Here are the latest practice squad transactions from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
San Francisco 49ers
Here are the NFL’s minor moves on Friday:
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
The 49ers waived Bell after a frustrating season from the 2023 seventh-rounder. He appeared in all 17 games in 2023 and played all but two games this year, but only managed two catches for 22 yards despite expanded opportunities after Brandon Aiyuk‘s ACL tear. Any team that claims Bell on waivers will take on the remainder of his 2024 salary as well as the $2.2MM owed to him across 2025 and 2026, though that money is not guaranteed. However, Bell’s struggles this year will likely dissuade any team from claiming him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team’s active roster or practice squad.
The Buccaneers are placing Jordan Whitehead on injured reserve, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman, sidelining the veteran safety for at least four games.
Tampa Bay feared that Whitehead suffered a torn pectoral in their Week 12 win over the Giants, but an initial MRI indicated that he would not require surgery and should be able to return this season. Still, the injury is severe enough to knock Whitehead out until at least Week 17. The Buccaneers are currently one game back of the Falcons in the NFC South, so they will be hoping Whitehead can return in time for a playoff push.
Whitehead does not have the salary or pedigree of a star safety, but he started every game for the Buccaneers so far this season with a 91% snap share on defense. Mike Edwards, who took replaced Whitehead in Week 12, will likely start at safety in Week 13, though rookie Tykee Smith could take some of Whitehead’s snaps in the box.
Tampa Bay has already given up the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL this year, and Whitehead’s absence will only make it harder to stop opponents through the air.
The Buccaneers signed practice squad linebacker Vi Jones to the 53-man roster to fill the opening created by Whitehead’s move on injured reserve. Jones was out of game day elevations, so Tampa Bay promoted him to the active roster so he can continue his role on special teams in Week 13.
After several injuries on Thanksgiving, the Lions are signing defensive lineman Jonah Williams off the Rams’ practice squad, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Four Lions defensive linemen – Mekhi Wingo, Josh Paschal, and Levi Onwuzirke – suffered injuries during Thursday’s win. Wingo (knee) was able to return to the game, but Paschal (knee) and Onwuzirke (hamstring) missed the entire second half. Za’Darius Smith, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and DJ Reader were able to pick up the slack with 22 combined quarterback pressures, per Next Gen Stats, but Detroit still needed additional depth to weather the injuries.
Williams has appeared in just seven games this year – one for the Vikings and seven for the Rams – but he played in 33 games with 22 starts across 2022 and 2023 in Los Angeles. The versatile defender can line up off the edge or on the interior, so he could play a similar role as Paschal and John Cominsky, according to Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers.
Williams began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Rams in 2020 when current Lions general manager Brad Holmes was the Rams’ director of college scouting, so Holmes “would have been heavily involved in scouting the lineman,” per Rogers.
The Lions currently have 53 players on their active roster, so they will need to make a move to accommodate Williams. That will likely be placing linebacker Malcom Rodriguez on injured reserve after his ACL tear on Thursday.
In the wake of Malcolm Rodriguez‘s ACL tear, the Lions are in need of linebacker reinforcements. One is incoming by way of the Broncos’ practice squad. 
Kwon Alexander is set to head to Detroit, per his agents (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). Alexander saw his 2023 season come to an end with an Achilles tear, the second of his career. Interest was still present once he was healthy, and in the end the 30-year-old took a deal with the Broncos in September after working out for other suitors.
Of course, that agreement allowed Alexander to reunite with Sean Payton as many former Saints have over the past two years. He has made three appearances so far in 2024, registering eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Rather than remaining in the Mile High City and awaiting the chance to sign to Denver’s active roster, though, Alexander has received the opportunity to do so with the Lions.
Detroit’s LB corps has been ravaged by injury this season, and Rodriguez will not return in 2024. Jalen Reeves-Maybin is on injured reserve, and the same is also true of Derrick Barnes; the latter will likely not be able to suit up unless a deep playoff run is made. Alex Anzalone, meanwhile, is recovering from a broken forearm and he will miss at least the next few games as the Lions look to remain atop the NFC.
