Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/22
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Designated to return: CB Antonio Hamilton, QB Colt McCoy, WR Antoine Wesley
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated to return: CB Isaiah Oliver
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated to return: DE Khalid Kareem, CB Cam Taylor-Britt
Cleveland Browns
- Designated to return: CB Greedy Williams
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: QB Will Grier
- Activated from IR: LB Damone Clark
- Placed on IR: LS Jake McQuaide
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: WR Tom Kennedy
- Designated to return: CB Jerry Jacobs, DE Josh Paschal
Miami Dolphins
- Designated to return: S Clayton Fejedelem
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DL Khyiris Tonga
- Waived: LB Ryan Connelly
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: OT Marcus Cannon
- Designated to return: WR Tyquan Thornton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: TE J.P. Holtz
- Designated to return: DL Malcolm Roach
Philadelphia Eagles
- Designated to return: OT Andre Dillard
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated to return: DE L.J. Collier
Tennessee Titans
- Designated to return: LB Monty Rice
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return: C Tyler Larsen
A number of players who were placed on IR after the preseason and prior to the regular season returned to practice today. These players will have a three-week practice window until they have to be activated to the active roster. Otherwise, they’ll be ineligible to return this season.
One of the most surprising returns is Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton. The former undrafted free agent rode a strong preseason to a potential starting gig, but he was sidelined with second-degree burns after spilling hot oil on his legs and feet. Kliff Kingsbury previously said an early-October return may be a “little aggressive” (per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Twitter), but the cornerback ended up working his way back to practice.
Cardinals To Sign K Matt Ammendola
OCTOBER 5: The Cardinals will be promoting Ammendola to their 53-man roster soon. Kliff Kingsbury ruled out Prater for Week 5, moving Ammendola into position to kick for a second team this season. After going to training camp with the Jets, Ammendola kicked in two Chiefs games.
OCTOBER 4: Matt Ammendola has secured the chance to make a second fill-in cameo this season. After working out for the Cardinals, the young kicker is signing with the team’s practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
One of a few kickers to audition for the Cardinals on Monday, Ammendola will be in line to take over kicking duties for the NFC West team — in the event Matt Prater cannot go Sunday. Prater is battling a hip injury that prevented him from finishing the Cards’ Week 4 game.
This is quite familiar territory for Ammendola. After the Chiefs used a position player (Justin Reid) during part of their first game (in Arizona), they added Ammendola. That partnership crumbled after the former Jets kicker missed an extra point and a 34-yard field goal in the Chiefs’ Week 3 loss to the Colts. With Prater’s setback forcing the Cards to use a position player (Eno Benjamin) late in their win over the Panthers, they are calling on the second-year specialist.
Ammendola made every kick he attempted in the Chiefs’ Week 2 win over the Chargers but has otherwise struggled as a pro. The Oklahoma State product was just 13-for-19 on field goal tries — including an 0-for-3 mark on 50-plus-yarders — with the Jets last season, leading the team to sign Greg Zuerlein this offseason. Zuerlein beat out Ammendola in training camp.
Prater, 38, has been durable during his career. The 16th-year veteran’s last missed game due to injury came in 2010. He has been Arizona’s kicker for two seasons now, having signed with the Cardinals following a lengthy Lions stay.
Bears Place G Cody Whitehair On IR, Designate WR N’Keal Harry For Return
The Bears will be without their most experienced offensive line starter for a while. They moved left guard Cody Whitehair to injured reserve Wednesday.
Whitehair, who is Chicago’s longest-tenured O-lineman by a considerable margin, suffered a knee injury during the team’s Week 4 loss to the Giants. The Bears are also opening N’Keal Harry‘s IR-return window. Harry will return to practice Wednesday, starting his 21-day activation clock. The Bears are expecting Whitehair back this season, Matt Eberflus said.
Also the only Bears blocker on a notable contract (five years, $51.25MM), Whitehair has been a starter throughout his seven-year run with the franchise. The Bears took Whitehair in the 2016 second round, and after an extensive run at center, the team moved the Kansas State product to guard. This will be a rare stay off the Bears’ 53-man roster for Whitehair, who has missed only two games in his career.
The rebuilding team has been using Lucas Patrick and Teven Jenkins in a right guard timeshare, but Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune expects that to cease for the time being. Patrick will likely slide to left guard to replace Whitehair, leaving Jenkins — whom the Bears have moved around the formation since drafting him in the 2021 second round — on the right side. A poor practice led Jenkins, who had started the first two games at right guard for the Bears, to the bench, Biggs adds. But the Oklahoma State product remained in the team’s rotation over the past two weeks. Whitehair’s injury will open the door to an extended audition for the player the previous regime viewed as a potential long-term left tackle.
