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NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/24

September 25th, 2024 at 6:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR John Jiles

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: DT Shakel Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trenton Gill has caught on with the Buccaneers practice squad after getting cut by the Broncos back in August. Gill spent the previous two seasons as the Bears full-time punter, with the 25-year-old averaging 46 yards per punt while landing 28.6 percent of his punts inside the 20. As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes, this addition is a sign that Bucs punter Jake Camarda may be on the hot seat. The former fourth-round pick is averaging a career-low 39.8 net yards per punt.

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.

QB Jacoby Brissett To Remain Patriots’ Starter

September 20th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday night saw both Patriots quarterbacks struggle. Drake Maye finished the lopsided loss, but Jacoby Brissett was in place for much of the game. New England will stick with the veteran moving forward.

“Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he’s not the quarterback,” head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed during a Friday press conference (video link). “I thought last night, he showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit. On protection breakdowns, tried to do what we asked him to do. But I would say, just as a team, as a coaching staff, we’ve just got to be better.”

The Patriots managed just 139 yards of offense, scoring three points. Brissett completed 12 of 18 pass attempts, but he totaled only 98 yards while taking five sacks. Maye logged 16 snaps in relief, but he took a pair of sacks and completed half of his eight passes. In the wake of a struggle along the offensive line in particular, it comes as no surprise Brissett will remain atop the depth chart for now.

Mayo did add, however, that the team’s practice rep allocation will remain the same moving forward. As a result, Maye will continue to take roughly 30% of the snaps with the first-team offense. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted prior to yesterday’s game, the first-round rookie has shared reps with both the first-team unit and the scout team in addition to side work with quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney (video link). Maye’s development is a key priority for the 2024 season, and the No. 3 pick drew praise from Mayo for his training camp and preseason showings before a final decision on the team’s starting quarterback was made.

Brissett got the nod for the QB1 spot to start the year, but the expectation has remained that Maye will take over at some point during the campaign. Patience while the team’s offensive line and skill position corps develops is a sensible approach for the Patriots, though, and Brissett is a familiar passer to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Hired after a strong push was made to bring Nick Caley back into the organization under the OC title, Van Pelt will be counted on as a key figure in Maye’s acclimation to the NFL. That process will continue to take place in a backup capacity for the time being.

Robert Kraft Picked Jerod Mayo As Bill Belichick’s HC Successor Five Years Ago

September 19th, 2024 at 9:23pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Not featuring a coaching search this year, the Patriots have still not conducted a true hunt for their sideline leader since agreeing to send the Jets trade compensation for Bill Belichick in 2000. Their effort to succeed the all-time coaching great proved interesting despite not contributing much to PFR’s latest HC Search Tracker.

Rather than go through a full-scale interview process, the Patriots included language in Jerod Mayo‘s contract making him the heir apparent. Robert Kraft confirmed this has been his plan for a while. The longtime Patriots owner revealed on the Prime Video Thursday Night broadcast Mayo became his pick to succeed Belichick five years ago.

“Jerod learned a lot from Bill in the technical background,” Kraft said. “But they’re each special individuals. I’ve gotten to know Jerod over the last 15 years and, you know, I picked him five years ago to be our next head coach.”

Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways after the 2023 season, ending his 24-year tenure as the team’s head coach and de facto general manager. While it was not known to the outside NFL world the Pats had Mayo as their open-and-shut pick, the team was the first to name a new coach during this year’s carousel.

The No. 10 overall pick in 2008, Mayo fared well under Belichick as a player and an assistant. As a starting inside linebacker, Mayo earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Mayo spent his entire eight-year playing career in New England under Belichick and retired after struggling with injuries in his last few seasons, which included a victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

Belichick later hired Mayo as his inside linebackers coach in 2019, a position the latter held until he was promoted to head coach earlier this year. Mayo quickly earned Kraft’s trust, as evident from the owner identifying him as his next leader in his first year on staff, but also drew attention around the league as a potential future head coach.

After interviews with the Broncos, Eagles, and Raiders for their head coaching openings from 2021-22, Kraft was so worried he might lose Mayo that he inserted a succession clause into his former linebacker’s contract to guarantee Mayo would succeed Belichick after he left New England, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Mayo declined a Panthers HC interview last year, and the Patriots released a statement indicating he was staying. Kraft confirmed in March 2023 Mayo loomed as a potential Belichick heir apparent, and while ties to Mike Vrabel emerged late last season, it does not appear the owner deviated from his long-held internal plan.

The succession clause allowed the Patriots to get around the Rooney Rule requiring NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for open HC positions. Roger Goodell (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) called the succession clause “smart management” by the Patriots, who hired Mayo as their first Black head coach in franchise history on January 12.

Mayo began his head coaching career with a surprising upset of the Bengals in Week 1 before falling to the Seahawks in overtime in Week 2. While the Patriots did not enter this season with much in the way of expectations, Mayo will attempt to reward the owner’s faith in his first season at the helm.

Patriots Offered Rams’ Nick Caley OC Job

September 19th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Caley‘s name resurfaced on the OC radar this offseason, but only with one team. The Rams assistant took two interviews with the Patriots, his employer from 2015-22. This process ended with a job offer.

In place on Bill Belichick‘s staff — primarily as tight ends coach — for nearly a decade, Caley joined the Rams once the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as OC in 2023. The Pats separated from Belichick but revisited their Caley OC search a year after he did not land the job. The team’s effort included a high-end offer to call plays under Jerod Mayo, SI.com’s Albert Breer said during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand (via NBC Sports Boston).

Although Caley is an aspiring first-time coordinator, Breer notes the Patriots presented him an offer of nearly $3MM per year to take their OC position. That is toward the top of the coordinator spectrum, though coaching salaries do not have to be disclosed in the way player contracts do. Somewhat surprisingly (based on what we now know), Caley passed. The job went to recently dismissed Browns OC Alex Van Pelt, who is a play-calling OC for the first time in 15 years.

A Caley hire would have fit in with how the Patriots built their team and coaching staff this offseason. Despite Belichick’s ouster, the Pats promoted Mayo and elevated DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator. Caley would not have been a direct promotion, but considering his past in Foxborough, he certainly made sense as a return candidate given the way this offseason played out in New England. A host of re-signings and extensions followed the club’s coaching decisions, including a three-year, $27MM deal for ex-Caley pupil Hunter Henry.

The Rams have since moved Caley to pass-game coordinator under Sean McVay and OC Mike LaFleur. Caley, 41, is still in charge of the Rams’ tight ends but carries a new title that often matters when OC-needy teams are conducting searches. He is also tied to a team that has sent several assistants to coordinator roles and coordinators to HC positions.

Last year brought more interest in Caley, with the Texans and Jets joining the Patriots in interviewing the promising assistant. Caley was on an expiring contract in 2023 but still had a chance to stay. Post-Belichick interest remained, though it is worth wondering if that door is now closed despite the sides’ lengthy history.

Prior to joining McVay’s staff, Caley’s only NFL work had come in New England. He left the college ranks for a Pats assistant job in 2015, eventually collecting two Super Bowl rings and being given the chance to coach Rob Gronkowski in the final years of the all-time great’s Patriots run. The Pats gave Caley increased responsibility in 2022 as well, and other teams took notice.

As injuries force the Rams into numerous changes early this season, Caley is taking his chances as an assistant under one of the NFL’s top HCs. It stands to reason the northeast Ohio native viewed his current position as one that would help him land other coordinator interviews down the road. It should be expected Caley resurfaces on the coordinator carousel next year, but this certainly qualifies as a notable “what if?” involving he and the Patriots.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/24

September 19th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

New England Patriots

New York Jets

The Patriots sustained a blow to their offensive line depth when Okorafor left the team after being benched after just 12 snaps in Week 1. New England received a five-day roster exemption for Okorafor’s initial absence but was forced to move the offensive tackle to the reserve/left team list when the exemption expired. He is now ineligible to return this season.

