Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Rams
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
Haason Reddick remained on the Jets’ reserve/did not report list until his contract holdout came to an end. Now that he is officially back in the fold, he has been brought onto the active roster in time for Week 8.
In a corresponding move, fellow edge rusher Takk McKinley was released. McKinley appeared in all seven games for the Jets this season, handling a 28% snap share. Reddick will be counted on to be on the field much more than that, just as he will be expected to outproduce McKinley’s 0.5 sacks for the year. Reddick’s playing time and production will be key in determining his overall 2024 earnings. 
In a detailed breakdown of Reddick’s revised Jets accord, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry notes the two-time Pro Bowler now has $5.34MM available in incentives in the form of an option bonus escalator. Void years remain on the pact (now running from 2025-28), and they will spread out the cap hits generated by the bonus. If Reddick remains healthy and productive for the remainder of the season, he will begin earning back a portion of the money he lost through fines and forfeited salary.
The 29-year-old will see just over $791K if he reaches the 40% snap threshold for the campaign, something which will be much more plausible than the 67.5% mark which would be needed for the conditional third-round pick the Jets sent the Eagles to become a second-round selection. In terms of pass-rush production, Reddick will collect $500K for eight sacks along with another $500K for a ninth and 10th in that department. As well, $500K is available for a Pro Bowl nod, something which should also not be expected given the fact he was absent for the first seven weeks of the campaign.
Should the Jets reach the Super Bowl, Reddick will earn an additional $2MM (provided he plays in the game). New York currently sits at 2-5 on the year, so a postseason berth – let along a deep playoff run – is far from a certainty. In all, as Corry notes, an earnings total of just over $14MM is possible – a figure not much lower than than $14.5MM Reddick was originally due in base salary. However, he adds that a realistic scenario (given the unlikely nature of several of his incentive thresholds) is only $9.99MM in compensation, an illustration of how costly this holdout saga could prove to be.
Reddick’s total financial penalties have yet to be fully determined due an NFLPA grievance filed over the preseason fines he accumulated this summer. Remaining away from the Jets resulted in $2.38MM in fines; the team may be willing to waive those, but it remains to be seen if that will be possible as the league and union discuss the matter. Reddick accrued $2.05MM in training camp fines (which, since he is not on a rookie pact, cannot be rescinded) in addition to, most notably, $5.54MM in lost game checks during the regular season.
Reddick remains on course for free agency, although a strong showing over the coming weeks could open the door to new agent Drew Rosenhaus and the Jets agreeing to a deal which would keep him in place for 2025. In any event, his value (along with overall earning potential) will be dictated by his playing time and production during the rest of the season.
Several veterans around the NFL have used ongoing minicamps as a means of trying out with a team in the hopes of landing a new deal. In the case of edge rusher Takkarist McKinley, that has produced a Jets agreement. 
McKinley took part in the Jets’ minincamp, as noted by Brian Costello of the New York Post. The former first-rounder did enough to secure a roster spot for at least the summer. He and the team have a deal in place, as first reported by Connor Hughes of SNY. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.
The 28-year-old began his career with the Falcons, logging 25 starts across 49 games. Expectations were high after McKinley racked up 13 sacks in his first two campaigns, but he has failed to match that production since. Following the end of his Atlanta tenure, he bounced around to the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders.
That led to a one-year Browns contract in 2021. McKinley recorded 2.5 sacks that year, and they remain the most recent of his career. The UCLA product played sparingly for the Rams in 2022, collecting just one tackle. A Cowboys re-signing last March did not yield a roster spot. He was out of the league last season, so this agreement represents an opportunity to revive his career and compete for a depth role along the Jets’ defensive front.
New York saw Bryce Huff depart in free agency. While Haason Reddick was acquired as a replacement, the team later moved on from John Franklin-Myers in a cost-shedding trade during the draft. Reddick is under contract for one more year, although his ongoing absence from the team has cast doubt on his long-term future in the Big Apple.
The Jets have recent first-rounders Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald in place along the edge. The latter in particular is expected to see a notable uptick in workload despite the former and Reddick being set to handle first-team responsibilities. McKinley will nevertheless spend training camp looking to carve out a rotational and/or special teams role in his bid to return to NFL game action.
