Buffalo Bills

• Waived: DT Zion Logue

Cincinnati Bengals

• Elevated: T Devin Cochran, TE Cam Grandy

Chicago Bears

• Placed on IR: DL Andrew Billings (story), DB Jaylon Jones
• Signed from practice squad: DB Tarvarius Moore

Detroit Lions

• Waived: WR Isaiah Williams

Miami Dolphins

• Designated for return from IR: S Patrick McMorris

New York Giants

• Removed from IR via injury settlement: K Greg Joseph

Logue will lose his roster spot after the Bills signed both Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips on Wednesday. Both vets landed on Buffalo’s active roster. A sixth-round Falcons draftee this year, Logue had caught on with the Bills last month; Buffalo signed the rookie off Atlanta’s practice squad. Logue played 36 defensive snaps with the Bills.

Joseph, who has been with four teams since 2024 began, will head back into free agency. The length of his injury settlement will determine how quickly he can join a team. The three-year Vikings kicker signed with the Packers in free agency and landed with the Lions’ practice squad shortly after not making Green Bay’s 53-man roster. The Giants had signed Joseph off the Detroit taxi squad after Graham Gano‘s injury. Gano is in the IR-return window now, and New York used former Irish Gaelic footballer Jude McAtamney against Washington last week. McAtamney is back on the Giants’ practice squad.

NOVEMBER 6: While the Bears used two Day 2 picks on defensive tackles last year, they have kept veteran Andrew Billings in the starting lineup. Billings, who signed an extension last year, has started all eight Chicago games this year.

Billings’ run will pause, however, with Matt Eberflus indicating (via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns) the eighth-year D-tackle will require surgery to repair a pectoral injury. Although the NFL saw a few players return after early-season pec tears last year, Billings having suffered a tear would almost definitely sideline him for the season. It is not known if a full tear occurred, though.

The Bears gave Billings a two-year, $8MM extension last November; he has started 25 straight games since joining the team as a 2023 free agent. Billings, 29, initially caught on with the Bears via a one-year, $2.75MM deal. He has provided a good return on that investment, having played 60% of the Bears’ defensive snaps this season — his highest total since 2018.

Pro Football Focus has Billings slotted just inside the top 50 overall among interior D-linemen but has him graded as a top-10 player at the position in the pass-rushing department — even if the seasoned pro has just one sack and three QB hits this season. An IR placement would shelve Billings for four games, but it sounds like his upcoming absence will last longer.

Chicago drafted Gervon Dexter in the 2023 second round and Zacch Pickens in the third. The team traded for former Eberflus Colts charge Chris Williams just before the season as well. Pickens and Williams figure to see more time alongside Dexter moving forward. Dexter has joined Billings in making eight starts for a Bears team that was linked to DT additions this offseason.

As a result of the move, Billings will remain on the books through 2025. The 28-year-old joined Chicago this offseason on a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM. He will see a raise on this latest pact, however; Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports the deal has a maximum value of $8.5MM with $6MM guaranteed.

Billings has proven to be an effective member of the Bears’ defensive interior, posting 14 tackles (three for loss) and one quarterback hit so far. PFF has credited him with 14 pressures, making him one of the more disruptive members of an otherwise underwhelming Chicago D-line. The former fourth-rounder has also provided a veteran presence to a DT group which includes rookies Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens.

As a result, Billings will receive an extended look in the Windy City. The Baylor alum spent three seasons in Cincinnati to start his career before opting out of the 2020 season. He has also had one-year stints with the Browns and Raiders, while spending time on the Dolphins’ and Chiefs’ practice squadx. Billings has played a signficant role in Chicago’s success against the run this season (the team ranks third in the league, allowing 79 yards per game on the ground), though, and he has been rewarded with multi-year security as a result.

“We’re extremely excited to be able to keep Andrew in Chicago,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “The professionalism, dependability and toughness he brings exhibit the type of player we want in our organization.”

Chicago has work to do on an extension for newly-acquired defensive end Montez Sweat, and the team’s decision to retain cornerback Jaylon Johnson leaves them in search of an agreement on a new contract in the near future as well. Regardless of what happens on those fronts, Billings’ future has now received clarity.

