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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/24

December 24th, 2024 at 6:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s minor NFL moves, including elevations for tomorrow’s Christmas Day doubleheader:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles 

San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals – who were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday – will close out the season without either of their starting tackles. Both Johnson and Williams are dealing with knee injuries, and they will be shut down for the remainder of the campaign. The former was a full-time starter as a rookie last year and made 14 appearances in 2024 upon switching to the blindside. Williams signed a one-year deal in free agency to handle RT duties, but two separate knee ailments will limit him to six games played this year. The 27-year-old’s free agent stock will take a hit as a result.

Wallace has made 13 appearances in 2024, his first season with the Broncos. The veteran has handled part-time defensive duties along the way, while also chipping in on special teams. As Denver returns to health at the CB spot, though, Wallace will hit the waiver wire. Should he clear, head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos would like to re-sign him via a practice squad deal (h/t Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette).

Fashanu exited the Jets’ Week 16 contest on crutches, and it was recently reported he would miss the rest of the season as a result. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said on Tuesday surgery to repair the first-round rookie’s plantar fascia would be needed, but the team has since clarified a procedure will not take place. Fashanu is expected to recover in full through rehab.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 24th, 2024 at 3:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Two weeks remain in the regular season, and while a number of teams are jockeying for playoff spots several others are still in contention to land a coveted draft slot. It remains to be seen where the No. 1 selection will wind up.

The Giants and Raiders entered Sunday’s action with two wins apiece, and New York’s loss kept the team strongly in contention to kick off the draft in April. By virtue of winning against the Jaguars, though, the Raiders hurt their chances of finding themselves in that position. A top-two spot (or thereabouts) may be required to draft either of this year’s top passers, but a small move up the order positioning Vegas to add one could still be on the table.

Five teams currently sit a 3-12, and a head-to-head matchup between the Titans and Jaguars on Sunday will be key in deciding where each of them wind up. Another three squads own a 4-11 record, so plenty of potential exists in terms of changes being made to the order at the top of the board. Numerous expected suitors for a Day 1 quarterback (including teams like the Browns and Jets) may very well find themselves out of reach for Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders without a trade-up being necessary. The Panthers’ starting situation with Bryce Young is certainly not settled for 2025, but adding a passer on Day 1 would come as a surprise at this point.

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

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from the around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

After another round of injuries in Week 15, the Lions signed Pittman off the Jaguars’ practice squad to bolster their linebacker room. The five-year veteran appeared in just one game for Jacksonville this season, which coincidentally came against the Lions in Week 11. Pittman has primarily played special teams in his NFL career and will continue that role in Detroit.

The Raiders will be without Robinson for the rest of the season after he received a three-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The 49ers placed Thomas on injured reserve after initial roster cuts, but never designated him to return. He is “now healthy and, as a former third-round pick out of Michigan, is expected to garner interest,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Thomas appeared in 42 games, including 11 starts, in San Francisco, but never developed into a consistent starting corner as the team hoped.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 17th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

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:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/24

December 16th, 2024 at 7:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Tennessee Titans

Anthony Pittman is back in Detroit after the Lions snagged the linebacker off the Jaguars’ practice squad. Pittman was once a special teams mainstay for the Lions, appearing in every game for the organization between 2021 and 2023. Over that time, he was limited to 134 defensive snaps (vs. 1,099 ST snaps), and he’ll likely see a similar role during his current stint with the squad.

Colton Dowell will return to practice this week after being designated for return from the PUP list. The wideout suffered a torn ACL last December, and coach Brian Callahan told reporters that they wanted to give a look at the player after he worked so hard during rehab (via the team’s website). A 2023 seventh-round pick, Dowell got into 10 games as a rookie.

OL Notes: Bolles, Chiefs, 49ers, Texans, Jags

December 15th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second time, the Broncos allowed Garett Bolles to play deep into a contract year before extending him. After the sides previously reached an extension agreement in November 2020, Bolles inked his second Denver extension days before the team’s Week 15 game. Talks did not begin until recently. The sides did not begin to discuss a new deal — one Bolles had begun to lobby for back in 2023 — until after the Broncos’ win over the Browns, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. While Bolles held Myles Garrett without a sack, the Broncos’ upcoming bye week presumably had more to do with the timing of the negotiations.

Bolles is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid left tackle. Like recently extended edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, he may well have done better by reaching free agency. But Bolles wanted to stay with the team that drafted him back in 2017. The four-year, $82MM contract includes $23.7MM guaranteed at signing and features a similar guarantee structure to the one Mike McGlinchey secured. If Bolles is on Denver’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. As the Broncos have part two of Russell Wilson‘s dead money due in 2025, they have predictably backloaded Bolles’ deal. This is a rather extreme effort, as five void years (through 2033) are attached to this deal. Bolles will count $5.8MM on Denver’s 2025 cap and just $9.2MM in 2026; the cap hits balloon past $20MM after that.

