NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: C Ross Pierschbacher
- Released: OT Darrin Paulo
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE/LB Derick Roberson
- Placed on IR: OT Cedric Ogbuehi
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Roy Mbaeteka
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LS Carson Tinker
- Released: S Scott Nelson
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/8/22
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released from IR: LB Dorian Etheridge
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR: S Shawn Davis
New Orleans Saints
- Signed (off Giants practice squad): G Wyatt Davis
- Released from IR: S Isaiah Pryor
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released from IR: DT Kobe Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Released from IR: RB Josh Johnson
T Marcus Cannon To Join Patriots’ Practice Squad
The offensive tackle position has been a sore spot for the Patriots this offseason, with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the projected starters. In a move aimed at adding veteran depth, a familiar face is being brought back. 
Not long after hosting him for a free agent visit, New England is set to sign Marcus Cannon to their practice squad (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). The deal marks a return to the Patriots for the 34-year-old. Cannon was a fifth-round pick of the team in 2011.
Over the course of nine years with the Patriots, Cannon made 155 appearances and 69 starts. He was a full-time first-teamer from 2016 to 2019, though injuries caused him to miss several games during that stretch. New England traded him to the Texans last March, a move which was considered increasingly likely after the Patriots re-acquired Trent Brown.
In Houston, Cannon started all four games he played in, but once again ran into injury problems. A disc issue in his back landed him on IR, ultimately ending his season. To little surprise, then, the Texans released the TCU product one year after acquiring him. Now, Cannon will return to New England to provide depth at a position of uncertainty.
Brown ended up being switched to left tackle this offseason, in no small part due to the struggles of 2018 first-rounder Isaiah Wynn. The latter found himself in trade talk this summer, but will remain with the Patriots on the right side. Behind those two, New England has Michael Onwenu, Justin Herron and Yodny Cajuste as depth on the 53-man roster. Now, they have a familiar, experienced veteran as an emergency option.
Saints, C Erik McCoy Agree To Extension
The Saints have taken care of an important piece of business just before the beginning of the season. New Orleans has reached agreement with center Erik McCoy on a five-year extension worth up to $63.75MM (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). 
Garafolo adds that the deal – which was confirmed by McCoy’s agents – also includes over $40MM in guaranteed money. The 2019 second-rounder had one season remaining on his rookie contract, so this new deal will keep him in New Orleans through 2028. His level of play since his arrival in the league made an extension such as this one a distinct possibility.
McCoy, 25, has been a full-time starter since his rookie season, when he earned a PFF grade of 78. He played a full schedule once again the following season, though his rating fell that year to 69.4. In 2021, the Texas A&M product took another step back in PFF’s eyes, ranking 23rd in the league amongst centers. McCoy also missed the first action of his career, being sidelined for five games due to a calf strain.
As Garafolo notes, this new deal will make McCoy the highest-earning center who has yet to be named a Pro Bowler. Overall, the $12.75MM yearly average of the contract will rank him fourth in the league amongst centers in terms of compensation, only slightly behind Jason Kelce, Frank Ragnow and Ryan Jensen.
McCoy has been able to maintain his spot in the middle of the Saints’ o-line despite the team drafting Cesar Ruiz in the first round of the 2020 draft. New Orleans’ investment in him points to McCoy remaining at the pivot, as the team begins life without Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead. Even without the latter, the Saints should still have a strong unit up front on the right side in particular with McCoy, Ruiz and Ryan Ramczyk.
It remains to be seen if this new deal will affect McCoy’s 2022 cap hit, which currently sits at $3.4MM. The Saints made a slew of moves this spring to reach cap compliance, but they entered today with less than $3MM to work with. Over the life of the contract, though, McCoy could prove to be worth the commitment as the Saints look to keep as many of their top young players on the books for the long term as possible.
Rams Extend GM Les Snead
Throughout the offseason, new deals were expected to be finalized for Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead. Per a team announcement on Thursday, both are indeed set to remain with the team for years to come. 
McVay had already confirmed his new deal one month ago, and he made it clear at that time that an announcement regarding Snead would be forthcoming. With the Rams’ title defense beginning in a matter of hours, many expected that announcement to come today. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the pair are now on the books through the 2026 season.
To no surprise, both McVay and Snead are now thought to be among the league’s highest-paid at their respective positions. The Rams have seen consistent success during their time guiding the franchise, including last season’s Super Bowl win. That has come during Snead’s increasing reliance on his unorthodox roster-building strategy of forgoing premium draft picks in return for proven commodities at important positions (including, most notably, quarterback Matthew Stafford).
Los Angeles has not made a first-round selection since 2016, and does not own one until 2024. Still, the effectiveness of the 51-year-old’s actions led to joint extensions for both he and McVay in 2019. Another set of deals keeping them together was widely expected to be the team’s preference, and became possible once the latter confirmed that he would continue coaching in lieu of a broadcasting career.
