NFL News

Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the NFL. We’ll keep the list updated throughout the day…

• The Colts have released kick returner Marcus Thigpen and called up linebacker Amarlo Herrera to take his roster spot, reports Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (via Twitter). With Jerrell Freeman and Nate Irving both struggling with injuries, the Colts were clearly looking for some reinforcement on defense. Thigpen previously saw time with the Bills this season, returning 12 combined punts and kickoffs.
• The Bears have signed nose tackle Bruce Gaston from the Packers practice squad, reports Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The second-year player had made a pair of appearances with Green Bay this season. He’s expected to provide the Bears with some depth on the defensive line, where Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton and Jeremiah Ratliff are all banged up.

Browns running back Robert Turbin is recovered from an ankle injury that kept him out of action for the five weeks of the NFL season and will make his debut with the team this Sunday. Turbin, whose first opponent will be the Broncos and their fifth-ranked run defense, has lofty goals for the season.

“I feel like this is going to be my team,” Turbin said, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.

Turbin added that he wants to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, which will be extra difficult in an 11-game season.

Turbin, a fourth-round pick out of Utah State in 2012, spent the first three years of his career in Seattle. The Seahawks waived him in September and the Browns subsequently claimed him. The 25-year-old has amassed 231 carries and 928 yards, good for 4.0 yards per rush. That’s not great, but it would be an improvement for a Browns offense that currently has the league’s 27th-ranked per-carry average (3.7).

More on the Browns and a couple of notes concerning the 2016 draft:

• Despite his latest off-field issue, the Browns plan to suit up quarterback Johnny Manziel as Josh McCown‘s backup Sunday. That’s the wrong approach, opines the Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Bud Shaw, who believes the Browns should discipline Manziel by deactivating him for Week 6.
• In another piece regarding Manziel, Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today contends that any credibility he reestablished with the team after an offseason that included a rehab stint could be gone. She also wonders whether the second-year man’s career is now in jeopardy.
• Former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack has chosen Octagon Sports as his agency as he prepares for next spring’s draft, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). John Thornton will represent Jack, who withdrew from UCLA earlier this month after suffering a season-ending knee injury in September. Jack is a potential first-round pick.
• There’s talk among agents that junior Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright will turn pro after this season, according to Jason Cole of Nerdy Football (via Twitter). Wright’s standout performance last year earned him All-America honors, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Jack Lambert Award (nation’s best linebacker), and the Chuck Bednarik Award (nation’s top defender).

The Eagles made a pair of noteworthy free agent signings at running back in the offseason when they added DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. As last season’s NFL rushing champion, Murray signed a far bigger contract than Mathews (five years and $42MM versus three years, $11MM). Their performances this year haven’t reflected their disparate deals, however, as Mathews has easily outplayed Murray. Both backs have a similar number of carries (49 for Murray, 41 for Mathews), but Mathews has averaged an impressive 5.0 yards per attempt against Murray’s paltry 2.7.

To his credit, Murray took the notion of an increase in Mathews’ touches in stride, per Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com.

“Hey, whatever they decide,” Murray said. “I can only control what I can control. I can’t control the plays being called or who’s in on different situations.”

In assessing Mathews, Murray stated, “I think he’s running it great. Obviously, he’s a tough running back, tough to defend, tough guy to bring down and I think he’s been doing well.”

How the two have played this year might not matter this week, as Mathews could miss the Eagles’ key game against the NFC East rival Giants with a groin injury. That would give Murray a chance to sink or swim as the unquestioned go-to back. The fifth-year man has fared respectably of late, rushing 28 times for 119 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks. He accrued season highs in carries (20) and yards (83) in the Eagles’ 39-17 win over the Saints last Sunday.

Now the latest regarding a couple of AFC East teams:

• Bills receiver Sammy Watkins spoke out Thursday about the lack of targets that came his way before he suffered a Week 3 injury. His issues seem to lie with quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who could miss Sunday’s game against the Bengals with an ankle injury. That would make EJ Manuel the Bills’ starter under center, and Manuel expressed support for Watkins on Friday (via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne). “I think as quarterbacks, we like to hear our receiver is hungry and wants to make plays.” Manuel and Watkins seemingly established a rapport during their limited work together in 2014: Manuel targeted Watkins 32 times in four games, per Chris Trapasso of NFL.com (Twitter link). On the other hand, in two-plus games this year, Taylor has targeted Watkins 12 times.
• With the Patriots weakened at cornerback thanks to Tarell Brown‘s foot injury, they could turn to stalwart safety Devin McCourty for help at the position against the Colts this weekend, writes Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. McCourty came into the league as a corner in 2010 before eventually making the transition to safety. Head coach Bill Belichick used McCourty at corner at times over the summer in the event he’d be needed there this year. That looks as if it could happen this week, as New England is down to Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, undrafted rookie Justin Coleman, and newly added waiver-wire pickup Rashaan Melvin at the positon.
• In other Patriots news, the team will promote offensive tackle Cameron Fleming from its practice squad to its 53-man roster, tweets ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The former Stanford Cardinal spent all of last season on the Pats’ 53-man roster and played in seven games after they used a fourth-round pick on him.

Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

• The Jaguars cut linebacker John Lotulelei from injured reserve with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The 23-year-old had been a member of the Jacksonville organization since 2013, though he didn’t appear in any games with the team. He played in two games as a Seahawk in 2013 and made three tackles.
• The Raiders signed wide receiver/return man Walter Powell off Buffalo’s practice squad, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Powell appeared in four games for the Jets in 2014 and logged 20 returns (eight kicks, 12 punts).

Friday’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

• Signed: RB Miguel Maysonet (Twitter link via the team)

Green Bay Packers

• Signed: TE Mitchell Henry (Twitter link via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin)
• Cut: TE Tom Annen

Washington

• Signed: WR Colin Lockett (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
• Placed WR Isaac Blackney on the practice squad injured list