games, seeing most of his work on special teams under former Raiders interim HC Rich Bisaccia. But the Packers would prefer to evaluate their younger safeties the rest of the way, per Pelissero.
One other team — the Broncos — attempted to claim Abram when the Raiders cut him. It will be interesting to see if Denver pulls the trigger again, but Abram’s stock has undoubtedly dropped. He began the season as a Raiders starter but was demoted toward the end of his run with the team.
No team claiming Abram will lead him to free agency for the first time. While Abram is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, two teams having cut him this season indicates a tepid market will await the former No. 27 overall pick — obtained when the Raiders traded Amari Cooper to the Cowboys ahead of the 2018 deadline.
Abram, 26, has started 34 career games. Six of those came for the Raiders this season. He bounced back from a season-ending shoulder injury in his NFL debut to be a full-time Raiders starter from 2020-21. Since 2020, Abram has been in four different defensive schemes.
Although the Raiders have regressed defensively under new DC Patrick Graham, the new regime did not view Abram as a keeper. The Raiders passed on the fifth-year options for he, Clelin Ferrell and Josh Jacobs. Of the three 2019 first-rounders, only Jacobs — who is submitting by far his best season — has played a regular role for Las Vegas this year.
Bears Place S Eddie Jackson, WR Darnell Mooney On IR
Having already traded away two accomplished veterans on defense before the deadline, the Bears will go the rest of the way without their other defensive Pro Bowler.
The foot injury Eddie Jackson suffered against the Jets in Week 12 led the team to move him to IR, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets the veteran safety is expected to miss the rest of the season. It is a Lisfranc injury, according to Rapoport and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The Bears also moved Darnell Mooney to IR. The third-year wide receiver had already been ruled out for the season’s remainder.
A fourth-round pick in 2017, Jackson is the longest-tenured Bears defensive starter. After the trade of Roquan Smith, he holds that distinction by a considerable margin. Jackson, whom the Bears extended immediately once be became eligible for a deal in January 2020, has lined up as a starter in all 88 games he has played — dating back to Week 1 of his rookie year. This will be the former Pro Bowler’s longest absence as a pro.
After giving Jackson his worst grade as a pro in 2021, Pro Football Focus viewed this as a bounce-back season. Jackson’s four interceptions lead the Bears — he is the only defender still with the team to have picked off more than one pass this season — and represent his highest INT total since his 2018 All-Pro campaign. Jackson has also forced two fumbles and registered 80 tackles.
The Bears already faced the Jets shorthanded in the secondary, with rookie starters Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon missing what turned out to be another Mike White showcase event. Chicago, which traded Robert Quinn days before unloading Smith, has allowed at least 27 points in each of its past five games. Jackson’s absence will certainly make matters more difficult for a team barreling toward a top-five draft choice in 2023. The Bears have not picked in the top five since trading up for Mitch Trubisky in 2017.
Jackson’s four-year, $58.6MM extension calls for a nonguaranteed $13MM base salary in 2023. While the Bears stripped away every other piece from their Vic Fangio– and Chuck Pagano-era defenses this year, Adam Jahns of The Athletic notes all signs point to Jackson sticking around next season (subscription required). Jackson will turn 29 next week.
Patriots, LB Jahlani Tavai Agree To Extension
The Patriots have taken care of business early with one of their pending free agents. The team has reached agreement on a two-year, $4.4MM extension with linebacker Jahlani Tavai (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). The deal includes an $850K signing bonus, Yates’ colleague Mike Reiss tweets. 
A second-round pick of the Lions in 2019, Tavai started 16 of 31 games in Detroit to begin his career. Over that two-year span, he totaled 168 tackles and 3.5 sacks, but failed to live up to his draft stock. The Lions attempted to trade him in the lead-in to the 2021 campaign, but were unable to find a willing suitor. They made him one of their final roster cuts, marking another disappointing end to a recent high draft pick for the team.
The Hawaii product immediately found himself on New England’s practice squad, giving him a change of scenery which has allowed him to take a step forward in his career. Tavai played primarily on special teams in 2021, something which has continued this year He has taken on a significant defensive role as well, however, with seven starts and a 52% snap share on defense. The 26-year-old has racked up 38 stops and 1.5 sacks in his hybrid role, earning a career-best PFF grade of 71.8 in the process.
That made him a logical extension candidate with his rookie contract set to expire at the end of the season. This deal will keep him on the books through 2024, allowing him to continue to play a notable part at the second level of the Patriots’ defense. That unit has seen plenty of turnover recently, of course, so some stability will be welcomed on both sides.
New England ranks in the top 10 in several major categories defensively this season, helping lead the team to a 6-5 record and putting them in playoff contention. Tavai will no doubt be a contributor down the stretch for not only the rest of this season, but the short-term future afterwards as he continues to prosper in his second NFL home.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Andre Baccellia
Denver Broncos
- Designated for return: RB Mike Boone
- Waived: RB Devine Ozigbo
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: TE Nikola Kalinic, LB Forrest Rhyne
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: RB Anthony McFarland Jr., WR Cody White
Boone has been out since Week 7 with an ankle injury; the Broncos have three weeks to activate him. Signed in 2021, Boone has played a third-string role for most of his time in Denver. But Melvin Gordon‘s fumbling problem persisting led to some increased work before the ankle malady. The Broncos have three injury activations remaining.
Bills Designate G Ike Boettger For Return
Tre’Davious White made his long-awaited return from a Thanksgiving 2021 injury, and the Bills are soon set to see how their other player who suffered a major injury late last season looks.
Buffalo designated guard Ike Boettger for return from the reserve/PUP list Monday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets, opening his three-week practice window. Out since suffering an Achilles tear in Week 16 last season, Boettger must return in that three-week window or be moved to season-ending IR.
Injuries have hit the Bills hard this season, and while the team has been relatively healthy along its offensive line, Boettger’s return would certainly bolster the unit. The former UDFA had been working as a starter in the weeks leading up to his injury last season.
Buffalo has made some changes at guard since Boettger last played. Rodger Saffold and Ryan Bates are now the Bills’ starters, with the team not re-signing Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano. The Bills matched the Bears’ Bates RFA offer sheet this offseason, traded Cody Ford to the Cardinals and also added Greg Van Roten, who started against the Lions on Thursday.
Boettger, 28, has made 19 starts over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus rates Bates and Saffold outside the top 50 at guard; neither has missed a game this season. Bates has played both guard and center this year, stepping in at center to replace Mitch Morse in Week 12. Morse has since returned to practice.
With Saffold, Bates, Van Roten and Boettger in the fold, the Bills will have some options along their interior O-line. The team has seen injuries decimate its defense, most recently injecting uncertainty into Von Miller‘s situation, but its offense has not encountered as much trouble. Despite the Bills’ high volume of injuries, they are in great shape in terms of activations. They have only used one (White) of their eight allowed injury activations.