NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR K.J. Osborn
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Dominique Hampton, TE Qadir Ismail, DL Jeremiah Martin
- Placed on IR: TE Nikola Kalinic
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OT Marques Cox
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Ameer Speed
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Jimmy Holiday
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Maximilian Mang
- Released: K Jude McAtamney
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DT Anthony Goodlow
Giants May Explore Trading For Next Head Coach
We’ve seen some recent rumors concerning the Giants’ open head coaching job following their dismissal of Brian Daboll. Some rumors have focused on names from the collegiate ranks like Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, who was identified as an emerging candidate, or North Carolina’s Bill Belichick, who declined to pursue the job. Other reports focused on the decision to target a quarterback whisperer — for rookie Jaxson Dart — or a so-called “leader of men” type, in the mold of a Mike Tomlin or a Dan Campbell. 
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, though, New York hasn’t yet ruled out a fairly unorthodox method for finding their new coach. While the team is sure to explore the options available at the collegiate level as well as any of the NFL’s coordinators and assistant coaches who deserve a chance at more responsibility, the Giants are reportedly open to entertaining the idea of trading for a current head coach.
NFL trades including head coaches are extremely rare but not unheard of. In the history of the league, there has only ever been two true trades in which offers were made before things were finalized in some form or fashion. Six other transactions have taken place that were essentially trades, though they didn’t start out that way.
Before the concept of trading for a head coach was an established idea, there were still coaches who wanted to terminate their existing contract in favor of greener pastures. The first such example saw former Baltimore Colts head coach Don Shula leave the franchise to accept a perk-filled offer to coach the Dolphins. Baltimore accused Miami of tampering, and then-commissioner Pete Rozelle decided that the Dolphins would send a 1971 first-round pick to the Colts to make up for the years that had remained on Shula’s contract when he left.
Similar such transactions have occurred a few times since, wherein head coaches would either resign or retire with time remaining on their contract before ultimately choosing to coach elsewhere. This happened twice between the Jets and Patriots, with Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick both serving as the main pieces in those “trades.” The Seahawks poached Mike Holmgren from Green Bay in the ’90s, and we’ve recently seen examples with Bruce Arians and Sean Payton, who both took a year away from the NFL before taking new jobs that required an additional exchange of draft compensation for their former teams.
The two true trades saw Jon Gruden shipped from Oakland to Tampa Bay in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8MM in cash and Herm Edwards shipped from the Jets to the Chiefs for a fourth-round pick. Because there aren’t any free agent coaches, currently, who walked away from remaining contract years, it appears this would be the route New York would need to pursue.
This method would require the Giants to reach out to the front office of any coaches they may be interested in to determine if any interest in a deal is mutual. From there, the two teams would work out what they agree is sufficient compensation, but before sealing the deal, the coach would get a chance to veto. We saw the first part of this occur last year, when rumors were reported that the Bears were interested in acquiring 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, and in 2014, we saw the second part, when then-49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh nixed a deal that would’ve sent him to Cleveland.
It’s not the likeliest method for how the Giants are expected to find Daboll’s replacement, but it’s certainly interesting that they’re not turning it down as a possibility. And if New York has a chance to pair a coach currently under contract with their litany of young, drafted standouts on both sides of the ball, it wouldn’t be out of bounds for them to use some of that draft capital to bring in a standout head coach, as well.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/25
Here are Week 12’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Sunday slate tomorrow:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed from practice squad: CB Darren Hall
- Elevated: TE Pharaoh Brown, LB Channing Tindall
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: LB Chandler Martin, CB Amani Oruwariye
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: RB Gary Brightwell, CB Jalen Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: QB Bailey Zappe
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: LB Jamon Johnson, RB Pierre Strong
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: S Tanner Ingle
- Elevated: LB Elias Neal, WR Brennan Presley
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Jeremiah Pharms
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: WR Dante Pettis, G William Sherman
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray
- Elevated: LB Swayze Bozeman, WR Dalen Cambre
- Placed on IR: TE Thomas Fidone II
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
- Waived: LB Ja’Markis Weston
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: LB Patrick O’Connell, LB Jamie Sheriff
- Placed on IR: WR Tory Horton (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: S Marcus Banks
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: RB Kalel Mullings
- Elevated: WR Xavier Restrepo
There hasn’t been much of an update since it was reported that rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel was going through the league’s concussion protocol. He was able to get some limited practice time in yesterday, but he hasn’t yet been cleared. With Gabriel’s status up in the air, Zappe is getting called up in case he’s needed to back up the new starting rookie, Shedeur Sanders.
O’Connell and Sheriff are getting called up with linebackers Tyrice Knight out with a concussion and Ernest Jones questionable with a knee injury. This will be O’Connell’s third and final practice squad elevation, so if the Seahawks wants to see him play again this year, they will need to sign him to the active roster.
NFC Injury Updates: Giants, Rams, Packers, Falcons, Seahawks
Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo will sit out Sunday’s matchup with the Lions because of a sprained MCL. It’ll be the fourth straight absence for Adebo, though the Giants haven’t placed him on IR. He was on track to play in the Giants’ loss to the Packers last week before suffering a setback in warmups, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. It’s unclear whether Adebo will be ready to return against the Patriots in Week 13. If not, he’ll have an extra week to recover with the Giants on a bye after that. Adebo missed 10 games with a broken leg in 2024, his final season with the Saints, but still scored a three-year, $54MM contract in free agency. In his first seven games with the Giants (all starts), Adebo has recorded 48 tackles and four passes defensed.
More injury updates from around the NFC…
- The Rams are “getting close” to exploring opening cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon‘s 21-day practice window, according to head coach Sean McVay (via Sarah Barshop of ESPN). Witherspoon broke his clavicle in a Week 2 win over the Titans, forcing him to go on IR. Expectations then were that Witherspoon would need 12 weeks to recover. If his timeline hasn’t changed, he could return in the first half of December. Meanwhile, McVay is optimistic that wide receiver Tutu Atwell (hamstring) will be back in the lineup in Week 13. Atwell, who has been on IR since Oct. 27, will miss his fourth straight game on Sunday.
- Packers defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness has missed five games in a row with a foot injury. He’s officially questionable for a matchup with the rival Vikings on Sunday, but the Packers are hopeful he’ll play (via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic). The former first-round pick opened the season with 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in his first five games.
- Falcons defensive back Billy Bowman will miss Week 12 after sustaining an Achilles injury during a walk-through on Friday morning, head coach Raheem Morris revealed (via Tori McElhaney of the team’s website). Morris said it’s “not good,” which suggests Bowman is in line for a lengthy absence. It’s the second noteworthy injury of the year for Bowman, a fourth-round rookie from Oklahoma who missed three games earlier in the season with a hamstring problem. In his first six games (one start), Bowman has flashed some playmaking ability with 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.
- The Seahawks have considered an IR stint for rookie receiver Tory Horton, head coach Mike Macdonald said (via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic). Macdonald revealed that information before the Seahawks’ loss to the Rams in Week 11. Horton missed that game with a shin injury, his second straight absence, and the Seahawks have ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the Titans. The fifth-round pick scored two touchdowns in his most recent appearance, a win over the Commanders in Week 9. While Horton has just 13 catches for 161 yards in eight games, he has already found the end zone six times, including once on a punt return.
- The Giants placed offensive lineman Evan Neal on IR with a hamstring issue last week. It turns out Neal suffered the injury during a workout, interim head coach Mike Kafka announced (via Duggan). The 2022 seventh overall pick and former tackle didn’t play a snap this year after a demotion to backup guard duties. It seems unlikely Neal will return in 2025. The 25-year-old is scheduled to reach free agency in the offseason at an inopportune time.
Giants Rule Out QB Jaxson Dart For Week 12
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka announced that Jaxson Dart is still in concussion protocol and will not play in Week 12 against the Lions. 
The team was expecting their rookie quarterback to be cleared for Sunday’s game, per SNY’s Connor Hughes, but they will instead turn to Jameis Winston for a second game in a row. Winston started last week against the Packers and completed 19 of his 29 passes for 201 yards, plus a rushing touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, after Green Bay got back on top with a touchdown of their own, Winston threw an interception to dash any hopes of a late comeback. He will be looking for better results in Detroit, though the Lions’ defense projects to be a difficult matchup.
