NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/23
Teams continue to tinker with their taxi squads in the aftermath of roster cutdowns. Here are Friday’s updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Daniel Arias, G Marquis Hayes, S Jovante Moffatt, DL Ben Stille, TE Blake Whiteheart
- Released: CB Quavian White
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: T David Sharpe, RB Jashaun Corbin, LB Chandler Wooten, WR Derek Wright
Chicago Bears
- Signed: S A.J. Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: CB A.J. Green
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Ben Niemann
- Released: WR Michael Bandy
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Darrell Daniels
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DL Jonathan Ford
- Released: C James Empey
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Gerrit Prince
- Released: DT Chris Williams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Chris Wilcox
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR T.J. Luther
- Released: WR Thyrick Pitts
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Jaylon Thomas
- Released: OL Tyre Phillips
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Robert Rochell, LB Jon Rhattigan
- Released: QB Holton Ahlers, OL Greg Eiland
Tennessee Titans
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/31/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: NT Bravvion Roy
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: QB Shane Buechele
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Deslin Alexandre, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Bill Murray, K John Parker Romo
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Lucas Krull
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB David Blough, DL Quinton Bohanna, WR Daurice Fountain, DE Raymond Johnson, RB Zonovan Knight, G Michael Niese
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Kristian Welch
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT McTelvin Agim, WR Racey McMath
- Released: DT Caleb Sampson, CB Kevin Toliver
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DL Esezi Otomewo
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: CB Keith Taylor, WR Montrell Washington
- Released: DB Reese Taylor
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Marquez Callaway, LB Isaac Darkangelo, G Vitaliy Gurman, DE Janarius Robinson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR Alex Erickson, S Dean Marlowe, TE Nick Vannett
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Nick Bowers, RB Darrynton Evans, OL Chasen Hines, S Joshua Kalu, DT Rashard Lawrence, OT James Tunstall, WR Raleigh Webb, DE Chase Winovich
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jalen Reagor
New Orleans Saints
- Released: RB Tony Jones Jr., RB Ellis Merriweather, RB Jordan Mims, LB Ty Summers
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Caleb Hayes, WR Dennis Houston, TE Tyree Jackson, RB Taiwan Jones, G Jalen Mayfield, OT Jaylon Thomas
- Released: CB Gemon Green, OL Tyre Phillips
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, DL Jalyn Holmes, S Tyreque Jones, OL Jason Poe, OL Ryan Swoboda, RB Xazavian Valladay
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Thomas Booker, OT Le’Raven Clark, CB Tiawan Mullen
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Tariq Carpenter, OT Kellen Diesch, WR Simi Fehoko, G Joey Fisher, DB Josiah Scott
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB CB Shemar Jean-Charles, K Matthew Wright
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Ben Brown, CB Artie Burns, LB Jon Rhattigan, CB Robert Rochell
- Released: QB Holton Ahlers, OL Greg Eiland
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, DE C.J. Brewer, OL Silas Dzansi, OT Luke Haggard, DB Keenan Isaac, WR Cephus Johnson, RB Patrick Laird, S Richard LeCounte, WR Ryan Miller, WR David Moore, DL Pat O’Connor, OL Raiqwon O’Neal, LB Jose Ramirez, LB J.J. Russell, TE Tanner Taula, QB John Wolford
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/23
Following a busy roster deadline day on Tuesday, teams continue to reshuffle their rosters. Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed on waivers (from Colts): OL Carter O’Donnell
- Placed on IR: OL Dennis Daley, LB Myjai Sanders
- Waived from IR: OT Lachavious Simmons
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Josh Johnson, CB Kevon Seymour, DE Brent Urban
- Placed on IR: LB Malik Hamm, RB Keaton Mitchell, CB Damarion Williams
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: WR Justin Shorter, LB Baylon Spector
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: TE Stephen Sullivan
Chicago Bears
- Waived from IR: RB Trestan Ebner, OL Gabe Houy
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Maurice Hurst
- Placed on IR: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Craig Reynolds
- Placed on IR: LB Julian Okwara
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Matt Orzech
- Placed on IR: OT Luke Tenuta
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: G Arlington Hambright
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived from IR: LB Blake Lynch
New York Giants
- Waived from IR: CB Zyon Gilbert
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: OT Carter Warren, TE Kenny Yeboah
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived from IR: S Joey Blount
Tennessee Titans
- Released: OL Justin Murray
The Ravens brought back a trio of veterans to their 53-man roster. Brent Urban is probably destined for the biggest role, with the veteran lineman serving as the top backup to Broderick Washington at defensive end. Urban got into 16 games for Baltimore last season, collecting 21 tackles and one sack. Veteran QB Josh Johnson will slide behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on the depth chart, and Kevon Seymour will continue his role as a key special teamer.
