NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Devon Kennard, S Steven Parker, S Josh Thomas, OL Badara Traore
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Anthony Firkser, TE Tucker Fisk, CB Ka’Dar Hollman
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: QB Zach Davidson, DB Kyler McMichael, OL Ryan Van Demark
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Jacob Eason, WR C.J. Sanders
- Released: S Kenny Robinson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Kellen Diesch, LB Joe Thomas
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Qadree Ollison, C Dakoda Shepley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G William Sherman
Detroit Lions
- Signed: K Aldrick Rosas
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Shaun Beyer, CB Benjie Franklin, WR Juwann Winfree
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: G Arlington Hambright, LB Segun Olubi
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: K James McCourt
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Cole Christiansen
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Vitaliy Gurman, DB J.R. Reed
- Released: OT Bamidele Olaseni
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Kalon Barnes, OT Larnel Coleman, WR River Cracraft, OL James Empey, LB Cameron Goode, LB Porter Gustin, S Verone McKinley III, WR Braylon Sanders, DT Niles Scott, DT Ben Stille, WR Freddie Swain, RB ZaQuandre White
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: QB David Blough, CB Tay Gowan, WR Travis Toivonen
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE JP Holtz, LB Drew Desjarlais, DL Christian Ringo
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Wyatt Davis, OL Max Garcia, DB Tony Jefferson, DE Henry Mondeaux, WR Kalil Pimpleton, LB Charles Wiley
- Released: DB Darren Evans, OT Roy Mbaeteka, OT Garrett McGhin, DB Nate Meadors
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Craig James, LB Chazz Surratt
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Davion Taylor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Mark Gilbert
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Xavier Crawford, OL Jalen McKenzie, QB Sean Mannion
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Anthony Chesley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Kevin Rader
- Released: WR Reggie Roberson, TE David Wells
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/22
Teams continue to tinker with their rosters after hundreds of players were cut earlier this week. We’ve tracked all of today’s minor moves below:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, LS Aaron Brewer, CB Mike Ford, G Colby Gossett, LB Nick Kwiatkoski, S Dean Marlowe
- Placed on IR: S Charles Washington, WR Antoine Wesley
- Waived from IR: OL Greg Long
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Abdullah Anderson,
- Placed on IR: DL Marlon Davidson, TE John Fitzpatrick, LB Deion Jones, OL Jalen Mayfield, CB Isaiah Oliver
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR: DT Aaron Crawford
Chicago Bears
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- Placed on IR: WR N’Keal Harry
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Mike Thomas
- Placed on IR: DE Khalid Kareem
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB C.J. Goodwin, LS Jake McQuaide
- Placed on IR: OT Tyron Smith, WR James Washington
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Darius Phillips, DT Mike Purcell, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: DB Essang Bassey
- Placed on IR: TE Greg Dulcich, CB Michael Ojemudia
- Released from IR: CB Donnie Lewis
Green Bay Packers
- Released from IR: WR Danny Davis
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: LB Trevor Denbow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): LB Caleb Johnson
- Released: DL Adam Gotsis
- Reverted to IR: K Jake Verity
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: LB Daniel Hardy
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: S Clayton Fejedelem
- Released from IR: CB Mackensie Alexander, DB D’Angelo Ross
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: WR Tyquan Thornton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Dwayne Washington
- Placed on IR: OT Trevor Penning, DL Malcolm Roach
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Austin Calitro, TE Tanner Hudson, DL Nick Williams
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): G Tyre Phillips
- Placed on IR: OL Shane Lemieux, DE Elerson Smith, CB Rodarius Williams
- Released from IR: TE Dre Miller, TE Ricky Seals-Jones
New York Jets
- Signed: S Marcell Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): LB Jamir Jones
- Released: LB Derrek Tuszka
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Tyler Kroft, DE Jordan Willis
- Placed on IR: LB Curtis Robinson, S Jimmie Ward
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Justin Coleman
- Placed on IR: DL LJ Collier
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: C Ryan Jensen
- Waived/injured: WR Cyril Grayson Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Cody Hollister
- Placed on IR: WR Racey McMath
Texans To Sign TE O.J. Howard
4:53pm: The Texans and Howard have struck a deal, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The former Buccaneers first-rounder will become by far the most experienced tight end on the Texans’ active roster.
3:04pm: O.J. Howard‘s Bengals visit has not produced an agreement yet, and the defending AFC champions added a tight end (Devin Asiasi) via waivers on the same day they met with Howard. The former first-round pick remains in search of a third NFL team.
The Texans are looking into adding the former Buccaneers and Bills pass catcher. The rebuilding AFC South team is meeting with Howard on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The sixth-year tight end is taking a physical at Texans headquarters.
