NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/30/25
A rare Sunday transaction:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Israel Abanikanda
Abanikanda is set to join his third NFC team this season. Originally drafted by the Jets following a breakout junior year at Pitt, Abanikanda failed to find a role in New York. Working behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook in his rookie year, Abanikanda got a few looks near the end of the season but seemingly failed to make much of an impression. The next year saw New York draft Braelon Allen a round earlier than Abanikanda had been taken the year prior, and Abanikanda didn’t see any game action before eventually getting waived in December.
He was claimed by the 49ers, who held onto him until waiving him in July. Green Bay claimed him off waivers after that and placed him on the practice squad after he failed to make the 53-man roster. The Packers cut Abanikanda from their practice squad back in September, and nearly three months later, he’s now headed to Dallas.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/8/25
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Tommy Akingbesote, DB Israel Mukuamu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Pierre Strong
- Released: RB Israel Abanikanda
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
- Released: RB Khalil Herbert
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Reid Holskey
- Released: G McClendon Curtis
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Liam Fornadel
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Montrell Johnson, OL Hollin Pierce
- Released: WR Elijah Cooks
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Rakim Jarrett
- Released: WR Lance McCutcheon
Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.
Chicago Bears
Claimed:
- LB D’Marco Jackson (from Saints), CB Jaylon Jones (from Cardinals)
Released:
- LS Scott Daly, WR Devin Duvernay
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Maurice Alexander, WR Miles Boykin, RB Brittain Brown, TE Stephen Carlson, DL Xavier Carlton, LB Power Echols, LS Luke Elkin, CB Tre Flowers, DL Jonathan Ford, DB Mekhi Garner, DL Tanoh Kpassagnon, DL Jamree Kromah, OL Jordan McFadden, WR JP Richardson, OL Ricky Stromberg
Detroit Lions
Signed:
Claimed:
- DT Tyler Lacy (from Jaguars), DE Tyrus Wheat (from Cowboys)
Signed to practice squad:
- DL Myles Adams, WR Ronnie Bell, C Trystan Colon, DL Keith Cooper, DB Erick Hallett, TE Zach Horton, WR Tom Kennedy, WR Jackson Meeks, OL Mason Miller, OL Michael Niese, LB Anthony Pittman, RB Jacob Saylors, S Loren Strickland, T Dan Skipper, DL Isaac Ukwu
Green Bay Packers
Signed:
- LB Nick Niemann
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Israel Abanikanda, DL Deslin Alexandre, DB Johnathan Baldwin, T Brant Banks, DL James Ester, WR Mecole Hardman, LB Jamon Johnson, K Mark McNamee, DL Arron Mosby, WR Isaiah Neyor, WR Will Sheppard, DB Jaylin Simpson, LB Kristian Welch
Minnesota Vikings
Signed to practice squad:
- G Henry Byrd, WR Dontae Fleming, S Kahlef Hailassie, DL Jonathan Harris, WR Lucky Jackson, WR Jeshuan Jones, WR Tim Jones, G Vershon Lee, CB Fabian Moreau, OLB Gabriel Murphy, TE Bryson Nesbit, T Max Pircher, DL Taki Taimani, RB Xazavian Valladay, TE Nick Vannett, CB Zemaiah Vaughn
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/25
Friday’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Mello Dotson, OLB J.J. Weaver
- Waived (with injury designation): CB M.J. Devonshire
- Waived: OLB Amare Barno
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Winston Wright
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): RB Israel Abanikanda
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR JaQuae Jackson
- Waived: T Elijah Ellis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Reverted to reserve/PUP list: T Silas Dzansi
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Matt Landers
- Waived: WR Colton Dowell
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/25
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Troy Andersen
- Released: DB Kevin King
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Cobee Bryant, DL LaCale London, LB Malik Verdon
Chicago Bears
- Signed: S Alex Cook
Detroit Lions
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Cornell Armstrong, OL Obinna Eze
- Waived: OL Tedi Kushi
- Placed on IR: CB Artie Burns
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Tanner McCalister
- Released: LB Jared Bartlett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Reverted to IR: OL Marcus Tate
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on active/NFI list: G Isaac Seumalo
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
- Waived: RB Israel Abanikanda
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: G Michael Jordan, OL Tyler McLellan
- Waived/injured: OL Silas Dzansi
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Garret Greenfield
Washington Commanders
- Extended: S Percy Butler
Following rumblings yesterday that Artie Burns may have suffered a season-ending injury, the bad news was confirmed today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins cornerback indeed suffered a torn ACL. It’s a tough break for the veteran, who’s looking to revive his NFL career after being limited to only four games with the Seahawks last season. The Dolphins were quick to sign a replacement, as Miami signed Cornell Armstrong. A former sixth-round pick by the Dolphins, Armstrong last appeared in an NFL game in 2022, when he started four of his nine games for the Falcons.
