NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/16/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on COVID-19 list: RB Nate McCrary
Carolina Panthers
- Released: LB Josh Watson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Brian Allen, S Tedric Thompson
Houston Texans
- Placed on COVID-19 list: DB Cre’von LeBlanc
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Colin Thompson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Greg Stroman
New York Giants
- Signed: C Evan Boehm
New York Jets
- Activated from COVID-19 list: LB Noah Dawkins
Cardinals To Place DeAndre Hopkins On IR
DeAndre Hopkins will have knee surgery to repair his torn MCL (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Cardinals will place the star wide receiver on injured reserve with the expectation that he will miss the remainder of the regular season. But, as previously reported, Hopkins could return after roughly six weeks, meaning that he could return for the later stages of the playoffs. ,
Hopkins met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week and learned that surgery would be his only choice. After further testing, the injury proved be just as bad as it initially appeared. Sandwiched between two Rams defenders in the end zone, Hopkins saw both defenders land on his legs, forcing him to sit out for the end of Monday night’s game.
The five-time Pro Bowler also missed time earlier this year with a hamstring injury. Now shut down for the rest of the year, his second Cardinals campaign will end with 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns. Last year, in a full 16-game slate, Hopkins posted 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six scores.
The Cardinals, sans Hopkins, will look to clinch a playoff spot this week with a win over the Lions. Of course, even without the three-time All-Pro, they still have plenty of weapons in Christian Kirk, Zach Ertz, A.J. Green, and rookie Rondale Moore.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: C Rodney Hudson
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Chuck Clark
Chicago Bears
- Activated for return: OT Germain Ifedi, CB Duke Shelley
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Terrence Brooks, DB Terrance Mitchell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: CB Dicaprio Bootle, DE Cortez Broughton, WR Daurice Fountain, LB Darius Harris
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Scott Quessenberry
- Promoted: DB Ben Deluca
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Ronnie Perkins
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Cameron Jordan
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Wes Martin
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Elijah Moore, LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
Washington Football Team
- Signed: DT Akeem Spence (story)
WFT Places Eight Players On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Washington Football Team added another eight players to the reserve/COVID-19 list today, writes ESPN’s John Keim. The leaves WFT with a staggering 18 organization players on the list, 14 of which have been placed on the list this week alone.
[RELATED: NFL Considering Changes To COVID-19 Protocols]
WFT currently holds the last playoff spot in the NFC, and they’re set for a crucial showdown with the Eagles on Sunday. While the organization will surely activate a handful of players from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to this weekend, there should still be plenty of absences. As Keim notes, nine of the 18 players who are currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list are usual starters, including five of their top six defensive linemen. The team also has only two healthy tight ends on the roster, and their receivers corps could also be depleted.
“We’ve dealt with adversity all year,” said WFT quarterback Taylor Heinicke. “We’ve had guys go down and step up and play; it’s just more for this week. We have confidence in all our guys. It should be an interesting one Sunday, but I feel good about it.”
Head coach Ron Rivera said he hasn’t heard any discussions of canceling the game against the Eagles. Earlier tonight, commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the NFL wasn’t planning on postponing or cancelling any games.
The current WFT players are listed on the reserve/COVID-19 list (h/t to Keim on Twitter):
- DT Jon Allen
- QB Kyle Allen
- CB Troy Apke
- DE William Bradley-King (practice squad)
- LB Milo Eifler
- S Darrick Forrest
- CB Kendall Fuller
- TE Temarrick Hemingway (practice squad)
- LB Khaleke Hudson (also on IR)
- DT Matt Ioannidis
- T Cornelius Lucas
- LB David Mayo
- TE Sammis Reyes
- DT Tim Settle
- WR Cam Sims
- DE James Smith-Williams
- DE Montez Sweat (also on IR)
- DE Casey Toohill
Broncos Add S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, WR Travis Fulgham To Practice Squad
The Broncos have added two notable names to their practice squad. The team announced that they’ve signed safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and wideout Travis Fulgham to the taxi squad.
Clinton-Dix spent much of the offseason and preseason with the 49ers, but he was let go before the start of the regular season. He ended up spending much of the 2021 campaign on the Raiders practice squad, but he managed to get into 13 special teams snaps in two games with the organization. The 28-year-old was cut by the Raiders last week.
The Cowboys signed the former Pro Bowler in 2020 but released him before the start of the regular season. Prior to these struggles landing a steady gig, Clinton-Dix did not miss a game from 2014-19. He worked as a starter throughout that stretch, making the Pro Bowl with the Packers in 2016 and ranking as an upper-echelon safety (per Pro Football Focus) with the Bears in ’19. Clinton-Dix could end up being forced into Denver’s lineup if any of Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, and/or P.J. Locke are forced to miss Sunday’s game.
For an Eagles receiving corps decimated by injury last season, Travis Fulgham played a big role. He caught a game-winning touchdown pass to help the depleted Eagles past the 49ers and ended his season with 38 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to last season, however, Fulgham had never caught a pass as a pro. He was waived by the Eagles back in August, and he’s had brief stints on Philly and the Dolphins practice squad this year.
