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Injured Reserve Return Tracker

November 13th, 2024 at 6:50pm 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 are 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.

Here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 11:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return from IR (August 27): 

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Baltimore Ravens

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Carolina Panthers

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Chicago Bears

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Cincinnati Bengals

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Denver Broncos

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Detroit Lions

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Green Bay Packers

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

  • DL Jonathan Ford (Week 8)

Activations remaining: 7

Houston Texans

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Jacksonville Jaguars

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Kansas City Chiefs

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Las Vegas Raiders

Eligible for activation from IR:

Eligible for activation from reserve/NFI list:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Los Angeles Chargers

Designated for return from IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Los Angeles Rams

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL K.T. Leveston

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation from IR:

Eligible for activation from reserve/NFI list:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New England Patriots

Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return: 

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New York Giants

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New York Jets

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL Dylan Cook

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 4

San Francisco 49ers

Eligible for activation: 

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Seattle Seahawks

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Tennessee Titans

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 7

Washington Commanders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Seahawks Activate Abraham Lucas, Place George Fant On IR

November 13th, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks activated right tackle Abraham Lucas from the Physically Unable to Perform list and placed George Fant on injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Head coach Mike Macdonald indicated on Monday that he expected Lucas to start in Week 11 after finally recovering from offseason knee surgery. However, his activation is no guarantee that he make his season debut on Sunday. Seattle opened Lucas’ practice window 21 days ago, so he had to be moved to the active roster to avoid reverting to the PUP list for the rest of the season.

The Seahawks will certainly be hoping that Lucas can start at right tackle this weekend after moving Fant to injured reserve for the second time this season. He suffered a knee injury after 19 snaps in Week 1 and returned in Week 9 for just 17 snaps before re-injuring his knee and exiting the game.

This is the second year in a row that Seattle has struggled with health at the tackle position. Left tackle Charles Cross injured his toe in Week 1 in 2023 and missed the next three games. Lucas was placed on injured reserve after a knee injury in Week 1 and returned in Week 13 for five starts before going down once more, with then-head coach Pete Carroll calling it a “chronic” problem. The Seahawks then signed Fant to a two-year, $9.1MM in the offseason as insurance for Lucas’ ongoing recovery from knee surgery. Fant appeared in 16 games for the Texans in 2023, but played just 36 snaps this season with knee issues of his own.

All of the tackle injuries have pressed 2021 sixth-rounder Stone Forsythe into a starting role for the second year in a row. He started eight games in 2023 – three at left tackle and five at right tackle – along with four relief appearances across the two positions. Forsythe then replaced Fant in Week 1 this year and started the next five games at right tackle before landing on injured reserve with a hand injury. Rookie Michael Jerrell then started in Weeks 7 and 8 before relieving Fant in Week 9 after the recurrence of his knee injury.

While Lucas is expected to play in Week 11, Jerrell will start at right tackle if the Seahawks wants to give their 2022 third-rounder more time before he takes the field.

NFC West Notes: Cousins, Cards, Seahawks

November 13th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brock Purdy ranks seventh in QBR, and while some bumps in the road have formed for Kyle Shanahan‘s quick study, he remains on steady ground months after going toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers have Purdy tied to rookie-deal money through season’s end and then an interesting decision will loom. With Dak Prescott raising the market (thanks to unique leverage) to $60MM per year, Purdy will be in line for a high-end deal — even if it does not eclipse the Cowboys passer’s. As we heard in May, connections about a lower-cost plan continue to take place around the league.

Execs are still discussing the prospect of Shanahan reuniting with Kirk Cousins via 2025 trade, per the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. This would stand to be a fallback option in the event Purdy negotiations run too hot for San Francisco’s liking, but swapping out a soon-to-be 25-year-old arm for a player who will turn 37 in 2025 would still be a massive risk. Shanahan was Cousins’ first NFL OC, though Jay Gruden was in charge when the now-longtime starter received his first extended QB1 run. The 49ers were prepared to offer their No. 2 overall pick to Washington in 2017 for Cousins, but they committed to Jimmy Garoppolo before his free agency a year later. This reunion seems unlikely, though a GM told La Canfora in a separate piece he does expect the current Falcons starter to be traded next year.

An October report revealed skepticism in some NFL corners the Falcons will sit Michael Penix Jr. for two seasons, calling Cousins’ post-2024 future into question. For now, Cousins remains in Atlanta on a contract that includes a $100MM practical guarantee. Even if the 49ers do not wish to part with Purdy, another offseason of Cousins rumors appears certain for 2025. Here is the latest from the NFC West:

  • The 49ers have made a few splashy trades before past deadlines, acquiring Garoppolo, Emmanuel Sanders and Chase Young during the Shanahan-John Lynch regime’s run. The eighth-year HC said (via the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch) no similar possibilities emerged this year. The 49ers did make a minor addition, adding defensive tackle Khalil Davis from the Texans to join fellow Houston-to-San Francisco DT Maliek Collins. Shanahan also classified not being better prepared for injuries at safety a “huge risk,” given Talanoa Hufanga‘s situation, but Tashaun Gipson did rejoin the team via a practice squad deal hours after the deadline. Tearing an ACL in 2023, Hufanga is uncertain to return this season due to a wrist injury.
  • On the subject of NFC West safeties, Budda Baker looks to have a path to stay in Arizona after his contract expires. Some around the league view the prospect of a third Baker-Cardinals contract as realistic, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. The perennial Pro Bowler asked out of Arizona during the 2023 offseason and only received incentives to stay. Baker’s contract expires at season’s end, and he will be 29 by free agency, opening the door to a lucrative third contract. The safety market has been hot and cold in recent years, but if the Cardinals want to retain Baker, an upper-crust contract should be required. Now that Arizona has taken steps forward, Baker certainly could fit into the team’s long-term plans. He has expressed interest in sticking around long term.
  • The Cardinals have been using in-season pickup Chad Ryland at kicker, but Matt Prater‘s injury is not viewed as season-ending. Jonathan Gannon expects (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban) the Cardinals to have their 40-year-old regular kicker back at some point. Prater is down with a left knee injury, which has cost him six games.
  • Bailing on both their top linebacker options by the midpoint, the Seahawks have some reorganizing to do coming out of their bye. After trading Jerome Baker to the Titans for Ernest Jones, the Hawks waived Tyrel Dodson. Seattle’s free agency plan of Baker and Dodson is out, and Mike Macdonald said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson) rookie Tyrice Knight is the lead candidate to play alongside Jones. Seattle drafted Knight in Round 4; Dodson is heading to Miami via waiver claim.

Seahawks’ Abraham Lucas Expected To Debut In Week 11

November 11th, 2024 at 8:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks are expecting to have right tackle Abraham Lucas back in the starting lineup for their Week 11 matchup with the 49ers.

Head coach Mike Macdonald said that it is a “realistic expectation” that Lucas would make his season debut next Sunday, according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Lucas started the 2024 on the Physically Unable to Perform list while recovering from offseason knee surgery. He first injured his knee in Week 1 last year and did not play again until Week 13. Lucas then started Seattle’s next five games before leaving Week 17 with a recurrence of the same injury that required corrective surgery and a lengthy rehab process.

Seattle relied on Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan to replace Lucas in 2023, but both players struggled in their starts. The Seahawks signed George Fant in the offseason to fill in at right tackle during Lucas’ recovery, but he could be in line for his second stint on injured reserve this season after re-injuring his knee last week, per Henderson. Fant first landed on IR in September, forcing Forsythe to step into starting duties for a second year in a row with Curhan now in Chicago.

Lucas’ extended absence has negatively impacted Geno Smith‘s pass protection this season. The Seahawks allowed 38 sacks in 2023, the 10th-fewest in the NFL, but have already allowed 28 sacks in nine games this year, the 10th-most in the league. A successful return from Lucas would help Seattle stay in contention for the NFC West crown.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/24

November 11th, 2024 at 8:06pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s NFL practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

The Bengals signed Brightwell after hosting several veterans for workouts on Monday, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz. Leonard Fournette and Xavien Howard were among the players who auditioned in Cincinnati, but neither player left with a deal.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/24

November 11th, 2024 at 6:34pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Reinstated from suspension, one-game roster exemption granted: DE Mario Edwards

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Seattle Seahawks

Williams completed his three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He remains on injured reserve after a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp.

Edwards served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and is now eligible to be reinstated to the Texans’ active roster. Houston requested and received a one-game roster exemption to give Edwards an additional week to practice with the team before being added back to the 53-man roster.

Seahawks Waive LB Tyrel Dodson

November 11th, 2024 at 2:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks are underperforming on defense this season, and a notable move is on tap at the linebacker spot. Seattle plans to waive Tyrel Dodson, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports. The move has now officially been made.

Dodson spent his first five seasons with the Bills, serving in a depth capacity as a rookie and taking on a key special teams role across the 2021 and ’22 seasons. The former UDFA saw his playing time jump to 51% last season, though, and he responded with career highs in tackles (74) and sacks (2.5). That landed him a free agent deal with the Seahawks in March.

The 26-year-old has logged over 600 snaps through nine games this year, already more than what he handled in any previous season. Given his major workload – which has included a team-leading 71 tackles along with a pair of sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble – today’s news comes as a surprise. Dodson’s one-year deal had a base value of $4.26MM, but its only guarantees consisted of a $1MM signing bonus which has already been paid out.

Dodson was in line to continue collecting per-game active roster bonuses through the remainder of the season, but that will not be the case if he is not retained by the organization. After the trade deadline, all players let go by their respective teams are subject to waivers. An interested club could therefore put in a claim and send the Texas A&M product to a new environment. If not, Dodson will become a free agent, keeping open the possibility of re-signing to Seattle’s practice squad.

This move represents another notable change at the linebacker spot for the Seahawks. The team sent Jerome Baker to the Titans last month, receiving Ernest Jones in return. Jones has started each of his two Seattle contests so far, and that is set to continue moving forward. 2023 UDFA Drake Thomas or fourth-round rookie Tyrice Knight could step into a first-team role to replace Dodson.

Seattle started the year 3-0 under first-time head coach Mike Macdonald, hired in no small part for his potential in delivering improvement on defense. The team now sits at 4-5 on the year, and it ranks outside the top 20 in several defensive categories. Dodson could play a role in helping generate a turnaround if he remains in the fold, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case.

Steelers Inquired On Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf

November 6th, 2024 at 3:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Had Christian Kirk not gone down with a broken collarbone, the Jaguars wide receiver may well have become the Steelers’ long-sought-after wide receiver solution. With Kirk’s Week 8 injury taking him out of the equation, Pittsburgh zeroed in on the Jets’ roster.

The Steelers had targeted Davante Adams, among many others, this year but assumed during talks with the Raiders that the Jets would end up with the ex-Aaron Rodgers target. They were right, leading to the Williams pursuit. While some posturing may have taken place on the Jets’ part after Allen Lazard‘s IR trip, but the Steelers sending over a fifth-round pick finished the deal to end a months-long WR pursuit.

Known more for selling than buying at the receiver position, the Steelers conducted a search that moved beyond Kirk, Adams and Williams. It involved both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and after having trade parameters in place with the 49ers on Aiyuk, that failed deal preceded Cooper Kupp inquiry. The Steelers’ NFC West effort did not stop with the California teams; they are believed to have asked about D.K. Metcalf as well, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.

When a recent report surfaced indicating teams were inquiring with the Seahawks on Metcalf, it was safe to assume the Steelers were part of that mix. It does not seem like the Seahawks ventured as far down the trade road compared to the Rams or 49ers with their respective receivers, as Fowler adds Seattle closed the door on such a transaction quickly.

Having slipped to the back of the second round in 2019, Metcalf joined Samuel, A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin and Diontae Johnson as higher-end starters from Day 2 of that draft. That batch all signed extensions during the 2022 offseason, with Metcalf tied to a three-year, $72MM deal that runs through 2025. This timeline gives the Seahawks an extra year to evaluate Metcalf in Ryan Grubb‘s offense, and while it would stand to reason teams will check in again come 2025 — perhaps the Steelers, as Williams’ contract expires at season’s end — the sixth-year veteran will not be easy to pry away.

The Seahawks saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba take a step forward in Metcalf’s absence Sunday, but the latter has been the team’s top wideout for a couple years. The big-bodied target has three 1,000-yard seasons on his NFL resume. Tyler Lockett is now 32, with Metcalf profiling as the more logical piece who will be tabbed to play alongside Smith-Njigba going forward. Metcalf, 26, is tied to an $18MM base salary in 2025. Three void years are on the contract, which would spike the dead money to $21MM in the event of a Hawks trade next year.

Williams will attempt to assimilate into Arthur Smith‘s offense alongside George Pickens, who becomes extension-eligible in 2025. The Steelers’ search for a longer-term WR2 figures to involve the draft, where the organization typically finds its receiver answers. Between this past draft and Tuesday’s trade deadline, however, the Steelers searched far and wide for a veteran to help Pickens in their now-Russell Wilson-led offense.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/6/24

November 6th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: T Ryan Hayes

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

While a few players in today’s roundup are catching back on with teams after being cut from their respective club’s active roster, the 49ers are adding Gage. This marks the veteran wideout’s first gig since the Ravens cut him following training camp. Gage, who totaled 700-plus-yard seasons with the Falcons in 2020 and 2021, did not justify a three-year, $30MM Buccaneers contract. The 28-year-old receiver has not played in a regular-season game since suffering a season-nullifying knee injury — a patellar tendon rupture — during Bucs camp in 2023.

2024 NFL Trades

November 5th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

We have reached the 2024 trade deadline, which came one week later than the league’s usual endpoint. An offseason measure to move the deadline back one week passed, sliding the deadline beyond Week 9 after it had resided the Tuesday following Week 8 since 2012. That opened the door to more activity this year.

The 2024 offseason also featured extensive work, as teams added starters and depth pieces. Here are the trades involving veteran players (or rookies already drafted) to take place this year:

March 4

Bears chose defensive end Austin Booker at No. 144

March 9

Broncos sent Seahawks No. 136, included 203 in trade with Jets for QB Zach Wilson

March 10

Patriots chose QB Joe Milton at 193

March 11

Bucs drafted WR Jalen McMillan at No. 92; Lions traded No. 201 to Eagles

Panthers traded down from No. 39, giving Rams access to DT Braden Fiske; team moved No. 141 in Bills deal that sent WR Xavier Legette to Carolina. Giants chose RB Tyrone Tracy at 166.

March 12

Bengals chose DB Daijahn Anthony at No. 224 

March 13

Texans traded No. 232 to Vikings

Ravens chose WR Devontez Walker at No. 113, QB Devin Leary at 218; Jets drafted RB Braelon Allen at 134

March 14

Commanders traded Nos. 78, 152 to Eagles in trade that sent CB Cooper DeJean to Philadelphia; Seahawks moved down from No. 102, drafted G Sataoa Laumea at 179

Bolts traded No. 110 to Patriots 

March 15

Steelers chose LB Payton Wilson at No. 98; Eagles traded No. 120 to Dolphins in package that brought back 2025 third-rounder

March 16

Fields must play in 51% of Steelers’ offensive snaps for pick to elevate from sixth to fourth round

March 22

Chiefs traded No. 221 to Bills; Titans chose OLB Jaylen Harrell at 252

March 29

Pick would have become second-rounder had Reddick played 67.5% of Jets’ 2024 defensive snaps and recorded at least 10 sacks. Reddick’s holdout ensured Philly’s pick will land in Round 3.

April 3

Texans dealt No. 189 to Lions for Nos. 205, 249

April 12

Browns chose CB Myles Harden at No. 227

April 22

In trade that gave Vikings J.J. McCarthy draft real estate at No. 10 overall, Jets sent No. 203 to Minnesota; Broncos chose C Nick Gargiulo at 256

April 27

May 9

August 9

August 11

August 14

Dallas carried Phillips on its active roster for two games, meeting minimum requirement for conditional sixth to transfer

August 22

Pick did not convey due to Commanders cutting York before he played in two games with team

August 23

August 24

August 26

August 27

August 28

October 14

October 15

Pick would upgrade to second-rounder if Adams earns first- or second-team All-Pro recognition or is on Jets’ active roster for 2024 AFC championship game or Super Bowl LIX

October 23

Pick would become fourth-rounder if Hopkins both plays 60% of Chiefs’ remaining offensive snaps and Kansas City advances to Super Bowl LIX

October 28

October 29

Robinson’s playing time will determine if Jags pick climbs to a fourth-rounder and whether Vikings will end up receiving 2026 seventh

November 4

November 5

Sixth-rounder going to New Orleans comes from pick Saints sent Commanders for John Ridgeway 

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