Placed on IR shortly after roster cutdown, Harry would be eligible for an a Week 5 return. It remains to be seen if the Bears will deem their offseason trade acquisition ready. Harry underwent ankle surgery in mid-August and was believed to be facing a two-month recovery timetable. The Bears designating the ex-Patriots first-rounder for return certainly appears to show Harry is on schedule.
The Bears’ passing attack has plunged into a strange place. Justin Fields has set 21st-century lows to start his second season, with his 34 completions and 67 attempts both checking in below any quarterback this century through four games (among four-game starters). Any receiving help the second-year quarterback can get will be a bonus. The Bears did not make big-ticket receiver investments this offseason, instead taking a number of fliers. Harry, obtained for a 2024 seventh-round pick, was among them.
Harry began both the 2019 and ’21 seasons on IR and has a history of ankle trouble; an ankle malady led the Arizona State alum to IR as a rookie. Harry’s initial NFL injury threw off his development in New England’s then-complex offense. He started last season on IR because of a shoulder issue. The big-bodied target caught just 12 passes for 184 yards last season.
Bills To Release WR Tavon Austin
The Bills picked up Tavon Austin midway through the offseason, but the former top-10 pick has not seen any game action. As a result, the sides are parting ways.
Austin is no longer on Buffalo’s practice squad, according to WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio (on Twitter). This is a mutual parting, per Capaccio, aimed at Austin finding a better opportunity elsewhere. A team could have plucked the former Rams investment off the Bills’ P-squad, but Austin would not have been free to choose another destination this way.
This Austin news comes after the Bills have sustained injuries at the receiver position. Jamison Crowder suffered a fractured ankle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and Isaiah McKenzie went down with a concussion during Buffalo’s Week 4 game in Baltimore. It does not sound like the Bills were planning to make Austin part of their solution, despite the veteran’s past as a slot/gadget player. Behind the Stefon Diggs–Gabriel Davis duo, the Bills roster rookie Khalil Shakir and Jake Kumerow. Should McKenzie be unable to go against the Steelers, the Bills will need to make at least one addition to their receiving corps.
Austin, 32, never ended up justifying the investment the Rams made in him, though the diminutive playmaker had moments during his time in St. Louis and Los Angeles. The Jaguars ended up using Austin as a rotational receiver during points last season. He caught 24 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown for the 3-14 team. The West Virginia product played a bit part as a Cowboys receiver in each of the previous two years.
The Bills are expected to replace Austin on their 16-man P-squad with Jaquarii Roberson, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). The Steelers cut Roberson, a Wake Forest product, from their taxi squad on Tuesday.
Buccaneers WR Cole Beasley To Retire
Cole Beasley played in two Buccaneers games since joining their practice squad in September, but the veteran wide receiver is changing course. The productive slot receiver plans to retire immediately, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
This abrupt retirement will end an 11-year career spent with the Cowboys, Bills and Bucs. Beasley, 33, spent the offseason looking for a new team and sent Tom Brady Instagram DMs about joining the Bucs. So it is obviously surprising to see him call it quits soon after arriving in Tampa. Beasley being separated from his Texas-stationed family led to this retirement call, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.
Other teams besides the Bucs expressed interest in Beasley. The Commanders, Giants and Panthers pursued Beasley since his Bills release, but the Bucs — dealing with a wide receiver shortage at the time — won out. Beasley caught four passes for 17 yards during his two-game Bucs cameo. The team’s receiver situation has improved as well, which likely would have meant less time for Beasley going forward. Mike Evans re-emerged after his one-game suspension, and injured wideouts Chris Godwin and Julio Jones played against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Beasley will certainly be better remembered for his time in Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys put the SMU product to work as their primary slot receiver for most of the 2010s, with Beasley being the team’s top receiving constant outside of Dez Bryant during that period. The Cowboys extended Beasley on a four-year, $13.6MM deal in March 2015 and saw him produce career-best (at the time) numbers a year later to help Dak Prescott earn Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim during a 13-3 season. Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns that year.
