NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/31/22
Only practice squad move heading into the New Year:
Detroit Lions
- Placed on practice squad IR: T Obinna Eze
Browns Place LB Jordan Kunaszyk On IR
The Browns are down another linebacker. The team announced that they’ve placed linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk on injured reserve, ending the player’s season.
Kunaszyk suffered a hand injury during Cleveland’s loss to the Saints last week. He’ll now join fellow linebackers Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, and Anthony Walker Jr. on injured reserve.
After spending the previous two seasons with Washington, Kunaszyk joined the Browns this past offseason. He was among the team’s final roster cuts, but after earning a spot on the practice squad, he quickly found a role for himself on the 53-man roster. The 26-year-old ultimately got into 15 games (two starts) for the Browns, compiling 22 tackles and one forced fumble.
To take the open roster spot, the Browns signed linebacker Tae Davis from the practice squad to the active roster. Davis was promoted for each of Cleveland’s past three games, collecting four tackles over that span. The former UDFA started his career with the Giants, including a rookie campaign where he had 33 tackles.
The Browns made two additional moves as they prepare for tomorrow’s game against the Commanders, promoting running back John Kelly Jr. and defensive tackle Roderick Perry II from the practice squad.
Colts Place DE Yannick Ngakoue On IR
Yannick Ngakoue‘s season has come to an end. Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have placed the defensive end on injured reserve.
Per Zak Keefer of The Athletic (on Twitter), Ngakoue suffered a throat injury during Monday’s loss to the Chargers. The defensive lineman practiced this week, but after feeling some pain, he met with the team doctor. It was ultimately determined the player will have to undergo a “procedure.”
Ngakoue has bounced around the NFL in recent years, spending time with the Jaguars, Vikings, Ravens, Raiders, and Colts since the 2019 season. He was traded from Las Vegas to Indy this past offseason for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and proceeded to start all 15 of his appearances for his new team. The 27-year-old finished his season with 9.5 sacks and 16 QB hits. Despite the solid numbers, Pro Football Focus only ranked Ngakoue 109th among 121 qualifying edge defenders. The defensive end is set to hit free agency following this season.
Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo soak up plenty of DE snaps in Indy, but someone like Ben Banogu or Khalid Kareem could see more snaps with Ngakoue out of the lineup. The Colts also signed defense end Kameron Cline to the active roster today (per the team’s Twitter).
Eagles Activate CB Avonte Maddox From IR
Out since Week 9, Avonte Maddox is on his way back for the Eagles. The NFC-leading team designated the fifth-year cornerback for return from IR on Wednesday.
Maddox sustained an ankle injury against the Texans last month but now has a three-week span to return to the Eagles’ 53-man roster. After activating defensive end Janarius Robinson on Tuesday, the Eagles have four injury activations remaining. Robert Quinn stands to account for one of those; Maddox is on track to claim another spot.
Tied to a three-year, $22.5MM contract agreed to in November 2021, Maddox is now the Eagles’ longest-tenured defensive back. Drafted in the fourth round by a Super Bowl-winning team with an experienced secondary, Maddox carved out a role for himself over the course of his rookie contract and now joins Darius Slay and James Bradberry as corners tied to veteran deals. Those pacts pair with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps‘ rookie accords.
Maddox, 26, returning this week would mean he would rejoin the league’s No. 1-ranked pass defense. While the Eagles have gotten by against the pass without the 26-year-old slot patroller, his return will benefit the 12-1 team. Pro Football Focus graded Maddox’s early-season work well, placing him just inside the top 40 at corner. In six games this season, Maddox was seeing action at a career-high rate. He logged 81% of the snaps during the six games he played this season. Maddox has been a constant for the Eagles since debuting, having played between 65% and 75% of Philly’s defensive snaps from 2018-21.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/22
Friday’s minor moves around the league:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: RT La’El Collins (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: OLB Sam Okuayinonu, CB John Reid
Broncos Place TE Greg Dulcich On IR
The Broncos’ thoroughly underwhelming passing offense will be shorthanded to close out the season. Tight end Greg Dulcich has been placed on IR, per a team announcement. 
