Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Tennessee Titans
Today’s minor moves heading into the NFL’s largest slate of Saturday games of the season:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
TODAY, 4:25pm: It didn’t take long for Cole Beasley to make his way to the active roster. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the wideout has been promoted from the practice squad for tonight’s game.
TUESDAY, 8:40am: After a brief stint in retirement, Cole Beasley is set to play once again in the NFL. The veteran wideout is set to re-join the Bills, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move.
2022 has been a busy year for the 33-year-old. Beasley was released by the Bills in a cost-cutting move at the onset of free agency, after three seasons in Buffalo during which he remained a productive slot receiver and played a key role in the team’s offense. That led to a healthy market for his services, and the opportunity to land with another contenting team.
That appeared to be the case when he signed with the Buccaneers in September, after being recruited by Tom Brady amidst the team’s uncertainty at the WR position. That deal resulted in only two games with Tampa Bay, however, and the former UDFA made just four catches during that time. Shortly thereafter, Beasley retired from the NFL.
Mere months after that decision, though, he will re-join a Bills team which leads the AFC with a 10-3 record. Garafolo tweets that Beasley will begin on the team’s practice squad, but is likely to be elevated to the active roster soon. Buffalo boasts the league’s sixth-most productive passing attack (averaging 274 yards per game through the air), but the slot has not been a consistent source of success on the year.
Free agent addition Jamison Crowder has been out since Week 4, leaving Isaiah McKenzie as the team’s primary option to operate in a complementary role to Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The latter two have enjoyed successful seasons to date, but McKenzie has recorded 44 receiving yards or fewer in all but two contests this year. Beasley should be able to at least compete for snaps on the inside and provide Josh Allen with a familiar pass-catching option, having received over 100 targets in each of his seasons with the Bills.
This news also marks the second consecutive day in which an Odell Beckham Jr. suitor has signed a veteran wideout. Beckham’s likelihood to miss the remainder of the regular season – if not more of the 2022 campaign – steered the Cowboys towards T.Y. Hilton, who is able to contribute right away; the same is believed to be true of Beasley. Of the teams which hosted Beckham recently, only the Giants have yet to make a move at wideout, perhaps leaving them as the new favorite to strike a deal should one materialize.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
Cole Beasley played in two Buccaneers games since joining their practice squad in September, but the veteran wide receiver is changing course. The productive slot receiver plans to retire immediately, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
This abrupt retirement will end an 11-year career spent with the Cowboys, Bills and Bucs. Beasley, 33, spent the offseason looking for a new team and sent Tom Brady Instagram DMs about joining the Bucs. So it is obviously surprising to see him call it quits soon after arriving in Tampa. Beasley being separated from his Texas-stationed family led to this retirement call, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.
Other teams besides the Bucs expressed interest in Beasley. The Commanders, Giants and Panthers pursued Beasley since his Bills release, but the Bucs — dealing with a wide receiver shortage at the time — won out. Beasley caught four passes for 17 yards during his two-game Bucs cameo. The team’s receiver situation has improved as well, which likely would have meant less time for Beasley going forward. Mike Evans re-emerged after his one-game suspension, and injured wideouts Chris Godwin and Julio Jones played against the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Beasley will certainly be better remembered for his time in Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys put the SMU product to work as their primary slot receiver for most of the 2010s, with Beasley being the team’s top receiving constant outside of Dez Bryant during that period. The Cowboys extended Beasley on a four-year, $13.6MM deal in March 2015 and saw him produce career-best (at the time) numbers a year later to help Dak Prescott earn Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim during a 13-3 season. Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns that year.
As Dallas’ Bryant partnership came to an end following the 2017 season, Beasley remained in place as the team transitioned to its Amari Cooper-fronted attack. Preparing for a Cooper payday, the Cowboys let Beasley walk in 2019. Eager to upgrade Josh Allen‘s receiver situation, the Bills paid up for Beasley (four years, $29MM) and John Brown that year. While the latter topped 1,000 yards in 2019, Beasley played a pivotal role in aiding Allen as well. From 2019-20, Beasley totaled 1,471 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, transitioning to a role as Stefon Diggs‘ sidekick when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade with the Vikings in 2020.
