Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
After being shut out during this year’s HC interview cycle, Mike Vrabel is expected to resurface as one of the top candidates in 2025. Vrabel has built considerable momentum considering where his stock was coming off his Titans firing, to the point staff options are starting to emerge in connection with the second-chance HC aspirant.
Vrabel has already been connected to the Bears, Jets and Patriots. It would stand to reason the six-year HC veteran will take a few interviews. Unlike former mentor Bill Belichick, Vrabel appears likely to become an NFL head coach again soon.
Prior to what could be a blitz of Vrabel rumors over the next several weeks, SI.com’s Albert Breer connected him to two offensive coordinator options during an interview with ESPN 1000‘s Kap & J.Hood; h/t Yardbarker.com. Browns pass-game specialist Tommy Rees is coming up in connection with a Vrabel hire, while Breer adds Josh McDaniels — whose Patriots tenure overlapped with Vrabel’s linebacker run in New England — is also being mentioned as a potential Vrabel OC.
Vrabel has worked as a Browns consultant this year, doing so while Rees has served as the team’s QBs coach. Rees previously spent three years as Notre Dame’s OC and was Alabama’s offensive play-caller in Nick Saban’s final season. Rees is just 32 and has been an NFL staffer for one year, but he certainly brings worthwhile college credentials.
A veteran of the HC interview circuit, McDaniels appears highly unlikely to be asked to lead a team again. His one season leading an offense away from the Patriots (a 2011 Rams gig) did not go well, either. But McDaniels being onboard during Tom Brady‘s rise and again during the legend’s extended run in his 30s and 40s should keep him in conversations. Though, the ex-Raiders coach did not partake in any known interviews following that firing. McDaniels and Vrabel overlapped in New England from 2001-08, and Breer notes the Cleveland-area natives have maintained a relationship since. McDaniels makes for a natural North Carolina OC candidate, seeing as he helped his former boss pick a destination in recent weeks. But McDaniels has not coached in college since 1999.
Vrabel, 49, is also being loosely tied to one of his former Titans coworkers. Not every team looking to hire a head coach will be in the GM market; the Bears are not, and it does not look like the Saints are firing Mickey Loomis. But the Jets are; the Jaguars may be in this boat soon, too. If a GM slot is available, Breer adds Ryan Cowden could be a name to watch. Cowden took a job with the Giants after his interim GM stay with the Titans wrapped. Vrabel wanted Cowden to be named full-time GM in Tennessee, with that being among the causes of friction between the then-Titans HC and ownership.
An interesting competitor could emerge for Vrabel as well. Ryan Day’s Ohio State status may depend on how the Buckeyes fare in the upcoming playoff, and Graziano adds rumblings have pegged Vrabel as a top candidate if that job becomes open. Vrabel is an Ohio State alum who coached under Urban Meyer from 2011-13, between his retirement as a player and debut as an NFL assistant.
Belichick looks to have taken the North Carolina job because no surefire NFL landing spot would reveal itself. Vrabel, however, probably has a much better shot to land a job soon. Though, it will be interesting to see where Ohio State — should the Big Ten power move on from Day — would fall in Vrabel’s pecking order.
As the likes of Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, James Conner and Aaron Jones are showing, third-contract running backs can bring quality value to teams. Nick Chubb will be looking for his third deal in 2025, but the Browns running back has not been part of this year’s veteran running back renaissance.
It took half the season for Chubb to debut after a 2023 ACL tear, and he did so after accepting a sizable pay cut. The stalwart Cleveland RB will not finish the season, either, having suffered a broken foot in Week 15. Despite the offseason reduction and the two major injuries sustained over the past two seasons, the Browns-Chubb partnership does not look to be over.
Before his foot injury, Chubb expressed interest in re-signing with the Browns. The feeling is mutual, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicating a “strong belief” exists the Browns want Chubb back as well. This is both for ability and culture reasons, per Jones, as the seventh-year running back has been a team leader for a while now. Considering the mistake the Browns made with Deshaun Watson, keeping a well-regarded cornerstone around would not be the worst idea for a team in an unusual situation.
It is worth noting Jones’ assessment of this situation came hours before Chubb’s foot injury, but Kevin Stefanski said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) the Browns do not believe Chubb will need surgery. This would be a break for a player who needed two knee operations to address his severe injury. Chubb spent this offseason rehabbing, and the team hopes he can focus only on training — provided this foot matter does clear up without surgery — in 2025.