The move officially ends his rookie campaign, one which was cut short by a lingering hamstring issue. The injury required an IR stint to begin the campaign, and delayed his NFL debut until Week 6; he re-aggravated it during the team’s disastrous Christmas Day loss to the Rams, which marked the final straw for head coach Nathaniel Hackett‘s tenure. In the 10 contests he played this year, the UCLA product had established himself as Denver’s top option at the position, logging a 75% snap share.
Dulcich quickly became one of Russell Wilson‘s preferred pass-catching options, receiving eight or more targets on four occasions this season. The third-rounder will end the year with a total of 33 receptions, 411 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Considering the fact that that total comes with seven missed games and within the league’s lowest-scoring offense, there will be plenty of optimism surrounding Dulcich moving forward.
His selection in this year’s draft came, of course, after 2019 first-rounder Noah Fant was included in the package Denver sent Seattle for Wilson. The latter move led to expectations for Albert Okwuegbunam to take on a more prominent pass-catching role. However, the 24-year-old has made only six appearances (and no starts) in 2022, and recorded just seven scoreless catches. That does not bode well for his prospects in 2023, the final year of his rookie contract.
Dulcich was one of only two Broncos players to record multiple touchdown catches during this lost season. The other – wideout Jerry Jeudy – is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. The latter is expected to be available, though, interim HC Jerry Rosburg said. With Dulcich sidelined, Denver will turn to Okwuegbunam and the likes of Eric Saubert, Eric Tomlinson and Andrew Beck at the tight end position for the next two weeks.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/30/22
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Calvin Jackson Jr.
- Waived (injury designation): WR DaeSean Hamilton
Commanders Place LB Jon Bostic On IR
It looks like Jon Bostic will finish a second straight season on IR. The Commanders moved the veteran linebacker to their injured list Friday, sidelining him for four games.
A pectoral injury will sideline Bostic, who has played in all 15 Washington games this season. It is unknown if Bostic suffered a significant pec injury, like he did last season. His previous such issue cost him 13 games in 2021.
This further depletes a Washington linebacking corps that is already without Cole Holcomb, the team’s top tackler last season. The contract-year defender has been out since Week 7 and has undergone foot surgery. Holcomb’s 446 snaps are still the second-most among Washington linebackers, behind only Jamin Davis‘ total. Bostic, who signed a one-year deal for the league minimum to return to D.C., has been on the field for 263 defensive plays this season.
The Commanders have used the 10th-year defender as a part-time starter; Bostic has started in five of the team’s past seven games and has totaled 25 tackles this season. Bostic, 31, has been with the team for the past four seasons. He made his way back to Washington late this summer, after his training camp agreement with the Saints did not lead to a spot on New Orleans’ 53-man roster.
Having seen game action for five teams since being a second-round Bears draftee in 2013, Bostic has made Washington his primary NFL stop. The ex-Florida Gator has started 40 games for Washington over the past four seasons. Washington also signed linebacker De’Jon Harris from its practice squad and signed cornerback Troy Apke to its taxi squad.
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Retires
Veteran NFL safety Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix reportedly joined his former team in order to retire today, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Clinton-Dix has effectively been out of the league for over a year now and has decided to hang up his cleats at 30 years old. 
Clinton-Dix was a first-round draft pick after electing to forgo his remaining eligibility at Alabama back in 2014. In the draft process, Clinton-Dix was often compared against Louisville safety Calvin Pryor for the title of the draft’s top safety prospect. After the Packers did not re-sign free safety M.D. Jennings, the team selected Clinton-Dix to come in and compete with then-second-year safety Micah Hyde for the starting spot at free safety alongside strong safety Morgan Burnett.
Hyde would win the starting job to start the season, but Clinton-Dix would receive plenty of playing time to start his rookie season as a fifth defensive back. It didn’t take long for Clinton-Dix to push Hyde for the starting role, though, earning his first start only seven weeks into the year. Clinton-Dix would refuse to relinquish the starting job from then on, starting every game for whatever team he would play on after that all the way through the 2019 season.
Clinton-Dix played nearly all of the remainder of his rookie contract as the Packers’ starting safety in tandem with Burnett. As a Packer, Clinton-Dix would haul in 14 interceptions, including a 2016 Pro Bowl season that would see him intercept five passes. He also proved himself to be a physical safety for Green Bay’s defense, leading the team in 2015 with 100 total tackles.
After exercising his fifth-year option, the Packers would trade Clinton-Dix halfway through his fifth year in the league to Washington. After playing out the remainder of his rookie deal in DC, Clinton-Dix signed a one-year contract with the Bears, with whom he would nab two more interceptions as a full-time starter. These games in Chicago would end up being the last starts, and the last significant playing time, of his career.
Clinton-Dix reunited with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas and was expected to take over at safety for the Cowboys after the loss of Jeff Heath. Unfortunately for Clinton-Dix, he was soon passed up by Darian Thompson on the depth chart and released just prior to the regular season. After sitting out the 2020 season following his release from the Cowboys, Clinton-Dix would spend a couple weeks of the offseason in San Francisco before being released prior to the 2021 season. He would be signed to the Raiders practice squad. He would appear in two games for Las Vegas off of the practice squad, playing only on special teams. Clinton-Dix was released in December and spent the short remainder of the season on Denver’s practice squad.
Over 13 months after making his last appearance on an NFL field, Clinton-Dix announced his retirement today, signing a one-day contract to end his career in his original NFL home of Green Bay.
Raiders Place CB Rock Ya-Sin On IR
The Raiders’ depth at cornerback isn’t appearing to improve anytime soon after the team placed Rock Ya-Sin on injured reserve. Ya-Sin is now one of six defensive starters on the Raiders IR joining cornerback Anthony Averett, linebackers Jayon Brown, Divine Deablo, and Denzel Perryman, and defensive end Chandler Jones. 
Ya-Sin was acquired during the offseason in a rare straight-up trade with the Colts in exchange for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ya-Sin and free agent addition Averett were going to be relied upon heavily this season as Las Vegas looked to replace two starting cornerbacks from 2021. Casey Hayward departed in free agency for the Falcons while Trayvon Mullen was traded just prior to the start of the 2022 season in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick that would only turn into a sixth if Mullen was active for the final two weeks of the NFL season. Considering he’s on the inactive list tonight for the Cowboys, it’s safe to say that the pick Las Vegas received from Arizona in the trade will remain a seventh rounder.
Ya-Sin and Averett both stepped up to the plate, starting games alongside returning starter Nate Hobbs, to start the year. Injuries would affect both athletes’ seasons, though. Averett missed four straight weeks after getting knocked out of the season opener and has missed the team’s last four contests dating back to the start of December. Ya-Sin hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in a Week 13 win over the Chargers. With the Raiders on the brink of elimination from postseason contention, Ya-Sin’s 2022 season could be over, barring a series of miracles that find Las Vegas in the playoffs for the second straight season.
Since Ya-Sin’s recent injury, the Raiders have experimented a bit with whom to start across from Hobbs. The first game without Ya-Sin saw the team start undrafted rookie Sam Webb, utilizing Tyler Hall, an undrafted player from 2021, as a fifth defensive back when needed. The next week, Las Vegas started veteran Sidney Jones and fifth defensive back Hall, but utilized Amik Robertson the most opposite Hobbs. In their most recent game, Robertson got the start as Hall continued his fifth-man role.
In those games, the Raiders’ cornerback group hasn’t been challenged too much with games against Baker Mayfield, Mac Jones, and Kenny Pickett. Expect that to change as the Raiders are set to face the 49ers and rookie Brock Purdy, who are firing on all cylinders, and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.