Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
Spencer Shrader‘s hamstring injury will knock him out for the next four weeks, and with Harrison Butker eventually set to return, the fill-in kicker’s stint with the Chiefs has likely come to an end. Temporarily, the team will turn to their third kicker in Matthew Wright. The veteran filled in for Shrader this past weekend, connecting on four of his five field goal tries.
Former Dolphins second-round pick Cam Smith landed on IR today, likely ending his disappointing sophomore campaign. The cornerback did get more run in 2024 vs. his rookie season, but he was still limited to only 16 tackles in six games thanks to a pair of IR stints. This time, it’s a shoulder issue that will put the South Carolina product on the shelf.
Saints safety Roderic Teamer was hit with a three-game ban today for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes that Teamer’s unpaid ban is “the conclusion of his DUI arrest” in 2023 (when he was with the Raiders). Teamer was limited to only a pair of appearances this season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams.
Titans lineman Jaelyn Duncan returned to practice today after missing the past six games while nursing a hamstring injury. The former sixth-round pick could actually see a significant role upon his return, with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com noting that the second-year player could get a look at right tackle once he’s fully healthy.
The Jets have opened the practice window for wide receiver Allen Lazard and offensive guard Wes Schweitzer to return from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Lazard landed on injured reserve at the end of October due to a chest injury after a solid start to the year. With 412 yards and five touchdowns in seven games, he already surpassed his 2023 production and was on pace for career-highs in both categories. Lazard was also leading the Jets’ receivers with a 63.6% receiving success rate and still made four catchs for 58 yards in Davante Adams‘ Jets debut despite the increased competition for targets.
Schweitzer was placed on injured reserve before Week 1 with a hand injury, his second year in a row with an IR stint after appearing in just six games in 2023. He started two games at right guard, plus fill-in duties at center and right guard in Week 8, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Jets are currently 3-9 with virtually no chance of making the playoffs, so returns from Lazard and Schweizter won’t have much of an impact. Lazard is still under contract for 2025 and 2026 but has no guaranteed money remaining on his deal, so he could be a cap casualty in the offseason. Schweizter, meanwhile, is set to be a free agent after this season. While neither player can change the course of the Jets’ season, returning to the field could be crucial for both players’ value in free agency this offseason.
Both Lazard and Schweizter will have three weeks to practice with the team before they must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.
The Bengals have signed kicker Cade York to their practice squad after Evan McPherson suffered a groin injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
McPherson will be sidelined for a few weeks with a groin injury, per Garafolo, which forced Cincinnati to work out some veteran free agents on Wednesday morning. York had the most successful tryout, and he will take over as the Bengals’ kicker while McPherson heals up.
A stint on the sidelines might be a blessing in disguise for the struggling McPherson, who, like his AFC North counterpart Justin Tucker in Baltimore, is having the worst year of his career. He’s made just 72.7% of his kicks, a significant drop from his 83.9% conversion rate over his first three seasons. Crucially, McPherson has missed four field goals in three Bengals’ losses that were decided by one possession. Whether the problem is physical or mental, the 2021 fifth-rounder could benefit from a few weeks of rest. He signed a three-year extension with the Bengals before the regular season that the team may already be regretting.
That doesn’t mean that York is an upgrade. He entered the regular season as the Commanders’ kicker, but lost his job after missing both of his attempts in Week 1. Since then, he has worked out for the Bills and the Jets (twice), though he was unable to win either available opportunity. York spent the 2023 seasons shuttling between practice squads, but appeared in every game for the Browns as a rookie in 2022 with a disappointing 75.0% conversion rate after Cleveland drafted him in the fourth round.
York will reunite with former LSU teammates and fellow 2019 national champions Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati, where he will hope to re-establish his place in the NFL. The Bengals will likely use up his practice squad elevations over the next three weeks with the hope that McPherson can return before the end of the regular season.
1:41pm: Hyde told reporters that he plans to retire after this season, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. He aims to help the Bills finally win secure an elusive Super Bowl victory to cap off his impressive 12-year career.
11:11am: A long-rumored reunion is coming to pass. The Bills separated from many core players this offseason, with Micah Hyde one of the longtime starters not brought back. But the team kept its longtime safety on the radar. Months after those return rumors began, they will lead to deal.
Hyde is indeed coming back to the Bills. Sean McDermott said Wednesday that the seven-year safety starter is rejoining the team on a practice squad deal. Despite Buffalo cutting Mike Edwards recently, there will be room for Hyde as an insurance piece.
