HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/22

September 21st, 2022 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

  • Signed: OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/22

September 21st, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed off Rams practice squad: DE Benton Whitley

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Kazee was suspended three games for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse. After signing with the Steelers this offseason, he landed on injured reserve after the preseason. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor (on Twitter), Kazee will be allowed to serve his suspension while he’s on IR.

Hopkins was also suspended three games for violating the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse.

Rams To Sign Takkarist McKinley Off Titans’ Practice Squad

September 21st, 2022 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another Takkarist McKinley relocation is on tap. The veteran pass rusher, who had caught on with the Titans’ practice squad last week, is now L.A.-bound.

The Rams will sign McKinley off that Tennessee taxi squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This move will reunite McKinley with Rams DC Raheem Morris, who formerly served as a Falcons assistant head coach and interim HC during McKinley’s time in Atlanta, and signal a return to Los Angeles. McKinley, 26, is a UCLA alum.

A former first-round pick, McKinley has bounced around the league since his Falcons stay ended during the 2020 season. He was claimed three times on waivers after that Falcons cut; the 49ers, Bengals and Raiders claimed him that year. The young edge defender landed with the Raiders, but an injury prevented him from playing any games.

Last year, McKinley caught on with the Browns, who used him mostly as a rotational player behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Late in a 2.5-sack 2021 season, McKinley went down with an Achilles tear in late December. That took the five-year veteran out of the mix for several months, but interest picked up around training camp. Although the Titans lost Harold Landry to an ACL tear just before the season, they chose not to promote McKinley to their active roster to prevent this Rams poaching.

With Von Miller now in Buffalo, Leonard Floyd anchors the defending champions’ edge-rushing corps. Considerable uncertainty exists behind Floyd. The Rams have Justin Hollins and former third-round pick Terrell Lewis as their top non-Floyd options on the edge. While McKinley is far from a sure thing at this point in his career, which has taken a downturn since some late-2010s Falcons production, he has made 27 career starts and totaled 20 sacks. Thirteen of those came between the 2017 and ’18 seasons. Morris was on Atlanta’s staff throughout McKinley’s time with the team.

This has been a rather interesting, as far as practice squads go, day for the Titans’ P-squad. Prior to losing McKinley, Tennessee signed safety Andrew Adams off the Steelers’ taxi squad and added cornerback Terrance Mitchell off the Patriots’ 16-man squad.

49ers Place Trey Lance On IR, Bring Back RB Tevin Coleman

September 21st, 2022 at 2:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both Elijah Mitchell and Tyrion Davis-Price are now on the mend for the 49ers. Davis-Price’s ankle sprain is expected to keep him out for multiple games, while Mitchell is early in what is viewed as a two-month recovery timetable from an MCL sprain. Veteran backs are en route.

After the 49ers promoted Marlon Mack to their active roster, they replaced him on the practice squad with Tevin Coleman. Weeks after the Jets released Coleman, the seven-year veteran worked out for his former team last week. This marks a return Bay Area trip for Coleman, who was with the 49ers from 2019-20.

The 49ers officially placed Trey Lance on IR as well. Lance underwent surgery to repair a broken ankle. San Francisco’s starter is out for the season and staring at a four- to six-month recovery timetable. This led Jimmy Garoppolo back to the top of the depth chart and Kurt Benkert onto the 49ers’ P-squad. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, is currently Garoppolo’s backup.

This will be yet another Shanahan-Coleman reunion. The sixth-year 49ers head coach was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator during Coleman’s first two NFL seasons, and once the former third-round pick hit the market in 2019, the 49ers added him on a two-year deal. Coleman, 29, now represents insurance against another 49ers backfield injury.

Prior to unleashing Raheem Mostert in 2019, the 49ers had Coleman pegged as their starter. Even as Mostert morphed from special-teamer to first-stringer, Coleman played a steady role for the 49ers’ Super Bowl LIV-qualifying team. He totaled 724 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in 2019 and surpassed 100 on the ground in San Francisco’s divisional-round win over Minnesota. A shoulder injury slowed him for the rest of those playoffs, and a knee injury in Week 2 of the 2020 season led to a lengthy absence and a vastly reduced role down the stretch that year.

