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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/23

September 21st, 2023 at 7:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Houston Texans

  • Signed: CB D’Angelo Ross

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Patriots are struggling with injuries in their cornerbacks room, so the organization added two players to the practice squad for reinforcement. Borders has the most experience, with the veteran appearing in 32 games since entering the league in 2017. He only got into a single game for the Bears in 2022, but he did appear in 12 games with the Titans and Cardinals in 2021. Hearn had a stint with the Chargers after going undrafted out of UCLA in this year’s draft.

Patriots To Place CB Marcus Jones On IR

September 21st, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots will be without a key defensive back for the foreseeable future. Marcus Jones suffered a torn labrum during New England’s loss to Miami on Sunday night, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports that the second-year pro has landed on injured reserve.

Jones was one of New England’s lone bright spots in 2022. The rookie third-round pick ended up earning first-team All-Pro honors after leading the NFL in punt return yards. He finished the season with one punt return touchdown, with the score serving as a game-winner during New England’s Week 11 win over the Jets.

Jones wasn’t just a standout on special teams. He got into more than a third of his team’s defensive snaps, finishing with 39 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions (including a pick six). He even added a 48-yard touchdown reception, making him the first NFL player in 45 years to score on offense, defense, and special teams in one season.

Through two games this season, the 24-year-old was serving in much the same role as 2022. He started one of his two appearances, getting into 44 defensive snaps, nine ST snaps, and one offensive snap.

Jonathan Jones missed Week 2 for the Patriots. While the veteran cornerback returned to practice in a limited fashion yesterday, he’ll likely be listed as questionable for this weekend’s matchup against the Jets. Jack Jones is also on IR, meaning New England could be forced to dig into their depth chart on Sunday. Besides first-round rookie Christian Gonzalez, the only healthy CBs on New England’s active roster are Shaun Wade and rookie sixth-round pick Ameer Speed.

The Patriots could turn to veteran Jalen Mills, who has mostly seen time at safety this season. New England will also likely turn to at least one of their practice squad cornerbacks, a grouping that includes Breon Borders, Azizi Hearn, and William Hooper. The Patriots also added cornerbacks Breon Borders and Azizi Hearn to the taxi squad today.

Patriots Sign QB Will Grier To Active Roster

September 21st, 2023 at 5:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots QB3 saga has taken another turn. New England is signing quarterback Will Grier to the active roster, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

[RELATED: Patriots Not Adding Matt Corral To Practice Squad]

The Patriots reshuffled their QB depth chart following roster deadline day. Bailey Zappe was cut from the active roster and eventually landed on the practice squad, and the team appeared to fill the QB2 spot with 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral, who was claimed off waivers from the Panthers. Zappe eventually rejoined the active roster, and Corral was later placed on the exempt/left squad list after he no-showed practice, walkthrough, and team meetings.

Corral was eventually released by the team, but subsequent reports indicated that he was going to join New England’s practice squad. That move didn’t end up coming to fruition, leaving Corral’s future with the organization in doubt.

Corral’s status with the Patriots is now even more in doubt following today’s sudden move. Grier was also a former Panthers draft pick, with the West Virginia product being selected in the third round of the 2019 draft. He was winless in his two starts as a rookie and was demoted to QB3 during his sophomore season. He was later waived and claimed by the Cowboys, and he proceeded to spend the next two years serving as one of Dak Prescott‘s backups.

Following the Cowboys’ acquisition of Trey Lance, Grier was cut loose, but not before he accounted for four total touchdowns during Dallas’ preseason finale. Grier later joined the Bengals practice squad before getting snatched by New England today.

It’s notable that the Patriots are suddenly comfortable rostering three QBs in Mac Jones, Zappe, and now Grier. There’s a chance the former Cowboys backup ends up following a similar path as Corral and ultimately lands on New England’s practice squad. In a potential noncoincidence, the Patriots are set to face off against the Cowboys in Week 4.

Patriots Not Adding Matt Corral To Practice Squad; Team Adjusts Trent Brown’s Contract

September 20th, 2023 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:47pm: Some may notice Corral’s presence on the wire today designating that he was taking a visit with his now former team in New England. According to Kyed, this is solely a formality. Kyed informs that “teams are required to report if a free agent is in the building” and Corral was at the facility this morning. His visit, though, had no bearing on his status with the team. Kyed reports that Corral’s relationship with the team is currently unchanged.

11:27am: After Matt Corral cleared waivers Tuesday, the Patriots were believed to have added the young quarterback to their practice squad. While this would mark yet another roster designation for the 2022 third-round pick, it has not come to fruition.

Corral has not returned to the Pats on a practice squad deal, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald notes. While the Ole Miss product was on track to come back on a P-squad pact, Kyed adds he is no longer expected to do so.

The Pats claimed Corral off waivers from the Panthers shortly after roster cutdown day, and while the raw QB prospect practiced with the team for more than a week, he left the team without providing notice and ended up on the exempt/left squad list. The Patriots removed Corral from that list Monday, and no team claimed him. As of now, the Matt Rhule-era Panthers pickup’s career is in limbo.

Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe reside as the quarterbacks on New England’s active roster, while rookie UDFA Malik Cunningham is on the team’s P-squad. Teams rarely keep two passers on practice squads, but the Pats had intended to develop Corral, who spent all of last season on the Panthers’ IR due to a Lisfranc injury. While Carolina was interested in bringing Corral back on a P-squad deal, he is unattached as of Wednesday.

The Patriots briefly demoted Zappe, waiving the 2022 fourth-round pick before extending a P-squad opportunity. Zappe quickly moved back to the active roster, returning after the Corral partnership began to fizzle. Upon returning to the active roster, the Western Kentucky product remains signed through 2025, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Zappe’s rookie contract ran through 2025, as all drafted players’ initial NFL deals span four years. Despite Zappe spending a short time on the practice squad after struggling in Bill O’Brien‘s system this summer, he is back on track.

Additionally, the Patriots added $2MM in incentives to Trent Brown‘s contract, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes. Brown is attached to a two-year, $13MM deal he signed during the 2022 offseason. It is unclear what benchmarks Brown must hit to cash in, but the Patriots have dangled incentives for the veteran tackle previously. The team put weight-related clauses in Brown’s Raiders-constructed, Pats-adjusted deal in 2021 and included more in his current pact. Barring an extension, the team’s left tackle starter remains on track to hit free agency again in 2024.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/19/23

September 19th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Milo Eiler

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Matt Corral has landed back with the Patriots after going unclaimed on waivers. It’s been a busy few months for Corral, who has bounced on and off the Panthers and Patriots rosters. He’ll now return to New England as the organization’s third QB behind Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.

Eric Rowe didn’t last all that long in Carolina after landing on the team’s practice squad in late August. The veteran defensive back spent the past four seasons in Miami, starting 39 of his 63 appearances. He’ll be replaced by Matthias Farley, who brings 100 games of experience to the Panthers. The safety has bounced around the league recently but didn’t miss a game between 2020 and 2022.

It took Mykal Walker a few weeks to find a new gig after getting cut by the Bears on roster deadline day. The former fourth-round pick spent the first three seasons of his career with the Falcons, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with 107 tackles. He was surprisingly waived by Atlanta in mid-August before getting scooped up by Chicago. Now, he’ll have a chance to revive his career in Las Vegas.

Patriots Cut QBs Matt Corral, Ian Book

September 19th, 2023 at 4:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 19: Corral has spent time on the Panthers’ offseason roster, Carolina’s IR list, along with the Patriots’ 53 and New England’s exempt/left squad list. After his second stay on waivers, the 2022 third-round pick is now a first-time free agent. No one claimed Corral by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.

SEPTEMBER 18: The Patriots’ flier on Matt Corral produced an early speedbump, with the former third-round pick being placed on the exempt/left squad list. Days later, Corral is no longer with the team.

New England waived Corral from the exempt/left squad list and also released Ian Book from its practice squad. Book landed on the Pats’ P-squad last week, after he had worked out for multiple teams.