The Cardinals are temporarily losing some production with offensive lineman Dennis Daley and linebacker Myjai Sanders being placed on IR. Daley joined the Cardinals on a two-year deal this offseason after starting 15 of his 17 appearances for the Titans in 2022. Sanders had a productive rookie campaign, with the third-round pick collecting 23 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Julian Okwara has turned into a productive pass-rushing option in Detroit. The former third-round pick has collected seven sacks over the past two seasons, but he’ll now be sidelined for the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury suffered during in the preseason finale.
Five Teams Placed Claims On WR Elijah Higgins
Elijah Higgins was a popular name on the waiver wire yesterday before he ultimately landed with the Cardinals. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the Colts, Titans, Commanders, and Packers also tried to claim the receiver.
It’s not a surprise that there’s plenty of intrigue in the Stanford product. Higgins had productive 2021 and 2022 campaigns, hauling in 104 receptions for 1,204 yards and six touchdowns. Thanks to that performance, the former four-star recruit found himself on the NFL radar, and the Dolphins ended up using a sixth-round pick on him during this past year’s draft.
However, Higgins found himself joining a deep receivers room in Miami. The rookie still had a shot at making the roster, but Miami ended up rolling with the likes of Braxton Berrios, Cedrick Wilson, Erik Ezukanma, and River Cracraft to round out the WRs room behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Higgins could have a chance to contribute in Arizona, though it’d likely require an injury for him to see a significant role on offense. Behind Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore, the Cardinals are rostering Zach Pascal, rookie Michael Wilson, and Greg Dortch.
Per Fields, Higgins was one of only two players to earn more than two waivers claims. The other was new Texans lineman Nick Broeker, who also drew interest from the Cardinals, Titans, and Giants.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.
Arizona Cardinals
Claimed:
- C Trystan Colon, TE Elijah Higgins, C Keith Ishmael, T Ilm Manning, DB Starling Thomas, DB K’Von Wallace
Waived:
- WR Daniel Arias, G Marquis Hayes, S Javonte Moffatt, DL Ben Stille, TE Blake Whiteheart
Signed to practice squad:
- QB Jeff Driskel
Los Angeles Rams
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- OL A.J. Arcuri, OL Logan Bruss, DT Marquise Copeland, RB Royce Freeman, DB Tanner Ingle, WR Tyler Johnson, TE Nikola Kalinic, OL Mike McAllister, DB Cameron McCutcheon, OL Grant Miller, LB Troy Reeder, QB Brett Rypien, WR Xavier Smith, OLB Keir Thomas II, WR Austin Trammell
San Francisco 49ers
Placed on IR:
- DL Robert Beal, WR Danny Gray
Signed:
- DL Austin Bryant, DL Kerry Hyder
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Alex Barrett, FB Jack Colletto, WR Chris Conley, DL Marlon Davidson, TE Troy Fumagalli, OL Alfredo Gutierrez (via International Player Pathway), RB Brian Hill, CB Qwuantrezz Knight, OL Corey Luciano, WR Tay Martin, DL T.Y. McGill, LB Curtis Robinson, WR Willie Snead, CB Tre Swilling, OL Leroy Watson, WR Isaiah Winstead
Seattle Seahawks
Claimed:
- CB Kyu Blu Kelly, LB Drake Thomas
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- QB Holton Ahlers, OLB Levi Bell, CB Lance Boykin, CB Artie Burns, T Greg Eiland, DT Matthew Gotel, C Joey Hunt, WR Cade Johnson, RB Bryant Koback, WR Matt Landers, TE Tyler Mabry, LB Patrick O’Connell, S Ty Okada, RB SaRodorick Thompson, WR Easop Winston Jr.
