Panthers, Washington Pursued Jaylon Smith
The Packers ended up winning the quickly developing recruiting battle for Jaylon Smith, but they fended off multiple NFC suitors to do so. Both Carolina and Washington were in the mix for the longtime starter last week, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes.
With the Cowboys still on the hook for Smith’s $7.2MM base salary this season, the Packers landed the sixth-year defender for the league minimum. This amount to a recruiting competition instead of a bidding war, but Schefter adds Smith was interested in joining both the Panthers and Washington.
Smith’s relationship with Packers HC Matt LaFleur mattered here. Despite LaFleur coaching Notre Dame’s quarterbacks for just one season (2014, when Smith was a sophomore), Schefter notes he and Smith have kept in touch throughout Smith’s career and the relationship moved the needle. Smith did not suit up for Green Bay’s Week 5 game in Cincinnati, marking his first absence since Week 17 of his injury-redshirt rookie season, but will obviously be on track to contribute soon.
The Panthers have been busy on the trade front already, acquiring corners Stephon Gilmore and C.J. Henderson. They are looking for offensive linemen as well. Carolina moved Jermaine Carter into a three-down role alongside Shaq Thompson at this season’s outset. Washington used a first-round pick on Jamin Davis this year. He has played a part-time role thus far, with Cole Holcomb serving as a three-down ‘backer for the struggling WFT defense. The Cowboys had used Smith as a three-down player for years, but they reduced his snaps this season after making key offseason additions at the position.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21
Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: OL Danny Isidora, TE Ross Travis, CB Jace Whittaker
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: CB Kendall Sheffield
- Promoted: WR Juwan Green, CB Chris Williamson
- Waived: TE Parker Hesse
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return: G Tyre Phillips
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: S Kenny Robinson, RB Rodney Smith
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from IR: LB Anthony Walker
- Promoted: DE Joe Jackson, DB Jovante Moffatt
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: FB Nick Ralston, TE Jeremy Sprinkle
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: OL Marcus Cannon
- Promoted: QB Jeff Driskel, WR Chris Moore
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: QB Brett Hundley
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: K Matthew Wright
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from IR: LB Willie Gay
- Promoted: DE Demone Harris
- Waived: LB Darius Harris
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: CB Ryan Smith
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: DT Raekwon Davis
- Promoted: WR Isaiah Ford, DE Jabaal Sheard
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: G Dakota Dozier, CB Parry Nickerson, CB Tye Smith
- Waived: WR Dan Chisena
New England Patriots
- Promoted: DB Myles Bryant, OL James Ferentz, OL Alex Redmond, G William Sherman
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: OL Jordan Mills, WR Kenny Stills
- Released: DT Christian Ringo
New York Giants
- Promoted: T Korey Cunningham
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: LB Blake Cashman
- Promoted: S Jarrod Wilson, TE Kenny Yeboah
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: T Le’Raven Clark
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Karl Joseph, WR Cody White
- Released: G Rashaad Coward
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: WR Travis Benjamin, TE Tanner Hudson, QB Nate Sudfeld
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: OLB Cam Gill
- Promoted: TE Codey McElroy, DB Rashard Robinson
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: WR Marcus Johnson
- Promoted: S Jamal Carter, DL Caraun Reid, LB John Simon
- Waived: LB Sharif Finch
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
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.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/21
We’ll keep tabs on today’s taxi squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Tavien Feaster
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: K Elliott Fry, S Shawn Williams
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Josh Malone, LB Avery Williamson
- Released: G Harry Crider, CB Rojesterman Farris
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Jake Eldrenkamp, OL Jordan Steckler
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT T.J. Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Jordan Matthews
- Released: LB Curtis Bolton, RB Kerryon Johnson, RB Chris Thompson
Washington Football Team
- Signed: K Chris Blewitt, WR Damion Willis
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DT Mike Pennel
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR/KR Nsimba Webster
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Michael Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Hjalte Froholdt (from Texans’ practice squad)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Ryan McCollum (from Texans’ practice squad)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Designated for Return: LB Willie Gay
- Placed on IR: DE Joshua Kaindoh
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Brandon Facyson (from Chargers’ practice squad)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Harrison Hand
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Promoted: OL Isaiah Williams
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: CB Danny Johnson, LB Jordan Kunaszyk
WFT’s Brandon Scherff To Miss Time
Washington guard Brandon Scherff has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL that will keep him out of action for 2-to-3 weeks (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, tight end Logan Thomas is considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury.
