Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Redskins
After losing ace special teamer Dewey McDonald to a torn ACL, the Seahawks are considering signing linebacker Bryan Braman, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Seahawks Audition Akeem Ayers]
Braman, 30, has appeared in 94 career games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M in 2011, but has never started a contest. His core responsibilities have come on special teams with both the Texans (2011-14) and the Eagles (2014-16). Last year, for example, Braman played only three defensive snaps for Philadelphia, but saw action on 82.3% of the club’s special teams plays.
Through three games, Seattle ranks just 22nd in special teams DVOA. Specifically, the Seahawks are below-average in every area of special teams aside from kick returns. On punts, the club has sacrificed 1.4 points of field position.
Braman has already landed one NFL contract this year, as he enjoyed a week-plus stint with the Saints before being released at final cutdowns.
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks
Former Vikings and Chargers offensive lineman Mike Harris will officially file NFL retirement papers next month, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Harris, 28, isn’t hanging up his cleats voluntarily, however, as a congenital brain condition — brain arteriovenous malformation — forced Harris to call it a career. Harris originally noticed the symptoms in June 2016 and believed he was having a stroke. Vikings doctors, and later Mayo Clinic staff, diagnosed him, and while the issue wasn’t originally thought to be career-ending, Harris was informed this summer that he shouldn’t continue playing. However, Harris’ brain condition isn’t expected to affect his ability to lead a full, non-football-playing life.
“For a long time, I really depressed about the whole situation but I finally am in the light,’’ Harris said. “At the end of the day, I want to live to be a grown man. Football gave me a good life. I had been playing since I was 10 years old. When it first happened, I didn’t want to talk to the media and any of my teammates, but I’m in a better place now. It took a while but I know my life comes over football.’’
Originally an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Harris spent the first two seasons of his career with the Chargers before joining the Vikings in 2014. After having served as a reserve for most of his NFL tenure, Harris started all 16 games for Minnesota in 2015 and graded as the league’s No. 23 guard, per Pro Football Focus. That performance led to a new deal, a one-year pact that locked him in with the Vikings through 2016.
Harris spent the 2016 campaign on the non-football injury list, meaning that the Vikings weren’t compelled to pay any portion of his $1.9MM base salary. But Minnesota opted to pay Harris $400K, per Tomasson, and Harris also collected another $100K via a workout bonus. The Vikings ultimately waived Harris in February.
The Giants are off to an 0-3 start and the odds of a huge turnaround are not mathematically in their favor. As Tom Canavan of The Associated Press points out, only five teams that started the season 0-3 since 1980 have managed to reach the playoffs. It’s a feat that has not been pulled off since 1998 when the Bills went winless through the first three weeks of the regular season but managed to reach the postseason. There’s also this to consider: the Giants entered the year tied for the league’s eighth highest strength of schedule. It doesn’t necessarily get easier from here. 
The Giants were not everyone’s pick to win the NFC East, but few expected them to be this putrid. Last year, their spending spree gave their defense a major boost and they finished out with the second best defensive DVOA in the league. And, on the other side of the ball, the G-Men went out and got Brandon Marshall to help keep defenders off of star Odell Beckham Jr. So far, that hasn’t gotten them in the win column.
“We need to keep fighting through,” said coach Ben McAdoo after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles. “I believe in this team. I believe in the potential of this team. It starts with me and we need to keep fighting to get better and we need to keep fighting to get the win. Got to get that first one.”
The Giants may also have to shake things up, though their out-of-house options are limited at this juncture. The offensive line continues to be an issue for them and that’s a situation that could be best remedied by moving Ereck Flowers out of the starting left tackle spot, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. Instead, Justin Pugh or undrafted rookie Chad Wheeler could get an opportunity to serve as one of Eli Manning‘s top protectors while Flowers competes with Bobby Hart for the starting job on the right side instead. If that sounds like an uninspiring option, that’s because it is an uninspiring option. The reality is that the Giants blew their wad in the 2016 offseason, leaving little room for much-needed upgrades this year, such as improvements on the O-Line.
Now 0-3 and 0-2 within the division, do you see the Giants rallying to make the postseason? Cast your vote here:
Colin Kaepernick is still without an NFL job as we head into October, but the team holding his rights in Canada has reached out to him him. Montreal Alouettes GM Kavis Reed says that he has spoken with Kaepernick’s agent, as Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette writes. However, the team has not invited Kaepernick to Montreal for a visit or workout yet. 
“He’s in the midst of some very important things,” Reed said. “We understand there’s a movement going on around him. We’re doing our due diligence and making certain they know we want to see where he’s at. It’s a matter of kicking the tires at this stage. To me, he’s a very good player. Take all the movement stuff aside. He’s a young man that we feel has a very good football IQ. He has taken a team to a championship level. The talent’s there. As a GM, you have to look at the talent. It’s incumbent on us to explore it.”