Last season did not bring as much success, and Beasley became a controversial figure as he spoke out regularly against COVID-19 vaccines. Beasley matched his 82 catches from 2020 but checked in at a career-low 8.5 yards per reception. Beasley contracted COVID in December and missed a game, joining many thrust into that position during the pandemic, and the Bills made him a cap casualty ahead of the 2022 league year. The Bills moved on with younger receivers, and Beasley’s retirement further reduces the number of 30-something wideouts left in the NFL. Fellow 2021 Bills contributor Emmanuel Sanders, 35, preceded Beasley by retiring a few weeks ago.
Beasley will wrap his career as one of this era’s top slot targets. For his career, Beasley caught 554 passes for 5,726 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Today’s minor moves around the league, including practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s action:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Of the top Dave Gettleman-era wide receiver pickups still with the Giants, Sterling Shepard was the only one to carve out a major role under Brian Daboll. The longest-tenured Giant’s latest significant injury — an ACL tear sustained on the team’s final offensive play Monday night — will change the team’s receiver plans.
The team played its Week 3 game without Kadarius Toney and second-round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson, and Darius Slayton saw 14 snaps behind unlikely regulars David Sills and Richie James. Most notably, Kenny Golladay‘s workload did increase after his two-snap Week 2 game; the disgruntled veteran played 24 snaps against the Cowboys. Golladay’s final-drive drop ended a zero-reception night, and although he will likely continue to have a role, the Giants have already begun discussing him in trades.
The Giants shopped Golladay just before cutting their roster down to 53 players, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). While the Golladay trade rumblings are connected to the team taking on most of the sixth-year wideout’s salary ($13MM) to move him, Breer adds the Giants expressed a willingness to pay a “significant chunk” of that salary during the late-August trade talks. No teams bit, and the $18MM-per-year wideout continues to go through a de facto walk year as a Giant.
Golladay, 28, caught two passes for 22 yards in the Giants’ opener but has not pulled down a reception since. Cutting the former Pro Bowler now would saddle the Giants with $25MM-plus in dead money, but releasing him with a post-June 1 designation next year brings that total down to barely $7MM. A 2022 trade in which the Giants take on much of Golladay’s through-2024 contract would check in between these two figures.
As for the rest of the Giants’ receiving corps, the team might be standing pat at the position for now. Daboll discussed the players on the active roster and practice squad filling the Shepard void, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports tweets. The team pursued ex-Daboll Bills charge Cole Beasley, but Dan Duggan of The Athletic calls a move that poaches Beasley off the Buccaneers’ practice squad a “long shot” (Twitter link). Beasley expressed interest in heading to Tampa, DM’ing Tom Brady. The veteran slot receiver is now one of the numerous vested veterans in the Bucs’ receiving corps, though playing time could be scarce once Chris Godwin and Julio Jones return from injuries.
Robinson should be expected to play a big role, given that the Daboll-Joe Schoen regime acquired him, while the team was intrigued by Toney this offseason. That said, Toney has been unable to stay on the field since being taken in the 2021 first round. Slayton has been a trade candidate for months, and while Shepard’s absence could open the door for the team’s 2019 and 2020 receiving leader, the pay cut Slayton took before the season also reopens the door to a trade.
Cole Beasley is currently making his Buccaneers debut, one which could help the receiver-needy team in at least the short-term future. While weighing his options prior to signing in Tampa, though, the veteran reportedly received interest from multiple teams.
According Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Giants, Panthers and Commanders “have tried to sign” the 33-year-old. He adds that New York was the most “persistent” of the trio in their pursuit of Beasley, something which comes as little surprise given recent news concerning the team’s situation at the position.
The Giants have been on the lookout for veteran additions at wideout, with head coach Brian Daboll meeting with potential candidates. He and Beasley were together in Buffalo for three years, a stretch which included the former UDFA’s most productive season (82 catches, 967 yards, four touchdowns in 2020). A reunion in the Big Apple would have allowed Beasley to give the team another experienced option to compliment the likes of Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton.
Florio notes, however, that the Giants’ offers were around the league minimum. That unsurprisingly turned Beasley elsewhere, leaving them with a complicated situation at the position. Golladay and Slayton have spent significant time on the bench so far this season, with the likes of David Sills and second-round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson in line for greater playing time. Their performances tomorrow night could go a long way in determining the front office’s approach with respect to free agent additions.
