Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
New England Patriots
Mark Perry was cut by the Texans practice squad last week, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston notes that the organization wanted him back. Instead, the safety has landed in New England. Perry put himself on the NFL map with two impressive seasons at TCU where he compiled 142 tackles and six passes defended.
Today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles
Peyton Hendershot made headlines in Week 1, with the tight end earning a fine after participating in a shoving match in defense of QB Patrick Mahomes. Hendershot wasn’t even active for that contest, but he made his Chiefs debut yesterday and got into seven special teams snaps. The former UDFA out of Indiana was traded by the Cowboys to the Chiefs at the end of August. As DLLS’s Clarence Hill Jr. notes, today’s move means the Cowboys won’t receive the 2026 conditional seventh-round pick from the Chiefs.
The Patriots will be without a defensive captain for the rest of the season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Ja’Whaun Bentley is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle.
The former fifth-round pick has turned into one of New England’s most dependable defenders, topping 100 tackles in each of the past three seasons. Bentley has also shown some pass rush ability in recent years, collecting a combined 7.5 sacks between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Bentley started each of the Patriots two games this season. The linebacker appeared to have suffered his injury while trying to get around Seahawks OL Anthony Bradford late in the first quarter of Sunday’s contest. He stayed in the game for one more snap before exiting, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Raekwon McMillan soaked up all of Bentley’s snaps in the eventual loss, and the former second-round pick could be in line for an expanded role moving forward.
The Patriots could also get creative with their linebacker grouping. Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche have generally been used as pass-rushing weakside linebackers, but that duo could be called upon in the middle. The team also has UDFA Curtis Jacobs, who is the current strongside option behind Jahlani Tavai.
Either way, the Patriots will be hard pressed to replicate Bentley’s production. With Christian Barmore also expected to miss the 2024 campaign, the organization is stressing their defensive depth early on.
The Patriots made a pair of transactions today ahead of their matchup tomorrow with the Seahawks. One of those transactions was essentially an announcement as offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was placed on the exempt/left squad list, per Patriots staff writer Evan Lazar. 
According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Okorafor informed the team that he would be leaving. As Kyed puts it, “the team’s understanding is that this is not a temporary decision” as Okorafor “has been checked out mentally over the past month or so.” These events must have taken place in the last 24 hours or so as Okorafor was present in the locker room yesterday. This is the second year in a row that New England has seen a player voluntarily walk away, though quarterback Matt Corral did not give notice of his departure before leaving the team last season.
After six years of playing right tackle for the Steelers, Okorafor was asked to step in as a left tackle for New England in 2024 after the departure of Trent Brown this offseason. In 12 snaps of football during the team’s Week 1 game against the Bengals, Okorafor was asked to pass block six times. In those six passing snaps, Okorafor allowed three quarterback pressures. He was quickly replaced by Vederian Lowe, who played on the first-team offense for the remainder of the game.
Lowe seems to be the next man up as the Patriots move forward without Okorafor. A former sixth-round pick for the Vikings in 2022, Lowe was traded to the Patriots last year for a 2024 sixth-rounder and made eight starts in 11 games for New England at both left and right tackle. The swingman will once again be asked to step into a starting role.
In addition to placing Okorafor on the exempt/left squad list, the team also called up offensive guard Michael Jordan as a standard gameday practice squad elevation for the second straight week. Jordan was promoted in Week 1 as the Patriots expected starting guard Sidy Sow to miss the game with an ankle injury. Jordan ended up starting the game and playing all 64 snaps at left guard. With Sow expected to miss this week’s game, as well, Jordan could be lined up with the first-team offense, once again.
Practice squad players can only be called up as gameday elevations twice, so if the team has plans to start, or even play, Jordan any more after this week, they will need to sign him to the active roster. After doing so, they can still cut Jordan and return him to the practice squad, where he can be called up twice again.
During the season, members of a team’s starting offense or defense typically see all-but exclusive time with the first-team units in practice. In the case of the Patriots, though, quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are splitting work with the starting offense. 
“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop,” head coach Jerod Mayo said on Friday (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Normally, the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different. I guess the struggle is, ‘How do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake?’ And so it is like a 70-30 split.”
Brissett was added in free agency on a one-year deal, but it was widely assumed at the time New England would select a quarterback in the draft. Indeed, as part of the process of replacing Mac Jones, the team turned aside trade interest for the No. 3 pick and drafted Maye. Brissett entered training camp atop the depth chart, but Maye impressed during practice and the preseason to the point Mayo acknowledged the North Carolina product had been the better passer.
Nevertheless, it came as no surprise when Brissett was named the Patriots’ starter to begin the campaign. The 31-year-old is a veteran of 49 starts – including Sunday’s upset win over the Bengals – and Maye was seen as a prospect in need of development time compared to many of his classmates. It is still considered a matter of time for a QB change to take place at some point in 2024, though, which explains Mayo’s unusual approach to divvying up practice reps.
