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Lorenz Metz

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

August 29th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Buccaneers Set 53-Man Roster

August 27th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers surprised a bit in 2023 without Tom Brady in the lineup. With Baker Mayfield leading the way, the team managed to win their division and return to the postseason for the fourth-straight season. Before the team can look to make it five consecutive trips to the playoffs, the organization had to make some difficult roster decisions today. The team announced the following moves as they set their 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

The Buccaneers have continued their trend of building around draft picks. As Greg Auman of FOX Sports points out, 44 of Tampa Bay’s 53 players were either drafted by the organization or joined as an undrafted free agent. Among starters, the only players who didn’t join the organization as rooks are QB Baker Mayfield and guard Ben Bredeson.

The team will temporarily roll with only a pair of quarterbacks in Mayfield and backup Kyle Trask. John Wolford could have brought some starting experience to the QB room, as the former Ram started four games during his time in Los Angeles. The veteran also started the 2023 campaign on Tampa Bay’s p-squad before earning a promotion, so there’s a chance he follows a similar path this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/15/24

April 15th, 2024 at 8:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: OL Lorenz Metz

Washington Commanders

Today marks the first day for teams with holdover HCs to begin offseason programs. That date frequently coincides with restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents officially coming back into the fold. McCloud’s signing and Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson inking his second-round tender leaves 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, also given a Round 2 tender, as the lone unsigned RFA. McCloud will be tied to a nonguaranteed $2.99MM salary.

A former UDFA out of Michigan State, Bachie has been with the Bengals for the past three seasons. The young linebacker has been a regular special-teamer in that time; over the past two seasons, Bachie has been on the field for more than 60% of Cincinnati’s ST plays.

The Commanders signed Tyler Ott in free agency. The longtime Seahawks snapper spent 2023 with the Ravens; the veteran staying in the Mid-Atlantic region will lead to Addington — a three-game Washington long snapper in 2023 — being moved off the roster.

Murtaugh and Metz are coming to the NFL via the league’s International Pathway Program. Murtaugh hails from Australia and has a background in Australian Rules Football. He spent a bit of time with the Lions in 2023. A German, Metz spent time with the Bears last year but did not make their roster. He was not with a team during the season. If Murtaugh and Metz fail to make their respective team’s 53-man roster, they can be carried as a 17th practice squad player via the IPP program.

Giants Sign OL Julién Davenport

August 15th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants are adding some depth on the offensive line. According to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News (via Twitter), the Giants are signing offensive tackle Julién Davenport. The team also claimed linebacker Ray Wilborn off waivers from the Broncos (per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter) and waived/injured offensive lineman Devery Hamilton (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan on Twitter).

Davenport worked out for the Giants alongside Lorenz Metz earlier today. The Giants ultimately opted for the more experienced of the two tryout players, and the free agent acquisition will provide more depth on New York’s offensive line. Tackle Evan Neal continues to work his way back from a concussion, and backups like Matt Peart (who has filled in as the starter opposite Andrew Thomas), Korey Cunningham, and Wyatt Davis have struggled in his stead.

Davenport brings plenty of experience, having started 32 of his 60 career games. The former fourth-round pick most recently spent time with the Bears and Cardinals but didn’t get into a game during the 2022 campaign. Davenport started four of his nine appearances with the Colts in 2021.

Wilborn has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Ball State in 2020. The linebacker has had stints with the Falcons, Steelers, Packers, and Broncos, getting into two regular season games. After inking a reserve/futures deal with Denver during the offseason, he was waived by the team yesterday.

Hamilton has spent most of his career on the Giants practice squad, getting into nine games with the big-league squad. The lineman suffered an injury last week that Brian Daboll described as “not day-to-day” (Twitter link).

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/23

July 26th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Cody Chrest
  • Placed on NFI: OT Caleb Jones
  • Waived/injured: WR Jeff Cotton

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Among the additions on today’s list, defensive back A.J. Moore is the most notable. The defensive back spent four years with the Texans to begin his career, compiling 69 tackles in 55 games while primarily playing on special teams. The 27-year-old spent a chunk of last season on the Titans practice squad, and he ultimately got into one game with the big-league club.

Bears Sign 14 UDFAs

May 4th, 2023 at 8:32pm CST by Ben Levine

After adding 10 rookies via the draft, the Bears have added another 14 first-year players via free agency. The Bears announced that they have signed 14 undrafted free agents:

Tyson Bagent had a prolific career at Shepherd, tossing 159 touchdowns in 53 games. The 6-foot-3 prospect has the size of a typical NFL quarterback, but his questionable decision-making and arm strength (coupled with his Division II status) led to him going undrafted. Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy got a closeup view of Bagent during the Senior Bowl.

Andre Szmyt left Syracuse as the school’s all-time leader in scoring. He converted 81 percent of his field goal attempts in college and 91 percent of his kicks from within 40 yards. Cairo Santos has connected on 89.7 percent of his FGAs over the past three seasons with the Bears, but the rookie should provide the veteran with a bit of competition in training camp.

Jalen Harris is the son of former Bears draft pick Sean Harris. The defensive lineman compiled 171 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 14 sacks in 56 games at Arizona before going undrafted last weekend. The rookie can find a role for himself as an edge on the Bears, with DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green, Trevis Gipson, and Dominique Robinson providing competition for the roster spots.