Some practice squad transactions to close out the week:
Houston Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.
Baltimore Ravens
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed:
Claimed:
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
Despite declining Najee Harris‘ fifth-year option, the Steelers still roster both the former first-rounder and UDFA complement Jaylen Warren. The team is adding veteran insurance behind its top duo.
Boston Scott is expected to join Pittsburgh’s practice squad, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Recently released by the Rams, Scott is a vested veteran and will not need to clear waivers today before choosing his next destination.
Best known for his long-running stint as an Eagles backup, Scott will return to Pennsylvania to join a team that carried only two pure RBs on its 53-man roster Tuesday. Cordarrelle Patterson is the No. 3 back for the now-Arthur Smith-led offense, but he is primarily a return specialist — even though Smith will likely get his ex-Falcons charge some non-special teams work as well.
Scott, 29, spent parts of six seasons in Philly. He worked as a regular backup for the team, working behind Miles Sanders for four years and behind D’Andre Swift last season. Scott, however, started 12 games and logged 373 touches. That low workload will help him secure a gig ahead of an age-29 season. While Scott totaled only 86 rushing yards last season, he reached 373 to go with a career-high seven touchdowns in 2021.
With Scott expected to be part of Pittsburgh’s 16-man P-squad, the team can add up to five more vested veterans. Teams will largely assemble their taxi squads today, and the Steelers will opt for experience behind the Harris-Warren duo. Pittsburgh is also adding another back to its P-squad, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Jonathan Ward is joining the team. Ward has played in 42 games for the Cardinals and Titans across a four-year career. Only logging 17 career attempts, Ward has spent most of his NFL time as a special-teamer.
One of the players who will not be making the Rams’ initial roster will be Boston Scott. The veteran running back is set to be cut, insider Jordan Schultz reports.
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As Schultz notes, Los Angeles plans to keep three backs in the fold once roster cutdowns take place. The presence of starter Kyren Williams, third-round rookie Blake Corum and former UDFA Ronnie Rivers have made Scott expendable. The latter has made 75 regular season appearances and eight starts in his career, each of them coming with the Eagles.
Scott’s best season in terms of overall production came in 2020 when he amassed 586 scrimmage yards. The following year, he scored a career-high seven touchdowns, all on the ground. Philadelphia’s backfield has been deep enough to prevent the 29-year-old from taking on a prominent offensive role, however, so Scott’s main contributions in recent years in particular have come on special teams.
Rivers is set to handle a heavy third phase workload with the Rams, so today’s news strongly points to him making the team. Of course, the bulk of offensive duties will rest on Williams after he led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game last season. The 2022 fifth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl invitation and a second-team All-Pro nod as a result of his production, and expectations are high for a follow-up in 2024. Corum, added in the third round of this year’s draft, will operate as Williams’ backup.
Like any veterans let go ahead of the cutdown deadline (August 27), Scott will immediately become a free agent once his release is made official. That will leave him available to any interested teams, although several depth options are set to be let go over the coming days, meaning he may need to wait until the first wave of roster shuffling takes place to find his next opportunity (which could be a spot on the Rams’ practice squad).
The Rams have added a veteran to their running backs room. The team has signed long-time Eagles back Boston Scott, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’ll be a one-year pact for Scott.
The former sixth-round pick has spent the majority of his career in Philadelphia, appearing in 75 regular season games and eight postseason contests. He saw a significant role between 2019 and 2021, averaging nearly 500 yards from scrimmage per season. Scott also made a name for himself with his continued dominance against the Giants, with the RB tallying 10 of his 17 career touchdowns against the division opponent.
He only started two of his 30 appearances over the past two years, averaging 185 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per season. This included a 2023 campaign where Scott finished with 138 yards from scrimmage, his lowest total since he was shut out in two games as a rookie.
Kyren Williams will be back to lead the Rams RB corps in 2024, but his backups will look different. Neither Royce Freeman nor Darrell Henderson were retained, and the team added Blake Corum in the third round of this year’s draft. Scott will likely compete with Ronnie Rivers and Zach Evans for a spot on the bottom of the depth chart.
The Eagles will have a new running back group in 2023 after seeing Miles Sanders depart in free agency. A by-committee approach will be used, but some roster trimming will likely be necessary between now and Week 1. 
Philadelphia will likely make one or more moves aimed at lowering the number of backs on the roster, as noted by Geoff Mosher of Inside the Birds. The top of the depth chart will feature newcomers D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny. The former was acquired via trade during the draft and is in line to operate as the team’s starter. The latter, signed in free agency, has shown lead-back abilities when on the field but struggled to remain healthy during his time with the Seahawks.
