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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

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 as early as tomorrow.

Bills Activate DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Baylon Spector

December 14th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills will have a pair of defensive reinforcements available for tomorrow’s game against the Lions. Dawuane Smoot and Baylon Spector have been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement.

Smoot and Spector were designated for return earlier this week, opening their respective 21-day practice windows. They have both avoided setbacks over the past few days, clearing the way for today’s move. Buffalo will have three activations available over the remainder of the regular season.

Smoot suffered a wrist injury in November, and surgery was required as a result. It was unclear at the time if the issue would be season-ending, but Smoot has managed to rehab in time for the closing weeks of the campaign. His return will be welcomed given his rotational role along the edge prior to the injury. The 29-year-old has made four starts and handled a 48% snap share in 2024, his debut Bills campaign.

While Smoot is a pending free agent, Spector is still attached to his rookie contract through 2025. The latter has similarly been a part-time defensive contributor this season, though, and his presence will be key down the stretch after the Bills dealt with multiple linebacker injuries earlier in the year. Spector, 26, was used almost exclusively on special teams during his first two seasons in the league but he has taken on an increased workload in 2024. With Terrel Bernard healthy and Matt Milano back in the fold, Buffalo’s LB situation is in a much better place now than it has been throughout the season.

In corresponding roster moves, offensive lineman Will Clapp and receiver Jalen Virgil were let go. Both players will now hit the waiver wire, although it is unlikely either of them will get claimed. Provided they reach free agency, they will be candidates to remain in the Bills’ organization via a practice squad deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster updates:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed to active roster: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
  • Placed on IR: RB Jase McClellan

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Rams

  • Reverted to season-ending IR: G KT Leveston

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

It’s unfortunate news for the rookie second-round safety, Nubin. After starting the first 13 games of his first season in the NFL, the top-drafted safety in the 2024 NFL Draft will end the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Nubin had graded out as the 34th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), before the injury.

Charles will miss the remainer of the season, as well, and perhaps some of next year. The former undrafted receiver will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.

Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Jozy Altidore Among New Bills Minority Owners

December 11th, 2024 at 9:50am CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 11: The Bills will take advantage of the new NFL rules regarding private equity, as these batch of investments received approval Wednesday morning at the latest owners meetings. Carter, McGrady and Altidore are among the 10 new partners acquiring minority stakes in the AFC East franchise. Bank of America’s Mike Joo and Meritech Capital’s Rob Ward round out the group, which also includes a private investment firm (Arctos).

NOVEMBER 28: Multiple teams around the NFL have either worked out agreements to sell non-controlling shares in their organizations or have at least looked into doing so. The Bills are in position to divest in the near future.

Deals are in place with a group of new would-be shareholders totaling 10.7% of the Bills, Ben Fisher of the Sports Business Journal reports. That collection of individuals is set to be joined by Arctos Partners, which will take on a 10% stake. The agreements could receive ratification as early as next month’s league meeting.

As Fisher notes, the group which is on track to acquire minority stakes includes Rob Palumbo (5.6% share), Theresia Gouw (2%), Sue McCollum (1.7%), and Tom Burger (1.4%). All have a business background from various sectors, and Burger’s group of investors includes NBA Hall of Famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady along with former Toronto FC player Jozy Altidore. Approval from at least 24 of the league’s 32 owners will be required for their respective purchases to go through.

“Earlier this year, the Pegula family retained Allen & Company to explore the potential sale of a non-controlling, minority interest in the Bills,” a team statement reads. “Since then, there has been a significant amount of interest, and our focus has been on finding the right partners for our organization. The process is ongoing, and any potential investor cannot be confirmed or finalized until it is approved by the NFL.”

Per Fisher’s report, financial terms – which will be tied to the Bills’ valuation – are not known. Provided the sales go through in the near future, majority owner Terry Pegula will be left with a stake of roughly 79% of the franchise he purchased in 2014. The 73-year-old will maintain control over the organization moving forward, but he could soon have a number of new partners.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24

December 7th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.

Bills Bring Back S Micah Hyde

December 4th, 2024 at 1:40am CST by Sam Robinson

1:41pm: Hyde told reporters that he plans to retire after this season, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. He aims to help the Bills finally win secure an elusive Super Bowl victory to cap off his impressive 12-year career.

11:11am: A long-rumored reunion is coming to pass. The Bills separated from many core players this offseason, with Micah Hyde one of the longtime starters not brought back. But the team kept its longtime safety on the radar. Months after those return rumors began, they will lead to deal.

