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Texans S Jimmie Ward Placed On Commissioner’s Exempt List

August 26th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jimmie Ward is already in position to miss the first four games of the season, but health is not the only factor which could impact his return to to action. The Texans safety was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Tuesday, per a league announcement.

Ward is therefore prohibited from practicing or playing for Houston until he is removed from the list. Since he will begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, those conditions are already in place for September. Still, this development is a sign Ward’s legal situation is unsettled in the NFL’s view.

The 34-year-old was arrested in June on an assault family violence charge. Following that third-degree felony case’s opening, Ward was prohibited from consuming alcohol as a condition of his bail. He was arrested earlier this month for violating it, and a grand jury will decide whether to indict Ward on the underlying felony charge on September 2, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Ward is also the subject of a civil suit stemming from the matter.

NFL investigations often do not begin in earnest until after the legal process winds down. As a result, it comes as little surprise Ward has been moved to the league’s equivalent of paid leave with an indefinite period on tap before his case is concluded. League discipline does not require a criminal conviction, so a fine and/or suspension could be looming regardless of how the coming weeks unfold with respect to the case.

Houston will rely on trade acquisition C.J. Gardner-Johnson as a key figure at the safety spot in 2025. Calen Bullock is also on track for a starting spot, while rookie Jaylen Reed is set to handle a backup role. The Texans’ full list of Tuesday cuts has not yet emerged, but their roster decisions will need to take into account Ward’s absence for the next month and potentially beyond that point.

Saints Release Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isaiah Foskey, Move Down To 53

August 26th, 2025 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have moved down to 53 players ahead of the 3pm CT deadline. Moving multiple players to the IR-return list, New Orleans also cut 19 players in addition to today’s Jake Haener move. Here is how the Saints trimmed their roster to 53:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Moved to reserve/PUP list:

Ridgeway and Wesley will count toward the Saints’ in-season injury-activation total, leaving six regular-season activations for the team to use. Kellen Moore confirmed those two received return designations while Young will head to season-ending IR due to ankle surgery, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Ridgeway, acquired via trade last year, will miss time due to a pectoral injury. It is not viewed as serious, Garafolo adds, noting the D-lineman should be back early in the season. Ridgeway and Wesley, a 2023 UDFA who has not seen any game action yet, must miss at least four games.

The same holds true for Hill and Moreau, who will be shifted from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list. Hill suffered an ACL tear in Week 13 last season, while Moreau went down with a knee malady in Week 18.

Foskey could not hold onto a regular role under Moore, who will drop the 2023 second-round pick after his third NFL training camp. The Saints have used Foskey in 27 games, giving him no starts. In that time, the edge rusher has not recorded a sack. If Foskey goes unclaimed, the Saints will be hit with $3.16MM in dead money — spread over two years.

Edwards-Helaire follows Cam Akers off New Orleans’ roster. Both are vested veterans and do not need to clear waivers before joining another team’s active roster or practice squad. Teams cannot begin setting P-squads until waivers process at 11am CT Wednesday, but clubs are informing players they want to retain on their taxi squads already. Beanum is among the players the Saints want to retain on their P-squad, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

Panthers Release WR Hunter Renfrow, Finalize Roster Cuts

August 26th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

With time to spare in advance of today’s deadline, the Panthers have finalized their roster moves to get to 53. Here are Carolina’s Tuesday transactions:

Released:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Waived via injury settlement:

Placed on IR-designated for return:

Renfrow’s efforts to return to the NFL have been dealt a blow with today’s move. The Clemson product and South Carolina native took a one-year pact in his bid to continue his career after missing all of last season. Renfrow’s pact contained $50K guaranteed, however, and with the Panthers’ other wideouts impressing in camp this release loomed as a possibility. A practice squad deal could be in store in the coming days in this case, but absent an agreement on that front the 29-year-old will seek out a new opportunity.

Carolina was among the teams which announced a list of cuts yesterday in advance of today’s deadline. Among the players waived was quarterback Bryce Perkins. He will be a candidate to sign on the practice squad starting tomorrow (provided no waiver claims are made), but The Athletic’s Joe Person reports Perkins is not in the team’s plans at this point. Roberts, on the other hand, is seen as a taxi squad candidate in the event he clears (h/t Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).

Ray’s IR handling means he will miss at least the first four games of the season. Whereas players moved to IR before today are out for the season, though, Ray is among those eligible to return later in the year. Activating him will count toward Carolina’s allocation of eight for the season whenever he is back in the fold.

Deshaun Watson, Dustin Hopkins Not On Browns’ Initial 53-Man Roster

August 26th, 2025 at 2:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The roster-cutdown deadline is less than an hour away, but some teams have turned in their test answers early. Here are the Browns’ moves to pare their roster to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Activated from active/PUP list:

Placed on IR-designated for return:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

Placed on reserve/NFI list:

This is effectively a procedural move involving Watson, who has long been expected to be sidelined throughout the 2025 season due to two Achilles surgeries. The long-embattled quarterback had resumed throwing early this offseason, but he will not be activated. Long hovering off the Browns’ QB radar — as they conducted a rare four-man competition, one that has since lost Kenny Pickett (via trade) — Watson is not expected to play for the Browns again. Though, the team (via another restructure) still has the high-priced passer tied to a $35.97MM cap number.

 

Watson and Bell must miss at least four games apiece, while Hall will avoid such a delay. The 2024 second-round pick suffered a season-ending knee injury in December, and while he did not participate in training camp, this activation signals the Browns expect the Ohio State product to be ready at some point in the first four weeks.

 

A UDFA who started three games as a rookie last season, Reid will count toward Cleveland’s eight in-season injury activations. The Browns stashing the off-ball linebacker on the IR-return list will cut that total down to seven, whether Reid is activated this season or not. Placing Reid on IR now certainly points to activation plans, however.

 

Many of these players will likely be brought back on practice squad deals, as 16 of those spots are open to non-international players annually. Davis, a rookie UDFA, will be added to the Browns’ P-squad if he clears waivers, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes.

 

Hopkins, 34, has been the Browns’ kicker for the past two seasons. The team extended him on a three-year, $15.9MM deal in 2024, but the Browns are going with former UDFA Andre Szmyt at kicker. Szmyt kicked a 37-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Rams during the Browns’ preseason slate, making all three of his field goal tries.

 

Cutting Hopkins — who was just 18-for-27 last season — will bring a $4.91MM dead money charge (spread over two years) for the Browns. A former Syracuse kicker, Szmyt signed with the Browns in June; he has not attempted a regular-season kick yet. Hopkins’ slump led to the Browns making him a healthy scratch in Week 15, and while he returned to duty a week later, Cleveland has found a replacement.

Seahawks To Release WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

August 26th, 2025 at 1:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is among the Seahawks’ cuts ahead of this afternoon’s deadline. The veteran wideout is being released, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports.

This move comes as little surprise considering the way Valdes-Scantling’s summer has gone. As ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes, the 30-year-old was outdone during training camp by fifth-round rookie Tory Horton. As a result, Horton is on track to operate as Seattle’s No. 3 receiver behind returnee Jaxon Smith-Njigba and free agent addition Cooper Kupp. Without a track record of special teams play, Valdes-Scantling is not a strong candidate for a backup gig.

Upon signing in Seattle, the former fifth-rounder took a one-year pact. The deal contained $3MM in guarantees, making this one of the more expensive cut decisions of the day so far. While the Seahawks will absorb that amount as a dead money hit, they will offset it to an extent with $955K in cap savings. The team will now move forward with its other WR options.

Changes at the receiver position were expected in 2025, and that proved to be the case. D.K. Metcalf‘s talks on an extension led to the decision a parting of ways would be be best, leading to his trade to the Steelers. Longtime starter Tyler Lockett was also released as expected. While a Kupp homecoming will give Seattle a veteran presence to augment Smith-Njigba, the Ohio State product will be counted on to carry the load this season. Horton’s role as a starter will be interesting to see as well.

Valdes-Scantling has played for four teams across his seven-year career. He has averaged 17.4 yards per catch in the NFL, and a market could exist for his services over the coming days amongst teams eyeing a vertical threat.

Falcons To Release CB C.J. Henderson

August 26th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

After the joining the Falcons earlier this month, C.J. Henderson will not make the team’s initial 53-man roster. The former first-round cornerback is being released, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

As Schultz notes, however, Atlanta is planning on retaining Henderson via the practice squad. For that to be possible, he will have to avoid signing with any interested teams upon reaching free agency once the Falcons’ cuts are official. Of course, agreements of that nature are commonplace around the NFL with respect to roster maneuvering.

Henderson had multiple suitors in 2025, including a new opportunity with the Steelers. The former Jaguar and Panther instead elected to return to the NFC South by joining the Falcons shortly after a workout with the team. The 26-year-old’s Atlanta pact did not contain any guaranteed money, however; as such, today’s move will not incur any dead money charges while creating $1.03MM in cap savings.

The No. 9 pick in 2020, Henderson was dealt from the Jags after playing only 10 games for them. His Carolina tenure saw him remain healthy for the most part, but struggles in coverage were a consistent issue. Finishing last season on injured reserve, he did not see any game time with Pittsburgh. That resulted in a tempered market despite his age and draft pedigree.

Provided Henderson winds up on Atlanta’s practice squad, he will offer depth behind starters AJ Terrell and Mike Hughes, returnees Dee Alford and Clark Phillips and fourth-round rookie Billy Bowman. Elevations to the active roster will mark his first opportunity to see regular season game time.

Cowboys To Trade T Asim Richards To Saints

August 26th, 2025 at 12:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s third NFL trade will also be the third to involve an offensive tackle changing teams. Asim Richards is on the move.

Richards is being traded from the Cowboys to the Saints, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The move will end his run in Dallas, which began in 2023 when he joined the team as a fifth-round pick. Over his two years in the league, Richards totaled 21 appearances and made one start. Per Schefter, the Cowboys will receive a 2028 sixth-round pick in exchange for Richards and a seventh-rounder that same year.

Healthy depth along the offensive line has recently emerged as an issue for the Saints. As a result, it comes as little surprise they are among the teams using the period before this afternoon’s cutdown deadline to make a move up front. New Orleans is in need of backups behind Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga, so a swing tackle role could be in store for Richards.

The 24-year-old saw time as a guard during the preseason, so playing time along the interior could be possible as well. In any case, Richards will now turn his attention to carving out a second-team gig with the Saints instead of quite possibly being waived by the Cowboys later today. Dallas will generate $1.03MM in cap savings with this move, while New Orleans will take on the final two years of his rookie contract.

Dallas will move forward with Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele as starters at the tackle spots. The team’s depth chart beyond those two will become clearer over the coming days as the Cowboys’ practice squad takes shape. Today’s move ensures, though, that Richards will not be in the team’s plans for 2025.

Commanders To Release DE Clelin Ferrell

August 26th, 2025 at 11:31am CST by Sam Robinson

Re-signed in March, Clelin Ferrell will not be part of the Commanders’ initial 53-man roster. Washington is releasing the former top-five pick, veteran reporter Ben Standig tweets.

Ferrell played a key role for the team last season, starting 10 games. The 28-year-old DE will head back to free agency, getting a head-start on the non-vested veterans who must wait until 11am CT Wednesday to clear waivers.

Given a $2MM deal to stay in Washington, Ferrell received just $100K guaranteed. That represented a sign his roster spot was not secure. That said, the Commanders could circle back to the former Raiders and 49ers edge rusher after next month’s guarantee vesting date for qualified vets. Had Ferrell been on Washington’s 53-man roster in Week 1, his $2MM would have become guaranteed. It is also quite possible Ferrell is done in Washington.

Although the Commanders lost top 2024 sacker Dante Fowler (to the Cowboys) in free agency and exited their offseason program with an apparent need at D-end, they still roster Dorance Armstrong. The team added multiple DE pieces as well, with Von Miller‘s summer arrival headlining that group. The team also added Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin in free agency.

As ESPN.com’s John Keim notes, the Commanders used Ferrell extensively during the preseason — including fourth-quarter work against the Bengals. That evaluation preceded a release, and it comes after Ferrell — who did not live up to his No. 4 overall draft slot with the Raiders — started 17 games with the 49ers in 2023. Ferrell started over Commanders trade pickup Chase Young that year, though an injury prevented him from playing in Super Bowl LVIII. Ferrell registered 3.5 sacks in both the 2023 and ’24 seasons. Last season, he posted nine QB hits and four tackles for loss as a supplementary rusher alongside Armstrong and Fowler.

Seahawks To Trade Michael Jerrell To Falcons

August 26th, 2025 at 11:11am CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons lost Kaleb McGary and Storm Norton last week, and neither is expected to be available to start the season. As a result, Atlanta will add some help at tackle.

Michael Jerrell is heading from Seattle to Atlanta via trade, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Falcons are sending a conditional 2027 seventh-rounder to the Seahawks for Jerrell, who has three years remaining on his rookie contract.

A 2024 sixth-round pick, Jerrell was part of the Seahawks’ right tackle carousel last season. The Seahawks played much of the year without starter Abraham Lucas, and George Fant landed on IR twice. Stone Forsythe also spent time on IR, creating a depth problem opposite Charles Cross. As a result, Jerrell was summoned for three rookie-year starts. He played 245 offensive snaps last season — all at right tackle. That is the place at which the Falcons are currently reeling.

Norton is expected to miss between six and eight weeks, while McGary — after being carted off the practice field last week — is a candidate to open the season on IR. The Falcons had slid former Broncos swing tackle (turned Bears and Falcons guard option) Elijah Wilkinson back outside following the injuries. Jerrell will provide another option for the NFC South team, which employs one of the NFL’s two left-handed starting QBs, amplifying the importance of the RT spot.

The Seahawks drafted Jerrell 207th overall from Division II Findlay (Ohio). The long-odds prospect did enough to make the team and stick on Seattle’s active roster throughout last season. Lucas is back for the Seahawks, after two injury-marred years, and the team both added Josh Jones in free agency and used a sixth-round pick on tackle Bryce Cabeldue. Teams have until 3pm CT today to set 53-man rosters, and the Falcons will have another option as they potentially prepare for multiple tackle IR stashes.

Steelers To Release WR Robert Woods

August 26th, 2025 at 11:06am CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, Robert Woods is heading to free agency. The veteran wideout is among the Steelers’ Tuesday roster cuts, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.

Last week, it became clear Woods was a candidate to be released. The 33-year-old has found himself buried on the WR depth chart in spite of persistent questions about Pittsburgh’s secondary options at the position. Per Rapoport, a return on the practice squad could be possible in this case.

In any event, Woods intends to continue his career in 2025. A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, he his far removed from his peak Rams seasons. The former second-rounder has seen his production drop for each of the past six campaigns, and he made just 20 scoreless catches last year with the Texans. His Pittsburgh pact came about as part of Woods’ efforts to earn a depth spot on his latest team.

That $2MM contract contained $745K guaranteed, so the Steelers will absorb that figure as a dead money charge. The team will create $1.26MM in cap savings, however. It will be interesting to see if that slight uptick in available funds will be put toward an addition at the receiver spot ahead of Week 1. Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson have been preparing for increased roles as complements to D.K. Metcalf this summer, but Pittsburgh has shown sustained interest in free agent Gabriel Davis.

A report from yesterday indicated the Steelers were among the teams still active in the WR trade market. Woods’ release should not notably alter the team’s plans on that front, so once the dust settles following final roster cuts Pittsburgh could still seek out a new pass-catching option.

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