Here are Thanksgiving’s practice squad moves around the league:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Sam Pinckney
Houston Texans
- Signed: FB Andrew Beck
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Myles Adams
- Released: DT Quinton Bohanna
NOVEMBER 28: To no surprise, Pacheco and Omenihu will be back in the fold tomorrow. Both players have officially been activated, per a team announcement. Kansas City still has plenty of flexibility with respect to future IR activations over the closing weeks of the campaign.
NOVEMBER 27: One game up on the Bills but lacking the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Chiefs have some work to do in their pursuit of earning home-field advantage for a fourth time in the Patrick Mahomes QB1 era. They look set to have some reinforcements coming soon.
Respectively in the IR- and PUP-return windows, Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu are expected to play Friday against the Raiders, Andy Reid said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher). The Chiefs are in good shape for injury activations, and since Omenihu is coming off the PUP list, he will not count toward the eight-activation total. Pacheco coming back will still leave Kansas City with six such moves available.
Pacheco has been out since Week 2, suffering a fractured fibula, while Omenihu has not played since going down with a torn ACL in last season’s AFC championship game. The Chiefs opened both contributors’ practice windows November 13. While this would have given the duo another week to return before re-emerging on the active roster, the team is prepared to deploy both against the Raiders.
Pacheco’s comeback represents a more important development, as the Chiefs have turned to retread Kareem Hunt in his place. A former seventh-round pick, Pacheco underwent surgery but had been a candidate to come back in late November. His return will check in within that timeframe and provide the Chiefs with the option of either turning back to Pacheco in a full-time role or forming a committee with Hunt — reacquired in the wake of Pacheco’s injury — down the stretch. Hunt leads the Chiefs with 577 rushing yards, though he is averaging just 3.7 per carry and ranks last in rush yards over expected (minus-74), per Next Gen Stats.
Quickly usurping Clyde Edwards-Helaire as Kansas City’s top back in 2022, Pacheco will have a chance to make a push for a second contract in the coming weeks. The Chiefs have Pacheco — a two-time 800-plus-yard rusher, combining for 12 rushing TDs from 2022-23 — signed through the 2025 season, but the Rutgers alum becomes extension-eligible in January. The Chiefs have not signed off on a notable RB contract since Jamaal Charles‘ two-year, $18MM extension in 2014, though they were believed to have pursued Josh Jacobs this offseason. Pacheco will bring an eventual decision for the AFC power, having provided tremendous value from his No. 251 overall draft slot.
Attached to a three-year, $24MM deal, Omenihu has started the past two seasons late. The Chiefs signed the defensive end with the expectation he would be suspended for a domestic violence arrest, and Omenihu made an impact during an abbreviated first season in Kansas City. He registered a career-high seven sacks last season, adding another in the Baltimore matchup before the ACL tear. No Chief has more than four sacks thus far this season, with George Karlaftis leading way (four) on a Chris Jones-centered D-line. Offseason re-signing Michael Danna continues to start at Kansas City’s other D-end spot, but Omenihu stands to provide a potentially impactful rotational presence alongside trade addition Josh Uche.
Aidan O’Connell will indeed be in place for the Raiders for their Black Friday contest. The second-year quarterback was activated from injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement. 
O’Connell was designated for return earlier this week with the expectation he would be activated in time to start against the Chiefs tomorrow. The QB1 gig will be his the rest of the way this year given Gardner Minshew‘s broken collarbone. Minshew was officially moved to IR in a corresponding move.
The Raiders have been linked to a quarterback pursuit this offseason given their struggles on offense, although both Minshew and O’Connell are under contract for 2025. The latter has made 12 total starts in the NFL, but after showing a degree of promise late last season the current campaign has not gone according to plan. O’Connell, 26, will be joined on the depth chart by Desmond Ridder over the coming weeks but it would come as no surprise if one or more new signal-callers were to be added this offseason.
Vegas also placed cornerback Jakorian Bennett on IR Thursday. The 2023 fourth-rounder handled rotational duties as a rookie but he has been a mainstay in the secondary this season. Bennett has logged a defensive snap share of 71% this season, posting 26 tackles and eight pass deflections. In coverage, the Maryland product has allowed a completion percentage of just 52.3% and has yet to surrender a touchdown as the nearest defender. His absence (which will last at least the next four games) will be acutely felt in the Raiders’ secondary.
