Tyler Hall

Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC West

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 BroncosChargersChiefs and Raiders moves are noted below.

Denver Broncos

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Kansas City Chiefs

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Las Vegas Raiders

Placed on IR: 

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Chargers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Reverted to IR:

Released from IR via injury settlement:

Raiders Reduce Roster To 53 Players

The Raiders cut down their roster to 53 players today. However, in the process, they were forced to move on from a handful of veterans:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

  • OT Dalton Wagner

The Raiders signed Jaquan Johnson early during free agency, and there was hope he’d provide some experienced depth to their secondary. Ultimately, the team decided to go in another direction, but that doesn’t mean the safety won’t quickly find another gig elsewhere. Johnson got into 60 games for the Bills over the past four years, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with a career-high 32 tackles and one interception.

On the other side of the ball, the organization moved on from some notable offensive weapons. Keelan Cole Sr. got into 14 games for the Raiders last season, collecting 10 receptions for 141 yards. Phillip Dorsett II joined Las Vegas this offseason after spending the 2022 campaign with the Texans, where he hauled in 20 catches. Damien Williams has close to 500 touches in the NFL, although he only got into one game for the lowly Falcons last season.

Raiders Notes: Hobbs, Pass Rush, Jacobs

Let’s round up a few notes on the NFL’s Sin City franchise:

  • Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs, a fifth-round pick in 2021, earned nine starts in his first professional season and started all 11 contests he appeared in last year (he missed six games with a broken hand). Working primarily as a boundary corner, the Illinois product regressed a bit from his strong rookie campaign, when he spent most of his time in the slot. Per Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic (subscription required), Hobbs would like to return to nickelback, where he apparently feels more comfortable. However, Tyler Hall, who played in seven games (three starts) for Las Vegas in 2022 after joining the club’s taxi squad in October, is expected to push Hobbs for that role.
  • During this year’s predraft process, we learned that the Raiders were eyeing Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson and believed that Wilson (or a similar player) could ease some of the burden on Chandler Jones, thereby making Jones more productive after the veteran underwhelmed during his first season in Vegas. Of course, the club ended up selecting Wilson with the No. 7 overall pick, and as Albert Breer of SI.com writes, the Raiders hope that Wilson’s presence will allow both the 33-year-old Jones and soon-to-be 26-year-old Maxx Crosby to see less time on the field. The coaching staff envisions a rotation among the three players to keep everyone fresh, healthy, and productive. Indeed, Wilson himself saw his final college season cut short due to a Lisfranc injury, though he is expected to be cleared in time for training camp.
  • The Raiders also want to create more of a rotation for their running backs. Assuming franchise-tagged RB Josh Jacobs does not hold out — both he and the club are reportedly motivated to strike an accord on a multiyear deal prior to the July 17 deadline — he will obviously be the feature back. But as Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes, the team wants to expand the roles of 2022 draftees Zamir White and Brittain Brown in an effort to ease Jacobs’ workload and, perhaps, to begin preparing for a Jacobs departure in 2024.

Raiders Place CB Anthony Averett On IR

For the second time this season, Anthony Averett is on injured reserve. The Raiders moved the free agent acquisition to IR on Tuesday; a toe injury will send the fifth-year cornerback there this time.

Averett missed a chunk of the season due to a broken thumb sustained in Week 1. The Raiders used one of their injury activations to bring Averett back to their active roster in October. Turf toe will shut Averett down for at least another four games, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

This offseason’s IR rule change would allow for the team to activate Averett again, but he must miss at least four games, shelving him until Week 17. Activating Averett a second time would count toward the Raiders’ eight injury activations. The timeline here could well lead to an Averett shutdown.

The Raiders added Averett on a one-year, $4MM deal and have turned to him as a starter. Trading Trayvon Mullen to the Cardinals on cutdown day, the Raiders installed Averett as a starter opposite March trade get Rock Ya-Sin. Averett has worked as a starter in six of the seven games he has played with Las Vegas. Pro Football Focus has not been particularly impressed with the ex-Raven, slotting him just inside the top 100 among corners this season.

Las Vegas has not been able to deploy its top three corners together for much of the year. Second-year cover man Nate Hobbs has been on IR for several weeks, though he is on the way back after being designated for return last week. A broken hand sent Hobbs to IR. This has affected the Raiders’ defensive capabilities. Patrick Graham‘s unit ranks 26th in points allowed and 27th in total defense.

To replace Averett on their active roster, the Raiders signed cornerback Tyler Hall from the practice squad. In his first season with the Raiders, Hall has played in two games, doing so in each of the past two weeks as a gameday elevation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/22

The league’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/22

The league’s minor moves leading up to gameday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed to active roster: TE Nick Muse
  • Promoted from practice squad: CB Tay Gowan
  • Waived: OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/11/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: TE Seth Green
  • Released: LS Tucker Addington

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

  • Signed: DL Micah Dew-Treadway, OT K.C. McDermott
  • Released: TE Nick Eubanks

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Released: OL Sebastian Gutierrez

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/22

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/15/22

Today’s Reserve/Futures deals signed in the NFL:

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/21

Here is the Week 8 Saturday minor move blitz:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets 

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team