Chiefs To Add K Matthew Wright
The Chiefs identified their Matt Ammendola replacement. They are adding former Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright to their practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Wright will move into position as Kansas City’s Harrison Butker fill-in leg. It is not known if Butker will be able to return for Week 4, after missing the past two games, but the Chiefs decided Ammendola — after two short-range misses in Sunday’s loss to the Colts — was not the answer.
The Jaguars waived Wright earlier this year, after he spent most of last season as their kicker. Wright, 26, made 21 of 24 field goal tries during his Jags tenure. His most notable contribution came during the team’s most recent London game, which involved two Wright 50-plus-yard makes in the fourth quarter. That effort gave Urban Meyer the first of his two NFL wins, but the Jags replaced Wright this year. While Jacksonville has encountered trouble staffing its kicker gig in the months following Wright’s May exit, this marks his first opportunity since that departure.
Ammendola kicked in two games for the Chiefs this season. After making each of his five kicks (two field goals, three extra points), the former Jet missed a PAT and a 34-yard field goal Sunday in Indianapolis. Each of Wright’s three 2021 misses came from beyond 40 yards. He was 4-for-6 from beyond 50.
The Chiefs have been without Butker since Week 1, when he suffered an ankle injury early in Kansas City’s win in Arizona. Although the team used safety Justin Reid as its emergency kicker against the Cardinals, it naturally opted for trained NFL legs since. Michael Badgley also participated in the workout that led to Wright’s signing. Badgley spent most of last season with the Colts, having been the team’s Rodrigo Blankenship injury replacement.
Steelers Bring Back P Jordan Berry
Jordan Berry is back for another Steelers stint. Pittsburgh’s former long-term punter reached an agreement to join the team’s practice squad Tuesday.
This latest Berry-Steelers pact comes after Mike Tomlin said second-year punter Pressley Harvin is dealing with hip discomfort. Berry worked out for the Steelers on Monday. To make room for Berry on their 16-man P-squad, the Steelers cut linebacker Delontae Scott.
Originally a Steelers UDFA back in 2015, Berry signed an extension to stay with the team in February 2018. He later signed a two-year deal in 2019. But the Steelers cut bait on that contract in 2020, releasing Berry and using Dustin Colquitt as their punter to start that season. The Australian specialist, however, returned to replace Colquitt midway through that season.
Harvin’s 2021 arrival, via a seventh-round pick, led Berry to the Vikings, who gave him one-year deals in 2021 and earlier this year. Berry, 31, did not win Minnesota’s punting competition this year, leading him back to free agency.
While Berry represents insurance at this point, he has appeared in more games (91) than any Steelers punter this century. Only Bobby Walden, Josh Miller and Craig Colquitt have punted in more games for the franchise. Playing indoors regularly for the first time as a pro, Berry averaged a career-high 46.5 yards per punt with the Vikings last year.
Jets Place T George Fant On IR
A lingering knee injury forced George Fant out of Sunday’s Jets-Bengals game, and the issue will sideline Fant for a while. The Jets placed the veteran tackle on IR Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
This moves yet another high-profile Jets tackle off the active roster. Fant’s IR shift follows the transactions that sent Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown to the injured list. While Brown will be eligible to return in Week 5, Fant is shut down until at least Week 8.
Robert Saleh classified Fant as “day to day” Monday. Instead, Fant’s IR placement further depletes the Jets at a premier position. The team finished Sunday’s Bengals tilt with Conor McDermott at left tackle. Fourth-round rookie Max Mitchell has played every snap for the Jets at right tackle this season. This is far from the initial configuration Gang Green planned, and Fant’s absence figures to make matters more difficult for Zach Wilson, who is on track to return from his August knee surgery in Week 4.
Fant had a tough day against standout Cincinnati defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who notched strip-sacks against Fant and McDermott. But Fant has been battling this knee problem all season, Brian Costello of the New York Post notes. The issue caused him to miss multiple practices last week.
Fant, 30, has been a vital O-line presence for the Jets since signing with the team as a free agent in 2020. The ex-Seahawk spent the 2020 season as the Jets’ right tackle starter and moved to the left side after Becton’s Week 1 injury last season. The Jets named Fant their starting left tackle before Becton’s training camp injury. After being on the Jets’ extension radar early this offseason, no deal came to fruition. Fant’s return from injury will begin a rather important stretch for the former college basketball player. His contract expires at season’s end.
When Fant returns, the Jets will hope to deploy the Brown-Fant tackle combo that has yet to take the field together. After winning the left tackle gig, Fant saw Brown’s late-summer signing move him back to the right side. The Jets signed veteran Mike Remmers as a stopgap option Monday. Remmers currently resides on Gang Green’s practice squad, but the journeyman right tackle is likely to be moved up to the 53-man roster soon.
Ravens Add OLB Jeremiah Attaochu
Jeremiah Attaochu worked out for the Ravens on Monday; the team has since added the veteran outside linebacker to its practice squad. Baltimore released cornerback T.J. Carrie to make room on its 16-man P-squad.
A veteran who has bounced around the league, Attaochu has been available since the Bears released him in June. The Ravens will bring him in days after signing Jason Pierre-Paul to their active roster.
This will be Attaochu’s fifth NFL team. The former Chargers second-round pick previously bounced from the Bolts to the Jets to the Broncos to the Bears. Intermittent production has followed, but Attaochu managed to collect a bit of money based on his last decent season. He posted five sacks off the bench for the 2020 Broncos, a team that did not have Von Miller throughout that campaign. After totaling 8.5 sacks in two seasons under Vic Fangio in Denver, the Bears gave Attaochu a two-year, $5.5MM deal to play behind Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn.
The Georgia Tech product, 29, did not tally a sack with the Bears last season. Though, Attaochu only played five games with Chicago; a torn pec sustained in October 2021 ended his season early. Justin Houston suffered a groin injury Sunday, limiting the starter to just six defensive snaps. The Ravens also have Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo out of the picture for the time being. Bowser cannot return until Week 5, while Ojabo — who suffered an Achilles tear preparing for the draft — is unlikely to debut until later this season.
JPP stands to take some heat off the starters. Brandon Copeland, who signed with Baltimore’s P-squad last week, played that role against the Patriots. Attaochu will join Copeland as stopgap insurance behind the team’s top trio soon. A ninth-year veteran, Carrie joined the Ravens’ taxi squad nearly two weeks ago.
Bears Place WR Byron Pringle On IR
The Bears’ passing game has been the league’s worst so far, and it will be shorthanded for the time being. The team announced on Tuesday that wideout Byron Pringle has been placed on IR. As a result, he will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks. 
Pringle injured his calf during Sunday’s game against the Texans. He made one catch in the game, only his second of the season as he begins his tenure in Chicago, the team which ranks last in the league with an average of only 99 passing yards per game.
The former UDFA spent the first three years of his career with the Chiefs. He saw an increased workload with each passing season, culminating in a 49% snap share last year. With the increased opportunity, Pringle put up carer-highs across the board, totaling 568 yards and five touchdowns on 42 catches. In free agency, he followed new Bears general manager Ryan Poles to the Windy City on a one-year, $6MM deal.
This marks the second significant injury Chicago is dealing with at the position. N’Keal Harry, whom the team traded for from the Patriots in July, is still on the mend from the ankle surgery he underwent last month. He was initially expected to miss at least the first two months of the season, so the Bears are likely to be without two of their top pass-catchers for the foreseeable future.
In their absence, Chicago will lean more heavily (inasmuch as the team’s low-volume passing attack will allow) on the likes of No. 1 Darnell Mooney, fellow free agent signing Equanimeous St. Brown and third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr. With the spot opened up by the move, the Bears signed linebacker Joe Thomas to the 53-man roster from their practice squad. He appeared in Sunday’s contest after being a game-day elevation, seeing action both on defense and special teams.
Titans Sign DL Mario Edwards Jr. Off Jaguars Practice Squad
The Titans have snagged a veteran defensive lineman off a division rival’s practice squad. The team announced that they’ve signed Mario Edwards Jr. off the Jaguars’ practice squad and on to their 53-man roster. To make room, the Titans waived linebacker Derrek Tuszka.
Edwards has never lived up to his second-round billing, but the defensive lineman has still seen time in 86 games across seven professional seasons. The veteran spent the previous two seasons with the Bears, collecting six sacks despite only starting one of his 27 appearances. He was released by Chicago at the end of the preseason and subsequently joined Jacksonville’s practice squad.
The 28-year-old won’t knock Jeffery Simmons out of the starting defensive tackle spot, but he’ll provide some additional pass-rushing prowess along the defensive line. His ability to play defensive end could also help him see some defensive snaps.
Tuszka was claimed off waivers from the Steelers in early September, and after being inactive through the first two weeks, he earned a start on Sunday with Bud Dupree and Ola Adeniyi sidelined.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/22
Only one practice squad move to pass along:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: TE David Wells
Wells has spent time with eight different organizations since going undrafted out of San Diego State in 2018. He got into three games with the Cardinals last season, including one start.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/26/22
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Reinstated from suspension: OL Bobby Hart
- Released: DT Prince Emili
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: LB Arron Mosby
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: OL Jason Peters (story)
- Promoted: QB Will Grier, TE Sean McKeon
New York Giants
- Promoted: DL Henry Mondeaux, DB Fabian Moreau
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: Kaylon Geiger
Jets To Add T Mike Remmers
Two-time Super Bowl starter Mike Remmers will join a team in need at his position. The journeyman tackle is signing with the Jets on a practice squad agreement, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Remmers is expected to be bumped up to the Jets’ 53-man roster soon. The former Chargers, Panthers, Vikings, Giants and Chiefs blocker has not played for a team this season; the Chiefs did not re-sign him after the 2021 campaign.
The Jets have both Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown on IR. They finished their Week 3 game with Conor McDermott and rookie Max Mitchell as their tackles. George Fant, who has worked as both a left- and right-side starter with the Jets, started at left tackle against the Bengals but left early due to a lingering knee injury. Trey Hendrickson finished the game with 2.5 sacks, two of those forcing Joe Flacco fumbles.
Remmers, 33, has made 90 career starts. He is probably best known for tough nights against Von Miller (Super Bowl 50) and Shaq Barrett (Super Bowl LV), but the former UDFA brings a level of experience the Jets are lacking right now. Brown is ineligible to play until at least Week 5. Remmers, who played just four games last season before a knee injury led the Chiefs to place him on IR, has worked primarily as a right tackle but did play inside during the 2018 season in Minnesota. The Jets are more solidified at guard, however; the team’s tackle plan veered off the rails once Becton suffered an avulsion fracture during training camp. Signed to a lucrative deal to replace Becton, Brown is rehabbing a shoulder injury.
The tackle uncertainty engulfing Gang Green comes as the team is readying Zach Wilson to make his season debut. Wilson, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August, was slated to play behind a Fant-Becton tackle tandem. He could begin his sophomore NFL season behind Remmers and either McDermott or Mitchell. The latter has played 100% of the Jets’ right tackle snaps this season.
Chiefs Release K Matt Ammendola From Practice Squad
Should Harrison Butker be unavailable for the Chiefs’ Week 4 game against the Buccaneers, Matt Ammendola will almost certainly not be the player filling in. The Chiefs released the young kicker from their practice squad Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Jets’ primary kicker in 2021, Ammendola caught on with the Chiefs to replace Butker in Week 2. While he made all five of his kicks against the Chargers (two field goals, three extra points), the Oklahoma State product struggled against the Colts. The second-year kicker missed the only extra point he tried and was 1-for-2 on field goals, with the miss coming from 34 yards out.
Kansas City elevated Ammendola from the practice squad to its active roster ahead of its Week 3 game in Indianapolis. Due to the increased P-squad flexibility the league introduced in 2020, teams can elevate two players to gameday rosters without exposing them to waivers. Ammendola reverted to the Chiefs’ P-squad Monday, but the team is not saving a spot for him at this point.
Although other blunders — including a decision to roll out an unsuccessful fake-field goal play — led to the Chiefs’ upset loss in Indianapolis, Ammendola’s were likely to lead to his exit. The 25-year-old specialist was just 13-for-19 on field goals as a Jet, leading the team to sign Greg Zuerlein. The Pro Bowler beat out Ammendola in training camp this year, but Butker’s injury — after the Chiefs used safety Justin Reid as their emergency kicker in Week 1 — led to another opportunity.
No other kickers reside on the Chiefs’ taxi squad. Workouts will likely be on tap to replace Ammendola in that role. Butker, who has been in place as Kansas City’s kicker since early in the 2017 season, entered this season having missed just one career game.