Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Darrell Daniels
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return: S Ricardo Allen
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return: LB Anthony Walker
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: K Austin Seibert
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Cardinals’ practice squad: CB Rasul Douglas
Houston Texans
- Activated off reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Zach Cunningham
- Designated to return: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis
- Signed off Browns’ practice squad: WR Davion Davis
Miami Dolphins
- Designated for return: DT Raekwon Davis
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: DL Henry Anderson (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on IR: RB Tony Jones Jr.
New York Jets
- Designated for return: LB Blake Cashman
WFT Places Logan Thomas On IR
The Washington Football Team will place tight end Logan Thomas on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). He’s expected to miss the next four weeks as he recovers from a hamstring injury. 
Thomas enjoyed a career year in 2020 as he hauled in 72 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns. His 72 receptions were the third most of any tight end in the league last year; his yardage total put him seventh at the position. Through four games this year, he has 12 catches for 117 yards and two scores.
To replace Thomas, Washington has plucked fellow TE Jace Sternberger from the Seahawks’ practice squad. Sternberger, a 2019 third-round pick, was dropped by the Packers late month, leading him to the Seahawks’ taxi squad. The Texas A&M product posted 48 passes for 832 yards and ten touchdowns before turning pro, but he’s yet to achieve anything close to that as a pro.
Patriots Sign Jamie Collins
The Patriots have officially signed Jamie Collins, according to agent David Canter (Twitter link). This marks the linebacker’s third stint in New England, where he’ll also reunite with longtime coach Matt Patricia. 
[RELATED: Patriots Trade Gilmore To Panthers]
The Lions cut Collins in late September when they couldn’t find a suitable trade for him. Clearly, his stock has cooled, but he’s just two years removed from a standout season with the Pats. He used that year as a springboard to a three-year, $30MM deal in free agency with the Lions under the Patricia-Bob Quinn power structure.
The Lions ate $11MM+ in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 32-year-old — the Pats are going to be paying him a whole lot less. It was a similar story last time around — the Browns cut Collins after paying him big bucks; the Patriots brought him back on a cheap one-year pact.
Collins made the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 5.5 sacks and an NFL-high five fumbles for the Patriots. The Southern Miss product later turned in a seven-sack 2019. He’ll now try to turn back the clock with the Patriots, who traded Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers earlier today.
Patriots Trade Stephon Gilmore To Panthers
The Patriots have traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Panthers. In exchange, the Panthers will send a 2023 sixth-rounder to New England. 
Gilmore was set to be released by the Patriots, but Bill Belichick & Co. managed to find a trade instead. The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore, the 2019 Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year, now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.
Gilmore will be eligible to play after Week 6, pending the status of his quad injury. That means he could debut as soon as Week 7, when the Panthers face the Giants in New Jersey.
Gilmore spent his first five years with the Bills before moving on to the Patriots in 2017. He went on to win a ring with the Pats in 2018 and took his game to a whole new level in ’19, en route to DPOY honors. After notching a career-high six interceptions, Gilmore wanted a new contract to reflect his performance and the dramatic uptick in the CB market.
The Pats — in classic Belichick fashion — resisted. They’ll move forward with J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills as their top two CBs with Jonathan Jones in the slot. They also have 2019 second-rounder Joejuan Williams in the mix, plus the recently-acquired Shaun Wade.
Now, Gilmore has a prime opportunity to shine with the 3-1 Panthers. Barring an extension, he’ll play out the remainder of his five-year, $65MM contract before testing free agency in the spring.
Lions Place Frank Ragnow On IR
The Lions have placed Frank Ragnow on injured reserve, per a club announcement. The center will miss at least three games as he works his way back from a toe injury. 
It’s another bad blow for the winless Lions, who also have left tackle Taylor Decker on the injured reserve list. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, they’ve lost edge rusher Romeo Okwara for the year with a torn Achilles. They’ve since added offensive lineman Ryan McCollum and promoted linebacker Jessie Lemonier, but the Lions are hurting as a whole.
Up until now, Ragnow has been mostly healthy, save for three missed contests due to injury. He’s been first-string for Detroit ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. And, in May, they made him the highest-paid center in the NFL with a $70MM re-up.
The 0-4 Lions — sans Ragnow — will face the Vikings on Sunday.
Texans To Waive Anthony Miller
The Texans are waiving Anthony Miller, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (Twitter link). The wide receiver will be available for the league’s other 31 teams on the waiver wire. 
The Texans traded for Miller over the summer by sending a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Bears. Since then, he’s seen time in two games for Houston, notching five grabs for 23 yards with a touchdown. The bulk of that came against the Panthers in Week 3; he was hardly a factor as the Texans got drummed 40-0 by the Bills this past week.
Miller, the No. 51 overall pick in 2018, flashed potential at times but fell flat in 2020 — he took 49 catches for just 485 yards, despite playing all 16 games. Some say that shoulder issues limited him in Chicago. Assuming he’s healthy, he should hold appeal for other clubs in need. His seven-TD rookie year wasn’t all that long ago, and he also managed 656 yards as a sophomore.
The Texans, meanwhile, have replaced him with new addition Davion Davis.
Dolphins To Place Will Fuller On IR
The Dolphins are placing Will Fuller on the injured reserve list with a broken finger (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com). It’s a short-term malady, but it’s undoubtedly frustrating for the oft-injured wide receiver. 
Fuller broke his finger during Sunday’s loss to the Colts. Even before this, he already missed 29 regular season games, including two in 2021. He was suspended for Week 1 due to PEDs and was out for a non-injury-related reason in Week 2.
The Dolphins had (and still have) high hopes for Fuller, who enjoyed his best season to date in 2020. After he notched 879 receiving yards and career-high eight scores, the ‘Fins signed the 27-year-old to a one-year, $10.6MM deal. In his two games so far, he’s got four catches for 26 yards.
The Dolphins offense is hurting at the moment with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa also on injured reserve. With Fuller out of the lineup, backup QB Jacoby Brissett will be targeting the likes of sixth-overall pick Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, and 2020 opt-out Albert Wilson.
Sunday’s loss dropped the Dolphins to 1-3 on the year. They’ll look to rebound on Sunday against the defending champs in Tampa.
Patriots To Cut Stephon Gilmore
The Patriots are releasing cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The cornerback broke the news himself on social media, thanking the team for their time together. 
“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my goodbye to this great fan base. We enjoyed so much success together and you have been an incredible inspiration for my individual achievements. Thank you for supporting this Rock Hill kid and allowing him to achieve his NFL dreams,” Gilmore wrote (Twitter link). “To Mr. Kraft, the coaches, and the organization thank you for providing me with this platform and allowing me to be part of greatness. Most of all I want to thank my teammates who lined up next to me every Sunday with one goal in mind.”
Gilmore and the Patriots weren’t able to make progress in contract talks, but he was still expected to stick with the club for the rest of the season. To date, he’s been on the physically unable to perform list with a quadriceps injury. Per the league’s PUP rules, he could have been activated as soon as Week 7.
Gilmore has been with the Patriots since 2017 after spending his first five years with the Buffalo Bills. He was part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship team in 2018 and won the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year award in which he had a career-high six interceptions and two touchdowns that year.
At the time of signing, Gilmore was plenty happy with his five-year, $65MM contract. Since then, he’s performed as one of the league’s best cover men as the market advanced significantly. In terms of average annual value ($13MM), the deal had the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year outside of the top 10 for CBs.
Saints Sign RB Devine Ozigbo Off Jaguars’ Practice Squad
The Saints will be down a running back for the new few weeks, so the team is bringing in reinforcement. New Orleans has signed running back Devine Ozigbo off the Jaguars’ practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
This is a bit of a homecoming for Ozigbo, as the Nebraska product joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He eventually moved on to Jacksonville, and he spent the next two-plus seasons with the Jaguars organization. He ultimately saw time in 18 games for the team, collecting 93 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches. The 25-year-old has also spent a significant amount of time on special teams.
The Saints needed some running back depth following news that Tony Jones Jr. would miss the next three to four weeks (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). The 23-year-old has seen time in all four games this season, collecting 87 yards from scrimmage on 23 carries. Other than Ozigbo and starter Alvin Kamara, the team’s only other healthy RB is Dwayne Washington (plus versatile wideout Ty Montgomery).
New Orleans might not be done adding to the position. Schefter reports that the team also auditioned a number of veteran RBs today, including Lamar Miller, Duke Johnson, Brian Hill, Ito Smith, and Ryquell Armstead.
Cowboys Release LB Jaylon Smith
The Cowboys are moving on from a former Pro Bowler. The team is releasing linebacker Jaylon Smith, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
The Cowboys will still be responsible for paying the $7.2MM that Smith is owed in 2021, and the team is going to be eating an additional $9.8MM in cap with the move (per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter). That chunk of cap comes via Smith’s 2022 injury guarantees, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), and that significant chunk of money is a big reason why the Cowboys were unable to find a trade suitor. Smith will be eligible to sign with a new team starting tomorrow afternoon.
Despite being relegated to a backup role in 2021, Smith had been playing pretty well for the Cowboys through the first month of the season. The linebacker had started two of his four games this season, collecting 18 tackles. However, after appearing in 104 defensive snaps in Week 2 and Week 3, Smith was limited to only 28 defensive snaps in Week 4.
The 2016 second-round pick evolved into one of the Cowboys most dependable defensive players during his stint in Dallas. He started each of the Cowboys 48 games between 2018 and 2020, including a 2019 campaign where he collected 142 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles en route to a Pro Bowl appearance. However, the play from teammates Keanu Neal and Leighton Vander Esch (as well as a potential increased role for Jabril Cox) made the veteran expendable.
Other than a weak Week 4 performance, Smith has been more than serviceable this season, ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 11th-best linebacker through the first four weeks (via Twitter). A linebacker-needy team will surely be happy to add the new free agent to their squad.