Jets G Alex Lewis Retires From NFL
Alex Lewis is calling it a career. With just a few weeks to go before the start of the season, the guard has decided to retire from the NFL (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). 
This was the expected news after Lewis was placed on the exempt/left squad list earlier this month. Lewis’ reasons for leaving the game aren’t immediately clear. When asked about him recently, head coach Robert Saleh simply said that Lewis is battling issues “much greater than football.” With that said, Lewis sustained a head injury during a recent practice, which may have played a role in his decision.
Lewis, still only 29, agreed to a pay cut earlier this year, reducing his salary from $5.8MM to $3MM. That trim likely would have been enough to solidify his spot on the roster.
The Jets used Lewis as a starter for most of his New York tenure, dating back to the team’s 2019 saga with Kelechi Osemele. But, after 21 games as a first-stringer, the Jets traded up in Round 1 to draft USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. Between Vera-Tucker and Greg Van Roten, there might not have been a ton of reps left for Lewis.
Lewis leaves the game with 44 appearances across four seasons for the Ravens and Jets. We here at PFR wish him the best in retirement.
Falcons Sign Eli Ankou
The Falcons have signed defensive lineman Eli Ankou, per a club announcement. He’ll fill the 85th spot on the Falcons’ roster and push to make the final cut before the start of the season. 
Ankou spent some time with the Falcons earlier this year, so he’s already familiar with the playbook. He had a cup of coffee with the Bills in between, but he spent most of that time working out on his own.
A UDFA out of UCLA, Ankou started his career with the Texans. After getting cut by Houston he was claimed by the Jaguars, and played a sizable role in with the Jaguars in 2017. In nine games as a rookie, he had 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks as a rotational run defender. His NFL journey has also included stops with the Browns, Colts, and Cowboys.
Ankou finished the 2020 season in Dallas where he played around one-third of the defensive snaps in seven games. Still only 27, Ankou offers size and intriguing upside as a run-stuffer for Atlanta.
Bears’ Teven Jenkins Done For Year?
Teven Jenkins‘ rookie season might have to wait. The second-round left tackle will undergo back surgery later today, according to Bears head coach Matt Nagy.
The “hope is to have Jenkins back this season,” Nagy says, but it doesn’t sound especially promising. Jenkins, the No. 39 overall pick in this year’s draft, was slated to support starters Jason Peters and Lachavious Simmons. Now, he’ll likely have to focus on rehab with an eye on 2022.
The Bears have high hopes for Jenkins. After selecting quarterback Justin Fields in the first round, they packaged No. 52 and a third-round pick to nab the Oklahoma State standout early in the second. And, just a couple of days after drafting Jenkins, the Bears released long-time tackle Charles Leno.
With Jenkins sidelined, the Bears may look to beef up their offensive line in the coming weeks. If they look to the free agent market, the Bears could consider the likes of Mitchell Schwartz, Russell Okung, and Demar Dotson.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/21
Tuesday afternoon marked the deadline for teams to cut down from 90 to 85 players. We’ll keep track of those cuts and the day’s other minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed (from Packers): P Ryan Winslow
- Waived: P Tyler Newsome
Atlanta Falcons
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Jeff Badet
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: P Johnny Townsend
Carolina Panthers
- Waived/injured: LB Nate Hall, C Mike Panasiuk
- Placed on IR: CB Troy Pride Jr.; Pride suffered a torn ACL
Chicago Bears
- Released: WR Justin Hardy
- Waived: DB Michael Joseph, LB Ledarius Mack
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: LB Anthony Hines, FB Sewo Olonilua, CB Reggie Robinson
- Waived: CB Kyron Brown, WR Brennan Eagles
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Adrian Killins
- Waived: DB Rojesterman Farris, LB Peter Kalambayi, DT Lorenzo Neal Jr.