Cardinals Get Down To 53 Players
The source of some strange, unpredicted preseason trades in the past few weeks, the Cardinals have been busy trying to figure out the 53-man roster they’ll open the season with. While some of their biggest cuts came in the days leading up to the deadline and the team is likely to continue making adjustments leading up to opening day, here are the cuts made to officially set team’s initial 53-man roster:
Waived:
- LB David Anenih
- WR Andre Baccellia
- DL Eric Banks
- OL Jackson Barton
- S Kendell Brooks
- OL Cole Cabral
- S Andre Chachere
- WR Brian Cobbs
- WR Kaden Davis
- TE Joel Honigford
- OL Hayden Howerton
- S JuJu Hughes
- OL Braylon Jones
- DL Rashard Lawrence
- LB Zach McCloud
- CB Bobby Price
- RB Stevie Scott
- TE Bernhard Seikovits
- DL Jacob Slade
- WR Brandon Smith
- OL Lecitus Smith
- LB Kyle Soelle
- TE Noah Togiai
- OL Badara Traore
- CB Quavian White
- RB Ty’Son Williams
Released:
- QB David Blough
- LS Aaron Brewer
- RB Corey Clement
- WR Davion Davis
- QB Jeff Driskel
Placed on IR:
Waived/injured:
Veteran running back Clement and former Ravens standout Williams both fell victim to a resurgent Keaontay Ingram, who surpassed them both on the depth chart after getting healthy. That means a roster spot for undrafted rookie Emari Demercado, who will get to reap the unfortunate benefit of Marlon Mack‘s season-ending injury. He’s joined by undrafted wide receiver Daniel Arias and tight end Blake Whiteheart.
The release of the long-time Cardinals long snapper, Brewer, comes as a bit of a surprise as the only other long snapper on the roster, undrafted rookie Matt Hembrough, is currently on injured reserve. They’ll likely target a free agent who is left available after cut day.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was not moved from the physically unable to perform list, nor was cornerback Garrett Williams moved from the non-football injury list. Both will attempt to make returns shortly after the start of the season. Rookie backup center Gaines’ first NFL season is unfortunately over before it could begin after sustaining a knee injury in the team’s preseason finale.
Cardinals Release QB Colt McCoy; Kyler Murray To Begin Season On PUP List
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray will begin 2023 on the reserve/PUP list, which will require him to miss at least the first four games of the season. The bigger surprise is that Colt McCoy, who spent the past two seasons as Murray’s backup in Arizona, has been released, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Murray, of course, is the club’s franchise passer, and he signed a massive contract extension last July. But he suffered an ACL tear and a torn meniscus late in the 2022 season, and while there was some initial optimism that he would be cleared for Week 1 of the upcoming campaign, it had become increasingly apparent that would not be the case. As Arizona is clearly in rebuild mode — and perhaps in line for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 draft — it simply does not make sense for the team to rush Murray back onto the field.
Even after the recent trade that brought Josh Dobbs to the desert, the expectation was that McCoy would open the season as the Cardinals’ starting signal-caller, with Dobbs serving as his backup and fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune as the third-stringer. On the other hand, new Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing worked as the Browns’ quarterbacks coach in 2022, when Dobbs was on the Cleveland roster, so there is some familiarity there. Additionally, McCoy’s 2022 season was cut short due to a concussion, and he spent time on IR with a calf injury prior to that. An elbow problem sidelined McCoy at the outset of this year’s offseason program.
The McCoy release creates $1.5MM of cap space for the Cardinals while leaving the club with a dead money charge of $3.5MM, as Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily observes. As such, it seems clear that the move was not financially motivated and was instead designed to give younger players who might have longer futures with the team more of an opportunity.
McCoy, who will turn 37 next month, contemplated retirement this offseason. It is now fair to wonder if he will hang up the cleats or search for another opportunity to extend his playing career. The Texas product has started 36 games in the NFL, and though his 11-25 record as a starter is obviously uninspiring, he has had stretches of quality play. In 2021, for instance, he started three games in relief of an injured Murray and went 2-1 while completing 74.7% of his passes for three TDs against one interception.
Cardinals Place OL Pat Elflein On IR
Injuries have dogged Pat Elflein since his Minnesota days. The veteran interior offensive lineman is back on IR as of Monday. This designation takes Elflein out of the Cardinals’ mix.
Elflein, who signed with the Cardinals just before training camp, will not be carried over to the team’s 53-man roster. While Elflein has made a few trips to IR during his career, being placed on the injury list before the season — thus, exempting him from an in-season activation — is new territory for the former Vikings, Jets and Panthers starter.
Signing Elflein to a one-year, $1.15MM contract, the Cardinals guaranteed him just $25K. The seventh-year veteran will likely receive an injury settlement and be jettisoned from Arizona’s IR list. Injury waivers existed in this contract for hip and ankle issues, which have led to past Elflein absences. Elflein, 29, missed practice time ahead of Arizona’s third preseason game. Both Jonathan Gannon and OC Drew Petzing were in Minnesota during part of Elflein’s Vikings career.
Formerly the Vikings’ starting center, Elflein hit Minnesota’s IR in September 2020. After the Vikes cut him later that year, Elflein scored a three-year, $13.5MM Panthers pact. He was back on IR in September 2021 and again in October 2022. The center/guard missed 11 games last season, going down with a hip injury in October. A Cards settlement would allow Elflein to resurface elsewhere when he heals up, but it is safe to say the 64-game starter’s career is at a crossroads.
