Texans To Promote QB Jeff Driskel From Practice Squad
Jeff Driskel will return to a backup role for the Texans’ Week 3 game. Houston intends to promote the veteran quarterback from its practice squad ahead of Thursday’s Panthers matchup, Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 notes.
One of a few quarterbacks the Texans acquired this offseason, Driskel has climbed into position to be Davis Mills‘ backup. The Texans placed Tyrod Taylor on IR Tuesday, sidelining their starter for at least three games. David Culley confirmed Mills will make his first start in Week 3.
As of Wednesday, Mills and Deshaun Watson are the only quarterbacks on the Texans’ active roster. Culley confirmed Watson will not be an option for the team this week. The Texans made the three-time Pro Bowler a healthy scratch in each of their first two games. Embroiled in criminal and civil cases stemming from sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations, Watson has not worked with the Texans’ new staff.
During an offseason in which the Texans added Taylor and Mills, Driskel signed a one-year deal worth $2.5MM. The Texans guaranteed Driskel $500K but released him ahead of roster cutdown day. Houston retained Driskel via a practice squad deal, keeping him as a de facto third-stringer — with Watson not factoring into the team’s current QB hierarchy — to start the season.
A former sixth-round 49ers pick, Driskel has been with three teams — the Bengals, Lions and Broncos — during the past three seasons. The 28-year-old passer made one start with Denver last season and has nine as a pro.
49ers Add RB Chris Thompson To P-Squad
With major injury issues at running back, the 49ers continue to bring in outside talent at the position. They are adding former Washington back Chris Thompson to their practice squad.
Thompson’s Washington stint lasted long enough he has a history with Kyle Shanahan. Washington drafted the pass-catching back in the 2013 fifth round, when the current 49ers HC remained Washington’s offensive coordinator. The eight-year veteran will now join the 49ers, who have seen injuries inject considerable uncertainty into their backfield.
Thompson, 30, spent last season with the Jaguars but did not factor into their offense much during James Robinson‘s standout rookie season. The 49ers are without Raheem Mostert for the rest of the season and have Jeff Wilson on the reserve/PUP list. Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty battling injuries. Mitchell and Hasty, who are respectively dealing with shoulder and ankle maladies, did not practice Wednesday. Sermon suffered a concussion in his NFL debut Sunday.
Washington used Thompson as its passing-down back for several years, with the Florida State product initially supplementing Alfred Morris before ending his D.C. career playing alongside Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice in 2019. Thompson eclipsed 700 scrimmage yards in two seasons and earned an extension in 2017. The veteran backup auditioned for the Bears this week but will end up heading to San Francisco.
The 49ers now have eight running backs on their active roster and practice squad combined. Kerryon Johnson and Josh Hokit reside on the team’s taxi squad, while ex-Bengals practice squad cog Jacques Patrick is now on the 49ers’ 53-man roster, joining Trenton Cannon.
Jaguars Place TE James O’Shaughnessy On IR
The Jaguars have placed James O’Shaughnessy on the injured reserve list. The move will free up a roster spot in Jacksonville while the tight end recovers for the next three-to-four weeks.
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign N. Lawson]
O’Shaughnessy was forced out early against the Broncos with an ankle sprain. Up until that point, the Jags were expecting a big day from the tight end — he had just caught six passes for 48 yards in Week 1, good for No. 2 on the team. Now, the Jaguars are down 0-2 and without one of their best offensive weapons.
The Jaguars will rely on Chris Manhertz, Jacob Hollister, and fifth-round pick Luke Farrell to fill out the tight end group, perhaps with another addition between now and this weekend. One spot has already been taken by cornerback Nevin Lawson, who agreed to a one-year deal earlier today.
The winless Jags — sans O’Shaughnessy — will battle the 2-0 Cardinals this Sunday.
Bucs Place Antonio Brown On COVID-19 List
The Buccaneers have placed Antonio Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Given the timing, it’s unlikely that Brown will be available for this week’s game against the Rams.
Brown tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The standout receiver is vaccinated and could return by submitting two negative tests 24 hours apart. Still, it is unlikely Brown will be able to return to the team for its Los Angeles trip. 
Brown becomes the third Bucs player to hit the reserve/COVID-19 list, following inside linebacker Kevin Minter and practice squad receiver Travis Jonsen. Punt returner Jaydon Mickens (hip) could also be sidelined, leaving the Bucs with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, and Tyler Johnson at WR. Fourth-round pick Jaelen Darden could be activated to make it five and serve as the team’s return man on Sunday.
Brown started the year off with a boom, notching five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. He was less of a factor last week (one catch for 17 yards), but the Bucs still cruised to a 48-25 win over the Falcons. From this point, Brown’s timetable will hinge on his test results and vaccination status. If he’s ruled out for Sunday as expected, he could still return in time for Week 4 against the Patriots.
The 33-year-old is looking to expand on his monster debut season in Tampa. In just eight regular-season games last year, the multiple-time All-Pro registered 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns.
Jaguars To Sign Nevin Lawson
The Jaguars are signing Nevin Lawson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran cornerback, just days after his release from the Raiders. 