Not long after signing a Cowboys deal, Takkarist McKinley is once again in need of a new home. The Cowboys announced on Friday that they have released the journeyman edge rusher.
McKinley finished the 2022 season on Dallas’ practice squad, and he inked a contract with the team in March. Given the team’s depth on the edge, the 27-year-old faced a steep road to a 53-man roster spot, but the Cowboys made another move at the position earlier this week. The addition of Ben Banogu has resulted in McKinley being let go.
The latter began his career with the Falcons in 2017, and he faced high expectations as a first-round pick. After four seasons in Atlanta (during which he recorded 17.5 sacks in 49 games), however, he has bounced around the league for several years. McKinley briefly found himself with the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders before seeing time with the Browns in 2021.
The UCLA product logged a healthy 43% snap share in Cleveland, and he recorded 2.5 sacks in 11 contests. A torn Achilles ended his campaign that year, though, and sparked another round of deals sending him on and off active rosters and practice squads. McKinley was with the Rams to begin 2022, making four appearances in a very limited capacity before winding up in Dallas.
He will now aim to find a new opportunity deep into free agency, although more accomplished edge rushers like Markus Golden, Leonard Floyd and Frank Clark have not landed deals of their own until very recently. Amidst a group of other veterans still on the market, McKinley may have a lengthy wait on the open market as he searches for an opportunity which could provide some much-needed career stability.
After announcing the return of pass rusher Dante Fowler earlier today, the Cowboys announced the re-signing of Fowler’s former teammate and fellow former first-round pick Takkarist McKinley, according to Michael Gehlken of Dallas Morning News. McKinley signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad late last year after getting cut from the Rams. 
The 27-year-old has had quite the fall from grace since his rookie and sophomore seasons that saw him tally six and seven sacks, respectively. He followed that up in 2019 with a 13-start season that returned a disappointing 3.5 sacks. After that, trade rumors began to circle as the Falcons declined McKinley’s fifth-year option. This eventually lead to Atlanta waiving their former first-round pick midseason.
McKinley bounced around several times due to initial interest followed by health questions. The Bengals and 49ers both claimed the young pass rusher, waiving him shortly after when he failed his physicals. He finally landed with the Raiders but was put on injured reserve before he could see the field. He would finally see the field again with the Browns who signed him to a one-year deal after the expiration of his rookie contract. His season came to an end early, though, after a torn Achilles tendon.
After failing to find a new team in the offseason, McKinley signed to the Titans’ practice squad before the Rams signed him away from Tennessee and onto their active roster. After four games with the Rams, McKinley was released again, leading him to sign with the Cowboys. The Cowboys will give him a new chance to make the roster this summer after he failed to do so in his ten weeks on their practice squad last year.
Dallas also signed a new long snapper, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. After the departure of Jake McQuaide to Detroit, the Cowboys have opted to replace him with former Raiders long snapper Trent Sieg. Archer further reports that Sieg’s contract is a one-year, $1.23MM deal including a $152,500 signing bonus and a base salary of $1.08MM, $250,000 of which is guaranteed. He’ll count for $940,000 against the 2023 salary cap, since his deal is a veteran salary benefit contract.
The Cowboys reunited defensive end Takkarist McKinley with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who drafted McKinley in the first round when he was head coach of the Falcons in 2017, signing the 27-year-old to the team’s practice squad today, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. McKinley will be joining his sixth franchise in as many years.
McKinley spent the first four years of his career with the team that drafted him, showing tremendous potential through his rookie and sophomore seasons. Despite only starting eight games in his first two years, McKinley made the most of his opportunities, racking up 13.0 sacks, 14.0 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits. He started 13 games for the Falcons in 2019 but saw his sack production drop to half what it was the year before.
After only appearing in four games for the Falcons in 2020, McKinley officially requested a trade from Atlanta, after internally requesting a trade in private since 2019. The Falcons had rejected several trade offers in 2019 and ended up waiving their fourth-year pass rusher shortly after his public trade request. He was initially claimed by the Bengals and 49ers but, after failing physicals, returned to the waiver wire. Eventually he was claimed by the Raiders but was placed on injured reserve, where he would remain for the rest of the season.
