Falcons Sign P Thomas Morstead
Thomas Morstead has found his next gig. The Falcons announced that they’ve signed the veteran punter. Morstead also confirmed the signing on Twitter.
There’s a chance Falcons punter Dustin Colquitt is forced to miss Sunday’s game due to COVID-19 protocols. Morstead would be a temporary fill-in, and there’s a good chance he’ll earn his walking papers once Colquitt is back in the lineup.
Morstead, 35, first entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Saints in 2009. After earning a ring as a rookie, he signed multiple extensions to stay in New Orleans through 2020. This year, the Saints were more than $100MM over the cap, so he was released in the middle of their numbers crunch. Morstead landed with the Jets in mid-September, replacing the injured Braden Mann. But, with Mann designated for return, Morstead’s services were no longer needed and he was cut.
The veteran missed only two games in his 12 Saints seasons and punted in all seven of his Jets contests, bringing his career total to 197 appearances. Morstead was averaging 48.2 yards per punt with the Jets, his best average since 2016.
Titans WR Marcus Johnson Done For Season
Marcus Johnson is done for the season. The Titans veteran wideout has been placed on injured reserve, reports Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (via Twitter). Since this is Johnson’s second IR stint of the season, he’ll have to sit out the rest of the 2021 campaign.
Johnson suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that knocked him out for the majority of the contest. The receiver was a standout during training camp and preseason, but he landed on IR prior to the start of the season. He ended up returning in Week 5 and has played in each of the Titans last seven games (with three starts). In total, the 27-year-old has collected 158 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches.
In total, Johnson has seen time in 41 career games, hauling in 51 receptions for 839 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to his stint in Tennessee, he spent three seasons with the Colts.
With Julio Jones on IR, Johnson was expected to see a larger role in the offense, and he had a breakout game with an 100-yard outing in Week 10. A.J. Brown is also banged up, meaning the Titans passing attack could be led by the likes of Chester Rogers, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Dez Fitzpatrick during this weekend’s showdown with the Patriots.
Johnson wasn’t the only Titans player to land on IR today. The team also cornerback Chris Jackson on injured reserve.
49ers Sign Devin Funchess To P-Squad
The 49ers have agreed to sign wide receiver Devin Funchess to a practice squad deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Funchess, once a rising star with the Panthers, has yet to see the field in 2021.
The Packers released Funchess in August with an injury settlement. Between that and his 2020 opt-out, Funchess’ Packers run came and went without having ever played a down for Green Bay. His last action came in 2019 with the Colts, a stint that was really more like a cup of coffee. That season ended midway through Week 1, thanks to a broken collarbone. On the plus side, Funchess secured $10MM in salary that year, plus some additional bucks from his terminated Packers contract.
The Panthers selected Funchess in the second round of the 2015 draft and watched him enjoy the best year of his career in 2017, compiling 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Even though it took him 111 targets to get those 63 grabs, it was a glimpse of his future potential.
No one knows what Funchess has to offer at this point, but the Niners are eager to find out. There won’t be a whole lot of targets to go around behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle, but with Mohamed Sanu on injured reserve, Funchess could see some snaps ahead of Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield, and/or Travis Benjamin.
Titans Add Golden Tate To Practice Squad
The Titans have signed wide receiver Golden Tate to the practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The veteran wide receiver has yet to play this year, but he could be a quick promotion away from making his 2021 debut.
[RELATED: Titans Release Adrian Peterson]
“I would love to go back home to Tennessee,” Tate told SiriusXM NFL Radio back in June (Twitter link). “[I’d also like to go to] Indy, over with Carson Wentz. Obviously, the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford too.”
Tate, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has gotten his wish. The 33-year-old saw time in 23 games for the Giants over the past two seasons, collecting 84 receptions for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns. Before that (and the PED suspension), he captured a Super Bowl championship with the Seahawks and made the Pro Bowl with the Lions in 2014. From 2014-17 he had at least 1,000 yards in three of four seasons, but the expectations a bit lower at this stage of his career.
Meanwhile, the Titans have released fellow one-time star Adrian Peterson from the 53-man roster. So, if all goes well for Tate, he could earn a quick promotion to the varsity squad.
Titans Waive Adrian Peterson
The Titans have released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. Peterson, who signed with the Titans just three weeks ago, will be available to the rest of the NFL on the waiver wire.
Following the injury to Derrick Henry, the Titans signed the future Hall of Famer to their practice squad. Peterson ended up getting into three games (two starts) with Tennessee, collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was held to a season-low 15 offensive snaps on Sunday, with Dontrell Hilliard getting the bulk of the looks at RB. Hilliard’s performance (82 total yards) probably spelled the end of AP’s stint with the Titans. For the time being, the team will move forward with Hilliard, D’Onta Foreman, and Jeremy McNichols as their running back group.
Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018. There’s a chance he still finds another gig during the 2021 campaign; we previously heard that the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Titans.
Peterson, 36, is still less than 200 rushing yards away from the 15,000 mark. Depending on where he lands, he could be just a few weeks away from joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders in the elusive club. He’s also about 500 yards away from leapfrogging Sanders for fourth all time in rushing yards and six rushing TDs away from besting Marcus Allen for third place.
Saints’ Landon Young Done For Year?
Saints tackle Landon Young is set for season-ending foot surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This marks yet another frustrating injury for the Saints, who are already short-staffed on the offensive line.
Young made his first ever pro start on Sunday, filling in for injured left tackle Terron Armstead while playing on 98% of the snaps. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, they were without Ryan Ramczyk. The Saints hope to have at least one of those tackles back for Thursday’s game against the Bills, but they’re unlikely to have both in action at 100% health.
Between the injuries to the three tackles and guard Andrus Peat‘s season-ending pec tear, the Saints’ front five is full of holes. They’ll likely keep swing lineman Caleb Benenoch on the active roster, but they’ll need at least one more body for depth. For now, they have just two healthy tackles in James Hurst and Jordan Mills.
After the 40-29 loss to the Eagles, the Saints are at the .500 mark. Now, down yet another key player, they’ll aim 6-5 when they host the Bills on Thursday night.
Chiefs Extend LS James Winchester
The Chiefs have agreed to a two-year contract extension with long snapper James Winchester, according to his agent Ken Sarnoff (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but the new money average will position him as the highest-paid long snapper in NFL history. 
After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Winchester caught on with Kansas City in 2015 and became a staple of their special teams unit. The 32-year-old has played in all of the Chiefs’ 107 regular season games during this span, signing multiple deals to bypass free agency.
In 2017, Winchester restructured his deal to give the Chiefs an additional $400K in cap space. It’s likely that the new pact is similarly structured to provide KC with extra room in the near term, though Winchester will see a sizable bump from his current $890K/year average.
Previously, the highest-paid mantle was shared by five long snappers making $1.2MM: Luke Rhodes (Colts), Jeffrey Jansen (Panthers), Clark Harris (Bengals), Morgan Cox (Titans), and Jon Weeks (Texans).
Winchester and the Chiefs advanced to 7-4 on the year with Sunday’s win over the Cowboys. Currently on bye, they’ll look for their fifth-straight win against the Broncos on December 5.
Texans Cut RB Phillip Lindsay
The Texans are cutting running back Phillip Lindsay (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As a post-trade-deadline cut, Lindsay will be subject to the waiver wire. 
[RELATED: Texans’ Jenkins To Miss Time]
The Texans shopped Lindsay before the trade deadline, but they didn’t find any deals to their liking. Through ten games, Lindsay has 50 carries for 130 yards and one rushing touchdown, plus three grabs for 37 yards and one receiving TD. Far less efficient than usual, he’s been used far less than expected in Houston.
Of course, this hasn’t been a banner year for anyone on the Texans, so it’s hard to say whether this is indicative of a sharp decline for Lindsay. Before joining up with Houston, Lindsay averaged 4.8 yards per tote across three Broncos seasons. And, between 2018 and 2019, he showcased his receiving ability by reeling in 70 catches for 437 yards.
Still only 27, Lindsay could be a difference-maker for a contender. Any team claiming Lindsay would be responsible for the balance of his one-year contract and the prorated portion of his $2.25MM base salary.
The league’s other 31 teams will have 24 hours to submit claims for Lindsay. If he’s not claimed between now and 4pm ET/3pm CT Wednesday, he’ll be eligible to sign with any club of his choosing.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/23/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: K Brian Johnson
Denver Broncos
- Activated from COVID-19 list: OLB Pita Taumoepenu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Jon Dietzen
New England Patriots
- Signed: P Corliss Waltman
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Malcolm Perry
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Jace Sternberger
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Austin Mack, RB Rodney Smith, DE Kevin Strong
- Released: WR Chris Rowland, DT Niles Scott
Washington Football Team
- Signed: C Tyler Gauthier
- Released: LB Anthony Hines, WR Damion Willis
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: QB Chris Streveler
Buffalo Bills
- Designated for return: WR Marquez Stevenson
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: DL Margus Hunt
- Placed on IR: DB Duke Shelley
Denver Broncos
- Waived: CB Mac McCain
Houston Texans
- Released: RB Phillip Lindsay (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Dalvin Tomlinson
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Joe Flacco, QB Mike White
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: LS Carson Tinker
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: RB Dontrell Hilliard, DB Buster Skrine, LB John Simon
- Placed on IR: CB Chris Jackson
- Designated for return: FB Khari Blasingame