As we prepare for tonight’s season opener, here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Once roster cuts and subsequent moves had taken place last week, the Lions had just two quarterbacks in the fold. That is no longer the case. 
[RELATED: Recapping Lions’ Offseason]
C.J. Beathard signed to Detroit’s practice squad Thursday, per a team announcement. The 31-year-old represented one of the top quarterbacks left on the market this deep into the offseason and worked out with Detroit yesterday. He will give the Lions an option for gameday elevations or a promotion to the active roster in 2025.
Jared Goff will again handle starting duties this season, but Detroit has a new backup in the form of Kyle Allen. Allen drew praise for his work during training camp and the preseason, to the point where he overtook incumbent Hendon Hooker on the depth chart. In a move which came as little surprise as a result, Hooker was waived ahead of the cutdown deadline.
The 2023 third-rounder quickly found a home on the Panthers’ practice squad, meaning a stay in Detroit was not an option after he cleared waivers (not that one was expected). After a few days without a signal-caller on their taxi squad, the Lions will move forward with Beathard. The former UDFA has totaled 32 regular season appearances and 13 starts, his most recent coming with the Jaguars in 2023. If Goff or Allen suffer an injury, Beathard will be counted on to fill in.
In a corresponding move, the Lions released second-year defensive end Isaac Ukwu from their practice squad. Ukwu made two appearances for Detroit last season while the team dealt with a slew of injuries on defense. He will now look for another opportunity in time for the start of the season.
For the second year in a row, the Giants have restructured Andrew Thomas‘ contract. Another reworking has taken place just before the start of the season, ESPN’s Field Yates notes. 
New York entered Thursday with roughly $2.5MM in cap space, so a move such as this was necessary to create financial breathing room for the campaign. Today’s restructure will free up $12.2MM in 2025 cap space since it is a maximum conversion of base salary to signing bonus. Thomas will see his cap charges increase by $3.05MM over the four remaining years on his pact (h/t ESPN’s Yates’ colleague Jordan Raanan).
[RELATED: Reviewing Giants’ Offseason]
The 26-year-old’s health has been a talking point throughout the offseason. Thomas was limited to six games last season due to a Lisfranc injury, one which required a screw to be inserted into his foot. The screw has since been removed, something which caused a slight delay in his rehab process. Thomas also underwent an ankle scope this offseason, and his Week 1 availability is uncertain.
The Georgia product was on the PUP list until mid-August, so he has seen limited reps in practice since being activated. Thomas did not participate in the preseason, something which would of course generally be the case with healthy players of his stature. Still, his small summer workload means it remains to be seen if he will be able to suit up in time for Sunday’s game against the Commanders.
James Hudson may be called into action on the blindside as a result, but even if so Thomas will be counted to remain an anchor up front for the Giants once he is fully cleared. The latter is on the books through 2029 thanks to his $23.5MM-per-year extension inked during the 2023 offseason. Thomas managing to stay healthy over the coming years would be critical for New York’s offense. The team is confident in the chances of that taking place, something demonstrated in part by the decision to rework his pact once again.
Abraham Lucas‘ tenure with the Seahawks will continue for the foreseeable future. The fourth-year right tackle agreed to an extension Thursday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. 
This will be a three-year pact, Garafolo adds. The deal has a base value of $46MM and can increase with incentives. Lucas was set to enter the season as a pending free agent, but he is now on the books through 2028.
The former third-rounder served as a full-time starter over 16 games during his rookie season. Lucas has been a mainstay at the right tackle spot when healthy since then, but injuries have proven to be an issue in his case. Across the 2023 and ’24 campaigns, Lucas played just 13 games. Seattle has nevertheless made a notable investment in him.
2025 has seen Zach Tom (Packers) and Luke Goedeke (Buccaneers) ink big-ticket extension at the RT spot. This Lucas accord checks in south of those deals with an average annual value of $15.33MM. It checks in at 13th amongst right tackles in terms of annual compensation.
Lucas graded out as PFF’s No. 39 offensive tackle as a rookie. The 26-year-old did not qualify for a grade the following year, and his evaluation regressed in 2024 compared to the ’22 campaign. The Seahawks are clearly confident a clean bill of health along with continued development will be seen in Lucas’ case, though. Today’s move ensures he and Charles Cross will handle tackle duties beyond 2025.
Cross’ fifth-year option was picked up this spring, meaning he is in place for another two seasons. Seattle has an organizational policy of not working out extensions with more than one year remaining on a player’s deal. As a result, no Cross extension will be worked out until next offseason at the earliest. It would come as no surprise if a long-term investment were to be made in that case, especially given the Seahawks’ willingness to take that route with Lucas.
Offensive line play was an issue last year, and the Seahawks noted upgrading the unit was an offseason priority. Seattle invested a first-round pick in Grey Zabel, and he will handle left guard duties right away. It was recently announced Jalen Sundell will operate as the team’s center, meanwhile, with Anthony Bradford at right guard. The play of that group will be worth watching, along with Lucas’ performance and health knowing his stint in the Emerald City will continue well beyond the coming campaign.
While Jauan Jennings recently returned to practice without a new deal, it sounds like the 49ers have found a solution for his discontent over his contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides have agreed to a deal that will add $3MM in playing-time incentives to the player’s contract.
[RELATED: 49ers’ Jauan Jennings Returns To Practice]
Attached to a two-year, $11.89MM contract that expires at season’s end, Jennings was set to earn $7.5MM in 2025. Thanks to today’s move, Jennings can now earn up to $10.5MM.
A report from July indicated that Jennings was seeking either an extension or a trade, although neither option ended up coming to fruition. The 49ers made it clear all along that they intended to keep Jennings for at least the 2025 season, and per Schefter, the organization offered a multi-year contract extension to the receiver. Instead, Jennings decided to bet on himself and accept the incentive-driven one-year raise.
A former seventh-round pick, Jennings had a breakout season in San Francisco in 2024. As the 49ers navigated a number of injuries on offense, Jennings stepped forward and hauled in 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns. The 28-year-old has also earned a reputation as one of the league’s best blocking WRs; Pro Football Focus ranked him first in run blocking and 13th in pass blocking last season.
With Deebo Samuel no longer in San Francisco and Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL, the 49ers will be especially reliant on Jennings in 2025. While Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle will still command plenty of Brock Purdy‘s targets, the rest of the team’s receiver depth consists of former first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, recent veteran addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling, rookie Jordan Watkins, and former Chiefs draft pick Skyy Moore.
If Jennings is able to maintain his play from last season, he could be setting himself up for a lucrative contract as a 2026 free agent. The rest of the current positional free agent class includes the likes of Mike Evans, George Pickens, and Jakobi Meyers.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
The Ravens added a notable special teamer to their taxi squad today, agreeing to a deal with veteran J.T. Gray. The 29-year-old spent his entire professional career with the Saints before getting cut by the team last week. The majority of Gray’s playing time has come on special teams, where he’s earned three All-Pro nods for his efforts. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic notes, the veteran will likely see a role in Baltimore, as the team is still looking to fill holes left by a handful of departed core special teamers this past offseason.
To accommodate the addition of old friend Gabe Davis to the practice squad, the Bills had to get a bit creative. Temporarily, the team has released veteran safety Jordan Poyer, but the former Buffalo starter shouldn’t be gone for long. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, Poyer is expected to rejoin the Bills practice squad once Davis is placed on the taxi squad injured list.
The Lions landed on a third-string quarterback after holding an audition earlier today. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the team has signed C.J. Beathard to the practice squad. Beathard worked out for the team earlier today alongside Nathan Peterman. Beathard has only started one game since garnering 12 starts for the 49ers between 2017 and 2020. He split last season with the Jaguars and Dolphins without getting into a game. In Detroit, he’ll serve as a third-stringer behind Jared Goff and Kyle Allen.
Today’s list of minor moves consists of players removed from injured reserve via injury settlements:
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
The Cowboys are signing fullback Hunter Luepke to a two-year contract extension, according to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
The deal is worth a maximum value of $7.5MM and includes more than $5MM in fully guaranteed money, per Garafolo, representing a significant raise over the three-year, $2.715MM contract Luepke signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 (via OverTheCap). He made the 53-man roster as a rookie and appeared in all 17 regular-season games, primarily on special teams. He expanded his role in 2024, more than doubling his snap count as a key blocker for the Cowboys offense.
While the base value of Luepke’s extension has yet to be reported, it should place him among the top five fullbacks in terms of APY. He was headed into a contract year with the potential for a RFA tag next offseason. The lowest tag number is projected to be a non-guaranteed $3.453MM (via OTC), so the Cowboys gave Luepke some extra guarantees in exchange for two years of team control at a reasonable cost.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones justified the Micah Parsons trade by saying that he could sign several other players with the money that Parsons would have otherwise received.
“That’s a good trade when you need numbers,” said Jones on Good Morning America on Wednesday (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “I’ll take the numbers every time.”
Jones has started to follow through on his plans, signing DaRon Bland and Luepke to new contracts in the week since the Parsons trade and engaging Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith in extension talks as well. While none of those players have the individual impact that Parsons does, the Cowboys are at least using the money they saved to build a well-rounded roster for the future.
The Buccaneers are signing right tackle Luke Goedeke to a four-year contract extension, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. 
The deal is worth $90MM with $50MM guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Goedeke’s $22.5MM APY is a slight increase on the deal signed by the Packers’ Zach Tom last month, making him the third-highest-paid right tackle and the 11th-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Goedeke was a two-year starter at right tackle for Central Michigan before the Buccaneers made him a second-round pick in 2022. He earned the starting left guard job out of training camp as a rookie, but struggled to adapt to the new position and was benched after Week 7. He then started in Week 18 at right tackle before moving back to left guard for the playoffs.
Tampa Bay moved Goedeke back to his natural position in 2023. He started every game during the regular season with significantly-improved results, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). A concussion sidelined him for four games in 2024, but he put up a strong performance across the season and entrenched himself as the Buccaneers’ long-term right tackle. The team’s decision-makers have now formalized that role with a deal that will keep Goedeke in Tampa Bay through the 2029 season.
Goedeke was set to head into the final year of his rookie contract before today’s deal. With the improvement the 26-year-old has shown each year, it was prudent for the Buccaneers to lock him down now, as opposed to letting him show another level of play in a contract year that might price himself out of Tampa Bay. While Goedeke is getting a strong deal to stay with the team that drafted him, the open market after a strong 2025 campaign could’ve made Goedeke a truly expensive commodity.
Right guard Cody Mauch will be in a similar situation as Goedeke next offseason, after having finished his third year of play, then it will be center Graham Barton the year after that. Barton, a first-rounder last year, would technically have a fifth-year option available to push back any possible deadline on extensions, but with the way offensive linemen are priced the same regardless of position in fifth-year option formulas, centers hardly see those options exercised.
With left tackle Tristan Wirfs under contract through 2030 following his extension last year, the Buccaneers now have the bookends to their offensive line secured for the foreseeable future. If the team works to extend Mauch and Barton in the future, as well, it will have done quick work to secure 80 percent of their offensive line long term. With the way the league has been won in the trenches in recent years, this focus on offensive line building could be a recipe for success.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
After one season out of Buffalo, Gabe Davis is on his way back. The veteran receiver has agreed to a Bills reunion, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Davis played out his rookie contract in Buffalo, establishing himself as a standout deep threat along the way. It came as no surprise when he departed on the open market, however. The 26-year-old landed a $13MM-per-year deal with the Jaguars in free agency. After one injury-filled campaign in Jacksonville, Davis was one of several receivers the team’s new regime elected to move on from.
That decision led to a long-running free agent process. Davis met with the 49ers, Giants and Saints once each this offseason, while also firmly remaining on the Steelers’ radar. A second visit with Pittsburgh took place last month, but no agreement was worked out. Shortly after that follow-up with the Steelers, Davis lined up a summit with the Bills. A familiar face to general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, the former third-rounder did enough to land a new opportunity with his original team. Other offers were in play as well, Schefter’s colleague ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds.
A meniscus tear limited Davis to 10 games last year, and medical evaluations were a key focus of his visits. To no surprise, Schefter notes this will be a practice squad agreement. Veterans often take the taxi squad route upon joining teams once roster cuts have taken place. Davis will continue working toward full strength with an eye on moving to the active roster in short order.
Buffalo extended Khalil Shakir this offseason, making him one of many players to receive a long-term commitment on a second contract. The team also added Josh Palmer and Elijah Moore in free agency after seeing Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins depart. 2024 second-rounder Keon Coleman is positioned to take a step forward this season, with Palmer and Shakir handling notable roles along the way.
When he finds himself on the active roster, Davis will look to carve out a spot as well. The UCF product averaged 16.7 yards per catch and scored 27 touchdowns with the Bills. A strong second stint in Buffalo would help rebuild his value on another commitment from the team or a pact sending him elsewhere next spring.