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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/24

September 24th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Tuesday’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: DB Morice Norris

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: TE Johnny Lumpkin

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Released: TE Luke Benson, CB Nehemiah Shelton

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR John Jiles

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Marcus Haynes
  • Released: TE Matt Sokol

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This year’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Key did not make the Jets’ initial 53-man roster. The 24-year-old was retained via the practice squad, but he did not see any regular season action. Now a free agent, Key will look to latch on with another organization.

Ross signed with the Eagles in May as part of his bid to return to the NFL. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder was released during roster cutdowns, however, after he was unable to carve out a depth role on offense. Ross will rejoin the team in a bid to provide Philadelphia with a complementary receiving option as the team deals with a number of injuries at the WR spot.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/24

September 24th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

 Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts but he quickly landed a deal with the Lions on their practice squad. Healthy after back-to-back years featuring major injuries, the 30-year-old has twice been a gameday elevation so far this year and logged a 44% offensive snap share. He will aim to remain in a depth role while now permanently on the active roster.

Covey will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks given today’s move. His injury is particularly notable given the fact A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are both injured at the moment, thinning out the team’s receiver room. Covey, 27, received seven targets across the past two games and Philadelphia will need to turn to other options for a complementary role at wideout (along with the return game).

Panthers Place S Jordan Fuller On IR

September 24th, 2024 at 5:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

In addition to wideout Adam Thielen, the Panthers will be without Jordan Fuller for an extended period. The veteran safety was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Fuller will now be unavailable for at least four weeks. His absence will leave Carolina without a starting safety, as Fuller has logged an 82% snap share early in the campaign. The team does have Nick Scott in the fold, and he will now take on a starter’s workload alongside Xavier Woods.

Signed to a one-year deal in March, Fuller joined a Panthers secondary which lost Vonn Bell following his release. The move allowed Fuller to reunite with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero after their time together with the Rams from 2020-21. The 26-year-old was one of many safeties who were unable to secure a long-term pact on the open market this offseason, but his Carolina pact provided him with the opportunity to boost his value.

Prior to going down with the injury, Fuller collected 15 tackles. He amassed seven interceptions and 17 pass deflections during his four-year run in Los Angeles, and a campaign with notable ball production would of course be welcomed on a Panthers defense which is without Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown. Carolina currently ranks 17th against the pass with an average of 202 yards per game allowed through the air.

In addition to moving Thielen and Fuller to IR, the Panthers waived tight end Messiah Swinson, who was previously signed off the Packers’ practice squad but did not see game action. To fill those roster spots, Carolina promoted wideout Jalen Coker along with safeties Demani Richardson and Russ Yeast. Richardson is an undrafted rookie who spent the offseason in Carolina, while Yeast is a veteran of 33 games and 10 starts with the Rams. He profiles as a logical candidate for a depth role behind Scott while Fuller recovers.

Chiefs Promote Kareem Hunt To Active Roster, Waive RB Keaontay Ingram

September 24th, 2024 at 4:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kareem Hunt‘s time on the Chiefs’ practice squad has not lasted long. The veteran running back has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, as noted by ESPN’s Field Yates.

Hunt worked out with Kansas City last week in the wake of Isiah Pacheco‘s fractured fibula. The latter is on injured reserve and facing a lengthy recovery period as a result. A practice squad deal was quickly worked out with Hunt, though, and he is now in position to handle a role in the team’s backfield.

The 29-year-old spent the past five seasons in Cleveland, including a 2023 campaign which saw him on the free agent market at the beginning of the season. Once Nick Chubb went down, Hunt returned to Cleveland and remained with the team to close out the campaign. He only logged a 31% snap share last year, however, and his 3.0 yards per carry average was the lowest of his career. That helped explain his lengthy stay on the open market this year.

Hunt began his career in Kansas City, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 after leading the league in rushing. He was released midway through the following campaign after video of an incident in which he pushed and kicked a woman became public. When reflecting on the recent reunion between team and player, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the organization was satisfied Hunt had earned a second chance with the organization after his time in Cleveland did not include any off-field incidents.

