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Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

December 9th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Week 14’s action brought about a few notable updates to the standings at both ends of the NFL’s conferences. Another four teams are officially out of playoff contention, while wins by Tennessee and New Orleans could prove to be rather important once the campaign has ended.

The Jets, Browns, Falcons and Commanders were eliminated from the postseason through the results of recent days. Of course, each of those teams have been out of the running for a playoff push for some time now. Still, that group will be worth watching closely over the closing four weeks of the season as the top-10 order for Day 1 of the draft gradually comes into focus.

Uncertainty regarding the quarterback class of 2026 will no doubt remain a talking point over the coming months. Fernando Mendoza strengthened his case to be QB1 in April’s draft, although it remains to be seen if other top signal-callers like Dante Moore and Ty Simpson will turn pro or elect to remain in school for one more season. Decisions on those fronts will be central storylines carrying significant implications for the teams near the top of the order which find themselves in need of a quarterback investment.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an updated look at the first-round order:

  1. New York Giants (2-11)
  2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-11)
  3. Tennessee Titans (2-11)
  4. Cleveland Browns (3-10)
  5. New Orleans Saints (3-10)
  6. Washington Commanders (3-10)
  7. New York Jets (3-10)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (3-10)
  9. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9)
  11. Minnesota Vikings (5-8)
  12. Miami Dolphins (6-7)
  13. Baltimore Ravens (6-7)
  14. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7)
  15. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1)
  16. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  17. Detroit Lions (8-5)
  18. New York Jets (via Colts)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (8-5)
  22. Houston Texans (8-5)
  23. Chicago Bears (9-4)
  24. Buffalo Bills (9-4)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (9-4)
  26. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  27. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  28. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  29. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
  30. New England Patriots (11-2)
  31. Los Angeles Rams (10-3)
  32. Denver Broncos (11-2)

NFL Minor Transactions: 12/8/25

December 8th, 2025 at 7:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

The Ravens announced today that offensive lineman Ben Cleveland was slapped with a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Substances of Abuse Policy. While it’s uncertain if it’s related, Cleveland was arrested this past offseason on DUI chargers (per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The veteran has appeared in 10 games this season, with the majority of his reps coming on special teams.

The 49ers got some good news today, as seventh-round QB Kurtis Rourke had his practice window opened. The Indiana product continues to recover from offseason surgery on his torn ACL. While the 49ers realistically have 21 days to activate the quarterback to their active roster, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group says the rookie is still expected to be redshirted for the 2025 campaign.

Poll: Who Will Win AFC South?

December 6th, 2025 at 10:01pm CST by Connor Byrne

As a back-to-back AFC South champion, Houston entered the 2025 season as the odds-on favorite to rule the division again. While few expected either the Jaguars or Colts to seriously contend, they’re ahead of the Texans entering Week 14. With the exception of the 1-11 Titans, who may be on their way to a second straight No. 1 overall pick, the AFC South is anyone’s to win with five games remaining.

Jacksonville and Indianapolis, both 8-4, will meet on Sunday with first place on the line. They’ll also square off in Week 17. The Texans (7-5) will go on the road to face the Chiefs (6-6) in something resembling a do-or-die game for the reigning conference champions. Having already beaten the Colts in Indianapolis last Sunday, the Texans will host them in a game that could decide the division or a playoff berth in Week 18. The Texans and Jaguars split their season series. They won’t see each other again unless they match up in the postseason.

The Colts have been atop the division for most of 2025, but they dropped to second place in Week 13. Thanks in part to an unexpected resurgence from quarterback Daniel Jones, a free agent addition who previously flamed out with the Giants, the Colts stormed to a 7-1 start. They held the No. 1 seed in the AFC at that point.

Acquiring star cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets before the Nov. 4 deadline was supposed to bolster the Colts’ chances of at least winning the division. They’ve now lost three of four, though, and Gardner could miss multiple weeks with a calf strain. Jones is playing through a fibula injury, meanwhile, and league-leading rusher Jonathan Taylor is coming off back-to-back mediocre showings.