Additionally on the Green Bay injury front, David Bakhtiari, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are viewed as game-time decisions for Sunday’s opener against the Bears. Bakhtiari, who has seen knee trouble sidetrack his career to a degree over the past two-plus years, is listed on the injury report with more knee trouble. He expects to play, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein tweets. Both starting receivers are battling hamstring maladies and have not practiced this week. Here is the latest from the NFC North:

• As for tonight’s game, the Lions ruled out cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Although Detroit activated Moseley off its active/PUP list before roster-cutdown day, the free agency addition underwent a second knee procedure this summer and was viewed as a long shot to start the year on time. Moseley is finishing up a recovery from an October 2022 ACL tear.
• Isaiah Buggs started 13 games at nose tackle for last season’s Lions edition, but the veteran was informed in advance he would be a healthy scratch tonight, the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers notes. The Lions gave Buggs a two-year, $4.5MM deal in March but gave more snaps to rookie Brodric Martin and Benito Jones during camp. Buggs believes his lack of offseason attendance affected the team’s decision, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The former Steelers contributor said his wife giving birth led to him staying away during OTAs. Jones and Alim McNeill are expected to start in Kansas City, Birkett adds.
• Going into free agency, the Bears did extensive work on Dre’Mont Jones, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes. Although the Bears carried plenty of cap space into free agency, they chose to stand down on Jones and spend for the likes of Tremaine Edmunds, Nate Davis, T.J. Edwards and DeMarcus Walker. The team later addressed its D-tackle needs in the draft, choosing three — Zacch Pickens (Round 2), Gervon Dexter (Round 3) and Travis Bell (Round 7) — on Day 2. This duo should be expected to play bigger roles down the line, but in Week 1, Justin Jones and Andrew Billings are slated to start. A four-year Broncos regular, Jones ended up with the Seahawks on a three-year, $51MM deal.
• T.J. Hockenson‘s four-year, $66MM Vikings extension comes with $29.29MM fully guaranteed, according to OverTheCap. That number checks in fourth among tight ends — behind Kyle Pitts‘ rookie deal and the extensions for Mark Andrews and George Kittle. Hockenson’s 2024 base salary is fully guaranteed. His $10.9MM 2025 base salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who notes that number shifts to a full guarantee a year early (March 2024). The Vikings did not use the year-out guarantee structure for Hockenson’s 2026 setup, giving them more flexibility. Hockenson has $2.3MM of his 2026 base ($15.4MM) guaranteed for injury; it does not shift to a full guarantee until March 2026, giving the Vikings additional flexibility. Hockenson’s cap number will climb from $5MM this year to $14.1MM in 2024, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Billings will be getting a one-year deal worth $3.5MM. The contract includes $2.4MM in guaranteed money.

Billings opted out of the 2020 season and got into only six games with the Browns in 2021 before getting cut loose. He caught on with the Raiders last offseason and had his strongest showing since 2019. The defensive lineman ultimately started all 14 of his appearances, compiling 39 tackles and one sack. Pro Football Focus gave him high marks for his 2022 performance, ranking him 16th among 127 qualifying interior defenders.

The likes of Justin Jones, Mike Pennel, and Angelo Blackson didn’t rank nearly as high among interior defenders, so Billings should provide a temporary upgrade. The Bears have been busy adding to their defense this offseason, signing linebacker T.J. Edwards, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker.

Billings, 26, was originally a fourth round pick of the Bengals in 2016. In 47 games in Cincinnati (including 37 starts), he compiled 81 tackles, 12 QB hits and 3.5 sacks. His next stop was set to be Cleveland, where he signed a one-year deal in March 2020; however, he opted out of that season, keeping him in Ohio for the 2021 campaign.

The 6-foot-one, 328-pounder only ended up playing in six contests with the Browns, recording a single tackle before being waived. He bounced around during the latter part of the campaign, joining the practice squads of the Dolphins and Chiefs in November and January, respectively. He didn’t end up making any appearances for either team during his brief stints there, however.

