Bills To Sign DE Matt Judon
Matt Judon will stay in the AFC East after being waived by the Dolphins on Wednesday. After a visit to Buffalo on Friday, the veteran defensive end has agreed to join the Bills’ practice squad, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Bills are Judon’s fifth different NFL team and fourth since 2023. After spending 2023 with the Patriots and 2024 with the Falcons, Judon signed with the Dolphins in August and took on a secondary role in Miami’s edge rushing rotation. Even after seeing an uptick in playing time after the Jaelan Phillips trade, the 10-year veteran recorded just 19 tackles, one tackle for loss, and zero sacks in 13 games. Those numbers represent a significant and alarming drop for a 33-year-old edge rusher whose production had already waned in the last few years. Judon’s 10 pressures and 4.2% pass rush win rate are no more encouraging; he ranks among the league’s worst NFL edge rushers in both category, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Accordingly, no team claimed Judon off waivers, though the remaining money on his contract was also a disincentive. It did not take much time for him to find a new home, and Buffalo makes sense as a destination. The Bills are still within striking distance of the AFC East crown, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and a Super Bowl. They also have a history of picking up veteran edge rushers later in their career. First it was an over-aggressive contract for Von Miller in 2022 before a more sensible deal with Joey Bosa this past offseason. The latter pact has quickly borne fruit; Bosa leads the Bills with five sacks and eight tackles for loss on the year.
The Bills also needed some depth after multiple defensive line injuries this season. On the edge, rookie Landon Jackson and veteran Michael Hoecht are both on injured reserve, as are defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DeWayne Carter. Judon may not be pressed into action right away, but additional injuries could make him relevant in the postseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: S Jammie Robinson
- Placed on IR: WR KhaDarel Hodge
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: OL Chase Lundt
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: DT Kris Jenkins Jr.
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from IR: DL Brenton Cox Jr.
- Placed on IR: RB MarShawn Lloyd (story)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Designated for return from IR: LB Jalen McLeod
Las Vegas Raiders
- Claimed off waivers (from Steelers): DT Brodric Martin
- Waived: DE Jahfari Harvey
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: K Charlie Smyth
- Placed on IR: WR Devaughn Vele
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: TE E.J. Jenkins, CB Brandon Johnson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed from practice squad: S J.T. Gray
- Waived: LB Nick Jackson
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: TE Lawrence Cager
Cox will give the Packers another pass-rushing option after they lost superstar Micah Parsons to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 15. An undrafted pickup in 2023, Cox impressed last season with five tackles for loss, four sacks, and a forced fumble in just seven games. However, he hasn’t factored in this year after suffering a groin injury in the Packers’ season-opening loss to the Lions. Now returning from a 13-game absence, Cox could have an opportunity to make an impact down the stretch.
Vele, a seventh-round pick a year ago, racked up 41 catches, 475 yards, and three touchdowns during a 13-game rookie season in Denver. The Broncos sold high on the 6-foot-5, 210-pounder in late August, shipping him to the Saints for a 2026 fourth-rounder and a 2027 seventh-rounder.
Vele, who’s now dealing with a shoulder injury, will wrap up his first season in New Orleans with 25 receptions, 293 yards, and two scores in 13 contests. While those are underwhelming numbers, Vele was far more productive in recent weeks. He combined for 19 grabs, 239 yards, and a TD in his last four games of the year.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/25
The latest practice squad moves from around the league…
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Calvin Throckmorton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LS Cal Adomitis
- Released: Kana’i Mauga
Adomitis appeared in nine games with the Eagles this year before they waived him on Dec. 9. Ten days later, the Pittsburgh native is staying in Pennsylvania to join his hometown Steelers. Starting long snapper Christian Kuntz is questionable for Week 16 with a knee injury. The fifth-year man has never missed a game, but if he can’t play Sunday against the Lions, Adomitis will presumably take his place.
Vikings To Place Christian Darrisaw On IR
The Vikings placed linebacker Jonathan Greenard and safety Josh Metellus on injured reserve earlier this week, ending their seasons. Add left tackle Christian Darrisaw to the list. He’s heading to IR with a left knee injury, head coach Kevin O’Connell announced (via Adam Schefter of ESPN).
This is not a new issue for Darrisaw, whose left knee has bothered him since he tore his ACL and MCL in a loss to the Rams on Oct. 24, 2024. Darrisaw missed the last 10 games of the regular season and another loss to the Rams in the wild-card round.
