Transactions News & Rumors

49ers Place WR Ricky Pearsall On NFI List

SEPTEMBER 3: General manager John Lynch said (via Barrows) the bullet which hit Pearsall did not strike any ribs, a factor which allowed him to be hospitalized for such a brief period. Lynch added he expects Pearsall to be available at some point during the 2024 campaign. That will not be possible until Week 5 at the earliest, but any regular season action would of course be a welcomed development.

SEPTEMBER 2: Ricky Pearsall will, to no surprise, be sidelined for at least the first four games of the regular season. The 49ers’ first-round rookie was placed on the non-football injury list Monday, as noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Pearsall was the victim of an attempted robbery on Saturday and he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. The 23-year-old was in serious but stable condition in the aftermath of the incident, and none of his vital organs were hit. In an encouraging update yesterday, Pearsall was discharged from hospital.

His recovery will now continue from home, but the 49ers will proceed with caution in terms of getting him back on the field. Pearsall – who had already missed considerable time in training camp and the preseason due to hamstring and shoulder injuries – will be sidelined for a notable period before being eligible to make his regular season debut.

As Matt Barrow of the Athletic notes, returning Pearsall from the NFI list to the active roster will count as one of the eight activations San Francisco has during the campaign. Those activations are generally meant for players placed on injured reserve before or after roster cuts.

The 49ers’ receiver depth chart is set with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings in place to once again lead the way at the position. Pearsall’s selection on Day 1 of the draft came amidst trade talk surrounding Aiyuk and Samuel, although both are now under contract beyond 2024. Pearsall should occupy a rotational role once healthy, and with Samuel a potential trade candidate next offseason, he could step into a starting gig in 2025.

In a corresponding move, the 49ers signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker to the active roster. The former Raider is a veteran of 59 games and 33 starts, and he is positioned to take on the swing tackle role for Week 1. Jaylon Moore is on track to start at left tackle for San Francisco due to Trent Williams‘ ongoing holdout. The future Hall of Famer is on the reserve/did not report list while talks on a contract resolution continue. An agreement could be coming soon, but for at least the coming week Parker will likely be counted on as key depth up front.

Seahawks Add Jaren Hall To Practice Squad

One of the Vikings’ four starting quarterbacks last season, Jaren Hall could not stick with Minnesota’s 53-man roster this year. The Vikings waived the 2023 fifth-rounder to make room for Brett Rypien last week.

As Rypien makes his way from Chicago to the Twin Cities, Hall will receive another opportunity. The Seahawks are bringing him in as their de facto third-stringer. The Seahawks are adding Hall to its practice squad, per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta. Seattle released wide receiver Easop Winston to make room.

[RELATED: Seahawks Not Discussing Geno Smith Extension]

Hall joined Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens as Vikings QB starters during a rare four-QB1 season in NFL history. The BYU product completed 65% of his passes at an impressive 8.4 yards per attempt. Hall, however, suffered a concussion in his first start — leading to Dobbs’ quick post-trade debut — and was benched in his second start, a Week 17 loss to the Packers.

Hall had replaced a struggling Mullens ahead of Week 17 but did not get the call for the Vikes’ season finale. Minnesota still has Mullens on its 53-man roster, with the ex-San Francisco UDFA joining Rypien as Sam Darnold‘s backups. J.J. McCarthy is on IR. The Vikings are not carrying a practice squad passer.

Minnesota drafted Hall 164th overall, doing so after he threw 31 touchdown passes compared to six interceptions in his final BYU campaign. Hall succeeded Zach Wilson as the Cougars’ starter in 2021. The Seahawks showed pre-draft interest in the two-year college starter last year, per ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson.

The Seahawks will take over Hall’s development, stashing him behind Geno Smith and trade acquisition Sam Howell. Seattle had placed P.J. Walker in that role during training camp but cut the veteran backup/XFL 2.0 starter last week. Two years remain on Howell’s rookie contract, while Smith is also signed through the 2025 season. The Seahawks can elevate Hall to their 53-man roster up to three times, before they must use waivers to make him their emergency option — thanks to the NFLPA nixing an offseason rule change aimed at QB flexibility.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/24

Here are Monday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Praise Olatoke

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: OL Blake Larson

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: DB Ayo Oyelola

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: S Kendell Brooks

Weaver has dropped from the player who logged 640 defensive snaps in 2022, when Harold Landry was sidelined for the year, to the practice squad level. The Titans waived Weaver after setting their initial 53-man roster. He will follow ex-teammate Teair Tart by joining the Texans’ D-line upon being a Titans cut. Though, Tart landed in Houston via waiver claim and never dropped to the P-squad. Weaver registered 5.5 sacks in 2022 but did not record any in 15 games last season.

The Giants waived Long last week. He will join a Colts team that has made multiple moves at corner since setting its initial roster. Indianapolis, which took some heat for not augmenting its outside CB situation this offseason, claimed Samuel Womack off waivers from San Francisco and waived Darrell Baker. Long, a former Rams third-round pick, played for three teams (Raiders, Panthers, Packers in 2023.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/24

Here are Labor Day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Dee Delaney

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR David Durden

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Trey Knox

New Orleans Saints

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Kevin Rader

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Stromberg sustained a knee injury that will require surgery. The 2023 third-round pick, one of five 2023 draftees that did not make Washington’s 53-man roster last week, will only need an arthroscopic procedure, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Stromberg is aiming to catch on somewhere else around the midseason point. He only played 26 rookie-year snaps on offense. The Arkansas product would technically have a chance to land back with the Commanders, depending on the terms of the settlement, but the team moving on so early may well point to the Adam Peters regime deeming the Ron Rivera– and Martin Mayhew-overseen move a mistake.

Davis figures to land elsewhere and play this season. The 28-year-old linebacker sustained a foot sprain and will be out for a few weeks, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Davis played in 16 games, split evenly between the Saints and Panthers, last season.

Chiefs Place RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire On NFI List

Kansas City will be shorthanded in the backfield to begin the season. The Chiefs placed Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the reserve/NFI list on Monday, as detailed by ESPN’s Field Yates.

As a result, Edwards-Helaire will be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. Isiah Pacheco remains in place to handle lead back duties, while undrafted rookie Carson Steele made the roster after impressing during training camp and the preseason. Edwards-Helaire missed considerable time during training camp as well as Sunday’s practice, though, Yates’ colleague Adam Teicher notes. Today’s move thus comes as little surprise.

Edwards-Helaire, 25, entered the league with high expectations as the top running back in his class. The No. 32 pick in the 2020 draft racked up 1,100 scrimmage yards in his rookie season, but since then he has seen his usage rate and production drop with each passing season. A free agent departure during the spring would have been sensible since it would have provided him a fresh start. Instead, Edwards-Helaire remained in Kansas City on a one-year deal. The pact includes $1.33MM guaranteed and can reach a maximum value of $1.7MM.

The LSU alum logged a snap share of only 22% last season, but the Chiefs’ decision not to re-sign Jerick McKinnon left open the possibility for an increased pass-catching role in 2024. Kansas City recently added Samaje Perine, however, and the veteran is in place to handle third-down duties. Perine made 50 receptions last year with the Broncos, but he was let go with other options in place in the Denver backfield.

Pacheco received a career-high 205 carries in 2023, and he should again log a heavy workload on early downs in particular this season. Perine and Steele will offer complementary options in the backfield while Edwards-Helaire recovers. The latter will need a strong showing in 2024 to land another deal with the Chiefs (or to boost his 2025 free agent prospects). Today’s news is obviously not an encouraging start to the campaign in Edwards-Helaire’s case.

Commanders Sign LB Nick Bellore

Nick Bellore saw his Seahawks tenure come to an end earlier this offseason, but he will have a new opportunity in time for Week 1. The veteran linebacker and special teamer joined the Commanders via a practice squad deal, per a team announcement. The Pedestrian Podcast first reported that a contract was imminent.

Bellore made 10 defensive starts in 2016, his second and final season with the 49ers. During his time with the Jets before that – along with the Lions and Seahawks afterwards – however, his main contributions came on special teams. The 35-year-old has also seen time as a fullback, although he was used very sparingly in that capacity during his Seattle tenure.

One year remained on Bellore’s contract entering free agency, but the Seahawks released him in a cost-cutting move. That decision began a lengthy free agent stay, but by signing ahead of the regular season the former UDFA will be available for the Commanders as a potential gameday elevation from the practice squad. Bellore earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020 and ’23 for his special teams play, and he has collected double-digit tackles in his third phase work in each of the past four years.

The Commanders ranked 26th in special teams DVOA last season, leaving plenty of room for improvement in 2024. New head coach Dan Quinn will oversee Washington’s rebuilding efforts in a number of capacities, and expectations for a defensive turnaround in particular are in place given the nature of the team’s offseason. Bellore could be a depth option in the linebacking corps (especially if he were to land on the active roster), but primarily he will be in place for his special teams contributions. A veteran of 204 combined regular and postseason games, Bellore intended to continue his career once his Seahawks release went through.

This Commanders accord will allow him to meet that goal while not significantly affecting Washington’s cap outlook. The team entered Monday with roughly $27MM in cap space, and adding Bellore will not take away flexibility for other moves leading up to Week 1.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/24

Sunday saw only one team make any practice squad moves:

Philadelphia Eagles

Hebert, 25, first joined the Eagles’ taxi squad last December. He did not see any game time but remained with the organization on a futures contract. Philadelphia waived him in April before bringing him back into the fold in time for training camp. Hebert was among the team’s final roster cuts, but he will stay in place by once again taking a practice squad deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/24

Saturday’s lone minor move:

New York Giants

New York’s reunion with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson is official, so a roster spot needed to be opened up. Johnson will be free to sign with another team, but he is a candidate to remain with the Giants via a practice squad deal. Just like last season, teams are allowed to elevate two practice squad players each week to dress for games on the active roster. Johnson and many other veterans will no doubt spend time on and off the taxi squad as a result.

Commanders Trade DT John Ridgeway To Saints

TODAY, 12:05pm: The seventh-round pick that the Commanders attached to Ridgeway is a conditional selection, according to Howard Balzer of CardsWire. In a fun twist, the pick is technically New Orleans’ 2025 seventh-round pick. The selection was originally sent to Philly in the C. J. Gardner-Johnson trade, and it was recently sent to Washington in the Jahan Dotson deal.

WEDNESDAY, 2:45pm: The Commanders made an effort to trade John Ridgeway before roster-cutdown day. Unlike many of those pursuits, a deal will come to pass after the team had set its 53-man roster.

Ridgeway is heading to the Saints in a pick-swap deal, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo report. This marks another 2022 or 2023 draftee the new regime is jettisoning. A 2022 Cowboys fifth-round pick, Ridgeway worked as rotational defensive tackle in Washington.

Washington cut five of its 2023 draftees Tuesday and has now traded two 2022 picks in the past week, with this following the Jahan Dotson deal. Even though Ridgeway came from the Cowboys, Dan Quinn‘s team is moving on from a player the Ron Rivera regime initially added. Ridgeway arrived in Dallas during Quinn’s second year as Cowboys DC; the veteran coach has since signed off on moving on twice in three years.

This will be a classic pick-swap agreement, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter adding the Saints are sending the Commanders a 2025 sixth-round pick for Ridgeway and a ’25 seventh. Two years remain on Ridgeway’s rookie contract, which Washington initially claimed in September 2022.

Ridgeway, 25, played a career-high 356 defensive snaps last season. While the Commanders had extra work to go around at D-end during the second half of last season (after trading Chase Young and Montez Sweat), they had less playing time to give out at DT. Ridgeway nevertheless earned a spot operating behind Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Pro Football Focus was still not impressed, ranking the Illinois State alum as a bottom-10 D-tackle (among regulars) last season.

The Saints return 2023 free agency additions Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd at D-tackle, with 2023 first-round pick Bryan Bresee and rookie sixth-rounder Khristian Boyd rounding out the group. New Orleans also rookie UDFA DT Sincere Haynesworth on IR last week.