While the shine has come off the Colts in recent weeks, the Jaguars and Texans have surged. Despite losing prized first-round rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter to a season-ending knee injury in early November, the Jaguars have won three in a row. They’ve succeeded despite underwhelming numbers from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a major downturn in production from second-year receiver Brian Thomas.

The Texans have survived despite a significant injury to C.J. Stroud, who returned last week. The third-year signal-caller missed three full games with a concussion. The Texans went undefeated in that span under backup Davis Mills, who led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback over the Jags in Week 10.

Mills’ heroics proved crucial against Jacksonville, but the Texans’ top-ranked defense is the main reason they’re still in the race. Winners of seven of nine and four straight, the Texans have a legitimate chance to become the latest team to rally for a playoff berth after starting 0-3. Only six, including the 2018 Texans, have done so since 1979.

Although Indianapolis is reeling while Jacksonville and Houston are trending up, the Colts are still slight favorites to conquer the South, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. At 41%, they’re narrowly edging out the Jaguars (40%) ahead of Sunday’s showdown. The Texans (19%) are a distant third.

How do you expect this three-team battle to play out over the final month of the season? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Jaguars S Eric Murray Activated Off IR

December 6th, 2025 at 3:15pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars are set to see a key member of their defense return for an extremely important closing stretch of the season. Veteran starting safety Eric Murray is coming off of injured reserve with an activation made by the team today.

Murray joined Jacksonville early into free agency, after five years with the division-rival Texans. He had first arrived in Houston as a full-time starter, but he got benched for a five-week stretch in his second season with the team. He spent the 2022 season essentially as a special teamer and depth piece for the Texans before returning to a starting role the next year, just to have his season ended after six games with a knee injury.

Murray rebounded well last year in Houston, starting 14 games while playing in all 17. That strong final campaign as a Texan helped Murray land a three-year, $22.5MM deal in Duval, and he was looking pretty good to start his first season with the Jaguars before going down with injury.

In Murray’s absence, Antonio Johnson has stepped into the starting lineup. Johnson’s seen plenty of playing time over his three years in Jacksonville, often coming off the bench and making 10 starts in 30 games played. He looked to be shaking off some rust in his first start of the season in place of Murray, but over the last four weeks, Johnson has looked like one of the Jaguars’ best players on defense.

Luckily for Johnson, he won’t likely be demoted immediately upon Murray’s return to the field. Fellow starting safety Andrew Wingard has been ruled out this weekend with a concussion, so Johnson may be lined up next to the man he replaced as the team hosts the division-rival Colts tomorrow. Even once Wingard is healthy, Jacksonville may need to work on finding packages that put all three safeties on the field if the three continue to play at a starting level.

In order to make room on the 53-man roster, the Jaguars waived reserve running back Cody Schrader, who failed to appear in any games after joining the roster in early-October. Additionally, the team announced that undrafted rookie safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig and wide receiver Austin Trammell will be called up tomorrow as standard gameday practice squad elevations. This is Silmon-Craig’s third such elevation, so if Jacksonville wants to see him in another game after this week, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/25

December 3rd, 2025 at 7:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: WR Joaquin Davis

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Jefferson, Sheppard, and Trammell all found themselves signing to the practice squads of the teams that waived them two days ago. Having cleared waivers, the free agents returned to their lockers as members of the taxi squad.

Indianapolis cut Morrissey today in order to make room for kicker Blake Grupe, whom they signed yesterday. Grupe should be in line to take over kicking duties following the waiving of Michael Badgley yesterday, while Spencer Shrader remains on injured reserve.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/25

December 3rd, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

  • Designated for return from IR: LB Cam Jones

Pittsburgh Steelers

Collier signed with Arizona after injuries and a failure to live up to his first-round draft stock led to his departure from Seattle. He earned a starting role with his new team, but after his first game for the Cardinals, he was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a bicep injury. He worked his way back to health and started 15 of 17 game appearances last year, but his struggles on the line led to a team reunion with Calais Campbell and the drafting of Walter Nolen in the first round. Collier was working as a depth piece before getting placed on IR back in September, and if he can get back to the active roster, he’ll add to the line’s depth, once again.

