HEADLINES

Ike Boettger

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/23

September 23rd, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the various practice squad elevations and other minor moves from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

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

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Signed to active roster: LB Sam Eguaveon
  • Elevated: OL Chris Glaser

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Colts Place RB Evan Hull On IR, Add G Ike Boettger; Team Worked Out RB Darrell Henderson

September 12th, 2023 at 4:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts’ changes at running back continued Tuesday. Rookie Evan Hull is now on IR, and Jake Funk will replace him on the 53-man roster. Hull went down with a knee injury in Week 1.

In addition to the running back switch, the Colts added veteran guard Ike Boettger to their practice squad. The team worked out the ex-Bills blocker recently. Boettger spent the past five seasons in Buffalo.

At running back, this Colts operation continues to see hurdles form. Zack Moss missed most of training camp with a broken arm, and the team brought in Kenyan Drake. The seven-year veteran could not make Indianapolis’ 53-man roster. Funk played in Indy’s opener as a practice squad elevation. The former Rams UDFA is now on the Colts’ active roster.

Ex-Funk teammate Darrell Henderson also auditioned for the Colts on Tuesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A multiyear Rams starter, Henderson has resided in free agency since he cleared waivers following a Jaguars cut late last season. Henderson worked out for the Patriots last month, joining Leonard Fournette in that regard, but was not signed. The Pats ended up signing Ezekiel Elliott.

Henderson, 26, worked as the Super Bowl champion Rams’ primary starter in 2021, though Sony Michel ended up replacing him down the stretch. Making 21 starts between the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Henderson cleared 600 rushing yards in each and totaled 14 touchdowns in that span. The Rams used him a bit more than expected early in 2022, when the team tried to trade Cam Akers. After Akers returned to the fold, the Rams ultimately waived Henderson, who certainly hit free agency at a bad time for running backs.

Hull must miss at least four games due to this IR designation. The Colts can activate up to eight players from IR this season. The Northwestern product logged two touches in his first game. After producing an impressive 546 receiving yards in his final season with the Big Ten program, Hull will see his NFL career pause. Funk joins Deon Jackson as healthy options in Indy’s Jonathan Taylor-less backfield, with Moss finishing up a recovery from the arm break. Taylor is on the Colts’ reserve/PUP list but resides there in part because of a push to be traded. The 2021 rushing champion is believed to be healthy, and the Colts are likely to restart trade talks soon.

The Bills made some guard upgrades this offseason and released Boettger, who had started 17 games for the team during his career. Boettger, 28, made 17 of those starts between the 2020 and ’21 seasons. An Achilles tear in January 2022 sidelined Boettger for much of last season. The Bills moved on to new options this year, adding Connor McGovern, second-rounder O’Cyrus Torrence and ex-Rams starter David Edwards at guard.

Latest On Bills’ Offensive Line

August 25th, 2023 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown and Mitch Morse are locked into Week 1 starting roles for the Bills, but uncertainty clouds the guard spots. And recent developments have Buffalo’s swing tackle role in flux.

If healthy, Connor McGovern is in place as the Bills’ starting left guard. The Bills gave the former Cowboys starter a three-year, $22.35MM deal early in free agency. The fifth-year blocker, however, suffered a knee injury this week. No return timetable has emerged for the team’s top guard investment, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg notes. Considering the team has already held a long-running right guard battle, McGovern’s availability adds to the confusion here. For what it’s worth, McGovern does not believe this is a serious injury, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran.

Ryan Bates and second-round rookie O’Cyrus Torrence have competed for the RG role. Although the Bills matched a Bears RFA offer sheet (four years, $17MM) for Bates last year, Torrence may be close to overtaking him for the starting gig. The Bills have given Torrence two preseason starts and used him throughout Josh Allen‘s cameo in the second exhibition game. This usage points to a starting assignment coming soon, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia writes (subscription required).

Pro Football Focus graded Bates as a mid-pack guard last season, ranking him 41st at the position. The team chose Torrence 59th overall — the earliest O-line investment for the Bills since the Cody Ford pick (39th) in 2019 — and ESPN’s Scouts Inc. graded the Florida product as the draft’s best pure guard prospect. Torrence made 34 straight starts to close his college career, and Buscaglia adds the Bills have been pleased with his development.

McGovern being unavailable for Week 1 would open the door to Bates (19 career starts) keeping a starting role, though the team also has UFA addition David Edwards as an option. A three-year Rams starter, Edwards signed a low-end Bills deal (one year, $1.77MM) this offseason. A concussion limited Edwards to four starts last season, but the former Super Bowl starter has made 45 first-string appearances. Edwards’ arrival also complicates matters for longtime Bills blocker Ike Boettger, who worked with the third-team O-line during the first two preseason tilts. Boettger (17 career starts) sticking around for a sixth Bills season may hinge on his performance against the Bears tonight, Buscaglia adds.

The Bills have run into hurdles to fill the swing post behind Dawkins and Brown. Brandon Shell retired midway through training camp, and Tommy Doyle suffered a season-ending injury. David Quessenberry, a former Titans starter who filled this role last year, has not impressed this summer, and Buscaglia notes rookie UDFA Ryan Van Demark is battling the veteran for the job. Quessenberry, who turned 33 this week, has 26 career starts.

It would be interesting to see if the Bills will look outside to address this swing issue. Jason Peters, who began his career with the team, said recently he is looking to play a 19th season. Peters, 41, may be a name to watch, per Buscaglia. Peters caught on late with the Cowboys last year, signing on Sept. 5, and played both tackle and guard as the team dealt with injuries.

Bills Activate G Ike Boettger From PUP List

December 19th, 2022 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ike Boettger is moving closer to making his return from the Achilles tear he sustained in December of last year. The Bills activated the veteran guard from their reserve/PUP list Monday.

Monday represented the last day Buffalo could keep Boettger off its active roster, with the team having designated him for return three weeks ago. The Bills brought Tre’Davious White off the PUP list earlier this season but did not play him for a few weeks after that. It will be interesting to see when the team redeploys Boettger, who was working as a starter before going down with the Achilles injury.

Boettger, 28, suffered the injury during the Bills’ Week 16 game last year. If he returns Saturday, it will mark a year out of game action for the former UDFA. White missed one year as well, going down during a Thanksgiving Day game in 2021 and not returning until the Bills-Lions Thanksgiving tilt.

An Iowa product, Boettger started 17 games for the Bills from 2020-21. The team made some additions up front this offseason, adding Rodger Saffold and Greg Van Roten at guard. The team matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for Ryan Bates as well. Bates and Saffold have worked as the AFC East champions’ starting guards for most of this season, but Bates missed the Bills’ Week 15 game because of an ankle injury. Boettger would be ticketed for a depth role at least. Buffalo having he and Van Roten (53 career starts, including three this season) as backup options up front would represent strong depth ahead of the postseason.

Boettger will not have much time to show he has returned to form ahead of a free agency bid, however. The Bills re-signed the fifth-year blocker on a one-year deal this offseason. He joins Saffold and Van Roten in being eligible for free agency in March. By virtue of matching Chicago’s Bates offer sheet, Buffalo has him under contract through 2025.

To make room on the 53-man roster, the Bills waived defensive tackle Brandin Bryant. The Florida Atlantic product has played in four Bills games this season and seen defensive action in each. He logged 10 defensive snaps against the Dolphins on Saturday. Bryant, who has been with Buffalo since 2020, could return to the team on a practice squad deal if he clears waivers.

Bills Designate G Ike Boettger For Return

November 28th, 2022 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tre’Davious White made his long-awaited return from a Thanksgiving 2021 injury, and the Bills are soon set to see how their other player who suffered a major injury late last season looks.

Buffalo designated guard Ike Boettger for return from the reserve/PUP list Monday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets, opening his three-week practice window. Out since suffering an Achilles tear in Week 16 last season, Boettger must return in that three-week window or be moved to season-ending IR.

Injuries have hit the Bills hard this season, and while the team has been relatively healthy along its offensive line, Boettger’s return would certainly bolster the unit. The former UDFA had been working as a starter in the weeks leading up to his injury last season.

Buffalo has made some changes at guard since Boettger last played. Rodger Saffold and Ryan Bates are now the Bills’ starters, with the team not re-signing Darryl Williams and Jon Feliciano. The Bills matched the Bears’ Bates RFA offer sheet this offseason, traded Cody Ford to the Cardinals and also added Greg Van Roten, who started against the Lions on Thursday.

Boettger, 28, has made 19 starts over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus rates Bates and Saffold outside the top 50 at guard; neither has missed a game this season. Bates has played both guard and center this year, stepping in at center to replace Mitch Morse in Week 12. Morse has since returned to practice.

With Saffold, Bates, Van Roten and Boettger in the fold, the Bills will have some options along their interior O-line. The team has seen injuries decimate its defense, most recently injecting uncertainty into Von Miller‘s situation, but its offense has not encountered as much trouble. Despite the Bills’ high volume of injuries, they are in great shape in terms of activations. They have only used one (White) of their eight allowed injury activations.

Bills To Move OL Ike Boettger To Reserve/PUP List

August 23rd, 2022 at 10:25am CST by Sam Robinson

As a way to clear roster spots in moving down to the required 80-man limit, teams can begin placing players on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday. The Bills will use this method in trimming their roster to that number.

Offensive lineman Ike Boettger will be moved from the active/PUP list — a preseason-only designation — to the reserve/PUP list, GM Brandon Beane said Tuesday morning (via NFL.com’s Mike Giardi, on Twitter). Boettger will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

[RELATED: Bills Trade G Cody Ford To Cardinals]

With Boettger suffering an Achilles tear in Week 16, such a move has been on the radar for a while. The Bills added some pieces up front this offseason as well. They signed Rodger Saffold, Greg Van Roten, Greg Mancz and David Quessenberry. They also matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for Ryan Bates, retaining the 2021 starter.

Buffalo also re-signed Boettger to a one-year deal worth $1.19MM ($1MM guaranteed), keeping the former UDFA in the fold. The ex-Iowa blocker started 10 games for the Bills last season, working as a guard. After grading Boettger as a top-40 guard in 2020 — a seven-start year — Pro Football Focus slotted him outside the top 50 among guards last season.

Saffold and Bates are expected to be the team’s guard starters this season. Boettger, 27, should be expected to return at some point during the year. Beane did add that the veteran blocker encountered a setback in his rehab, per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter). This helps explain the PUP transfer and figures to delay his return.

Bills CB Tre’Davious White To Open Camp On PUP List; G Rodger Saffold On NFI List

July 24th, 2022 at 9:19am CST by Rory Parks

Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White will start training camp on the PUP list, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That does not come as much of a surprise given that White sustained a torn ACL in November.

Rapoport does note that White is “in a good place” in his recovery. It is still unclear when the two-time Pro Bowler will be able to return to the field, and he is a candidate to open the season on IR. If he is not ready to go for Week 1, Buffalo will likely deploy first-round rookie Kaiir Elam and Dane Jackson — who acquitted himself well when filling in for White last year — as its starting boundary corners.

White, who had signed a four-year, $70MM extension a little more than a year before suffering the ACL tear, was in the midst of a terrific 2021 campaign. His yards-per-completion (9.9) and yards-per-target (5.2) figures represented career-best marks, and he was surrendering a meager 60.8 QB rating on passes thrown in his direction. He had also posted 41 tackles, one forced fumble, six passes defensed, and one interception. The Bills have legitimate championship aspirations, and White’s healthy return will be instrumental to the club’s push for its first Lombardi Trophy.

Meanwhile, offseason acquisition Rodger Saffold will open camp on the NFI list after injuring his ribs in a recent car accident, per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (via Twitter). Head coach Sean McDermott did not put a timeline on Saffold’s return, saying only that the 34-year-old will return “in due time.”

Saffold spent the last three seasons with the Titans and earned the first Pro Bowl nod of his career in 2021. Tennessee released him in a cost-cutting move in March, and he signed with the Bills several days later. He projects as Buffalo’s starting left guard.

Fellow guard Ike Boettger, who started 10 games for the Bills last season, finds himself on the PUP list after sustaining an Achilles tear towards the end of the 2021 season. DT Eli Ankou, a reserve/futures player who notched one sack and nine tackles in five games for Buffalo last year, joins him and White on that list.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, RBs, Bills, Edoga

June 22nd, 2022 at 9:22am CST by Sam Robinson

James White did not make it into last season’s October docket, suffering a hip injury in Week 3. That issue did not deter the Patriots from giving the veteran passing-down back a fourth contract — two years, $5MM — this offseason, but it very well might keep White off the field until October of this year. The ninth-year veteran has not been fully cleared, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com envisions the Patriots being cautious to start the season by using the reserve/PUP list in this case. New England has Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson back as its primary backfield cogs, and the team doubled up on runners in the draft (Pierre Strong in Round 4 and Kevin Harris in Round 6). White, 30, going over a year without playing would be somewhat concerning, but he is the team’s longest-tenured offensive player and still should be on track to play a significant role in its second Mac Jones-conducted attack.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • Upon nontendering fullback Jakob Johnson as an RFA this offseason, the Patriots informed him of a potential stylistic shift. Johnson said recently (via Reiss) the Pats told him they were changing course at the fullback position, indicating it was not in the 2022 plan. Johnson spent three seasons with the Patriots, who had rostered James Develin from 2012-19. Although many teams do not have a fullback on their rosters, the Pats — who have not yet sorted out their play-calling situation post-Josh McDaniels — going without one would be notable.
  • The Bills have been active in bolstering their offensive line group with veterans, signing Rodger Saffold, fellow 2021 Titans starter David Quessenberry and ex-Jet cog Greg Van Roten. Of those three, only Saffold is expected to start. Buffalo’s starting O-line is set ahead of training camp, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com notes. Saffold, 34, is in line to be the team’s left guard, with Ryan Bates at right guard and 2021 third-rounder Spencer Brown back at right tackle. This trio represents three new starters, compared to the Bills’ Week 1 configuration last year. Ike Boettger, who suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in December, could begin the year on the PUP list. Boettger started a career-high 10 games last season. Van Roten not being considered for a spot would be interesting, considering he has 50 starts over the past four seasons. He and Quessenberry, however, would represent improved depth for the AFC East champions’ O-line.
  • Chosen by the Jets‘ previous regime, third-round pick Chuma Edoga has started 12 games as a pro. But the fourth-year tackle appears on his way out this year, per ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. The Jets drafted tackle Max Mitchell in the fourth round and have veteran backup Conor McDermott returning as well.

Bills Re-Sign OL Ike Boettger

March 28th, 2022 at 6:09pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills are bringing back one of their offensive line starters. The team announced that they have re-signed guard Ike Boettger. It’s a one-year deal for the 27-year-old.

Boettger went undrafted out of Iowa in 2018, and after bouncing on and off the Bills and Chiefs rosters to start his career, he landed back with Buffalo and never looked back. He appeared in only six games through his first two seasons in the NFL, but he ended up getting in 12 games (seven starts) during the 2020 campaign.

He got into 15 games during the 2021 campaign, including 10 starts at left guard. He suffered an Achilles injury during Week 16 that knocked him out for the rest of the regular season and postseason. Fortunately, GM Brandon Beane indicated today that the offensive lineman is recovering nicely.

“Ike had a tough injury with the Achilles last year and is rehabbing that. He got a good exam on his physical,” said Beane (via the team’s website). “He’ll still have to rehab that and we’ll see where he’s at when training camp starts.”

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