Titans Sign OLB Tarell Basham
Tarell Basham is coming back to the AFC South. The former Colts draft choice signed with the Titans on Monday, ending a brief stay in free agency. This is an active-roster agreement, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
After dangling Basham in trades for a bit, the team did not find a taker. Dallas used one of its injury activations to bring Basham off IR, where he resided for much of its season’s first half, but waived him last week. With a high-six-figure total still left on Basham’s deal, he cleared waivers. But the Titans brought him in for a workout late last week and will sign him.
Tennessee has dealt with a steady stream of edge rusher injuries. Harold Landry suffered a season-nullifying ACL tear late this summer, and Bud Dupree has missed three games. Rotational cog Ola Adeniyi has missed most of this season, though the Titans did activate the young pass rusher off IR ahead of Week 13.
Basham stands to provide some more depth for the AFC South leaders. Alongside lead rushers Denico Autry and Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee has seen second-year outside linebacker Rashad Weaver (5.5 sacks) take a step forward this season. DeMarcus Walker, on his third team in three years, has also contributed to the team’s pass rush (4.5). The Titans are tied for 10th in the league with 33 sacks.
The Colts waived Basham early during the 2018 season, and he spent two-plus seasons with the Jets and much of the 2020s with the Cowboys. Basham, 28, totaled seven sacks between the 2020 and ’21 seasons. The ex-Ohio Bobcat’s three forced fumbles during his Jets contract year upped his value in 2021, when he signed a two-year, $5.5MM deal with the Cowboys.
While Basham’s 3.5 sacks helped Dallas’ cause during a 2021 playoff campaign, the team’s changes up front this offseason left less room for him upon return from IR. Basham suffered a quadriceps injury in Week 1 and only played eight defensive snaps upon return. Mike McCarthy said Basham’s exit came about because of a roster crunch, with the Cowboys needing to clear space for Tyron Smith and James Washington eventually.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed from practice squad: WR DeSean Jackson
- Waived: WR Binjimen Victor
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated for return: TE Donald Parham
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: CB Isaac Yiadom
- Promoted: TE Lucas Krull, WR Kirk Merritt
- Waived: WR Kevin White
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, ILB Ulysees Gilbert
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on IR: WR Cody Hollister
For Minor NFL Transactions followers, Jackson is obviously overqualified for inclusion here. He is one of the great deep threats in NFL history. But the Ravens made a procedural move involving the 35-year-old wideout. Jackson initially moved to Baltimore’s 53-man roster as a gameday elevation. He will now reside on the team’s active roster moving forward. Should the Ravens cut Jackson, he will need to pass through waivers. Jackson, who has played in three Ravens games, has five receptions for 100 yards this season.
A hamstring injury has sidelined Parham, but the Chargers are moving into position to have the 6-foot-8 tight end back in uniform. An XFL 2.0 alum, Parham has been a Justin Herbert auxiliary target during his time with the team. Parham caught six touchdown passes from 2020-21; he has yet to score this season. Despite the usual array of Bolts injuries, the team is in good shape for IR activations. The Chargers have only used two of their eight allotted activations this season.
Buccaneers Activate DB Logan Ryan From IR
DECEMBER 5: Ryan is back on the Bucs’ active roster. The team moved the veteran defender back onto its 53-man roster Monday, representing its third injury activation this season. Five remain for Tampa Bay. Ryan has been out since going down in Week 4 with the foot ailment.
NOVEMBER 30: It sounds like the Buccaneers will soon be getting some reinforcement on defense. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), Tampa Bay has designated defensive back Logan Ryan to return from injured reserve. The Buccaneers will now have three weeks to activate the veteran to the active roster.
Ryan suffered a foot injury back in October that ultimately required surgery. Prior to that, the Buccaneers were leaning on Ryan in their secondary. In his four games (two starts), the veteran appeared in more than half of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps, with Ryan collecting nine tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception.
At the beginning of the year, Ryan generally took the field alongside safeties Mike Edwards and Antoine Winfield whenever the latter was moved to the slot in sub packages. However, whenever Ryan returns, he could end up seeing a different role. Winfield is dealing with an ankle injury that forced him out of Sunday’s loss, while cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting are dealing with their own injuries.
Ryan’s versatility could end up coming in handy as the Buccaneers approach the final stretch of the season. The veteran made a name for himself as a cornerback in New England, and following four seasons and two championships with the Patriots, Ryan landed a lucrative contract from the Titans in 2017. He ended up playing out his deal in Tennessee, and when he joined the Giants in 2020, he decided to switch to safety. It’s been a bit since the 31-year-old played cornerback, but considering his more than 100 games of experience at the position, he could surely fill in if needed.