“We were very thoughtful. When we talked about having a developmental plan for Drake, that’s part of it,” Mayo added. “I’ve tried not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters and does a good job on the [scout] team as well. He’s doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”
One of five head coaches taking on that role for the first time in 2024, Mayo’s debut New England campaign will be measured in large part by Maye’s development once he takes over the starting gig. The fact he is continuing to take reps with the first-team offense is another indication Maye could be tapped for the QB1 role relatively soon, although Brissett’s play in the meantime will of course be a determining factor in that regard.
Due to the 49ers‘ interest in keeping Brandon Aiyuk via an extension, the fifth-year wide receiver carried substantial control during his trade sweepstakes despite the lack of a no-trade clause. Although Aiyuk shut down Cleveland and New England as destinations, as his San Francisco talks continued, he was believed to be fine being dealt to Pittsburgh. Until the 11th hour, that is.
While Aiyuk ended up signing a four-year, $120MM extension to remain with the 49ers, FOX’s Jay Glazer reports the team nearly traded him to the Steelers on the day he agreed to terms. After giving Aiyuk what amounted to an ultimatum two weeks ago, the 49ers were finalizing a trade to the Steelers. Aiyuk intervened, however, leading to a frantic sequence that shut down this would-be deal. The Steelers’ party line pointed to the team expecting Aiyuk to sign a 49ers extension, but it certainly appears they were in this until the end.
Aiyuk showed up early to the 49ers’ facility August 29, meeting with Kyle Shanahan to inform the eighth-year HC he was still interested in staying. Shanahan attempted to call the 49ers’ front office power brokers to inform them of this, but Glazer adds he was unable to get through due to team brass’ discussions with the Steelers about the then-impending trade. Shanahan then proceeded to run across the facility to stop trade talks, with the team then expressing its final ultimatum.
Aiyuk had until the end of practice August 29 to commit to the team — via the extension offer that had been on the table since August 12 — or be traded. Shanahan effectively confirmed (via 49ersWebZone.com) Glazer’s account after the 49ers’ Week 1 win over the Jets.
That development wrapped one of the busiest wide receiver sagas in recent NFL history. The 49ers had put two offers on the table for Aiyuk earlier in August — a three-year deal worth $87MM and the four-year, $120MM proposal — but SI.com’s Albert Breer indicated the fifth-year wideout rejected both. San Francisco had remained at its $26MM-per-year offer — which surfaced in May — until training camp but eventually came up toward Aiyuk’s price point. The guarantees in San Francisco’s 3/87 offer are not known, but the AAV would have still checked in more than $5MM north of Deebo Samuel‘s three-year deal (3/71.55).
That $26MM-per-year number came in lower than the Steelers’ extension offer — $27.7MM — but Aiyuk said he factored quarterback play and long-term success into his decision, ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner adds. The 49ers saw Aiyuk and Brock Purdy form a potent connection last season, when Aiyuk zoomed to second-team All-Pro honors and led the NFC champions in receiving by a wide margin.
San Francisco has also become one of this period’s most reliable teams, advancing to two Super Bowls and two more conference championship games since 2019. The Steelers continue to stay above .500, but they have not won a playoff game since 2016. Their quarterback situation also invites major questions — particularly beyond 2024.
The Steelers had been part of a potential three-team trade — for all intents and purposes — involving the Broncos, as the 49ers had attempted to flip Pittsburgh’s third-round pick for Courtland Sutton. Denver declined, but Breer adds the 49ers ultimately called around a dozen teams discussing trades for wide receivers. The Steelers offered second- and third-round pick for Aiyuk but did not include any players, which did not mesh with what the 49ers wanted as they constructed another Super Bowl-contending roster. The other 49ers calls also involved the team attempting to trade the Steelers third-round pick for a wideout.
Despite the 49ers’ reservations about the Steelers not including a veteran player in their proposal, Pittsburgh and San Francisco agreed to trade parameters in mid-August. Despite his team’s short- and long-term QB uncertainty, Mike Tomlin had presented a draw for Aiyuk. This ties to the respected HC’s conversations with the wideout during the pre-draft process in 2020, Breer adds. The Steelers had traded their 2020 first-rounder for Minkah Fitzpatrick months earlier but did draft a wideout with its first pick that year (Chase Claypool, No. 49). The 49ers had taken Aiyuk at 25.
The Browns were willing to offer Aiyuk $30MM per season on a three-year deal, but the top extension offer in this derby still came from a Patriots team that had also chased Calvin Ridley in free agency.
