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Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/24

November 26th, 2024 at 8:11pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

  • Claimed off waivers (from Chargers): S A.J. Finley
  • Waived: DT Myles Adams

The Patriots moved on from one of their OL starters today. Michael Jordan started all 11 games for New England this season, although that was mostly due to necessity. The veteran lineman ranks 73rd among 77 qualifying guards on Pro Football Focus’ positional rankings. A former fourth-round pick, Jordan also has starting experience with the Bengals and Panthers.

New England will be replacing Jordan with Lester Cotton, who has spent the past few seasons in Miami. The lineman started a career-high eight games for the Dolphins in 2023, but he basically split his 100ish snaps between offense and special teams in 2024. The former UDFA could have a chance at more OL opportunities with his new squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/24

November 26th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE McCallan Castles

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Julius Welschof

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: DT Viliami Fehoko Jr.
  • Released: G Marquis Hayes

The Chiefs are set to roll with their third kicker of the season. With Harrison Butker on IR and Spencer Shrader sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kansas City had to add yet another leg to the roster. The team opted for Matthew Wright, who already has experience kicking with the franchise. Wright filled in for Butker twice in 2022, connecting on three field goals and eight extra points.

Wright has only got one extended look as a starter (when he got into 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021), but he’s still managed to get into at least one game per season over the past few years. Wright has already made an appearance in 2024, when he was responsible for 12 points in the 49ers win over the Seahawks last month.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

November 25th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Week 12 slate of games is in the books. For many teams, attention is increasingly turning toward the offseason with a playoff berth no longer in reach.

Plenty of time remains for the draft order to change over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see which teams wind up in position to add at the quarterback spot in particular. The crop of prospects for 2025 is not held in high regard after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, meaning the demand for potential franchise passers is set to outweigh demand at the top of the board. Of course, players like Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will be among the ones worth watching closely as well.

The Jets have moved on from head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, inviting questions about a reset under center as well. Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it remains to be seen how his relationship with the organization will take shape down the stretch and if a new regime will prefer to move on at the position. The Giants, meanwhile, confirmed they will be in the market for a new signal-caller with Daniel Jones no longer in the fold.

Teams such as the Raiders have long been mentioned as a team to watch regarding a rookie QB pursuit. Jayden Daniels was a target for head coach Antonio Pierce last spring, and it would come as no surprise if Vegas were to make a push for a long-term starting option this time around. Other franchises not on track to qualify for the playoffs figure to give the Raiders plenty of competition in that department, though.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-9
  2. New York Giants: 2-9
  3. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-9
  4. New England Patriots: 3-9
  5. Carolina Panthers: 3-8
  6. Tennessee Titans: 3-8
  7. New York Jets: 3-8
  8. Cleveland Browns: 3-8
  9. New Orleans Saints: 4-7
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7
  11. Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
  12. Chicago Bears: 4-7
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 5-7
  14. Miami Dolphins: 5-6
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6
  16. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  17. San Francisco 49ers: 5-6
  18. Arizona Cardinals: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 6-5
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-5
  22. Houston Texans: 7-5
  23. Denver Broncos: 7-5
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-4
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3
  27. Green Bay Packers: 8-3
  28. Minnesota Vikings: 9-2
  29. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-2
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-1
  32. Detroit Lions: 10-1

Texans S Jalen Pitre Avoids Full Pectoral Tear, To Miss Time

November 25th, 2024 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

A chest injury drove Jalen Pitre out of the Texans’ Week 12 loss to the Titans, and the ascending defender will be set to miss more time. But Pitre looks to have dodged the worst-case scenario here.

Pitre suffered a pectoral injury, but KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes he avoided a full tear. No surgery is planned as of yet, though NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicates Pitre will miss multiple games with a partial tear.

A former second-round pick, Pitre has settled into a slot role with the Texans. The safety draftee has excelled in the run game and held his own in coverage this season, with Pro Football Focus slotting him 14th among corners. The Baylor product has 65 tackles (six for loss) and intercepted a pass during his third year.

Pitre piled up better tackling numbers as a rookie, making 147 stops as the Texans continued their rebuild. That number is far and away the most any rookie DB has compiled this century. Only 2010 Browns rookie safety T.J. Ward (123) came within 30 tackles of Pitre’s rookie-year showing since 2000.

Now playing a new role that naturally reduces his tackle opportunities, Pitre still has been a fixture on Houston’s defense. He entered Sunday’s game having played 93% of the team’s defensive snaps this season. The Texans, who also played without corner Jeff Okudah on Sunday, are thin at this position sans Pitre. They recently released veteran slot Desmond King from their practice squad; King has since signed with the Ravens.

The Texans did, however, receive worse news on one of their other DBs. Cornerback Ka’dar Hollman, who has worked as a special teams regular this season, suffered a torn ACL, Wilson adds. Houston signed Hollman, a sixth-year veteran who has primarily been a special-teamer during his career, off Baltimore’s practice squad last month.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/24

November 23rd, 2024 at 7:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/24

November 20th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/24

November 18th, 2024 at 6:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

  • Waived from IR: LB Deion Jennings

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

MarShawn Lloyd‘s path back to the Packers active roster has taken an unusual turn. The rookie third-round pick landed on IR in September with an ankle injury. He returned to practice last week but suffered appendicitis only a few days later, putting his activation within the 21-day window in doubt.

