Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Jovaughn Gwyn
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Michael Barrett, G Marquis Hayes
- Released: WR Malik Knowles
The Chargers continue to deal with injuries in the running game, placing a running back on injured reserve for the second time this year. A couple weeks after the return of Gus Edwards from IR, J.K. Dobbins has been placed on the injured list. Joining Dobbins in an absence of at least four weeks is safety Alohi Gilman. 
It’s frustrating news for Dobbins, who will fail to play a healthy, full season for the first time since his rookie year. Dobbins missed a game with a COVID-19 designation in his rookie season and, since then, has missed the entire 2021 season, nine games the following year, and 16 games last year. Through 12 weeks this season, it finally looked like Dobbins was going to put together a full season. Instead, the 25-year-old will miss the next four games, at least, with a sprained MCL. He’ll hope to come back for a potential playoff run at the end of the season.
Gilman is dealing with a hamstring injury that will cause him to miss his first game of the season since Week 2. Gilman’s in the first year of a new contract, after securing an extension by grading out as the seventh-best safety in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Gilman has slumped in 2024, ranking 80th out of 89 graded safeties, per PFF. He’ll hope to make a return late in the season to try and turn things around.
The Chargers will fill one of the two vacated roster spots by signing veteran safety Tony Jefferson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. The 32-year-old has extensive starting experience and has appeared in three games this year for Los Angeles. He’ll likely be included in the plan to replace Gilman over the next several weeks.
The team also named cornerback Dicaprio Bootle and linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste as standard gameday practice squad elevations for this weekend.
The Commanders opened up two roster spots today with a pair of surprising transactions. Washington continued its purging of the previous regime’s players by waiving former first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes in the middle of his second year. The other roster spot was opened by veteran running back Austin Ekeler being placed on injured reserve. 
In 2023, the Commanders took chance on Forbes, drafting him out of Mississippi State over Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez despite a near-league-consensus that Gonzalez was the better prospect and despite major concerns over Forbes’ size. Since 2000, Forbes is the only cornerback to be drafted after weighing in under 170 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. Still, his senior season for the Bulldogs saw him pick off six passes (returning three for touchdowns) and defend 10 other passes. He finished his collegiate career with 14 interceptions (six returned for touchdowns) and 21 passes defensed.
His ability to play the ball continued in his rookie season, in which he collected his first interception and 10 passes defensed. Forbes sophomore season has seen him struggle with injury throughout the year, missing six games over the first 12 of the season and has seen him fall behind multiple later-round prospects on the depth chart. As a result, Washington attempted to gauge trade interest in their former first-rounder, but failing to find a suitor, they’ve opted to waive him.
Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes the continued trend of Commanders drafted by the team’s former regime parting ways in some way or another. Since 2019, every first-round selection — Montez Sweat, Dwayne Haskins, Chase Young, Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, and Forbes — has either been cut or traded.
Ekeler is yet another example this year of a player being sent to IR with a concussion designation. The 29-year-old did not practice at all this week because of the head injury and has apparently failed to make it through the league’s concussion protocol and will require a multi-week recovery period. The veteran has not quite produced up to his numbers in Los Angeles, but he’s the team’s third-leading rusher (behind quarterback Jayden Daniels and Brian Robinson) and third on the team in receptions. He trails only wide receiver Terry McLaurin in total yards from scrimmage. Ekeler’s total production in both phases of the offense won’t be easily replaced, but players like Jeremy McNichols and Olamide Zaccheaus will likely try to fill those roles.
The Commanders did not officially fill either of the vacated roster spots today, but they did announce two temporary standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. Defensive tackle Carl Davis and kicker Zane Gonzalez will be called up for tomorrow’s game. With Austin Seibert getting placed on IR earlier this week, Gonzalez will serve as the team’s kicker for the third time this year.
Here are the latest practice squad transactions from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: K Riley Patterson
- Released: S Dane Cruikshank
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: OT/G Andrew Stueber
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Elerson Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: OLB Gabriel Murphy
- Released: OT Julian Pearl, TE Robert Tonyan
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Michael Jordan
- Released: OT Jalen McKenzie
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Sebastian Gutierrez
- Released: OL Cameron Erving
Here are the NFL’s minor moves on Friday:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster from practice squad: LB Demone Harris
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster from practice squad: OT Devin Cochran
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Ronnie Bell
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster from practice squad: DB Daryl Worley
The 49ers waived Bell after a frustrating season from the 2023 seventh-rounder. He appeared in all 17 games in 2023 and played all but two games this year, but only managed two catches for 22 yards despite expanded opportunities after Brandon Aiyuk‘s ACL tear. Any team that claims Bell on waivers will take on the remainder of his 2024 salary as well as the $2.2MM owed to him across 2025 and 2026, though that money is not guaranteed. However, Bell’s struggles this year will likely dissuade any team from claiming him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team’s active roster or practice squad.
The Buccaneers are placing Jordan Whitehead on injured reserve, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman, sidelining the veteran safety for at least four games.
Tampa Bay feared that Whitehead suffered a torn pectoral in their Week 12 win over the Giants, but an initial MRI indicated that he would not require surgery and should be able to return this season. Still, the injury is severe enough to knock Whitehead out until at least Week 17. The Buccaneers are currently one game back of the Falcons in the NFC South, so they will be hoping Whitehead can return in time for a playoff push.
Whitehead does not have the salary or pedigree of a star safety, but he started every game for the Buccaneers so far this season with a 91% snap share on defense. Mike Edwards, who took replaced Whitehead in Week 12, will likely start at safety in Week 13, though rookie Tykee Smith could take some of Whitehead’s snaps in the box.