In Hyde and Jordan Poyer, Buffalo featured one of the longest-running safety tandems in NFL history. The 2017 free agency additions played central roles in the Bills’ McDermott-era ascent. Added in McDermott’s first offseason in charge, the pair played seven seasons together. Poyer, however, is now in Miami. Hyde will still join some former teammates, as Damar Hamlin and 2023 UFA addition Taylor Rapp are in place as starters.
Turning 34 later this month, Hyde has been out of football since his most recent Bills contract expired. The 11-year veteran had said it was Bills or retirement for him in 2024. The Bills did not expect him to retire this year, and the now-five-time reigning AFC East champions will see to it that an NFL exit is put on hold for at least a few more months.
This marks Hyde’s third Bills contract. The team gave him a five-year, $30.5MM deal in 2017 and later extended him at two years, $19.25MM. Wednesday is a new chapter for Hyde, who will now be attached to P-squad money. The Bills added Cole Bishop via second-round pick this offseason as well, and while Rapp will be limited in practice today, McDermott said the Hyde signing is unrelated to the sixth-year veteran’s minor injury.
Hyde has made 95 starts for the Bills. That ranks fourth in team history at safety, behind Poyer (107), 1990s bastion Henry Jones (129) and all-time leader Steve Freeman (134). Hyde missed most of the 2022 season with a neck injury, being limited to two starts. While he returned to practice months later, the Bills never activated him from IR. The former Packers draftee bounced back last season, starting 14 games and being available — when many Bills defenders were not — for both playoff contests. Hyde has 16 career interceptions with the Bills, including five apiece in 2021 and 2017, a Pro Bowl season that ended a near-two-decade Bills playoff drought.
The Bills cut Poyer, Tre’Davious White and Mitch Morse this offseason, doing so just before letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency. They then traded Stefon Diggs, signaling what many expected to be a transition year. Buffalo has bucked those expectations, starting 10-2 and putting heat on Kansas City for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The team will now have a leadership presence back in the building, and it will be interesting to see if Hyde returns to action soon.
Rather than use one of their injury activations on Josh Reynolds, the Broncos are moving on. The team had a few options with the recovery wideout, and 9News’ Mike Klis notes he will be cut.
Denver, which has three injury activations remaining, had signed Reynolds to a two-year, $9MM deal this offseason. The veteran receiver, however, went down early with a finger injury and then suffered minor wounds in a scary shooting incident in October. That caused a longer-than-expected IR stint, but Reynolds was moving toward a return. The Broncos needed to activate him by Wednesday or place him on season-ending IR; the eighth-year WR now would be in line to return for another team.
[RELATED: Broncos Planned To Trade Jerry Jeudy Regardless Of WR’s Request]
The Broncos could conceivably circle back to Reynolds as a practice squad option, though that would be an interesting move considering the parties agreed on a $4.5MM-per-year contract in March. Reynolds is due just more than $500K in remaining base salary, so a waiver claim should not be considered out of the question in this case. This cut will ensure the Broncos take a $1MM dead money hit in 2025.
This continues a pattern for Sean Payton‘s team this year. Since early March, the Broncos have moved on from Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick and now Reynolds. This will keep snaps open for the batch of rookie-deal wideouts on Denver’s roster. Seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele has shown promise early, while the Broncos have seen increased contributions from 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims. Ex-Bo Nix teammate Troy Franklin, whom the team traded up for in Round 4, has also played a regular role among this batch of Courtland Sutton sidekicks. It appears the Broncos viewed Reynolds as a potential progress-stopper. Ex-Payton Saints charge Lil’Jordan Humphrey also profiles as veteran insurance in Denver.
Like Zach Ertz last season, Reynolds is being waived from IR. The Broncos could have let Reynolds’ 21-day practice window close or activate him. They chose a somewhat unexpected third option, which will let the 29-year-old receiver catch on elsewhere before season’s end. Reynolds will wrap his season with five games played, having caught 12 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown.
Denver added Reynolds before Franklin and Vele were in the picture, with the longtime Jared Goff target effectively representing insurance for the Broncos. Seeing Vele move to the lead of the Broncos’ WR2 committee, the team apparently prefers not to have Reynolds around to take away snaps from its developing crop. As the Broncos will take a chance on using only rookie-deal cogs to support Sutton, this transaction adds an interesting name on the waiver wire for WR-needy teams in the process.
The Lions, who signed Patrick after the Broncos cut him in August, made Reynolds an offer to stay. Though, it came in south of the Broncos’ proposal. It will be interesting to see if Detroit shows interest, given Jameson Williams‘ volatility. The NFL could suspend Williams still, even though a gun charge was ultimately never filed after an October incident. Williams has been suspended twice already and missed most of his rookie season due to injury. Patrick has worked as Detroit’s No. 3 option, but Reynolds played ahead of Williams for much of last season, finishing with 40 receptions for 608 yards and five TDs. Multiple drops in the NFC championship game ended Reynolds’ Lions tenure on a sour note, but the ex-Rams draftee played with Goff in two cities.
The Broncos have now passed on activating both Reynolds and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell; the latter’s practice period closed and he reverted to season-ending IR. Denver does not have another obvious IR-return candidate, though running back Tyler Badie is eligible to be activated. The team, which is entering a bye week, will opt to save some activations for the stretch run.
After sitting out the first chunk of the 2024 campaign, Ryan Neal has landed with a playoff contender for the stretch run of the season. The veteran safety is signing with the Buccaneers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. It will be a practice squad gig for Neal.
[RELATED: Buccaneers Place Jordan Whitehead On IR]
This is a reunion for the two sides, as Neal spent the 2023 campaign in Tampa Bay. The veteran ended up starting 13 of his 15 appearances, compiling 76 total tackles. Pro Football Focus wasn’t especially fond of his performance, grading him as one of the worst safeties in the NFL. As a result of the poor showing, Neal found himself unsigned for the first three months of this season.
Now, Neal could look to revive his career in the same spot. The Buccaneers have lost some significant depth at the safety position over the past week. Jordan Whitehead landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury ahead of Week 13, and fill-in Mike Edwards proceeded to suffer a knee injury in that contest. With Tykee Smith also nursing a lingering knee injury, the Buccaneers entered the day with only Christian Izien and Antoine Winfield Jr. as healthy options in their safeties room.
So, the team has reunited with a pair of old friends. In addition to Neal, the team also snagged Kaevon Merriweather off the Lions practice squad today. The former UDFA spent the first year-plus of his career in Tampa Bay, collecting 24 tackles in 25 games. After seeing a lesser role on defense as a sophomore, the safety was waived by the Buccaneers a few weeks ago. He subsequently landed on Detroit’s taxi squad, but Tampa Bay’s sudden need for depth has landed him back on the Buccaneers’ active roster.
Considering Merriweather started the 2024 season in Tampa Bay, he may be ahead of Neal on the current depth chart. However, the veteran acquisition has shown some ability to be a starting-caliber defensive back. He had a consistent role in Seattle between 2020 and 2022, appearing in 43 games. That included a 2022 campaign where he started 10 games while collecting 66 tackles, one interception, and eight passes defended.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
With Trevor Lawrence currently in concussion protocol, the Jaguars have added some QB depth to the organization. John Wolford brings four games of starting experience to Jacksonville, all coming with the Rams between 2020 and 2022. The Wake Forest product went 2-2 in those appearances, tossing one touchdown vs. five interceptions. He’ll slide in behind Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard in the franchise’s QB pecking order.
The Eagles added a veteran fullback to their roster in Khari Blasingame. The 28-year-old has appeared in 66 games since entering the league in 2019, collecting 131 yards from scrimmage on 24 carries. The Eagles recently lost part-time fullback Ben VanSumeren for the season, opening a role for a handful of blocking snaps per game.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Sincere McCormick has seen a larger role in recent weeks as a practice squad elevation, and now the running back will be secured to the Raiders active roster. After spending the past few years hanging around the organization, the former UDFA finally made his NFL debut earlier this season. With the Raiders dealing with a depleted RB room in recent weeks, McCormick has seen an uptick in snaps, culminating in him collecting 65 yards from scrimmage on Black Friday.
Julius Wood has been hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The safety will now be sidelined for the rest of the 2024 campaign and one game in 2025. The undrafted rookie has appeared in nine games this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.
Bailey Zappe has landed back on Cleveland’s active roster. After getting suddenly waived by the Browns yesterday, the quarterback has re-signed with the squad, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Zappe has spent more than a month in Cleveland, with the Browns plucking him from the Chiefs’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s season-ending injury. Jameis Winston has since run with the starting gig, leaving Zappe on the sideline.
The former fourth-round pick showed some flashes during his two seasons in New England. Zappe went 4-4 as a starter while completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,053 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The Western Kentucky product got a longer look as a sophomore and saw his completion percentage drop and his interception percentage rise.
With the Patriots adding three QBs this past offseason (Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Milton), Zappe was the odd man out. He was waived by New England during final roster cuts, and he subsequently landed in a solid situation on Kansas City’s practice squad.
Zappe will be hard pressed to earn his ninth career start in Cleveland. If Winston somehow needs to be replaced, the Browns would likely opt for Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center.