Worried that Lloyd wouldn’t be ready to play by his early-December activation deadline, the Packers consulted with the NFL about the best route forward (per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). That ultimately led to today’s transaction, which is only the start of several transactional machinations. As Tom Silverstein of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, Lloyd will temporarily join the active roster before landing on the non-football injury list. That means he won’t count against the team’s roster limit until he’s healthy enough to return to the field.

Lloyd doesn’t have a return timetable from this recent setback. While the rookie entered the year as the hopeful RB2 behind Josh Jacobs, there’s a good chance he’ll also behind Emanuel Wilson for the stretch run of the season.

Texans Activate Jeff Okudah, Mario Edwards

November 18th, 2024 at 4:11pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of their Week 11 matchup, the Texans will have a pair of defenders available. Cornerback Jeff Okudah has been activated from injured reserve, per a team announcement. Defensive end Mario Edwards, meanwhile, has returned to the active roster with his one-week exemption having expired.

[RELATED: Injured Reserve Tracker]

Okudah returned to practice two weeks ago, opening his 21-day window to be activated. The former No. 3 pick was injured in Week 1, and he has remained sidelined ever since. Now healthy, he will have the opportunity to see playing time on his latest team. The former Lion and Falcon could earn an extended look with the Texans depending on his performance down the stretch as he aims to find stability in at least a depth role.

Edwards was issued a four-game PED suspension last month. Upon serving it, he received a one-week roster exemption which allowed the team time to make other moves in advance of activating him. Now that Edwards is back in the fold, he will be set to reprise his role as a starter along Houston’s defensive line. The 30-year-old posted 18 tackles and a pair of sacks in six games before being sidelined by the ban.

The Texans enter Monday night atop the AFC South with a 6-4 record. The team’s defense has fared well in a number of categories, but by virtue of ranking 18th in points allowed there is certainly room for improvement. Getting Edwards back in the fold in particular should help, although with Kamari Lassiter out for tonight’s game due to a concussion Okudah could also find himself playing a role on defense for at least one contest.

In corresponding roster moves, the Texans waived cornerback Myles Bryant and running back J.J. Taylor. They will be available to any interested teams while on the wire, but if they go unclaimed they will become free agents. In that event, a return to Houston via a practice squad deal will be possible.

Seahawks Activate Abraham Lucas, Place George Fant On IR

November 13th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks activated right tackle Abraham Lucas from the Physically Unable to Perform list and placed George Fant on injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Head coach Mike Macdonald indicated on Monday that he expected Lucas to start in Week 11 after finally recovering from offseason knee surgery. However, his activation is no guarantee that he make his season debut on Sunday. Seattle opened Lucas’ practice window 21 days ago, so he had to be moved to the active roster to avoid reverting to the PUP list for the rest of the season.

The Seahawks will certainly be hoping that Lucas can start at right tackle this weekend after moving Fant to injured reserve for the second time this season. He suffered a knee injury after 19 snaps in Week 1 and returned in Week 9 for just 17 snaps before re-injuring his knee and exiting the game.

This is the second year in a row that Seattle has struggled with health at the tackle position. Left tackle Charles Cross injured his toe in Week 1 in 2023 and missed the next three games. Lucas was placed on injured reserve after a knee injury in Week 1 and returned in Week 13 for five starts before going down once more, with then-head coach Pete Carroll calling it a “chronic” problem. The Seahawks then signed Fant to a two-year, $9.1MM in the offseason as insurance for Lucas’ ongoing recovery from knee surgery. Fant appeared in 16 games for the Texans in 2023, but played just 36 snaps this season with knee issues of his own.

All of the tackle injuries have pressed 2021 sixth-rounder Stone Forsythe into a starting role for the second year in a row. He started eight games in 2023 – three at left tackle and five at right tackle – along with four relief appearances across the two positions. Forsythe then replaced Fant in Week 1 this year and started the next five games at right tackle before landing on injured reserve with a hand injury. Rookie Michael Jerrell then started in Weeks 7 and 8 before relieving Fant in Week 9 after the recurrence of his knee injury.

While Lucas is expected to play in Week 11, Jerrell will start at right tackle if the Seahawks wants to give their 2022 third-rounder more time before he takes the field.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/12/24

November 12th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Released: LB Cam Johnson

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

The Falcons have added a notable name to their special teams corps in Jakeem Grant. The long-time Dolphins returner has collected six ST touchdowns in his career (four via punts, two via kickoffs), and he’s even hauled in 100 catches. However, the veteran hasn’t seen the field since the 2021 campaign while spending the past few years on Cleveland’s practice squad.

With Dak Prescott done for the season, the Cowboys have added some extra QB depth. In comes old friend Will Grier, who spent the 2021 and 2022 campaigns in Dallas. The former third-round pick has since bounced around the NFL, including stops with the Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers in just 2023. Grier still only has two career appearances on his resume, both coming with the Panthers in 2019.

The Texans have added some experienced OL depth in Cameron Erving. The veteran is coming off a 2023 campaign where he started two of his three appearances for the Saints, and he barely played in 11 appearances with the Panthers in 2022. Still, the 32-year-old brings 98 games (58 starts) of experience to Houston, a factor that could be valuable down the stretch. To make room on the practice squad, the Texans moved on from cornerback Desmond King. The veteran has only seen time in one game for Houston this season, although he’s not far removed from a 2022 campaign where he started 13 games for the Texans.

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