Last season, Coleman played in 11 Jets games — in ex-49ers OC Mike LaFleur‘s offense — and averaged 4.2 yards per carry (84 totes, 356 yards). The Jets brought him back on a one-year, $1.5MM deal, but the team soon drafted Breece Hall in the second round and went with younger backs after training camp. The 49ers have ex-Coleman backup Jeff Wilson installed as their current starter, with Mack and rookie UDFA Jordan Mason as backups.

CB Kevin King Plans To Skip 2022 Season, Return in ’23

September 21st, 2022 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Joe Haden announced his retirement Wednesday morning, a few well-known cornerbacks remain in free agency. All-Decade-teamer Chris Harris joins the likes of Xavier Rhodes and Jackrabbit Jenkins as available vets. But each is 32 or older. Kevin King, who would be going into his age-27 season, looks to be unattached for a different reason.

King does not intend to play this season, according to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, who adds health is driving King to make this unusual call. King, 27, dealt with a litany of injuries and a COVID-19 contraction last year and is eyeing a 2023 NFL return. The University of Washington product turned down multiple offers this offseason, Kyed adds.

Although King struggled in the 2020 NFC championship game, the Packers re-signed the former second-round pick on a one-year deal worth $5MM in 2021. King played 11 games last season, counting Green Bay’s playoff tilt, and started six. The veteran outside cover man was among the many Packer starters to miss a chunk of the season. Hip, knee and shoulder injuries, along with a concussion and COVID, led to King missing seven games. Healing up is obviously critical, and it is not known how much time is needed to do so.

This strategy does run the risk of King’s value cratering, with teams less likely to invest much in a player who dealt with enough injuries they cost him the following year of work. Returning to the league after a full season away is uncommon but far from unprecedented. It might take a successful workout for the five-year Packer to convince a team to add him next year. King missed extensive time during his first two NFL seasons as well, with shoulder and hamstring issues shutting him down in 2017 and ’18.

One of four first- or second-round corners the Packers have drafted since 2017, King has started 42 career games. He rebounded from his early-career injuries to intercept five passes in 2019 and worked as Jaire Alexander‘s primary sidekick during the now-well-paid corner’s time in Wisconsin. Eric Stokes, a 2021 first-rounder, now fills that role.

Injuries aside, PFF graded King’s 2021 season as his best. The veteran cover man did see his yards-per-target, passer rating allowed and completion percentage yielded figures rise from 2020, however. It will be interesting to see if King’s plan to heal up this year pays off down the line.

Bengals TE Drew Sample To Undergo Surgery, Miss Months

September 21st, 2022 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals will be without one of their tight ends for a while, perhaps the rest of the season. Drew Sample will be sidelined for “several months” due to knee surgery, Zac Taylor said Wednesday.

Sample suffered the knee injury during the Bengals’ Week 2 loss in Dallas. The fourth-year tight end started in each of Cincinnati’s first two games. This comes at a bad time for Sample, who is in a contract year. Initial tests revealed MCL and PCL damage, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds this is likely a season-ending injury (Twitter link). Sample will undoubtedly be moved to IR soon.

A former second-round pick, Sample has started 25 games with the Bengals. The team has not viewed the University of Washington product as a pass-catching regular, preferring C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst in those roles in recent years. Sample did catch 40 passes for 349 yards and a touchdown in 2020, however, when he saw action on 81% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps. He played all 21 Bengals games last season, seeing a 42% snap share.

Cincinnati signed Hurst this offseason and claimed former third-round pick Devin Asiasi off waivers from the Patriots. Third-year UDFA Mitchell Wilcox rounds out the defending AFC champions’ tight end room, which lost Uzomah after the longtime Bengal signed with the Jets in March. The Bengals were connected to O.J. Howard, hosting him on a visit just before the season, but the ex-Buccaneers starter signed with the Texans.

Patriots Trade OL Justin Herron To Raiders

September 21st, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots and Raiders have agreed on another trade. Months after the Pats sent Jarrett Stidham to the AFC West franchise, Justin Herron is headed to Las Vegas.

This deal will involve a 2024 pick swap, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Herron will see some familiar faces in Vegas, with longtime Patriots OC Josh McDaniels and ex-New England exec Dave Ziegler now running the Raiders. New England will receive Las Vegas’ 2024 sixth-round choice and send over a 2024 seventh-rounder in this swap, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.

Although Herron has not suited up this season, he started 10 Patriots games between the 2020 and ’21 slates. The Pats drafted Herron in the 2020 sixth round. Herron, 26, worked as a backup tackle in New England. He will head to a Raiders team that has encountered right tackle instability.

The Raiders have used ex-Patriot Jermaine Eluemunor as their right tackle starter thus far, but the team has deployed a rotation on the right side of its offensive line. Seventh-round rookie Thayer Munford has rotated in at right tackle during each of Las Vegas’ first two games. This rotation comes after the Raiders cut 2021 first-round pick Alex Leatherwood and saw would-be right tackle starter Brandon Parker suffer a season-ending injury during the preseason. Herron could be in position to compete for a starting job. If nothing else, the Wake Forest product will supply depth.

Herron filled in for Trent Brown during part of the then-right tackle’s 2021 absence and filled in for then-left tackle Isaiah Wynn during part of his rookie year. Pro Football Focus did not view Herron’s 2021 work too positively, but his scheme familiarity and through-2023 rookie contract made him a target for a Raiders team experiencing some O-line turbulence.

To clear a roster spot, the Raiders are waiving cornerback Javelin Guidry, Rapoport adds (on Twitter). Should the speedy defender clear waivers, the Raiders plan to add him to their practice squad. The Raiders claimed Guidry off waivers from the Cardinals, who cut him shortly after claiming him on the wire from the Jets. Guidry played three special teams snaps for the Raiders against the Cards in Week 2.

Mike Evans To Serve One-Game Suspension

September 21st, 2022 at 10:50am CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers will be without Mike Evans against the Packers in Week 3. Appeals officer James Thrash upheld the one-game suspension handed to Evans for his actions in New Orleans.

This will be Evans’ second suspension. Both came after he shoved Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore during games in New Orleans. Like he did after being suspended in 2017, Evans appealed. Five years after his previous appeal effort failed, Evans will sit another game. He missed a Week 10 game against the Jets in 2017. It is safe to say the four-time Pro Bowler’s next absence will be slightly more noticeable, given the Bucs’ Tom Brady-era status as one of the league’s highest-profile teams.

For the Bucs, it will likely mean having neither Evans nor Chris Godwin available this week. Godwin continues to battle a hamstring injury, and while it is not certain Evans’ longtime tandem partner will be out, a multiweek absence was expected.

This will be an adjustment for Brady, who has been without Evans just once during his Tampa tenure. Evans missed the Bucs’ Week 16 game against the Panthers last season. While Godwin had sustained an ACL tear the previous week, the Bucs still had Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski at that point. Brown’s in-game actions the following week against the Jets led him out of the picture, but Evans had returned by that point. Gronkowski retired for a second time this offseason.

Tampa Bay played without Julio Jones in New Orleans last week. The recently signed wideout missed Week 2 with a knee injury. Jones returning against Green Bay obviously becomes a more important matter now. The Bucs have Scotty Miller and Breshad Perriman in place as their next men up. Cole Beasley officially joined Tampa Bay’s practice squad Wednesday. The 10-year veteran can be elevated ahead of the Bucs’ Week 3 game, should the team elect to do so.

Evans missed a rookie-contract game check in 2017. Although he remains attached to an extension he signed in 2018, the former top-10 pick will not miss out on too much money. Due to an offseason restructure that dropped Evans’ base salary to $1.12MM, the ninth-year receiver will lose out on just more than $62K because of this suspension.

Buccaneers Place RB Giovani Bernard, OL Josh Wells On IR

September 21st, 2022 at 9:46am CST by Sam Robinson

After injuries to veterans Giovani Bernard and Josh Wells, the Buccaneers are making roster adjustments. Both players landed on injured reserve Wednesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.

Ankle and calf injuries, respectively, will sideline Bernard and Wells for at least four weeks. Wells’ ailment is not believed to be season-ending, per ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine (on Twitter), but the backup tackle will be shut down for a while.

[RELATED: Bucs Add Cole Beasley To Practice Squad]

Wells started in place of injured left tackle Donovan Smith in Week 2, but the ninth-year veteran went down during the Bucs’ win over the Saints. Following Wells’ exit, the Bucs turned to third-year UDFA Brandon Walton, who had spent last season on the team’s practice squad. A Florida Atlantic alum, Walton has only dressed for two NFL games. Sunday marked his first regular-season snaps on offense.

Wells joins center Ryan Jensen and guard Aaron Stinnie on IR. Smith, who missed Week 2 with an elbow injury, remains on the team’s active roster. Smith being unable to go in Week 3 against the Packers would mark yet another new starter for a Bucs offensive line that continues to absorb injury blows. Wells, 31, has been with the Bucs as a backup O-lineman since 2019.

Although the Bucs re-signed Bernard this offseason, the veteran running back has not been used on offense through two games. Leonard Fournette and rookie Rachaad White have played in front of Bernard, whom the Bucs signed as a possible passing-down option last year. Bernard caught 23 passes for just 123 yards last season. At 30, the former Bengals running back has seen time on special teams in his second Bucs slate.

Tampa Bay promoted linebacker Kenny Young and wide receiver Kaylon Geiger to its 53-man roster to replace Bernard and Wells, Stroud adds (via Twitter). The team also added offensive lineman Justin Skule to its practice squad. Skule spent the past three years with the 49ers. While he missed the 2021 season with an ACL tear, Skule started 12 games between the 2019 and ’20 seasons. The Vanderbilt product served as Joe Staley‘s primary replacement during the latter’s 2019 finale.

Titans To Sign S Andrew Adams Off Steelers’ Practice Squad

September 21st, 2022 at 9:07am CST by Sam Robinson

A Buccaneers contributor for the past four seasons, Andrew Adams is joining a third team since his Tampa stint ended. After signing with the Giants earlier this year and then landing with the Steelers’ practice squad, Adams is now a Titan.

Tennessee is signing the veteran safety off Pittsburgh’s practice squad, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Adams, 29, is a six-year veteran who has spent time on the Giants and Bucs’ active rosters. He will be on the Titans’ 53-man roster Wednesday.

Although Adams’ Giants deal did not lead to a spot on their 53-man roster this year, the former UDFA has made 35 career starts. He opened his career by moving into New York’s starting lineup, during the team’s most recent playoff season (2016), and was an 11-game starter for Todd Bowles‘ first Tampa Bay defense three years ago.

The latter bump came after Adams intercepted four passes with the 2018 Bucs. Adams played all 20 Bucs games during their 2020 Super Bowl-winning season, working as a backup behind Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr., and started three games last year for the team. Pro Football Focus graded Adams as a solid safety last season, on 214 defensive snaps. He worked extensively as a Bucs special-teamer as well, seeing time on more than 60% of Tampa Bay’s special teams snaps from 2020-21.

The Titans have two solidified safety starters, in Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker, but the team placed backup A.J. Moore on IR last week. Lonnie Johnson, who has bounced from cornerback to safety over his career, has also been with three teams this year (Texans, Chiefs, Titans). Joshua Kalu, who caught on with the Titans just before camp, is the AFC South team’s other backup safety.

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