Aside from those two, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott remain in place as returnees in the backfield. Gainwell, a 2021 fifth-round pick, has seen snap shares of just 29% and 28% during his first two seasons in the league, but he totaled 40 touches during the Eagles’ run to the Super Bowl, including a larger role than Sanders in the championship game. Scott has also served in a rotational capacity during his tenure in Philadelphia, one which began in 2018. The 28-year-old re-signed on a one-year contract in March.
That quartet represents plenty of experience and potential, but the Eagles also have Trey Sermon in the fold. A 49ers third-rounder in 2021, the Ohio State alum spent only one unproductive season in the Bay Area. San Francisco attempted to pass him through waivers during roster cutdowns last offseason, but the Eagles put in a claim. Sermon handled just two carries last season as a depth member of a crowded Philadelphia backfield.
That unit still has a logjam entering training camp, with 2022 UDFA Kennedy Brooks joining the aforementioned five backs in the summer competition. As Mosher notes, plenty will be determined in the coming weeks as (in all likelihood) Scott, Sermon and Brooks compete for as little as one roster spot behind Swift and Penny – who are pending free agents – and Gainwell, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
The Eagles have been busy today in terms of deals concerning their backfield, and one involving an incumbent has been agreed to. Philadelphia is set to re-sign running back Boston Scott, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The contract is one year in length, and has a value of roughly $2MM, Pelissero adds.
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Besides a brief stint with the Saints, Scott has spent his entire five-year career with the Eagles. He’s been a valuable reserve/spot starter for the Eagles, collecting 17 total touchdowns over the past four seasons. He’s been especially productive against the Giants, collecting 11 touchdowns and 668 yards from scrimmage.
Scott’s numbers were down a bit in 2022 following three-straight years of contributing at least 400 yards from scrimmage. He ultimately finished the 2022 campaign with 232 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns before adding another 70 yards and two scores in three postseason games.
Earlier today, the Eagles agreed to terms on a deal with running back Rashaad Penny. The NFC champions enjoyed a career year from Miles Sanders in 2022 as the focal point of their elite rushing attack, but with the starter poised to be the best available FA option at the position, the Eagles likely determined that he priced himself out of Philly.
Fletcher Cox is indeed staying in Philadelphia. The defensive tackle has agreed to a new one-year deal with the Eagles, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).
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It’s a one-year, $14MM deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Cox was released earlier this week ahead of a deadline to guarantee $18MM of his contract. Instead, the Eagles cut the defensive tackle, creating $2.1MM in cap space while leaving behind $12.8MM in dead cap. At the end of the day, the Eagles reduced the length and amount of Cox’s contract, but they’ll have to endure a brutal one-year hit to the salary cap. Cox originally signed a six-year, $102.6MM extension in 2016, but the deal had been restructured three times in the years prior to his release.
The Eagles have used the large majority of their 2022 cap space on retaining their own players. Dating back to last year’s extensions, the team has committed most of their 2022 cap space to re-sign the likes of Jordan Mailata, Avonte Maddox, Dallas Goedert, Jason Kelce, and Anthony Harris (as Eliot Shorr-Parks points out on Twitter).
Now, we can add Cox to the list, who has earned six Pro Bowl nods in 10 seasons with the Eagles organization. This past season, Cox recorded 3.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, seven tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. Considering the veteran’s uncertain contract status and the Eagles’ brutal start to last season, Cox found himself in trade rumors at one point last year, with the Steelers reportedly discussing the All-Pro D-tackle with the Eagles.
The 31-year-old should continue to play a significant role on the Eagles defense. The team saw Javon Hargrave play well last season, and they used a third-round pick on Milton Williams last year. But Cox coming back will surely help a team that can bolster its lineup with three first-round selections next month.
In addition to their re-signing of Cox, the Eagles also officially announced that running back Boston Scott has re-signed with the organization.
Despite being non-tendered as a restricted free agent, Boston Scott is back with the Eagles. They are re-signing the veteran running back on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
A valued backup in Philly for years, Scott will collect $1.75MM on this contract — one that could be worth up to $2.25MM. Scott will receive $1.1MM guaranteed, per Pelissero. This salary checks in slightly below the low-end RFA tender amount.
Selected in the 2018 sixth round by the Saints, Scott has only seen game action as an Eagle in the pros. He has played 45 games with the team and played a role on the Eagles’ No. 1-ranked rushing attack last season. Scott scored a career-high seven rushing touchdowns in 2021, a season in which he compiled 373 ground yards.
Scott also helped the Eagles secure the 2019 NFC East title, filling in for Miles Sanders at points that season. The Eagles now have Scott, Sanders and Jordan Howard signed for the 2022 season.