Tag: roster moves

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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Recapping the 5 roster moves Broncos made ahead of Falcons game

Broncos FB Michael Burton is back on the 53-man roster and LB Zach Cunningham and DB Keidron Smith were elevated to the game-day roster.

The Denver Broncos made five roster moves this week ahead of their Week 11 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, with three of those transactions involving the same player.

First, the Broncos waived safety Keidron Smith from the active roster on Tuesday. Denver then promoted fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. After he cleared waivers, Smith re-signed with the practice squad on Thursday.

Smith was then elevated to the game-day roster on Saturday alongside linebacker Zach Cunningham. Smith and Cunningham will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

Broncos roster moves ahead of Week 11

  1. Cut DB Keidron Smith from active roster
  2. Promoted FB Michael Burton to active roster
  3. Signed CB Keidron Smith to practice squad
  4. Promoted LB Zach Cunningham to game-day roster
  5. Promoted DB Keidron Smith to game-day roster

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). Playing at home, the Broncos are considered slight favorites in Week 11.

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Broncos make second roster move ahead of Falcons game

The Broncos promoted fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos made their second roster move of the week on Wednesday by promoting fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Burton (5-11, 242 pounds) had maxed out his three practice squad elevations, so Denver had to promote him to the active roster so he can play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Broncos had room for Burton on the active roster after waiving safety Keidron Smith on Tuesday.

Smith cleared waivers on Wednesday and he plans to return on the team’s practice squad, according to a report from the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson. Smith played in eight games this season, totaling six tackles. He played primarily on special teams.

Burton, 32, has played in all 10 games for the Broncos this season. Used primarily as a blocker, Burton has two carries and five catches on 100 offensive snaps this season. Burton has also played 179 snaps on special teams this fall.

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Saints’ latest roster move may mean good news for injured Pro Bowler

The New Orleans Saints announced they had waived Connor McGovern, which could mean good news is on the way for Erik McCoy:

The New Orleans Saints announced Monday they had waived Connor McGovern, which could mean good news is on the way for Erik McCoy. McGovern has been the go-to option replacing McCoy at center, and on Sunday he snapped the ball for all 53 of the Saints’ offensive plays. If he clears waivers he should be a safe bet to return on the Saints practice squad.

And McGovern, if you’ll remember, was the offensive lineman the Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry to make room for. He wound up logging 369 snaps across six games, five of them starts, and entirely at center.

But back to McCoy. The former Pro Bowler has been out of action with a groin injury that required surgery earlier this season, and the Saints didn’t win a game without him until Sunday’s upset of the Atlanta Falcons. When Klint Kubiak installed his offense McCoy was tasked with adjusting protection before the snap, and the team struggled badly without him.

So this move likely means he’ll be back in the middle this Sunday against the  Cleveland Browns. That gives McCoy an opportunity to get his feet back under him and take advantage of the bye week for extra rest afterwards. He hasn’t been officially activated yet after returning to practice last week, but that does seem to be the way the wind is blowing.

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Commanders’ injury news, roster moves ahead of Week 10 vs. Steelers

No Austin Seibert and other moves for the Commanders ahead of Week 10 vs. Steelers.

The Washington Commanders could be in trouble with their special teams’ units in Sunday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Commanders announced Saturday that kicker Austin Seibert is out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Commanders listed Seibert as questionable on Friday’s injury report with a right hip issue. Washington signed veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez to the practice squad in case Seibert couldn’t go. 

With Seibert out, Washington announced multiple roster moves, including the elevation of Gonzalez from the practice squad. The Commanders ruled out newly acquired cornerback Marshon Lattimore and starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. on Friday. This is the second consecutive game Robinson has missed and the third of the season for the team’s leading rusher. 

Washington signed running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. from the practice squad to replace Robinson. The Commanders will have a running back rotation of Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Rodriguez against the Steelers. Rodriguez led Washington in rushing against the Giants last week. 

In other moves, the Commanders placed rookie tight end Colson Yankoff on the reserve/injured list. Rodriguez replaced him on the roster. Washington also elevated defensive end Efe Obada from the practice squad. The Commanders released Obada earlier this week when they traded for Lattimore but quickly re-signed him to the practice squad. 

Back to special teams: Long snapper Tyler Ott was added to the injury report as questionable for Sunday’s game with an illness. If Ott can’t go, left guard Nick Allegretti is the emergency long snapper.

Saints add former Giants defensive end to their practice squad

The New Orleans Saints added another defensive end to their practice squad. Here’s what you need to know about Ryder Anderson:

The New Orleans Saints added another defensive end, announcing Thursday that Ryder Anderson had signed with their practice squad. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 276 pounds, Anderson played college football at Ole Miss and Indiana before turning pro in 2022; he had spent his NFL career to this point with the New York Giants.

He’s the second defensive end the team signed this week after releasing Niko Lalos, along with Trajan Jeffcoat, an undrafted rookie who tried out at Saints training camp earlier this year. They haven’t gotten enough production out of guys at the bottom of the rotation like Isaiah Foskey and even Cameron Jordan, so it makes sense to churn the depth chart and see if someone new can show something special.