His rookie contract expired, McKinley signed with the Browns as a free agent on a one-year contract. After a decent bounce back season as a rotational end, McKinley’s season ended late in December with a torn Achilles tendon. Coming off the season-ending injury made it hard for McKinley to find a new home. He worked out with several teams, including the Cowboys, in the offseason before eventually signing to join the Titans practice squad just after the start of the season. Only five days later, though, the Rams signed McKinley off the Titans practice squad, utilizing him sparingly over the next four weeks before ultimately cutting him a little under a month ago.
McKinley is now hoping for another chance under Quinn, who saw him at his most successful five years ago. He’ll have quite a depth chart to climb if he intends to make an impact this season. The Cowboys start DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong at the end position with Dante Fowler, Tarell Basham, and rookie Sam Williams rotating in behind them. It’s a strong group for Dallas and having McKinley waiting on the practice squad can make it that much more dangerous.
As the Rams continue to lose offensive linemen, they keep adding veterans. Ty Nsekhe is now on Los Angeles’ 53-man roster, agreeing to terms with the team Tuesday. The Rams signed Nsekhe off the Colts’ practice squad.
This marks a reunion for Nsekhe, who began his career in St. Louis 10 years ago. The Rams added Nsekhe as a waiver claim back in 2012 — GM Les Snead‘s first season running the team — after the Colts initially signed him as a UDFA. But the then-Missouri-stationed team moved on by 2013, sending Nsekhe on a lengthy odyssey as a backup/spot starter.
No one remains with the Rams from that 2012 team, with Johnny Hekker being released this offseason, but Nsekhe will join a squad that has added a few veterans up front in recent weeks. Oday Aboushi and Matt Skura are on Los Angeles’ active roster, having signed with the team in-season. Nsekhe’s addition comes after the Rams placed left tackle Joe Noteboom on IR; Noteboom suffered an Achilles tear in Week 6.
Nsekhe will turn 37 next week, separating him a bit from Aboushi and Skura, and has played 93 career games (17 starts). He spent time back with the Colts earlier this season, residing on Indianapolis’ practice squad, but did not see any game action. After his brief Rams stint, Nsekhe caught on with New Orleans, Washington, Buffalo and Dallas. He has not started a game since 2019 and has not logged more than one start in a season since 2018.
To run down the list of Rams O-line injuries, Noteboom joins starting left guard David Edwards and guard/center Coleman Shelton on IR. Guard fill-in Tremayne Anchrum, who was filling in as a starter after Brian Allen‘s Week 1 injury, is also on IR. Allen has not played since Week 1 but is expected to return after the team’s Week 7 bye. The Rams lost third-round rookie guard Logan Bruss to an ACL tear during the preseason.
In addition to the Noteboom and Nsekhe moves, the defending Super Bowl champions cut ties with Takkarist McKinley and placed cornerback Grant Haley on IR. They signed McKinley off the Titans’ practice squad last month. By rule, the Rams had to carry the veteran pass rusher on their active roster for at least three weeks, but that time has passed. McKinley saw only 11 defensive snaps with the Rams during his stay back in L.A. The UCLA alum passes straight through to free agency. Although McKinley has consistently generated interest, his stock has dipped considerably since the Falcons waived him late during the 2020 season.
Another Takkarist McKinley relocation is on tap. The veteran pass rusher, who had caught on with the Titans’ practice squad last week, is now L.A.-bound.
The Rams will sign McKinley off that Tennessee taxi squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This move will reunite McKinley with Rams DC Raheem Morris, who formerly served as a Falcons assistant head coach and interim HC during McKinley’s time in Atlanta, and signal a return to Los Angeles. McKinley, 26, is a UCLA alum.
A former first-round pick, McKinley has bounced around the league since his Falcons stay ended during the 2020 season. He was claimed three times on waivers after that Falcons cut; the 49ers, Bengals and Raiders claimed him that year. The young edge defender landed with the Raiders, but an injury prevented him from playing any games.
