Rams Designate OL Coleman Shelton For Return
The Rams should soon get some reinforcement on the offensive line. The team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve designated guard Coleman Shelton for return from IR.
After serving as a backup for his first three seasons in the NFL, Shelton earned the starting right guard gig heading into the season. He quickly moved over to center to fill in for the injured Brian Allen, starting four games between the two positions. The veteran suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4, an injury that was expected to knock him out for four to six weeks.
Shelton appears to be on track for that initial return timeline, and the Rams will now have three weeks to activate him from injured reserve. Coach Sean McVay hinted earlier this week that Shelton could be activated as soon as this weekend, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (on Twitter).
The 27-year-old’s return should help provide some stability to what’s been a shaky offensive line. Allen has since returned to the lineup, and with Shelton back, the Rams will have the ability to play around with their options at offensive guard. Bobby Evans has struggled mightily in 2022, ranking 80th among 81 qualifying guards on Pro Football Focus’ rankings. Alaric Jackson has fared much better and will likely keep his starting gig even with Shelton back in the lineup.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OT George Moore, OT Alex Taylor
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Jeff Cotton
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
- Placed on IR: RB D’Vonte Price
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: S Jalen Elliott
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Christopher Hinton, OT Austen Pleasants
New York Giants
- Released: DT Aaron Crawford
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/22
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed (from Saints): G Wyatt Davis
- Placed on IR: G Will Hernandez (story)
- Designated for return: S Charles Washington
Chicago Bears
- Designated for return: LB Matthew Adams
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DE Tarell Basham
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: RB Craig Reynolds
- Signed off Broncos’ practice squad: WR Trinity Benson
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: OLB Rashan Gary (story)
- Designated for return: OLB Tipa Galeai
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return: WR Ashton Dulin
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: S Isaiah Pola-Mao
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: DL Austin Johnson (story)
- Signed from practice squad: DL Breiden Fehoko
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return: TE Ben Ellefson
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return: DE Jordan Willis
Adams, Dulin, Ellefson, Galeai, Washington and Willis each have until Nov. 30 to be activated from IR. Should they not be activated, they would revert to season-ending IR. The Colts and Vikings are in solid shape regarding activations, having only used one apiece. The Bears, Cardinals, 49ers and Packers have used three such moves apiece. Teams are allotted eight injury activations this season.
The Cowboys dangled Basham in trades before last week’s deadline, but no takers emerged. While the team cut the other D-lineman they were hoping to deal — Trysten Hill, who has since been claimed by the Cardinals — they ended up using one of their injury activations on Basham. A former Colts third-round pick, Basham notched 3.5 sacks during his first Cowboys season last year. He played in one game this season (Week 1) before going down with a quadriceps injury. The Cowboys, who have Tyron Smith and James Washington on their IR-return radar, have used two injury activations this season.
Packers Claim S Johnathan Abram
Johnathan Abram will not reach free agency. The Packers stepped in with a successful waiver claim to land the former Raiders safety, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Raiders cut bait on the former first-round pick Tuesday, but he will have a chance to make a better impression in Green Bay. Abram’s rookie contract runs through season’s end, after the Raiders did not pick up his fifth-year option. Just more than $1MM is now the Packers’ responsibility.
Green Bay rosters an experienced safety tandem; Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage have started together for the past four seasons. Abram will, however, reunite with former Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, who is now the Pack’s special teams coordinator. Abram also rejoins ex-Raiders safety/special-teamer Dallin Leavitt with the Packers.
Abram, 26, will trek to Wisconsin with 34 career starts under his belt. Six of those came this season. The former Mississippi State prospect began 2022 in the Raiders’ starting lineup, under ex-Packers assistant Patrick Graham, but saw his playing time reduced over the past two games. The Raiders did not use Abram on special teams over the first five weeks but began using him in that capacity in October; he played 52% of Las Vegas’ special teams snaps Sunday in Jacksonville.