Dart went down at the end of the third quarter of New York’s Week 10 loss in Chicago. Russell Wilson finished the drive with a field goal, but the Bears scored 14 unanswered points to hand the Giants their eighth loss. In the wake of that game, Brian Daboll was fired and replaced with Kafka for the remainder of the campaign. That change on the sidelines saw a swap in the QB depth chart, one which will last at least one more game.
Dart has remained in concussion protocol since suffering his injury, but he did take a step toward a return by participating in practice earlier this week (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). The first-rounder will look to continue making progress over the coming days. New York’s schedule includes a Week 13 matchup with New England before the team’s bye week.
A cautious approach in Dart’s case would of course come as little surprise given his status as the team’s present and future under center and its 2-9 record. One of Kafka’s priorities once Dart is back in the fold will be a reduction in the number of hits the Ole Miss product takes. As Raanan’s colleague Adam Schefter writes, Dart has been hit a total of 84 times between passing situations and QB runs since he took over the starter’s gig in Week 4. Reducing that figure is something which has been stressed to the 22-year-old from people inside and outside the Giants’ building, per Schefter.
Winston, added in free agency prior to the Dart selection, is under contract through 2026 (as opposed to Wilson, who is a pending free agent). The veteran half of New York’s quarterback tandem for next season will look to lead the team to a win in his second Giants start, while Dart’s status will remain one to watch.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/19/25
Here are today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Jared Bartlett, WR Trent Sherfield, T Trey Wedig
- Released: WR Jalen Virgil
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Jacoby Windmon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Nick Leverett
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Damon Arnette
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Alex Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: S John Saunders Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Jha’Quan Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Tomon Fox
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Stone Blanton
- Released: WR Russell Gage
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/25
Wednesday’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): LB Damone Clark
- Waived: K Matthew Wright
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers (from Rams): S Chris Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed from practice squad: K Harrison Mevis
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Rams’ practice squad: CB A.J. Green
- Placed on IR: CB JuJu Brents (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Signed from practice squad: WR Kevin Austin
New York Giants
- Designated for return from reserve/PUP: RB Eric Gray
Philadelphia Eagles
- Practice window opened: T Myles Hinton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to season-ending IR: CB Cory Trice
21 days have gone by since the Steelers opened Trice’s practice window. They’ve made the decision not to activate him from injured reserve, so he will remain on IR without the possibility of being activated.
Gray has been on New York’s physically unable to perform list since they set their initial 53-man roster. With rookie running back Cam Skattebo hitting IR earlier in the season, Gray’s return could add some needed depth at the position.
Giants’ Abdul Carter Benched For Opening Series Of Week 11
The Giants were shorthanded along the edge in Week 11 with Kayvon Thibodeaux out of the lineup. That allowed Abdul Carter to take on an increased workload, but not until after the team’s first defensive series. 
Interim head coach Mike Kafka benched Carter for the Packers’ opening drive. That amounted to six missed plays before Carter found himself on the field for every snap the rest of the way. The No. 3 pick addressed the matter after the Giants’ loss without going into detail on it.
“I made a mistake during the week that was detrimental to the team,” Carter said (via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post). “I already know that whatever I do is going to have consequences. That was the consequence, have to live with it, keep playing.”
Providing further details on the issue, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan reports Carter missed a walk-through during the week leading up to the Packers game. He adds Carter was asleep in the team’s facility at the time of the walk-through. The 22-year-old has since denied that he was asleep, stating he was instead undergoing recovery. In any case, this led to Kafka’s decision to keep him on the sidelines for the opening series. Per Duggan, late attendance to team meetings has been a trend in Carter’s case which former head coach Brian Daboll tolerated without discipline. Carter wound up posting one quarterback hit on Sunday.
The Penn State product has been on the field for 71% of the Giants’ snaps during his rookie campaign. That workload has not yielded much in the way of production so far, however. Carter has recorded just 0.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 14 pressures in 2025. Brian Burns has enjoyed a strong season with a career-high 13 sacks and counting, while Thibodeaux has continued to operate as a regular along the edge.