The Bennett move opened up a spot on the active roster, and it has been filled by wideout Terrace Marshall. The former Panthers draftee was waived during roster cutdowns and he briefly spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad. Marshall has most recently been with Vegas, and has been used as a gameday elevation once already. The former second-rounder will now get a look on the roster as he looks to carve out a role in the team’s receiving corps.
NOVEMBER 28: Raanan and colleague Adam Schefter report DeVito is expected to be out today, leaving Lock in position to start. Depending on how his pregame warm-up goes, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes DeVito could serve as New York’s backup or emergency third quarterback. With hours remaining until kickoff, though, today’s updates point further toward Lock getting the nod.
NOVEMBER 27: Although Brian Daboll declared Tommy DeVito would remain the Giants’ starter for their Week 13 Thanksgiving matchup in Dallas, the popular New York passer has run into injury trouble.
DeVito is not traveling with the Giants to Dallas today, the team announced. A forearm injury has required more testing, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo noting the team’s current QB1 is on track to depart for Dallas later today. But DeVito may ultimately end up taking a seat.
It looks like a long shot DeVito will be ready to play on a short week, ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan tweets. That will move Drew Lock into the lineup. Lock had been Daniel Jones‘ backup all season, only to see Daboll look past him for DeVito in Week 12. Lock, who is tied to a one-year contract, is now on track to make his first start with the Giants. Tim Boyle, signed shortly after the Giants benched Jones, would be Lock’s backup if DeVito is inactive.
DeVito did not appear on the Giants’ injury report going into Tuesday but has since been listed as questionable for the team’s Cowboys rematch. The injury is to DeVito’s right arm, Daboll said (via SNY’s Connor Hughes), raising the hurdle for the 2023 UDFA to clear in time for Thursday. Multiple Giants reporters, Hughes among them, have speculated DeVito sustained the injury on a play with 11 seconds remaining in the Giants’ 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers.
Lock signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Giants in March. While Seahawks GM John Schneider suggested the move was based largely on Lock receiving a chance to compete with Jones, that never ended up happening. The team did not hold a competition, and Lock settled into a backup role for the fourth straight season. A Broncos starter to close the 2019 season and throughout 2020, Lock ended up demoted — for Teddy Bridgewater — after an erratic 2020 slate in which he led the NFL in INTs. He did not beat out Geno Smith in 2022, upon being included in the Russell Wilson trade, through he did re-sign with the Seahawks last year.
DeVito leads Lock in starts over the past two seasons, making seven to Lock’s two, but the latter has 23 over the course of his career. The former second-round pick also led the Seahawks to a Monday-night win over the Eagles last season, with that victory coming as Philadelphia’s defense was mid-freefall. Lock can boost his 2025 free agency stock by playing well Thursday, in what is regularly the NFL’s most-watched regular-season game, and could certainly influence Daboll to give him more starts to close this season.
As Jones has since signed with the Vikings, DeVito and Lock may well need to offer competence in order for Daboll to keep his job. The Giants are rumored to be prepared to keep both GM Joe Schoen and Daboll, but an ugly Bucs loss coming out of a bye week did not present good optics. With the Jones re-signing backfiring, neither New York power broker should be too comfortable over this season’s homestretch.
Demarcus Robinson was arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this week, putting him in danger of facing league discipline. While the legal process plays out in his case, the veteran wideout will remain in the Rams’ lineup. 
Robinson will suit up for Week 13, per head coach Sean McVay. Team officials met with the ninth-year wideout to discuss the situation, and Robinson added no timeline is currently in place with respect to any league action taking place. For the time being, then, he will continue in his current role for Los Angeles.
“I think it was a bad decision he made,” McVay said (via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop). “I don’t think that makes him a bad person. And I do believe this is something that with the words that he said, our guys will learn from it, and hopefully nobody’s ever going to repeat something like this.”
With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua both healthy, Robinson is currently positioned to occupy a complementary role in Los Angeles’ passing attack. The 30-year-old has been productive when given the opportunity so far this season, though, posting 384 yards and six touchdowns on 26 catches. Robinson was a rotational option in 2023, and his success in that capacity landed him a second Rams contract this offseason.
That one-year deal carries a base salary of $4MM but it includes an additional $1MM in incentives. Robinson will therefore continue having the chance to add to his 2024 earnings for now as the Rams prepare to play the Saints on Sunday.