Kaepernick only recently reaffirmed his desire to play in the NFL and there has been no indication that he would consider playing in the CFL at this time. There’s also not much time left in the CFL’s season, so the odds of him going north of the border this year aren’t great.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats once held Kaepernick’s negotiation rights, but they were recently transferred to the Als. The Ti-Cats still hold the rights to quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III, however.
Kaepernick will turn 30 on Nov. 3.
Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
The Jets have placed wide receiver Charone Peake on injured reserve. Peake suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s win against the Dolphins and did not return to action. His roster spot will be filled by the addition of running back Travaris Cadet.
[RELATED: Jets Sign RB Travaris Cadet]
X-Rays on Peake’s ankle came back negative earlier this week, but the Jets are apparently taking the cautious approach with him. In theory, he can return from IR if the Jets choose to use one of their two IR-DTR spots on him, but he’ll have to wait at least eight weeks before suiting up again.
The Jets’ WR group underwent some major changes this year after the team released Eric Decker rising star Quincy Enunwa suffered a season-ending neck injury. Some thought Peake would be in line for an increased role, but he has drawn only one target through three games. The bulk of his playing time has come on special teams.
In 2016, Peake had 19 receptions (35 targets) for 186 yards.
The Ravens have signed former Patriots linebacker Jonathan Freeny. He’ll take the roster spot of defensive end Brent Urban, who was formally placed on injured reserve. 
Freeny started five games for the Patriots over the last two seasons and signed a two-year extension with the team prior to the start of the 2016 season. Despite that, he was cut during final cutdowns this September. Since then, the Giants, Bears, and Texans worked him out, but none of those auditions resulted in a contract.
The Ravens have signed Freeny to add some needed depth at inside linebacker. They lost a supporting piece recently when UDFA Bam Bradley was placed on IR with an ACL injury. Freeny could see some snaps behind starters C.J. Mosley and Kamalei Correa while also contributing on special teams.
Freeny, a five-year NFL veteran, amassed 60 tackles and one sack for the Pats over the last two years.
We won’t be seeing the birth of Johnny Canadian Football. At least, not this year. Johnny Manziel has been barred from playing in the CFL in 2017, the league’s commissioner announced on Wednesday. 
“After an extensive process of due diligence and an in-person meeting with Mr. Manziel, the Commissioner has decided that he will not register any contract for Mr. Manziel for this season,” said the league in a statement. “However, Mr. Manziel will be eligible to sign a contract for the 2018 season and, if Mr. Manziel meets certain conditions that have been spelled out by the Commissioner, the CFL will register that contract. The specifics of those conditions are confidential and will not be disclosed. The CFL has extended the stay on the expiry of the 10-day window for Mr. Manziel until Nov. 30, 2017 and therefore Mr. Manziel will remain on Hamilton’s negotiation list until that date.”
Recently, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats worked out Manziel and, depending on who you ask, they may have had some interest in signing the controversial quarterback. The Ti-Cats have Manziel on their 45-man negotiation list, but the league will not green light a signing until next year.
Moments after the league rendered its decision, Manziel issued a statement of his own:
“I recently had a really positive meeting with Commissioner Randy Ambrosie and welcomed the chance for us to get to know each other and have an in-depth talk about a possible future with the CFL. I love this game and want to be back on the field in a situation where I can help a franchise in the long term. Over the past months, my agent helped me vet all of my options for playing, figuring out where I could be most effective and get back to having the most fun with the game I love. I’m ready to play today, but we all agreed with the Commissioner that it made no sense for me to join a team with only a month left in the season – it wouldn’t have been fair to my teammates, coaches or the fan base. I want to come into a team and earn my job day one, like everyone else. I look forward to preparing myself as best I can and look forward to what the future holds.”
Manziel, 25 in December, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former first-round choice completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
The Jets have signed Travaris Cadet, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Cadet will help fill the gap with Matt Forte likely to miss Sunday with a toe injury. 
Cadet auditioned for the Jets on Tuesday, along with former Chiefs running back Knile Davis. Cadet, apparently, made a stronger impression on the Jets and his pass-catching acumen probably has a lot to do with that.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound tailback has only 26 carries and 84 rushing yards for his career, but he has done some damage catching passes out of the backfield. Over the years, the 28-year-old has caught 102 receptions and scored seven touchdowns through the air. Last year, he set career highs in catches (40) and receiving TDs (four) with the Saints.
After an upset win over the Dolphins, the Jets will look to keep things rolling against the Jaguars at Metlife Stadium.