Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
New York Giants
Coughlin also appeared in today’s Minor NFL Transactions installment, but as a vested veteran, he does not need to clear waivers in order to join a team’s practice squad. Coughlin, who has been a core Giants special-teamer since 2020, re-signed with the team in March.
The Browns have used third-round picks on wide receivers three times under GM Andrew Berry. Two of those are now off the roster.
Chosen in the 2022 third round, David Bell made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster. But the team informed the Purdue product Thursday he would be waived. While the Browns could bring Bell back via a practice squad agreement, the former No. 99 overall pick would need to clear waivers first.
Bell arrived in Cleveland in between the Anthony Schwartz (2020) and Cedric Tillman (2023) third-round investments. The Browns moved on from Schwartz last September. Tillman remains on Cleveland’s 53-man roster, which houses five receivers presently. Behind starters Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore, Tillman and rookie fifth-rounder Jamari Thrash remain. The Browns already have four receivers (Michael Woods, James Proche, Lideatrick Griffin and Jaelon Darden) on their practice squad.
One of Aidan O’Connell‘s targets at Purdue, Bell has been unable to make a big impact with the Browns. He scored three touchdowns last season but ended the year with 14 receptions for 167 yards in 15 games. A two-time 1,000-yard receiver with the Boilermakers, Bell accumulated 214 receiving yards as a rookie.
Cleveland’s receiver room now consists of three trade acquisitions and two homegrown draftees. The Bell cut also comes less than a year after the team traded Donovan Peoples-Jones, a 2020 sixth-round pick, in his contract year. Teams have until Friday afternoon to submit claims for Bell, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
As the 2024 season kicks off, here are the day’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
The Ravens drafted Ali in this year’s fifth round. He entered the week joining Derrick Henry and Justice Hill as running backs on Baltimore’s 53-man roster. Kelly has since replaced him as Baltimore’s RB3. He will now join Keaton Mitchell as being on an injured list; the latter remains on the Ravens’ reserve/PUP list, sidelining him for at least four games. This designation shelves Ali for that period as well. The Ravens could use one of their injury activations to bring Ali back to the roster at that point.
Just in time for the start of their season, the Chiefs have worked out an extension with Noah Gray. The tight end’s agency announced on Thursday a deal has been worked out. 
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes this pact is three years in length and has a value of $19.5MM. Gray will receive a $6MM signing bonus and $10MM in total compensation locked in at signing. He was set to enter the final season of his rookie contract, so today’s news means he will remain in Kansas City through 2027.
Gray logged a minor offensive role during his rookie season, but he was a core special teams contributor. He has remained a fixture in terms of third phase duties since then, but he has also chipped in on offense. The 25-year-old has posted back-to-back years with 28 receptions, totaling 604 yards and three touchdowns during that span. A similar workload should be expected for years to come.
The former fifth-rounder has shown to be an effective run blocker, and he even filled in as Kansas City’s long snapper for a spell last season. Gray has seen his special teams snap percentage drop with each passing season, but in 2023 that figure was 52% and he could continue to be a key presence in that respect moving forward. With Travis Kelce set to collect just over $34MM over the next two years, Kansas City has a pair of notable tight end investments on the books.
While Kelce is obviously set to continue handling a heavy workload in the Chiefs’ passing game, Gray could continue developing as a complementary option in that respect. The latter has averaged just under 11 yards per reception in both of the last two seasons. Of course, one of the defending champions’ key offseason priorities was adding at the receiver position, so Gray will have new competition for targets in 2024. His other offensive contributions have him set to remain on the field as a regular member of the unit, though.
Gray was set to carry a cap hit of $3.19MM this season; that figure could be altered by this extension. The Chiefs entered Thursday with just over $13MM in projected 2025 cap space, and keeping Gray in the fold will eat into that flexibility to an extent. Still, doing so has ensured a key auxiliary member of the team’s offense will not reach free agency next spring.
The Rams’ secondary will be shorthanded to start the 2024 season. Cornerback Darious Williams was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. 
Williams was limited in practice yesterday due to a hamstring injury he has been recovering from during the summer. The ailment will keep him sidelined for the season opener along with at least Los Angeles’ next three contests after that. The 31-year-old returned to the Rams this offseason on a three-year, $22.5MM pact.
That move was preceded by a two-year tenure in Jacksonville. Williams served as a starter during his time there, enjoying a productive campaign last season in particular. The former UDFA racked up four interceptions, 19 pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles in 2023. As the Jaguars re-shaped their secondary in the offseason, however, Williams was released.
In short order, a Los Angeles reunion was arranged. Williams made a single appearance with the team in 2018, and he was a key contributor for the following three campaigns. That stretch included 25 starts, and upon retuning to the team Williams was set to reprise his first-team workload. Being without him for at least the first month of the campaign will therefore deal a notable blow to Los Angeles’ defense, a unit which no longer includes Aaron Donald or Ernest Jones in the front seven.