Chubb is in the final weeks of a three-year, $36.6MM deal, one he agreed to during the 2021 offseason (and one he adjusted in April). The Browns partially benefited from that pact, but for the most part, it did not provide the kind of value the team hoped. Chubb delivered a second-team All-Pro season in 2022, the first extension year, but went down with ACL, MCL and meniscus damage in Week 2 of last season. Upon return this year, the perennial Pro Bowler did not quite look himself.
Never averaging fewer than five yards per carry from 2018-23, Chubb posted a mere 3.3-yard number this season. He finished his seventh season with 321 rushing yards and three touchdowns, adding another receiving score. Chubb has four 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, including three 1,200-yard years, and played a central role in the Browns snapping their near-20-year playoff drought in 2020.
Considering Chubb’s form this season, he is not hitting free agency with momentum. Although teams will undoubtedly consider his earlier years when evaluating potential offers, Chubb’s injuries and shaky form when on the field this season may well lead to teams viewing him as being in a different stage of his career. That would probably allow the Browns to make a team-friendly proposal to keep their popular back.
Chubb will turn 29 next week. Cleveland’s current starter, Jerome Ford, is signed through the 2025 season on a fifth-round deal. Whether the team turns back to Chubb or pivots toward another veteran to team with Ford, help will be needed — potentially via the draft due to Ford’s contract situation and Watson’s albatross contract.
Riley Patterson‘s travels continue. Having already been with six teams since December 2023, the young kicker continues to be asked back to previous destinations. That will occur once again Wednesday.
The Falcons are placing longtime kicker Younghoe Koo on IR, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the team is bringing back Patterson, who will be signed off the Browns’ practice squad. Kevin Stefanski said Patterson, who kicked for Cleveland in Week 15, was departing due to being poached. He now has a chance to kick for a third team this season.
Patterson’s path since last December has gone through Detroit, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Washington, New York, Atlanta, back to Cleveland and now back to Atlanta. The Falcons had brought him in as Koo insurance, as the Pro Bowler had struggled at points this season. Patterson was elevated to join Koo on Atlanta’s active roster for a game earlier this month. Barely two weeks later, he is back in Atlanta.
The Lions dropped Patterson after giving Michael Badgley the job following a prolonged practice competition last December. That led the 25-year-old specialist to Cleveland to fill in for an injured Dustin Hopkins. The Jaguars, who employed Patterson in 2022 before trading him to the Lions, signed him to a reserve/futures contract but waived him this summer. The Commanders then waived Patterson upon trading for Cade York. Patterson kicked in one game for the Jets and one for the Browns this season.
For hardcore NFL transaction buffs keeping track at home, Patterson has now secured a second stint on a fourth NFL team. Prior to the two Browns stays, he had yo-yoed back to Detroit and Jacksonville. The Memphis alum has not attempted a field goal this season, going 4-for-4 on PATs. With the Lions last year, he went 15-for-17 but still lost his job to Badgley.
Since a rocky start to his career, Koo has enjoyed more stability. He has been the Falcons’ kicker since 2019. Although he is one of the NFL’s highest-paid specialists, Koo has made just 73.5% of his kicks this season. That brought rumblings of a Falcons switch. Atlanta stuck with its All-Pro option but will now sideline him for the rest of the regular season and a wild-card game, should the 7-7 team advance to the playoffs.
Here are the latest practice squad updates from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Commanders
Jameis Winston‘s INT spree will produce a benching. The Browns are going with Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 16, Brad Stainbrook of the Orange and Brown Report notes.
Kevin Stefanski, who parked Winston during what became a six-turnover Browns performance against the Chiefs, will take another look at a second-year player over one that is on an expiring contract. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot confirms Winston will take a seat after making seven starts this season. Indicating Winston will be DTR’s backup, Stefanski refused to commit to the younger passer beyond Week 16.
Despite this low start count, Winston is already tied for fourth in INTs (12). Only Kirk Cousins (16), Baker Mayfield (14) and Geno Smith (13) have more. All three have started every game for their respective teams this season. Winston has been unable to curb a turnover habit that defined his Buccaneers tenure, one that infamously ended with the QB throwing an astounding 30 interceptions in 2019. Winston threw three picks against Kansas City, a game that came two weeks after another three-INT game in Denver.
With the Browns now 3-11, they are fully in evaluation mode. Thompson-Robinson is under contract through the 2026 season, being chosen in the 2023 fifth round. Although the Browns have needed to make changes based on the UCLA product’s lack of readiness at multiple points during his first two seasons, it appears he will close the show for this year’s disappointing team.
