Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee, had appeared in every game for Seattle so far this year. While he only managed four snaps on defense in that time, Williams was the team’s primary punt returner and was back on kickoffs, as well.
The Bengals have struggled on defense while dealing with multiple injuries this season, and the unit will be further shorthanded the rest of the way. Linebacker Logan Wilson underwent a cleanup procedure on his knee Thursday morning, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. 
As a result of the surgery, Wilson is expected to miss the remainder of the season. The news deals another blow to a Bengals defense which already sits near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories. Improving on that side of the ball would be key to any potential playoff push, but the chances of that taking place will drop without Wilson in the fold.
The 28-year-old managed to take part in each of Cincinnati’s first 11 games, but he was sidelined for the team’s first contest after the bye. Wilson is now in position to miss the Bengals’ five remaining games, something which will leave them without a full-time starter at the second level of their defense. Wilson’s 104 tackles rank second on the team, and replacing his production down the stretch (which also includes a pair of forced fumbles) will be challenging.
The Wyoming product landed an extension last summer, and instead of playing out the final season of his rookie pact as a pending free agent he secured $36MM on a four-year deal. Given the terms of that contract, expectations have remained high for Wilson, who has been a mainstay on defense for the Bengals since his rookie season. The 2023 campaign saw him register a new career high in tackles, and prior to going down this season his 90.0 PFF run defense grade stood out on an otherwise poor Cincinnati unit.
Now, Wilson’s attention will turn to recovery in advance of the 2025 campaign. Sitting at 4-8 on the year, the Bengals face a steep path to a wild-card spot and with a defense already ranking 22nd against the run, regression in that department can be expected knowing the former third-rounder will be unavailable. Germaine Pratt is set to remain a starter at the LB spot moving forward, while Akeem Davis-Gaither – who made a season-high 13 tackles on Sunday – represents an option to replace Wilson over the rest of the season.
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Tennessee Titans
Spencer Shrader‘s hamstring injury will knock him out for the next four weeks, and with Harrison Butker eventually set to return, the fill-in kicker’s stint with the Chiefs has likely come to an end. Temporarily, the team will turn to their third kicker in Matthew Wright. The veteran filled in for Shrader this past weekend, connecting on four of his five field goal tries.
Former Dolphins second-round pick Cam Smith landed on IR today, likely ending his disappointing sophomore campaign. The cornerback did get more run in 2024 vs. his rookie season, but he was still limited to only 16 tackles in six games thanks to a pair of IR stints. This time, it’s a shoulder issue that will put the South Carolina product on the shelf.
Saints safety Roderic Teamer was hit with a three-game ban today for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes that Teamer’s unpaid ban is “the conclusion of his DUI arrest” in 2023 (when he was with the Raiders). Teamer was limited to only a pair of appearances this season, with all of his snaps coming on special teams.
Titans lineman Jaelyn Duncan returned to practice today after missing the past six games while nursing a hamstring injury. The former sixth-round pick could actually see a significant role upon his return, with Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com noting that the second-year player could get a look at right tackle once he’s fully healthy.
The Bengals have signed kicker Cade York to their practice squad after Evan McPherson suffered a groin injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
McPherson will be sidelined for a few weeks with a groin injury, per Garafolo, which forced Cincinnati to work out some veteran free agents on Wednesday morning. York had the most successful tryout, and he will take over as the Bengals’ kicker while McPherson heals up.
A stint on the sidelines might be a blessing in disguise for the struggling McPherson, who, like his AFC North counterpart Justin Tucker in Baltimore, is having the worst year of his career. He’s made just 72.7% of his kicks, a significant drop from his 83.9% conversion rate over his first three seasons. Crucially, McPherson has missed four field goals in three Bengals’ losses that were decided by one possession. Whether the problem is physical or mental, the 2021 fifth-rounder could benefit from a few weeks of rest. He signed a three-year extension with the Bengals before the regular season that the team may already be regretting.
That doesn’t mean that York is an upgrade. He entered the regular season as the Commanders’ kicker, but lost his job after missing both of his attempts in Week 1. Since then, he has worked out for the Bills and the Jets (twice), though he was unable to win either available opportunity. York spent the 2023 seasons shuttling between practice squads, but appeared in every game for the Browns as a rookie in 2022 with a disappointing 75.0% conversion rate after Cleveland drafted him in the fourth round.
York will reunite with former LSU teammates and fellow 2019 national champions Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati, where he will hope to re-establish his place in the NFL. The Bengals will likely use up his practice squad elevations over the next three weeks with the hope that McPherson can return before the end of the regular season.
Monday’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.
Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.
Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.
Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.
Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.
Cordell Volson had served as a full-time starter up to this point in his Bengals career. The third-year left guard is no longer a first-team option along the interior, however. 
Cincinnati has replaced Volson with Cody Ford at the left guard spot beginning with today’s contest against Pittsburgh. Volson was healthy for each game during the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, logging every offensive snap during that span. He remained a first-team option this year through the team’s first 11 games, but Ford recently had the opportunity to handle left tackle duties in place of Orlando Brown Jr.
Ford’s PFF grades during that stretch left much to be desired, but he did not allow a sack while stepping in at left tackle. Brown is now healthy, leaving the Bengals with the option of returning Ford to backup duties or demoting Volson. The latter path has been taken for the time being as Cincinnati looks to remain productive on offense as part of a playoff push.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Volson graded out as PFF’s 64th-ranked guard during his rookie campaign. The following season saw a step forward (42nd out of 79 qualifiers), but it certainly left plenty of room for improvement. To date in 2024, Volson sits just 53rd in PFF grade with a 58.4 mark. Ford has not delivered demonstrably better figures over the course of his career – one in which he has seen time at both tackle spots as well as left and right guard – but he will get a look for at least a short-term stretch.
In Volson’s case, this demotion is notable from a financial perspective. The 26-year-old will first be eligible for an extension this offseason, and continuing his run of logging every snap would have have helped his chances of landing a new deal. Instead, his play once he is next on the field will be key in determining his value.
Ford, meanwhile, is a pending free agent since he is playing on his second straight one-year Bengals pact. The former second-rounder is attached to the veteran minimum for his base salary this season, but holding onto a full-time starting spot down the stretch would help his ability to secure a raise in 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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.