Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
Bruss was waived by the Rams yesterday to make room for returning linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson. A former third-round pick, Bruss didn’t make an appearance through his first two seasons in the NFL but started three of his eight appearances in 2024.
Today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Spector will miss at least the next four games as a result of the Bills’ move. He has remained a mainstay on special teams this year, having also done so in 2022 and ’23. The former seventh-rounder has made three starts on defense, however, so his absence will be felt moving forward. Linebacker has been a position hit hard by injuries this season, and Buffalo’s depth at the second level will now be tested even further.
Wattenberg had his 21-day practice window opened by the Broncos earlier this week, paving the way for today’s activation. The 27-year-old operated as the team’s starting center prior to going down after having won a summer competition for the gig with Alex Forsyth. Forsyth handled first-team duties over the past four games, drawing a superior PFF evaluation and therefore potentially playing his way into an extended look atop the depth chart. At a minimum, having Wattenberg back will give Denver – a team with three IR activations left – depth up front.
Although the Broncos endured a one-sided loss to the Ravens in Week 9, they hit the trade deadline 5-4 and still hold a wild-card spot at the midway point. Denver’s offense also lagged behind its defense during the season’s first half, opening the door to a potential upgrade. No such move transpired, and it does not appear anything was close.
Sean Payton said the team did not make a strong effort to add talent at the deadline, preferring to keep its nucleus intact. This comes a year after the Broncos, who had made some of this NFL period’s highest-profile seller’s moves in recent years, resisted shaking up their team despite standing 3-5 at least year’s deadline.
[RELATED: Broncos Were Not Planning To Extend Baron Browning]
“I like this group,’’ Payton said, via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “We weren’t considering giving up a second-(round pick). … The phone rings, we pick up and yet we have to look at it in the eyes of what’s best for our team. … I don’t think we even got close to discussing someone seriously. … We’re focused on this team.”
After a slow start, Bo Nix has inched his way to the 21st spot in QBR. That mark sits second among rookies this season. Denver’s offense on the whole ranks 23rd in scoring, 25th in yards and 24th in DVOA. The Broncos have been unable to rely on receivers beyond Courtland Sutton, even as rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele have contributed in spurts; the team has needed the two rookies, as 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims has not carved out a role like the team hoped post-Jerry Jeudy. Sutton leads the Broncos with 499 yards. No other pass catcher has 220, with none of Denver’s auxiliary receivers reaching 200 yet.
Denver is also once again limited at tight end. Greg Dulcich has not struggled with injuries this year but has still failed to make an impact, catching just five passes for 28 yards in limited duty. The team’s would-be top receiving tight end has fallen to healthy-scratch status in Payton’s second season, having not played since Week 5. The Broncos have used 2023 trade acquisition Adam Trautman, one of a few former Saints on Payton’s roster, as their top tight end. Trautman has just seven receptions for 121 yards in his second Broncos season.
The Broncos did make a seller’s move, dealing Baron Browning to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick. The team also discussed Dulcich with other clubs before the deadline, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. While some level of interest is believed to have formed for the 2022 third-round pick, the Broncos will stick with the UCLA product for the time being.
Chosen in GM George Paton‘s second draft as GM (but before Payton’s arrival), Dulcich impressed when available as a rookie by accumulating 411 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that had nosedived during the disjointed Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson season. Dulcich got there in just 10 games, missing time due to hamstring trouble. Two hamstring-driven IR placements followed in 2023, limiting Dulcich to 32 offensive snaps all season. Dulcich was not a full participant in the Broncos’ offseason program this year but returned by training camp.
Payton’s team is believed to have looked into tight end upgrades this offseason, but nothing came to pass. Dulcich has played 120 snaps this season. He remains under contract through 2025 but is falling out of favor with this coaching staff.
The Broncos’ only deal ahead of the trade deadline saw Baron Browning moved out. The fourth-year edge rusher was sent to the Cardinals as a rental for the second half of the campaign. 
Browning yielded only a sixth-round pick in return given his status as a pending free agent. Denver already has Nik Bonitto in place as a starter along the edge along with Jonathan Cooper. The latter was recently extended on a four-year deal with a base value of $54MM, a commitment which suggested Browning would not be in line for a second Broncos contract during the offseason. In addition, the 25-year-old’s playing time had him positioned to remain a backup to close out the 2024 season.
“We had a long talk,” head coach Sean Payton said when reflecting on a conversation involving himself, general manager George Paton and Browning (via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post). “Contract year, the amount of snaps – he can get more snaps – it’s the puzzle of trying to look outward, too. Certainly, he’s been a part of what we’ve been doing, so it’s never easy to trade someone. I thought just in our visit… [Browning] totally understood and he was looking forward to getting more snaps in a year for him that’s important.”
The Ohio State product transitioned from inside to outside linebacker following his rookie season, and he logged snap shares of 60% and 68% in 2022 and ’23. This season – one which has been limited to five contests due to a foot injury – Browning has been on the field for only 46% of Denver’s defensive plays. With Cooper and Bonitto in the fold, a change of scenery was going to be necessary for Browning to regain a regular first-team role. The opportunity to do so in Arizona is a welcomed one from his perspective.
“I didn’t want to be a distraction to my teammates, be a distraction to my unit back in Denver,” Browning said (Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “I was just ready for it to be done just to get this fresh start and show what I can do. I know I’m a starter in this league and I know I can play at a high level, so I’m just really excited about this opportunity to do that here.”
Edge rush was known to be an area Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was targeting, and as such it came as no surprise Browning was acquired. That deal preceded the ones which saw Za’Darius Smith join the Lions and Preston Smith have his trade request granted en route to the Steelers. An effective showing in Arizona will be key for Browning ahead of his first trip to free agency. With no sacks so far this season, an uptick in production would help his chances of landing an extended stay with the Cardinals or strengthen his market amongst other suitors.
The Broncos are 5-4 but did make a seller’s trade, unloading Baron Browning (to the Cardinals) for a sixth-round pick. This came shortly after the team extended fellow outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper.
Cooper and Nik Bonitto will continue to anchor Denver’s edge rush, while third-round rookie Jonah Elliss figures to see his snaps increase. But the Broncos also may have a boost coming from a 2023 third-rounder soon. Drew Sanders is now back at practice, returning to work months after suffering an Achilles tear.
While Sanders is in the PUP-return window, center Luke Wattenberg has received a return designation as well, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. Wattenberg spent the past four weeks on IR, but he is moving toward being one of the Broncos’ injury activations. Denver has used four and still has Josh Reynolds as a likely candidate to count for a spot. The free agent wide receiver pickup has not returned to practice. While he was in line to be back from the finger injury that landed him on IR, being wounded in an October shooting delayed the timetable.
Sanders will not count toward Denver’s eight activations, having resided on the PUP list all season. He went down soon after the Broncos started their offseason program in April, providing a runway toward a return this season. Last season, Sanders played in all 17 games and made four starts. At Arkansas in 2022, Sanders finished with 9.5 sacks and 103 tackles. His versatility could present options for his pro team as well.
An Alabama transfer, Sanders has spent time at OLB and in an off-ball linebacker spot. A role as a pass rusher would help the Broncos, who could effectively have him replace Browning, though the team also lost top tackler Alex Singleton for the season. Justin Strnad has worked as Singleton’s primary replacement alongside Cody Barton.
Wattenberg beat out Alex Forsyth for the center job following Lloyd Cushenberry‘s free agency defection. Pro Football Focus has viewed Forsyth as having been the better option this season, ranking the 2023 seventh-round pick — who snapped to Bo Nix at Oregon during the 2022 season — 11th compared to Wattenberg’s 28th-place ranking. It will be interesting to see how the Broncos proceed here. If nothing else, the player edged out of the starting lineup would represent important depth.
We have reached the 2024 trade deadline, which came one week later than the league’s usual endpoint. An offseason measure to move the deadline back one week passed, sliding the deadline beyond Week 9 after it had resided the Tuesday following Week 8 since 2012. That opened the door to more activity this year.