Los Angeles’ CB depth also includes Cobie Durant, although as The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue notes he too has also been dealing with a hamstring injury. The Rams’ roster moves in advance of last week’s cutdown deadline included placing fellow corner Tre’Vius Tomlinson on IR, sidelining him for the season. The team also has former Bill All-Pro Tre’Davious White – whose career has been marred by injuries recently – in the fold, and he could be counted on to handle a heavy workload early.
Activating Williams once he is healthy will count toward the team’s limit of eight during the regular season. If Los Angeles deems a depth addition necessary while he is unavailable, the team has roughly $4.4MM available in cap space as things stand.
SEPTEMBER 5: Surtain will receive a $15MM signing bonus, as detailed by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. His compensation for 2024 and ’25 is fully locked in at signing, and his earnings for two seasons after that is set to vest one year early. That includes a $10MM option bonus in 2026, his $7.63MM base salary for that season and a $17MM 2027 salary.
Partial guarantees (for injury at signing, and a full guarantee down the road) are in place concerning Surtain’s 2028 base salary, which totals $19.49MM. His compensation beyond that point – including a $23.49 salary in 2029 – is not locked in, but he will have seen considerable cashflow by that point.
SEPTEMBER 4: After two years of gridlock, the NFL’s cornerback market will see substantial movement. The Broncos have a deal in place with Patrick Surtain, according to veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz. As could be expected, a sizable gap will soon exist between Denver’s dominant corner and the field.
Surtain agreed to a four-year, $96MM extension. This makes the 2021 top-10 pick the NFL’s highest-paid corner by a $3MM margin — in terms of AAV. This agreement includes $77.5MM guaranteed, Schultz adds. The deal bridges the gap between the CB and WR markets, and even though a sizable gulf still exists, Surtain began the process of narrowing it.
[RELATED: Early Extensions For First-Rounders In Fifth-Year Option Era]
Because the Broncos picked up Surtain’s $19.8MM fifth-year option in April, this deal will tie the All-Pro defender to the team through the 2029 season. Although clubs made offers for Surtain at the 2023 deadline and trade rumors emerged ahead of this draft, the Broncos had viewed the second-generation NFL corner as a building block for the Sean Payton era. They will back up that talk with this extension.
Denver could have kept the former No. 9 overall pick on his rookie deal into 2025; his first-round contract called for a $1.1MM base salary this year. Surtain secured this megadeal early, and it will give the Broncos cost certainty with their top player. Negotiations intensified over the weekend, per Schultz, who adds the deal was finalized Tuesday night.
Considering Surtain’s age (24) and his performance level, this could certainly be viewed as a bargain for the team. It ties Surtain to Denver through his age-29 season, and the AAV still comes in $11MM south of where Justin Jefferson moved the wide receiver market this offseason. Though, Surtain wanting to lock in a veteran contract early makes sense as well. The deal gives him a $3MM lead on the field, with Jaire Alexander having held the title as the NFL’s highest-paid corner since May 2022. Alexander’s deal had stood as the top CB payment long enough the NFL’s highest-paid safety — the Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. — eclipsed it this offseason.
In terms of guarantees, Surtain’s number also created separation between he and the cornerback field. Though, perhaps not as much as should have been expected. The Broncos will receive four additional years of control in exchange for moving the CB guarantee ceiling up by $6.5MM from Denzel Ward‘s previous league-leading mark ($71.25MM). Jalen Ramsey‘s Dolphins rework also passed $71MM in total guarantees.
The gap between CBs and WRs has expanded over the past decade. At this point nine years ago, the cornerback ceiling (Patrick Peterson‘s $14MM-per-year number on his Cardinals extension) matched the deals given to Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant at the 2015 franchise tag deadline. Since that point, however, teams began valuing wideouts at a higher rate. The 2022 and ’24 offseasons have separated the two positions significantly. While Surtain did well to move CB money north of where it had resided for years, 12 WRs still out-earn the Denver defender.
Denver received criticism for drafting Surtain over Justin Fields in 2021, but GM George Paton was proven right for making that move. Surtain is a two-time Pro Bowler who earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in 2022. A panel of NFL staffers (via ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler) named the fourth-year defender as the NFL’s top corner this offseason. While the Broncos have questions about their No. 2 cornerback spot, they have enjoyed the luxury of an elite stopper anchoring this position group for a bit.
Paton has now signed two members of his first draft class to lucrative extensions, with Surtain following right guard Quinn Meinerz in agreeing to terms on extensions. Meinerz and Surtain join Javonte Williams, Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper as starters from Denver’s ’21 draft class. This group has given Payton some pieces to build around, but the Broncos’ issues finding a quarterback have continued to interrupt its young position players from making a considerable difference in the win column. As the team is set to begin a Bo Nix-centered plan this season, the long-term vision is coming into focus.