Thompson-Robinson, who impressed the Browns to the point they traded would-be 2023 backup Josh Dobbs to the Cardinals just before last season, has made three starts. He has completed just 51.4% of his passes as a pro, adding three more interceptions — including one against the Chiefs — to his TD-INT ratio this season. That ratio sits at 1:7 right now. The Browns are expected to pursue another starter-caliber quarterback in 2025, albeit one who will compete with Deshaun Watson, but the team will see how Thompson-Robinson fares ahead of a high-stakes offseason.
Winston, 30, is playing out a one-year, $4MM deal. The Browns preferred him to 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, not making the latter an offer. Winston has produced highs and lows, continuing an inconsistent career. He threw for a Browns-record 497 yards against the Broncos, giving Jerry Jeudy a revenge game for the ages. Winston tossed two pick-sixes in that matchup. That came after Winston had helped the Browns beat the Ravens in the first game after Watson’s Achilles tear; the former No. 1 overall pick followed it up with a three-pick showing in a one-sided loss to the Chargers.
The Browns cannot realistically drop Watson due to two fully guaranteed seasons remaining on his five-year, $230MM contract. They are also expected to complete a third restructure with the struggling QB, which will make it more difficult to cut him in 2026. The restructure will, however, allow a bit more breathing room as the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski duo — widely expected to stay — conducts a search for a potential Watson replacement. At this point, it appears unlikely Winston will heavily factor into that pursuit.
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:
With the Browns in a historically unique spot regarding Deshaun Watson, they are not in a good position to release a player who has flopped after a blockbuster trade. Even though both Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry stopped short of indicating Watson would be the Browns’ starting quarterback in 2025, he is expected to stay in Cleveland beyond this season.
Not only will Watson be staying despite his mostly woeful play, the high-priced passer will be given another chance to vie for the Browns’ starting job. The team still believes the eighth-year veteran can play at a high level, per the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds that another restructure is likely on tap.
Two previous restructures have ballooned Watson’s 2025 cap hit to $72.9MM, which would shatter the NFL record. Kyler Murray‘s $49.2MM 2024 number represents the NFL high for a single player, and the Browns are not keen on having Watson smash that record by staying on that lofty number next year. Of course, if/once the Browns complete another restructure with Watson, it will complicate their eventual exit route from what currently resides as the worst contract in NFL history.
The most recent woman to accuse Watson of sexual assault settled her civil suit with the embattled QB, and her attorney confirmed no talks with the NFL commenced. The league closed its investigation without a second suspension coming to pass. This keeps the Browns on the hook for Watson’s guaranteed salaries, as part of a fully guaranteed deal (five years, $230MM), in 2025 and ’26. Had the Browns not restructured Watson’s contract in 2023 and 2024, the QB’s cap number would have settled in south of Murray’s record-setter in 2025, at least putting a release in play. The adjustments that created cap space over the past two years are currently hindering the Browns here.
Cleveland cannot realistically cut Watson in 2025. The August restructure Berry completed would create $172MM in dead money in that event. While that could be spread out over two years, that sum would make it untenable — even in a world in which the Broncos cut Russell Wilson to spur a dead cap avalanche — for the Browns to operate. Instead, the sides will be stuck with each other for at least one more season.
Prior to tearing an Achilles tendon, Watson performed poorly enough Stefanski regularly received questions about why he remained the Browns’ starter and whether higher-ranking members in the organization were mandating that remain the case. Stefanski denied anyone beyond him was making that call, and other Browns coaches agreed he was the team’s best option. Jameis Winston, his high-variance style notwithstanding, has proven to be a more effective QB this season. The Browns were playing without multiple O-line starters for most of Watson’s run this season, though the former Texans Pro Bowler has been a shell of his Houston version during most of his Cleveland stay.
The Browns are also planning to add another starter-caliber QB for 2025, Cabot notes, indicating the injured incumbent is still in a walking boot but on schedule in his recovery from a second season-ending surgery in two years (after his 2023 shoulder operation). This follows a report that indicated a competition is at least coming, though Watson’s contract will limit the Browns’ options in finding a potential replacement.
That said, Cleveland restructuring Watson’s deal would allow for help in that area. As of now, it would cost the Browns $99MM-plus to cut Watson in 2026; that number would be defrayed over two offseasons. A third restructure, though, would bump a 2026 dead money total well north of $100MM. As it stands, the Browns appear prepared to deal with that when the time comes.
