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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/24

December 21st, 2024 at 7:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

After being activated from injured reserve in early November, Bates only played two games before suffering a concussion. The 27-year-old has not played since Week 11 and will now miss the remainder of the season on IR. Bates is under contract through 2025.

Buccaneers OC Liam Coen “Gaining Traction” For HC Gigs

December 21st, 2024 at 9:49am CST by Ben Levine

Liam Coen has helped elevate the Buccaneers offense into one of the top-scoring units in the NFL. The offensive coordinator may be able to parlay that performance into a promotion. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Coen has been “gaining traction” for head coaching gigs. At the very least, the coach is expected to be heavily involved in the interview circuit.

After spending a few years in the college ranks, Coen made a name for himself working alongside Sean McVay in Los Angeles. Coen first served as the Rams wide receivers coach, when he helped guide Cooper Kupp to his breakout season in 2019. Coen later worked closely with Matthew Stafford as the team’s assistant QBs coach.

Coen left for Kentucky in 2021 to become the school’s offensive coordinator, but he returned to the Rams in 2022 to replace Kevin O’Connell as OC. Coen went back to Kentucky for a second stint in 2023 before getting hired as Dave Canales‘ replacement in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2024 campaign.

While the Buccaneers already had a formidable offense, Coen has helped take the unit to another level. The offense is averaging more than 28 points per game despite Chris Godwin being lost for the season and Mike Evans missing a handful of games. Coen has also helped turn around the team’s running game; after ranking towards the bottom of the NFL in 2022 and 2023, the Buccaneers currently rank second in yards per carry (5.2) and fifth in rushing yards (2,021).

Considering Coen’s success in multiple stops, it’s not a huge surprise that he’ll be a hot name on the coaching carousel. The offensive coordinator will be relatively new to the HC interview cycle, and considering his limited track record, some longer-tenured coordinators will likely get the first crack at open jobs. Still, it’s a positive development for Coen’s career trajectory that he’s already being considered for these types of gigs.

As Fowler notes, Coen won’t be the only popular name in Tampa Bay. Assistant GM John Spytek will once again be considered for GM jobs, and fellow assistant GM Mike Greenberg could also be a popular name (with Fowler specifically pointing to the Jets gig). Fowler also points to vice president of football research Jacqueline Davidson and director of player personnel Rob McCartney as names to watch, even if they don’t get long looks this offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/24

December 18th, 2024 at 7:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor NFL moves across the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mills, the former Eagles’ and Patriots’ starter had taken on a bigger role in New York as usual starter Tony Adams took fewer snaps due to a hamstring injury. He’ll miss the remainder of the season due to a broken collar bone.

Forsythe had taken over as the starting right tackle following an injury to George Fant in the season opener before ending up on injured reserve himself with a hand injury.

Watts’ 21-day practice window has come and gone without an activation. As a result, he’ll revert back to IR without the ability to be activated.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 17th, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

This NFL season saw several teams slip out of contention quicker than usual, slimming wild-card races and expanding the pursuit for the No. 1 overall pick. Two teams now lead that race.

While no prospect on the Caleb Williams level is dangling for the Raiders and Giants, an interesting showdown has formed. With three weeks to go, the Giants would currently hold the top 2025 draft choice. But based on projected strength of schedule, the Raiders would win the tiebreaker if the results held. The team with the weaker overall strength of schedule would win that. The Giants still have a game against the 12-2 Eagles, while the Raiders’ upcoming matchup with the 3-11 Jaguars works in their favor.

The Giants have not held the No. 1 pick in the common draft era (1967-present), last making a choice atop a draft in 1965 (running back Tucker Frederickson). Their Eli Manning trade occurred after the Chargers had chosen the quarterback to start the 2004 draft. The Raiders have held the top pick once in the common draft era, famously choosing JaMarcus Russell to start the ’07 draft. Both teams have coaches fighting for their jobs, but each also has seen All-Pros (Dexter Lawrence, Maxx Crosby) removed from equations. Losers of 10 straight, the Raiders follow their Jaguars matchup with games against the Saints and Chargers. The Giants, who have dropped nine consecutive games, go Falcons-Colts-Eagles to close the season.

Five 3-11 teams sit behind the Raiders and Giants presently, with the NFL having nine teams who have already lost double-digit contests. If a Giants or Raiders win occurs, there are candidates to move toward pole position in what could be races for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. Though, a non-Giants or Raiders team finishing in the top two creates a bit more intrigue, as both those clubs are in dire need of QB help.

With an eye on teams’ projected strength of schedule based on current records, here is how the draft order looks with three games to go:

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/24

December 12th, 2024 at 8:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from around the NFL:

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers To Sign LB Deion Jones To Practice Squad

December 10th, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Deion Jones has not played in 2024, but that could change relatively soon. The veteran linebacker is signing with the Buccaneers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

To little surprise, this will be a practice squad agreement. Such moves are common amongst veteran free agents as they look to play their way onto an active roster over time. Jones could be used as a gameday elevation up to three times if Tampa Bay intends to use him as a depth contributor on defense.

The 30-year-old was a full-time starter as recently as 2021, his final year with the Falcons. Jones spent six seasons in Atlanta, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way and making an impact against the pass in particular. He had a one-year stint with the Browns in 2022, followed by a return to the NFC South with the Panthers last year. In both cases, he handled a much smaller role than he held during his Falcons years.

The LSU product made 13 appearances with Carolina in 2023, but his 38% defensive snap share represented by far the lowest mark of his career. Jones caught on with the Bills this offseason in a bid to fill at least a part-team role with Buffalo. He found himself as a longshot to make the opening day roster, however, and was released in August. This Bucs deal will give Jones the opportunity to see playing time in 2024 after a lengthy in-season free agent period.

Tampa Bay has Lavonte David and K.J. Britt in place as linebacker starters, but with SirVocea Dennis likely out for the remainder of the season, depth at the second level would be welcomed. Jones, who has 114 combined regular and postseason games to his name, would add considerable experience to the lineup if he were to see playing time down the stretch. The Buccaneers sit at 7-6 on the year and currently lead the NFC South; Jones could have a role to play late in the campaign and/or during the playoffs should the team qualify.

Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. Expected To Miss Multiple Weeks

December 9th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Adam La Rose

Antoine Winfield Jr. has run into further injury trouble in 2024. The All-Pro safety is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee sprain, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday.

Winfield suffered an ankle and foot sprain in Week 1, and that injury led to missed time. After missing four games, the 26-year-old returned to the lineup and had remained healthy until going down during Sunday’s game. His absence will once again be felt in the Tampa Bay secondary.

Over his first four seasons in the league, Winfield established himself as one of the league’s most productive defensive backs, and it came as little surprise when he received the franchise tag this offseason. That move was used to provide additional time for negotiations on a long-term deal, and in May the sides agreed to a four-year, $84.1MM extension. The contract is the most lucrative one in NFL history for safeties.

The former second-rounder has not enjoyed as productive of a season as 2023, but Winfield has remained a full-time starter and a key member of the Bucs’ secondary when healthy. He has amassed 60 tackles and a pair of sacks this year, and while his coverage statistics have not been impressive the team will be shorthanded down the stretch while attempting to improve against the pass. Tampa Bay is averaging 253 yards allowed through the air per game, which ranks 30th in the NFL.

Efforts to take a step forward in that regard will depend on other options on the backend, although Winfield’s injury is not the only one the team is dealing with at the moment. Fox Sports’ Greg Auman notes fellow safety Jordan Whitehead will miss Week 15, while Mike Edwards‘ status is in the air. That will leave Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather in place to handle a large defensive workload for the time being. Veteran Ryan Neal recently returned to Tampa Bay on a practice squad deal.

The Buccaneers’ win on Sunday (coupled with a loss by the Falcons) has left them alone atop the NFC South. The 7-6 outfit still has plenty of work down the stretch to do to clinch another division title, and that process will not feature Winfield for the time being.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/24

December 7th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor transactions, including gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Eagles starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been placed on injured reserve, so Jenkins will come up from the practice squad for a little added depth.

Buccaneers CB Troy Hill Placed On IR

December 6th, 2024 at 8:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers’ depth at cornerback continues to be an issue in 2024. Five weeks after acquiring the veteran 33-year-old corner, Tampa Bay will now officially put Troy Hill on injured reserve, per Jenna Laine of ESPN. He joins Bryce Hall on IR and Josh Hayes and Tykee Smith from the secondary on the injury report.

The Bucs added Hill to their practice squad near the end of October, a little over a week after his release from the Panthers. He wasn’t able to play in his first two games with Tampa Bay as he dealt with ankle and foot issues. Finally, two weeks ago, he debuted with his fifth career team after a couple of limited practices. He was likely playing through the issues, though, as in both games he appeared in, Hill only saw three special teams snaps. Adding a knee injury to his issues forced the team’s hand to place him on IR.

Hill wasn’t likely to come in and take starting snaps across from Zyon McCollum, the only cornerback, and one of only three defenders, to start every game this season, but his depth was very necessary. Jamel Dean missed a four-game stretch before making it back for the last two games, rookie nickelback Tykee Smith has missed four of the team’s past five games, and undrafted rookie Tyrek Funderburk has worked his way into eight games this year.

Some of Hill’s best years have come in the slot. During his time with the Rams, he recorded at least two interceptions in three straight years, finishing 2020 as the league-leader in interception return yards (119) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (2), adding on a fumble return for a touchdown that year, as well.

Hill has struggled to find the same success he has experienced in Los Angeles elsewhere in the NFL, though. Over his time in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Carolina, Hill was viewed as a rotational defensive back, only tallying nine of his 60 career starts outside of LA.

For a former undrafted free agent out of Oregon, Hill has enjoyed a long career in the NFL, but seeing as his age-33 season could be ending with a limp, we may be seeing his time in the league coming to a quiet end. He still has time to try to make a return before the end of the season, and the Buccaneers do have a few IR activations remaining, but for now, Tampa Bay will need to look elsewhere for cornerback depth.

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