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Raiders Designate T Kolton Miller For Return From IR

December 10th, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Ely Allen

With starting quarterback Geno Smith doubtful to play this week amidst a 2-11 start to the season, the Raiders’ 2025 campaign is circling the drain. That shouldn’t take away from the positive news that star left tackle Kolton Miller is nearing a return to the field.

Las Vegas announced today that Miller has returned to practice, opening his 21-day practice window in which he can be activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. Miller has missed the last 10 weeks with a high ankle sprain and hairline fracture. There’s little to play for, but these final four weeks will give Miller some opportunities to see exactly where he is in recovery and where he needs to get stronger in the offseason after a long rest.

Miller has been extremely reliable throughout his career, playing in 109 of a possible 116 games before this season and staring 107 of them. He missed two weeks in 2020, one game in 2022, and two separate two-game stretches in 2023. Before this season, he had never missed three games in a row, let alone nine.

In Miller’s absence, Stone Forsythe has been filling in for the team at left tackle, continuing in a role he had carried over from the team that drafted him. A sixth-round pick out of Florida back in 2021, Forsythe never earned a role as a full-time starter with the Seahawks, but he operated as the team’s swing tackle, starting 14 of 53 game appearances in four years.

Following the expiration of his rookie contract, Forsythe signed with the Giants as a free agent. After spending the offseason with New York, Forsythe failed to make the team’s initial 53-man roster and signed with Vegas the day after the roster cut deadline. The Raiders currently lead the NFL in sacks allowed, so new expected starter Kenny Pickett will likely rejoice to see Miller’s momentum pushing towards a return.

Raiders Expected To Start Kenny Pickett In Week 15

December 10th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Geno Smith‘s Raiders debut has not gone as expected, something that could be applied to the Las Vegas situation as a whole. The Smith-Pete Carroll floor-raising hopes are dashed, and the Super Bowl-winning HC is in danger of being a one-and-done — for a franchise that has failed to find stability this decade.

The Raiders lost Smith to a shoulder injury in Week 14, a loss to the Broncos, and the well-paid starter is not expected to return to face the Eagles in Week 15. Kenny Pickett is on track to start against one of his former teams, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. This injury comes weeks after Smith suffered a quad contusion; the latter ailment did not force him to miss any starts.

Philadelphia traded Pickett after one season, marking the second of the former first-rounder’s three trade transactions to occur since March 2024. Philly sent Pickett to Cleveland this past March, leading to rumblings he would be the favorite to start for the Browns to open the season. A significant hamstring injury sidetracked any Pickett-QB1 hopes in Cleveland, and the Browns dealt him to the Raiders — who were looking for an Aidan O’Connell injury replacement — just before the season.

Although O’Connell is back off IR, the Raiders turned to Pickett to replace Smith on Sunday. Pickett threw a touchdown pass in garbage time, completing 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards. The Eagles installed the ex-Steeler draftee as their backup last season, acquiring him in a trade package headlined by a third-round pick, but decided Tanner McKee was ready to move up this offseason. Pickett facing a reeling Philly squad would certainly be interesting given both sides’ familiarity, though the Raiders’ current form makes them heavy underdogs regardless of QB.

Who the Raiders start in Week 15 is obviously less significant than their post-2025 plans, given their 2-11 record. Smith’s extension stood to buy the team some time in its quest for a true answer at QB. The team did not want Sam Darnold and joined the Giants in striking out on Matthew Stafford. One of the QB-needy teams to pass on Shedeur Sanders, the Raiders still profile as a team interested in a first-round addition here.

Smith’s two-year, $75MM extension runs through 2027 and carries $18.5MM in guaranteed salary for 2026. That would be the only dead money the Raiders would need to eat in the event of a release. Smith’s form this season certainly makes his Vegas future unstable, particularly if Carroll is out after one year.

Smith, 35, angled for a Seahawks extension and declined an offer similar in value to Darnold’s three-year, $100.5MM deal. He expected to be a Raider after Carroll was hired but has struggled for most of the season. Smith’s 14 interceptions lead the league, and only Cam Ward sits behind him (among 31 qualified passers) in QBR.

A return to the backup level may well be in the cards — via a Raiders demotion after a first-round investment or elsewhere — for 2026. For now, it will be interesting to see if Smith reclaims his job. Carroll has backed his former Seattle pupil this year, but concern about Smith’s form emerged as early as October. What is clear is the Raiders, who had Derek Carr in place as QB1 for nine seasons, will be looking hard at QBs for a fourth straight offseason.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

December 9th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.

The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.

Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an updated look at the first-round order:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/25

December 9th, 2025 at 9:13pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jones was waived by the Chargers on Monday and quickly found himself joining one of the NFL’s best defenses in Houston. The Texans recently lost Tim Settle to a season-ending injury, so Jones will help fill his snaps in the defensive line rotation.

Latest On Raiders’ Pete Carroll, John Spytek

December 9th, 2025 at 11:48am CST by Connor Byrne

DECEMBER 9: Several NFL executives predict Carroll will wind up being a one-and-done Raiders coach, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post writes. If that holds true, it will be interesting to see if another NFL gig winds up presenting itself during the 2026 hiring cycle.

DECEMBER 8: After finishing a dismal 4-13 last season, the Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. Their replacements, Pete Carroll and John Spytek, are on pace to produce similarly poor results in 2025. At 2-11, the Raiders are tied with the Giants and Titans for the NFL’s worst record with four games remaining.

Although Carroll joined the Raiders with plenty of past success under his belt, he’s already on the hot seat. Carroll has fired two key assistants – offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, then the league’s highest-paid OC, and special teams coach Tom McMahon – in what has been a nightmarish season. With the Raiders having lost seven in a row, Carroll’s reshuffling of the coaching staff hasn’t worked.

Despite the Raiders’ struggles, Carroll hasn’t lost any desire to continue coaching, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Already the oldest head coach in league history, Caroll will roam the sidelines at the age of 75 if he returns in 2026. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Raiders move on from Carroll after this season, Jones says.

While Carroll’s Raiders tenure may go down as a one-and-done stint, the same isn’t true for Spytek. The 45-year-old “will continue to be considered safe,” Jones reports. That isn’t a surprise when considering Spytek’s ties to Raiders part-owner Tom Brady, who wields heavy influence over the franchise’s decisions.

Spytek and Brady were college teammates at the University of Michigan. Their paths crossed again when Spytek was a bigwig in the Buccaneers’ front office and Brady was their quarterback from 2020-22.

A few days after hiring Spytek, the Raiders brought in Carroll, who initially had reservations about the job. Carroll said Brady’s presence “shifted my thought about what this opportunity was about.” Expectations were that the Mark Davis-owned Raiders would afford the former Super Bowl winner a longer leash than they gave Pierce and Josh McDaniels, their most recent full-time head coaches. Pierce lasted 26 games (seven in an interim role), while McDaniels was in charge for 25. Carroll may not make it that far.

If the Raiders fire Carroll, they could wind up in the unenviable position of searching for a new head coach and a different starting quarterback for the second straight offseason. The modest success Carroll and former Seahawks starter Geno Smith had together in Seattle has not transferred to Las Vegas. Hoping he would provide a short-term answer under center, the Raiders traded a third-round pick for Smith last April and immediately gave him a two-year, $75MM extension. The move has backfired, though, with the 35-year-old performing like one of the league’s worst QBs this season. If Carroll isn’t safe, Smith might not be either.

Raiders CB Kyu Blu Kelly Out For Season

December 8th, 2025 at 2:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kyu Blu Kelly‘s first season with the Raiders has come to an end in unwanted fashion. The third-year cornerback suffered a knee injury yesterday and he will not return in 2025.

Kelly was carted off the field during Vegas’ Week 14 loss to Denver. That suggested a lengthy absence could be in store, and testing has confirmed that is indeed the case. Kelly suffered a torn patellar tendon, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

As Garafolo adds, no ligament damage was suffered in this case. That represents only a small consolation in the near term, of course, but it means Kelly should be able to recover in time for the start of next season. Doing so would be critical given his emergence as a key figure in the Raiders’ secondary over the course of this year’s campaign.

A sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2023, Kelly was placed on waivers during roster cutdowns that summer. The UCLA product was claimed by the Seahawks, although that move did not result in a lengthy stint in Seattle. Kelly found himself on waivers twice more as a rookie, spending time with the Packers and Commanders along the way. Since September of last year, however, the Vegas native has been with his hometown team.

Kelly played sparingly while only making four appearances in 2024. This season has been much different, as shuffling in the secondary helped pave the way for a larger workload. Taking on a starting role through much of the campaign, Kelly set career highs across the board with 40 tackles, three interceptions and six pass deflections. The 24-year-old will certainly have a degree of momentum heading into the offseason.

Kelly is set to be an exclusive rights restricted free agent this spring. Given his level of play in 2025, it would come as no surprise if the Raiders were to tender him and by doing so ensure he remains in the fold for next season. Week 1 of 2026 is the earliest point at which Kelly will be able to resume his promising Vegas tenure.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/25

December 6th, 2025 at 7:01pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for the Week 14 Sunday slate:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Dort becomes Arizona’s 26th placement on injures reserve this year. The Cardinals’ receiving corps has been stretched thin with Marvin Harrison Jr. out with a heel injury and Zay Jones on injured reserve with an injured Achilles tendon.

Earning more and more responsibility over the course of his sophomore campaign, former undrafted free agent Roland-Wallace will unfortunately head to IR after starting in the Chiefs’ two most recent contests. As a roaming safety, he’s been functioning lately as a nickelback alongside the versatile pair of starting safeties behind him.

With Bosa set to miss this weekend’s game with a hamstring injury, Fox has been called up from the practice squad in Buffalo to help bolster a thin group of defensive ends.

Smyth gets the call again this week as the primary placekicker in New Orleans. He’ll be kicking in his second straight game following the team’s dismissal of Blake Grupe.

For Spector in Buffalo, this will be his third elevation this season, meaning the Bills will need to sign him to the active roster in order for him to appear in another game in 2025. The same is true of Turner in Denver, Hanson in Kansas City, and Banks in Tampa Bay. On the other side of that, Tindall in Arizona, Lewis in Jacksonville, and Cook in New York were all signed to 53-man rosters today after they used up their three allotted practice squad elevations.

Jets, Raiders, Browns Among Suitors For First-Round QBs

December 4th, 2025 at 9:35pm CST by Ben Levine

While there’s still five weeks to go in the regular season, a handful of teams are already eyeing the 2026 campaign. These bottom dwellers will have a quarterback atop their list of offseason needs, and these franchises will also be primed to pursue the position via the first round of the draft.

A recent ESPN article took an early look at the 2026 draft and identified three organizations that could turn to first-round quarterbacks: the Jets, Raiders, and Browns.

The Jets are an obvious suitor for a quarterback. However, with the front office now armed with multiple first-round picks in both 2026 and 2027 (thanks to the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades), Rich Cimini says there’s a chance the Jets decide to kick the can down the road a bit. Both coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey will naturally feel some pressure to improve the team’s outlook ASAP, but Cimini notes that they’d only pursue the position if they have “conviction” in a particular player.

The Raiders are another obvious landing spot for a quarterback considering Geno Smith‘s struggles in 2025. Ryan McFadden says that even if Smith is leading the depth chart in 2026, the front office will strongly consider “a succession plan.” Plus, with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers in place, it’s in the organization’s best interest to add a young signal caller to the mix sooner than later.

The Browns’ situation is a bit more complex. Deshaun Watson will surely be back considering his hefty dead cap hit, and the team is also evaluating rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as potential options at the position. Daniel Oyefusi notes that the front office may find themselves behind a handful of QB-needy teams in the draft, but with two first-round picks in their possession (and 10 picks overall), the Browns will be well positioned to move up if necessary.

Two other teams were mentioned as suitors for quarterbacks, although reporters weren’t as convinced that those front offices would actually pull the trigger. Sarah Barshop acknowledged that Matthew Stafford‘s retirement is rapidly approaching, and the team will be well positioned to select a QB since they have a pair of first-round selections. Considering the Rams’ contender status, Barshop is ultimately skeptical if the franchise will pursue the position in the first round. Even if they do, the reporter doesn’t believe the hypothetical QB would start as a rookie.

Meanwhile, Field Yates lists the Cardinals as a franchise that could pursue the position, and the reporter points to the fact that the front office could easily get out of the Kyler Murray contract. Yates believes the Cardinals may be a better fit for a veteran signal caller, although the reporter says the front office will at least “do its quarterback homework in the draft.”

A handful of highly touted quarterbacks like Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers, and Cade Klubnik have slipped a bit in 2025, leading to some question marks atop the positional draft class. ESPN’s Jordan Reid believes there will be three QBs with first-round grades: Oregon’s Dante Moore, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/4/25

December 4th, 2025 at 6:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Dolphins practice squad receiver A.J. Henning was hit with a suspension today for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances, per ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. It’s uncertain how long the ban will last. The UDFA out of Northwestern hasn’t gotten into a game this season. He joined the Dolphins back in May and hauled in three catches during the preseason.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/25

December 3rd, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Joaquin Davis

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jefferson, Sheppard, and Trammell all found themselves signing to the practice squads of the teams that waived them two days ago. Having cleared waivers, the free agents returned to their lockers as members of the taxi squad.

Indianapolis cut Morrissey today in order to make room for kicker Blake Grupe, whom they signed yesterday. Grupe should be in line to take over kicking duties following the waiving of Michael Badgley yesterday, while Spencer Shrader remains on injured reserve.

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