While it would stand to reason the Browns would strongly look into dismissing Berry after he proposed this contract, Jimmy Haslam backed his HC-GM combo earlier this week. They will be tasked with finding what could be a job-saving solution at quarterback soon.
Nick Chubb‘s return to action in 2024 has proven to be short-lived. The Browns running back left Sunday’s game on crutches while wearing a walking boot, and now, he will not be available for the final three games of the campaign. 
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Chubb suffered a broken foot during the Browns’ Week 15 loss that will shut him down for the remainder of the season, one which offered optimism from a health perspective given his return to action in October. While the four-time Pro Bowler managed to heal from the major knee injury he suffered in 2023, his display upon being activated was not in line with his previous production.
Chubb had handled a notable workload heading into Sunday’s game, handling double-digit carries all but once in his seven appearances on the year. He managed to score three touchdowns on the ground over that span, but his 3.1 yards per attempt average represented by far the lowest of his career. That inefficiency is understandable given the nature of Chubb’s injury and the absences Cleveland has dealt with up front, but it could have an impact on his future with the organization.
While the immediate damage is to the Browns’ 2024 season, a season in which they’ve already been eliminated from the postseason, the eventual damage could come as Chubb seeks a new contract. After missing most of 2023, Chubb was heading into 2024 on the last year of a three-year extension. In fact, Chubb even accepted a pay cut in order to remain in Cleveland this season.
With free agency on the horizon and the injuries starting to compound, Chubb could find difficulty getting a new deal. Any team that signs him will want to do so on a reduced deal because of his recent injury history.
His best chance may be to re-sign with the Browns, a team that knows what he can do and may be more willing to work with him as he comes back from injury. Cleveland, though, may be looking to get new, young talent in the running backs room, along with a hometown discount in order to retain Chubb. The 28-year-old has already expressed interest in re-signing with the Browns and may be open to getting creative in order to make a reunion happen.
For now, though, the focus will be on recovery. Chubb will get off his feet, which should help make sure that by the time his foot is healed his knee may be closer to full health, as well. His free agency will depend upon just how healthy he can get, so his future in the NFL starts tomorrow with healing.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
DECEMBER 15: Hopkins is a healthy scratch for the Browns’ matchup with the Chiefs. Cleveland has made its regular kicker — one it extended earlier this year — inactive, going with Patterson, who is now with a fifth team since February.
The Jaguars, Commanders, Jets, Falcons and Browns have employed Patterson since the 2025 league year began. Cleveland had used Patterson as a Hopkins injury replacement late last season, ultimately giving the veteran his job back once he recovered. Hopkins is not injured now, but the Browns are still going with Patterson.
DECEMBER 14: The Browns have announced their gameday transactions which include two activations from injured reserve and two standard gameday elevations. One of those elevations, that of kicker Riley Patterson, seems to insinuate a potential change in the depth chart. 
Regular kicker Dustin Hopkins has been having the worst kicking year of his career. On the season, Hopkins has missed nine of his 25 attempts, including a miss from inside 30 yards and five misses from inside 50. Adding to an abysmal 64 percent field goal conversion rate are two missed extra point attempts out of 18 tries. The veteran’s inconsistency has been on display all season, but in Cleveland’s last four games, Hopkins has gone an atrocious two for seven (three for nine in the last five games).
Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.9MM extension to stay in Cleveland after missing only three kicks in 2023, making all eight tries from beyond 50 yards. Earlier this week, following a loss in which Hopkins missed his only two field goal attempts, head coach Kevin Stefanski doubled down on the beleaguered veteran, claiming that Hopkins is their kicker. It’s not clear whether or not Hopkins will open tomorrow’s contest with a bit of a leash or if Patterson’s promotion makes him the primary kicker on Sunday, but the elevation is worth noting, regardless, after Stefanski’s comments.
The two IR activations are both rookies: second-round defensive tackle from Ohio State Mike Hall Jr. and seventh-round South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden. Hall played in four games earlier this year after a delayed start to his rookie season and factored into the defensive line rotation pretty significantly, averaging just over 40 percent of the snap count each game. He’ll return in time to try and get his rookie season back on track.
Harden, on the other hand, was placed on IR shortly after Week 1, a game in which he did not appear, and would be making his NFL debut, should he get on the field. Both players are listed as questionable on the injury report after full practices on Friday.
The other standard gameday elevation joining Patterson off the practice squad tomorrow will be wide receiver and return man James Proche. In five games for the Browns this year, Proche has only three catches for 21 yards but has contributed to the return game with 13 punt returns for 119 yards.