Jets Defense Loses Three To IR
As one of the first teams eliminated from playoff contention, the Jets don’t have much to play for down the stretch. That makes it slightly more bearable that today they put three defenders on injured reserve. 
The biggest loss to the unit is that of third-year defensive end Will McDonald. The former first-round selection out of Iowa State has followed up last year’s breakout 10.5-sack campaign with another strong season. A starter in 14 of 15 contests this year, McDonald leads the Jets in sacks (8.0) and tackles for loss (10). As McDonald sits out the rest of the way with a knee injury, the Green & White will close the season with Micheal Clemons and Braiden McGregor filling in across from Jermaine Johnson.
The Jets’ second IR placement simply confirms the end of a rookie’s season. Seventh-round Miami-product Kiko Mauigoa was expected to be a core special teamer and reserve linebacker in his first year as a pro. When starter Quincy Williams was placed on IR three weeks into the season, Mauigoa stepped in to start eight of the next nine games, though his contributions started to tail off in those last few weeks with Williams coming back into the picture. The rookie has missed the team’s last two games with a shoulder injury and has officially been shut down until 2026.
The last loss going into the final two weeks of the season is that of defensive tackle Jay Tufele. Signing with the Jets after finishing out his rookie contract in Cincinnati, Tufele looked to be competing for a starting job early in the offseason. Ultimately, he found himself coming off the bench behind Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs, earning two starts in a healthy rotation. With Tufele’s season ending, depth pieces Khalen Saunders and Payton Page should compete for snaps behind Phillips and Briggs, assuming recent trade acquisition Mazi Smith continues to be designated as a healthy scratch.
With games against the division-rival Patriots and Bills to close out the season, a depleted Jets defense may put up little resistance against two formidable offenses playing for division titles and a potential playoff first-round bye.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves and some standard gameday practice squad elevations for Saturday:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: DT Sam Roberts
Denver Broncos
- Signed off Chargers’ practice squad: C Sam Mustipher
- Waived: G Calvin Throckmorton
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on IR: LB Kristian Welch
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: S K’Von Wallace
- Elevated: DT Leki Fotu, G Sidy Sow
- Waived: CB Ameer Speed
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: T Foster Sarell, S Marcus Williams
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: TE Moliki Matavao
- Placed on IR: TE Foster Moreau
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: CB Kemon Hall
A day after placing starting center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve and commending backup Alex Forsyth for starting in his place, Denver adds a bit more depth and experience at the position. Forsyth, a seventh-round pick out of Oregon last year, has only five starts in his first two years of play, but the team seemed to think he filled in well during yesterday’s victory of over the Chiefs. Mustipher, once a full-time starter in Chicago, should add depth and a potential starting option in case Forsyth’s inexperience starts to show.
Williams is being elevated for the third and final time by the Chargers this season. If Los Angeles wants to see him play in another game this season, they’ll need to sign the veteran safety to the 53-man roster.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/25
Today’s few taxi squad transactions:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Tanner McLachlan
New York Giants
- Signed: S Patrick McMorris
After spending the summer with the team that drafted him in Miami and failing to make the Dolphins’ initial 53-man roster, McMorris spent nearly three weeks with New York’s practice squad. Since then, the second-year Cal product has been off and on with the Cardinals’ taxi squad up until his release on Christmas Eve. He’ll now revisit the Giants as a member of their practice squad in the closing weeks of the regular season.
Jaguars Extend WR Jakobi Meyers
DECEMBER 25: The Meyers pact contains $30MM guaranteed at signing, as detailed by Over the Cap. That figure consists of a $7MM signing bonus, a $10MM option bonus in 2026 and his full salary ($6MM) for next year. Meyers’ base pay for 2027 is already partially locked in, and his new deal contains annual per-game and workout bonuses.
DECEMBER 18: Jakobi Meyers has been in Jacksonville for just over a month, and the Jaguars are already committing to the wide receiver for the long haul. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars are signing Meyers to a three-year extension. The move is now official, per a team announcement.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the three-year pact is worth $60MM, including $40MM guaranteed. The $20MM average annual value will place Meyers 25th on the list of the league’s highest-paid WRs. The $40MM in guaranteed money now ranks 24th at the position.
The Jaguars acquired Meyers from the Raiders in early November for fourth- and sixth-round picks. The veteran has seen a significant role in his first six appearances with the organization, hauling in 27 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Most notably, the Jaguars have gone 5-1 in those six games and are second in points scored over that span. As James Palmer of NFL Network details, people in the Jaguars organization believe the receiver has “transformed” the offense, with Jordan Schultz adding that he’s never heard a team speak so “glowingly and positively” about a midseason acquisition.
With Meyers now locked in for the next few years, Trevor Lawrence can count on some continuity with his receivers corps. The Jaguars have used their last two first-round picks on wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Thomas has taken a bit of a step back following a productive rookie campaign, while Hunter’s rookie season ended with only 298 receiving yards. Still, the trio should now lead one of the most intriguing WR rooms moving forward.
Meyers proved his consistency early on in his NFL career. Despite the Patriots alternating between Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Mac Jones at QB, the wide receiver managed to carve out a role in each of his first three seasons. New England curiously decided to pivot to JuJu Smith-Schuster during the 2023 offseason, opening the door for Meyers to ink a three-year deal with the Raiders. The wideout experienced another carousel of QBs in Las Vegas, but he still managed to compile 1,881 yards and 14 touchdowns through his first two years with the organization.
As an impending free agent, Meyers seemed like a prime trade candidate heading into this year’s deadline. In seven games with the Raiders in 2025, the veteran hauled in 33 catches for 352 yards. In total, he’s snagged 60 catches for 707 yards and three touchdowns this season. Meyers’ extension will remove him from what was already an underwhelming WR free agency class. Mike Evans will lead that grouping, with the likes of Wan’Dale Robinson, Deebo Samuel and former Jaguar Christian Kirk representing the other top names on the market.
Colts To Place DT DeForest Buckner On IR; Sauce Gardner To Return In Week 17
DeForest Buckner returned in Week 16, coming back after a lengthy absence. A durable player throughout his Indianapolis stay, the veteran defensive tackle will not play the rest of the way.
The Pro Bowl presence aggravated his neck injury and is heading back to IR, Shane Steichen said Friday (via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell). The Colts do not expect this to threaten Buckner’s 2026 season, but he will be shut down. Surgery will be required on Buckner’s disk herniation before a return commences this time, Steichen said.
[RELATED: Philip Rivers To Remain Colts’ Starter For Week 17]
Indianapolis activated Buckner from IR ahead of its Week 16 Monday-nighter; he returned to his place in the team’s starting lineup and played nearly 67% of the Colts’ defensive snaps. Buckner rehabbed without surgery to return against the 49ers, but the ex-San Francisco first-round pick will be unable to finish out a last-ditch Indianapolis playoff push.
On a better injury note for the Colts as they cling to wild-card hopes, Sauce Gardner is expected to return from a calf injury that cost him three games. Gardner and left tackle Bernhard Raimann are expected back against the Jaguars, per Steichen (via Chappell).
The Colts’ Gardner trade has not panned out like the team hoped. After being squarely on track for their first playoff berth since 2020, the Colts sent the Jets two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for the All-Pro cornerback. Gardner played in three Colts games before going down, and Indianapolis has sunk to 8-7. Daniel Jones‘ presence represented part of the team’s equation in acquiring Gardner, as a first-round pick was unlikely to be deemed necessary to add another starter-level QB. Jones has since suffered an Achilles tear. Although Indianapolis is still interested in re-signing him, another major injury complicates the veteran arm’s path.
Gardner and Raimann, who is coming back from an elbow injury that cost him a game, signed lucrative four-year extensions this summer. Gardner, of course, signed his re-up as a Jet; the Colts inked their left tackle to a deal just before the season. Buckner, 31, is tied to a deal he signed in 2024. The 10-year veteran’s two-year, $46MM contract includes a $10MM guarantee for 2026. The Colts would take on $20.8MM in dead money if they do not retain Buckner, who has been with the team since a March 2020 trade.
Panthers LB Trevin Wallace Underwent Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Panthers linebacker Trevin Wallace recently underwent season-ending shoulder surgery, head coach Dave Canales announced on Friday (via The Athletic’s Joe Person).
Wallace, 22, started 12 games for the Panthers this season. He missed Weeks 11 and 12 with a shoulder injury and returned in Week 13 before going down once more in Week 15. Even if Carolina wins the NFC South and makes the playoffs, Wallace’s surgery will not allow him to even attempt a speedy return in the postseason.
Carolina’s defense has statistically been better than their offense, and Wallace has played a large role in their success partnering with Christian Rozeboom in the middle of the defense. Wallace ranks fourth on the team in tackles (61), tackles for loss (five), passes defended (four), and sacks (two).
The 2024 third-round pick earned a starting role partway through his rookie year, but was sidelined for the last four weeks of the season due to a shoulder injury. It is unknown if Wallace’s shoulder problems are all related.
Canales said that third-year linebacker Claudin Cherelus would continue starting in Wallace’s place. He has 32 tackles on the year – 22 of which game in his three starts – but has not made many splash plays. He has particularly struggled in coverage, allowing receptions on 12 of his 13 targets for 155 yards (92.3% completion rate, 11.9 yards per attempt, 116.3 passer rating). Those issues may cause Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to take Cherelus off the field in obvious passing situations and run more dime packages with an additional safety.
Broncos Place C Luke Wattenberg On IR
The Broncos placed center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement.
Wattenberg, 28, played every offensive snap for the Broncos in their first 15 games. He popped up on the injury report with a shoulder issue this week and did not participate in practice.
Now, he will have to miss Denver’s next four games. The Broncos are currently the AFC’s No. 1 seed; if that holds, Wattenberg would not be eligible to return until a potential Super Bowl. If they drop to the second seed or below, he will be eligible to return in the AFC championship game.
That offers some hints about Wattenberg’s status. In all likelihood, he is done for the season. If he was going to be available in the conference championship round – or close to it – the Broncos would probably not make this move. Keeping Wattenberg on the 53-man roster would allow him to ramp-up in practice and test his ability to return; his IR placement delays any practicing until after the Broncos’ second playoff game ends.
Wattenberg was having a breakout year, or at least, as close to one as you can get for an offensive lineman. He has anchored an offensive line that has only allowed 19 sacks all year, the fewest in the league, while serving as an effective partner for quarterback Bo Nix on the line of scrimmage. His loss will be a blow to Denver’s offense, though perhaps not a fatal one.
The Broncos started Alex Forsyth against the Chiefs on Christmas and will likely rely on him for the rest of the season. The 2023 seventh-round pick and started four games as a rookie. He has been active every week but has only played nine snaps on offense on the year.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/25/25
Only one NFL team made a practice squad move on Christmas. Here it is:
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Alex Johnson
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25/25
A few NFL teams made transactions on Christmas. Here are the latest updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return from IR: DT Taven Bryan
Denver Broncos
- Signed to active roster: TE Marcedes Lewis, OL Calvin Throckmorton
- Elevated: LB Levelle Bailey, WR Michael Bandy
- Waived: RB Cody Schrader
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: WR Jason Brownlee, OL Matt Waletzko
- Placed on IR: WR Nikko Remigio
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Tre Flowers
Jaguars CB Jourdan Lewis Placed On IR
The Jaguars placed veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis on injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement.
Lewis will undergo foot surgery and miss the rest of the 2025 season, including the playoffs, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Since Jacksonville has already clinched a spot in the postseason, Lewis could have theoretically returned for a potential AFC Championship game appearance. Unfortunately, his injury is too severe to even attempt a rushed recovery.
Lewis went down in Sunday’s win over the Broncos. He has appeared in 12 games this year as the Jaguars’ primary nickel with 39 tackles, 10 passes defended, and two interceptions. He missed three games in November, during which time he was replaced by second-year corner Jarrian Jones. Jones played well enough to keep a role on the boundary after Lewis’ return in Week 13; those snaps will need to be filled if he moves back into the slot.
Jacksonville could turn to Christian Braswell, who has been active for the last eight games for special teams work and a reserve role on defense. The Jaguars also signed veteran Keith Taylor off the Falcons’ practice squad a corresponding move to Lewis’ IR placement. The former Panther and Chief appeared in two games in Atlanta this season and has enough experience to serve as a backup for the rest of the year.
The Jaguars could also drop Eric Murray into the slot. He has not lined up there frequently this season, but he has nearly 1,500 career snaps as a nickel, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).