Alexander has spent time with six teams in his career, logging 90 starts in 107 games. That experience will be welcomed on a Lions team lacking in healthy veterans in the front seven down the stretch. After playing only 65 defensive snaps during his time with the Broncos, the former Pro Bowler could be in line for a notable role relatively soon on his latest team.
Kansas City will be employing their third kicker of the year this Sunday. After primary kicker Harrison Butker got placed on injured reserve two weeks ago, the Chiefs executed some emergency procedures, signing kicker Spencer Shrader to their active roster from the Jets’ practice squad. With Shrader not expected to play this week, Kansas City will be using one of their two standard gameday practice squad elevations on kicker Matthew Wright to fill in for Butker and Shrader. 
Shrader has filled in admirably since being signed, hitting all three of his field goal attempts and all six extra point tries. He played till the end of last week, hitting a 31-yard field goal to walk off the Panthers. Following the victory, though, Shrader has been absent from team activities. Per the team’s injury report, Shrader has not practiced all week, as he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury on his kicking leg.
To replace Shrader, Wright will continue making the rounds in the NFL. Wright has made appearances for five teams in as many years during his NFL career. He rejoins a Kansas City team that saw him kick in two games in 2022, signing to their practice squad two days ago. Wright has appeared in one game this year already for the 49ers, converting three field goals and three extra points in a Week 6 win over the Seahawks.
If Shrader continues to miss time after this week, the Chiefs can continue elevating Wright for an additional two games before he reaches his limit under a single practice squad contract. By the time Wright is out of activations, though, Butker should be eligible to return from IR, granted he’s healthy enough to play. Regardless, Kansas City should have a solid plan in place to cover the kicker position over the next few weeks.
Joining Wright as the other practice squad elevation will be tight end Anthony Firkser. The veteran tight end will be appearing in his fifth game this season, appearing in four games earlier in the year for the Jets.
Thanksgiving Day minor moves from around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
Quitoriano’s injury struggles continue. The depth tight end who often appears in running plays and multi-tight end sets has yet to prove he can stay on the field for much more than half a season. After appearing in 16 games (11 starts) over his first two years in the NFL, Quitoriano was only able to appear in seven games (four starts) before hitting injured reserve this year. Signed off the Bears’ practice squad to make up for the season-ending loss of Brevin Jordan, Quitoriano’s loss leaves Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover as the only healthy tight ends on the active roster as Quitoriano joins Jordan and Dalton Keene on IR. Houston has veteran Irv Smith on the practice squad, as well.
Tua Tagovailoa will handle starting duties for the Dolphins tonight, but a different backup quarterback option will be in place. Tyler Huntley has been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Decline To Activate Shaq Barrett]
A shoulder injury led Huntley onto IR in October, just as Tagovailoa returned from his concussion. The latter has remained healthy since, helping guide Miami to three straight wins as part of the team’s push for the postseason. He will of course continue operating as the Dolphins’ starter, but now Huntley will be available to serve as the backup.
The former UDFA began the season on the Ravens’ practice squad, but in the wake of Tagovailoa’s concussion he joined Miami’s roster. That move allowed Huntley to make three starts for the Dolphins prior to suffering his own injury, and in that span he did not put up notable production through the air or on the ground. Expectations will be tempered if the 26-year-old sees the field again in 2024, but he could take over from Skylar Thompson in the QB2 role. This move leaves Miami with three IR activations on the year.
In a corresponding move, edge rusher Tyus Bowser has been moved to injured reserve. Bowser made a pair of appearances with the Seahawks this season, his first regular season action since the 2022 campaign. The 29-year-old took a deal to join Miami’s active roster in October, though, reuniting with former Ravens staffer (and current Dolphins defensive coordinator) Anthony Weaver in the process.
Bowser has been a key figure at his position since arriving in Miami, logging a defensive snap share of 52%. He will now be sidelined for at least the next four games, and his absence will be felt given the team’s other injuries along the edge. Jaelan Phillips is out for the season, while Bradley Chubb has yet to suit up in 2024 as he continues rehabbing the ACL tear which ended his campaign last year. Chubb could suit up at some point this season, and with Bowser now out of the picture he could immediately step into a significant role.
Here are Thanksgiving’s practice squad moves around the league:
Carolina Panthers
Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks
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.