The 2024 offseason also featured extensive work, as teams added starters and depth pieces. Here are the trades involving veteran players (or rookies already drafted) to take place this year:
Bears chose defensive end Austin Booker at No. 144
Broncos sent Seahawks No. 136, included 203 in trade with Jets for QB Zach Wilson
Patriots chose QB Joe Milton at 193
Bucs drafted WR Jalen McMillan at No. 92; Lions traded No. 201 to Eagles
Panthers traded down from No. 39, giving Rams access to DT Braden Fiske; team moved No. 141 in Bills deal that sent WR Xavier Legette to Carolina. Giants chose RB Tyrone Tracy at 166.
Bengals chose DB Daijahn Anthony at No. 224
Texans traded No. 232 to Vikings
Ravens chose WR Devontez Walker at No. 113, QB Devin Leary at 218; Jets drafted RB Braelon Allen at 134
Commanders traded Nos. 78, 152 to Eagles in trade that sent CB Cooper DeJean to Philadelphia; Seahawks moved down from No. 102, drafted G Sataoa Laumea at 179
Bolts traded No. 110 to Patriots
Steelers chose LB Payton Wilson at No. 98; Eagles traded No. 120 to Dolphins in package that brought back 2025 third-rounder
Fields must play in 51% of Steelers’ offensive snaps for pick to elevate from sixth to fourth round
Chiefs traded No. 221 to Bills; Titans chose OLB Jaylen Harrell at 252
Pick would have become second-rounder had Reddick played 67.5% of Jets’ 2024 defensive snaps and recorded at least 10 sacks. Reddick’s holdout ensured Philly’s pick will land in Round 3.
Texans dealt No. 189 to Lions for Nos. 205, 249
Browns chose CB Myles Harden at No. 227
In trade that gave Vikings J.J. McCarthy draft real estate at No. 10 overall, Jets sent No. 203 to Minnesota; Broncos chose C Nick Gargiulo at 256
Dallas carried Phillips on its active roster for two games, meeting minimum requirement for conditional sixth to transfer
Pick did not convey due to Commanders cutting York before he played in two games with team
Pick would upgrade to second-rounder if Adams earns first- or second-team All-Pro recognition or is on Jets’ active roster for 2024 AFC championship game or Super Bowl LIX
Pick would become fourth-rounder if Hopkins both plays 60% of Chiefs’ remaining offensive snaps and Kansas City advances to Super Bowl LIX
Robinson’s playing time will determine if Jags pick climbs to a fourth-rounder and whether Vikings will end up receiving 2026 seventh
Sixth-rounder going to New Orleans comes from pick Saints sent Commanders for John Ridgeway
NOVEMBER 5: With $6MM in escalators comprising this deal, it checks in at $54MM in base value. The Broncos upped their offer Friday, per Klis, leading to Cooper’s commitment. Sack-based incentives cover the $6MM. Cooper’s AAV now checks in 21st among edge rushers.
The deal includes a $4MM guaranteed roster bonus in 2025; Cooper’s base salary for next year ($5.64MM) is also guaranteed at signing. Cooper’s $11.49MM 2026 base salary will vest a year out, with Klis adding it converts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2025 league year. The Broncos guaranteed Cooper’s $12.99MM 2027 base for injury; $3MM of that becomes locked in on Day 5 of the ’27 league year.
NOVEMBER 4: Minutes after the Broncos traded Baron Browning to the Cardinals, a report displaying their commitment to another edge rusher emerged. Jonathon Cooper, who had been Browning’s teammate since the 2021 draftees’ Ohio State days, is now signed beyond this season.
The Broncos agreed to terms on an extension with Cooper over the weekend, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. It is a four-year deal for the former seventh-round pick, who has emerged as a starter for the Broncos. This agreement will tie Cooper to the team through the 2028 season.
Agreed to Saturday, this contract will include $60MM in total value, 9News’ Mike Klis reports, adding that $33MM will be guaranteed. While this represents a nice payday for the late-round draftee, it also profiles as middle-class EDGE money based on where the market has gone. Cooper’s $15MM-per-year deal checks in tied for 19th in edge rusher AAV, matching Haason Reddick and Uchenna Nwosu.