Tampa Bay has already given up the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this year, and Whitehead’s absence will only make it harder to stop opponents through the air.
The Buccaneers signed practice squad linebacker Vi Jones to the 53-man roster to fill the opening created by Whitehead’s move on injured reserve. Jones was out of game day elevations, so Tampa Bay promoted him to the active roster so he can continue his role on special teams in Week 13.
After several injuries on Thanksgiving, the Lions are signing defensive lineman Jonah Williams off the Rams’ practice squad, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Four Lions defensive linemen – Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal, and Levi Onwuzirke – suffered injuries during Thursday’s win. Wingo (knee) was able to return to the game, but Paschal (knee) and Onwuzirke (hamstring) missed the entire second half. Za’Darius Smith, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and DJ Reader were able to pick up the slack with 22 combined quarterback pressures, per Next Gen Stats, but Detroit still needed additional depth to weather the injuries.
Williams has appeared in just seven games this year – one for the Vikings and seven for the Rams – but he played in 33 games with 22 starts across 2022 and 2023 in Los Angeles. The versatile defender can line up off the edge or on the interior, so he could play a similar role as Paschal and John Cominsky, according to Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers.
Williams began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Rams in 2020 when current Lions general manager Brad Holmes was the Rams’ director of college scouting, so Holmes “would have been heavily involved in scouting the lineman,” per Rogers.
The Lions currently have 53 players on their active roster, so they will need to make a move to accommodate Williams. That will likely be placing linebacker Malcom Rodriguez on injured reserve after his ACL tear on Thursday.
In the wake of Malcolm Rodriguez‘s ACL tear, the Lions are in need of linebacker reinforcements. One is incoming by way of the Broncos’ practice squad. 
Kwon Alexander is set to head to Detroit, per his agents (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Alexander saw his 2023 season come to an end with an Achilles tear, the second of his career. Interest was still present once he was healthy, and in the end the 30-year-old took a deal with the Broncos in September after working out for other suitors.
Of course, that agreement allowed Alexander to reunite with Sean Payton as many former Saints have over the past two years. He has made three appearances so far in 2024, registering eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Rather than remaining in the Mile High City and awaiting the chance to sign to Denver’s active roster, though, Alexander has received the opportunity to do so with the Lions.
Detroit’s LB corps has been ravaged by injury this season, and Rodriguez will not return in 2024. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is on injured reserve, and the same is also true of Derrick Barnes; the latter will likely not be able to suit up unless a deep playoff run is made. Alex Anzalone, meanwhile, is recovering from a broken forearm and he will miss at least the next few games as the Lions look to remain atop the NFC.
Alexander has spent time with six teams in his career, logging 90 starts in 107 games. That experience will be welcomed on a Lions team lacking in healthy veterans in the front seven down the stretch. After playing only 65 defensive snaps during his time with the Broncos, the former Pro Bowler could be in line for a notable role relatively soon on his latest team.
Kansas City will be employing their third kicker of the year this Sunday. After primary kicker Harrison Butker got placed on injured reserve two weeks ago, the Chiefs executed some emergency procedures, signing kicker Spencer Shrader to their active roster from the Jets’ practice squad. With Shrader not expected to play this week, Kansas City will be using one of their two standard gameday practice squad elevations on kicker Matthew Wright to fill in for Butker and Shrader. 
Shrader has filled in admirably since being signed, hitting all three of his field goal attempts and all six extra point tries. He played till the end of last week, hitting a 31-yard field goal to walk off the Panthers. Following the victory, though, Shrader has been absent from team activities. Per the team’s injury report, Shrader has not practiced all week, as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury on his kicking leg.
To replace Shrader, Wright will continue making the rounds in the NFL. Wright has made appearances for five teams in as many years during his NFL career. He rejoins a Kansas City team that saw him kick in two games in 2022, signing to their practice squad two days ago. Wright has appeared in one game this year already for the 49ers, converting three field goals and three extra points in a Week 6 win over the Seahawks.
If Shrader continues to miss time after this week, the Chiefs can continue elevating Wright for an additional two games before he reaches his limit under a single practice squad contract. By the time Wright is out of activations, though, Butker should be eligible to return from IR, granted he’s healthy enough to play. Regardless, Kansas City should have a solid plan in place to cover the kicker position over the next few weeks.
Joining Wright as the other practice squad elevation will be tight end Anthony Firkser. The veteran tight end will be appearing in his fifth game this season, appearing in four games earlier in the year for the Jets.
Thanksgiving Day minor moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: G Jovaughn Gwyn
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated to return from IR: CB T.J. Tampa
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: G Andrew Stueber
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: CB Myles Bryant
- Placed on IR: TE Teagan Quitoriano
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevated: CB Kyu Blu Kelly, RB Sincere McCormick
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: LS Zach Triner
Quitoriano’s injury struggles continue. The depth tight end who often appears in running plays and multi-tight end sets has yet to prove he can stay on the field for much more than half a season. After appearing in 16 games (11 starts) over his first two years in the NFL, Quitoriano was only able to appear in seven games (four starts) before hitting injured reserve this year. Signed off the Bears’ practice squad to make up for the season-ending loss of Brevin Jordan, Quitoriano’s loss leaves Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover as the only healthy tight ends on the active roster as Quitoriano joins Jordan and Dalton Keene on IR. Houston has veteran Irv Smith on the practice squad, as well.