Bears’ David Montgomery Returns To Practice
The Bears have designated David Montgomery for return from injured reserve, per a club announcement. This move kicks off a 21-day window for the Bears to activate the running back. If he’s not restored to the roster in the next three weeks, he will be ineligible to return in 2021. 
Montgomery was placed on IR with an MCL sprain in Week 4. To date, he has registered 309 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, plus six catches for 49 yards. The Bears were expected to lean on ex-Kansas City starter Damien Williams in his stead, but they’ve gotten more production out of sixth-round pick Khalil Herbert. To date, he has 351 yards (and a touchdown) off of 81 carries, with the bulk of those yards coming in the last three games. That includes 5.0+ yards per carry against the Packers and the Bucs.
Montgomery, 24, is coming off of his best season to date. In 2020, he tallied 1,070 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs, good for 4.3 yards per carry. If he’s ready in time, he could make his ’21 debut against the Steelers on Monday night.
Eagles Cut LB Eric Wilson
Eric Wilson‘s stint with the Eagles has already come to an end. After joining the organization this past offseason, the Eagles cut the veteran today (per a team announcement). Wilson will first hit waivers before reaching free agency.
The former undrafted free agent spent the first four seasons of his career with the Vikings, evolving from a special teamer into one of the team’s best defenders. After starting 10 games through the first three seasons of his career, Wilson started 15 of his 16 games in 2020 and put up career numbers. He finished the campaign having compiled 122 tackles, three sacks, and three interceptions, earning the nickname “walking turnover” from fellow linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon brought in several former players this offseason, but Wilson never clicked during his time in Philly. The 27-year-old ended up starting only two of his seven games, collecting 43 tackles and one interception.
After playing in more than 60 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through the first four weeks, Wilson saw a reduced role recently, including a season-low 22 defensive snaps during his team’s Week 7 loss to the Raiders. The linebacker was inactive for Week 8.
Panthers Activate OL Pat Elflein
The Panthers will welcome back a key member of their offensive line this weekend. The team has activated guard Pat Elflein off injured reserve, reports Joe Person of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The 27-year-old landed on IR in September after suffering a hamstring injury. Elflein returned to practice back in October, and today was the deadline for the organization to activate him off IR. Per Jonathan M. Alexander of the Charlotte Observer, the lineman was expected to return earlier but suffered a setback.
The former third-round pick spent the beginning of his career with the Vikings, starting 43 of his 44 appearances. He split the 2020 season between the Vikings and the Jets, and he landed in Carolina this offseason on a three-year, $13.5MM deal. He started each of his two games this season, including a Week 1 win where he appeared in 95 percent of his team’s offensive snaps.
It remains to be seen if Elflein will slide back into the starting lineup for this weekend’s game against the Patriots. The Panthers offensive line has improved over the past few weeks, so the organization could end up sticking with backups Michael Jordan and Trenton Scott in the staring lineup.
Texans Waive Vernon Hargreaves III
The Texans have released cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer). As a post-deadline cut, he’ll go on the waiver wire and made available to the rest of the league’s teams. If he goes unclaimed after 24 hours, he’ll be a full-fledged free agent. 
Hargreaves started in five games for the Texans this year and played in nearly every snap on Sunday against the Colts. Of course, that wasn’t a banner game for the Texans — they lost 31-3 while Jonathan Taylor torched the front seven for 145 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Houston claimed Hargreaves off waivers from the Tampa last year, a low-risk move to improve their secondary. He went on to start in all 16 of his games while registering 72 stops, seven passes defensed, and one interception. The advanced metrics weren’t fond of his work — Pro Football Focus ranked him near the bottom at cornerback, out of 126 qualified NFL corners. Still, the Texans re-upped the former first-round pick on a one-year, $1.325MM deal.
Cutting Hargreaves won’t have much of an impact on the Texans’ cap, especially if another team scoops him up between now and Thursday afternoon.
Packers To Sign Blake Bortles To Practice Squad
The Packers are adding reinforcements in the wake of Aaron Rodgers‘ positive COVID-19 test. Quarterback Blake Bortles is en route to Green Bay, where he’ll sign a deal to join the practice squad (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Out With COVID]
From there, Bortles could earn a quick promotion to backstop Jordan Love on Sunday. Love has attempted just seven passes as a pro; Bortles can relate, even though he offers significantly more experience. The former No. 3 overall pick has played in just three games since the 2019 season. He jockeyed between the Broncos’ active roster and practice squad throughout 2020, ending the campaign on the Rams practice squad.
Bortles signed with the Packers in the offseason, but didn’t make it to the final cut. Now, he’s back to provide the Packers with some extra insurance against the Chiefs.
