Shaka Heyward - Pro Football Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/24

November 16th, 2024 at 8:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Baltimore Ravens

Elevated: LB Kristian Welch

Buffalo Bills

Elevated: TE Zach Davidson, T Richard Gouraige

Cincinnati Bengals

Elevated: T Devin Cochran, LB Shaka Heyward

Cleveland Browns

Signed to active roster: DT Sam Kamara, DE Elerson Smith
Elevated: WR Kadarius Toney
Placed on IR: DT Mike Hall Jr.

Denver Broncos

Elevated: LB Zach Cunningham, S Keidron Smith

Detroit Lions

Signed to active roster: LB Zeke Turner
Elevated: TE James Mitchell

Indianapolis Colts

Signed to active roster: LB Liam Anderson
Elevated: G Atonio Mafi, G Josh Sills
Waived: DT Adam Gotsis

Jacksonville Jaguars

Elevated: WR Velus Jones, LB Anthony Pittman

Kansas City Chiefs

Elevated: LB Cole Christiansen

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed to active roster: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Elevated: CB Eli Apple, OLB Caleb Murphy
Waived: CB Dicaprio Bootle

Los Angeles Rams

Elevated: T Geron Christian, DL Jonah Williams

Miami Dolphins

Elevated: LS Tucker Addington, T Jackson Carman

Minnesota Vikings

Elevated: LS Jake McQuaide

New England Patriots

Elevated: LB Keshawn Banks, LB Joe Giles-Harris

San Francisco 49ers

Signed to active roster: P Pat O’Donnell
Elevated: S Tashaun Gipson, CB Nick McCloud
Placed on IR: CB Darrell Luter Jr.

Seattle Seahawks

Signed to active roster: TE Tyler Mabry, WR Cody White
Elevated: LB Patrick O’Connell, S Ty Okada
Placed on reserve/retired list: C Connor Williams (story)
Waived: NT Brandon Pili

Tennessee Titans

Signed to active roster: C Corey Levin
Elevated: T Isaiah Prince, S Daryl Worley

Toney is set to make his debut for the regular season. The former first-round pick out of Florida has had a rocky first four years in the league, despite coming away with two Super Bowl rings in Kansas City. He was signed to the Browns’ practice squad just after the season opener and will be eligible to see game action with Cleveland in Week 11.

O’Donnell was added to the 49ers’ practice squad earlier this week given the chance of Mitch Wishnowsky missing time. The latter is now on injured reserve, ensuring at least a four-game absence. O’Donnell, 32, is a veteran of 145 games but Week 11 will mark his first regular season action since 2022.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

August 28th, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

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:

OT Corey Bullock, RB Chris Collier, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, G Darrian Dalcourt, OLB Joe Evans, CB Ka’dar Hollman, TE Qadir Ismail, RB John Kelly, WR Keith Kirkwood, QB Devin Leary, WR Anthony Miller, DE C.J. Ravenell, ILB Josh Ross, WR Dayton Wade

Cincinnati Bengals

Signed:

Claimed:

DE K.J. Henry

Released:

RB Trayveon Williams

Signed to practice squad:

CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, T Devin Cochran, DT Domenique Davis, CB Jalen Davis, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, C Trey Hill, WR Shedrick Jackson, S PJ Jules, WR Kendric Pryor, QB Logan Woodside

Cleveland Browns

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

DT Jowon Briggs, CB Tony Brown, WR Jaelon Darden, S Christopher Edmonds, CB Mike Ford, CB Justin Hardee, T Germain Ifedi, T Sam Kamara, T Roy Mbaeteka, WR James Proche, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, T Lorenzo Thompson, WR Michael Woods

Pittsburgh Steelers

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

CB Anthony Averett, RB Boston Scott

Bengals Cut Roster Down To 53 Players

August 27th, 2024 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bengals utilized the following roster moves to get down to the required 53-man roster:

Released:

CB Jalen Davis
QB Logan Woodside

Waived:

DT Travis Bell
CB Nate Brooks
WR Cole Burgess
T Devin Cochran
RB Elijah Collins
DT Carlos Davis
DT Domenique Davis
C Nate Gilliam
TE Cam Grandy
LB Devin Harper
LB Shaka Heyward
C Trey Hill
WR Shedrick Jackson
S PJ Jules
WR Kendric Pryor

Waived/injured:

CB Lance Robinson

Placed on IR (designated for return):

DE Myles Murphy
P Brad Robbins

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

CB DJ Ivey

No surprises in Cincinnati this evening. Ivey will start the year on PUP after he tore his ACL late last year. Murphy and Robbins will be forced to miss the first four games of the season, as well, but since they’ve been designated for return, they will have the option to return at some point in the season.

Woodside was unable to beat out Jake Browning for the honor of backing up Joe Burrow, who has missed a decent amount of time since getting drafted.

