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Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/23

October 4th, 2023 at 8:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed to active roster: TE Rodney Williams

Tennessee Titans

Mitchell could be a key piece back for Baltimore in the offensive backfield. After the season loss of running back J.K Dobbins, the Ravens have been operating with a committee that includes Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon, and Kenyan Drake. While just an undrafted rookie, Mitchell could immediately relieve the need for the use of Gordon or Drake off the practice squad. The East Carolina product flashed serious potential in the preseason and led the FBS last year with 54 runs of 10 or more yards.

Denver will certainly be hoping to add Browning back to its ailing defense soon. Especially with Randy Gregory finding himself off the roster today, Browning’s pass-rushing ability could be just what the team needs to get its defense back on track.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/23

October 3rd, 2023 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: WR Kendric Pryor

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: LB Mikel Jones

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: S Christian Young

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Taiwan Jones will now look to catch on elsewhere after getting let go by the Giants. The veteran joined New York’s practice squad back in August and was elevated for the first two games of the season, with Jones returning one kick and one punt. It’s been a bit since Jones last contributed on offense, but the veteran was a reliable special teams player for the Bills for half a decade (two stints).

Bills CB Tre’Davious White Tears Achilles

October 2nd, 2023 at 3:10pm CST by Ely Allen

OCTOBER 2: A Monday MRI confirmed the fears. White suffered an Achilles tear, Sean McDermott said. This will bring another early end to the top Buffalo corner’s season. White needed a full year to return from the ACL tear that ended his 2021 campaign, and he will soon start another lengthy rehab journey.

OCTOBER 1: In an otherwise extremely positive day in Buffalo that included the return to the field for Bills safety Damar Hamlin and a rather convincing win over the division-rival Dolphins, the Bills experienced a terrible scare as veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White left the game with an apparent ankle injury.

An update from the team’s public relations account on X informed that White had been downgraded to out for the game and that he was being evaluated for an injury to his Achilles tendon. Unfortunately, those evaluations are not looking promising as it is currently feared that White has suffered a torn Achilles, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.

This continues a troubling trend for the 28-year-old cornerback, who has not played in every game since his sophomore season in 2018. While he missed three games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, White was still able to establish himself as a top cornerback in the league with a first-team All-Pro selection and two Pro Bowl appearances. In 2021, though, White would miss the final six games of the season after tearing his ACL, and that would start an unusually long absence.

Of course, ACL injuries routinely require a lengthy recovery process, but White intentionally decided to slow play his return to the field. The long-term injury was the first of his entire sports career dating back to childhood, and the sedentary lifestyle that recovery required of him took a toll on his mental health. He took an extra couple of months before coming back to play, and the decision paid off, allowing White to be effective in his return to the field.

Unfortunately, including last year’s playoffs, that return only lasted 11 games before he suffered an unrelated, potentially long-term injury. If White truly did tear his Achilles, he would almost certainly be out for the remainder of the season. Hopefully, if an MRI tomorrow confirms the severity of the injury, White is in a better place to deal with a long-term recovery and will be able to make another strong return.

In the meantime, the Bills secondary, already short today starting safety Jordan Poyer with a knee injury and last year’s first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who has been a healthy-scratch for the first four weeks of the season, will turn to a number of backups to fill White’s potential absence. Christian Benford and Taron Johnson have been starting alongside White so far this season. If White is forced to miss the rest of the season, the team will need to rely more on Dane Jackson, Siran Neal, and Cameron Lewis. Figuring out what they’re doing with Elam probably wouldn’t hurt, either.

Bills LB Christian Kirksey To Retire

September 21st, 2023 at 8:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Just before the season, Christian Kirksey ventured to Buffalo on a practice squad agreement. The veteran linebacker prioritized signing with a contender, upon not making the Texans’ 53-man roster. But he does not plan to stay on with the Bills.

Instead, the 10th-year vet has informed the team he plans to retire, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. Kirksey, 31, spent time with the Browns, Packers and Texans before coming to Buffalo. Prior to this season, the former third-round pick had been a regular starter in each of his previous nine seasons. The Bills have since announced Kirksey’s retirement plan.

To fill Kirksey’s spot on the practice squad, Garafolo adds the Bills are planning to bring back A.J. Klein. The off-and-on Bills regular was with the team during training camp. Klein re-signed with the Bills in April but was among the vested veterans not to make the team’s 53-man roster in August. The 11th-year veteran has remained in free agency since that cut.

Chosen by the Browns during what became an infamous draft for the team, Kirksey ended up a long-term starter for the downtrodden franchise. After selecting first-round busts Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel, the Browns did very well on Day 2 of the 2014 draft. They added Joel Bitonio in Round 2 and Kirksey in Round 3, taking the Iowa linebacker at No. 71 overall. Bitonio has become one of the Browns’ best players since the 1999 reboot, while Kirksey became a six-year starter for the team.