Here is the latest from the NFL’s O-line situations:

  • Unable to find a reliable left tackle since letting Orlando Brown Jr. leave in 2023, the Chiefs are going with an emergency plan today. With recent signee D.J. Humphries declared out due to a hamstring injury he sustained in his Kansas City debut, the Chiefs are kicking Joe Thuney to left tackle. The left guard saw time at LT against the Raiders, who were besting second-year blocker Wanya Morris. Rather than go with Morris, the Chiefs are using Thuney at LT and backup Mike Caliendo at LG, per ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher. This will cut into the Chiefs’ elite inside trio, but with the team seeing Patrick Mahomes hit with more frequency in recent weeks, it will use this patchwork adjustment to stem the tide. A 2023 UDFA, Caliendo is making his first career start.
  • On the same note, the Texans are making a change. Right tackle Tytus Howard is moving back to left guard, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Both center Juice Scruggs and left guard Kenyon Green are out. As a result, Howard will return to the position he primarily played last season. Howard has shuffled between tackle and guard as a pro; prior to his 812-snap 2024 at RT, he played all 408 of his 2023 snaps at LG. Second-round pick Blake Fisher is in at RT.
  • Trent Williams‘ recovery from an ankle injury has proven “a lot” slower than the 49ers expected, Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). The team is not ruling him out for the rest of the season. That said, San Francisco is now 5-8; shelving the All-Pro the rest of the way would make sense. Williams, 36, secured significant guarantees via a September reworking. He has not indicated a 2025 return will commence, but his through-2026 contract contains enticements to come back.
  • The Bears should be likely to be shoppers to fortify their O-line’s interior in 2025, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs rating that area atop the team’s list of needs. Chicago whiffed on Nate Davis and devoted low-end money to center. Left guard Teven Jenkins is a free agent-to-be who has not engaged in substantive extension talks.
  • Like Bolles, Walker Little secured an extension recently. The Jaguars revealed their long-term left tackle plan, post-Cam Robinson, by signing Little to a three-year, $40.5MM extension. The first two years of Little’s deal are fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. That comes out to $25.94MM. Although his 2027 salary is nonguaranteed, the 2021 second-rounder did well on the guarantee front as he bypasses free agency.

Injured Reserve Return Tracker

December 14th, 2024 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.

In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 27 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. This introduces more strategy for teams, who will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.

All players designated for return on August 27 were eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Players who receive return designations after Week 5 also appear on this list.

This offseason also brought a second adjustment, with teams who qualify for the playoffs set to have two additional activations at their disposals. On that note, here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 17:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return from IR (August 27): 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Baltimore Ravens

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Activated

Activations remaining: 2

Carolina Panthers

Activated:

Activations remaining: 0

Chicago Bears

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Cincinnati Bengals

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 1

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Denver Broncos

Designated for return:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Detroit Lions

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Green Bay Packers

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Houston Texans

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return: 

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Jacksonville Jaguars

Eligible for activation:

  • OL Cooper Hughes

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Kansas City Chiefs

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Las Vegas Raiders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Los Angeles Chargers

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Los Angeles Rams

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return from reserve/NFI list:

Eligible for activation from IR:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

New England Patriots

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

New York Giants

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New York Jets

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL Dylan Cook (released Oct. 31)

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 2

San Francisco 49ers

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR: 

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Seattle Seahawks

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 4

Tennessee Titans

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Washington Commanders

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

NFL Coaching Rumors: Jacksonville, Smith, Mayo

December 13th, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The way the season is going in Jacksonville, it’s looking more and more likely that the Jaguars are going to have some new leadership in 2025. The consensus in league circles is that the team is highly likely to move on from head coach Doug Pederson. The question that seems to be trending lately for Jacksonville is whether or not general manager Trent Baalke will be soon to follow.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there has been increased speculation on whether or not Baalke will be sticking around to choose Pederson’s replacement, should he be fired as expected. Having already been eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-10 record while, at this point, competing for a top draft slot, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Pederson is out, but with Baalke, it’s not as sure a thing.

In an appearance on Herd with Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports’s Jordan Schultz claimed he doesn’t believe Baalke gets fired because he’s entrenched himself with team owner Shahid Khan and chief football strategy officer Tony Khan.

Here are a few other rumors from coaching circles in the NFL:

  • Arthur Smith‘s recent success jump-starting the career of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has put him back in the head coaching spotlight. The Steelers offensive coordinator may have to wait a little longer, though. Per Graziano, Smith is more likely to find his way back into head coaching races after the 2025 season than in the upcoming offseason.
  • Like the Jags, the Patriots are another team already eliminated from the post season and in the running for a top draft slot. That doesn’t appear to mean the same thing for New England’s head coach, though, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Jerod Mayo is only in his first year as Patriots head coach and as an NFL head coach in general. Team owner Robert Kraft was part of the decision to set Mayo up for a coach-in-waiting situation, so it’s hard to imagine that he’s lost the vision on that front this early.
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