Corral missed multiple Pats practices leading up to Week 1 and was absent from team meetings. The Patriots could circle back to Corral as a practice squad addition, assuming he clears waivers, but it is not known if the Ole Miss alum is in the team’s plans any longer. It will be interesting to see if the Panthers pick up Corral for their P-squad. Frank Reich indicated the team was interested in adding him to its taxi squad following the late-August cut. Two weeks ago, Bill Belichick called Corral a “good, young developing player,” but the Pats — for the time being, at least — have moved on.

Three seasons remain on Corral’s rookie contract, but last year’s No. 94 overall pick is trending downward despite having recovered from the Lisfranc injury that ended his rookie year before it started. Trade rumors emerged early this offseason, and the team then signed Andy Dalton and traded up for the No. 1 overall pick, which became Bryce Young. The Panthers have only Young and Dalton on their active roster; they are not carrying a QB on their practice squad.

Viewed as a raw prospect, Corral generated buzz to be drafted much higher than 94th. On what became a tough night for Corral, Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis, the Panthers traded a 2023 third-round pick to move up (via the Patriots) to No. 94. The Pats hired ex-Panthers player personnel director Pat Stewart this offseason, and while that undoubtedly helped lead to the team claiming Corral on waivers, the second-year passer is back on the wire.

Bailey Zappe sits behind Mac Jones on New England’s 53-man roster, and rookie UDFA Malik Cunningham resides on the practice squad. The team could be on the lookout for a new option. The Pats had checked on Colt McCoy and discussed Case Keenum with the Texans recently.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/18/23

September 18th, 2023 at 6:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

  • Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: DE Ronnie Perkins

New Orleans Saints

The Broncos will take a flier on a former third-round pick. Perkins arrived as a 2021 Patriots third-rounder, coming out of Oklahoma. Injuries intervened for the St. Louis native, who has yet to play in a regular-season game. After not playing for three-plus months to start his rookie season, Perkins landed on IR. The Pats then placed him on season-ending IR in August 2022. Perkins did not make New England’s 53-man roster this year but stuck around via a practice squad invite. Because the Broncos are poaching Perkins off a P-squad, they must keep him on their active roster for at least three weeks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/23

September 16th, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s callups and adjustments heading into Week 2:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Injury Notes: Clark, Dulcich, Eagles

September 14th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Frank Clark will be sidelined for a few weeks. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Broncos defensive end will miss “a couple weeks” after suffering a hip injury during yesterday’s practice.

Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like this is a long-term issue, and there’s been no indication that Clark will land on injured reserve. Per Rapoport, the veteran is considered week-to-week.

The former Pro Bowler was cut by the Broncos back in March before eventually landing in Denver. As Troy Renck of Denver7 notes, Clark has struggled to establish a role in Denver, with the 30-year-old serving as a situational pass rusher during the season opener. Clark finished that contest with a pair of tackles while appearing in 25 defensive snaps.

This comes with Baron Browning sitting on PUP, so Clark’s role could be made even more uncertain when his teammate returns. A few weeks off the field probably won’t help his case for a significant role in Denver.