And here’s an updated look at the Saints defensive ends group, ordered by snaps played:

  • Carl Granderson (453 in 9 games)
  • Chase Young (412 in 9 games)
  • Cameron  Jordan (248 in 9 games)
  • Payton Turner (147 in 8 games)
  • Isaiah Foskey (33 in 5 games)
  • Trajan Jeffcoat (PS)
  • Ryder Anderson (PS)
  • Tanoh Kpassagnon (PUP)

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Saints make a couple of roster moves amid blockbuster Marshon Lattimore trade

The Saints made a couple of roster moves amid their blockbuster Marshon Lattimore trade, including the return of a rookie who was injured at training camp:

After an eventful day with the New Orleans Saints shipping their Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders, they made a couple of low-level transactions along the offensive and defensive lines.

The Saints re-signed guard Kyle Hergel to their practice squad while also releasing defensive end Niko Lalos and rookie defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat. Jeffcoat suffered a dislocated elbow at the start of Saints training camp so he’s back for another look.

The undrafted free agent Hergel has been active in five games this season, serving as a young depth piece along the interior offensive line. With an impressive training camp it isn’t surprising that the Saints want to continue to develop him if they can.

Lalos on the other hand, has been a guy the Saints have viewed highly of the last few seasons, as they’ve continued to add him back to the roster when  available. He has shown many flashes in the preseason over the years, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the team decided to bring him back at some point. Jeffcoat needs to practice hard and prove he’s a better option.

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Saints sign another running back to their practice squad

The Saints brought in some running back depth on Tuesday, signing second-year player Xazavian Valladay to the practice squad:

The New Orleans Saints have brought in additional running back depth by signing second-year player Xazavian Valladay to the practice squad, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler The Saints currently have three running backs on the  53-man roster: Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Jordan Mims.

However, Williams is dealing with a groin injury right now and missed the Saints’ Week 9 game. They also have Jacob Kibodi on the practice squad as of this moment.

Valladay was an exceptional running back at the college level, putting together four 1,00-yard rushing seasons, including in 2019 when he led the PAC-12 in rushing attempts (247), rushing yards (1,265), and plays from scrimmage (258). Over his five years in college, he played in 54 games accruing 841 rush attempts, 4,473 yards (5.3 yards per carry), 35 rushing touchdowns, as well as 88 receptions for 873 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.

Overall he was very good at both Wyoming and Arizona State, but would go undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft class. He has signed three practice squad deals since then, with the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, and New York Jets from late 2023 to 2024, before being released in September.

Though he does only have one game on the active roster of an NFL team, he is still only one year into his tenure and showed flashes of promise in college. Also a fun fact, if he were to make the 53-man roster, he would be the first Saint to do so with their first name starting with the letter “X”. One of the few exceptions from him being the only Saint to ever sign with the team under those circumstances is Xavier Rush, who signed in Aug. 2017 for a few weeks.

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Cardinals announce addition of DL, OLB to practice squad

The Cardinals signed DL Anthony Goodlow and ILB Milo Eifler to their practice squad.

The Arizona Cardinals held tryouts for four players on Tuesday and released a pair of players from their practice squad. They announced two of the players who tried out were signed to the practice squad as they began their preparation for Week 9.

They signed defensive lineman Anthony Goodlow and linebacker Milo Eifler.

Goodlow is 6-foot-5 and 284 pounds. He is an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State (2023) and Tulsa (2018-2022) who signed originally with the Rams. He was college teammate of Cardinals outside linebacker Zaven Collins at Tulsa. He had 42 tackles and three sacks for Oklahoma State in 2023 and 12 sacks for Tulsa during his time there.

Eifler is 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds. In the league since 2021 when he entered as a rookie free agent out of Washington and Illinois, he has appeared in 15 career games and had four career tackles. He has played mainly on special teams in his career, logging 290 special teams snaps with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons and only six on defense.

With these additions, here is the current practice squad:

  • QB Anthony Brown
  • RB Michael Carter
  • WR Andre Baccellia
  • WR Chris Moore
  • WR Tejhaun Palmer
  • TE Bernhard Seikovits
  • OL Keith Ismael
  • OL Nick Leverett
  • OL Luke Tenuta
  • DL Anthony Goodlow
  • DL P.J. Mustipher
  • DL Ben Stille
  • ILB Markus Bailey
  • ILB Milo Eifler
  • OLB Ronnie Perkins
  • CB Jaden Davis
  • CB Divaad Wilson

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Commanders announce roster moves with injuries at offensive tackle

The Commanders add veteran OT depth.

The Washington Commanders were busy making moves on their day. With injuries to their top two left tackles, Brandon Coleman (concussion) and Cornelius Lucas (ankle), the Commanders have only two healthy tackles on the roster: Right tackle Andrew Wylie and backup Trent Scott.

The Commanders first worked out former Patriots tackle Yodny Cajuste. Washington didn’t initially sign Cajuste but did sign veteran Bobby Hart to the practice squad. Hart, 30, was a seventh-round pick by the New York Giants in 2015 and has spent time with six different NFL teams, including three stints in Buffalo.

Hart has plenty of experience, having played in 98 career games with 67 starts. He was Cincinnati’s right tackle for three seasons from 2018-20, starting every game but three.

Washington released OT Anim Dankwah from the practice squad in a corresponding move. The 6-foot-8, 353-pound Dankwah signed with the practice squad last month. He’s an undrafted rookie from nearby Howard University.

Coleman missed last week’s game, while Lucas left in the second half with an ankle injury. The Commanders have offered no further updates, but practice is set to return on Wednesday; we should know more then.