Thibodeaux is a pending free agent, and a departure would pave the way for Carter to pair with Burns as the Giants’ edge tandem for years to come. All involved will be seeking improved production over the closing weeks of the season in Carter’s case, though. He will also look to avoid a repeat of this incident and in doing so avoid further team discipline.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/25
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: LB Jared Bartlett
Cleveland Browns
- Signed off Texans’ practice squad: CB D’Angelo Ross
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: S Kahlef Hailassie
Las Vegas Raiders
- Elevaed: G Atonio Mafi
New England Patriots
- Signed from practice squad: TE C.J. Dippre
- Waived: S John Saunders Jr.
New York Giants
- Waived: LB Tomon Fox
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
Marcelino McCrary-Ball landed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 3. When he returns, the defense will look a whole lot different than when he last played, and he could be in line for more responsibility with Quincy Williams facing an uncertain future with the organization. Before suffering his injury, McCrary-Ball collected 17 tackles and one forced fumble.
Latest On Giants’ HC Search, DC Shane Bowen
NOVEMBER 17: The Giants aren’t making any changes to their coaching staff this week, Kafka told reporters (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN). Bowen will remain the team’s defensive coordinator. “Status quo,” Kafka said of his staff.
NOVEMBER 16: Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has been on the hot seat for some time, and Sunday’s loss to the Packers may have been the final straw. Connor Hughes of SNY.tv says the “odds are” that Bowen will be fired in short order.
Bowen worked under Mike Vrabel as the Titans’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23. When Tennessee cleaned house at the end of the 2023 slate, Bowen joined the Giants’ staff, though his first year on the job did not go especially well; Big Blue finished in the bottom-10 in terms of total defense and just outside the bottom-10 in terms of points allowed in 2024.
Nonetheless, the Giants retained head coach Brian Daboll and his top lieutenants, Bowen and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, this offseason. Of course, Daboll was fired just last week, and Kafka was elevated to interim HC.
According to Hughes, the only reason Bowen was not axed at the same time as Daboll is because the team did not want to put Kafka at a disadvantage. Instead, the Giants wanted him to spend a full week at the controls, attend defensive meetings – which is something he naturally had not done in his capacity as OC – and draw his own conclusions about the current staff.
After Sunday’s defeat, which marked the fourth time this season the 2-9 Giants have squandered a lead in the fourth quarter, Kafka certainly did not give Bowen a vote of confidence.
“We’ll evaluate everything,” Kafka succinctly stated (via Hughes).
In addition to the fourth quarter collapses, New York has allowed the fourth-most yards per game (383.0), and the club is 28th in points allowed (27.3 points per game). As such, a Bowen ouster would not be surprising.
Kafka has been linked to outside head coaching interest in the past, so while the Giants will not be vying for a playoff spot this year, their performance will impact Kafka’s own coaching future. In addition to their interim bench boss, of course, the Giants will also consider a number of other options for the full-time HC gig this offseason.
According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer (video link), that search – which will be spearheaded by GM Joe Schoen – will not be overly expansive. Schoen will have to determine if he prefers a candidate who will be directly responsible for quarterback Jaxson Dart’s development or if he thinks the so-called “leader of men” profile (e.g. Mike Tomlin, Dan Campbell) is more important. Either way, Glazer does not think a college coach will be under consideration.
If true, that would eliminate Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman from the Giants’ list, which contradicts a recent report naming Freeman as a viable target. Some of the names that Glazer thinks will make the cut (Mike McCarthy, Lou Anarumo, Steve Spagnuolo) have already been linked to the post, while three others (Matt Nagy, Arthur Smith, Chris Shula) had not been publicly connected to New York.
Glazer spent extra time considering Shula’s candidacy. The Rams’ defensive coordinator could be yet another member of the Sean McVay coaching tree to receive HC consideration elsewhere, and according to Glazer, McVay has worked more closely with Shula than any of his former proteges.
Shula, 39, was recently named as a “prime candidate” to land a head coaching job in the 2026 cycle.