[RELATED: WFT’s Bostic Suffers Pec Injury]
Scherff missed a total of 18 games from 2017-2020, including an MCL issue that sidelined him for three games in last year. Now, he’ll add to that total en route to free agency. The two sides could not come to terms this summer, so the the All-Pro guard is playing out his second-straight franchise tag for a salary of $18.04MM. Barring any further setbacks, Scherff is still expected to net a record-setting contract. His tag already puts him at the top of the list for guards while Joe Thuney‘s $16MM/year deal leads the way for multi-year pacts.
Thomas, a one-time quarterback, is coming off of a career year with 72 catches, 670 yards receiving, and six touchdowns. His 72 grabs last year put him third among all tight ends while his yardage (670) put him seventh at the position. Through four games this year, he has a line of 12/117/2.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: S Chris Banjo
- Waived: OL Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: LB Kamal Martin
- Waived: G Michael Jordan
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): DT Khalil Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Forrest Merrill
- Promoted: DL Breiden Fehoko
- Placed on IR: DL Justin Jones, LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Cameron Dantzler
Seattle Seahawks
- Designed for return: DB Tre Brown
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: CB Torry McTyer
WFT’s Jon Bostic Suffers Pec Injury
WFT linebacker Jon Bostic suffered a pec injury on Sunday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). He’ll undergo an MRI today to determine the severity, but Washington is bracing for bad news. 
Bostic was ruled out in the fourth quarter, following early exits for tight end Logan Thomas (hamstring), wide receiver Cam Sims (hamstring), and guard Brandon Scherff (knee). They went on to beat the Falcons 34-30 in Atlanta, but it was a costly victory.
Bostic never lived up to his second-round draft status in Chicago and barely played in New England. But, when he resurfaced with the Colts in 2017 and the Steelers in 2018, he found his footing as a starter. His best work has come in D.C. Bostic has did not miss a game between 2019 and 2020, starting in all but one of his games. Last year, he finished out with 118 tackles — a new career best — plus three sacks, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and one interception.
Now at .500, the WFT will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in Week 5.
Washington Football Team Activates Curtis Samuel
Curtis Samuel is set to make his Washington debut. The WFT has officially activated the wide receiver off of injured reserve and onto the 53-man roster (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus). 
Samuel joined Washington on a three-year deal worth up to $35.25MM with $24.5MM guaranteed. Unfortunately, he was saddled by a groin injury throughout the summer and opened the year on short-term IR. Now, after missing the first three weeks of the season, he should be ready to go this week against the Falcons.
Samuel will pair with top wideout Terry McLaurin to provide Taylor Heinicke with better ammunition. Samuel, a 2017 second-round pick, is coming off of a career year with 1,051 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns for the Panthers. He also notched career-high 41 rushing attempts, so he could also help Ron Rivera & Co. out of the backfield.
As of this writing, WFT has seven WRs on the 53-man roster: Samuel, McLaurin, Adam Humphries, third-round pick Dyami Brown, DeAndre Carter, Cam Sims, and seventh-round rookie Dax Milne. One of those players will likely be cut loose before the end of the business day.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/29/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Harry Crider, OL Javon Patterson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Jordan Lucas
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: RB Trey Ragas, WR Javon Wims
Los Angeles Rams
- Claimed (from Steelers): OLB Jamir Jones
New York Giants
- Signed: Omari Cobb, OL Sam Jones
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Phillip Dorsett, TE Ryan Izzo, QB Jake Luton
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Abdullah Anderson
Washington Football Team
- Signed: WR Kelvin Harmon