Bengals Waive P Kevin Huber; KR Brandon Wilson Reverts To IR
Nearly three months after breaking Ken Riley‘s record for games played as a Bengal, Kevin Huber is now available on the waiver wire. The Bengals moved on from the longest-tenured punter in team history Monday.
Huber has not played since Week 9. The Bengals had promoted offseason challenger Drue Chrisman from their practice squad in mid-November, and the younger specialist has handled punts over the past three games. The organization will fully pivot to the younger specialist, though special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said (via Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson, on Twitter) the prospect of Huber sticking around on the practice squad — assuming he clears waivers — as a mentor is in play.
“Kevin was our punter for a very long time,” owner Mike Brown said. “We appreciated every moment he was here. He has been a steadying force for us, an excellent player and a good person. Any football team would be blessed to have him for the length of time we did.”
Huber, 37, is a Cincinnati native who suited up for the Bearcats before being drafted by the Bengals in the 2009 fifth round. The Bengals and Huber agreed on five contracts since, most recently partnering up on a one-year, $1.8MM deal in May. A 2014 Pro Bowler, Huber played 138 straight games from that season until his demotion this year.
Although Lee Johnson‘s 259 career games surpass Huber’s, the latter has long been the longest-tenured punter in Bengals history. Only Sam Koch and Dustin Colquitt punted in more games for one team this century. Huber also served as the Bengals’ field goal holder throughout his stay with the team.
While teams almost never carry two punters on their active roster, Chrisman has been a gameday elevation during this audition of sorts. Chrisman, 25, caught on with the Bengals as a 2021 UDFA. Huber beat Chrisman out for the job last season and this year out of training camp, but the Ohio State product is averaging a strong 51.2 yards per punt. In his nine-game run this season, Huber was at 43.2 — his lowest figure since 2010. Chrisman does not have enough punts to qualify, but his 51.2-yard average would rank second in the NFL.
Additionally, the Bengals are not activating kick returner Brandon Wilson from the reserve/PUP list. Sidelined since suffering a torn ACL in November 2021, Wilson will revert to season-ending IR. The Bengals designated the young returner for return from the PUP list in November but needed to activate him by Monday in order to avoid this outcome.
Wilson served as Cincinnati’s primary kick returner from 2019-21; he notched kick-return TDs in 2019 and ’20. The Bengals have three injury activations remaining and will keep them in their pocket rather than use one on the sixth-year special-teamer. Running backs Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams have seen time returning kicks this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/22
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Brett Hundley (story)
- Released: LB Devon Kennard
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Jarrett Guarantano
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Joshua Dobbs
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Quandre Mosely
Dobbs’ arrival in Detroit comes not long after he visited the Lions on a workout. The journeyman will provide depth behind starter Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld on the taxi squad, after the Bears signed Tim Boyle to their active roster last week.
Ravens Sign QB Brett Hundley To Practice Squad; Latest On Lamar Jackson
The Ravens saw starting quarterback Lamar Jackson exit the game yesterday, and they have made a move which casts further doubt on his Week 14 availability. Baltimore is signing veteran Brett Hundley to its practice squad, as announced (on Twitter) by his agent. The Ravens have confirmed the move.
The 29-year-old has bounced around since entering the league as a Packers fifth-rounder in 2015. He has made 18 appearances and nine starts over the course of his career, only seeing the field during his stints in Green Bay and Arizona. He signed in Baltimore this past May to operate as training camp competition for a place on the team’s taxi squad.
Backup Tyler Huntley took over for Jackson following the latter’s knee injury yesterday, as he did to close out the 2021 season. The only other signal-caller the Ravens had before today, however, was undrafted rookie Anthony Brown, so depth would be needed in the event Jackson was unable to play this Sunday against the Steelers.
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh indicated that that will likely be the case. Jackson is dealing with a knee injury, and earlier this morning NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that the two-time Pro Bowler is likely to miss at least one game as a result of it (video link). That would create the need for insurance provided by this deal, though Harbaugh has yet to rule out Jackson, calling him “week-to-week.”
Assuming Huntley is forced to start again, Sunday will mark his second career game against the Steelers. The former UDFA was in action during the regular season finale last year, an overtime victory for Pittsburgh. His statistics from yesterday – 27-of-32 passing, one interception, along with 41 yards and the game’s only touchdown on the ground – could provide a glimpse of what is to come during Jackson’s absence.
The win over the Broncos allowed Baltimore to remain in first in the AFC North at 8-4, but any missed time for Jackson could prove highly detrimental to their playoff seeding. The Ravens face a short week after the upcoming Pittsburgh game, as they are set to visit the Browns for a Saturday contest on December 17.