As a rookie, Verdon was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list to start the season. The undrafted linebacker had been designated to return from the reserve/NFI list, but now that his 21-day practice window has come and gone without an activation, he moves to IR.

Pharaoh in Arizona, Dickerson in Duval, and Pettis in New Orleans all had used up their three standard gameday practice squad elevations. If their respective teams wanted to see them play in any more games this season, a move to the 53-man roster was necessary.

Updated 2026 NFL Draft Order

December 1st, 2025 at 10:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Week 12 saw the Giants become the first team in the NFL to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Based on Sunday’s results, another two teams from each conference saw their postseason chances officially come to an end.

The Titans, Saints, Raiders and Cardinals have now been eliminated as well. Attention in the case of those teams will increasingly turn toward the offseason. For some, questions about changes at the quarterback spot will be ongoing through the spring. Free agency is not expected to include many notable options, so the draft will be sought out in several instances as a means of finding a 2026 starter.

Of course, the incoming class of passers has largely underwhelmed this season. That has led to uncertainty regarding the ceiling for many of the top prospects at the quarterback position. Nevertheless, supply often outweighs demand at the top of the Day 1 order in the NFL draft. How things shake out over the closing weeks of the season will be key in determining which QB-needy teams find themselves in the best position to select a new QB1.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2025 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is an early look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (1-11)
  2. New York Giants (2-11)
  3. New Orleans Saints (2-10)
  4. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
  5. Cleveland Browns (3-9)
  6. Washington Commanders (3-9)
  7. New York Jets (3-9)
  8. Arizona Cardinals (3-9)
  9. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons)
  10. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
  11. Minnesota Vikings (4-8)
  12. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
  13. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6)
  14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6)
  15. Carolina Panthers (7-6)
  16. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
  17. Detroit Lions (7-5)
  18. Houston Texans (7-5)
  19. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
  21. Buffalo Bills (8-4)
  22. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
  23. New York Jets (via Colts)
  24. San Francisco 49ers (9-4)
  25. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
  26. Cleveland Browns (via Jaguars)
  27. Dallas Cowboys (via Packers)
  28. Seattle Seahawks (9-3)
  29. Los Angeles Rams (9-3)
  30. Denver Broncos (10-2)
  31. Chicago Bears (9-3)
  32. New England Patriots (11-2)

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/25

December 1st, 2025 at 6:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New York Giants

The Lions continue to work through their tight end depth with Sam LaPorta done for the season. The team’s first move today was claiming Hayden Rucci, who was waived by the Dolphins on Saturday. A former UDFA out of Wisconsin, Rucci spent much of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns in Miami. He got into four games with the organization this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.

The Lions also welcomed Shane Zylstra back to practice today. The tight end has been out since Week 2, when he suffered an ankle injury while blocking on a punt return. The veteran has gotten into 31 games with the Lions since the 2021 season, hauling in 15 catches for 116 yards and four touchdowns.

Otherwise, the Lions placed center Frank Ragnow back on the reserve/retired list after the veteran failed his physical.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/25

November 29th, 2025 at 8:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL, including gameday elevations for the remainder of Week 13:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Vikings brought back Desmond Ridder as quarterback insurance with J.J. McCarthy concussed. Ridder joined the team’s practice squad, and he will not dress for Minnesota tomorrow. Instead, it will be Wolford handling backup duties while undrafted rookie Max Brosmer makes his first career start.

Diggs returned to Seattle earlier this week. The veteran will receive the opportunity to play right away during his second stint with the Seahawks. Diggs earned three Pro Bowl nods during his first run in Seattle, and he will look to provide depth in the secondary with a familiar team down the stretch.

Jaguars Open Eric Murray’s Practice Window

November 26th, 2025 at 10:29am CST by Connor Byrne

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.

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