In Las Vegas, Billings will add depth to a defensive line that could stand to be upgraded. In 2021, the Raiders gave up just over 114 yards per game on the ground, ranking them in the bottom half of the league. This move could very well be the first of many along the defensive front, as Quinton Jefferson, Johnathan Hankins, Solomon Thomas and Gerald McCoy are all scheduled to hit free agency in March.

Billings was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2016. He started 30 of his 32 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, collecting a total of 3.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 11 QB hits. The defensive tackle joined the Browns during the 2020 offseason, but he chose to opt out of the subsequent season. Billings ended up seeing time in only six games for Cleveland in 2021, collecting a single tackle. He was ultimately waived by the organization before catching on with the Dolphins practice squad.

Johnson, a fifth-round pick by the Browns in 2017, spent the majority of his career in Houston. After getting into only one game through his first two years in the NFL, the lineman saw a larger role in both 2019 and 2020. Johnson got into 28 games (with six starts) through those two seasons, including a 2020 campaign where he appeared in 245 offensive snaps. Johnson spent the entire 2021 campaign with the Dolphins organization.

McGuire has spent the past year-plus with the Chiefs organization, but he didn’t make a regular-season appearance for Kansas City. The former sixth-round pick got into 24 games for the Jets between 2017 and 2018.

Billings was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2016, and it didn’t take him every long to establish himself as a starter. He started 30 of his 32 games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, collecting a total of 3.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 11 QB hits.

The defensive tackle joined the Browns during the 2020 offseason, but he chose to opt out of the subsequent season. Billings ended up seeing time in only six games for Cleveland this season, collecting a single tackle. He was ultimately waived by the organization on Saturday.

Now, the 26-year-old will have a chance to kick start his career in Miami. Per Rapoport, the veteran will initially start on the practice squad, but he’s expected to be promoted to the active roster relatively quickly.

Arizona Cardinals

• Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, WR Greg Dortch

Carolina Panthers

• Activated from IR: S Juston Burris, WR Brandon Zylstra
• Promoted: OL Mike Horton

Cincinnati Bengals

• Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Chidobe Awuzie
• Placed on IR: CB Ryan Smith

Cleveland Browns

• Activated from IR: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
• Waived: DT Andrew Billings
• Promoted: RB Brian Hill, CB Herb Miller, WR JoJo Natson, FB Johnny Stanton

Dallas Cowboys

• Activated from PUP list: DT Trysten Hill
• Promoted: K Lirim Hajrullahu

Denver Broncos

• Activated from PUP list: CB Essang Bassey
• Promoted: T Quinn Bailey, RB Damarea Crockett, T Drew Himmelman, LB Curtis Robinson

Detroit Lions

• Promoted: K Ryan Santoso
• Placed on IR: K Austin Seibert

Green Bay Packers

• Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Isaac Yiadom
• Waived: LB LaDarius Hamilton

Indianapolis Colts

• Activated from IR: CB T.J. Carrie
• Promoted: S Jahleel Addae
• Waived: CB BoPete Keyes

Kansas City Chiefs

• Placed on IR: T Mike Remmers

Las Vegas Raiders

• Promoted: S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, LB Patrick Onwuasor

Minnesota Vikings

• Placed on IR: DT Michael Pierce
• Promoted: S Myles Dorn, CB Tye Smith

New England Patriots

• Promoted: DL Tashawn Bower, TE Matt LaCosse

New York Jets

• Activated from IR: P Braden Mann, OL Conor McDermott
• Placed on IR: T Chuma Edoga
• Promoted: FB Nick Bawden, DE Ronald Blair, DE Hamilcar Rashed, TE Kenny Yeboah

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Promoted: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

• Promoted: LB Tanner Muse
• Waived: TE Tyler Mabry
• Placed on IR: DB Marquise Blair (story)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Promoted: TE Darren Fells, WR Breshad Perriman

Tennessee Titans

• Activated from IR: CB Kristian Fulton
• Placed on IR: S Dane Cruikshank
• Promoted: LB Dylan Cole, WR Dez Fitzpatrick, NT Kyle Peko

Washington Football Team

• Promoted: DE Bunmi Rotimi

Chiefs guard and medical school graduate Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to officially opt out. Scores of players followed.

