Andrew McDonald

Practice Squad Updates: Wednesday

As usual, we expect plenty of Wednesday practice squad moves, as teams around the NFL add and subtract from their respective units in preparation for Week 13 action. Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts:

  • The Ravens signed tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi to the practice squad while placing Konrad Reuland on practice squad-injured list, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Seahawks re-signed defensive tackle Jimmy Staten to their practice squad today, cutting offensive lineman Andrew McDonald to make room, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. It’s a reversal of the move the team made over the weekend.
  • The Cardinals filled the two openings on their practice squad today, signing linebacker Kion Wilson and re-adding running back Kerwynn Williams, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).
  • Former Georgia defensive tackle Garrison Smith, who spent time in the summer with the Dolphins, has signed to the Saints‘ practice squad, per his agent David Canter (Twitter link). New Orleans had a full unit, so a corresponding move should be announced shortly.

Earlier updates:

  • Washington has added two defensive backs to its practice squad, announcing today that Trey Wolfe and Kenny Okoro have been added to the 10-man unit (Twitter link).
  • After promoting defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, the Raiders signed cornerback Jansen Watson to fill the newly-opened spot, according to a team release. Watson signed with Oakland as an undrafted free agent this spring and was cut during the preseason.
  • The Chargers have filled out their practice squad by adding center Jeff Baca, a 2013 sixth-rounder, the team announced today in a press release.
  • Former Florida State safety Terrance Parks has signed with the Texans‘ practice squad, according to the team.
  • The Dolphins have released defensive end Emmanuel Dieke from their practice squad, signing safety Ahmad Dixon to fill his spot, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Dixon, a seventh-round pick by the Cowboys in May, had spent most of the season with the Bears before being cut last week.
  • The Titans have agreed to terms with outside linebacker Chaz Sutton, adding him to their taxi squad, the team announced today (Twitter link). Sutton fills the lone opening on Tennessee’s unit.
  • Having already made one change to their practice squad (noted below), the Patriots announced several more, via a press release. Linebacker Deontae Skinner and defensive back Daxton Swanson have been cut, while tight end Xavier Grimble has joined the squad.
  • After bringing him in for an audition, the Giants have signed offensive lineman Michael Bamiro to their practice squad, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. New York had an opening on its unit, so no players need to be cut to accommodate the addition.
  • Danny Aiken may have a little competition in New England, as the Patriots have brought back another long snapper, Charley Hughlett, re-adding him to their taxi squad, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). The team will have to announce a corresponding move to make the signing official.
  • Linebacker L.J. Fort has signed with the Bengals‘ practice squad, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Fort, who spent time with the Seahawks earlier this season, worked out for the Bengals and the Saints last week.

Minor Moves: Saturday

Here are today’s minor transactions. We’ll update the list throughout the day, with the most recent moves added to the top…

Earlier Updates

Minor Moves: Friday

Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, as teams ready their 53-man rosters and practice squads for Week 12:

  • The Seahawks cut offensive tackle Andrew McDonald on Tuesday, but he’s cleared waivers and been added to Seattle’s practice squad, tweets McDonald’s agent, Brett Tessler. Per Tessler, McDonald received several offers from other interested clubs, but opted to remain in the Northwest.

Earlier updates:

  • After spending the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, wide receiver Drew Davis has been activated by the Falcons, the team announced today in a press release. Atlanta waived wideout Freddie Martino to make room for Davis, who caught 12 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns last season for the Falcons. The 25-year-old had been sidelined since the summer after undergoing foot surgery, and began practicing earlier this month.
  • Having passed through waivers unclaimed, defensive lineman Casey Walker, who was cut yesterday when the Patriots signed LeGarrette Blount, is set to rejoin New England’s practice squad, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Walker played 159 defensive snaps in five games for the Pats, recording 10 tackles and a sack.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

In addition to making practice squad changes, teams around the league are also adding and subtracting players from their 53-man rosters today. We’ll round up some of those minor transactions in this space, with the latest moves added at the top of the list:

  • The Texans have released Ricky Sapp from injured reserve, according to Wilson (on Twitter). Sapp was placed on IR on October 7th to make room for the signing of linebacker John Simon to the 53-man roster.
  • The Titans have cut linebacker James Anderson, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Anderson, 31, started all 16 games last season for the Bears. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) ranked Anderson 33rd out of 35 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers in 2013, his poor grade was due in large part to subpar performance against the run — he was one of the league’s more effective linebackers in pass coverage. This year he saw time in seven games as a reserve.
  • The Bears have added receiver and return man Marc Mariani to their roster on a two-year contract, waiving safety Ahmad Dixon to make room for the incoming player, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Cardinals had hoped Troy Niklas‘ ankle injury wouldn’t be season-ending, but that optimism didn’t last long. As Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes, the team placed the rookie tight end on injured reserve today, ending his season. To replace Niklas, the Cards signed veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan, who was on the Bears’ roster earlier this season.
  • The Seahawks have officially confirmed the previously-reported signings of offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre and defensive tackle Travian Robertson, cutting offensive tackle Andrew McDonald and defensive back Steven Terrell to accommodate the new additions. Jeanpierre and Robertson will get a chance to play at center and defensive tackle, respectively, with Max Unger and Brandon Mebane injured.
  • Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary has been ruled out for the season and will remain on the reserve/PUP list, the team announced today in a press release. Clary needed to start practicing today if he hoped to play this season, but his hip injury will keep him sidelined until 2015.

Minor Moves: Monday

With the season’s first Sunday in the books, a handful of teams are shuffling their rosters in preparation for next week’s games. Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Bears have added receiver Greg Herd to the practice squad, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Herd spent time with the team during training camp before he was cut on August 23.
  • The Seahawks have signed cornerback Josh Thomas to take the place of the injured Jeremy Lane, reports ESPN’s Terry Blount (via Twitter). They’ve also made some changes to their practice squad, adding guard Nate Isles and safety Terrance Parks in place of guard David Arkin and safety Josh Aubrey, the club announced today (Twitter link).
  • With Dave Zastudil being bothered by a groin injury, the Cardinals have signed punter Drew Butler, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
  • Defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi has been claimed off waivers by the Ravens, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bilukidi was cut over the weekend by the Bengals.
  • When the Bengals cut Bilukidi, they signed Onterio McCalebb to their active roster, but he lasted just two days — he has been waived, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who adds (via Twitter) that the club has also terminated wide receiver Cobi Hamilton from the exempt list of the practice squad.
  • To make room for Bilukidi, the Ravens waived running back Fitz Toussaint, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Broncos have cut long snapper Kevin McDermott from their practice squad, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. His spot will be taken by tight end Dominique Davis, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • Tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi has been replaced on the Browns‘ practice squad by defensive lineman Calvin Barnett, says Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Bears have signed safety Ahmad Dixon from the Vikings‘ practice squad, cutting cornerback Demontre Hurst to open up a spot on their roster, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dixon was drafted by the Cowboys but was waived by Dallas during preseason roster cutdowns.
  • Offensive tackle Andrew McDonald is also making the move from one team’s practice squad to another club’s 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler, who tweets that his client has a deal with the Seahawks. McDonald had previously been one of the 10 players on the Panthers‘ practice squad.
  • The Bills have cut defensive end Jacquies Smith to make room for Nigel Bradham, who is returning this week from his one-game suspension, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.
  • The Seahawks have placed cornerback Jeremy Lane, who is suffering from a groin injury, on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
  • Defensive back Jamarca Sanford, who had been on the Vikings‘ injured reserve list, has been released with a settlement, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
  • The Chiefs have signed wideout Armon Binns to their practice squad and removed cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke from their IR with an injury settlement, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links).

Sunday Transactions: NFC South

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons:

Carolina Panthers:

New Orleans Saints:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Panthers Cut Eight Players

1:28pm: Carolina has cut second-year safety Robert Lester, according to Person (via Twitter).

1:25pm: According to The Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person (via Twitter), the Panthers have also cut rookie cornerback Carrington Byndom. Person notes that the team is hoping to bring him back on their practice squad.

10:18am: The Panthers have started the process of trimming down their roster, and among the notable cuts is guard Chris Scott (first reported by ProFootballTalk.com on Twitter). The former Steelers fifth-round pick finally caught on with Carolina in 2013, starting eight games.

The rest of the Panthers moves are below: