A day after running back Christine Michael was cut from Washington’s practice squad, he has found a new NFL home, and it’s a familiar one. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters today that Seattle has re-signed Michael (Twitter link).

Prior to the start of the regular season, the Seahawks decided to move on from Michael, who had been one of Marshawn Lynch‘s backups in 2013 and 2014. Seattle sent the former second-round pick to the Cowboys, but Dallas cut him in November. In five games with the Cowboys, Michael ran for just 51 yards on 15 attempts, adding a single reception for two yards.

When Michael became a free agent yesterday, we speculated that a return to Seattle might be in the cards, since the Seahawks have had to deal with several injuries in their backfield. Rookie Thomas Rawls is out for the year, while Marshawn Lynch remains sidelined for now as well. The team also cut DuJuan Harris on Tuesday, leaving veteran Fred Jackson and newly-signed Bryce Brown as the only healthy halfbacks on the 53-man squad.

I’d still expect Brown and Jackson to see the majority of the backfield touches in Week 15, but if Lynch remains out of action for multiple weeks, Michael could become a more significant part of that rotation.

The Giants are making a change on defense, signing one veteran player while cutting another, according to reports. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets that New York is waiving safety Brandon Meriweather, while ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that defensive tackle Barry Cofield will fill the newly-created opening on the roster.

Cofield, who started his career with the Giants, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the defensive lineman returned to action for Washington in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.

The 31-year-old underwent offseason hip surgery, which kept him on the free agent market for longer than expected, but it appears the Giants liked what they saw of Cofield during an early-December workout, resulting in him landing an NFL job.

Meriweather, a starting safety for the Giants’ first 11 games, has been inactive during the last two weeks as he deals with a knee issue. The 31-year-old, who is currently ranked 67th by Pro Football Focus out of 86 qualified safeties, had 53 tackles and a pair of interceptions for New York this season. Based on the official announcement from the Giants, it doesn’t appear that Meriweather was cut with an injury designation.

The race for the AFC South title will take another interesting twist this week, as the starting quarterbacks for the division’s top teams have both been ruled out for Week 15. The Texans announced today that Brian Hoyer won’t play due to a concussion, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle details, while Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Andrew Luck won’t play, though Matt Hasselbeck should (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

The two current leaders in the AFC South are, of course, scheduled to play each other this Sunday, so one of the two 6-7 clubs will almost certainly get back to .500. But they’ll have to attempt to do so without their starting QBs.

Here are a few more updates on quarterback situations around the NFL:

• Bengals players expect quarterback Andy Dalton to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. If he can heal quickly and return in four weeks, that would put Dalton on track to potentially start a game on Wild Card weekend for Cincinnati.
• With Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins nearing the end of his rookie contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what a contract extension for Cousins might look like. As Corry observes, a Nick Foles-type deal could work for both sides, but Cousins should be in no rush to sign an extension if he finishes the season strong, since making Washington have to consider using its franchise tag would give him plenty of leverage.
• Cousins is one of a handful of potential free agent quarterbacks that Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discuss in a piece for NFL.com, and the duo agrees that Washington should do all it can to hang onto the fourth-year signal-caller. Jeremiah and Brooks also examine Eagles QB Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert of the 49ers, and Broncos QB Brock Osweiler, among others.
• Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler are among the players whose teams – the Saints, Broncos, and Bears respectively – will face some tough cap decisions this offseason, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Each case is a little different, but restructured contracts, trades, or cuts could be in play, as Robinson details.

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL, with the latest moves added to the list throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

• Signed: G Eric Herman (Twitter link via team)

Cincinnati Bengals

• Signed: WR Michael Bennett (Twitter link via team)

Indianapolis Colts

• Signed: RB LaDarius Perkins (press release via team)

New England Patriots

• Signed: LB Kevin Snyder (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
• Cut: WR Austin Hill, DT Kelcy Quarles (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN.com)

Philadelphia Eagles

• Signed: CB Mike Lee (Twitter link via team)
• Cut: S Craig Bills (failed physical)

Tennessee Titans

• Signed: WR Nick Harwell, QB Mike Kafka (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com)

Stephon Gilmore‘s 2015 season has come to an early end, with the Bills announcing today that the team has placed the veteran cornerback on injured reserve due to a shoulder issue (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). To replace Gilmore on the 53-man roster, the Bills have signed linebacker Max Valles off the Raiders’ practice squad.

Gilmore, 25, suffered a shoulder injury in the Bills’ Week 13 win over Houston, which sidelined him this past week. Shortly after Gilmore sustained the injury, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters that he didn’t expect it to be a season-ender. However, Ryan was less confident about that earlier this week, indicating on Monday that the former first-round pick may land on IR due to a dislocated shoulder (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).

According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Gilmore is undergoing surgery on his troublesome shoulder in order to repair a labrum tear. Since he was a first-rounder in 2012, Gilmore still has one more year remaining on his contract with the Bills, in the form of a fifth-year option, so he should return to the team next season.

Prior to the injury, Gilmore was having perhaps his best year as a pro, having established a new career high with 18 passes defended. The South Carolina product had also grabbed three interceptions, and ranks as a top-15 cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades.