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Tariq Castro-Fields

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/31/24

December 31st, 2024 at 6:35pm CST by Ely Allen

New Year’s Eve practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Jaxon Janke

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles To Bring Back QB Ian Book

December 26th, 2024 at 10:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Dealing with multiple injuries at quarterback, the Eagles hosted Ian Book on a visit. That meeting will lead to a free agency addition. Book is signing with Philadelphia.

This is a practice squad deal, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. With Jalen Hurts in concussion protocol and backup Kenny Pickett dealing with a rib injury, the Eagles are suddenly vulnerable at the game’s most important position. Book profiles as insurance.

Book is making a return trip to Philly, having been with the team for just more than a year earlier in his career. The Eagles claimed Book off waivers from the Saints in August 2022 and carried him until moving on in August 2023. He will join Tanner McKee as healthy Philly QBs presently.

As he goes through the protocol, Hurts did not practice Wednesday. His availability for Week 17 is up in the air. Pickett logged a limited session on Christmas Day, but the former Steelers starter-turned-Hurts backup did not make it through his first extended 2024 appearance unscathed. McKee did not see any game action, but he would be the next man up if both Philadelphia’s starter and backup could not go against the Cowboys. The Eagles drafted McKee in the 2023 sixth round.

The Saints made Book a 2021 fourth-round pick, and he made an emergency start that season. A Saints team wrecked by COVID-19 turned to Book in a Monday-night outing against the Dolphins. It did not go well for the hosts that night, as Book threw two interceptions during the short-notice start. The Notre Dame alum has not played in a regular-season game since. The Eagles rostered him during their 2022 Super Bowl LVII season but did not keep him for the 2023 season, having drafted McKee to play behind Hurts and Marcus Mariota.

Book, 26, has bounced from the Saints to the Eagles to the Patriots to the Chiefs. He has not been with a team since being cut by Kansas City in August. To make room on their practice squad, the Eagles released DB Tariq Castro-Fields. The team also signed running back Lew Nichols to its P-squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Panthers Sign CB Caleb Farley

October 1st, 2024 at 5:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Caleb Farley‘s time in Tennessee did not go as planned, but he has lined up a new NFL opportunity. The former first-round corner is signing with the Panthers, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.

Schultz notes, to little surprise, this will be a practice squad agreement. Farley is expected to soon find himself on Carolina’s active roster, though, as he seeks to post a healthy stretch and rebuild his value. The 25-year-old struggled with a multitude of injuries during his college and NFL careers, including a pair of ACL tears and three back surgeries. The Titans made a predictable move in declining his 2025 fifth-year option, but they also waived him ahead of roster cutdowns.

That move was followed by a Patriots workout, although no deal materialized. Farley visited the Panthers shortly before this agreement, as noted by KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The Virginia Tech product missed the entire 2023 season after playing only 12 total games across his first two seasons in the league. He was held without an interception, and his coverage statistics left plenty of room for improvement. Carolina could offer Farley a chance to put together a string of healthy games played while developing into at least a depth contributor in the secondary.

Tennessee took on a $4.29MM dead money charge by moving on from Farley in the offseason. This Panthers deal will no doubt check in at a lesser cost, which will be necessary given the team’s financial situation. Carolina entered Tuesday with only $571K in cap space, the lowest figure in the league. This flier carries a degree of upside for the 1-3 outfit, though.

In other roster moves, the Panthers signed Chandler Wooten from the practice squad to the active roster. The former UDFA has 17 appearances to his name, all with Carolina. Wooten will look to help fill the void created by fellow linebacker Shaq Thompson‘s Achilles tear. Cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields was waived from the 53-man roster, and he could be retained on the practice squad if he clears.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

August 28th, 2024 at 4:02pm 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 Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • WR Jalen Coker

Waived from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Panthers Claim Three Cornerbacks, Add DB Lonnie Johnson

August 28th, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bryce Young trade prevented the Panthers from using their 2-15 record to land an impact prospect atop the draft. Carolina’s consolation prize comes months later, and the rebuilding team will use its top waiver position.

Cornerbacks are coming to Charlotte in droves. The Panthers have already used three claims on corners, bringing in Tariq Castro-Fields, Keenan Isaac and Shemar Bartholomew, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. The Commanders, Buccaneers and Jets respectively released the CBs, who will join a Panthers team in need.

Carolina also claimed linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Jamie Sheriff from the Seahawks, per Pelissero and veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. The Panthers will soon follow with cuts, as this marks a multi-position makeover for the NFC South club. In addition to the CB waiver claims, Pelissero reports Lonnie Johnson — whom the Texans released Tuesday — is signing with the Panthers’ practice squad, Pelissero adds. Carolina is expected to elevate the veteran DB by Week 1.

Initially a 49ers sixth-round pick, Castro-Fields played eight games with Washington last season. A 2023 UDFA, Isaac saw action in two Bucs games last year. Bartholomew was part of the Jets’ UDFA contingent this year. Johnson went to camp with Houston, which originally drafted him in Round 2. He played in 12 Saints games last season, working primarily on special teams.

This lot of inexperienced players, along with Johnson, will join a Panthers team that traded Donte Jackson and placed Dane Jackson on IR due to a hamstring injury. Carolina kept six cornerbacks on its active roster, including veteran slot man Troy Hill and recent trade pickup Michael Jackson, so some shuffling will soon occur.

As the team begins clearing roster space, the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye notes rookie UDFA wideout Jalen Coker received word he will be waived. The Panthers also claimed former 49ers guard Jarrett Kingston. The Panthers also cut wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, guard Cade Mays, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy and Demani Richardson. Mays started seven games at guard over the past two seasons.

Commanders Cut Five 2023 Draftees, Move Down To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 10:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how Adam Peters‘ first Commanders offseason concluded. The Commanders are moving on from a 2023 Day 2 pick; their roster is now at 53.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR/return designation:

This represents an early exit for Stromberg, whom Washington drafted in last year’s third round. The former No. 97 overall pick only played in four games as a rookie, logging just 26 offensive snaps. Washington brought in ex-Dallas center Tyler Biadasz this offseason, and the team also kept four guards on its 53-man roster. Other personnel staffs around the league may be intrigued here, as this is a quick hook for a Day 2 O-lineman.

Five of the seven Commanders 2023 draftees are part of this cut continent, with Daniels, Rodriguez, Henry and Andre Jones joining Stromberg in being waived. Daniels, a fourth-rounder, spent last season on IR. Rodriguez, a sixth-rounder, rushed for 247 yards. Jones (Round 7) played 171 defensive snaps, while Henry (Round 5) started three games and registered 1.5 sacks. It will be interesting to see if any of these second-year players end up on Washington’s practice squad, as this does not reflect well on Ron Rivera‘s final draft in charge — especially after the team just traded 2022 first-rounder Jahan Dotson to a division foe.

The Commanders attempted to trade both Turner and defensive tackle John Ridgeway, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala. The latter ended up making the team. Magee suffered an MCL injury recently. While it required surgery, the rookie fifth-rounder is not expected to miss the full season. He already counts toward the Commanders’ eight injury activations, however. The Hartman and McSorley cuts leave only Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota on the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/24

January 5th, 2024 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Friday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Signed from practice squad: RB Xazavian Valladay

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

A knee injury will send Fuller to IR, potentially wrapping the veteran cornerback’s second stint in Washington. The 2016 third-round pick, sent to Kansas City in the Alex Smith trade, returned in 2020 on a four-year, $40MM deal. With the Commanders having already fired Jack Del Rio and being set to clean house following their season finale, the 28-year-old corner could be headed elsewhere in free agency.

Worley has played 124 defensive snaps for the Ravens this season, starting two games. This will be the eighth-year corner’s second IR placement this season. If the Ravens qualify for Super Bowl LVIII, they would be eligible to activate Worley a second time. (Baltimore has four IR activations remaining, though one may need to be saved in case Mark Andrews can come back.) Worley is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/23

November 3rd, 2023 at 8:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

Anderson, a fifth-round draft pick last year for the Bengals, missed his entire rookie season on injured reserve. After contributing in seven games this year as a core special teamer, Anderson’s sophomore season will also be cut short with head coach Zac Taylor confirming that the young safety tore his ACL, per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. He played through the initial injury in last week’s win but will be unable to continue the rest of the year.

The Patriots’ Anderson, on the other hand, is a more intriguing situation. After he spent most of the preseason on the non-football illness list with an undisclosed illness, the team is placing Anderson on IR with an “illness” designation. It’s not clear at this time if this is a similar issue to what held him out of the preseason, but illness has surely dealt a significant blow to Anderson’s 2023 season so far.

The Giants got ahead of the waiver rules by releasing Olszewski in a procedural move on Monday before the trade deadline. This allowed them to plainly sign Olszewski back to the active roster on a new deal without him having to clear waivers. As predicted, he returns to the roster for Week 9.

Castro-Fields and Cox will fill the roster spots vacated by the Commanders’ big trades of defensive ends Chase Young to the 49ers and Montez Sweat to the Bears.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/23

October 28th, 2023 at 7:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the gameday elevations and other minor moves made around the league in advance of Week 8:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wilkinson’s loss will be notable for the Cardinals, given his status as an entrenched starter at the left guard spot. The 28-year-old joined Arizona on a one-year deal worth the veteran’s minimum in free agency after stints in Denver, Chicago and Atlanta. Trystan Colon replaced him in the starting lineup in Week 7, and that will likely continue for the time being. Wilkinson will be out for at least four weeks as a result of the IR move.

Ridgeway has been out since Week 1, his Texans debut. The former 49er joined the Texans in a move which allowed him to continue working under head coach DeMeco Ryans. Ridgeway ended last season on IR, so he will be looking for an extended run of availability in his new home. A veteran of 78 games (and 19 starts), he will aim to carve out a rotational role up front.

Peters was brought in by the Seahawks while they were dealing with injury problems at both tackle spots. Blindside blocker Charles Cross has since returned, so Peters’ most familiar spot will not be available if he is to make his Seattle debut on Sunday. The fact the latter is healthy and in game shape does mean, however, that he will be eligible to play in a 19th NFL season.

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