Kirksey’s post-Cleveland tenure provided a bounce-back effort after injuries sidetracked him as the 2010s wound down. After the Browns released him in 2020, Kirksey wound up with the Packers and started for a team that reached the NFC championship game. The Packers also released Kirksey, however, leading him to the Texans as one of the many veterans to stop through Houston on short-term accords during Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure. Kirksey spent the past two years in Houston, starting 29 games with the rebuilding team. After signing an extension to stay with the Texans in 2022, he started all 17 games and posted a 124-tackle, three-sack, two-interception season.

Excepting his 2020 Green Bay cameo, Kirksey did his best work for struggling teams. The off-ball ‘backer notched a career-high 148 tackles (11 for loss) during the Browns’ 1-15 season in 2016, earning a four-year, $38MM extension during the 2017 offseason. Cleveland then completed the NFL’s second 0-16 season, doing so despite rostering the likes of Bitonio, Kirksey, Joe Thomas and well-paid ILB Jamie Collins. The Browns cut bait on Kirksey’s deal with two years remaining, and he never came especially close to securing that kind of cash again. Still, Kirksey will leave the game having made more than $37MM.

Offering intermittent sack production despite his place on teams’ defensive second levels, Kirksey finishes his career with 16.5 sacks and 45 tackles for loss. He produced three 100-plus-tackle seasons.

Bills Announce Winners Of Position Battles

September 10th, 2023 at 7:47pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills have been monitoring a number of position battles this preseason and, with tomorrow night’s season-opener approaching, it’s about time we learned who the winners are. Head coach Sean McDermott spoke with the media and let them know just who’s going to be starting against the Jets on Monday Night Football.

The only job that went as was predicted was right guard, where, according to Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News, rookie second-round pick O’Cyrus Torrence has earned the starting nod over incumbent starter Ryan Bates. Bates got his first action as a full-time starter last season, playing in 15 games, and while he’s performed admirably for Buffalo over the years, Bates has never been considered a top option at the position. Now, the rookie out of Florida will get a chance to line up between center Mitch Morse and right tackle Spencer Brown, while Bates will serve as a primary backup at all three interior offensive line spots.

In a huge shock on defense, last year’s sixth-round draft pick Christian Benford has won the starting outside cornerback position opposite veteran Tre’Davious White, per ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg. Benford did start five games last year for the Bills as a rookie, but the 22-year-old was certainly not a favorite to win the starting job this season.

Buffalo really hoped to see last year’s first-round pick Kaiir Elam take control of the position in 2023. Elam started six games in 13 appearances as a rookie but failed to stake his claim as a permanent starter heading into his sophomore season. Benford also had to beat out incumbent starter Dane Jackson, who started 14 games at the position last year. Everything pointed to one of Jackson or Elam starting with White this season, but Benford beat the odds and will line up with the first-team defense tomorrow.

Finally, on the defensive side of the ball, Terrel Bernard has joined Benford as a surprise winner of a starting gig, earning the honors of starting at middle linebacker next to veteran Matt Milano, according to Skurski. Another draft pick from the 2022 Draft, Bernard beat out presumed favorite Tyrel Dodson for the starting job left vacant by the exit of Tremaine Edmunds in free agency.

Dodson has started five games over his first three seasons in the league but has really only come in on rare occasions on defense or for special teams. Despite not winning the starting job, Dodson should still get plenty of run as he and Tyler Matakevich are the only healthy backup linebackers on the roster. Bernard, though, will be the one to take the field with the first-team defense alongside Milano and third-round rookie Dorian Williams.

There you have it. A couple of surprises join with an expected result to put three young players in the starting lineup for tomorrow night’s game. Torrence will get a chance to start in his NFL debut, while Benford and Bernard will take the step up into starting roles to begin their sophomore seasons.

Bills’ Von Miller Uncertain To Return In Week 5

September 10th, 2023 at 12:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 10: Miller says that his knee was cleared even before the decision was made to put him on the PUP list (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). However, Miller still has “steps to take” before he is football-ready, and per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, it is unclear if the second-year Bill will suit up when he is first eligible in Week 5.

AUGUST 29: The Bills will play it safe with Von Miller. Finishing up a rehab effort from a second ACL tear, the future Hall of Famer is not slated to come off Buffalo’s PUP list before today’s deadline.

Miller will move from the Bills’ active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This will sideline Miller for at least four games. Miller has expressed confidence in his early-season readiness, and GM Brandon Beane said it was possible the dominant pass rusher suited up in Week 1. But the Bills will play the long game with their top pass rusher.

Considering the Bills’ path with Tre’Davious White, this Miller transaction certainly does not surprise. White suffered a torn ACL during the Bills’ Thanksgiving game in 2021; he did not make his 2022 debut until the team’s Thanksgiving contest in Detroit. That marked the only time White and Miller have played together, with the defensive end going down during the holiday tilt. Miller, 34, should not be expected to be out as long as White. But he will not be back until at least October.

