Tag: practice squad

Broncos cut offensive lineman from 53-man roster

The Broncos cut OL Calvin Throckmorton, a move that could be making room for WR Josh Reynolds to return.

The Denver Broncos are waiving offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton, according to a report from the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel.

Throckmorton was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Nov. 1 after the team lost starting center Luke Wattenberg to an ankle injury. He has served as a backup swing guard/center this month, but Wattenberg has since returned and Denver needed to open up active roster spots.

If he clears waivers, Wattenberg will presumably return to the Broncos on the practice squad. His spot on the 53-man roster will likely be taken by wide receiver Josh Reynolds, who is ready to return from injured reserve this week after recovering from a finger injury.

Denver also cut tight end Greg Dulcich this week to make room for linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) to return from the physically unable to perform list. Sanders is now back on the 53-man roster and Reynolds will presumably join him on the active roster in the coming days.

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Steelers bring back OLB to practice squad

The Steelers have added some insurance at outside linebacker this week.

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had signed outside linebacker Julius Welschof to the practice squad. Welschof was originally part of the Steelers during the offseason after being signed as an undrafted free agent.

This addition could be insurance if Alex Highsmith cannot go this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers have T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig as starters with Preston Smith as the primary backup. Highsmith wasn’t in the field for the team’s Tuesday practice and this is a situation to monitor going into Sunday’s game.

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Broncos elevate 2 players from practice squad for Raiders game

The Broncos have elevated LB Zach Cunningham and OL Nick Gargiulo from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Week 12.

The Denver Broncos are calling up some reinforcements from the practice squad ahead of their Week 12 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Broncos elevated linebacker Zach Cunningham and offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo from the practice squad to the game-day roster on Saturday. They will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

Players can be elevated up to three times during the season without having to clear waivers to return to the practice squad. This will mark Cunningham’s third and final elevation of the season and Gargiulo’s first.

Next week, Denver will have to decide on if Cunningham will be promoted to the 53-man roster or remain on the practice squad.

Cunningham will provide depth at linebacker behind Cody Barton and Justin Strnad while contributing on special teams. Gargiulo will provide more depth on the line with Ben Powers dealing with a shoulder injury.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). The Broncos are considered the favorite despite playing on the road.

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Saints sign a wide receiver back to their practice squad during bye week

The New Orleans Saints re-signed rookie wide receiver Jermaine Jackson back to their practice squad during the bye week:

That didn’t take long. The New Orleans Saints re-signed rookie wide receiver Jermaine Jackson back to their practice squad not long after waiving him last week, with another rookie going on injured reserve as a corresponding move — defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat, who suffered an elbow injury early in training camp and only recently returned to the team.

Jackson had been supplanted as the Saints’ returns specialist by another practice squad wideout, Dante Pettis, but they clearly want to keep him in the fold. Attrition with season-threatening injuries to players like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Bub Means almost demands they keep that depth intact. But we’ll have to wait and see whether Jackson returns to the field this season.

As for Pettis? He came up a toe’s width shy of a punt returned for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns last week, but still gained 53 yards on the play. Like Jackson he was an accomplished returns ace in college and interim head coach Darren Rizzi (who of course has a background as a special teams coordinator) wants him to get more opportunities to impact the game.

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Lions swap practice squad safeties, add Detroit-area native

Lions swap practice squad safeties, add Detroit-area native Kaevon Merriweather and release Erick Hallett

In a minor move at the bottom of the roster, the Detroit Lions made a swap of safeties on the team’s practice squad.

On the incoming side, Detroit added Kaevon Merriweather to the practice squad. Erick Hallett has now been released from Detroit.

Merriweather has extensive NFL experience on special teams in his two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He led the Buccaneers in special teams tackles as an undrafted rookie in 2023. The Detroit-area native (graduated from Belleville HS) was a college teammate of Lions tight end Sam LaPorta at Iowa. With Ifeatu Melifonwu spending at least four more weeks on injured reserve, the Lions still have a pressing need for safety depth.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster shares his thoughts on recently signed wide receiver

Kansas City #Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster shares his thoughts on Tyquan Thornton | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs made changes to their practice squad with the addition of former New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Former Patriots teammate and current Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster opened up about Thornton’s signing while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.

“He’s got a good opportunity to come here for Tyquan (Thornton). I think he’s a great dude. Played with him in New England.” said Smith-Schuster. “Young dude loves to work. Another guy who can stretch the field, too, and you’ll see him out there, doing his thing. So I’m just excited; he’s here to be in the building, excited to work and just get it going. ”

Thornton was a 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor, who clocked in at an impressive 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash at that year’s NFL combine. He never panned out with the Patriots, accumulating 13 starts in 28 games and 39 receptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns. He only had four catches for 47 yards through six games this season in New England.

Smith-Schuster spent last season with New England before being released during training camp this year. Since re-signing, he has remained a steady veteran presence on the Chiefs.

Chiefs cut former draft pick, two-time Super Bowl champion from practice squad

The Kansas City #Chiefs cut Cornell Powell from their practice squad this week after they signed ex-#Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton.

According to a tweet from NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Kansas City Chiefs have released wide receiver Cornell Powell from their practice squad.

Powell was selected by the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Clemson.

Despite an impressive showing at the NFL combine, the former Tiger was signed to Kansas City’s practice squad where he has spent the majority of his career in the league.

A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, Powell has continuously had impressive showings in the preseason but has been unable to translate that success into the regular season.

Powell’s release is thought to be the corresponding move to Kansas City’s signing of wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on Monday.

Though it is unclear whether Thornton will see action with the Chiefs in the coming weeks, Powell’s departure signals that Kansas City was ready to move in a different direction at the wide receiver position.

Stay tuned to see if another team will pick up the fan-favorite or if he will re-join the Chiefs later this season.

Chiefs sign blazing-fast former Patriots 2nd round pick to practice squad

The #Chiefs signed former #Patriots second-round pick Tyquan Thornton to their practice squad on Monday after losing to the #Bills in Week 11.

The Kansas City added some serious speed to their receiving corps on Monday after their Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills by signing former New England Patriots second-round pick Tyquan Thornton to a practice squad contract.

Thornton, who was released by New England last week, ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL combine and played collegiately at Baylor.

Though Thornton isn’t expected to earn a role in Andy Reid’s offense in his first few weeks with the Chiefs, his addition could prove to be a pivotal moment for Kansas City if the defending Super Bowl champions suffer any more injuries at the wide receiver position.

If Thornton were to be called up from the Chiefs’ practice squad to play against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, fans in Kansas City might get to see their first glimpse of the blazing speed that made him one of the most coveted prospects in the 2022 NFL draft.

Saints activate a Pro Bowler in their last-second Week 11 roster moves

The Saints’ last-second roster moves for Week 11 included the return of a Pro Bowler. Erik McCoy will start at center against the Browns:

The New Orleans Saints made a few roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy and linebacker Nephi Sewell have been activated from injured reserve and the physically unable to perform lists, while wide receiver Jermaine Jackson has been waived to make room.

The biggest move was McCoy returning to the lineup. McCoy emerged as arguably the second-most important offensive piece when he went out with injury. But Sewell had a key role to play defensively last year on passing downs until he went down with a serious knee injury. Now he’s making his debut and McCoy is returning to anchor the offensive line.

Waiving Jackson was an interesting choice. He was your return specialist since Rashid Shaheed went down with injury. He wasn’t a huge part of the passing game, and New Orleans opted to elevate Kevin Austin and Dante Pettis from the practice squad.

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Browns sign promising rookie off Commanders practice squad

Other teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

The Adam Peters effect is real. Since Peters was hired in January and reshaped the Commanders’ roster, other NFL teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

This week, the Cleveland Browns signed undrafted rookie cornerback Chigozie Anusiem off Washington’s practice squad to their 53-man roster. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner played collegiately at California before finishing his career at Colorado State.

After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders gave Anusiem a $50K signing bonus and a $300K base salary guarantee to sign with them as an undrafted free agent.

Anusiem showed promise throughout the offseason. While he didn’t make Washington’s initial 53-man roster, the Commanders quickly re-signed him to their practice squad. He has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Washington currently has five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster: Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes and Michael Davis. While Lattimore has yet to make his Washington debut since being acquired in a trade two weeks ago, there is optimism he’ll be available in Week 12 vs. Dallas.