The Panthers already had a pair of proven pass-catchers in D.J. Moore and Robbie Anderson before acquiring Laviska Shenault in the build-up to the season. That trio, along with 2021 second-rounder Terrace Marshall Jr., led to heightened expectations for the team, though they averaged less than 200 yards in the air through the first two games of the season. Things remained similar earlier today with quarterback Baker Mayfield throwing for 170 yards, potentially signaling that Carolina’s in-house options could be insufficient.
Washington, meanwhile, entered the season with improvements in their WR room. A healthy Curtis Samuel, along with first-round rookie Jahan Dotson, were touted as effective secondary options to Terry McLaurin. The Commanders entered today ranking second in the league in passing yards, though the offense struggled in a loss to the Eagles.
With Beasley simply being elevated from the Buccaneers’ practice squad, rather than signed to their active roster, he will still be eligible to sign with any other team. If he impresses today, though, the aforementioned clubs may come to regret not making a stronger push to land him.
Only a few days after joining the Buccaneers practice squad, Cole Beasley has been promoted to the active roster. The Buccaneers announced that they’ve elevated the veteran wideout to the game-day roster. Rookie offensive guard John Molchon was also promoted from the taxi squad.
[RELATED: Buccaneers To Sign WR Cole Beasley To PS]
After going unsigned through training camp, preseason, and the first couple of weeks of the regular season, Beasley finally landed on Tampa Bay’s practice squad on Tuesday. The 33-year-old started to show signs of age during his final season in Buffalo in 2021, with his 693 yards and one touchdown serving as his lowest marks during his tenure with the Bills.
Still, he managed to tie a career-high with 82 receptions. With a career catch rate of 71 percent, he’ll at least provide Tom Brady with a sure-handed option this weekend against the Packers. Plus, for what it’s worth, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Beasley joined the Buccaneers in excellent shape and has already established a connection with his QB.
Beasley’s presence will be sorely needed tomorrow, as the team is eyeing a questionable WR grouping for the second-straight weekend. We know for sure that Brady’s top two wideouts will be out on Sunday, with Mike Evans serving a one-game suspension and Chris Godwin still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Julio Jones is a game-time decision with a knee injury, and Russell Gage is questionable while dealing with a hamstring issue. With such a depleted WR corps, Beasley could end up leading a depth chart that also consists of Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller, Jaelon Darden, and Kaylon Geiger.
Molchon was undrafted out of Boise State in 2020. He’s spent much of his professional career on Tampa Bay’s practice squad.
Cole Beasley‘s desire to land on a contending team and Tampa Bay’s uncertainty at the wide receiver position have resulted in a deal. The veteran is joining the Buccaneers’ practice squad with the expectation that he will soon be elevated to the 53-man roster, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Beasley, 33, was reported to be fielding offers last week. He is coming off of the least-productive of his three seasons in Buffalo, a campaign which still saw him make 82 catches, resulting in 693 yards and one touchdown. Overall, his Bills tenure demonstrated the durability and consistency he has become known for, making it little surprise that he was the subject of free agent interest.
Likewise, it was hardly newsworthy that the former UDFA was remaining patient on the open market while eyeing a spot on a Super Bowl-caliber team. Garafolo notes that Tom Brady made a push for Tampa Bay to add another veteran, and that Beasley was a preferred target of his. Beasley could see immediate playing time, given the team’s current lack of availability at wideout.
Both Chris Godwin and Julio Jones are nursing injuries which kept them sidelined for Tampa’s Week 2 games against the Saints, leaving their status for Week 3 uncertain. The same is also true of Mike Evans, who is appealing the one-game suspension he was issued yesterday for his involvement in the latest altercation between he and Marshon Lattimore. If he were to lose the appeal, Tampa could face the Packers on Sunday without all three starters.
In the absence of Godwin in particular, Beasley could find himself seeing a notable workload in the slot. He, along with Russell Gage, Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller would constitute the pass-catching array available to Brady in at least the short-term. The latter in particular has been thought to be on the roster bubble dating back to the end of training camp, and played only a rotational role on Sunday despite the Buccaneers’ injuries.
This deal will surely come in at a far lower figure than the $7.6MM Beasley averaged per season with the Bills. Still, it could prove to be a fruitful investment for the team, and a rewarding commitment on his part.