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Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 17th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

This NFL season saw several teams slip out of contention quicker than usual, slimming wild-card races and expanding the pursuit for the No. 1 overall pick. Two teams now lead that race.

While no prospect on the Caleb Williams level is dangling for the Raiders and Giants, an interesting showdown has formed. With three weeks to go, the Giants would currently hold the top 2025 draft choice. But based on projected strength of schedule, the Raiders would win the tiebreaker if the results held. The team with the weaker overall strength of schedule would win that. The Giants still have a game against the 12-2 Eagles, while the Raiders’ upcoming matchup with the 3-11 Jaguars works in their favor.

The Giants have not held the No. 1 pick in the common draft era (1967-present), last making a choice atop a draft in 1965 (running back Tucker Frederickson). Their Eli Manning trade occurred after the Chargers had chosen the quarterback to start the 2004 draft. The Raiders have held the top pick once in the common draft era, famously choosing JaMarcus Russell to start the ’07 draft. Both teams have coaches fighting for their jobs, but each also has seen All-Pros (Dexter Lawrence, Maxx Crosby) removed from equations. Losers of 10 straight, the Raiders follow their Jaguars matchup with games against the Saints and Chargers. The Giants, who have dropped nine consecutive games, go Falcons-Colts-Eagles to close the season.

Five 3-11 teams sit behind the Raiders and Giants presently, with the NFL having nine teams who have already lost double-digit contests. If a Giants or Raiders win occurs, there are candidates to move toward pole position in what could be races for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Though, a non-Giants or Raiders team finishing in the top two creates a bit more intrigue, as both those clubs are in dire need of QB help.

With an eye on teams’ projected strength of schedule based on current records, here is how the draft order looks with three games to go:

  1. Las Vegas Raiders (2-12)
  2. New York Giants (2-12)
  3. New England Patriots (3-11)
  4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11)
  5. Carolina Panthers (3-11)
  6. Tennessee Titans (3-11)
  7. Cleveland Browns (3-11)
  8. New York Jets (4-10)
  9. Chicago Bears (4-10)
  10. New Orleans Saints (5-9)
  11. Miami Dolphins (6-8)
  12. Indianapolis Colts (6-8)
  13. Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
  14. Dallas Cowboys (6-8)
  15. San Francisco 49ers (6-8)
  16. Atlanta Falcons (7-7)
  17. Arizona Cardinals (7-7)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (8-6)
  19. Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6)
  21. Los Angeles Rams (8-6)
  22. Washington Commanders (9-5)
  23. Denver Broncos (9-5)
  24. Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
  25. Houston Texans (9-5)
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4)
  27. Green Bay Packers (10-4)
  28. Minnesota Vikings (12-2)
  29. Buffalo Bills (11-3)
  30. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)
  31. Detroit Lions (12-2)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (13-1)

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/24

December 16th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Tennessee Titans

Anthony Pittman is back in Detroit after the Lions snagged the linebacker off the Jaguars’ practice squad. Pittman was once a special teams mainstay for the Lions, appearing in every game for the organization between 2021 and 2023. Over that time, he was limited to 134 defensive snaps (vs. 1,099 ST snaps), and he’ll likely see a similar role during his current stint with the squad.

Colton Dowell will return to practice this week after being designated for return from the PUP list. The wideout suffered a torn ACL last December, and coach Brian Callahan told reporters that they wanted to give a look at the player after he worked so hard during rehab (via the team’s website). A 2023 seventh-round pick, Dowell got into 10 games as a rookie.

Injured Reserve Return Tracker

December 14th, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.

In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 27 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. This introduces more strategy for teams, who will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.

All players designated for return on August 27 were eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Players who receive return designations after Week 5 also appear on this list.

This offseason also brought a second adjustment, with teams who qualify for the playoffs set to have two additional activations at their disposals. On that note, here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 17:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return from IR (August 27): 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Baltimore Ravens

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Activated

Activations remaining: 2

Carolina Panthers

Activated:

Activations remaining: 0

Chicago Bears

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Cincinnati Bengals

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 1

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Denver Broncos

Designated for return:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Detroit Lions

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Green Bay Packers

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Houston Texans

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return: 

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Jacksonville Jaguars

Eligible for activation:

  • OL Cooper Hughes

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Kansas City Chiefs

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Las Vegas Raiders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Los Angeles Chargers

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Los Angeles Rams

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return from reserve/NFI list:

Eligible for activation from IR:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

New England Patriots

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

New York Giants

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New York Jets

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL Dylan Cook (released Oct. 31)

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 2

San Francisco 49ers

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR: 

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 4

Tennessee Titans

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Washington Commanders

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

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.

Panthers Activate Nick Scott From IR

December 13th, 2024 at 3:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Panthers have swapped safeties on their roster, activating Nick Scott from injured reserve and waiving Jammie Robinson in a corresponding move, according to a team announcement.

Scott signed a one-year, $1.15MM contract with the Panthers in March and began the season playing primarily special teams. He took over as a starting safety after Jordan Fuller went down in Week 3 and played 100% of the team’s defensive snaps for the next four games. A hamstring injury in Week 7 forced Scott onto injured reserve, with undrafted rookie Demani Richardson filling in for two games before Fuller was activated from IR.