As Dallas’ Bryant partnership came to an end following the 2017 season, Beasley remained in place as the team transitioned to its Amari Cooper-fronted attack. Preparing for a Cooper payday, the Cowboys let Beasley walk in 2019. Eager to upgrade Josh Allen‘s receiver situation, the Bills paid up for Beasley (four years, $29MM) and John Brown that year. While the latter topped 1,000 yards in 2019, Beasley played a pivotal role in aiding Allen as well. From 2019-20, Beasley totaled 1,471 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, transitioning to a role as Stefon Diggs‘ sidekick when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade with the Vikings in 2020.
Last season did not bring as much success, and Beasley became a controversial figure as he spoke out regularly against COVID-19 vaccines. Beasley matched his 82 catches from 2020 but checked in at a career-low 8.5 yards per reception. Beasley contracted COVID in December and missed a game, joining many thrust into that position during the pandemic, and the Bills made him a cap casualty ahead of the 2022 league year. The Bills moved on with younger receivers, and Beasley’s retirement further reduces the number of 30-something wideouts left in the NFL. Fellow 2021 Bills contributor Emmanuel Sanders, 35, preceded Beasley by retiring a few weeks ago.
Beasley will wrap his career as one of this era’s top slot targets. For his career, Beasley caught 554 passes for 5,726 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Browns To Bring Back TE Pharaoh Brown
Pharaoh Brown went from being the Texans’ Week 1 tight end starter to becoming an early-October cut. But Brown’s previous employer intends to bring him back.
The Browns plan to sign the newly available tight end, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The Cleveland native returned to his hometown Wednesday and will sign on for a second stint.
Brown, 28, played for the Browns in 2019 but had been with the Texans throughout the 2020s. The Browns initially brought in the Oregon alum during the final days of Hue Jackson‘s HC tenure in 2018, and he stayed on for the Freddie Kitchens one-off. The team waived him just ahead of Kevin Stefanski‘s first season at the helm but will circle back.
Houston ponied up $3MM to re-sign the sixth-year veteran this offseason but made some changes to its tight end group in the time since that deal came to pass. The Texans added O.J. Howard and brought back Jordan Akins in September, adding to a position group that includes 2021 fifth-rounder Brevin Jordan.
Not known much for his receiving skills, Brown has topped out at 23 receptions for 171 yards (in 2021). He snagged two touchdown receptions in 2020. Brown has seven catches for 72 yards this season. The former UDFA will rejoin David Njoku in Cleveland, though the rest of the team’s position group has changed since Brown was last with the team. The Browns have Harrison Bryant installed as their backup and Miller Forristall rounding out its tight end crew.
QB Blake Bortles Announces Retirement
Blake Bortles is not planning to continue his efforts at returning to a team’s active roster. The former No. 3 overall pick announced his retirement during an appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast.
The longtime Jaguars starter has not played in a regular-season game since the 2019 season, when he appeared in three as Jared Goff‘s backup with the Rams. But he has bounced around the league in the years since, last being with a team in April. The Saints released Bortles at that point, and the former AFC championship game starter said during the podcast he has not touched a football since January.
Since his 2019 Rams signing, Bortles caught on with the Broncos and Packers and also circled back to the Rams. He finished his career as a Saints emergency roster option, amid the team’s COVID-19 surge during the Omicron variant’s height. Mostly from his rookie contract and the three-year, $54MM extension he signed with the Jaguars in 2018, Bortles walks away from the game having made more than $47MM. The Jags bailing on that deal after one season, however, abruptly ended the oft-scrutinized passer’s run as a starter.
The Central Florida product started 73 career games, and while he ended up being benched months after signing that extension, the former Doug Marrone pupil had Jacksonville on the cusp of a Super Bowl LII berth. Bortles threw for 293 yards in a narrow AFC championship game loss in New England, doing so after the Jaguars won a divisional-round shootout in Pittsburgh.
Despite having chosen Blaine Gabbert in the top 10 three years prior, the Jags went back to the Round 1 QB well with Bortles, who came off the 2014 board far earlier than his QB contemporaries — in a class that included Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr. Numerous The Good Place references aside, Bortles frequently drew criticism during his rocky Jags tenure. Working with Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, Bortles finished the 2015 season with 35 touchdown passes. But the Jags went 5-11 that year; Bortles then struggled in 2016. He threw 51 interceptions from 2014-16, but the team nevertheless stuck with its starter — as Marrone replaced Gus Bradley as HC– leading to a 2017 outlier season that nearly produced one of the most unlikely Super Bowl entrants in the game’s history.