Last year, McKinley caught on with the Browns, who used him mostly as a rotational player behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Late in a 2.5-sack 2021 season, McKinley went down with an Achilles tear in late December. That took the five-year veteran out of the mix for several months, but interest picked up around training camp. Although the Titans lost Harold Landry to an ACL tear just before the season, they chose not to promote McKinley to their active roster to prevent this Rams poaching.
With Von Miller now in Buffalo, Leonard Floyd anchors the defending champions’ edge-rushing corps. Considerable uncertainty exists behind Floyd. The Rams have Justin Hollins and former third-round pick Terrell Lewis as their top non-Floyd options on the edge. While McKinley is far from a sure thing at this point in his career, which has taken a downturn since some late-2010s Falcons production, he has made 27 career starts and totaled 20 sacks. Thirteen of those came between the 2017 and ’18 seasons. Morris was on Atlanta’s staff throughout McKinley’s time with the team.
This has been a rather interesting, as far as practice squads go, day for the Titans’ P-squad. Prior to losing McKinley, Tennessee signed safety Andrew Adams off the Steelers’ taxi squad and added cornerback Terrance Mitchell off the Patriots’ 16-man squad.
Dealt a tough blow with Harold Landry‘s injury, the Titans are adding a piece to their edge-rushing equation ahead of Week 2. Takkarist McKinley is joining Tennessee’s practice squad.
A former first-round pick, McKinley has been on the radar for a bit now. The Cardinals and Cowboys hosted McKinley on visits during training camp. McKinley, 26, is attempting to bounce back after a December Achilles tear ended his Browns campaign.
While McKinley’s stock has fallen since his early NFL days, he does bring a high draft pedigree (26th overall in 2017) and considerable experience (60 games, 27 starts). The former Falcons draftee has 20 career sacks, though 13 of those came between the 2017 and ’18 seasons.
Landry’s loss left the Titans without their top edge defender. Although the team has rising star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons anchoring its pass rush, Landry has been Tennessee’s top sack artist for years. Bud Dupree is now in place in that role, with supporting casters Rashad Weaver — a 2021 fourth-rounder — and Olasunkanmi Adeniyi rounding out the rotation. Adeniyi started alongside Dupree in Week 1, but Weaver accumulated two sacks in a rotational role.
Despite McKinley’s sack totals dropping in recent years, the UCLA product has continued to generate interest. The 2020 season showed that. After attempting to trade McKinley ahead of that year’s deadline, the Falcons waived him. Claims kept coming in for McKinley, who saw the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders take a look. After failing physicals with Cincinnati and San Francisco, McKinley did catch on in Las Vegas. However, a November groin injury ended his Raiders tenure without any game action.
The Browns signed him in 2021 and used him in 11 games. McKinley notched 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble with Cleveland, working mostly as a rotational player behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. To clear room on their 16-man practice squad, the Titans promoted defensive back Chris Jackson to their 53-man roster.
Takk McKinley has now made two visits since the start of training camp. After trekking to Dallas, the former first-round pick ventured to Arizona for a Cardinals meeting, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. The Arizona summit commenced Tuesday.
After four seasons in Atlanta, McKinley spent the 2021 campaign in Cleveland. He finished with 2.5 sacks with the Browns, going to northeast Ohio after a complex 2020 season that involved a few waiver claims — stemming from multiple failed physicals.
But the end of McKinley’s Browns season led to a delayed 2022 timetable. McKinley, 26, suffered a torn Achilles late last season. His multiple visits suggest a return to full strength is near. That said, McKinley’s stock has dipped since the Falcons chose him 26th overall back in 2017. Atlanta waived the UCLA product in 2020, doing so after he finished with just 4.5 sacks in his final 18 games with the franchise. Over his first two seasons, however, McKinley combined for 13 sacks.
Presently, McKinley profiles as a rotational rusher. The Cardinals let Chandler Jones walk, but they added third-round edges Myjai Sanders and Cameron Thomas. They also return Markus Golden to a pass rush that seemingly needs J.J. Watt to stay healthy, or close to it, more so than it did in 2021.