Here’s the rundown, so far:

Baltimore Ravens

• OT Andre Smith (story)
• WR De’Anthony Thomas (story)

Buffalo Bills

• CB E.J. Gaines (story)
• DT Star Lotulelei (story)

Carolina Panthers

• LB Jordan Mack
• LB Christian Miller

Chicago Bears

• DT Eddie Goldman (story)
• S Jordan Lucas

Cincinnati Bengals

• T Isaiah Prince (story)
• DT Josh Tupou (story)

Cleveland Browns

• DT Andrew Billings
• T Drake Dorbeck
• G Colby Gossett
• G Drew Forbes
• G Malcolm Pridgedon

Dallas Cowboys

• CB Maurice Canady (story)
• WR Stephen Guidry
• FB Jamize Olawale

Denver Broncos

• DT Joel Heath
• DT Kyle Peko

Detroit Lions

• WR Geronimo Allison (story)
• DT John Atkins
• C Russell Bodine (story)

Green Bay Packers

• WR Devin Funchess (story)

Houston Texans

• DL Eddie Vanderdoes

Indianapolis Colts

• DB Rolan Milligan
• LB Skai Moore
• DB Marvell Tell

Jacksonville Jaguars

• DE Lerentee McCray
• CB Rashaan Melvin (story)
• DT Al Woods (story)

Kansas City Chiefs

• G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (story)
• T Lucas Niang (story)
• RB Damien Williams (story)

Las Vegas Raiders

• LB Ukeme Eligwe
• CB D.J. Killings
• DE Jeremiah Valoaga

Los Angeles Rams

• T Chandler Brewer

Miami Dolphins

• WR Allen Hurns (story)
• WR Albert Wilson (story)

Minnesota Vikings

• NT Michael Pierce (story)

New England Patriots

• RB Brandon Bolden (story)
• T Marcus Cannon (story)
• S Patrick Chung (story)
• LB Dont’a Hightower (story)
• WR Marqise Lee (story)
• OL Najee Toran
• FB Danny Vitale (story)

New Orleans Saints

• TE Jason Vander Laan
• TE Cole Wick

New York Giants

• CB Sam Beal
• WR Da’Mari Scott
• T Nate Solder (story)
• CB Shakial Taylor

New York Jets

• WR Josh Doctson
• OL Leo Koloamatangi
• LB C.J. Mosley (story)

Philadelphia Eagles

• WR Marquise Goodwin

San Francisco 49ers

• WR Travis Benjamin (story)
• OL Jake Brendel
• T Shon Coleman

Seattle Seahawks

• G Chance Warmack (story)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• T Brad Seaton

Tennessee Titans

• OL Anthony McKinney

Washington Football Team

• DL Caleb Brantley
• LB Josh Harvey-Clemons

Free agents

• G Larry Warford (story)

• Tyler Eifert, TE (Jaguars): Two years. Worth $9.5MM, including $3.25MM guaranteed. $2.25MM signing bonus. $1.25MM per-game roster bonus, $2M in incentives (2020). Up to $1M per-game roster bonus, $2M in incentives (2021, if options is exercised).
• Sheldon Day, DT (Colts): Signed. One-year, $1.75M deal, including $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus, $1MM salary (of which $500K is guaranteed). Up to $250K in per-game roster bonuses.
• Andrew Billings, DT (Browns): One year, $3.5MM. Fully guaranteed deal. Includes $2MM signing bonus.
• Anthony Levine, S (Ravens): Signed. One-year, $1.812MM deal, including $350K guaranteed. $137.6K signing bonus, $1.675MM salary (of which $212.5K is guaranteed).
• Chris Moore, WR (Ravens): Re-signed. One-year, $1.672MM deal, including $275K guaranteed. $137.5K signing bonus, $1.535MM salary (of which $137.5K is guaranteed).
• Nick Dzubnar, LB (Titans): Signed. One-year, $1.047MM deal. Includes $137.5K signing bonus, $910K salary.