Jacksonville assembled a strong defense in 2017 — one that led the league in DVOA and lived up to its “Sacksonville” nickname — helping the team to a 10-6 record and the AFC title game. The Jags could not sustain that formula in 2018 and began a decline that led to their talented defense splintering and, eventually, the Urban Meyer year. The Jags released Bortles in March 2019, taking on $16.5MM in dead money as they pivoted to one-and-done option Nick Foles. Bortles concludes his career with 103 touchdown passes and 75 interceptions; his 17,646 passing yards are second-most (behind Mark Brunell) in Jags history.
Texans Sticking With QB Davis Mills
Davis Mills has struggled to build on a surprisingly strong rookie campaign. The Texans quarterback has tossed four interceptions over the past two weeks, leading some to wonder if his starting job could be in jeopardy. However, head coach Lovie Smith was quick to dismiss that notion, noting the QB’s ability to keep them in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers.
“We’re not making a change at the quarterback position,” Smith said (h/t to Texans Wire). “The things we’ve talked about is with Davis leading us and whatever Davis and everyone, coaches, what we all need to do better. Did I just tell you we were in the fourth quarter? Do you know who our quarterback was that led us in position to take the lead there at the end? Davis Mills. He’s our quarterback.”
The 2021 third-round pick surprised many during his rookie campaign, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Through four games this season, Mills has completed only 62 percent of his passes for 908 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions while guiding his squad to the NFL’s worst record (0-3-1).
The Texans had some uncertainty at the position prior to the Deshaun Watson trade, but despite opportunities to add to the position, the team decided to stick with their second-year quarterback. It would have been surprising to see the Texans move on from the youngster this early in the campaign, no matter the struggles. Plus, it’s not like Houston has many inspiring options behind him, with Kyle Allen serving as the QB2 and Jeff Driskel sitting on the practice squad.
Elsewhere in Houston, the team made a bit of a surprising move today when they cut tight end Pharaoh Brown, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com on Twitter. Brown inked a one-year, $3MM deal with the Texans this offseason, and he started each of the Texans first three games this season. After hauling in seven catches, Brown was inactive for Week 4 while dealing with hip and shoulder injuries. This move probably indicates that Brevin Jordan, who has missed two-straight games with an ankle issue, will be ready to return to a crowded TE room that also includes Jordan Akins and O.J. Howard.
Giants Place CB Aaron Robinson On IR
Aaron Robinson will miss at least the next four games. The Giants announced today that they’ve placed the cornerback on injured reserve.
It’s been a tough go for the second-year player. Robinson missed Week 2 and Week 3 while recovering from an appendectomy. He returned to the starting lineup for Week 4 and got into 10 defensive snaps before suffering a knee injury in the second quarter. That injury will ultimately cost Robinson the next month-plus.
The 24-year-old defensive back was a third-round pick by the Giants in last year’s draft. He started two of his nine games as a rookie, finishing with 26 tackles and three passes defended. He also missed a chunk of the season while recovering from core muscle surgery.
Robinson was set for a starting role in 2022, and he collected five tackles and one pass defended while appearing in 95 percent of New York’s defensive snaps in Week 1. He had one tackle before exiting Sunday’s game.
Rookie Cordale Flott (calf) and backup Nick McCloud (hamstring) are currently sidelined with their own injuries, so the Giants will have to dig deep for reinforcement at cornerback. The team recently signed Fabian Moreau off the practice squad, and there’s a good chance he’ll slide into the starting lineup opposite Adoree Jackson. The team could also turn to special-teamer Justin Layne or safety Jason Pinnock.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Jordan Miller, DT Justin Zimmer
- Released DT C.J. Brewer, DT Prince Emili
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Jalyn Holmes
- Released: K Michael Badgley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Sam Kamara
- Released: DE Curtis Weaver
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Shane Zylstra
Houston Texans
- Signed: Davion Davis
- Released: WR Chris Conley
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Corey Coleman
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Blake Martinez
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: WR Travis Toivonen, DL Jaylen Twyman
New England Patriots
- Signed: QB Garrett Gilbert
- Released: WR Laquon Treadwell
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Jordan Brown, RB Adam Prentice
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: K Cameron Dicker
- Released: TE Dalton Keene
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Ryan McCollum, DB Scott Nelson
- Released: P Jordan Berry, WR Jaquarii Roberson
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: CB Quandre Mosely
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Shyheim Carter, RB Julius Chestnut
- Released: OL Christian DiLauro
Washington Commanders
- Signed: G Keaton Sutherland
- Released: C Jon Toth