Dolphins Add Damon Arnette To Practice Squad
The Dolphins have signed Damon Arnette to a practice squad deal (Twitter link via David Furones of the Sun Sentinel). This marks the cornerback’s first deal since he was cut by the Raiders earlier this year. 
Shortly after the tragedy involving Henry Ruggs, a video surfaced showing Arnette issuing threats and brandishing a handgun. The Raiders moved quickly to release the 2020 first-rounder, who was also in the midst of multiple lawsuits, including one for a car crash of his own.
Arnette made his name at Ohio State, flashing potential opposite of Jeff Okudah. With the ability to play on the inside or the outside, the Raiders were high on his upside. Unfortunately, his potential has been torpedoed by his off-the-field problems.
Arnette started in seven of his nine games as a rookie, collecting 25 tackles along the way. This year, he appeared in the Raiders’ first four games, but didn’t top 30% of the snaps in any of those contests.
While Arnette joins the 16-man practice squad, the rest of the team will prepare to face the Jets on Sunday. A win would give them six straight, a 7-7 record on the year, and at least a glimmer of hope in the Wild Card race.
Texans’ Jordan Jenkins To Return From IR
The Texans have designated Jordan Jenkins for return from IR, per a club announcement. Jenkins has missed the last few weeks with a torn PCL, but it appears that it was just a partial tear, one that didn’t require significant surgery. 
[RELATED: Texans, Dorsett Agree To Extension]
Jenkins, a 2016 third-round pick of the Jets, joined up with the Texans on a two-year, $6MM deal in March. The Texans aren’t playing for much at this point, but Jenkins may be motivated to keep his job (and contract) for 2022. In theory, the Texans could release him this spring to save $3MM against just $500K in dead money.
Jenkins notched 22.5 sacks in his previous five seasons with the Jets, including 15 sacks between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Then, he took a step back in 2020 with career-lows in tackles (32) and sacks (2). So far this year, he’s got 17 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in Houston.
The Texans are now 2-11 following Sunday’s loss the Seahawks. They’ll try to snap their three-game losing streak this week when they face the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Titans Designate Bud Dupree For Return
The Titans have designated outside linebacker Bud Dupree to return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. This will trigger a 21-day window for Dupree to return to the active roster. 
Dupree has missed the last three games with an abdominal injury. Although it was a less serious malady that the ACL tear that capped his 2020 season, it was frustrating nonetheless. Combined with Caleb Farley‘s season-ending ACL tear and injuries to Derrick Henry and Julio Jones, the Titans have been playing at half-strength.
Still, they’ve effectively sewn up the AFC South with a 9-4 record and they’re still in the mix for the conference crown. Dupree, who tallied 19.5 sacks between 2019 and 2020, should go a long way towards helping that effort. To date, he’s got just seven stops and one sack through seven games for the Titans. They’re expected better results from here on out as he plays on his five-year, $82.5MM deal.
It remains to be seen whether Dupree will be cleared this week. But, if he’s able to go, he’ll return against his former team on Sunday.
Texans, Phillip Dorsett Agree To Extension
Phillip Dorsett has a new deal. On Wednesday, the Texans agreed to a new extension with the veteran wide receiver that will take him through the 2022 season (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790).
The new portion of the deal carries a base salary of $1.035MM with $300K in guarantees ($100K signing bonus, $200K for skill, injury and salary cap). He’s also in line to receive a $50K workout bonus.
Dorsett, 29 in January, now stands as the Texans’ primary slot receiver following Davion Davis‘ season-ending leg fracture. Before that, he spent time with the Jaguars and Seahawks. Now, the 2015 first-round pick could see more action that he has in a while. His last season of significance came in 2019 with the Patriots when he tallied 29 grabs for 397 yards and five touchdowns. All in all, he has 125 receptions for 1,643 yards and eleven touchdowns across the last five-and-three-quarters seasons.
Ravens To Sign Josh Johnson
The Ravens are signing quarterback Josh Johnson off of the Jets’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The veteran will provide extra insurance for Baltimore this week if Lamar Jackson is unable to play. 
Johnson, 35, has signed with nearly half of the league at this point. His career has seen long stretches of inactivity and stints with startup football leagues. After getting into four games for Washington in 2018, he spent ’19 with the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football. In 2020, he was under center for the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats, until the league shuttered midway through it’s re-inaugural year.
This year, the Jets cycled him between the practice squad and active roster. He appeared in three games while Zach Wilson was sidelined, completing 64.4% of his throws for three touchdowns against one interception.
While Johnson will provide depth, the Ravens anticipate that Jackson will be able to go against the Packers on Sunday.
“The plans are right now, in my mind, for Lamar to be out there. So we’ll see where it goes this week. If he can go, he’ll go,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. “If not, Tyler [Huntley] will be the quarterback. That’s where we’re at.”