Bortles, 29, disappointed during his five seasons with the Jaguars, where he completed only 59.4% of his throws for 92 touchdowns and 58 interceptions. All in all, he has a 24-49 regular season record as a starter.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR A.J. Green, TE Demetrius Harris
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: TE Sean McKeon
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Hardy Nickerson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR JJ Koski, LB Christian Rozeboom
- Designated for Return: DB Darious Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): DE Jonah Williams
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Saquon Barkley, S Xavier McKinney
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return: K Robbie Gould, TE George Kittle
Panthers Designate Christian McCaffrey For Return
The Panthers have designated Christian McCaffrey for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. This opens up a 21-day window for the running back to retake the field. 
[RELATED: Panthers Did Not Offer CMC In Watson Talks]
McCaffrey suffered the injury in Week 3 and landed on IR in Week 6. Now, he could return as soon as this week to face the Patriots. McCaffrey, 25, turned in a stellar 2019 season with 2,392 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. After that, the Panthers made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL with a heavily-guaranteed four-year, $64MM deal.
Unfortunately, he was limited to just three games in 2020. So far this year, he’s played in just two games and change with 364 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. Without CMC, the Panthers have shifted to fourth-round rookie Chuba Hubbard with support from Royce Freeman.
Along with CMC, punter Joseph Charlton has also been designated to return from IR. If he’s not able to play, practice squad punter Lachlan Edwards will likely get the call.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/3/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Treyvon Hester
- Released: OL Aaron Monteiro
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Cassius Marsh
- Released: RB Chris Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Bradlee Anae
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Caleb Wilson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DL Auzoyah Alufohai, RB Ryquell Armstead
Houston Texans
- Signed: DL Chris Smith
Los Angeles Rams.
- Signed: WR Warren Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Pharoh Cooper
Raiders Cut WR Henry Ruggs
The Raiders cut Henry Ruggs on Tuesday night. The team announced the transaction, which comes shortly after the second-year wide receiver was arrested for his role in a fatal car accident Tuesday morning.
Ruggs is facing two felony charges for an accident that left a woman dead. Las Vegas police say that Ruggs was impaired when his Corvette crashed into another car and killed the driver of the other vehicle. The accident occurred just before 4am in a residential neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. Ruggs and a passenger in his vehicle were hospitalized. Upon being released from a Las Vegas-area hospital Tuesday, Ruggs was booked at the Clark County Detention Center.
Authorities identified the victim as a 23-year-old woman. The collision caused the victim’s vehicle to burst into flames, killing the woman and her dog, according to ESPN.com. Ruggs faces charges of DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. The first charge carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in prison. The second runs from probation to six years. Ruggs, 22, is due to appear in court Wednesday.
Ruggs and a female passenger in his Corvette suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The woman who was in Ruggs’ car remains hospitalized. Raiders players returned to the team’s Henderson, Nev., facility Monday, after their bye week, but had another day off Tuesday, according to ESPN.
Although players hit with felony charges are eligible for the commissioner’s exempt list, which keeps those players on teams’ rosters while legal matters play out, the Raiders acted swiftly to move on from Ruggs. This marks an abrupt end to Ruggs’ Raiders tenure, and the former Alabama standout’s NFL career is obviously in serious jeopardy. Ruggs will head to waivers, though that will almost certainly be irrelevant here. The Raiders have a clear path to voiding the remaining guarantees in Ruggs’ four-year, $16.67MM rookie contract. Ruggs’ deal was fully guaranteed.
Some Raiders staffers preferred Ruggs’ Alabama teammate, Jerry Jeudy in last year’s first round, but the team made Ruggs the first receiver drafted in 2020. Las Vegas drafted Ruggs with the 12th overall pick. The deep threat struggled as a rookie, catching 26 passes for 452 yards in 13 games. Ruggs had shown improvement to become a more consistent part of Las Vegas’ offense this season, having made 24 receptions for 469 yards and two touchdowns through seven games.
Las Vegas has fellow homegrown wideouts Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards signed beyond 2021, with Darren Waller under c contract beyond this season as well. As of now, Zay Jones is set to step into Ruggs’ starting position, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes. The Ruggs exit certainly leaves a void in the AFC West-leading team’s passing attack, but Renfrow, Waller and Edwards each have posted yardage totals north of 300 this season. Ruggs exited Week 7 as the team’s leading receiver, however.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/21
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DL Matt Dickerson, LB Tahir Whitehead
- Released: OL Koda Martin, TE Ross Travis
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Marvin Hall
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Jake Fromm, WR Tanner Gentry
- Signed: OL Jacob Capra, WR Austin Proehl
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: QB Josh Love
- Released: WR Devin Smith
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL LaCale London
- Released: G Dareuan Parker
Denver Broncos
- Released: CB Rojesterman Farris
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Kurt Benkert
- Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
- Released: LB Aaron Adeoye
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LB Paddy Fisher
New York Jets
- Signed: S Natrell Jamerson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: K Josh Lambo, DT Khalil Davis
- Released: DL Chris Slayton
Washington Football Team
- Signed: G Zack Bailey, RB Wendell Smallwood
- Released: RB Jonathan Williams