Payton admitted he participated in a smokescreen effort around the Broncos’ first-round pick this offseason. The draft run-up featured rumors about Surtain being used as a trade chip to move the Broncos up the board from No. 12 overall. Surtain, who said he did not expect to be traded, also generated extensive interest at last year’s deadline.
Denver set a two-first-rounder asking price — what Ramsey fetched in 2019 — to start a conversation on Surtain. Although at least three offers came, none were on that level. Surtain helped the team vault from 1-5 into the playoff race following the deadline. He will be the Broncos’ clear DB anchor post-Justin Simmons.
Surtain’s timeline differs from Marshon Lattimore‘s, as Payton authorized a fifth-year payday for the 2017 Saints first-rounder. But the Broncos will act early with their top performer. This doubles the first time the Broncos have extended a rookie-deal player with two years of control remaining. While Russell Wilson‘s dead money prevents the Broncos from capitalizing fully on Nix’s rookie deal, the team taking on the lion’s share of the penalty in 2024 will start to open up opportunities beginning in 2025. The Surtain and Meinerz extensions reflect that.
Surtain’s price will set a high bar for 2022 draftees Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley, but it should be expected those defenders will use this as a springboard to move the CB market closer to where WR salaries have gone. Both Gardner and Stingley become extension-eligible in 2025.
The Ravens reworked a handful of contracts this week. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team restructured linebacker Roquan Smith‘s contract. ESPN’s Field Yates adds that defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and kicker Justin Tucker also reworked their pacts.
Smith’s restructuring helped create $4.875MM in cap space, per Rapoport. Smith is playing on the second year of a five-year, $100MM extension he signed with the Ravens in 2023. In total, the three recent contract restructurings will total $9.3MM in savings, per Yates.
GM Eric DeCosta recently hinted that the team may be over the cap after adding a long list of practice squad players (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The executive was confident the organization would quickly get cap compliant, and it sounds like the front office also managed to squeeze out some extra financial wiggle room heading into the regular season.
More cap restructurings from around the NFL…
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
Tennessee Titans
Teagan Quitoriano has been sidelined with a sprained calf, leading to his placement on season-ending IR. The tight end has now been cut from IR with an injury settlement, allowing the player to play this season. In fact, he could still land with the Texans, as Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston hints that the tight end could sign with the Texans when first eligible in Week 5. The tight end is expected to be ready to play in the next few weeks, so there’s a chance another team could swoop in before Houston.
The 2022 fifth-round pick has spent the past two seasons in Houston, starting 11 of his 16 appearances. Quitoriano has mostly seen time as a blocker, although he has contributed offensively with nine catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Case Keenum‘s injury established some clarity for the Texans’ quarterback depth chart. Davis Mills will enter the season in the backup role, and despite C.J. Stroud having quickly usurped the two-year starter, Houston still has Mills in its plans.
The Texans and Mills have agreed to a one-year extension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The former third-round pick’s contract is worth $5MM in new money, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This puts Mills in line with a host of veteran backups added in recent offseasons.
This $5MM-per-year number matches where the Panthers and Broncos went for their 2023 backups (Andy Dalton, Jarrett Stidham), and the one-year, $5MM number comes in at the same rate the Giants gave Drew Lock this year. The Texans also jumped into the QB2 market last year, giving Keenum a two-year, $6.25MM deal. While Mills’ guarantees are not yet known, the Texans are planning to keep at least one of their reserve QBs around beyond 2024.
Keenum’s deal expires after the season, and it will be interesting to see if Houston carries the pact on its IR throughout the year. A preseason foot injury will sideline Keenum for at least three months. The Texans placed the 36-year-old passer on season-ending IR last week. Keenum started both the games Stroud missed due to a concussion last season, but Mills — the team’s primary starter from 2021-22 — received work as well.
Chosen 67th overall in 2021, Mills effectively became Houston’s placeholder while the team first dealt with the Deshaun Watson drama and then while it waited on picking a successor. The Texans traded Watson for a bounty of draft picks in 2022, but as that year did not bring a promising QB class, the team waited. Mills ended up making 26 starts from 2021-22; bottom-tier Texans teams essentially playing out the string won just five of those games.
For his career, the Stanford alum is a 62.8% passer with a 35-to-25 TD-INT ratio. Mills has averaged 6.5 yards per attempt for his career; he led the league in INTs (15) in 2022 despite being benched for part of that season. The Texans chose Stroud in 2023 and then took calls on both Keenum and Mills. The team ended up liking its three-QB setup last year, but with Keenum out, it will count on Mills as the backup this season. Wednesday’s deal certainly points to Mills keeping that role into 2025 as well.