Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Released from reserve-retired list: WR Derrick Willies
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: OL Donell Stanley
We’ve got a bunch of minor moves to report from what turned out to be a pretty busy Saturday in the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Tuzar Skipper
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Derrick Willies
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Danny Isidora
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB Brett Hundley, DT Joey Ivie
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Tevin Jones
- Cut: LB Leon Jacobs, K Aldrick Rosas
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Jerald Hawkins
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Damion Willis
New York Jets
- Signed: K Matt Ammendola
- Cut: K Sam Ficken
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: QB Sean Mannion
Washington Football Team
- Claimed off waivers from Dolphins: OL Ross Reynolds
Hundley is the biggest signing on this list. The Colts adding him is a pretty good sign they expect Carson Wentz to miss some significant time. Assuming Wentz misses games, Hundley will battle it out with second-year pro Jacob Eason.
A couple of kickers who have started a bunch of games both found themselves sent packing in Ficken and Rosas. Mannion latched on with the Seahawks. He’s familiar with new Seattle OC Shane Waldron from their time together with the Rams, explaining why the Seahawks added him as an option behind Russell Wilson.
With the Ravens, Browns, and Rams getting eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend, both teams announced their slew of reserve/futures deals on Monday. As a reminder, these are all non-guaranteed deals, usually for practice squad type players, to help teams flesh out their 90-man offseason rosters.
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Aaron Adeoye, DT Aaron Crawford, DT Braxton Hoyett, QB Tyler Huntley, WR Jaylon Moore, LS Nick Moore, DE Chauncey Rivers, DB Nigel Warrior, DB Chris Westry, RB Ty’Son Williams, TE Eli Wolf
Cleveland Browns
- S Elijah Benton, WR Ja’Marcus Bradley, TE Jordan Franks, CB A.J. Green, G Cordel Iwuagwu, QB Kyle Lauletta, DE Cameron Malveaux, TE Kyle Markway, K Matt McCrane, LB Montrel Meander, C Javon Patterson, FB Johnny Stanton, T Alex Taylor, WR Derrick Willies
Los Angeles Rams
-
QB Bryce Perkins; WR JJ Koski; TE Kendall Blanton; OG Jamil Demby; DTs Eric Banks, Marquise Copeland, Michael Hoecht; DE Jonah Williams; LB Christian Rozeboom; DB Donte Deayon, Tyrique McGhee; LS Colbin Holba; K Austin MacGinnis; P Brandon Wright
Dec. 27: There were no new positive tests overnight, so this afternoon’s contest with the Jets will go forward, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter). The Browns will be without their top four wideouts and two linebackers, and while they did activate left tackle Jedrick Wills from the reserve/COVID-19 list as expected, Wills has been ruled out of the game with an illness. Cleveland has elevated Willies and Bradley from the practice squad, along with LB Montrel Meander.
The close contact with Goodson occurred in the team’s recovery pool area, according to Pelissero (hold your jokes, please). Sharing the pool isn’t a protocol violation in and of itself, but at least one player wasn’t wearing a mask as required, and the league may choose investigate further.
Dec. 26: Some fallout is emerging from B.J. Goodson‘s positive COVID-19 test. Contact tracing deemed several Browns wide receivers high-risk close contacts, according to Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones — the Browns’ top three wide receivers — have are high-risk close contacts, Schefter and Mortensen report (on Twitter). These three will be placed on Cleveland’s reserve/COVID-19 list and miss Sunday’s game against the Jets, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com (on Twitter).
A fourth wideout, KhaDarel Hodge, will also be placed on the virus list, Cabot reports (on Twitter). Linebacker Jacob Phillips is also out. Hodge is Cleveland’s fourth-leading wide receiver this season.
The Browns have not yet left Cleveland and have yet to learn how many players will be unable to travel with the team to New Jersey. The Browns are also likely to be without at least one tight end against the Jets, according to ESPN. The game remains on as scheduled for noon CT Sunday.
While this is not as dire of a situation, functionality-wise, as what the Broncos encountered earlier this season at quarterback, the Browns are in a higher-profile spot. The Browns still have a chance to win the AFC North, with two wins and two Steelers losses, and have yet to clinch a wild-card spot yet. The Jets are 1-13 but coming off a 23-20 win over the Rams.
Already down Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns do not have much in the way of receiving talent beyond their top three healthy targets. Few teams do. Landry’s 789 receiving yards lead the team, while Higgins has contributed 544 and four receiving TDs. This will be Landry’s first absence with the Browns.
Cleveland’s remaining wideouts: Marvin Hall and practice squad cogs Derrick Willies and Ja’Marcus Bradley. None of them have a catch with Cleveland this season. Hall caught 17 passes for 290 yards and two scores with the Lions this year. The Browns claimed Hall off waivers from the Lions earlier this month.
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North 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 for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.
Additionally, as of today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. 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 AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to practice squad:
- DE Aaron Adeoye
- OL Marcus Applefield
- CB Maurice Canady
- FB Christopher Ezeala
- WR Sean Modster
- LB Donald Payne
- OL R.J. Prince
- TE Charles Scarff
- DE Zach Sieler
- RB De’Lance Turner
- WR Antoine Wesley
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed:
- WR Pharoh Cooper
- RB Samaje Perine
- Waived:
- RB Josh Malone
- LB Hardy Nickerson
- Signed to practice squad:
- TE Moritz Böhringer
- CB Anthony Chesley
- LB Noah Dawkins
- HB Jordan Ellis
- TE Jordan Franks
- S Trayvon Henderson
- WR Stanley Morgan
- TE Mason Schreck
- G Keaton Sutherland
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed:
- Waived:
- Placed on IR:
- OL Drew Forbes
- Signed to practice squad:
- DT Brandin Bryant
- TE Stephen Carlson
- WR Shelton Gibson
- LB Willie Harvey
- S J.T. Hassell
- CB Robert Jackson
- DB Tigie Sankoh*
- WR Derrick Willies
- C Willie Wright
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to practice squad:
- S Marcus Allen
- RB Trey Edmunds
- OL Derwin Gray
- WR Tevin Jones
- S Trevon Mathis
- DL Henry Mondeaux
- OL Patrick Morris
- TE Kevin Rader
- TE Christian Scotland-Williamson
- LB Robert Spillane
* = International Pathway Program player
After making a couple of trades, the Browns have made a boatload of cuts to reach the 53-man max. Here’s the breakdown:
Contract Terminated:
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
P Britton Colquitt
DT Carl Davis
T Bryan Witzmann
Waived:
WR Dorian Baker
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Stephen Carlson
TE Seth DeValve
T Brian Fineanganofo
RB Trayone Gray
LB Willie Harvey
S J.T. Hassell
WR Ishmael Hyman
CB Robert Jackson
K Greg Joseph
CB Donnie Lewis Jr.
S Montrel Meander
WR Braxton Miller
RB A.J. Ouellette
DE Jarrell Owens
CB Lenzy Pipkins
DT Brian Price
DE Wyatt Ray
S Tigie Sankoh
T Brad Seaton
WR Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi
LB Anthony Stubbs
T Travis Vornkahl
LB Dedrick Young II
WR Derrick Willies
G Willie Wright
DE Anthony Zettel
Waived/Injured:
G Kyle Kalis (concussion)
FB Joe Kerridge (concussion)
IR:
CB Phillip Gaines (concussion)
Wide receiver Rod Streater fractured a bone in his neck in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers and will miss the season, ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon tweets. On the plus side, Streater will not need surgery and doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
Streater was signed to a one-year deal last month following the Josh Gordon trade. The deal snapped a long layoff for the 30-year-old, who had not played in a regular season game since the ’16 season with the 49ers.
Streater was on the roster for three games, but did not have a pass thrown in his direction. His final stat line with Cleveland consists of one carry for negative 11 yards against the Ravens.
A 6-foot-2 pass-catcher, Streater’s most notable NFL work came with the Raiders many years ago. He caught 60 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns with Oakland in 2013, doing so after surpassing 500 air yards as a rookie in 2012. In the seasons since, he hasn’t exceeded 300 yards combined.
In related news, Browns rookie receiver Derrick Willies underwent surgery for his broken collarbone. But, unlike Streater, he is a candidate to return from IR later this year.
Breshad Perriman has found a new home. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the wideout has signed with the Browns. To make room on the roster, the team is placing wideout Derrick Willies on the injured reserve (via Ohio.com’s Nate Ulrich on Twitter).
The 2015 first-round pick was released by the Ravens in September following three underwhelming seasons with the team. After sitting out his entire rookie campaign due to injury, Perriman managed to show a bit of promise in 2016, hauling in 33 catches for 499 yards and three scores. However, he seemingly took a step back in 2017, catching only 10 passes for 77 yards.
The 25-year-old later caught on with the Redskins, but he was waived by the team before appearing in a game. A number of teams had taken the time to audition Perriman following his Baltimore and Washington stints, including the Eagles, Patriots, Jaguars, Jets, Giants, Bills, and Vikings.
While the Browns had never been reported as a suitor, the pairing makes plenty of sense. The team’s receiver corps has been shaken up over the past few months, and they’re currently dealing with injuries to Rashard Higgins and Willies. While Perriman won’t pass Jarvis Landry or Antonio Callaway on the depth chart, he could earn some playing time over Rod Streater and Damion Ratley.
We heard yesterday that Willies, an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech, had broken his collarbone during practice (although Ulrich notes that he won’t be officially diagnosed until next week). The rookie had three receptions for 61 yards during last weekend’s win over the Ravens, and he was set to earn more playing time with Higgins sideline for at least the next two weeks.
The NFL trade deadline is right around the corner. Teams have just over two weeks, until October 30th, to complete any deals. While there isn’t nearly as much trade action in the NFL as in other major sports leagues, it seems like every year front offices get more and more open to making deals. If that trend continues, this deadline could be one of the busiest in recent memory.
In anticipation of the deadline, Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com took a look some potential trades, and took a stab at putting together a few scenarios of his own. The whole article is worth a read, as Barnwell broke down 11 possible midseason trades, and why he thinks they’d make sense for both sides. Included in the list are DeVante Parker being traded to the Cowboys, LeSean McCoy going back to the Eagles, and Le’Veon Bell going to the Redskins.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Patriots cut running back Ralph Webb from their practice squad recently, and he’s been a hot name on the workout circuit, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). Howe reports that Webb has “been busy” and has “worked out for the Bengals on Wednesday and has workouts scheduled early next week for the Texans and Jets.” With the Patriots’ track record of developing little-known players, teams often like to take looks at people they were formerly high on. Webb is an undrafted rookie out of Vanderbilt.
- The Browns were already dealing with a banged up receiving corp, and got more bad news today. Rookie receiver Derrick Willies broke his collarbone in practice today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Willies, an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech has shown some promise recently, and now appears likely headed for injured reserve. Rashard Higgins is out with an injury of his own, and Willies was supposed to play a big role this week against the Chargers. It’s a big blow, and the Browns will be very thin at receiver against a Chargers defense that is starting to come on strong.
- Eagles left tackle Jason Peters has been dealing with a quad injury, but suffered a brand new injury during the team’s win last night. Peters tore his biceps against the Giants, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Sources told Rapoport that “doctors are optimistic that he’ll be able to keep playing”, but it’s not a sure thing. Losing Peters for any amount of time would be a devastating blow to an already struggling Eagles offensive line, especially with right tackle Lane Johnson also banged up.
As the Browns begin their rookie minicamp, they signed 13 undrafted free agents. Here’s the full rundown:
- Evan Berry, WR (Tennessee)
- Elijah Campbell, DB (Northern Iowa)
- Michael Carrizosa, P (San Jose State)
- Christian Dilauro, OL (Illinois)
- Daniel Ekuale, DL (Washington State)
- Micah Hannemann, DB (BYU)
- Desmond Harrison, OL (West Georgia)
- Dontrell Hilliard, RB (Tulane)
- Fred Lauina, OL (Oregon State)
- Montrel Meander, DB (Grambling State)
- Da’Mari Scott, WR (Fresno State)
- Trenton Thompson, DL (Georgia)
- Derrick Willies, WR (Texas Tech)
Berry is the younger brother of All-Pro Chiefs safety Eric Berry, the No. 5 overall pick in 2010 out of Tennessee. Evan Berry holds the Volunteers’ record for most kickoff-return touchdowns in school history with four. The Browns used just one of their eight draft choices on offensive linemen, so it probably shouldn’t be surprising three of them are on board as UDFAs.
Carrizosa finished in the top five in Division I-FBS punting twice with the Spartans (2015, 2017). Cleveland has punter Britton Colquitt signed through the 2020 season, but it would only cost the team $1.3MM in dead money to release him. Colquitt had a deal in place with the Broncos in 2016 before the franchise cut him for then-rookie seventh-rounder Riley Dixon.