While this sounds similar to the Howard-Cincinnati development, the Texans are thinner at tight end. The team used the waiver wire to add a Davis Mills complementary weapon (ex-Howard teammate Tyler Johnson). Now, a late free agency addition may further boost the second-year quarterback’s receiving corps.
If Howard signs in Houston, he will join Jordan Akins among tight ends to join the team. Though, the former Texans tight end is back on a practice squad agreement. Those now regularly turn into elevations to the 53-man roster, but the Texans still feature an uncertain crop at this spot.
Houston let Akins depart in free agency and re-signed Pharaoh Brown. Midway through training camp, Lovie Smith took the step to declare the veteran the team’s starter. Brown, however, has never topped 200 receiving yards in a season. The team also has 2021 fifth-rounder Brevin Jordan and rookie fifth-rounder Teagan Quitoriano. The latter, however, will miss at least four games after being placed on IR this week.
The No. 19 overall pick in 2017, Howard was faring decently with the Bucs during his first two seasons (997 combined receiving yards, 11 TDs). But he never seemed to catch on under Bruce Arians. After Tom Brady‘s Tampa arrival preceded a Rob Gronkowski reunion, Howard became an afterthought in the Bucs’ offense. Following a 2020 Achilles rupture, Howard did not regain much of a role in the team’s passing game. Howard played 17 games but only totaled 135 receiving yards and one touchdown. The Bills did not see enough from a player they guaranteed $3.5MM in training camp, leading him to this spot.
But the Texans would appear to offer a chance for Howard, 27, to re-establish the form he displayed in Dirk Koetter‘s offense years ago. (Although Koetter worked under Smith in Tampa, the current Texans HC was gone by the time Howard arrived.) Will this lead to a deal? Houston’s attempt to acquire Adam Shaheen in a trade from Miami failed, but it still looks like the rebuilding team’s position could use bolstering — for Mills’ sake, if nothing else.
Giants Release LB Blake Martinez, Claim G Tyre Phillips
The Giants had Blake Martinez on their initial 53-man roster, but as of Thursday afternoon, he is a free agent. New York released the veteran linebacker.
This removes a seventh-year veteran from Big Blue’s linebacking corps. Martinez accepted a pay cut this offseason, coming after he suffered an ACL tear early during the 2021 slate. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets, this was a peculiar move by the Giants; the team basically guaranteed him an extra $2MM before ultimately cutting him. This is believed to be a mutual parting, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (on Twitter). Martinez was at practice Thursday but had been excused Wednesday.
Martinez’s departure will clear a path for Tyre Phillips, the former Ravens guard whom the Giants claimed earlier Thursday. The Ravens waived Phillips on Wednesday. The Ravens had hoped Phillips would clear waivers and return to the team via a practice squad agreement, per ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter), but the former Baltimore starter did not make too far down the league’s priority list.
A former Packers fourth-round pick, Martinez posted four straight seasons of at least 140 tackles over his final three Green Bay years and his 2020 Giants debut. During an offseason that featured then-GM Dave Gettleman dole out big contracts to Martinez and James Bradberry, the former signed a three-year, $30MM deal. Following Martinez’s ACL tear, Gettleman stepped down. Big Blue’s new regime worked with Martinez to bring him back in March, but the team may be moving toward younger pieces at the lower-value linebacker spots.
Martinez, 28, played in two of the Giants’ preseason games after sitting out their August opener. Former seventh-rounder Tae Crowder is in line to start for the Giants, who used a fifth-round pick on Micah McFadden this year.
A 2020 third-round pick, Phillips, 25, started 13 games for the Ravens over his two seasons with the team. He became the team’s Week 1 starter as a rookie and was in position as Baltimore’s starting left guard to start last season as well. But multiple injuries derailed Phillips’ time in Maryland. The Ravens moved on with Ben Powers and Ben Cleveland as their non-Kevin Zeitler guard contingent.
The Giants have been busy up front this offseason. After injuries ransacked their 2021 O-line, the Giants added four first-string blockers (center Jon Feliciano, guards Mark Glowinski and Joshua Ezeudu, tackle Evan Neal). They also placed guard Shane Lemieux on IR Wednesday, sidelining him for at least four games. Phillips would represent a veteran alongside Ezeudu, a third-round rookie.
Cooking Accident Sends Cardinals CB Antonio Hamilton To NFI List
A part-time starter in his first season with the Cardinals, Antonio Hamilton was on track to be a full-time player in Arizona’s secondary this season. But he will not be starting his second Arizona campaign on time.