- Waived/injured: WR DeVontres Dukes, RB LeVante Bellamy, DL Deyon Sizer
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
- Signed: QB Jordan Ta’amu
- Waived: DT Michael Barnett
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Chad Hansen
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: QB Jake Dolegala
- Placed on IR: TE Isaac Nauta, WR DeAndre Thompkins
- Waived: OL Zack Johnson
Houston Texans
- Reverted to reserve/NFI: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: LB Te’von Coney
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB David Bellamy
- Waived: QB K.J. Costello, TE Matt Seybert
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: CB Amari Henderson
- Reverted to IR: K Riley Patterson, WR Blake Proehl
New England Patriots
- Waived/injured: TE Troy Fumagalli
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: OL Cameron Clark
- Waived: DL Michael Dwumfour, S Bennett Jackson, RB Austin Walter
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: DL Abdullah Anderson, DB Stephen Denmark, WR Isaiah McKoy, K Sam Sloman, OT Brandon Walton
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed (from Ravens): CB Davontae Harris
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Jake Benzinger
- Placed on IR: G Sadarius Hutcherson
- Waived/failed physical: WR John Franklin III
- Waived/injured: G Donell Stanley
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Jamal Carter
- Placed on IR: DL Trevon Coley, S Tedric Thompson
Washington Football Team
- Waived: TE Nick Guggemos, CB Greg Stroman
Saints To Sign WR Kevin White
Shortly after the 49ers cut Kevin White, the former top-10 pick found a new home. The Saints are signing the veteran wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
White participated in a Saints workout Tuesday, joining fellow wideouts Bennie Fowler, Devin White and Malachi Dupre. Reeling at wide receiver, New Orleans will give White another opportunity.
The West Virginia product played in three 49ers games last season but has not made a regular-season reception since 2018. White, 28, battled injuries throughout his Bears tenure and later caught on with the Cardinals and 49ers. San Francisco cut White last week. Despite their injury issues at wideout, the Saints will give one of the NFL’s most injury-prone players a chance to help fill this void.
New Orleans is expected to be without Michael Thomas for months, and would-be starter Tre’Quan Smith just returned to practice Tuesday after missing two weeks due to a leg injury. The Saints released Emmanuel Sanders this offseason and did not heavily address the receiver position in the draft, which has helped put former UDFA Marquez Callaway in a strong position to contribute this season.
Lions Release LS Don Muhlbach
The Lions will cut ties with the second-longest-tenured player in their history. They released long snapper Don Muhlbach on Tuesday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. This will end an 18-season partnership.
First-year Lions HC Dan Campbell, Muhlbach’s teammate from 2006-08, described this as a difficult decision — one that occurs on the long snapper’s 40th birthday. It will halt the specialist’s run of Lions work at 260 games. Muhlbach, whose birthday happened to fall on the date NFL teams had to pare their rosters down to 85 players, had not missed a game since the 2009 season.
Muhlbach is a two-time Pro Bowler who had signed a series of one-year contracts to stay with in Detroit. The Lions’ new regime signed off on another Muhlbach one-year deal in March, but the Campbell- and Brad Holmes-led team will go in a different direction at this position.
Muhlbach’s 260 games with the Lions ranks in the top 10 all time for contests played with a single franchise. His ex-teammate, kicker Jason Hanson, played the most games with one team in NFL history — 327, from 1992-2012. Campbell played with both Muhlbach and Hanson,
Dolphins Place WR Allen Hurns On IR
Months away from his 30th birthday, Allen Hurns now faces the prospect of missing consecutive full seasons. After the veteran wide receiver suffered a wrist injury recently, the Dolphins placed him on IR Tuesday.
This transaction may well precede an injury settlement, which would send Hurns to free agency. The Dolphins, however, kept the former Jaguars starter this offseason — one that saw many teams simply cut role players who opted out in 2020 — rather than part ways early. Regardless, Hurns cannot play for the Dolphins this season because of this IR move.
The Dolphins revamped their receiving corps this spring, signing Will Fuller and using the No. 6 overall pick on Jaylen Waddle. Hurns and Albert Wilson‘s absences hurt last year’s Miami squad, but Wilson had impressed in this year’s training camp and is on the way back to the Dolphins’ active roster. Despite Miami extending Hurns late in the 2019 season, he may be on his way out of town.
Hurns’ wrist injury is set to sideline him for a few months, which could mean he ends up missing two straight full seasons. That will put the ex-Allen Robinson Jacksonville sidekick’s career in jeopardy, given his age. As a Parker supporting caster in 2019, Hurns caught 32 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns. He did so after a scary injury in a Cowboys-Seahawks wild-card game the previous January, so Hurns has experience surmounting significant injuries and catching on elsewhere. The former UDFA has not come close to matching his 1,000-yard season from 2015, but a few teams have sought him as a veteran contributor.