The Bengals retained all of their draft picks from this past April with all 10 making the initial roster. The undrafted group had a bit less luck, but Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta will enter the year on the active roster. Robinson was waived with an injury designation and may make a return via the IR.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/8/24

January 8th, 2024 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

WR Andre Baccellia, OL Jackson Barton, WR Kaden Davis, OL Marquis Hayes, RB Tony Jones, TE Bernhard Seikovits, WR Jeff Smith, CB Quavian White

Atlanta Falcons

OL Barry Wesley

Carolina Panthers

RB Mike Boone, RB Spencer Brown, WR Jalen Camp, RB Tarik Cohen, CB Lamar Jackson, TE Jordan Matthews, CB AJ Parker, TE Chris Pierce, WR Cam Sims, OT Badara Traore, DE Raequan Williams

Chicago Bears

LB Micah Baskerville, TE Stephen Carlson, OL Jerome Carvin, DB Adrian Colbert, OL Aviante Collins, DL Michael Dwumfour, DL Daniel Hardy, OL Roy Mbaeteka, OL Bill Murray, WR Nsimba Webster

Cincinnati Bengals

DT Domenique Davis, CB Allan George, C Nate Gilliam, DE Jeff Gunter, LB Shaka Heyward, WR Shedrick Jackson, G Jaxson Kirkland, WR Kwamie Lassiter II, WR Kendric Pryor

Denver Broncos

RB Tyler Badie, QB Ben DiNucci, OT Demontrey Jacobs, S Devon Key, CB Reese Taylor

Indianapolis Colts

LB Austin Ajiake, LB Liam Anderson, WR Tyrie Cleveland, S Marcel Dabo, WR Ethan Fernea, G Arlington Hambright, TE Jordan Murray, RB Zavier Scott, TE Eric Tomlinson

Las Vegas Raiders

DE David Agoha, CB Cornell Armstrong, QB Anthony Brown, OT D.J. Fluker, TE Cole Fotheringham, S Jaydon Grant, DT Marquan McCall, RB Sincere McCormick, OT Jalen McKenzie, TE John Samuel Shenker, DT Nesta Jade Silvera, DE Elerson Smith, DE Charles Snowden, CB Sam Webb, WR Kristian Wilkerson

Minnesota Vikings

LB Abraham Beauplan, G Henry Byrd, OT Coy Cronk, WR N’Keal Harry, WR Trishton Jackson, RB DeWayne McBride, G Tyrese Robinson, WR Thayer Thomas, CB Jaylin Williams, CB Joejuan Williams, G Tyrese Robinson, WR Thayer Thomas

New England Patriots

DE William Bradley-King, LB Joe Giles-Harris, DB Azizi Hearn, DT Trysten Hill, WR T.J. Luther, OT Andrew Stueber, RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn

New Orleans Saints

RB James Robinson

New York Giants

DT Ryder Anderson, OT Yodny Cajuste, DB Kaleb Hayes, WR Dennis Houston, RB Deon Jackson, LB Dyontae Johnson, LB Jeremiah Martin, G Jalen Mayfield, OL Joshua Miles, DB Stantley Thomas-Oliver

New York Jets

OL Obinna Eze, OL Vitaliy Gurman, CB Tae Hayes, DL Manny Jones, RB Jacques Patrick, K Austin Seibert, DL Marquiss Spencer, WR Malik Taylor

Seattle Seahawks

LB Levi Bell, NT Matthew Gotel, RB Bryant Koback, TE Tyler Mabry, S Jonathan Sutherland, WR Cody White, WR Easop Winston Jr.

Tennessee Titans

CB Shyheim Carter, DB Tay Gowan, WR Tre’Shaun Harrison, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Thomas Rush, G Lachavious Simmons

Washington Commanders

LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, WR Davion Davis, CB D’Angelo Mandell

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North

August 30th, 2023 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Cincinnati Bengals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

DT Domenique Davis, RB Demetric Felton, CB Allan George, C Nate Gilliam, QB Will Grier, DE Jeff Gunter, LB Shaka Heyward, TE Tanner Hudson, WR Shedrick Jackson, CB Sidney Jones, G Jaxson Kirkland, WR Kwamie Lassiter II, WR Stanley Morgan, LB Tyler Murray, S Michael Thomas

Baltimore Ravens

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

QB Anthony Brown, G Tykeem Doss, RB Melvin Gordon (story) CB Jeremy Lucien, G Tashawn Manning, FB Ben Mason, LB Jeremiah Moon, C Sam Mustipher, DT Rayshad Nichols, LB Josh Ross, WR Sean Ryan, WR Laquon Treadwell, TE Travis Vokolek, S Daryl Worley, RB Owen Wright

Cleveland Browns

Claimed:

DB Kahlef Hailassie

Placed on IR:

Waived:

CB A.J. Green

Signed to practice squad:

CB Lorenzo Burns, WR Jaelon Darden, G Michaell Dunn, RB Hassan Hall, K Lucas Havrisik, DT Trysten Hill, DE Sam Kamara, T Alex Leatherwood (story), S Tanner McCalister, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DE Lonnie Phelps, LB Charlie Thomas, DE Isaiah Thomas, QB P.J. Walker, WR Austin Watkins

Pittsburgh Steelers

Released:

P Braden Mann

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

CB Luq Barcoo, RB Greg Bell, CB Anthony Brown (story) DL Breiden Fehoko, WR Dez Fitzpatrick, DL Jonathan Marshall, LB David Perales, S Trenton Thompson, TE Rodney Williams

Bengals Reduce Roster To 53, Place T La’el Collins On Reserve/PUP List

August 29th, 2023 at 4:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bengals have worked their way down to the 53-man roster limit. Here are the moves made on Tuesday to finalize their initial squad:

Released:

Waived:

OT Hakeem Adeniji
TE Devin Asiasi
TE Nick Bowers
S Larry Brooks
G Ben Brown
DE Owen Carney
WR Malachi Carter
P Drue Chrisman
S Yusuf Corker
DT Domenique Davis
CB Allan George
C Nate Gilliam
DE Jeff Gunter
LB Shaka Heyward
WR Mac Hippenhammer
WR Shedrick Jackson
DE Raymond Johnson III
LB Keandre Jones
G Jaxson Kirkland
WR Kwamie Lassiter II
LB Jaylen Moody
LB Tyler Murray
HB Jacob Saylors
QB Reid Sinnett
TE Christian Trahan
RB Calvin Tyler Jr.

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

T La’el Collins

Placed on IR:

DT Tautala Pesefea Jr.
CB Marvell Tell III

Collins will miss at least the first four weeks of the season given his PUP designation. The former Cowboy signed a three-year, $21MM deal in free agency last offseason to operate as Cincinnati’s right tackle starter. His play in his debut season was underwhelming, however, and that role will belong to Jonah Williams this season, unless the latter misses time or Collins usurps him on the depth chart. A knee injury is to blame for Collins’ missed time, per the team.

Both Pesefea and Tell will miss the entire season, as is the case for all players placed on IR before being named to the initial 53-man roster. They will either remain with the organization during the campaign, or be released via an injury settlement which would allow them to find a new opportunity elsewhere.

Jones represents a more experienced cut than most of the other players let go. The former second-rounder has 57 games and 27 starts to his name, and he split his time between the Seahawks and Raiders last season. Moving on from Jones further signals the team’s intention of relying on younger options like Cam Taylor-Britt and rookies DJ Turner and DJ Ivey in the secondary.

Losing Adeniji (unless he clears waivers and is retained via the practice squad, as will no doubt be the case for many of the players listed above) would leave the Bengals thin along the O-line, especially in light of the Collins news. The 2020 sixth-rounder has experience at multiple positions up front, but his level of play has been a contributing factor in the team’s urgency in pursuing free agent blockers in recent years.

Bengals Add 13 UDFAs

May 13th, 2023 at 9:12am CST by Ben Levine

After making eight picks during the draft, the Bengals announced yesterday that they’ve added 13 undrafted free agents:

S Larry Brooks (Tulane)
WR Malachi Carter (Georgia Tech)
LB Shaka Heyward (Duke)
WR Mac Hippenhammer (Miami (Ohio))
WR Shedrick Jackson (Auburn)
G Jaxson Kirkland (Washington)
DT Devonnsha Maxwell (Tennessee-Chattanooga)
LB Jaylen Moody (Alabama)
LB Tyler Murray (Memphis)
DT Tautala Pesefea (Arizona State)
HB Jacob Saylors (East Tennessee State)
TE Christian Trahan (Houston)
HB Calvin Tyler Jr. (Utah State)

Jaxson Kirkland is one of the most intriguing UDFAs in the NFL. He considered declaring for both of the previous two drafts, and he was considered a top OT prospect for the 2022 selection show. However, a severe ankle injury forced him to opt out of that draft, and despite being productive during another season at Washington, he ended up going undrafted this year. The lineman’s versatility could make him an interesting piece on Cincinnati’s depth chart.

Despite adding Chase Brown in the draft, the Bengals still added a pair of RBs in free agency. Jacob Saylors starred at ETSU, finishing his 2022 season with 1,355 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Calvin Tyler Jr. also had a productive final two seasons at Utah State, scoring 15 total touchdowns. The Bengals could give a long look at each of these rookies to be the primary backup to Joe Mixon.

If Cincinnati does eventually look to break up their trio of top wideouts, they’d be looking for inexpensive reinforcement elsewhere. The team used a pair of draft picks on wide receivers, but they also added three UDFAs at the position. Mac Hippenhammer was the most productive of the undrafted grouping; he had 1,555 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons for Miami of Ohio.