The Buccaneers did some shuffling on their offensive line today. In comes a pair of lineman: Michael Jordan, who started 11 games for the Patriots last season, and Tyler McLellan, a six-foot-eight, 355-pound lineman out of Campbell. Garret Greenfield, a UDFA in the 2024 draft, has apparently decided to hang up his cleats, and the team also moved on from Silas Dzansi with an injury designation.
The Commanders were looking ahead to 2026 today, as the team added an extra year to Percy Butler‘s contract. The former fourth-round pick has had some run in the starting lineup, including a 2023 season where he started 13 games while compiling 64 tackles and eight passes defended. He started five of 17 games in 2024 while establishing himself as one of Washington’s special teams aces.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/24
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: DE Ronnie Perkins
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: RB Sincere McCormick
- Placed on IR: WR DJ Turner
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LS Jake McQuaide
San Francisco 49ers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jets): RB Israel Abanikanda
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to active roster (from Lions practice squad): S Kaevon Merriweather
Tennessee Titans
- Suspended: S Julius Wood
Sincere McCormick has seen a larger role in recent weeks as a practice squad elevation, and now the running back will be secured to the Raiders active roster. After spending the past few years hanging around the organization, the former UDFA finally made his NFL debut earlier this season. With the Raiders dealing with a depleted RB room in recent weeks, McCormick has seen an uptick in snaps, culminating in him collecting 65 yards from scrimmage on Black Friday.
Julius Wood has been hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The safety will now be sidelined for the rest of the 2024 campaign and one game in 2025. The undrafted rookie has appeared in nine games this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/24
Monday’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: DT Ruke Orhorhoro
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster: LB Shaka Heyward
- Waived: WR Trenton Irwin
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: DT Jowon Briggs
- Elevated: WR Kadarius Toney, WR Michael Woods
- Waived: QB Bailey Zappe
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: G Nick Gargiulo
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: RB Kene Nwangwu
- Waived: RB Israel Abanikanda
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: WR Parris Campbell
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: P Trenton Gill
Washington Commanders
- Activated from reserve/suspended list: CB Kevon Seymour
- Signed to active roster: K Zane Gonzalez
The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.
Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.
Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.
Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.
Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.
AFC East Rumors: Lazard, Carter, Jackson, Montgomery
The Jets lost to the Dolphins today in Tim Boyle‘s first start since 2021, and while Boyle failed to provide the offensive spark the team has been searching so desperately for, his arsenal of weapons hardly set him up for success. Part of that was the absence of veteran wide receiver Allen Lazard, who, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, was a healthy scratch from today’s game.
Florio relays that Lazard reportedly believes that it is “a one-game thing,” but after only being target once last week, Florio isn’t quite as sure. The report claims that, despite his existing history with injured quarterback Aaron Rodgers and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, “the internal assessment of Lazard is far from flattering.”
Still, without him, Garrett Wilson saw 10 targets. Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson were the only other wide receivers to see targets, while the rest of Boyle’s attempts targeted tight ends and running backs. With Randall Cobb already out for the past four games, New York can hardly afford more missed time from Lazard, as well.
Here are a few other rumors from the AFC East, with another coming from Gang Green:
- New York waived a former starter in running back Michael Carter a couple weeks ago. The young rusher had been benched after getting penalized for a chop block and had been buried on the depth chart behind Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook. The hope was that rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda would be able to step into the third-down role and provide a spark with his speed, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, but in today’s loss, Abanikanda didn’t register a touch. Hall instead took over the passing downs role, registering nine targets as the Jets were in catch-up mode for most of the contest.
- A new update on the drama with Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson comes straight from Jackson himself, through Mark Daniels of Mass Live. After reports that Jackson failed to show up to the team hotel the night before their game with the Commanders and then subsequently was kept home during the team’s trip to Germany, Jackson explained the situation. Jackson tole Daniels that he had “missed multiple ‘bed checks'” on the night before the Washington game. He was told to stay home from Germany as a punishment, which he claims to have accepted, learned from, and apologized for. In fact, Jackson claims to now be even more appreciative of head coach Bill Belichick, as a result.
