A few days after the Cowboys released Kaiir Elam, the cornerback has found a new team. The Titans are signing Elam, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports.
More to come…
The Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their active roster on Tuesday. The addition of Cooks will cost fellow veteran wideout Elijah Moore his roster spot. The Bills cut Moore on Wednesday, per a team announcement. He’ll become a free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Moore had a highly productive three-year run at Mississippi, leading the Jets to take him 34th overall in the 2021 draft.
After Moore combined for 80 catches and six touchdowns in 27 games during his first two NFL seasons, the Jets traded him and the 74th pick in the 2023 draft to the Browns for the 42nd selection. The deal came several months after Moore requested a trade out of New York.
Moore went on to amass 120 receptions and score three touchdowns during a two-year, 34-game stint in Cleveland, where he earned 25 starts. However, after Moore averaged a career-low 8.8 yards per catch on 61 grabs last year, the Browns didn’t re-sign him. Over a month after free agency opened, Moore settled for the Bills’ one-year offer worth up to $5MM (including $2.5MM in full guarantees) in late April.
Buffalo’s decision to sign the 25-year-old Moore came after it largely struck out in the draft at the receiver position. The Bills selected just one wideout, seventh-rounder Kaden Prather, who’s no longer with the organization. As a result, they opened this season with Moore joining Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers as their choices at receiver.
The Bills were likely optimistic Moore would emerge as a solid target for Josh Allen, by far the best quarterback he has ever paired with in his career. It didn’t work out, though. Moore logged two starts over nine appearances with the Bills and caught just nine of 17 targets for 112 yards. His only touchdown came on a four-yard run against the Jets in Week 2.
While Moore could land elsewhere down the stretch, the 7-4 Bills will hope Cooks provides a much-needed boost to their receiving corps. The Moore pickup didn’t yield positive results, while no one from the Coleman-Palmer-Samuel-Shavers group has emerged as a consistent complement to Shakir and currently injured tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Jacksonville’s defense has gone without Eric Murray for over a month, but the starting safety appears to be nearing a return. The Jaguars opened his practice window on Wednesday. The AFC South contenders will have 21 days to activate Murray from IR.
Murray has already missed the minimum of four games since a neck issue forced him to the shelf on Oct. 31. He’s eligible to play this week against the Titans, but it’s unclear if that will happen.
After dividing the first nine seasons of his career among the Chiefs, Browns, and Texans, Murray joined the Jaguars last March on a three-year, $22.5MM deal. The 31-year-old opened his Jags tenure with seven straight starts before suffering his injury. He totaled 31 tackles, four passes defensed, and an interception during that stretch. Pro Football Focus rates his play a solid 42nd among 94 qualifying safeties.
With Murray unavailable over the past few weeks, the Jaguars have turned to Antonio Johnson as a starter alongside Andrew Wingard. Johnson has flashed as a playmaker with two interceptions and a pair of sacks, and PFF ranks his performance an impressive 14th among safeties.
It seems likely Johnson will continue to garner playing time even when Murray comes back, especially with Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile willing to use three safeties. The Jags deployed current No. 3 safety Rayuan Lane on a career-high 26 snaps in a win over the Cardinals in Week 12. The sixth-round rookie from Navy wasn’t targeted on 23 coverage snaps, per Jim Wyman of PFF.
Along with designating Murray to return, the Jaguars added more safety depth with the practice squad signing of Trevian Thomas on Wednesday. The undrafted rookie from Arkansas State was previously with the Panthers, who cut him on Tuesday. He appeared in one of the Panthers’ games this season and made one tackle on special teams.
One day after becoming a free agent, Brandin Cooks has quickly found a new home. The Bills announced that they’ve signed the veteran wide receiver to their active roster.
The Saints and Cooks mutually agreed to part ways last Wednesday, but there was a slight holdup over “contractual technicalities.” After the Saints amended Cooks’ contract, he passed through waivers unclaimed and became free to sign anywhere on Monday.
A first-round pick of the Saints in 2014, Cooks is now heading to his sixth NFL destination. The 32-year-old has been part of a record-tying four trades during his career, but the Saints didn’t find a taker for him before the Nov. 4 deadline. Cooks has endured a down year with just 19 catches and 165 yards (8.7 YPC) over 10 scoreless games, which explains why teams weren’t eager to trade draft compensation for him.
While Cooks didn’t produce much in New Orleans with quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler this season, he may have a better chance in Buffalo with reigning MVP Josh Allen at the helm. Cooks is easily the most accomplished receiver on the Bills’ roster, having amassed 729 catches, 9,697 receiving yards, and 60 touchdowns in 168 regular-season games.
The receiver position has been a sore spot throughout the year for the Bills, who tried to address the issue at the deadline. They reportedly made a significant offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle, but they failed to reel in him or anyone else. With receiver remaining a problem area, the Bills have dropped two of three since the deadline to fall to 7-4. They’re unlikely to chase down the 10-2 Patriots for a sixth straight division title, and a wild-card berth doesn’t look like a guarantee in a conference loaded with playoff contenders.
The Bills’ need at receiver became even more glaring over the past couple of weeks with head coach Sean McDermott making second-year man Keon Coleman a healthy inactive twice in a row. Coleman sat out a 44-32 win over the Buccaneers in Week 11 after he was consistently late to meetings. He also didn’t play in the Bills’ 23-19 loss to the Texans last Thursday. It’s unclear if he’ll return to the lineup this Sunday in a crucial meeting with the Steelers. Regardless, it’s fair to say Coleman has not panned out as hoped since going 33rd overall in the 2024 draft.
Coleman has joined the majority of the Bills’ receiving corps in underwhelming this season. Slot target Khalil Shakir has put together another productive campaign, but Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers have all caught fewer than 20 passes apiece.
While Gabe Davis played in the Bills’ past two games and picked up four receptions for 62 yards, he’s not on their active roster. The Bills can only elevate him from their practice squad one more time before they have to sign him. Mecole Hardman, also on the practice squad, played in one game before going on IR with a calf injury last week.
It’s unknown how many other teams joined Buffalo in vying for Cooks, but Denver was not among them. The AFC West leaders had a connection to Cooks in head coach Sean Payton, who was in charge in New Orleans when the wideout entered the league. Despite that, the Broncos weren’t in the mix for Cooks, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
Less than a week after inking kicker Wil Lutz to an extension, the Broncos are committing to another player for the long haul. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the Broncos have agreed to a four-year extension with center Luke Wattenberg.
[RELATED: Broncos Had “Preliminary” Extension Talks With C Luke Wattenberg]
The pact is worth $48MM, including $27MM in guaranteed money, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. We heard yesterday that the team had “preliminary” talks with Wattenberg about a long-term deal, and the two sides must have made some significant progress during the team’s bye week.
Wattenberg’s contract vaults him towards the top of his position in both value and guarantees. The fourth-year player now ranks fifth at his position in both contract value and AAV, while the $27MM in guaranteed money only trails the whopping $35MM Creed Humphrey got from the Chiefs.
A 2022 fifth-round pick, Wattenberg only got into 128 offensive snaps through his first two seasons in the NFL. Since then, he’s started all 24 of his appearances for the Broncos, with an ankle injury keeping him sidelined for four games last season. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him 20th among 38 qualifying centers, although he finished 18th on the site in 2024.
Clearly, the Broncos believe in his upside, and the organization is intent on providing Bo Nix with some offensive continuity. The front office committed to both Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz in 2024, and with Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers also attached to sizable pacts, Denver has seemingly locked in their offensive line for at least the next few years.
With Lutz and Watternberg having signed extensions over the past week, we’ll now see if the Broncos can pull off a deal with Malcolm Roach. We heard yesterday that the front office had initial extension talks with the defensive lineman, although the veteran surely wouldn’t command the same payday as his teammates.
Daniel Ekuale was already out for the season, but now the Steelers defensive tackle will have to forego a paycheck over the next five weeks. That’s because Ekuale was slapped with a five-game suspension today, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
[RELATED: Steelers DL Daniel Ekuale Suffers ACL Tear]
Ekuale earned his temporary ban for violating the league’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, per Dulac. This represents the third suspension of the player’s career; Ekuale earned a four-game ban in 2018 and a two-game suspension in 2022 for the same violation.
The Washington State product bounced around the NFL a bit to begin his career before finding a home in New England. He spent four seasons with the Patriots, but he didn’t emerge as a key player until 2024. Ekuale finished that season having started all 16 of his appearance, with the defensive lineman setting career-highs in tackles (52) and QB hits (three). In 64 career games, the 31-year-old has collected 97 stops and six sacks.
His performance with the Patriots earned him a one-year, $2.8MM deal from the Steelers this past offseason. He got into seven games with his new squad, appearing in about 14 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. Ekuale suffered a torn ACL back in Week 8 that ended his season prematurely. Considering that injury and his continued bans from the league office, the defensive lineman may face an uphill battle to find a job in 2026.
Today’s minor moves:
Detroit Lions
- Waived: DL Quinton Jefferson, CB Nick Whiteside
New England Patriots
- Signed from Browns practice squad: OT Thayer Munford
- Placed on IR: CB Alex Austin
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: OT Barry Wesley
- Signed from practice squad: RB Evan Hull
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: CB Derion Kendrick
In addition to waiving cornerback Arthur Maulet, the Lions also moved on from defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson and cornerback Nick Whiteside. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, these moves were likely made in anticipation of upcoming activations from IR and PUP.
The Patriots started preparing for Will Campbell and Jared Wilson‘s absences by adding some experienced offensive line depth, as the team snagged Thayer Munford off the Browns practice squad today. The former seventh-round pick was mostly a part-time starter during his three seasons with the Raiders, although he did start a career-high 10 games for the organization in 2023.
Tuesday’s practice squad updates from around the NFL…
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Sean Clifford
Detroit Lions
- Signed: S Erick Hallett
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Cameron Mitchell
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DL Boogie Basham
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: OL Wyatt Bowles
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Jimmy Ciarlo
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Shemar Bartholomew
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Bill Murray
- Released: RB Jonathan Ward
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Samori Toure, RB Ian Wheeler, K Cade York (story)
- Released: WR Jha’Quan Jackson, LB Eku Leota
New York Giants
- Signed: CB Myles Purchase
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Anthony Goodlow, WR Cornell Powell
- Released: DB Daequan Hardy, LB Mark Robinson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OT Chandler Brewer
- Released: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Isaiah Simmons has found a new home. The veteran defender has joined the Panthers practice squad, according to Darin Gantt of the team’s website. To make room on the taxi squad, the team released safety Trevian Thomas.
Simmons joined the Packers back in April but was among the team’s final preseason cuts. He’s been lingering in free agency since that time, with an October workout with the Steelers representing his lone visit of the 2025 campaign.
As Gantt notes, Simmons was once a candidate to be selected by the Panthers with the seventh-overall pick in the 2020 draft. Carolina ended up opting for defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and Simmons was snagged by the Cardinals with the following pick.
Simmons didn’t make it through his full rookie contract in Arizona. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the organization, collecting 7.5 sacks in 50 games (37 starts). He was traded to the Giants for a seventh-round pick ahead of the 2023 campaign, and he proceeded to spend the next two seasons in New York. Simmons transitioned to safety during his time with the Giants, starting five of his 34 appearances.
The Panthers will consider playing their new addition at both safety and linebacker, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. The team’s most immediate need is at LB. The Panthers played without Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace last night before losing Claudin Cherelus to a concussion.
Najee Harris will not play again this season for the Chargers. The other member of the team’s backfield tandem from the start of the season could be back soon, however. 
Head coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Tuesday (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) Omarion Hampton will return to practice today. That means his 21-day activation window will open. Hampton must be brought back onto the active roster within that time to avoid reverting to season-ending injured reserve.
Harris suffered an Achilles tear in Week 3, something which ended the chances of Hampton being eased into action in terms of workload. The first-round rookie was slated for a clear-cut RB1 role with Harris out of the fold, but that setup did not last long. Hampton suffered an ankle injury in early October, and he has resided on IR ever since. Getting him back in the fold at some point late in the season will be key.
The Chargers’ offense has been without left tackle Rashawn Slater all season. His replacement on the blindside, Joe Alt, thrived in that role when healthy be he too has been lost for the remainder of the campaign. Los Angeles traded for Trevor Penning at the deadline, but the team’s O-line will remain a major point of concern moving forward.
The Bolts find themselves in the top 10 in the league in scoring but they sit just 20th in total offense. Improvement on the ground would be welcomed, and having a healthy Hampton could go a long way in that regard. The North Carolina product received double-digit carries in four of his five appearances prior to going down. Overall, Hampton produced 450 scrimmage yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Hampton could be back as early as Week 13, and the same is also true for defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia. The latter’s practice window is also being opened, per Harbaugh (h/t Daniel Popper of The Athletic). Ogbonnia has been sidelined since Week 7 due to an elbow injury, but he will likely be back in the fold shortly barring a setback in practice over the coming days.
The Chargers have been hit hard by injuries throughout the campaign, and they have only three IR activations remaining. Bringing back Hampton and Ogbonnia will leave them with one for the closing weeks of the regular season.