Still recovering from surgery, Darrisaw’s absence lingered into 2025. He sat out the Vikings’ first two games this year before debuting in Week 3. Darrisaw appeared in 10 of 12 games after that, but he only finished five of them. Vikings coaches took Darrisaw out of three games to manage his workload, while he removed himself from a pair, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com notes.
At 6-8 and out of playoff contention, the Vikings are shutting down Darrisaw in hopes he’ll be back at full strength in 2026. Minnesota has a lot riding on Darrisaw’s health, having awarded the former first-round pick a four-year, $104MM extension in July 2024. While Darrisaw ranks fourth among tackles in guaranteed money ($67.14MM) and fifth in contract value, the 26-year-old still hasn’t played in more than 15 games in a season through a half-decade in the NFL.
O’Connell stated it’s his “personal belief” that Darrisaw will return to a normal routine next year (via Seifert). In the meantime, the Vikings will run out the clock on a disappointing campaign without him. Backup Justin Skule, who has started in six of 13 appearances this year, may handle No. 1 left tackle duties for the rest of the season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/18/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Jamil Muhammad
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Kaevon Merriweather
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Tanner McLachlan
- Released: C Josh Kaltenberger
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Elijah Cooks, RB Nyheim Miller-Hines
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Tanner Conner
With Devin Neal landing on IR today and Alvin Kamara still sidelined with a sprained MCL, the Saints have added a veteran running back to their practice squad. Nyheim Miller-Hines was released by the Bills after missing the 2023 campaign following a watercraft accident, and the RB has bounced around the league since. He spent most of the 2024 campaign in Cleveland, and he spent the first chunk of the 2025 season with the Chargers, appearing in two games.
The former fourth-round pick made a name for himself as a pass catcher with the Colts, including a pair of seasons where he hauled in 60-plus receptions. While he may eventually work his way to the Saints active roster, he may be hard pressed to pass the likes of Audric Estime and Evan Hull on the depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/25
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Waived: G Calvin Throckmorton
Indianapolis Colts
- Designated for return from IR: S Daniel Scott
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: LB Nick Hampton
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: WR Kevin Austin
- Waived: K Cade York
- Placed on IR: RB Devin Neal
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed from Panthers’ practice squad: LB Jeremiah Moon
- Waived: DT Brodric Martin
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: WR Dareke Young
- Elevated: RB Cam Akers, OT Amari Kight
After earning the first three starts of his career, Devin Neal‘s rookie season has come to an end. The Saints running back landed on injured reserve today with a hamstring injury, ending his season early. The sixth-round pick filled in for Alvin Kamara recently, with the rookie compiling 185 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in his three starts.
Elsewhere in New Orleans, Cade York‘s stint with the team has come to an end. The veteran joined the Saints practice squad last month as a potential replacement for Blake Grupe. The team ended up opting for Charlie Smyth to take over as their primary kicker, with the second-year pro converting four of his five field goal attempts and all five of his extra points in three appearances.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks will welcome back Dareke Young for tonight’s game against the Rams. The fourth-year receiver landed on injured reserve in early November thanks to a quad injury. Known mostly for his special teams prowess, Young has had an occasional role on offense during his stint in Seattle, hauling in four catches for 72 yards.
Jets To Start Brady Cook In Week 16, Sign Hendon Hooker
Despite impending returns from Justin Fields and/or Tyrod Taylor, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced on Wednesday that undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook will make his second straight start in Week 16.
Fields began the season as the starter and seemed to be headed for the bench midway through the season. An injury to Taylor kept Fields in the lineup for a few more weeks, but Taylor eventually took over in Week 12.
With Fields nursing a knee injury in Week 14, Cook stepped into the backup role. Then, when Taylor went down with a knee injury of his own, Cook finished the game, albeit with a 46.7% completion percentage and two interceptions. With neither of the veterans available in Week 15, Cook made his first career start with Adrian Martinez serving as the backup.
Cook completed 22 of his 33 passes against the Jaguars last Sunday, but they only went for 176 yards (5.3 yards per attempt) and one touchdown. He also threw three interceptions after two in his NFL debut the week before. Overall, Cook has completed just 57.1% of his passes with 5.4 yards per attempt and a 44.3 passer rating.
Regardless, the Jets are sticking with the Missouri product for Week 16. Taylor and Fields were limited participants in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but even if one is ready to play on Sunday, they will back up Cook.
Martinez was re-signed by the 49ers earlier this week, so the Jets signed former Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker to their practice squad. The 2023 third-round pick will be elevated to the game day roster if neither Fields nor Taylor are available for Sunday’s matchup with the Saints.
Jets Place S Tony Adams On IR
The Jets placed veteran safety Tony Adams on injured reserve, per a team announcement.
Adams, 26, suffered a groin injury in New York’s Week 15 loss to the Jaguars. With only three games left in the regular season and the Jets eliminated from the playoffs, the fifth-year safety will not return this year. He appeared in 12 games this season with a 61% snap share, representing a drop from bigger roles in 2023 and 2024. He still ranks sixth on the team with 49 tackles and five passes defended.
Andre Cisco underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in November and Isaiah Oliver was placed on IR earlier this week, so the Jets will have to look elsewhere to fill their safety snaps next to rookie Malachi Moore. That wil likely be undrafted rookie Dean Clark, as the team’s other two safeties, Jarius Monroe and Keidron Smith have yet to play a defensive snap this season.
Adams was playing on a $3.26MM RFA tag this season and will hit free agency this offseason for the first time. The mid-level safety market has not been especially strong in recent years, so Adams may not see a significant pay increase on his next contract.
In a corresponding move, the Jets signed defensive tackle Payton Page from their practice squad. The undrafted rookie was elevated to the game day roster in Weeks 8 and 10 but only played five snaps on defense and nine on special teams. He will be the sixth defensive tackle on the 53-man roster, but the Jets could give him some playing time as they evaluate their young players heading into the offseason.
Cowboys Open Up Practice Windows For Three Players
The Cowboys are dangerously close to being eliminated from the playoffs, but they haven’t stopped fighting yet. With three weeks left in the season, now’s the time to open 21-day practice windows for players hoping to make a return from injured lists this year.
To that point, Dallas opened the practice window for defensive end Payton Turner, who had been designated to return at the roster cut deadline in August, designated seventh-round rookie running back Phil Mafah to return from injured reserve, and designated cornerback Josh Butler to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. The three players have been on their respective injured lists since before the season began.
The Cowboys signed Turner to a one-year deal early into free agency to build depth behind a group that, at the time, consisted of Micah Parsons, Sam Williams, and Marshawn Kneeland. To date, only Williams remains after the Parsons trade and Kneeland’s tragic passing. Turner’s depth ended up being a non-factor, considering he spent the first 15 weeks of the season on IR, but if he returns, he’ll now add depth behind Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dante Fowler, Jadeveon Clowney, and Williams.
Butler went undrafted out of Michigan State all the way back in 2020, and after a short stint in the short-lived The Spring League and a strong season in the USFL, Butler earned himself a chance in Dallas in 2023. The next year, he made his NFL debut and, two games later, made his first of three consecutive starts. His quick rise came to an unfortunate end, though, when he tore his ACL, ending his debut NFL season.
Mafah, a two-year starter at Clemson, was one of two rookies the team drafted this year. He suffered a shoulder injury in the Cowboys’ final preseason game, and it was announced that he would eventually be put on IR. With the team opting to assign its two allotted pre-deadline return designations to Turner and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, they opted to keep Mafah on the initial 53-man roster, so they could immediately place him on IR the next week and give him a chance to return later into the year, as well.
There is no longer the usual pressure to get activated within the 21-day window as we only have three weeks remaining in the regular season. The 21-day window will take them past the Week 18 slate of games, so being reverted to season-ending IR would not the worst fate. Still, these three will be working hard to get onto the field in 2025 and help their team push for a still technically possible playoff berth, and at worst, they’ll give the Cowboys three more bodies at practice for the remainder of the season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/25
Wednesday’s NFL practice squad transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Montrell Johnson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: C Wesley French
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Nash Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Marcus Harris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jimmy Holiday
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G McClendon Curtis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: OLB Andre Carter II
- Released: TE Tanner Conner
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Caleb Etienne
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Amari Gainer
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR John Rhys Plumlee, RB Trey Sermon
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: QB Adrian Martinez
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S D’Anthony Bell
- Released: CB Tyler Hall
Martinez parted ways with San Francisco a week ago and signed with the Jets, who elevated him on Sunday to back up undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook. New York released him from their taxi squad yesterday, so Martinez has found his way back to the Bay Area.