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Xavier Johnson

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.

Bills Pare Roster To 53; LB Matt Milano Receives IR-Return Designation

August 27th, 2024 at 5:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how the Bills dropped their roster to the 53-man limit:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

  • T Travis Clayton

Placed on IR (return designation)

Milano suffered a biceps tear and will aim to return late in the season, though the All-Pro linebacker’s injury trouble is obviously a big-picture concern at this point. The Bills are also using one of their eight IR activations, mandated for teams who take advantage of the new rule to designate IR-return players today, on a backup running back. That is a rather interesting decision, as Evans has totaled just 62 carries since being drafted in the 2020 third round.

Residing on the Bills’ roster bubble going into camp, Damar Hamlin made the team. Ditto Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who joined Hamlin on the bubble. The bubble burst — for the time being, at least — on Collins and Clapp, who were vying for swing spots. Collins had been shuttled to guard — where he had not played since 2016 — in recent practices. Jackson joined the Bills after they ran into some injury trouble at safety early in camp.

Steveson, who has an Olympic wrestling gold medal, could be a practice squad candidate. The Eagles carried Olympian hurdler Devon Allen on their P-squad for two years, though the latter has far more football seasoning compared to Steveson. Attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps by securing a Bills gig, Gore is a P-squad candidate, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran. He will need to clear waivers first.

Bills Add 13 UDFAs

May 11th, 2024 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills addressed several positions of need with their 10 NFL Draft picks in April. Now, the team grows their rookie class to 22 players with the addition of these 13 undrafted free agents:

The obvious notable addition here is that of Gore. The son of the former All-Pro running back who spent one of his 16 seasons in the NFL in Buffalo, Gore isn’t expected to quite reach the heights of his father. In four years at Southern Miss, Gore had a career average of 5.3 yards per carry while accumulating 4,022 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. His toughness and special teams experience could help him land on the Bills’ active roster.

Also on offense, the Bills brought in a few quality linemen. The aptly named Bills, wasn’t expected to go undrafted, projecting in the sixth or seventh round. Bills signed with the Utes as part of a Utah signing class that included players who are now veterans in the NFL like Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss but deferred for three years to go on a religious mission. Edwards was a starting left tackle at Campbell for four years but projects better as a guard at the next level. Health proved an issue for Edwards in college, so staying injury-free will be paramount. Britton received $100K guaranteed, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

On defense, Buffalo adds Ugwoegbu at defensive end. After four years at Oklahoma as a linebacker, Ugwoegbu transferred to Houston and made the move to end. He doesn’t really have true pass rush instincts, but he’s a strong run defender. That and his ability to play up or with his hand in the dirt could help him earn a roster spot as a rookie.

Andreessen was among the Bills’ invites to rookie minicamp on a try-out basis, and he has earned a deal. The former All-American (during his time at Bryant) transferred to Buffalo last season. He racked up 90 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in 2023. The Depew, New York native will now get an opportunity during the summer with his hometown team.

Lastly, Lovely comes in as an undersized addition to the secondary. During two years as a starter for the Broncos, Lovely showed tremendous ball skills, breaking up 13 passes while nabbing six interceptions.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.