In other moves to trim their roster to 85 players Tuesday, the Dolphins waived offensive tackles Jonathan Hubbard and Timon Parris, defensive tackle Jerome Johnson and guard Tyler Marz. They also cut cornerback Jaytlin Askew with an injury designation.
49ers To Waive QB Josh Rosen
Josh Rosen is on the move again. The former top-10 pick ended up lasting through just one preseason game in San Francisco, with the 49ers opting to cut him Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Rosen has since cleared waivers, moving into free agency.
The 49ers poached the UCLA alum off the Buccaneers’ practice squad late last season, but signs this relationship was not prospering emerged recently. Kyle Shanahan said Rosen was not impressing in practice, and the once-coveted quarterback prospect noted that he was not seeing much time at 49ers workouts in the first place. Rosen did not impress in the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Chiefs.
While the 49ers were open to keeping both Rosen and third-string QB competitor Nate Sudfeld, with the loser being stashed on the team’s practice squad, Rosen being cut this early points to him needing to find a new home. The young passer has already been with four teams despite being drafted just three years ago.
The Cardinals, Dolphins, Bucs and 49ers have now punted on Rosen. Only the Cards received value for doing so, with the Dolphins sending them a second-round pick in the teams’ 2019 trade. The Dolphins waived Rosen ahead of the 2020 season, leading him to the Bucs’ practice squad. The Bucs did not opt to move the pocket passer onto their roster to stop the 49ers from adding him to theirs. Now, the 49ers have seen enough, inviting questions about Rosen’s future in the NFL.
Sudfeld, a longtime Eagles third- or second-string QB, is now in line to serve as the 49ers’ third-stringer behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance. Neither Sudfeld nor Rosen received any 11-on-11 reps in this week’s practices, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter). Having played just one full college season, Lance will certainly need as much practice work as possible as he transitions to the pros.
Eagles Waive RB Kerryon Johnson
Kerryon Johnson has hit a career crossroads. The Eagles became the second team to waive the former second-round pick, doing so with an injury designation on Tuesday, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
The veteran running back suffered a knee injury in practice, Tim McManus of ESPN.com tweets. This sidetracked a possible role behind Miles Sanders. If Johnson clears waivers, he will revert to Philadelphia’s IR list. That taking place usually precedes an injury settlement, which would send the ex-Lions Round 2 draft choice to free agency.
The Eagles stopped Johnson from hitting free agency in early May, beating the Dolphins to the punch with a waiver claim. Johnson then agreed to a pay cut. While the Dolphins could still loom, with their running back room not oozing depth, the severity of Johnson’s knee malady will determine how soon another team gives him a shot.
One of several Lions second-round running back picks in the 2010s, Johnson flashed as a rookie by averaging 5.4 yards per carry and totaling 854 from scrimmage in 10 games. The first of his knee injuries stalled that momentum. Nothing the Auburn product has shown since has lived up to that rookie-year performance, leading the Lions to draft D’Andre Swift in last year’s second round and sign Jamaal Williams this year. Boston Scott remains Sanders’ top backup in Philly, with the team also rostering Jordan Howard and drafting Kenneth Gainwell in the fifth round.
In moving their roster down to the 85-man limit by the Tuesday deadline, the Eagles also waived tackle Casey Tucker and cut center Luke Juriga with an injury designation.
Giants Trade Isaac Yiadom To Packers
The Giants have agreed to trade Isaac Yiadom to the Packers in exchange for fellow corner Josh Jackson (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). 
Yiadom, 25, has now been traded twice inside of one year. The Giants acquired him from the Broncos in 2020 and went on to start him in ten games. He finished out the year with 46 stops, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and a half of a sack. After the season, he agreed to a pay cut for 2021 — he’s now set to make $1.07MM this year instead of a non-guaranteed $2.15MM.
Jackson, also 25, was widely projected to be a mid-to-late first rounder in 2018. Instead, the Big Ten defensive back of the year slipped to the middle of the second round, where the Packers pounced on him at No. 45. He’s yet to break out as a pro, however. After starting in more than half of his games as a rookie, Jackson was first-string for only five contests between 2019 and 2020. Now, on the cusp of his walk year, he’ll have a chance to prove himself in New York.