Chiefs To Promote Shane Buechele
The Chiefs are promoting quarterback Shane Buechele from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The move is being made to prevent the Cardinals from poaching him this week (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).
The Cardinals could use the extra insurance under center as Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy are both dealing with injuries. Murray’s status for this week is in doubt, thanks to his lingering ankle issue. Meanwhile, McCoy is still working through the pectoral injury he suffered on Sunday. If neither player is ready in time, QB3 Chris Streveler will likely start against the Seahawks.
Murray’s injury doesn’t seem all that serious, but the Cardinals are taking a cautious approach. They don’t want a repeat of last year, when the QB tried to fight through his shoulder trouble.
“That was a nagging situation last year,” Kingsbury said (via the team website). “(Kyler) played through it and kind of toughed it out. But he probably wasn’t able to be 100 percent the back of the season. So, this year we want to make sure he can feel as good as possible. We have the bye coming up, and hopefully, that gives him more time to recover and hit that home stretch. If he can play Sunday, he will play, but we want to be smart with him.”
Now, the Cardinals will have to look elsewhere for help. The Chiefs, for now, will have two backups behind Patrick Mahomes in Buechele and Chad Henne.
Cardinals, Devon Kennard Rework Deal
The Cardinals converted $2.6MM of outside linebacker Devon Kennard‘s base salary into a bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The move will carve out an additional $1.725MM in cap space for Arizona this year while kicking an equal amount on to their 2022 books. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Place Edmonds On IR]
Before the adjustment, the Cardinals had just ~$700K in cap room, according to Over The Cap. Now, they have a little extra space to make depth signings in the second half of the year.
The Lions cut Kennard in March of 2020, a surprise move given his 14 sacks across 2018 and 2019. The Cardinals gladly picked him up, signing him to a three-year, $20MM deal with $12MM in guarantees. He recorded just three sacks in 2020 and has yet to notch a sack this year, but Pro Football Focus has him ranked as one of the league’s best edge defenders, tied for 12th with Vikings standout Danielle Hunter.
The Cardinals fell to 8-2 on the year after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, but they’re still atop the NFC West and tied for the NFC’s best record with the Packers. They’ll look to get back in the win column on Sunday when they face the Seahawks in Seattle.
Titans Waive OL Bobby Hart, DL Amani Bledsoe
The Titans moved on from two players today. The team announced that they’ve waived offensive lineman Bobby Hart and defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe.
Hart has managed to stick around the NFL for seven seasons despite being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. The lineman started 21 games for the Giants between the 2015 and 2017 seasons, and he later started 45 games (of 46 appearances) for the Bengals between 2018 and 2020. Hart was released by the Bengals back in March, and he’s spent most of the 2021 campaign on the Bills and Dolphins practice squad.
The 27-year-old joined the Titans back in October, and he started a game for the team while filling in for injured offensive tackles Taylor Lewan and Kendall Lamm. Hart ultimately saw time in three total games during his stint in Tennessee.
Bledsoe joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2019, and after starting four of his 14 games with the Bengals in 2020, he returned to the Titans (via the practice squad) back in September. The 23-year-old saw time in five games (two starts) for the Titans this season, collecting a single tackle.
Dolphins Add DT Andrew Billings
Andrew Billings passed through waivers today, but the defensive tackle has already found his next gig. Billings is set to sign with the Dolphins, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
Billings was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2016, and it didn’t take him every long to establish himself as a starter. He started 30 of his 32 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, collecting a total of 3.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 11 QB hits.
The defensive tackle joined the Browns during the 2020 offseason, but he chose to opt out of the subsequent season. Billings ended up seeing time in only six games for Cleveland this season, collecting a single tackle. He was ultimately waived by the organization on Saturday.
Now, the 26-year-old will have a chance to kick start his career in Miami. Per Rapoport, the veteran will initially start on the practice squad, but he’s expected to be promoted to the active roster relatively quickly.