Snead has held his current title since 2012, ranking him in the top-10 with respect to the NFL’s longest-tenured GMs. He will look to continue climbing the ladder in that regard, while seeking continuity on the roster he has molded into a champion. Much of that has already been taken care of, with new deals being signed in recent months by Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp.
The long-term future of the organization has been questioned by some given the ‘all-in’ nature of Snead’s moves. Further titles remain possible for at least the next few years, however, and he will still be at the helm if/when the team’s Super Bowl window closes given today’s news.
Rams Sign RT Rob Havenstein To Extension
The Rams have extended their right tackle. The team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve signed Rob Havenstein to a contract extension. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler first reported (on Twitter) that the two sides were close to a deal.
Havenstein was set to play out the final season of his contract in 2022. Despite inking his four-year, $32.5MM deal back in 2018, the veteran lineman still ranked among the 10 highest-paid right tackles in the NFL last year. According to Fowler, his new extension should “bolster his spot” in the top-10, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweeting that Havenstein received a three-year deal.
The 2015 second-round pick has spent his entire career with the Rams, starting all 99 of his regular-season appearances. After bouncing around the offensive line early in his career, Havenstein has settled in as the team’s full-time RT since 2017.
Other than a 2019 campaign where he was limited to only nine games thanks to a knee injury, the offensive lineman has appeared in at least 13 games in each of his NFL seasons. The 30-year-old has also been along for all of the team’s recent playoff runs, starting each of his 10 postseason appearances, including all four during last year’s Super Bowl run.
Havenstein was named a first-time captain this year following another standout campaign in 2021. Last year, he ranked as the league’s ninth-best tackle among 83 qualifying players, making it the third time in four seasons that he’s ranked within the site’s top-15.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Corey Ballentine, QB Jarrett Guarantano
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Kyler Fackrell
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Daviyon Nixon
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Gerrid Doaks
- Released: TE Paul Quessenberry
New York Jets
- Signed: Zonovan Knight, Eric Smith
- Released: DQ Thomas
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Troy Fumagalli, WR Connor Wedington
- Released: WR Willie Snead
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR: RB Spencer Brown
Cleveland Browns
- Released from IR: CB Lavert Hill
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR: WR Ishmael Hyman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released from IR: TE Matt Bushman
Miami Dolphins
- Released from IR: LB Darius Hodge
Eagles Add WR Auden Tate, TE Dalton Keene To Practice Squad
The Eagles made a few changes to their practice squad today. The team announced that they’ve signed tight end Dalton Keene and wide receiver Auden Tate. To make room on the taxi squad, the Eagles released running back La’Mical Perine and quarterback Reid Sinnett.
After barely playing as a rookie seventh-round pick, Tate had a bit of a breakout season in 2019, finishing the campaign with 40 receptions for 575 yards. However, he found himself buried on the depth chart in both 2020 and 2021, finishing with only 17 catches between the two seasons. He caught on with the Eagles earlier this offseason but was cut before the end of the preseason. The Eagles are currently rostering only four wide receivers, so there’s a chance he could eventually get elevated to the active roster.
Keene, a 2020 third-round pick by the Patriots, only had three catches during his two seasons in New England. The 23-year-old could see some time on the active roster if any of Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, and/or rookie sixth-round pick Grant Calcaterra go down with an injury.
After collecting 295 yards from scrimmage as a rookie in 2020, Perine was limited to only 31 yards with the Jets in 2021. After getting cut by New York at the end of the preseason, he caught on with Philly. With Kennedy Brooks already on the practice squad, the team decided to move on from the 24-year-old.
Sinnett spent much of the 2021 season in the Eagles organization, but he had little chance of cracking the active roster in 2022 with three QBs blocking his way.
Cardinals Place QB Colt McCoy On IR
The Cardinals will begin the season without their backup quarterback. Colt McCoy landed on IR Wednesday. Arizona promoted Trace McSorley from its practice squad.
McCoy did not play during Arizona’s preseason slate. While Kliff Kingsbury said the veteran backup was dealing with arm soreness early in training camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets the 13th-year passer suffered a strained calf.
Although the Cardinals would hope not to need McCoy this season, given that his participation is tied to Kyler Murray‘s availability, they did need him in 2021. Making three starts for an injured Murray, McCoy helped the Cards to two wins — each over NFC West rivals — that certainly went a long way toward the team booking a wild-card berth.
Despite not seeing much time during his long-term Washington stay, the former Texas Longhorn helped the Giants to a win over the playoff-bound Seahawks in 2020. New York, however, chose to replace McCoy with Mike Glennon — which turned out to be a significant downgrade — in 2021. McCoy completed 74.7% of his passes last season, with both of his wins coming while DeAndre Hopkins was out. McCoy, who turned 36 on Monday, re-signed with the team this offseason on a two-year, $7.5MM deal.
Formerly a Ravens backup, McSorley wound up in Arizona in November 2021; the Cardinals signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad. The team used McSorley frequently during its 2022 preseason but opted to waive him. The former sixth-round pick stayed with the team on a P-squad agreement, but he will now be Murray’s primary backup. McSorley has attempted 10 career passes.