Although Broncos GM George Paton has been rightfully criticized for his biggest moves — the Russell Wilson trade and extension and the Nathaniel Hackett hire — the veteran NFL exec assembled a quality first draft class in charge. Cooper is now the third member of that class to be paid, following the deals for third-rounder Quinn Meinerz and first-rounder Patrick Surtain.
Cooper, 26, took a longer road to NFL success due to being the No. 239 overall pick three years ago. A heart condition contributed to the fall, but a 2021 procedure put that behind the ex-Buckeye. Cooper started five games as a rookie and nine in 2022, with the Broncos freeing up a spot alongside Browning by trading Bradley Chubb at the deadline. Cooper has started every Broncos game over the past two seasons, finishing with 8.5 sacks last season and starting this one with 5.5. Cooper produced 13 QB hits in 17 games last year; he already has 11 through nine games this season.
The Broncos rank behind only the Giants in sacks this season, with 31; Nik Bonitto leads the way with six for Vance Joseph‘s defense. Although the Broncos took a step back via their blowout loss to the Ravens, the 5-4 team remains a defense-powered outfit. Denver now has Cooper committed and Bonitto signed to rookie terms through next season. It will be interesting to see how the Cooper pact affects Bonitto, who will likely aim higher as a younger player who joins his teammate in being on pace for a double-digit sack season.
It is interesting that Cooper will tie himself to Denver for four more seasons at a rate outside the top 15 at his position. The EDGE market also figures to feature a few more $30MM-AAV deals come 2025, when the likes of Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett figure to come up in extension rumors. Cooper is obviously not in that class, but he certainly could have pursued better terms had he hit free agency after his most productive season. Rather than bet on himself, Cooper secured significant money now.
This also marks a more cost-effective extension for the Broncos, who had traded both Chubb and Von Miller during Paton’s tenure. It cost the Broncos a defender-record sum to extend Miller in 2016, and Chubb ended up signing for then-top-five EDGE money in Miami shortly after that 2022 trade. Cooper represented one of the pieces Paton retooled around. With Browning now out of the picture, the Broncos will anchor their OLB corps around the former Day 3 draftee while likely determining a long-term plan for Bonitto.
Rumblings about the Steelers pursuing both Courtland Sutton and Darius Slayton surfaced days before the deadline. While no real traction has come out regarding Sutton — one of the NFL’s 2020s trade-rumor pillars — Slayton is still in play to be moved. The Giants wide receiver indeed came up during a Steelers push that concluded with a Mike Williams addition, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler noting Pittsburgh “took a hard look” at the sixth-year New York pass catcher.
Slayton has shown ability as a deep threat in the Big Apple, helping the Giants after a few of their past WR plans have gone awry. We are in crunch time for Big Blue regarding a trade of either Slayton or Azeez Ojulari, with the deadline looming in less than two hours. Slayton is finishing up a two-year, $12MM deal but is attached to barely $1MM in remaining salary. The Giants keeping Slayton would open the door to a potential compensatory reward if he leaves as a 2025 free agent.
Here is the latest from the trade market:
Although the Broncos are still an AFC playoff contender despite their one-sided loss to the Ravens, Baron Browning‘s name came up as a player the team was willing to move. Those rumors turned out to be prescient.
Browning is indeed being dealt, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reporting Denver is sending the outside linebacker to Arizona. The Cardinals will take on the remainder of Browning’s third-round contract, which expires at season’s end. Browning, who had fallen to a reserve role in ex-Cardinal DC Vance Joseph‘s unit, will attempt to help another playoff contender. The Broncos will receive a sixth-round pick for Browning, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
[RELATED: Broncos Extend OLB Jonathon Cooper]
Also sitting 5-4, the Cardinals are coming off an impressive defensive performance against the Bears. Arizona dropped Caleb Williams six times, but Jonathan Gannon‘s team entered the season with a limited edge-rushing situation. The Cards lost BJ Ojulari for the season in August, and Dennis Gardeck joined him in being lost for the campaign’s remainder weeks later. Gardeck suffered a torn ACL in October, further stripping pieces from the Cardinals’ OLB corps.