With Fuller back in the secondary alongside season-long starter Xavier Woods, Scott will likely return to a special teams-focused role with occasional appearances on defense as a third safety.

Robinson, meanwhile, will be available on waivers less than two years after being drafted by the Panthers in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft. He started two games at safety as a rookie, but played just 64 defensive snaps all season. His main duties were on special teams, a pattern that continued into 2024 with 97 special teams snaps and 11 on defense. Carolina will absorb dead cap hits of $82k in 2024 and $265k in 2025, per OverTheCap.

If a team claims Robinson off of waivers, they will owe him just over $200k for the rest of the season along with $2.175MM in non-guaranteed salary across 2025 and 2026. A team looking for special teams depth that sees Robinson as a potential multi-year contributor could put in a claim for his inexpensive contract.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Arizona is bringing in the left-footed punter as regular punter Blake Gillikin is dealing with an ankle injury on his kicking foot. If Gillikin can’t go on Sunday, Palardy will see his first game action since he finished the back half of the 2022 season in New England.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/24

December 10th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB K.J Cloyd

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins has made just 64.0% of his field goal attempts this season, which includes two misses from inside 40 yards. Patterson kicked for Cleveland when Hopkins was injured at the end of last season, and his addition to the practice squad indicates that head coach Kevin Stefanski is considering a similar change this year.

The Titans signed Narveson as insurance for starter Nick Folk, who is dealing with an injury, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Narveson began the season as the Packers’ kicker, but after missing five of his 12 field goal attempts, all of which came inside of 50 yards.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/24

December 10th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Carolina Panthers

New York Giants

Tennessee Titans

The Panthers officially placed Brooks on injured reserve after he re-tore his right ACL on Sunday against the Eagles. The second-round pick spent most of his rookie season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after his initial ACL tear last November. He only managed 12 touches for 45 yards in his first three NFL appearances before re-injuring his knee, which will require another lengthy rehab process and puts his availability for the start of the 2025 season in doubt.

DL Henry Anderson Retires

December 10th, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

Henry Anderson‘s time in the NFL has officially come to an end. The veteran defensive lineman announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Forever grateful to this incredible game for all the lessons, memories and relationships that will last a lifetime,” Anderson wrote in his retirement message. “Excited for the next chapter!”

The 33-year-old last played in 2022, serving in a rotational capacity with the Panthers. He re-signed with Carolina last March, but being moved to injured reserve during roster cutdowns ensured he would be sidelined for the entire campaign. After not managing to land an opportunity over the past few months, Anderson has elected to hang up his cleats.

Selected in the third round of the 2015 draft, Anderson spent his first three years with the Colts. He made 29 appearances with Indianapolis, seeing a total of 19 starts and logging a snap share of 62% or higher twice during that span. Anderson was traded to the Jets in August 2018, a move which set him up to fill a regular role on defense for New York. The Stanford product spent three years as a Jet, starting each of his 13 appearances in 2019.

Anderson was released by the Jets shortly before he landed another AFC East deal, this time with the Patriots. He played for New England in 2021, although in his four appearances his role was notably diminished compared to many of his previous campaigns. A slight rebound in that regard ensued with the Panthers, but well over one full season removed from his last playing time Anderson will now turn his attention to his post-playing days.

Overall, Anderson made 84 appearances and 43 starts across his NFL tenure, collecting 188 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Thanks in large part to his free agent Jets pact, he accumulated roughly $26MM in career earnings.

Panthers To Sign Velus Jones Off Jaguars’ Practice Squad; Trenton Irwin Also Being Added

December 10th, 2024 at 12:35pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers are bringing in a pair of skill-position players to close out the season. Carolina is set to sign Velus Jones off the Jaguars’ practice squad, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. The team is also adding wideout Trenton Irwin on a taxi squad deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

[RELATED: Jonathon Brooks Suffers ACL Tear]

Jones had an underwhelming Bears tenure as both as receiver and a returner. Chicago attempted to use him at running back this offseason, but he made only one appearance before being waived in October. No claims were made, but in short order a new opportunity emerged. Jones signed with the Jaguars, taking a practice squad deal.

The 27-year-old was designated as a gameday elevation once by Jacksonville, but he has yet to see playing time with the Jags. Now, Jones will head to Carolina with an active roster spot in hand and therefore the opportunity to see action before the end of the year. He could play his way into an extended look with the Panthers depending on how he fares over the coming weeks.

Irwin has found himself on and off the Bengals’ roster and practice squad in recent years. The 29-year-old had spent the full 2024 campaign on the active roster until he was waived last week, a move which came after he made seven appearances in a depth role. Irwin’s most productive season came last year when he posted 25 catches, 316 yards and one touchdown. This move will allow him to reunite with offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, with whom he worked at Stanford. Rapoport notes a move to the active roster could come together in short order.

Carolina sits at 3-10 on the season, but the team has shown signs of improvement on offense in particular during recent weeks. Quarterback Bryce Young‘s second stint as the Panthers’ starter has included encouraging performances, and adding depth at the skill positions around him could aid his growth over the waning stages of the season.

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