HEADLINES

New England Patriots News & Rumors

NFL Minor Transactions: 12/13/25

December 13th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for Week 15’s Sunday slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Nichols began the year on the reserve/PUP list. The eight-year veteran has been hampered by injuries since signing with the Cardinals in 2024. After playing just six games last year, Nichols’ 2025 campaign will end after only four appearances.

Bryant makes his return to the Texans’ offense to replenish a thinned out tight ends group, while in Seattle, the Seahawks place their second-round rookie tight end, Arroyo, on injured reserve with a knee injury.

In Buffalo, this will be Jackson’s third and final standard gameday practice squad elevation. If the team wants to see him in another game this season, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster. The same is true for Strong in Green Bay, Jackson and Mafi in Las Vegas, Smyth in New Orleans, Sam in Philadelphia, and Jones in Seattle.

On the flip side of that, in Denver, Turner has been signed to the 53-man roster after running out of elevations last week.

Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14 and it will end his season. The third-round rookie confirmed on social media today he is set to undergo surgery in the near future. Thomas made five starts in 2025, totaling 22 tackles and seven pass deflections.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/25

December 10th, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s NFL practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Gipson is changing clubs for the third time this season after getting claimed off waivers by the Giants for the second time this year. After starting the season with the Jets and getting cut after a crucial fumble in Week 1, Gipson found his way across town to the other New York team. The Giants waived him after about two and a half weeks, and he was claimed by Philadelphia. His stint with the Eagles has been his longest with any team this year, but he’ll return to the Giants after getting waived once again.

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)

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.

Patriots WR Stefon Diggs Has Played Through Fractured Finger

November 29th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Connor Byrne

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs‘ first season in New England has gone swimmingly. The four-time Pro Bowler has emerged as quarterback Drake Maye‘s favorite target during a surprising 10-2 start for the Patriots, winners of nine in a row and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Patriots’ decision to sign Diggs to a three-year, $69MM deal last March came after an injury-shortened campaign with the Texans. Playing his lone season in Houston, the former Viking and Bill tore his ACL in Week 8 and didn’t return.

Diggs recovered quickly enough to return for Week 1 this season, and his knee hasn’t hampered him at all during New England’s scorching start. The 32-year-old has appeared in all 12 of the Patriots’ games and piled up 61 catches on 75 targets, 679 yards, and three scores.

While Diggs’ knee hasn’t been a problem this year, that doesn’t mean he’s at full strength. A few days before the Patriots’ win over the Bengals last Sunday, Diggs told reporters that he has been playing through a fractured finger for a couple of weeks (via Mike Reiss of ESPN). That seems like a concerning injury for a pass catcher, but Diggs downplayed the severity.

“Least of my worries,” Diggs said. 

Diggs had one of his quietest games of the year in Cincinnati, which held him to two catches for 20 yards on three targets. He and the Patriots’ other main receivers (Mack Hollins, Kayshon Boutte, and Demario Douglas) largely took a backseat to tight end Hunter Henry, who led the way with seven grabs, 115 yards, and a score.

Looking to put together a 10-game winning streak for the first time since the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots will head into a Week 13 meeting with the Giants on Monday. The Pats have a bye after that, which will give Diggs’ finger extra time to heal as he and the team push for a division title and the top spot in the conference.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/25

November 28th, 2025 at 8:37pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

Finding himself on waivers after missing two extra point attempts at MetLife last weekend, Havrisik went unclaimed on the waiver wire. Brandon McManus is back off the injury report, but Havrisik will remain on the taxi squad in Green Bay, just in case.

Reynolds’ five-year run in Detroit finally has come to an end. Originally an undrafted free agent out of Kutztown University in 2019, Reynolds bounced around before landing with the Lions just before the start of the 2021 season. After two years with Detroit’s practice squad, Reynolds spent most of the last two and a half years on the team’s 53-man roster until getting waived yesterday. He brings a bit more experience to the Patriots’ taxi squad backs over Baker, the undrafted rookie from Elon.

NFL Minor Transactions: 11/26/25

November 26th, 2025 at 7:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves and some standard gameday practice squad elevations for the annual Thanksgiving slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Green Bay’s regular kicker Brandon McManus was off the injury report with three full practices this week, so Havrisik will take his leave after filling in for three games this year. The team had been keeping Havrisik close even during McManus’ healthy stretches, but after the backup missed two extra point attempts at MetLife this weekend, the Packers relinquished him to the waiver wire.

Jones missed most of his rookie campaign due to a knee injury, and the same has been true for most of his sophomore season. This time, though, he’s coming back with a bit more time left in the season.

O’Connell had already been called up as a gameday elevation three times this year, so if Seattle wanted to see him on the field again, this move was necessary. In his most recent elevation, O’Connell was asked to play a much bigger role, staying in for over half the team’s defensive snaps. In his first extended opportunity, O’Connell finished second on the team with nine tackles and even logged his first career sack.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/25

November 26th, 2025 at 6:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s midweek practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Load More Posts