This is an interesting move for both teams. The Cardinals started a multiyear rebuild in 2023, hiring Monti Ossenfort after Steve Keim served in the GM role for 10 years. Ossenfort’s operation remains a work in progress, but it is starting to bear fruit. Gannon’s team has won three straight, and the defense-oriented HC has managed to improve on what was one of the NFL’s worst pass rushes (33 total sacks) in 2023. The Cardinals’ 21 sacks rank in the middle of the pack this season, though Gardeck contributed three to that cause. Only Dante Stills, a 2023 sixth-round pick, has that topped (3.5).
For Denver, this looks like a move to add draft capital without sacrificing a starter to do so. Browning, however, had worked as a starter in 2022 and ’23. He also entered this season as a first-stringer under Joseph, starting two games before going down with a foot injury. Upon return, Browning played behind ex-Ohio State teammate Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto. This trade ensures Bonitto’s starting spot is secure, and even as the Broncos have used rookie third-round pick Jonah Elliss a regular, the Browning trade strips away an experienced piece that has flashed in spurts.
Browning arrived in Denver before Sean Payton, being part of GM George Paton‘s quality 2021 draft class. The Broncos used Browning as an off-ball linebacker as a rookie before moving him to the edge in 2022. Browning replaced Randy Gregory as a starter early that season, teaming with Bradley Chubb. Browning became the team’s lead OLB following the in-season Chubb trade. Browning totaled five sacks in 2022 and 4.5 in ’23, though he missed 10 games due to injury in that span — seven because of an offseason knee injury that kept him out months last year — and then was down for four more this season. Browning has played in each of Denver’s past three games, and the Broncos will cash out. Cooper signed an extension over the weekend, following fellow 2021 draftees Patrick Surtain and Quinn Meinerz in doing so.
The Broncos have made many memorable seller’s trades in recent years. The first wave of moves — those involving Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Von Miller — broke up the team’s Super Bowl 50 core. The team has since parted with pieces acquired following that game, trading Chubb to the Dolphins in 2022, Gregory to the 49ers last year and now Browning.
Although this trade may not qualify as a true seller’s move, it comes months after the Broncos dealt trade-rumor mainstay Jerry Jeudy to the Browns. Courtland Sutton has once again appeared in trade rumors, but Denver’s top receiver figures to be hard to pry given the top-heavy makeup of Denver’s current receiving corps.
The Cardinals will deploy Browning in a pass rush group that consists of Stills, converted ILB Zaven Collins, former Seahawks first-rounder L.J. Collier and 2021 sixth-rounder Victor Dimukeje, whose six QB hits lead the team despite the fourth-year player yet to produce a sack this season. He joins Browning in that regard, but with a regular role on tap, the latter will aim to secure a solid second contract while helping a suddenly competitive Arizona club.
A report from Sunday afternoon indicated the Lions are close to completing a trade for Za’Darius Smith. The veteran Browns edge rusher has long been linked to Detroit, a team which has been on the lookout for help in that area since losing Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport to major injuries.
Of course, the Lions have explored other options as well. Their process of seeking out suitable targets has included interest in Maxx Crosby, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. To no surprise, though, the Lions have been told Crosby is unavailable. Raiders owner Mark Davis has made it clear on multiple occasions the three-time Pro Bowler will not be dealt, recently adding that sentiment also applies beyond this year’s deadline.
Detroit could show interest in the likes of Jadeveon Clowney and/or Chase Young, and the Titans’ Arden Key is the most recent name to emerge as a potential target. The members of that group would likely no longer be on the Lions’ radar provided a Smith agreement came to fruition, but they could be in play if that does not turn out to be the case. Detroit’s willingness to aim big by inquiring about Crosby is another indication of the team’s intention of making another deep playoff run in 2024.
Here are some more trade-related notes from around the league: