NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/27/25
Here is Saturday’s only practice squad transaction:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Cody Schrader
The Broncos claimed Schrader off waivers from the Rams, with whom he appeared in one game in each of his first two seasons. The Mizzou-product was waived before Denver’s Christmas Day game but stays with the Broncos via a taxi squad deal.
Cardinals Place LT Paris Johnson On IR
With two weeks left in their season, the 3-12 Cardinals are shutting down their best offensive lineman for the rest of 2025. The team placed left tackle Paris Johnson on IR on Saturday.
Johnson suffered a sprained PCL in Week 14, the last time he took the field this season. He started in all 12 appearances and played every offensive snap before his injury. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance 21st among 82 qualifying offensive tackles.
Johnson originally joined the Cardinals as the sixth overall pick in the 2023 draft. The former Ohio State Buckeye was Monti Ossenfort‘s first selection as Arizona’s general manager. Johnson, who began as a right tackle with the Cardinals before shifting to the left side in 2024, has started in 43 straight games since entering the NFL.
It’s up in the air whether Ossenfort will keep his job in 2026. Either Ossenfort or a different GM will have to make a key decision on Johnson’s future in the offseason. The Cardinals will choose whether to pick up Johnson’s fifth-year option, which should check in around $19.95MM, for 2027. The 24-year-old will also be eligible for a contract extension after the season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cardinals attempt to retain him for the long haul.
Along with placing Johnson on IR, the Cardinals made a few other moves on the eve of a Week 17 meeting with the Bengals. The team signed defensive lineman Zachary Carter from its practice squad to its 53-man roster. Additionally, the Cardinals elevated cornerback Jaden Davis and wide receiver Steven Sims from their taxi squad.
Patriots Place WR Mack Hollins On IR
As the Patriots prepare to make a playoff run to cap off their surprising one-year turnaround under new head coach Mike Vrabel, they will be doing so without their second-leading wide receiver. The team announced today that Mack Hollins has been placed on injured reserve as he deals with an injury to his abdomen. 
Hollins has been a true journeyman since getting drafted to the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. After winning a Super Bowl ring as little-used rookie in Philadelphia, Hollins spent his sophomore campaign on IR with a groin injury. In Year 3, an Eagles reunion with veteran DeSean Jackson led to the team waiving Hollins.
Hollins was claimed by the Dolphins, and he spent the remainder of that year and the next two seasons in Miami. While he never broke out as a high-volume pass catcher, he showed some strong redzone capabilities with four touchdown catches in 2021. The next year, on a one-year deal with the Raiders, Hollins broke out as a formidable WR2 behind Davante Adams, recording 57 receptions for 690 yards and four more touchdowns.
Despite the career-best campaign, Hollins continued to land one-year deals and delivered average seasons with the Falcons and Bills, though he did log a career-high five touchdowns in Buffalo. Those five scores may have just been enough for Hollins to be offered a two-year contract this past offseason in New England, where he has once again broken out at 32 years old as the team’s second-leading wide receiver behind Stefon Diggs. Hollins collected 46 receptions for 550 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games with the Patriots this year.
The team’s receiving corps may be even more shorthanded for its divisional trip to New York. Third-leading receiver Kayshon Boutte has been ruled out for the week with a concussion, and WR4 DeMario Douglas is listed as questionable after a hamstring issue held him to limited participation in practice this week. When they face off against the Jets tomorrow, Maye’s receivers beyond Diggs could be whittled down to third-round rookie Kyle Williams and undrafted rookie return man Efton Chism III.
With only two games remaining in the regular season, Mack will be forced to miss the Patriots’ first two playoff games before he will be eligible to return. In the meantime, New England will need to focus on getting Boutte and Douglas in shape for the postseason, knowing they’ll be relied on for, at least, the team’s first playoff matchup.
Taking Hollins’ spot on the 53-man roster will be defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr., while fellow practice squad interior defender Leonard Taylor III and cornerback Kobee Minor will be designated as standard gameday elevations. This will be Minor’s third and final elevation on this practice squad deal. If the Patriots want to see him appear in another game this season, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster like Pharms.
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 from practice squad: 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 from practice squad: 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.