2022 ended Clark’s three-year stretch of earning Pro Bowl nods, but he was still productive with the Chiefs. In 15 games, the pass rusher compiled 39 tackles and five sacks. He showed up during Kansas City’s run to a Super Bowl championship, collecting another seven tackles and 2.5 sacks in three games.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • Greg Dulcich is once again dealing with a hamstring injury. After missing seven games for the Broncos during the 2022 season, the tight end will once again miss multiple weeks while dealing with a hamstring injury in the same leg, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The organization intends to take it slow with Dulcich, meaning it could be a bit before he returns to the field. The 2022 third-round pick finished his rookie campaign with 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns.
  • A trio of Eagles players were ruled out early for Thursday Night Football. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported yesterday that running back Kenneth Gainwell (ribs), cornerback James Bradberry (concussion), and safety Reed Blankenship (ribs) would all be sidelined for Philly’s Week 2 matchup against the Vikings. The Eagles did get some good news, however, with defensive tackle Fletcher Cox being declared active for tonight’s game after being listed as questionable with a rib injury.
  • Rams wideout Puka Nacua didn’t practice today thanks to an oblique injury, according to Schefter. The rookie fifth-round pick was a standout during his NFL debut, garnering 15 targets from Matthew Stafford. Nacua ultimately finished the contest with 10 catches for 119 yards. With Cooper Kupp sidelined, the Rams may need to dig into their wide receiver depth against the 49ers.
  • Patriots cornerback Jack Jones landed on injured reserve before the season opener, keeping him off the field for at least the first month of the season. Per Albert Breer of TheMMQB, the 2022 fourth-round pick has an injury split in his contract, meaning the organization can lower Jones’ base salary from $870K to $475K as long as he sits on IR. That ends up being a loss of $22K per week for Jones.

OL Notes: Vikings, Bengals, Pats, Nijman

September 14th, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Garrett Bradbury suffered a back injury last season, and the Vikings center saw his absence extended after he aggravated the malady in a car accident. Bradbury missed the Vikings’ final five regular-season games but returned for the team’s wild-card loss. The Vikings circled back to the former first-round pick in March, re-signing him to a three-year, $15.75MM deal. That contract becomes a pay-as-you go accord after 2023, and Bradbury has run into familiar trouble. The Vikings ruled out the fifth-year center for their Thursday-night game in Philadelphia due to a back injury.

“We felt positive about him, and he’s done everything and had no issues whatsoever through a pretty physical training camp for us to feel really good about it,” Kevin O’Connell said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) of Bradbury’s back issue. “It’s just how this game goes sometimes, and he’s a tough guy, big part of the interior of our offensive line and we’ll hope to get him back as soon as we can.”

Austin Schlottmann, who returned last week after a broken leg ended his 2022 season, is set to start at center against the Eagles. Here is the latest from the O-line landscape:

  • The Bengals completed an unexpected transaction this week, releasing La’el Collins from the reserve/PUP list. The team had given Collins a three-year, $21MM deal to step in at right tackle, which he did for 15 games. But ACL and MCL tears ended his 2022 season in Week 16 and prevented him from starting this season on time. The Bengals have Jonah Williams at right tackle opposite big-ticket UFA addition Orlando Brown Jr., but Jackson Carman — who replaced Williams at LT in the playoffs last season — is not the top backup any longer. D’Ante Smith, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is positioned as Cincinnati’s swing tackle now, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Carman has started two playoff games but lost three position battles in his three training camps. Viewed as a project coming out of East Carolina, Smith has played 56 career offensive snaps.
  • Reliability questions surrounded the Patriots‘ offensive line, and the team responded accordingly when setting its 53-man roster. Before Riley Reiff ended up on IR, the Patriots submitted an initial 53 with 11 O-linemen. No other team’s first 53 included that many, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes. Only seven teams kept 10 blockers, though that is where New England’s contingent stands after the Reiff move. The Pats needed to use this depth early. Calvin Anderson, who came off the Pats’ reserve/non-football illness list late in the preseason, started at right tackle in Week 1. Guards Cole Strange and Michael Onwenu were out, moving fourth- and fifth-round rookies — Sidy Sow, Atonio Mafi — into the lineup. Onwenu and Strange have each logged two limited practices this week, though both Sow and left tackle Trent Brown suffered concussions in the opener, leaving their Week 2 statuses in doubt.
  • The Commanders, Packers and Vikings each restructured an O-line deal recently. Washington created $6MM in cap space by moving $7.5MM of Charles Leno‘s base salary into a signing bonus and adding three void years, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. Green Bay topped that by adding four void years to Yosh Nijman‘s deal, creating $2.54MM in cap space, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. This proves interesting due to Nijman being on a second-round RFA tender; he is due to be a 2024 free agent. Minnesota added $9.99MM in space by restructuring Brian O’Neill‘s contract, per Yates.
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