The Cardinals are now without two notable veterans on their O-line; they dealt Josh Jones to the Texans during their three-trade Thursday. Jones worked as D.J. Humphries‘ primary fill-in last season. With Humphries back, the Cardinals have gone Humphries-Elijah Wilkinson–Hjalte Froholdt–Will Hernandez-Paris Johnson up front since training camp started.
Arizona also released defensive backs Nate Hairston and Sean Chandler. Teams have until 3pm CT on Tuesday to cut their rosters to 53 players. Hairston, who has 18 career starts at cornerback, played in two Cards games last season. A sixth-year safety who has seen action with the Giants and Panthers, Chandler has seven career starts on his resume.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/23
Here are today’s minor moves heading into the final weekend of preseason games this year:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: C Cohl Cabral
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridges
Buffalo Bills
- Released from IR with injury settlement: DE Shane Ray
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR with injury settlement: WR Damiere Byrd
Houston Texans
- Signed: P Ty Zentner
- Waived: T Jacky Chen
- Released: CB Darius Phillips
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT Jamal Woods
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jameson Houston
- Waived: T Chim Okorafor
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: WR Hakeem Butler, WR Cody White
Ray’s unlikely return to the NFL will have to wait a bit longer, it seems. Having not appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2018, Ray’s opportunity in Buffalo has come to an end. His bid to play alongside former Broncos teammate Von Miller will fall short due to injury.
Zentner is likely a short-term signing for Houston, who lost punter Cameron Johnston to a tweaked calf. Johnston shouldn’t need long to get back to the field, but Zentner will be asked to fill in for the team’s preseason game against the Saints this weekend.
Browns To Trade QB Josh Dobbs To Cardinals
The Cardinals are still not done on the trade front. Arizona is on the acquiring end of a deal this time, however. The Browns are trading quarterback Josh Dobbs and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Cardinals for a 2024 fifth-rounder (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network). CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones was the first to report (via Twitter) that Dobbs was on his way to the desert.
Jones adds that that Kellen Mond has not, in fact, been placed on waivers. Such a move was announced by the team earlier today, but with Dobbs no longer in the fold, the Browns will retain Mond to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Most significantly, this news confirms that rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has done enough to win the backup job behind Deshaun Watson.
This move ends a second Dobbs tenure early. The Browns had rostered Dobbs as their Jacoby Brissett backup last year, but Watson’s return from suspension led to the team cutting him. Dobbs ended up in Detroit and then Tennessee, where he was immediately called upon to start (over Malik Willis) in the Titans’ final two games. Now, the veteran reserve, months after rejoining the Browns on a one-year deal worth $2MM, will join a Cardinals team that came into the day with five QBs rostered. The move points to Kyler Murray remaining on Arizona’s PUP list to start the season.
The trade also comes not long after Kevin Stefanski (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) had named Dobbs as their backup. That was believed to be the plan all along, with the seventh-year vet operating as QB2 as Thompson-Robinson developed. This move will still allow for Thompson-Robinson to grow behind Watson, though an injury to the starter would throw the fifth-round rookie into the fire.
Although Colt McCoy, David Blough, Jeff Driskel and fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune are on Arizona’s roster, the Cardinals brought in Dobbs, who has a history with new OC Drew Petzing. The Browns’ QBs coach last year will bring in Dobbs as McCoy insurance, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). McCoy’s season ended early because of a concussion last year, and he went on IR with another issue prior to that. An elbow problem sidelined McCoy to start this offseason program as well. The 14th-year veteran is going into his age-37 season. Under contract for one more year, McCoy considered retirement this offseason.
To start the year, the Cards’ depth chart will likely be McCoy-Dobbs-Tune at QB, Weinfuss adds. With Petzing on board as the play-caller, TheLandonDemand.com’s Tony Grossi notes the Cardinals tried to sign Dobbs as a free agent. Thompson-Robinson’s emergence changed the Browns’ thinking regarding their QB depth chart, per Grossi.
Despite Dobbs coming into the league as a 2017 fourth-round pick, he had only attempted 17 passes coming into December of last year. The Titans summoned the rocket scientist, and he completed 69% of his passes in a do-or-die game against a much healthier Jaguars squad. The injury-plagued Titans pushed the Jags in that Week 18 game, with Dobbs throwing for 232 yards and a touchdown. Mired in some QB uncertainty until Murray returns, the Cardinals now have the former Steelers draftee in a familiar system.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.