The Raiders figured they could re-sign Lawson to the practice squad, but the Jaguars quickly spoiled their plans. Now, Lawson is set to dress for this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Jags are banged up in the secondary, with Tre Herndon (knee) and C.J. Henderson (hip flexor and groin) nursing injuries.
This’ll mark Lawson’s first live action of 2021 after serving a two-game suspension to open the year. The Raiders could have activated him for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, but they chose to drop him instead. There’s reason to believe that Lawson can be a solid contributor to someone’s secondary — he started in nine of his 14 games last year and tallied 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack.
If signed, the 30-year-old could dress for this week’s game against the Cardials. As of this writing, the Jaguars’ have Tre Herndon, Shaquill Griffin, and Chris Claybrooks, second-rounder Tyson Campbell, and former first-rounder C.J. Henderson on the roster.
Lions Place Ifeatu Melifonwu On IR
The Lions have placed cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). To take his place, they’ve promoted fellow corner Daryl Worley from the practice squad to the active roster. 
Melifonwu will need at least a few weeks to recover from the thigh injury he suffered on Monday night. Lions head coach Dan Campbell isn’t exactly sure when he’ll return, but he did tell reporters that the rookie will be out for a “significant amount of time.” It’s a bad blow for Detroit — the third-rounder out of Syracuse was enjoying a strong start to his pro career. He notched a fumble recovery in his Week 1 debut and earned a start in Week 2 against the Packers.
Of course, the Lions were already without Jeff Okudah, who has been ruled out for the season. Amani Oruwariye will remain the starter at one of the cornerback spots, likely with help from former undrafted safety Bobby Price.
Worley should factor into the banged-up secondary as well, especially since he has 54 career starts to his credit. Still only 26, Worley’s resume includes five interceptions and 37 passes defensed.
Broncos Sign Micah Kiser
The Broncos have signed linebacker Micah Kiser off of the Rams’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Kiser will help fill in for starter Josey Jewell, who is done for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Josey Jewell Done For Year]
Kiser has agreed to a one-year, fully-guaranteed $600K deal with Denver, according to Rapoport. He’ll get a chance to see his first significant work of the season — to date, he’s got just 17 special teams snaps from Week 2 when the Rams faced the Colts. Last year, Kiser notched 77 total tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble in nine starts for the Rams.
Kiser & Co. will look to go 3-0 on Sunday when they take on the Jets. Unfortunately, they’ll also be without fourth-year linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is recovering from ankle surgery. There’s no exact word on Chubb’s timetable just yet, but he’s expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: K Matt McCrane
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: T Jaryd Jones-Smith, T David Sharpe, CB Linden Stephens
- Released: LB Blake Gallagher, T Foster Sarell, P Johnny Townsend
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Lamont Gaillard
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Damion Ratley
- Released: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Shawn Davis, DL R.J. McIntosh
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson, OL Jacob Capra
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: LB Micah Kiser
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
New England Patriots
- Signed: C Drake Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Steven Parker
- Released: TE Ryan Izzo
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Richard Rodgers
- Released: C Harry Crider
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Taco Charlton (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Dee Virgin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR John Hurst, CB Rashard Robinson
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Antoine Wesley
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo (story)
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: WR Nico Collins (story)
- Signed: TE Antony Auclair
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: T Jackson Barton (off Giants’ practice squad)
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: QB Sean Mannion
- Released: RB Ameer Abdullah; Abdullah is now on Minnesota’s practice squad
New England Patriots
- Promoted: K Nick Folk
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: OL Nick Gates (story)
New York Jets
- Promoted: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- Released: S Sheldrick Redwine
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DE Brandon Graham (story)
- Signed: G Jack Anderson (from Bills’ practice squad)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick (from Bengals’ practice squad)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Travis Jonsen, LB Kevin Minter
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Anthony Rush
Falcons To Sign P Dustin Colquitt
The Falcons have a new punter, and he brings considerable experience. Longtime Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt agreed to a deal with the Falcons on Tuesday, according to his agency (on Twitter).
Atlanta cut Cameron Nizialek after a shaky Sunday showing. Nizialek punted in just two games for the Falcons and will give way to Colquitt, who has kicked in 244.
While Colquitt agreed to a practice squad deal, the Falcons should be expected to elevate the veteran ahead of their Week 3 game Sunday. To make room on their 16-man taxi squad, the Falcons released former Colquitt Chiefs teammate Bryan Witzmann. A five-year veteran offensive lineman, Witzmann has bounced around since being a full-time Chiefs starter in 2017.
Although Colquitt landed back with the Chiefs during the playoffs last season, his most recent game action came with the Steelers. Colquitt, 39, punted in five games with Pittsburgh in 2020. The Steelers, however, released him to bring back Jordan Berry. The Falcons will be Colquitt’s third NFL team.
The 16-year veteran, of course, is best known for his Chiefs tenure. Kansas City used a third-round pick on Colquitt in 2005, and he subsequently played 15 seasons for the team. The second-generation NFL punter and older brother of Britton Colquitt, Dustin made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2016 and finished his first Chiefs stint in Super Bowl LIV.