49ers Place Mohamed Sanu, Tavon Wilson On IR
Add a couple more to the 49ers’ list. On Monday, the team both wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and safety Tavon Wilson on the injured reserve list, per an announcement from head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Both players suffered their injuries against the Cardinals on Nov. 7. Sanu suffered his knee sprain in the third quarter, forcing him to the sidelines in the 31-17 defeat. Before that, the veteran was operating as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver, registering 15 catches for 177 yards through eight games. Without him, they’ll likely shift more targets to the likes of Trent Sherfield and Jauan Jennings.
Wilson, 31, has come off of the bench for seven of his eight games this year. He has a grand total of just ten stops in 2021 and it’s not clear if he — or Sanu – will return this year. In the meantime, they’ll turn to veteran Tony Jefferson, who has been activated for tonight’s game against the Rams.
Packers Cut Blake Bortles From Practice Squad
Well, that didn’t last long. On Monday, the Packers released quarterback Blake Bortles from the practice squad. In a related move, they’ve reinstated fellow QB Kurt Benkert from the taxi squad’s COVID-19 list. 
Bortles signed with the Packers on November 3, just after Aaron Rodgers‘ COVID-19 positive. Brought in to provide an extra layer of insurance behind Jordan Love, he’ll leave after just a handful of scrimmages.
Bortles, once groomed to be the future franchise face of the Jaguars, hasn’t seen live action since his three-game 2019 season. Last year, he spent some time with the Broncos, but didn’t make it into a game.
Bortles, 29, owns a 24-49 regular season record as a starter. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever get an opportunity to make another start. He may, however, find another practice squad opportunity elsewhere.
To date, his 2017 campaign stands as his best. That year, he was under center for the Jaguars’ run to the AFC title game and subsequent loss to the Patriots.
Raiders’ Alec Ingold Done For Year
It’s official. Raiders fullback Alec Ingold has been diagnosed with a season-ending ACL tear (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The Raiders will place Ingold on injured reserve this week, opening up a new spot on the 53-man roster. 
On the plus side, Pelissero hears that it’s an isolated ACL tear. That means Ingold’s MCL and PCL are still in tact, which should make his recovery process at least a little bit easier. If everything goes according to plan, Ingold should be good to go for the 2022 season opener.
With that said, it’s not a given that he’ll return to the Raiders. Ingold — earning just under $900K this year — is on course for free agency in March.
So far, Ingold has spent his entire career with the Raiders, ever since signing as a UDFA in 2019. The Wisconsin product started in all 32 of the Raiders’ regular season games between ’19 and ’20. This year, he’s capped at nine total games and three starts. His season will end with nine catches for 80 yards and one touchdown.
The Raiders are 5-4 following yesterday’s one-sided loss to the Chiefs. They’ll look to rebound on Sunday when they host the Bengals in Las Vegas.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/15/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: DL Matt Dickerson, WR Darrius Shepherd
Green Bay Packers
- Activated: QB Kurt Benkert
- Released: QB Blake Bortles (story)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB BoPete Keyes
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed FB Sutton Smith
- Released: WR Gary Jennings
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB James Morgan
- Released: DT Isaiah Mack
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Tyler Mabry
- Waived: QB Jake Luton
WFT’s Chase Young Done For Year
Chase Young‘s season is officially over. On Monday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that the defensive end has been diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
[RELATED: WFT’s Fitzpatrick Done For Season]
This was the feared outcome yesterday when Young went down with zero contact. Washington went on to beat the Buccaneers 29-19, but it’s a bittersweet victory given today’s news. They’re now severely shorthanded up front, especially since Montez Sweat is still sidelined with a broken jaw.
Young, the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, finished his first year with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He had 7.5-sacks last year; this season will end with just 1.5 sacks and 25 total stops.
“It’s definitely sad,” defensive tackle Jon Allen said on Sunday (via ESPN.com). “It’s going to be tough, but knowing Chase’s personality, knowing the way he works and the kind of guy he is, he’ll come back stronger than ever.”
Without Young and Sweat, Washington is left with James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Bunmi Rotimi, and rookie Shaka Toney at defensive end. They’ll look to add another edge rusher to the mix this week as they gear up for Sunday’s matchup with the Panthers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB Tavien Feaster
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: WR Mohamed Sanu, S Tavon Wilson (story)