Trevor Lawrence has missed the Jaguars’ last two games while dealing with an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder. The door is open to a return in Week 13, but surgery aimed at correcting the issue is also receiving consideration. 
Such a procedure would shut Lawrence down for the remainder of the campaign, and with Jacksonville not in touching distance of a postseason berth it would make sense to play it safe on the injury front. The former No. 1 pick returned to practice this week, however, giving him the chance to suit up for the first game after the Jags’ bye. How he manages this issue over the near future will determine if the surgical route is to be taken.
“[Surgery is] definitely something that I’m considering and not off the table at all,” Lawrence said when addressing the matter (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). “It’s something that we’re going to have to just [approach] truly day-by-day, week-by-week.
“Hopefully I’m able to get back out there this week or as soon as possible and then it’s going to be just every week kind of evaluating it, seeing where it’s at. Obviously up until this point I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid that and want to be back out there with my guys and finish the season. So that’s my goal.”
Lawrence was available for every game during each of his first two seasons, and he missed only one contest in 2023 despite playing through a number of lingering ailments. The 25-year-old’s QBR for this season (61.8) is the highest of his career, but he in particular and Jacksonville’s offense as a whole has not lived up to expectations. A rebound over the coming weeks could boost head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke‘s job security, but notable changes in the offseason should still be expected given the 2-9 team’s struggles.
If Lawrence manages to suit up on Sunday against the Texans, he and the team will get a better sense of the feasibility of remaining on the field for the rest of the year. If not, it will be Mac Jones getting the nod once again; the offseason trade acquisition has thrown three interceptions (with no touchdowns) and taken four sacks during his two starts so far, so expectations would be limited if he were to remain in place under center.
Rumored early as a Daniel Jones suitor, the Vikings are indeed making the move. The six-year Giants starter is set to land in Minnesota, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.
Ten-plus teams were connected to Jones, though money was not believed to be a factor. His first rebound spot will emerge in the Twin Cities, where he will step in as Sam Darnold‘s backup. Jones is expected to sign for the prorated veteran minimum, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. That amount will provide a small offset for the Giants, who are eating eight figures in 2024 guarantees from their release and Jones then clearing waivers.
Although Jones will be positioned to back up Darnold, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Cameron Wolfe note this will first be a practice squad agreement. The Vikings would have the option to elevate Jones three times, but given his experience, it would surprise if the former Eli Manning successor is on Minnesota’s taxi squad for too long. That $375K number from the Vikings will cover Jones once he is on the active roster, though veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson indicates the sides are still finalizing compensation — perhaps a bump from a standard practice squad salary for the near term.
This contract’s active-roster salary will indeed be just $375K, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who confirms this is the expected one-year agreement. Jones could still technically bolt Minnesota’s practice squad if another opportunity — via an injury — opens up in the near future. Teams attempted to poach Joe Flacco from Cleveland’s P-squad last year, but with plenty of interest coming in for Jones already, it would surprise if he left the team he carefully selected in order to learn a new playbook elsewhere.
Jones, 27, enjoyed his finest hour as a pro at U.S. Bank Stadium, piloting the Giants to a wild-card upset to eliminate a 13-4 Vikings team in Kevin O’Connell‘s first season. O’Connell, however, has shown an ability to coax quality play from quarterbacks. Darnold’s bounce-back season has most recently revealed this, and Schultz adds Jones wanted to end up in a QB-friendly system with a coaching staff capable of generating the best from passers.
While Baker Mayfield ended up in Sean McVay‘s QB-friendly system via waiver claim, Jones having $13.81MM in remaining 2024 salary made that route a non-starter for teams. This situation resembles Mayfield’s in terms of a fit, with Jones likely hoping he can use a Vikings stay as a springboard to a 2025 starter opportunity. Contractually, this reminds of Russell Wilson‘s Steelers signing. Wilson’s Denver deal covered him, and after he visited the Giants, the 13th-year veteran landed in Pittsburgh for the veteran minimum.
Jones, whose comeback from ACL surgery began with a Vikings matchup in Week 1, will join a Minnesota team that has two backup QBs on its active roster. Nick Mullens is Darnold’s backup, while late-summer addition Brett Rypien sits as the team’s emergency option. It looks like Rypien’s roster spot will be threatened by the Wednesday agreement.
The Vikings joined nearly a dozen teams in being connected to Jones. The Ravens, Lions, Dolphins, 49ers and Raiders were among the closely tied teams. Jones was believed to have preferred a contending team, and despite the Raiders losing Gardner Minshew on Sunday (thus opening a potential starting role), the free agent was believed to have ruled out Las Vegas. Dan Campbell said Tuesday (via DetroitFootball.net’s Justin Rogers) the Lions had not engaged in serious internal discussions on the newly available QB, praising Hendon Hooker‘s development behind Jared Goff. While some in the league viewed the 49ers as a viable Jones destination, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, he will instead join a 9-2 Vikings team on its way to a second playoff berth under O’Connell.
The Giants benched Jones after he was unable to position this year’s team among the NFC’s contender contingent. For the season, Jones ranks 28th in QBR (Darnold is 14th) and threw eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 10 starts. Jones also averaged only 6.1 yards per attempt — 33rd this season — and has never ended a season north of 7.0. The Giants still gave the scrutinized starter six seasons to prove himself, representing a much longer runway than Jones’ performance warranted. Big Blue has turned to Tommy DeVito, though it would not surprise to see UFA addition Drew Lock see time as well. Jones now will get to work developing in O’Connell’s offense.
Both Jones and Darnold are due for free agency in 2025, still clearing the runway for J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota’s first-round pick has undergone a second surgery on his injured meniscus but remains on schedule to be ready for the 2025 season. The Vikings are fine with Darnold pricing himself out of town next year, Graziano adds, as it will mean a successful season for the team. Jones could also provide potential cover and a McCarthy insurance option beyond 2024, though it would stand to reason the former No. 6 overall pick’s primary aim will be to land somewhere with a chance to start next year.
O’Connell saw his 2022 team’s defense struggle to contain Jones twice. The then-fourth-year quarterback played well in a narrow loss to the Vikings in Week 16 that season then return to Minneapolis to deliver a versatile effort to propel the Giants to the divisional round. In that first-round playoff tilt, Jones was 24 of 35 for 301 yards through the air — despite the Giants not having much of note in terms of pass-catching help at the time — and offered a 17-carry, 78-yard rushing performance. That keyed a 31-24 upset win, one that brought long-term repercussions for the Giants.
Prioritizing Jones over Saquon Barkley due to positional value, GM Joe Schoen authorized a four-year, $160MM deal that included $81MM guaranteed at signing. The latter figure will be paid out this year, but the Giants will eat $22.2MM in 2025 dead money due to prorated signing bonus money. Jones did not remotely justify the contract on the field, playing poorly — albeit behind an injury-riddled offensive line — before suffering an ACL tear last season and not rebounding at the level the Giants hoped this year. As the Giants’ effort to land Drake Maye as a Jones replacement failed, Barkley has become an MVP candidate with Philadelphia.
Darnold and Jones will be two of the top free agent QBs available come March, though the Vikings will now hold exclusive negotiating rights with both until the legal tampering period begins March 10. Should Darnold suffer an injury or see his play decline significantly, the Vikings now would have Jones to deploy rather than Mullens, who was among the three QBs to make a Minnesota start last year after Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear.
As Jones hopes a stay in a strong offensive system can boost his long-term value, the Vikings have a much better QB2 option as they assemble their pieces for a potential playoff run this season.
The Ravens have been without veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce for the last four weeks now, officially making him eligible to return from injured reserve. Baltimore is preparing to do just that after designating him to return from IR today, opening his 21-day practice window, per Ravens staff writer Clifton Brown. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, head coach John Harbaugh is even hopeful that Pierce will be able to return this week. 
This is a massive upgrade over the status report from last week. Only a week ago, the Ravens were reporting that they didn’t have a timeline on when Pierce would return, only that they definitely had plans to bring him back. Pierce was placed on IR with a calf injury at the end of October, and even then, the team knew that it would not be a season-ender.
The injury spread Baltimore’s defensive line incredibly thin, with injuries to Travis Jones and Brent Urban making it necessary to elevate practice squad defensive tackle Josh Tupou three times. The unit is starting to get its health back, which couldn’t come at a better time. Pierce’s return could complete a defensive line group that is about to face the league’s top rushing attack. While the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry had given that title to Baltimore over the first several weeks of the season, some recent impressive performances by running back Saquon Barkley have earned Philadelphia that honor of late.
There’s work yet to be done in order for the Ravens’ defensive line to be full-strength against Barkley and the Eagles. Baltimore will keep a close eye on Pierce in their remaining practices this week before anything becomes official, but the good news is that it sounds like a return to the field will happen sooner rather than later.
The Ravens could soon place one of their tight ends on injured reserve after an injury from this past Monday night’s game. Before fantasy owners go sprinting for their phones, it’s not Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely dealing with injury but third-string tight end Charlie Kolar. Kolar suffered a broken arm, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, and is expected to miss four games before a possible return. 
According to Pelissero, Kolar suffered the broken bone early on in the fourth quarter then went on to finish the game before ever undergoing X-rays. A four-week absence would include a bye week but would also end in the midst of a 10-day stretch in which the Ravens play three games ending on Wednesday, Christmas Day. If he missed exactly four weeks, to the day, he would be returning on Christmas, so it’s probably not likely that they’d see him return with only three missed games on a short week.
For this reason, an IR stint might be best, especially considering that Baltimore still retains five of its eight IR activations. This would see Kolar make a return in time for the team’s regular season finale against the Browns and, potentially, in time for a playoff run.
Kolar is no stranger to injury, missing all but two games of his rookie season on IR after surgery to address a sports hernia injury. In his third year with the team, he’s posted career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (131). Kolar has obviously been playing third fiddle to teammates Andrews and Likely, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s not a talented tight end in his own right.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), while Andrews ranks as the fourth-best tight end in the NFL out of 77 graded players at the position and Likely ranks 12th, Kolar sits just behind them at 16th. This isn’t the usual scenario in which one of the three tight ends is a talented run blocking specialist, all three have exceptional receiving metrics with Kolar holding the seventh-best receiving grade in the league.
In response to the injury, head coach John Harbaugh told the media they were “going to put another guy out there,” per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Obviously, Andrews and Likely will continue to dominate time at tight end, but Kolar still played about a third of the team’s offensive snaps. If they’re going to replace those snaps with somebody currently on their roster, they’d have to dip into the practice squad.
Currently, Zaire Mitchell-Paden is one healthy option. The 25-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent in Cleveland following a graduate transfer year at Florida Atlantic in which he caught nine passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. He was more likely signed based on his time at Division II Notre Dame College where he caught 90 balls for 1,206 yards in four years. Another option is Scotty Washington, who the Ravens signed to their practice squad today, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Washington joined the team’s practice squad about this time last year but didn’t open this year with the team after failing to make either roster.
The team also rosters undrafted Samford rookie Qadir Ismail. The son of a former two-time 1,000-yard receiver for the Ravens, Qadry Ismail, Qadir is a converted quarterback who became a wide receiver at Villanova before transferring. Now, in the NFL, Baltimore views him as a tight end, but he’ll need to get healthy in order to make an impact this year.
Wednesday’s minor transactions, including some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Thanksgiving Day slate:
Buffalo Bills
- Designated to return from IR: DT DeWayne Carter, T Tylan Grable
Carolina Panthers
- Designated to return from IR: S Nick Scott
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: S Adrian Colbert
Cleveland Browns
- Designated to return from IR: CB Myles Harden
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: TE Princeton Fant
- Elevated: CB Andrew Booth, CB Kemon Hall
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: LB Zach Cunningham
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: WR Maurice Alexander, LB David Long
- Elevated: T Jamarco Jones
- Placed on IR: WR Kalif Raymond (story)
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: DT Tommy Togiai
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated to return from reserve/PUP: TE Tyler Higbee (story)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to active roster: LS Jake McQuaide
- Waived: OLB Gabriel Murphy
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: LB Tomon Fox
- Elevated: T Joshua Miles, CB Greg Stroman
- Placed on IR: DT Armon Watts
New York Jets
- Designated to return from IR: OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated to return from IR: DT Montravius Adams
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: LB Patrick O’Connell
- Designated to return from IR: OLB Uchenna Nwosu (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: OLB Markees Watts
The Vikings’ release of Murphy is disappointing one for the organization for sure. The rookie pass rusher out of UCLA was not healthy enough to be on the active roster to start the season, but Minnesota liked him enough to dedicate one of their eight IR activations on him in August. He was activated yesterday but hit waivers today. If he clears the waivers, he’ll be available to sign to the team’s practice squad.
Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field soon.