The Cardinals placed the veteran cornerback on their reserve/non-football injury list Thursday because of a cooking accident at his home, according to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hamilton explained on Twitter that he suffered a second-degree burn on his feet.
Kliff Kingsbury confirmed Hamilton was set to be a starter this season for the Cards; the fourth-year Arizona HC said Hamilton told the team about the accident earlier this week. Kingsbury said Hamilton had the best camp of any Cards defender. This is certainly an odd development, and it is unclear if the kitchen mishap occurred before or after the Cardinals agreed to acquire Trayvon Mullen from the Raiders. Either way, Hamilton is out for at least Arizona’s first four games.
Arizona has Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson in place as its top holdover corners, but Hamilton played 29% of the team’s defensive snaps last season. The 29-year-old defender has played with four teams across a six-year career — the Raiders, Giants, Chiefs and Cards — but has never started more than two games in a season. With the former UDFA having made a midcareer climb to the top of a team’s depth chart for the first time, this represents a tough break and another blow to a Cards cornerback corps that has been in need for a while now.
The Cardinals added both Mullen and corner Javelin Guidry at the position this week. The latter, a former standout sprinter, is coming over from the Jets via waiver claim. As a result of this development, cornerback Christian Matthew will be re-signed, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds (on Twitter). A seventh-round rookie, Matthew was waived to make room for Guidry on Wednesday.
Dolphins, DB Justin Bethel Agree To Deal
Although Justin Bethel has turned his talents on special teams into a lengthy NFL career, he did not make the Patriots’ 53-man roster this year. But another AFC East team will provide an opportunity.
Bethel is signing with the Dolphins. As a vested veteran, Bethel bypassed the waiver process and will head to Miami after spending the past two-plus seasons in New England. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Dolphins placed safety Clayton Fejedelem on IR.
The former sixth-round pick has 10 seasons under his belt; three of those (2013-15) produced Pro Bowl nods. While those honors came during Bethel’s run as a part-time cornerback in Arizona, they were associated with his special teams acumen. Bethel, 32, never worked out as a corner but has become one of the league’s top special-teamers.
The Patriots used Bethel on 84% of their special teams plays in 2020 and had him out there on 79% of such sequences last season. High-level valuers of special teams performance, as Matthew Slater‘s career illustrates, the Pats still could not find a roster spot for the veteran this year.
While Bethel did not have a regular role on defense in New England, he will rejoin former Pats cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer, who is going into his third season as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator. Bethel will see his previous teammates in Week 1.
Eagles Claim RB Trey Sermon
The 49ers’ plan to stash Trey Sermon on their practice squad will not come to pass. The Eagles intervened via a waiver claim, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Sermon will take the Philadelphia roster spot vacated by Wednesday’s Jalen Reagor trade.
Although Sermon flamed out quickly in San Francisco, he will head to a team that is coming off a season in which its rushing attack led the NFL. The Eagles will add the 2021 third-round pick to a backfield stable that includes Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and 2021 draftee Kenneth Gainwell.
The Eagles engaged in trade talks with the 49ers for Sermon last week, per Schefter, but nothing came to pass (Twitter link). San Francisco was holding one of its 16 practice squad slots for the back it traded up to land at No. 88 last year. But Sermon never quite escaped Kyle Shanahan‘s doghouse. He will attempt to start over in Philly.
Sermon, who was productive at both Oklahoma and Ohio State, is going into his age-23 season. He did average 4.1 yards per carry last season, but it came on just 41 handoffs. Sixth-round rookie Elijah Mitchell leapfrogged him by Week 1 of last season, and after it appeared Sermon was going to be a major part of San Francisco’s run game, he never gained a foothold in Shanahan’s offense. Despite Mitchell battling multiple injuries last season, Sermon started just two games and cleared 35 rushing yards in just one contest.
Philadelphia pivoted to its ground game midway through last season, and the Sanders- and Jalen Hurts-driven attack ended the campaign atop the league in rushing yards. It might be difficult for Sermon to carve out a regular role in Philly this season, though Sanders and Scott are going into contract years. Sermon, who averaged north of seven yards per tote in his junior and senior seasons (albeit with limited workloads), showing enough this year could earn him a bigger role down the line. Three years remain on Sermon’s rookie contract.
Steelers Move WR Calvin Austin, S Damontae Kazee To IR
One of the two rookie wideouts the Steelers drafted this year will not start the season on time. Calvin Austin III joins safety Damontae Kazee in being moved to IR ahead of Week 1.
Because Pittsburgh carried both through to IR following Tuesday’s roster cut, each can return after four games. The NFL both increased the IR-return timetable from three games to four this season and, after unlimited IR comebacks could ensue in 2020 and 2021, limited players coming off IR to eight this year.