Hyde is indeed coming back to the Bills. Sean McDermott said Wednesday that the seven-year safety starter is rejoining the team on a practice squad deal. Despite Buffalo cutting Mike Edwards recently, there will be room for Hyde as an insurance piece.

In Hyde and Jordan Poyer, Buffalo featured one of the longest-running safety tandems in NFL history. The 2017 free agency additions played central roles in the Bills’ McDermott-era ascent. Added in McDermott’s first offseason in charge, the pair played seven seasons together. Poyer, however, is now in Miami. Hyde will still join some former teammates, as Damar Hamlin and 2023 UFA addition Taylor Rapp are in place as starters.

Turning 34 later this month, Hyde has been out of football since his most recent Bills contract expired. The 11-year veteran had said it was Bills or retirement for him in 2024. The Bills did not expect him to retire this year, and the now-five-time reigning AFC East champions will see to it that an NFL exit is put on hold for at least a few more months.

This marks Hyde’s third Bills contract. The team gave him a five-year, $30.5MM deal in 2017 and later extended him at two years, $19.25MM. Wednesday is a new chapter for Hyde, who will now be attached to P-squad money. The Bills added Cole Bishop via second-round pick this offseason as well, and while Rapp will be limited in practice today, McDermott said the Hyde signing is unrelated to the sixth-year veteran’s minor injury.

Hyde has made 95 starts for the Bills. That ranks fourth in team history at safety, behind Poyer (107), 1990s bastion Henry Jones (129) and all-time leader Steve Freeman (134). Hyde missed most of the 2022 season with a neck injury, being limited to two starts. While he returned to practice months later, the Bills never activated him from IR. The former Packers draftee bounced back last season, starting 14 games and being available — when many Bills defenders were not — for both playoff contests. Hyde has 16 career interceptions with the Bills, including five apiece in 2021 and 2017, a Pro Bowl season that ended a near-two-decade Bills playoff drought.

The Bills cut Poyer, Tre’Davious White and Mitch Morse this offseason, doing so just before letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency. They then traded Stefon Diggs, signaling what many expected to be a transition year. Buffalo has bucked those expectations, starting 10-2 and putting heat on Kansas City for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The team will now have a leadership presence back in the building, and it will be interesting to see if Hyde returns to action soon.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/24

December 3rd, 2024 at 7:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

With Trevor Lawrence currently in concussion protocol, the Jaguars have added some QB depth to the organization. John Wolford brings four games of starting experience to Jacksonville, all coming with the Rams between 2020 and 2022. The Wake Forest product went 2-2 in those appearances, tossing one touchdown vs. five interceptions. He’ll slide in behind Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard in the franchise’s QB pecking order.

The Eagles added a veteran fullback to their roster in Khari Blasingame. The 28-year-old has appeared in 66 games since entering the league in 2019, collecting 131 yards from scrimmage on 24 carries. The Eagles recently lost part-time fullback Ben VanSumeren for the season, opening a role for a handful of blocking snaps per game.

Bills Activate Matt Milano Off IR

November 30th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bill have activated Matt Milano off of injured reserve, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The veteran linebacker is in line to make his season debut on Sunday night against the 49ers.

Milano has been sidelined since tearing his bicep during training camp in August. The Bills placed him on IR after 53-man roster cuts with a designation to return, indicating that the team expected Milano to play at some point this season.

His practice window was opened on November 11, but Milano needed a few weeks to ramp up before retaking the field in the middle of the Bills defense. Just like last year when Milano missed most of the season with a fractured leg, Buffalo has been vulnerable in the middle of the field without the 2022 All-Pro. The Bills are also allowing 4.9 yards per carry this year, the fifth-highest in the league.

However, Buffalo’s opportunistic defense has only surrendered 214 points, the seventh-fewest in the NFL, largely due to a league-high 17.9% turnover rate. Adding Milano back into the fold won’t take away their turnover potential, but it will shore up their weaknesses, raising the defense’s floor without taking away their disruptive ceiling.

Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard have started at linebacker in Milano’s absence, with 11 starts and a 77.4% snap share for Williams and eight starts and a 62.14% snap share for Bernard. Both players will likely see a reduction in playing time now that Milano is healthy, especially with the Bills’ propensity to run three-safety dime packages in obvious passing situations.

The Bills also elevated tight end Zach Davidson and quarterback Mike White from the practice squad for Sunday night’s game, per a team announcement. This will be Davidson’s second appearance of the season after serving as the offense’s third tight end against Kansas City. White has yet to be active in a game this year, and he will likely serve as the Bills’ emergency third quarterback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/24

November 27th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions, including some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Thanksgiving Day slate:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Designated to return from IR: CB Myles Harden

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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.

2024 NFL Dead Money, By Team

November 27th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants making the decision to waive Daniel Jones, rather than keep him around ahead of a potential 2025 post-June 1 cut designation, changed their dead money outlook for this year and next. Here is how their new total fits in with the rest of the teams’ numbers for dead money — cap space allocated to players no longer on the roster — entering the final third of the regular season. Numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.

  1. Denver Broncos: $85.21MM
  2. New York Giants: $79.57MM
  3. Minnesota Vikings: $69.83MM
  4. Buffalo Bills: $68.47MM
  5. Carolina Panthers: $68.28MM
  6. Green Bay Packers: $65.53MM
  7. Tennessee Titans: $62.89MM
  8. Philadelphia Eagles: $61.95MM
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $60.64MM
  10. New Orleans Saints: $59.44MM
  11. New York Jets: $59.24MM
  12. Los Angeles Chargers: $58.62MM
  13. New England Patriots: $53.37MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $52.28MM
  15. Seattle Seahawks: $52MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $51.2MM
  17. Las Vegas Raiders: $49.37MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $42.81MM
  19. Houston Texans: $39.28MM
  20. Cleveland Browns: $38.79MM
  21. Los Angeles Rams: $34.63MM
  22. Detroit Lions: $33.71MM
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $30.18MM
  24. Chicago Bears: $29.65MM
  25. Arizona Cardinals: $29.35MM
  26. San Francisco 49ers: $26.91MM
  27. Dallas Cowboys: $26.79MM
  28. Baltimore Ravens: $21.35MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $12.65MM
  30. Indianapolis Colts: $11.8MM
  31. Atlanta Falcons: $11.55MM
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: $9.11MM

The Jones release moved more than $13MM of dead cap onto the Giants’ 2024 payroll. More significantly, the Giants granting Jones an early exit — after a contract-driven benching — will prevent the team from designating him a post-June 1 cut next year. The Giants will take on $22.2MM in dead money in 2025, rather than being able to split that bill over two offseasons. The team also took on more than $10MM in dead money this year due to the 2023 Leonard Williams trade.

This year’s most egregious dead money offender has been known for months. The Broncos’ contract-driven Russell Wilson benching last year preceded a historic release, which saddled the team with more than $83MM in total dead money. A small cap credit is set to come in 2025 (via Wilson’s veteran-minimum Pittsburgh pact), but for this year, $53MM in dead cap hit Denver’s payroll as a result of the the quarterback’s release.

The Broncos more than doubled the previous single-player dead money record, which the Falcons held ($40.5MM) for trading Matt Ryan), and they will be on the hook for the final $30MM-plus in 2025. Beyond Wilson, no other ex-Bronco counts more than $7.5MM in dead money. In terms of total dead cap, however, the Broncos barely check in north of the Buccaneers and Rams’ 2023 totals. Denver is trying to follow those teams’ lead in rallying back to make the playoffs despite nearly a third of its 2024 payroll tied up in dead cap.

Twenty-two players represent dead money for the Saints, who have seen their total updated since the Marshon Lattimore trade. Rather than restructure-crazed GM Mickey Loomis using the Lattimore contract once again to create cap space next year, the Saints will take on the highest non-QB dead money hit in NFL history. Lattimore counts $14MM in that category this year before the contract shifts to a whopping $31.66MM in dead cap on New Orleans’ 2025 payroll. Considering the Saints are again in their own sector for cap trouble next year ($62MM-plus over), the Lattimore trade will create some issues as the team attempts to rebound post-Dennis Allen.

Two 2023 restructures ballooned the Vikings’ figure toward $70MM. Void years on Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter‘s deals combined for more than $43MM in dead money. Minnesota also ate nearly $7MM from the void years on Marcus Davenport‘s one-year contract, while the release of 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine (currently on the Bills’ practice squad) accounted for more than $5MM.

Free from the Tom Brady dead money that comprised a chunk of their 2023 cap, the Bucs still have eight-figure hits from the Carlton Davis trade and Mike Evans‘ previous contract voiding not long before the sides agreed on a new deal. Elsewhere in the NFC South, three of the players given multiyear deals in 2023 — Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman — being moved off the roster in GM Dan Morgan‘s first offseason represent nearly half of Carolina’s dead cap.

 

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