- We saw New England pick up running back JaMycal Hasty off waivers a couple weeks ago, and with that addition, Mike Reiss of ESPN thinks veteran dual-threat back Ty Montgomery‘s job could be in danger. Hasty has a very similar skill set to Montgomery’s and is three years his junior. Montgomery, on the other hand, spent nearly all of last year on the team’s injured reserve and has seen his offensive contributions dwindle in 2023. Reiss could be right in thinking that Hasty has been brought in to replace Montgomery in the Patriots’ running backs room.
Jets Cut RB Michael Carter
The Jets have moved on from their former starting running back. The team announced that they’ve waived RB Michael Carter.
The 2021 fourth-round pick led the Jets backfield as a rookie, collecting 964 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He was expected to take a back seat to Breece Hall in 2022 but was inserted back into the starting lineup following his teammate’s season-ending injury. While he started 10 of his 16 appearances last season, Carter wasn’t nearly as productive during his second season in the NFL, finishing the year with only 690 yards from scrimmage.
With Hall healthy and the Jets signing Dalvin Cook, Carter was buried on the depth chart this year. He saw most of his work on third downs, hauling in 15 receptions for 68 yards. Carter also had another 38 yards on the ground. As ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes, Carter was benched during Sunday’s loss to the Raiders after being penalized for a chop-block.
After that game, coach Robert Saleh hinted that changes could be coming to the offense. And as Cimini notes, cutting Carter sends a clear message to a struggling offense that no one is safe.
“We’re looking at some things, some different personnel changes, which I’m going to keep here with me, but we’re looking across the board to see if we can find a way to generate some offense,” Saleh said.
Still, considering Carter’s production during his rookie campaign, it shouldn’t take long for the running back to find his next squad. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Carter should have some suitors on the waiver wire.
With Carter now out of the picture, the Jets are likely going to give fifth-round rookie Israel Abanikanda any leftover snaps at the position. The Pitt product is known for his elite speed and could add a spark to an offense that’s struggling to find the end zone.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Pats, Jets, Bengals
As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, the Raiders‘ eventual 53-man roster is starting to come into focus. Two players in particular appear to be securing their positions for the team’s lineup come Week 1, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
Wide receiver DeAndre Carter has definitely taken advantage of his opportunities throughout camp this preseason. In the team’s second preseason game, Carter started in the slot in place of Hunter Renfrow, who sat out for the game. He didn’t put up notable stats from the position, but he really shined in a special teams role. He had a strong opening kick return and was inches away from a punt return for a touchdown, as well. The coaches’ faith in him to start in place of Renfrow combined with his return ability has virtually cemented his spot on the roster, according to Reed.
Another player on the rise is veteran guard Greg Van Roten, who seems to have surpassed Alex Bars for the starting job at right guard. Van Roten started the team’s most recent preseason game at right guard for a single series before being replaced by Bars, signifying the changing of the guard, pun not intended. Bars, who started most of last season for the team at right guard, may be in danger of failing to make the 53-man roster if he keeps sliding down the depth chart.
Here are a few more roster rumors from around the league as the preseason begins its close:
- The Patriots have struggled as of late with drafting wide receivers. They’re looking to buck that trend this season. In a room that was originally looking weak when the team missed out on free agent De’Andre Hopkins, New England is newly flushed with possibilities. The team lacks elite top end talent, but behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, the Patriots have a surprising number of options. Kendrick Bourne has seemingly secured a role as the team’s third wideout with a great camp, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, and behind Bourne, rookie sixth-round picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have made strong cases for roster spots themselves with impressive camps. Even undrafted rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham has reportedly shown enough versatility and promise on offense and special teams to make a case for a roster spot.
- With the recent acquisition of free agent Dalvin Cook, the Jets top-two running backs are clear as day, but in the process, the extra body has made things a bit crowded in the position room. Brian Costello of the New York Post believes that rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda is likely safe, leading to a battle for the likely last roster spot between Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight. Seemingly, Carter is safe. He’s got more starting experience on the team than Knight and didn’t suit up for the Jets’ most recent preseason game, a likely indication that the coaches have seen what they need to see. Knight played last week and fumbled. He’s had good moments throughout training camp, but his future may lie on the practice squad this season.
- The Bengals have a clear TE1 and a likely TE2 coming into the end of the preseason in Irv Smith Jr. and Drew Sample, but there’s a chance that TE3 isn’t on the roster, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. Last season’s TE3 Mitchell Wilcox has a decent shot at a roster spot, as does the undersized Tanner Hudson, who has impressed with some nice hands throughout camp. Devin Asiasi, Nick Bowers, and Christian Trahan remain as options, as well, but don’t have the strongest chances at a roster spot. Dehner predicts that Cincinnati may take to the open market after cut day, aiming to pull in any of several experienced tight ends that may find themselves on the roster bubble.