Watson was drafted by the Browns in the sixth round of the 2024 draft and made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster. He appeared in the team’s first two regular-season games, playing 33 snaps on special teams.

Latest On Chukwuma Okorafor’s Patriots Departure

September 18th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Following an ugly Week 1 cameo, Patriots offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor was placed on the exempt/left squad list after suddenly stepping away from the team. We heard at the time that this was “not a temporary decision,” and ESPN’s Mike Reiss echoes that sources aren’t expecting the veteran to play for the Patriots again this season.

Now, the organization will have to work with the player to determine how much of the guaranteed money he’ll end up receiving. As Reiss notes, Okorafor earned a $2MM signing bonus (of which $600K was deferred until 2025) and a guaranteed $1.125MM base salary. Reiss hints that the two sides may be facing impending negotiations to determine how much of the $3.125MM in guaranteed money Okorafor will ultimately get to keep. Indeed, coach Jerod Mayo revealed that the front office has already had talks with the player’s camp (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald).

The lineman also stepped away from more than $4MM in incentives. Okorafor would have earned $850K for a variety of snap milestones, including appearing from 50 to 90 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. After being “checked out mentally” and leaving the organization, there’s little chance Okorafor will hit most of those milestones even with a sudden return.

Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal provides some more insight into the player’s departure, with the reporter noting that the player is “contemplating his future in football.” Giardi also passed along quotes from Mayo, with the coach noting his own concern for Okorafor the person (vs. the player).

“I called him, and it had everything to do with the man,” Mayo said. “I wanted to make sure that he was good, in a good space and really considering and taking into consideration that this is what he wanted to do.”

After spending the past four years as the Steelers starting right tackle, Okorafor joined the Patriots this offseason to replace Trent Brown on the left side of the line. The acquisition struggled in his Patriots debut, allowing six QB pressures in his six pass-blocking opportunities, leading to him quickly being replaced by Vederian Lowe. The fill-in has already been ruled out for tomorrow, and Giardi notes that Caedan Wallace will likely get the call at LT against the Jets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/18/24

September 18th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

  • Signed from practice squad: OLB Dondrea Tillman

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed from practice squad: OL Justin Dedich

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

A five-year Giants contributor, Ximenes logged 14 defensive snaps through two Patriots games. A rookie UDFA out of James Madison, Kromah has not played in a regular-season game yet. Because the Pats poached Kromah from the Bears’ P-squad, he must remain on New England’s 53-man roster for three weeks.

Additionally, free agent defensive back Alex Brown received a three-week suspension, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Brown has not been on an NFL roster since 2021 and has not played in a game since 2019.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/24

September 17th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: T Marcellus Johnson
  • Released: T Ricky Lee

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

Woods joins the Falcons’ practice squad after a workout last week that also included veterans Kwon Alexander and Rashaan Evans.

The Browns are adding Freeman after the seven-year veteran was released by the Cowboys before the regular season. Freeman could potentially pitch in as the team keeps working without Nick Chubb.

Yeast becomes the next former-Rams defensive back to join the Panthers. Current Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero used to serve as the secondary coach in Los Angeles, and Yeast joins Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott, and Troy Hill as former students of Evero to sign a deal with the Panthers.

Chosen’s time off the Dolphins’ practice squad could be a short one. Chosen was called up as a standard gameday elevation twice in the first two weeks of the season, reaching his limit for the year. If the team re-signs him to a new practice squad contract, his count should start over.

Reagor saw 11 games and a start last year for New England, catching seven passes for 138 yards as a deep threat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Patriots will be giving him similar opportunities this year after this release.

Pierre played a big part in the Steelers’ secondary in 2021 and 2022, starting six games and logging an interception in each season. His role was extremely reduced last year with the arrivals of Joey Porter Jr.. and Patrick Peterson, but his experience could be crucial in a position room that only rosters five cornerbacks as Cameron Sutton remains on suspension.

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