Dolphins Sign LT Eric Fisher, Place T Austin Jackson On IR
The Dolphins have been hit with injuries at the offensive tackle spot recently, and the team is set to make a notable move to address the position. Miami is signing veteran free agent Eric Fisher and placing tackle Austin Jackson on IR, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move.
Fisher, 31, enjoyed a standout eight-year tenure with the Chiefs which included a Super Bowl victory. During the 2020 postseason, however, he suffered a torn Achilles which led to his release. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal with the Colts and protected the blindside in Indianapolis last season.
His 2021 performance (during which he started 15 games and earned a 68.2 PFF grade) was hampered by the lingering effects of the Achilles injury and other ailments, however, and a deal keeping him with the Colts could not be finalized. That has left him on the free agent market into December this season, allowing him to sign with a team in need of depth late in the season.
Miami certainly meets that criteria, given the pectoral injury suffered in Week 12 by left tackle Terron Armstead. The high-priced free agent signing could return at some point in the regular season, but the team will understandably be cautious with his recovery. Doing so would have been easier if not for Jackson suffering an ankle injury at the same time.
With the IR placement, the latter will now miss at least the next four weeks of the season, after both he and Armstead were unable to suit up for yesterday’s loss to the 49ers. With Miami thin at the tackle spot, Fisher should immediately be able to at least provide experienced depth behind Greg Little and Brandon Shell, both of whom have primarily played at right tackle.
The 8-4 Dolphins are well-positioned to make the playoffs this season, but a drop-off in play up front could threaten their postseason chances. If Fisher is capable of playing at the level he demonstrated during his time in Kansas City, though, calling him into action could significantly ease the time spent without Armstead available.
Commanders LB Cole Holcomb Out For Season
DECEMBER 5: Holcomb has undergone surgery on his foot, and will miss the remainder of the season as a result (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). The news will leave Washington shorthanded for the stretch run and postseason if they make it. In encouraging news regarding Holcomb’s impending free agency, Pelissero adds that he will be recovered in full by March.
NOVEMBER 25: Cole Holcomb‘s injury absence will extend into January. The Commanders placed the starting linebacker on IR on Friday, mandating he miss four more games.
The fourth-year defender has been out with a foot injury since Week 7. Ron Rivera said earlier this week Holcomb was scheduled to visit a foot specialist. It is uncertain if Holcomb has an injury that will prevent him from playing again this season, but he is down until at least Week 17 — because of Washington’s late bye — as a result of this transaction.
[RELATED: Commanders Designate Carson Wentz For Return]
This injury has prevented Holcomb from following up on his team-leading (by a mile) 142 tackles last season. Holcomb, 26, has been a Washington starter nearly throughout his career. Despite being a fifth-round pick, the North Carolina alum started 15 games as a rookie and has settled in as a key defender since.
This season, Pro Football Focus rates Holcomb 32nd among off-ball linebackers. Illustrating the impact Holcomb has when available, his 69 tackles are still 11 more than any other Commander this year. His contract is up at season’s end.
Additionally, Washington used one of its injury activations to bring linebacker Milo Eifler off IR. A second-year UDFA, Eifler has been a backup during his seven-game run with the team over the past two seasons. Because the Commanders also activated Chase Young off the PUP list earlier this week, they now have four injury activations remaining. The team would undoubtedly save an IR-return slot for Holcomb, in the event he will be ready to come back when first eligible on New Year’s Day.
Panthers Waive Baker Mayfield
10:40am: The move is now official, as the Panthers confirmed that Mayfield is no longer with the team.
9:45am: After less than one season in Carolina, Baker Mayfield‘s time with the Panthers is set to come to an end. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that the team will place their former starting quarterback on waivers later today. ESPN’s David Newton tweets that the 27-year-old requested the move.
Mayfield was acquired in the summer in a move which concluded a drawn-out negotiating process between the Panthers and Browns. The former No. 1 overall pick requested a move out of Cleveland, one which became inevitable upon their acquisition of Deshaun Watson in March. Mayfield, as expected, won out a training camp competition between himself and fellow 2018 draftee Sam Darnold.
The former Heisman winner took on the No. 1 role for the first five games of the season, but failed to live up to expectations; the Panthers’ Week 5 loss proved to be the final game of former head coach Matt Rhule‘s tenure with the team. With Darnold and rookie Matt Corral sidelined to injuries, Mayfield had little in the way of competition for a first-team spot until he suffered a high ankle sprain of his own. That paved the way for former UDFA P.J. Walker to take over for five consecutive games.
Mayfield replaced Walker during the second half of the Panthers’ blowout loss to the Bengals in Week 9, but was not given another start until two games later against the Ravens. That contest, like much of the rest of the campaign, did not go according to plan as Mayfield has searched for a return to the form shown in his rookie season and interim head coach Steve Wilks has taken the remainder of the season to evaluate each available signal-caller on the roster.
With Darnold back to full health, Wilks made it clear that he would see action as the starter in the closing stages of the season. As expected, then, the failed Jets passer worked as a first-teamer in Carolina’s Week 12 win against the Broncos. He will do so again this week, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noting that Walker will, to little surprise, serve as the backup (Twitter link). With Corral sidelined for the season, those two will see out the rest of the year for the 4-8 Panthers.
Darnold’s return spelled the end of the road for Mayfield in Carolina, but he will not be expensive for an acquiring team. Less than $1.5MM remains on his 2022 contract – the fifth-year option which made this a hugely important season for him as he approaches free agency. Given that figure, and the season-ending injury suffered by Jimmy Garoppolo yesterday, the 49ers represent an obvious candidate to put in a claim. San Francisco’s current QB depth chart consists of Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson, so Mayfield could at least compete with those two as the NFC West leaders look to make a deep playoff push despite their injuries at the position. If he goes unclaimed, Mayfield will become a free agent.
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo Out For Season
8:30pm: With Garoppolo likely headed to injured reserve, the 49ers plan to sign veteran journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson off of the Broncos’ practice squad, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. This will be Johnson’s fourth stint in San Francisco after spending the 2012 offseason with the 49ers, constantly being signed and released by the team throughout the 2014 season, and spending the 2020 season on San Francisco’s practice squad.
Johnson has been a member of more NFL teams than he has played years in the league, playing with 14 teams over 13 years. He signed with the Broncos at the beginning of this past offseason and was temporarily on the team’s active roster after an injury to starter Russell Wilson.
He last appeared in a game last season for the Ravens when he started in place of an injured Lamar Jackson and an absent Tyler Huntley, who had tested positive for COVID-19. The Ravens lost that game despite Johnson completing 28 of 40 pass attempts for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite his three previous tenures with the organization, Johnson has never appeared in a game for the 49ers. That trend may continue as the rookie seventh-round pick, Purdy, showed he may have what it takes to pilot the 49ers offense. Johnson is likely being brought in for emergency backup duties only, considering Purdy has spent the entire season with 49ers.
6:53pm: Following this afternoon’s win over the Dolphins that saw quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leave in the first quarter with a reported ankle injury, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has told reporters that Garoppolo will be out for the remainder of the season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. With season opener starter Trey Lance already on season-ending injured reserve with his own ankle injury, the 49ers will be down to third-stringer Brock Purdy to lead the team for the remainder of the season. 
Shanahan explained to reporters that Garoppolo actually suffered a broken foot, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, telling the media, “He’ll be out. He’ll need surgery. (He) broke a few things in there.”
Heaps of drama surrounded Garoppolo’s situation coming into the season as the veteran quarterback sought a departure from his team of the last six years. In the end, San Francisco decided to hold on to Garoppolo, hoping his trade value would increase as the season went on. The move would prove to immediately benefit the 49ers when their chosen starter to open the season, Lance, suffered a broken right ankle and underwent season-ending surgery.
Since taking over, Garoppolo has a 7-3 record as the 49ers’ starter, helping to lead the team to an 8-4 record overall, good for first place in the NFC West and a current No. 4 seed in the conference. Garoppolo has done what he always seems to do as a starter, which is simply win football games.
When Garoppolo left today’s game after only one drive, the 49ers had to reach deep into their pockets. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy entered Week 13 as the only other quarterback on San Francisco’s active roster. Purdy not only performed admirably but was a huge contributor in helping the 49ers pull out a win against a Dolphins team that would currently sit atop the AFC if it had won today.
San Francisco faces an intriguing stretch over the last five weeks of the season. Next week will pit the seventh-round rookie against the all-time veteran as the team hosts Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Then a short week will send them to Seattle for a Thursday night matchup against the Seahawks that could very well decide the division. They’ll come back home to face a red-hot Commanders team before closing the season with a road trip to Vegas and another division matchup versus the Cardinals.
As for Garoppolo, a quick recovery is paramount for the 31-year-old. The injury could not have come at a worse time for Garoppolo as reports came out just this morning that the veteran was open to a new contract that would keep him in San Francisco. A perceived value that was riding high at an estimated $35MM per year may take a hit now due to the injury.
Upcoming updates should reveal the severity of the damage and the seriousness of the surgery, giving us an idea of what an expected timeline for recovery will look like. With Lance likely on track to be ready for the 2023 season, Garoppolo may find himself, once again, questioning his place in San Francisco.