New England also sent two offers Aiyuk’s way, per Breer, who adds the team was willing to pay the former first-round pick $32MM per year on a four-year deal and $30MM AAV on a three-year contract. As far as the Pats’ trade offer goes, Breer reports they proposed a 2025 second-rounder, a 2026 fourth and one veteran player. The 49ers had asked about a Kendrick Bourne reunion. While Breer does not specify which player the Pats were set to include, Bourne represents a good guess — even though his ACL rehab landed him on the PUP list.
George Pickens does not have much in the way of proven help in Pittsburgh. Ex-Rams and Falcons supporting-caster Van Jefferson started Sunday. Roman Wilson did not make his debut in Atlanta, but Tomlin said the third-round rookie will see more practice time soon. An ankle injury kept Wilson off the field during the preseason. The Steelers have a strong WR development track record, but after narrowly missing out on Aiyuk, they certainly look to need a quick progression from Wilson.
“I’m comfortable with the performance of these guys,” Tomlin said about his auxiliary WR group. “(I) had some questions, even dating back to spring, and to be quite honest with you, I probably went into the receiver room a couple weeks into camp and told them that. I just believe in being really transparent.
“But the consistency with which those guys performed in Latrobe and with team development has made me more comfortable, and specifically I’m talking about Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson. I just can’t say enough about the consistency with which they’ve performed, their floor.”
The Steelers added Miller, who joined Jefferson in playing under Arthur Smith last season, shortly after the draft. Miller played 17 offensive snaps against the Falcons; Jefferson logged 49 and caught one pass.
Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
The 2024 coaching cycle produced eight hires around the NFL. Raheem Morris (Falcons), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers) and Dan Quinn (Commanders) are each in place as head coaches after previously serving in that role with past teams. The other five are making their coaching debuts this weekend. 
Dave Canales ended a lengthy tenure with the Seahawks in 2023 when took over as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. That was his first opportunity as a play-caller at the college or NFL levels, and Tampa Bay did not rank among the league’s elite in terms of passing production. The team was also last in rushing yardage, but overall the Buccaneers outperformed expectations in 2023. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was among the many in-house players who landed a contract keeping him in Tamp Bay this offseason.
That came in no small part from the former No. 1 pick’s career highs in yards (4,044) and touchdown passes (28) under Canales. Expectations will be high for another NFC South title in 2024 for the Bucs, but the opposite will be the case in Carolina as Canales begins his first head coaching gig. The 43-year-old helped stabilize Mayfield’s career in Tampa Bay after doing the same with Geno Smith in Seattle. Canales will now be tasked with overseeing Bryce Young’s development.
Selected first overall last April after the Panthers’ blockbuster trade to acquire the top pick, Young struggled mightily in 2023. The same was true of many other aspects of the organization, of course, and head coach Frank Reich was fired midway through his first season as head coach. General manager Scott Fitterer was dismissed this offseason, with Dan Morgan being promoted as his replacement. He and Canales are at the helm of a long-term rebuild, but at least slight improvement from last year’s 2-15 campaign will be expected in 2024.
Antonio Pierce has slightly more experience than his fellow first-year coaches. The Raiders gave him the interim HC title after Josh McDaniels was fired midway through his second season in Vegas. Owner Mark Davis was in a similar situation when Rich Bisaccia took on interim duties in 2021. Davis allowed Bisaccia to depart, a move he has since expressed regret over.
Instead of repeating that move this year, Davis tapped Pierce for the full-time gig. Many players publicly endorsed the former Pro Bowl linebacker after he guided the team to a 5-4 record down the stretch. Efforts to land a quarterback in the first round of the draft were unsuccessful, so training camp saw incumbent Aidan O’Connell and free agent pickup Gardner Minshew compete for the starting gig. Neither passer impressed, and the veteran will begin the year atop the depth chart based largely on his experience.
The Raiders added Christian Wilkins to a defensive front already featuring Maxx Crosby, and the team’s defense will be leaned on heavily amidst questions in the passing game. Vegas’ rushing output without Josh Jacobs in the backfield will also be worth watching as Pierce looks to lead the Raiders to a postseason return or at least offer a reason for long-term stability on the sidelines.
Jerod Mayo was known to be the Patriots’ heir apparent to Bill Belichick well before the six-time Super Bowl winner parted ways with the organization. Belichick’s departure came about after the third year with Mac Jones in place at quarterback wound up as a disaster. Sweeping changes on offense were made in the offseason, although a number of players brought in during Belichick’s tenure were retained. 
That will leave Mayo – who spent his entire eight-year playing career in New England – with several familiar faces on defense in particular (except, notably, Matt Judon). The 38-year-old spent much of his first training camp overseeing a quarterback competition between veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye. The latter will begin his career on the bench, but as the No. 3 pick in April’s draft and the more productive passer during the preseason he is expected see the field in relatively short order.