Billings will ink a one-year deal worth $3.5MM fully guaranteed. The structure could be indicative of the current climate and reflective of player concerns during this period of uncertainty. Either way, it’s a solid deal for both sides. The Browns get a former starter on the cheap who can push opposing lineman thanks to his 328-pound frame. Billings, meanwhile, has security and a chance to cash in if he performs.

Billings, 25, has appeared in 47 games with 37 starts for the Bengals over the last three years. He came into the league as a fourth-round pick in 2016, but saw his entire season wiped out by a knee injury.

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Tate, 28, has been on Cincinnati’s roster since the 2011 season, but most of his contributions have come on special teams rather than on offense. He’s returned more than 350 kicks and punts during his time with the Bengals, averaging 9.6 yards per return on kickoffs and 24.6 yards on punts. Tate is highly-respected by the Cincinnati coaching staff and front office, and Rapoport notes that the club released him now so that he might be able to latch on with another club.

Alford, meanwhile, was thought to be contending for both returner jobs, but injuries have kept him off the field. The former sixth-round pick will revert to the Bengals’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.

The Bengals also released kicker Jon Brown from the injured reserve list, presumably with an injury settlement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

MONDAY, 12:14pm: Bengals rookie defensive tackle Andrew Billings underwent knee surgery today for a torn meniscus and is out indefinitely, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The injury could rule Billings out for the entire 2016 season.

As shown on Roster Resource, the Bengals were planning on using Billings as their primary backup at nose tackle behind Domata Peko. Former Raider Pat Sims now presumably moves up a spot on the depth chart and the team could also look out-of-house for defensive line help as defensive tackle Brandon Thompson recovers from his knee injury.

In July, scouting expert Dave-Te Thomas told PFR that Billings was poised to make a big impact for Cincinnati this season:

Lightning may have struck the Bengals twice at the nose guard position. Back in 2010, a stout interior defender was not regarded as highly by general managers as their scouts. As luck would have it, the Bengals took a chance in the fourth round that year and found Geno Atkins. Now, six years later, they might have found the player who could replace Peko at nose tackle, perhaps as early as next year. If Billings proves to be starter material in training camp, the front office might be comfortable with letting Peko go elsewhere after this season.

The Bengals haven’t had the best of luck with their 2016 rookie class. Earlier this month, first-round cornerback William Jackson III suffered a torn pectoral muscle that could cost him a big chunk of the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

• The Buccaneers have signed undrafted free agent Javien Elliott, formerly of Florida State, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Elliott accrued 37 tackles, a sack and an interception for the Seminoles last season.
• Offensive lineman Darius Johnson, whom the Lions cut on Tuesday, has cleared waivers, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State earlier this month.
• The Buccaneers have waived cornerback C.J. Wilson, according to Auman (Twitter link). Wilson missed all of last season after losing two fingers in a July 4 fireworks accident. Prior to that horrific accident, he appeared in a total of four games from 2013-14 – his first two seasons in the league. Wilson will continue his career in a vastly different climate, per Auman, who reports that he has signed with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
• Wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived/injured Tuesday, cleared waivers and has reverted to injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
• The Titans have been awarded tight end Jerome Cunningham off waivers, reports Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. Cunningham, whom the Jets waived Tuesday, appeared in nine games last season and caught eight passes for 59 yards.
• The Broncos have an agreement with second-round defensive lineman Adam Gotsis, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. As per his slot, Gotsis’ deal comes with a signing bonus of just over $1MM. Gotsis, a Georgia Tech product, is currently sidelined due to the torn ACL he suffered last year.
• The Bengals signed fourth-round defensive tackle Andrew Billings, as Wilson tweets. In related news, the team signed fullback Andrew Bonnet and waived-injured kicker Jonathan Brown.
• The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Jarrett Grace, an undrafted rookie from Notre Dame. To make room, fellow linebacker Danny Mason has been placed on waivers.
• The Falcons announced that they have waived offensive lineman Cody Elenz. Elenz was signed as a college free agent following the draft. Even after cutting Elenz, Atlanta has 15 offensive linemen on their 88-man roster.
• The Packers released guard/tackle Vince Kowalski, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.