Drafted with the No. 27 overall pick the Raiders obtained in the Amari Cooper trade, Abram suffered shoulder injuries that forced him to miss 15 games as a rookie. He bounced back to be a full-timer under Jon Gruden and Bisaccia from 2020-21. In going to the Packers, Abram will now be part of a fourth defensive scheme since 2020. The Raiders went from Paul Guenther to Gus Bradley to Graham from 2020-22; Abram will now work under second-year Packers DC Joe Barry.
Issues in coverage were a major part of Abram’s failure to pan out with the Raiders, who have made significant changes since adding a new regime this offseason. Pro Football Focus ranks Abram outside the top 75 at safety this season. He made 116 tackles in 2021 — second on the Raiders — and has 48 stops this year. The Packers now have six safeties on their active roster, with Abram and Leavitt joining Rudy Ford and seventh-round rookie Tariq Carpenter. That is on the high side, so it will be interesting to see if Green Bay keeps that sextet on its 53-man roster going forward.
Titans Designate Treylon Burks For Return
The wide receiver position has been an issue for the Titans this season. As three-year Titan A.J. Brown has made a major impact with the Eagles, his former team is coming off a game in which no wideout caught a pass.
The player tabbed to be Brown’s replacement is on his way back, however. Tennessee designated Treylon Burks for return on Wednesday. Previously shut down with turf toe, Burks has three weeks to be activated from IR.
Tennessee chose Burks in this year’s first round, and although the Arkansas product missed some time this offseason and did not emerge as a full-time player from the outset, he showed some promise before going down. Burks has 10 receptions for 129 yards in four games. Both he and fifth-round rookie Kyle Philips have missed the past several games. Philips is not yet eligible to return from IR. The Titans have seven of their eight injury activations remaining.
Mike Vrabel stopped short of confirming Burks will be back in Week 10 against the Broncos, but TennesseeTitans.com’s Jim Wyatt does expect the highly touted prospect to suit up when first eligible. Conditioning will be an issue the Titans monitor with Burks, Vrabel said (Twitter link). The Titans have just one player — Robert Woods — with more than 150 receiving yards this season. Woods’ first games with Tennesse have produced 250 yards.
While Ryan Tannehill‘s injury has led Malik Willis into the lineup, thus limiting the Titans significantly through the air, the team will need to see more production from its pass catchers down the stretch. Burks represents a key part of this equation.
Steelers To Sign K Matthew Wright Off Chiefs’ Practice Squad
It appears the Steelers will be without their primary kicker for a bit longer. With Chris Boswell battling a groin injury, the Steelers are signing Matthew Wright off the Chiefs’ practice squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
By signing Wright off Kansas City’s taxi squad, the Steelers must keep him on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. That is a fairly good indicator of Boswell’s timeline. The eighth-year Pittsburgh kicker, who suffered the injury in Week 7 against the Dolphins and did not kick against the Eagles in Week 8, is believed to need a bit more time to recover, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.
The Chiefs have kept Wright on their P-squad since using him as one of Harrison Butker‘s fill-in options earlier this season. The Jaguars’ primary kicker in 2021, Wright kicked in two games for the Chiefs during Butker’s absence. Following Justin Reid and Matt Ammendola as Butker replacement options, Wright was 3-for-4 on field goals — including a then-Arrowhead Stadium-record 59-yarder against the Raiders — and 8 of 8 on extra points during his Chiefs cameo.
Wright, 26, was 21-for-24 on field goals with the Jaguars last season. Transitioning to a new regime this offseason, Jacksonville waived Wright in May. Boswell signed a second Steelers extension this year. He is under contract through 2026.
Butker has kicked in three games since returning in Week 7 but has struggled, by his standards, since returning. The sixth-year Chief, who began his Kansas City career after being signed off Carolina’s practice squad, is 5-for-8 on field goals this season. Butker missed an extra point and a 47-yard field goal against the Titans. The Chiefs would have needed to promote Wright to their active roster to keep him. They will pass, and Wright is set to have another opportunity elsewhere.