With Austin and Kazee shifting off the roster for the first four weeks, the Steelers re-signed linebacker Marcus Allen and offensive lineman Trent Scott. Allen has been with the team since 2018, while Scott — a Panthers spot starter over the past two seasons — initially caught on with Pittsburgh in May.
After flashing this offseason, Austin sustained a foot injury that has forced him to miss time. The Steelers took the Memphis in the fourth round (138th overall), doing so just before the Ravens planned to select him. The Austin pick came two rounds after Pittsburgh selected George Pickens. Pittsburgh’s second-rounder is expected to join Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool as the team’s top receivers. The Steelers, as they are wont to do, reloaded in the draft at the position — after letting JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington walk in free agency.
The Steelers had prepared to place Kazee on IR since his injury in their preseason finale. A 15-game Cowboys starter last season, Kazee is expected to miss extensive time due to a wrist injury. The Steelers placed safety Karl Joseph on IR before the season, but because they waited until after setting their roster to shift Kazee to the injured list, the latter is eligible to return during the year.
Falcons Place LB Deion Jones, CB Isaiah Oliver On IR
The Falcons removed Deion Jones from their active/PUP list last week, but the veteran linebacker will still miss the season’s first four games. Atlanta placed Jones on IR Thursday.
This turned out to be part of a bigger Atlanta IR shift. In addition to the Jones placement, the Falcons moved cornerback Isaiah Oliver, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield and tight end John FitzPatrick to IR. All are now ineligible through Week 4.
[RELATED: Falcons Claim T Chuma Edoga]
With one of the free roster spots, the Falcons brought back linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. The team had included the former Bears and Raiders defender among its Tuesday cuts. Atlanta also re-signed defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson and offensive lineman Colby Gossett.
Linked in trade rumors for months, Jones underwent shoulder surgery in May to quiet those. He did not return to practice until late August. The seventh-year defender is set to count for a Falcons-most $20MM against the 2022 cap. The team added Kwiatkoski, former Dean Pees Titans charge Rashaan Evans and second-rounder Troy Andersen at the position — one also housing third-year cog Mykal Walker — this offseason. That and the Falcons having moved on from most of their Super Bowl LI nucleus, as they attempt to rebuild, has naturally inserted Jones’ name into departure rumors.
It should not be completely ruled out Jones could be dealt by the Nov. 1 deadline, but Thursday’s transaction — continuing an injury hiatus into the season — further complicates that status.
Oliver went down with a season-ending knee injury in October of last year. Despite that, the former second-round pick re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year, $2.39MM deal. A 33-game Falcons starter, Oliver will have missed at least a year of football by the time he is able to return. Davidson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last month. Mayfield lost his right guard job to journeyman Elijah Wilkinson during camp.
49ers Waive RB Trey Sermon
SEPTEMBER 1: Should Sermon clear waivers, the 49ers plan to offer him a practice squad spot, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. With claims on the second-year back to be known soon, Sermon’s next stop should be determined Thursday.
AUGUST 31: San Francisco turned heads when selecting Trey Sermon as high as they did last season. Today, his 49ers tenure as taken another notable turn as the team is waiving him (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates).
The Oklahoma and Ohio State product only topped 1,000 scrimmage yards once in his four-year college career. However, his 870 rushing yards (on an average of 7.5 per carry) with the Buckeyes in 2020 helped boost his draft stock. The 49ers selected him in the third round – having traded up to do so – adding another back to Kyle Shanahan‘s well-known committee system.
As a rookie, the 23-year-old started just two of the nine games he played in. He turned 41 carries into 167 yards and one touchdown, hardly the production which would be expected of such a highly-drafted back. The presence of Jeff Wilson and Elijah Mitchell left him with plenty of competition for touches in both the short- and long-term.
That became especially true when the 49ers took another third-round back this past April, drafting Tyrion Davis-Price. His addition spoke to the regard in which Sermon was held by the front office, although recent remarks from general manager John Lynch suggested that this move was unlikely.
“He worked incredibly hard and had a tremendous offseason,” Lynch said of Sermon last week (Twitter link via PFF’s Doug Kyed). “[It] hasn’t showed up in the games, but throughout training camp [he] has been one of our best players.”
Yates’ colleague Adam Schefter tweets that the 49ers waived Sermon to accommodate the arrival of former Browns guard Blake Hence, whom they claimed earlier today. Whether Sermon is able to return to San Francisco’s practice squad, or gets claimed by a team likely to have a larger workload to offer him will be worth watching.