Today’s practice squad transactions:
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the Rams shopped Terrell Burgess prior to the trade deadline. The former third-round pick has struggled to carve out a role in the NFL, although he did get into 16 games last year (plus another four games (two starts)) en route to a Super Bowl championship. This season, Burgess has collected 11 tackles in seven games.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
San Francisco 49ers
Sharpe has bounced in recent years, and the 49ers will be his second team in 2022. The 27-year-old initially signed with the Bears in May, but did not see the field in Chicago. He will provide depth for a San Francisco team which has had fellow veteran Willie Snead see time on and off the taxi squad.
The Browns moved closer to having a pair of players return to the fold coming off of their bye week. The team announced on Monday that edge rusher Chase Winovich and running back Jerome Ford have been designated to return from IR. 
That opens up a three-week return window for both players. If they fail to be activated within that timeframe, they will remain sidelined for the rest of the season. Cleveland currently has six activations remaining for the year, with tight end Jesse James also a candidate to return.
The latter, along with Winovich, went on IR following Week 2. That guaranteed a four-week absence, but Winovich’s hamstring injury has cost him the past six games. That stalled what could have been the beginning of a rotational role emerging for the former third-rounder who struggled to lock down a starting gig during his three seasons with the Patriots.
That led to an offseason trade sending him to Cleveland in exchange for linebacker Mack Wilson. Winovich, 27, entered the league with plenty of fanfare as a disruptive force after his time at Michigan, and began his NFL career with consecutive 5.5-sack seasons. He was held without one last season, however, leading to the change of scenery. A pending free agent, Winovich will slide in behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney on the depth chart upon his return.
Ford, meanwhile, had played exclusively on special teams for the first four weeks of the season before being sidelined. With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt ahead of him in the pecking order, the fifth-round rookie operated as the team’s kick returner prior to the injury. Hunt was the subject of plenty of trade talk, but it came out during last week’s deadline that the Browns preferred to keep him, and they ultimately did. Ford will therefore continue with a third phase role upon his return.
Winovich and Ford could be activated as early as this week, making them available for Cleveland’s game this Sunday against the 6-3 Dolphins.
The Rams’ success after in-season trades for Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller likely impacted other teams’ plans at this year’s deadline, but the defending Super Bowl champions sat out this year’s final stretch of trading. This was not due to roster contentment or lack of trying, however.
The 3-4 team is believed to have made a monster offer for Brian Burns and lost out to the 49ers for Christian McCaffrey, with a San Francisco fourth-round pick potentially being the difference for Carolina. But the Rams also pursued offensive line and wide receiver aid at this year’s deadline, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required).
Los Angeles has seen its offense crater this season. No Sean McVay-led Rams team has finished outside the top 11 in total offense; this year’s iteration ranks 30th. Injuries at almost every offensive line position, to starters and backups, have limited the Rams considerably. Allen Robinson not following the likes of Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham Jr. as quick studies in McVay’s attack has also affected the Rams, who rank 28th in scoring. The team opted not to swing a deal before Tuesday’s deadline, however.
Although the Browns discussed Kareem Hunt before the deadline, Rodrigue notes the Rams were not a serious suitor. The Eagles were believed to be the team that would have landed Hunt, if the Browns were legitimately interested in moving him. Shortly after a Monday-night blowout of the Bengals, the Browns seemed to back off on this front. Hunt is now set to play out his Cleveland contract ahead of free agency.
McVay has attempted a few backfield solutions this season, but none has done much to help the reigning champs’ cause. The Rams rank 31st in rushing and have not seen Cam Akers (three yards per carry) return to the form he showed before his July 2021 Achilles tear. They have seen left tackle Joe Noteboom, third-round rookie guard Logan Bruss and backup guard Tremayne Anchrum suffer season-ending injuries. The team has also played extensively without center Brian Allen, who has since returned, and left guard David Edwards (who has not). Right guard Coleman Shelton also remains on IR.
Akers, who said this week he did not request a trade, became a trade chip for the Rams. But they could not reach an agreement to unload the third-year back. Akers returned to practice this week and is not on L.A.’s injury report, clearing a path to an unexpected return to the Rams’ offense.
Additionally, the Rams were mentioned as interested in a Cooks reunion. They did pursue this, per Rodrigue, but were not in the running for the oft-traded wideout in the days leading up to the deadline. The Texans made it clear they were not planning to eat any of Cooks’ $18MM 2023 guarantee. This and an asking price of second- and fourth-round picks — more than they gave up to acquire Cooks from the Rams in 2020 — cooled down the market. Cooks, who is tied to a two-year deal worth $39MM he signed in April, is planning to rejoin the Texans after a trade-related dispute led to his missing their Thursday game.
The Rams have made big moves at the deadline under McVay. Their Dante Fowler acquisition in 2018 helped that edition to Super Bowl LIII. Ramsey and Austin Corbett (2019) made big differences in the 2020 and ’21 teams advancing in the playoffs, and Miller significantly moved the needle last season. The Rams have not replaced Miller, whom they aggressively attempted to retain in free agency, leading to the Burns pursuit.
The Rams did “everything they could” to try and land Burns, a GM informed the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. It is somewhat surprising the Panthers would turn down an offer of two first-round picks for a one-time Pro Bowler who has yet to post his first 10-sack season, the Rams would have needed to include 2024 and 2025 first-rounders. GM Scott Fitterer, who was hired during the Matt Rhule period, may not have been too keen on not picking up a prime 2023 asset in the deal. Reports of L.A.’s Burns offer being rebuffed will only bolster the fourth-year Carolina edge rusher’s extension value, when that time comes.
After seeing their Burns push fail, the Rams have not been mentioned as being involved in the Bradley Chubb sweepstakes. While they may well have been one of the 10-plus teams to call the Broncos on the then-contract-year pass rusher, the Dolphins including a first-round pick would have given the Rams — who again are without their 2023 first-rounder — an uphill battle.
Barring a long-rumored Beckham reunion, the Rams will attempt to defend their NFC West title without a splashy addition. They will enter their post-deadline stretch 1.5 games behind the surprising Seahawks.
Brandin Cooks is available, and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) the Texans are in discussions involving the ninth-year receiver. But Cooks’ $18MM guaranteed 2023 salary — which came to pass after Houston re-signed him on a two-year, $39MM pact in April — has proven to be an impediment here. Teams are not moving on Cooks unless the Texans pick up a chunk of that salary. Cooks, 29, was linked to giving up some guaranteed money to facilitate a trade back to the Rams. But it is unlikely he will give up too much cash to be moved. The Giants and Vikings have also been connected to the thrice-traded Cooks. For what it’s worth, Cooks was not at Texans practice Tuesday. Personal reasons — not an imminent trade — are believed to be behind Cooks’ absence, NFL.com’s Garafolo tweets.
With the deadline in less than three hours, here is the latest from the trade front:
The Browns are not expected to be particularly active on the trade front today, but one name frequently thought to be on the move has been running back Kareem Hunt. Despite what is believed to be a modest asking price in a trade, Cleveland could opt to keep the veteran for the remainder of the season. 
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports that the Browns’ preference would be to keep Hunt (Twitter link). She also acknowledges, however, that a deal in free agency after his contract expires is unlikely to take place, something which has fueled speculation that a change of scenery will be coming by today’s trade deadline.
Such consideration picked up in the summer, of course, when the 27-year-old requested a trade. His projected workload behind starter Nick Chubb was seen as a reason, along with his contract situation. In a firm commitment to the ground game (especially to begin the season with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback), however, Cleveland kept their backfield tandem intact.
Hunt has seen a consistent rotational role in the team’s offense this season, and received double-digit carries for the sixth time during last night’s win over the Bengals. He also made four catches for 30 yards, demonstrating his value in the passing game to any acquiring teams looking for insurance in the second half of the season. It was reported yesterday that the Eagles are interested in adding Hunt, as they look to bolster the league’s last remaining undefeated roster.
When asked about the possibility of yesterday marking his final game with the Browns, Hunt said, via NFL.com’s Nick Shook, “I mean, I’m down for whatever. I’m a football player and this is a business. So I’m ready to do whatever they decide with me. That’s either go somewhere else or here, anything it don’t matter.”
Suggesting even further that his time with his hometown team is about to end, he added, “I mean, you know I’m from the city of Cleveland so I guess I’m happy we won. So yes, that’s the right way to go out.”
The 3-5 Browns have a matter of hours remaining to decide whether or not to keep Hunt and look to make further progress in the AFC, or add to the noteworthy moves which have already taken place around the league.
Today’s minor transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
One major domino has already fallen at the running back position with respect to trades, and another one could soon follow. Browns veteran Kareem Hunt is expected to be on the move between now and the trade deadline, and a potential suitor for him has been identified.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports tweets that the Eagles are a team to watch with respect to acquiring Hunt. Doing so, it is now believed, will cost a fourth-round pick. That would allow the Browns to receive some form of compensation prior to the league year (when Hunt will be a free agent), while honoring the 27-year-old’s initial desire to be moved, which dates back to the summer.
Continuing to operate as Nick Chubb‘s backup, Hunt has been a steady contributor for the Browns this season. He received double-digit carries in each of the first five games of the year, as the team leaned even more heavily than usual on the run game while awaiting the return of Deshaun Watson from his suspension. He has, on the other hand, averaged 4.0 yards per carry in 2022, the lowest mark of his career.
Still, his pass-catching ability (which has translated to 87 yards and a score so far this year) would make Hunt a useful acquisition for a contending team. The Eagles – who made an offer on Christian McCaffrey – would certainly qualify as such. They rank fifth in the league in rushing, averaging just under 150 yards per game on the ground en route to a 7-0 record.
Hunt’s deal carries a base salary of just $1.35MM for the season, so he would be a cost-effective addition to Philadelphia’s backfield (and one the team would be better-positioned to afford than most). His carries total would be strictly limited by the presence of lead back Miles Sanders, not to mention quarterback Jalen Hurts, but pass-catching duties would leave him with a notable role in their elite offense.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman has shown a willingness to make splash moves as recently as this April’s draft, executing a deal with the Saints which landed them extra 2023 capital and acquiring wideout A.J. Brown for a first-round pick. A rental deal for Hunt would carry far less significance, presumably, but it would add further to the pieces the team has to work with as they aim for another Super Bowl run.