Saints Sign RB Derrick Gore
The Saints have added a running back to their active roster. The Saints are signing Derrick Gore, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). Gore was among a group of RBs (including Antonio Williams and JaQuan Hardy) who worked out for the organization.
Gore was a 2019 undrafted free agent, but it took him until 2021 to finally get a shot in the NFL. After catching on with the Chiefs via a reserve/futures contract and later a practice squad gig, Gore earned a promotion to the active roster. He ended up seeing time in 11 games for Kansas City, finishing with 59 touches for 361 yards and two touchdowns. He also garnered another three touches in two playoff contests.
The 27-year-old landed on injured reserve in late August with a thumb injury, meaning he’d be restricted from playing a game with Kansas City in 2022. He ended up getting released a few days later, allowing him to sign with another squad.
This move probably doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the status of Alvin Kamara. TMZ recently released a new video of Kamara’s alleged attack on another man during Pro Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, but Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the video won’t alter the player’s status moving forward. Kamara is facing felony battery charges, and the NFL continues to monitor the situation. Per Florio, Kamara has a hearing set for tomorrow.
Mark Ingram is currently dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss Monday night’s game. Jordan Howard was called up from the practice squad yesterday to join Kamara and Dwayne Washington on the RB depth chart. Washington wasn’t able to capitalize on increased snaps over the past two weeks, and there’s probably little chance Gore ends up getting a whole lot of run. However, considering the team’s recent release of Jake Funk from the practice squad, Gore could find himself sticking around the organization for a bit.
Falcons Place OL Matt Hennessy On IR
Matt Hennessy is heading to injured reserve. The Falcons announced (via Twitter) that they’ve placed the center on IR. To fill the open roster spot, safety Jovante Moffatt has been signed to Atlanta’s active roster from the practice squad.
Hennessy was a third-round pick by the organization in 2020. After getting into 13 games as a rookie, the lineman started all 17 games for the Falcons in 2021, with Pro Football Focus grading him among the best at his position. Despite that performance, he lost his starting gig to Drew Dalman during training camp. As a result, he played exclusively on special teams through his first eight games this season.
He started at left guard in place of Elijah Wilkinson during Week 9, earning 50 snaps on offense. A knee injury ended up knocking him out towards the end of the game, and the injury will now force him to miss at least the next four games. Colby Gossett slid into the lineup in place of Hennessy on Sunday and could end up keeping the starting gig until Wilkinson returns.
The Falcons needed some depth at safety after trading Dean Marlowe at the deadline. Erik Harris is also dealing with a foot injury that forced him out of the lineup for Week 9. Moffatt has seen time in 16 games since entering the league in 2020. He joined the Falcons’ practice squad in September and has earned a pair of promotions this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Quinton Bell, C Jonotthan Harrison
- Released: CB BoPete Keyes
Cleveland Browns
- Signed:WR Cyril Grayson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Kaden Davis
Green Bay Packers
- Released: WR Kawaan Baker
New Orleans Saints
- Released: RB Jake Funk, QB Brett Hundley
New York Giants
- Signed: DT Aaron Crawford
- Released: DB Olaijah Griffin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OT Fred Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: K Nick Sciba
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Godwin Igwebuike
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Charles Snowden
- Released: LB JoJo Ozougwu
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/8/22
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: TE Charlie Kolar
Carolina Panthers
- Designated for return: S Jeremy Chinn
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Herb Miller
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: TE Kendall Blanton, DB Terrell Burgess
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: G Wyatt Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to active roster: S Andre Chachere
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: LB Ryan Anderson
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the Rams shopped Terrell Burgess prior to the trade deadline. The former third-round pick has struggled to carve out a role in the NFL, although he did get into 16 games last year (plus another four games (two starts)) en route to a Super Bowl championship. This season, Burgess has collected 11 tackles in seven games.