This marks a different post-ACL path for Miller, who returned for Week 1 of the 2014 season despite suffering his first tear in December 2013. Miller returned to play in 16 games and finish with 14 sacks that year, but the circumstances are a bit different this time. Miller is going into his 13th season and already has a full-season absence (2020, due to an ankle malady) on his resume. The Bills also made an important adjustment to their pass-rushing group, signing ex-Miller Rams teammate Leonard Floyd.

Floyd, 30, agreed to a one-year, $7MM deal with the Bills in June. While Beane said the Bills targeted Floyd regardless of Miller’s status, the former top-10 pick also represented an insurance addition. Floyd and Gregory Rousseau will lead the way for the Bills to start the season, with A.J. Epenesa and Shaq Lawson in place as backups. Epenesa has drawn trade interest, but after the Bills sent Boogie Basham to the Giants earlier Tuesday, it should be expected the Iowa alum will stay put.

Miller is going into the second season of a six-year, $120MM extension. The All-Decade defender chose the Bills over the Cowboys and Rams last year and notched eight sacks to start his Buffalo tenure. Miller will miss games against the Jets, Raiders, Commanders and Dolphins. He can begin practicing ahead of Week 3 but cannot be activated until Week 5.

2023 Offseason In Review Series

September 9th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quarterback acquisitions generated top headlines this offseason, while the slew of developments affecting the running back market moved that position’s value to a precarious point. On that note, our latest Offseason In Review series is in the books. Here are the PFR staff’s looks at how teams assembled their 2023 rosters:

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Restructured Contracts: Garoppolo, Bills, Wilson, Reed

September 5th, 2023 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

Jimmy Garoppolo continues to help the Raiders carve out cap space. After reworking his deal earlier this offseason, the quarterback has once again restructured his deal, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

The move will create $17MM in cap space for the organization, making them cap compliant. As Vince Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes, the team previously converted an $11.25MM signing bonus into base salary, increasing Garoppolo‘s salary from $11.25MM to $22.5MM in the process. Bonsignore assumes the front office did some work today to reduce that newfound 2023 number.

Shortly after Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal, he underwent surgery to repair the fractured foot he sustained in early December. The Raiders’ first restructuring helped protect the organization in case the QB’s foot injury lingers into the regular season.

More financial notes from around the NFL…

  • The Bills opened a chunk of cap space today. The team opened $4.5MM in cap space by restructuring the contracts of guard Ryan Bates and cornerback Taron Johnson, per Yates. Bates turned into a full-time starter for the Bills in 2022, while Johnson has started 41 games for Buffalo over the past three seasons.
  • Cedrick Wilson Jr. reworked his contract with the Dolphins prior to cutdown day, per Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. The veteran wideout lowered his base salary to $2MM while receiving a $3MM signing bonus, equaling his $5MM in guarantees from last season. With incentives, Wilson can earn up to $7.25MM on his reworked contract.
  • The Vikings recently reworked the contract of guard Chris Reed, according to ESPN’s Ben Goessling. The offensive lineman’s base salary is now fully guaranteed at $1.165MM, an increase from the $1.4MM ($600K guaranteed) pact he was previously attached to. This was the second time this offseason that Reed agreed to a reworked contract.
  • Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills restructured his deal recently, converting $2.28MM of his base salary into a signing bonus, per Yates. The new deal also has three new void years, opening around $1.8MM in cap space.
  • The Cowboys restructured Neville Gallimore‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The defensive tackle’s salary was reduced from $2.7MM to $1.5MM, and he can now earn $750K via incentives.

Bills Release QB Matt Barkley

September 1st, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

During their roster cutdowns earlier this week, the Bills placed quarterback Matt Barkley on IR. That move initially meant that he would not be able to play in Buffalo during the 2023 season, but the veteran now finds himself on the open market.

Buffalo released Barkley via an injury settlement, as noted by ESPN’s Field Yates. As a result, the 32-year-old is now a free agent and can sign with any team’s active roster or practice squad. A deal will likely not take place until he has returned to full health, but today’s move opens the door to him finding playing time this season in a new environment.

Barkley was one of two signal-callers competing for the QB2 job in Buffalo. His IR designation paved the way for Kyle Allen to win the backup spot, although the Bills have been named as a team to watch with respect to making an addition under center before the regular season kicks off. Barkley’s last eight appearances – spread across the 2018, ’19 and ’20 seasons – have each come in Buffalo.

The USC alum bounced around to a number of teams since his last game action with the Bills, but his relationship with Buffalo has garnered him multiple looks, including time on the practice squad following last year’s roster cutdowns. Barkley had the opportunity to replace Case Keenum as the Bills’ backup this season, but his time with the team will need to continue via the taxi squad again once he is healthy.

Alternatively, a spot on an active roster could become available as the season progresses. As a result, Barkley may elect to remain unsigned and weigh his options into the fall. While another Bills reunion could be possible, IR settlements require players remain away from their previous team for a specific amount of time before being eligible to re-sign.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/31/23

August 31st, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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