Kansas City is without Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the time being after began the campaign on the reserve/NFI list. His absence, coupled with that of Pacheco, led to a reliance on undrafted rookie Carson Steele and pass-catching veteran Samaje Perine during the Chiefs’ Week 3 win. Hunt will look to carve out a role alongside that pair.

In a corresponding move, Keaontay Ingram has been waived. The former sixth-rounder was promoted from the practice squad following Pacheco’s injury, and he made his season debut on Sunday. Ingram did not see any touches, though, and he logged only five special teams snaps. He is unlikely to be claimed off waivers, and presuming he goes through unclaimed he will be a prime candidate to return to Kansas City’s taxi squad.

Lions Place LB Derrick Barnes On Injured Reserve

September 24th, 2024 at 3:50pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

3:50pm: Barnes has indeed been placed on IR, per a team announcement. The move comes as no surprise, but it ensures Detroit will be without a key starter for a stretch. It will be interesting to see how Barnes’ recovery progresses and when he will become an option to return to action.

1:18pm: The Lions’ injury situation just keeps getting worse, with linebacker Derrick Barnes expected to be placed on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in Detroit’s Week 3 victory over the Cardinals on Sunday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Head coach Dan Campbell said that Barnes would be out for a significant amount of time, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Barnes may even require surgery, making a stint on injured reserve an even more likely option as the team evaluates his knee and determines a long-term outlook for his recovery.

Barnes joins defensive end Marcus Davenport and center Frank Ragnow on the list of injured Lions coming out of Sunday’s game. Davenport suffered a season-ending elbow injury, while Ragnow tore his pectoral muscle.

“It’s going to hurt to lose Barnes,” said Campbell on Monday, but he emphasized that he has “a ton of faith” in the team’s remaining linebackers. He has multiple options to replace Barnes, who started the season alongside veteran Alex Anzalone and 2023 first-round pick Jack Campbell in defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn‘s 4-3 scheme. Malcolm Rodriguez, a 2022 sixth-rounder who became a fan favorite on Hard Knocks as a rookie, is the most likely candidate for Barnes’ spot, with Ben Niemann and Jalen Reeves-Maybin providing additional depth.

Barnes was a fourth-round pick by the Lions in 2021 who appeared in 32 games with 10 starts across his first two NFL seasons before earning a starting role in 2023 as the third off-ball linebacker behind Anzalone and Campbell. Landing on injured reserve will sideline Barnes until at least Week 8, though surgery could hold him out longer.

Falcons Place C Drew Dalman On IR

September 24th, 2024 at 2:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

Losing two starting offensive linemen significantly hindered the Falcons’ effort in a narrow loss to the Chiefs, and the NFC South team will be without one of those players for an extended period.

Drew Dalman is heading to IR, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, due to the ankle injury he sustained Sunday night; the team has since announced the move. Early in his third season with as the Falcons’ starter, Dalman is in a contract year and cannot return until around the midseason point. The Falcons will be without Dalman until at least Week 8.

This news deals a blow to Atlanta’s offensive line, a unit which enjoyed continuity carrying over from the 2023 campaign. Dalman, 25, has been a key contributor up front since taking on a first-team role; he graded out as PFF’s third-best center last season. He sat in the top five for his performance during the early portion of the 2024 campaign. While this news does not come as a surprise, it will leave a notable vacancy in the middle for the Falcons.

Ryan Neuzil filled in for Dalman in Week 3, and he is positioned to handle a starter’s workload moving forward. The former UDFA has seen time with Atlanta since 2022, making four starts last season. Neuzil logged nearly 200 O-line snaps that campaign, all of which came at center. He drew a PFF grade of 55.3, however, so team and player will be hoping for a step forward in play while Dalman is on the mend. Missed time carries the risk of hindering the latter’s market value during the spring, of course.