The 2024 campaign will be measured in large part by Maye’s development, but the degree to which the Patriots’ offensive line and receiving corps progress will be worth watching as well. Mayo and first-year de facto GM Eliot Wolf‘s roster is not expected to compete in the AFC East, but a step forward from the end of the Belichick era would provide optimism moving forward.
Pete Carroll attempted to remain in place at the helm of the Seahawks in 2024, but the team moved forward with finding his replacement. Mike Macdonald, 36, is the only head coach younger than Mayo and he represents a candidate to enjoy a lengthy tenure in the Emerald City just as Carroll did. Macdonald spent the 2022 and ’23 seasons serving as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, boosting his stock considerably during that time.
Baltimore led the NFL in points allowed, sacks and takeaways last year. That unprecedented feat put him on the head coaching radar despite his age and the fact many younger head coaches tend to have a background on the offensive side of the ball. New OC Ryan Grubb will take charge of Seattle’s offense while Macdonald focuses on orchestrating a defensive rebound. The Seahawks have ranked no better than 22nd in total defense over the past five years.
Seattle finished 9-8 last season, and quarterback Geno Smith is among the core players still in place from Carroll’s final campaign. If Macdonald can guide the team to a better finish on defense, a postseason berth could very well be within reach. The NFC West figures to remain highly competitive, though, so his first year at the helm will feature several challenges if a return to the playoffs is to take place.
Brian Callahan joined Zac Taylor’s original Bengals staff in 2019 and he worked as offensive coordinator for five years. That gig did not include play-calling responsibilities, but Callahan drew head coaching interest before landing the Titans’ position. Tennessee moved on from Mike Vrabel after a second straight losing season, and Callahan will be tasked with developing quarterback Will Levis in his place. 
The 2023 second-rounder made nine starts during his rookie campaign after taking over from Ryan Tannehill. Levis’ ability to progress will be Tennessee’s top storyline as he takes charge of a unit which now features Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Tony Pollard and multiple new starters along the offensive line. Callahan’s ability to fit those new elements into the offense and maximize Levis’ potential will determine much of the team’s short- and long-term outlook.
The Titans went 6-11 last year and the AFC South includes three other teams which have young passers; all of them posted better records than Tennessee in 2023. Ran Carthon enters his second season as general manager, and the team’s new regime will be tasked with moving forward with a new core compared to the Vrabel era. Callahan is a central figure in that effort, and Levis’ first full campaign atop the depth chart will be worth watching closely as Callahan handles play-calling duties.
Which staffer do you think will have the best campaign in 2024? Cast your vote in PFR’s latest poll and have your say in the comments section.
Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.
Christian Barmore has been out of the mix for the Patriots since late July, when it became known the ascending defensive tackle had been dealing with blood clots. Barmore is now on New England’s reserve/non-football illness list, and it does not sound like the team is expecting him back anytime soon.
The Patriots are bracing for Barmore to miss the entire 2024 season, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Viewing the recently extended defensive tackle as a building-block player, the Pats intend to be cautious here. They will not rush Barmore back. Given the Patriots’ big-picture situation and one example from the recent past, it might surprise if Barmore played again before the 2025 season.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review: New England Patriots]
New England’s spree of extensions and re-signings notwithstanding, this is not viewed as a contending roster. In addition to campaigning in a difficult division placed in what still looks like the tougher of the two conferences, the Patriots are not yet turning to Drake Maye at quarterback. Jacoby Brissett is starting the season, giving off a placeholder vibe while the team grapples with a shaky offensive line. Barmore not playing in 2024 also stands to strengthen the Patriots’ chances of securing a pick near the top of the 2025 draft.
A Patriots squad with much loftier ambitions dealt with a similar situation as well. David Andrews missed the entire 2019 season due to blood clots. The veteran center needed to be hospitalized because of the issue in late August of 2019. Andrews missed the Pats’ most recent Super Bowl title-defense season and was not cleared to resume his career until early May 2020. No two cases are alike, of course, but the organization — as its Tom Brady heyday wound down — saw a key starter miss a full season after receiving a similar diagnosis to the one Barmore heard this summer.
Prior to this concerning issue surfacing, Barmore proved himself to be an impact inside pass rusher. With Matt Judon down for most of last season, Barmore led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks. This came on only six starts. The former second-round pick then signed a four-year, $84MM extension — a move that impacted the futures of Judon and Davon Godchaux this offseason — that ties him to the Pats through 2028.
Beyond Godchaux, however, the Patriots are light sans Barmore at D-tackle. Jeremiah Pharms, Daniel Ekuale and Eric Johnson round out New England’s DT depth chart. Pharms is a 2023 UDFA who played 90 defensive snaps as a rookie; a fifth-round Colts draftee in 2022 whom the Pats claimed on waivers, Johnson has no career starts. The most experienced non-Godchaux option as a five-year veteran, Ekuale made his last start in 2020.