In a corresponding move, the Falcons added depth up front by promoting Elijah Wilkinson from the practice squad to the active roster. A veteran of 77 games and 45 starts, Wilkinson logged a first-team role with Atlanta in 2022. He has seen time at guard and tackle during his career, making him a candidate to serve as a right tackle option in the near future. Starter Kaleb McGary is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain, so he could miss time. Wilkinson’s most common position at the NFL level is right tackle, although he exclusively played at left guard during his first Falcons stint.

Atlanta has also signed Matt Hennessy to the practice squad. The 26-year-old was drafted by the Falcons in 2020, and he primarily played at center during his first two years with the team before shifting to guard in 2022. Hennessy has not seen regular season action since then, and he was unable to land a roster spot with the Eagles this offseason. He will now provide Atlanta with interior depth while Dalman recovers.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Panthers To Place Adam Thielen On IR

September 24th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Sam Robinson

Just as the Panthers’ passing attack awakened, it will be without its most experienced option. Adam Thielen, who caught a touchdown pass in Carolina’s Week 3 win, will be shut down for a while.

Thielen suffered a hamstring injury, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets the Panthers will place the veteran wide receiver on IR. This move will give the 2023 free agency pickup time to recover ahead of the midseason point.

Hamstring maladies can certainly linger, and it might not be a lock Thielen comes back when first eligible. The 34-year-old wideout sustained what ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler calls a fairly significant injury. The Panthers saw a hamstring injury sideline Jaycee Horn for 10 games in 2023, with the IR move involving the cornerback sidelining him for almost all of Frank Reich‘s short-lived tenure. Thielen will be shut down until at least Week 8.

A notable market formed for Thielen following his 2023 Vikings release, and the Panthers won out with a three-year deal worth $25MM. Thielen, who commanded a $14MM guarantee at signing, was far and away Carolina’s top pass catcher last season. His 1,014 receiving yards led an anemic Panthers offense by nearly 500. Carolina, however, has since remade its receiving corps by trading for Diontae Johnson and using a first-round pick on Xavier Legette. This duo will be called upon to pick up the slack while Thielen rehabs.

Thielen’s injury occurred on his diving TD catch from new starter Andy Dalton. This will mark the former UDFA’s first missed game action since the 2021 season, when he missed four contests. Thielen now has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, which produced two Vikings extensions and his current Panthers pact. At 34, however, the Division II product is the NFL’s oldest active wideout.

While Thielen’s post-2024 Charlotte future is in doubt due to his age and nonguaranteed salary, this year’s edition will certainly miss the dependable possession target. Johnson is coming off a career-high 122 receiving yards with Dalton having taken over for Bryce Young, but this will thrust two of Carolina’s young targets — Legette and second-year cog Jonathan Mingo — into heavier workloads. It will be interesting to see how the younger pair responds now that more will be expected following Dalton’s strong showing.

Chargers Add WR Jalen Reagor To Practice Squad

September 23rd, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Jalen Reagor has found a new gig. The wide receiver is signing with the Chargers practice squad, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz adds that the eventual plan will see Reagor working his way to the active roster.

The receiver spent the past year-plus in New England, with Reagor basically splitting time between the active roster and practice squad. After getting into 11 games in 2023, he once again found himself on New England’s practice squad to begin the 2024 campaign. He was cut by the Patriots last week after posting a cryptic (and potentially critical) social media post (via NBC Sports Boston).

The 21st-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Reagor has struggled to live up to his draft pedigree. The receiver only lasted two seasons with the Eagles, hauling in 64 catches while also returning 35 punts and 12 kickoffs. He got into 17 games with the Vikings in 2022 but was limited to only eight catches, and he finished his Patriots tenure with seven total receptions.

He’ll have a chance to revive his career in Los Angeles. Josh Palmer has been dealing with elbow and calf injuries, and after gutting through his issues in Week 2, he was inactive for Week 3. Both Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey have already shown promise this season, but if Palmer is forced to miss more time, Reagor could step up ahead of the likes of Simi Fehoko, Derius Davis, and Brenden Rice. The team also has DJ Chark stashed on injured reserve; the wide receiver is eligible to return to practice after Week 4.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/24

September 23rd, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived from IR: TE McCallan Castles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

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