Today’s taxi squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
Seattle Seahawks
Kane, a seventh-round pick last year, was waived after undrafted rookie Keondre Jackson proved to be a recent factor on special teams. Having cleared waivers, Kane’s back in Baltimore, but his rookie contract is gone.
The Cardinals signed Jeff Driskel to their practice squad, per a team announcement, adding a third quarterback to their team after playing Kyler Murray on injured reserve.
Driskel, 32, spent most of the 2023 season on Arizona’s practice squad. He was elevated for one game during the regular season but did not play. Last year, he played exactly one snap for the Commanders.
Originally a sixth-round pick by the 49ers in 2016, Driskel did not appear in a regular-season game until 2018 for the Bengals. He started five games that year, but spent the next four years with three different teams as a backup and third-stringer. He also started one game for the Browns at the end of the 2023 season.
2024 UDFA Kedon Slovis has been backing up Jacoby Brissett for a few weeks, but Driskel could take over relatively quickly due to his “experience and knowledge of the offense,” per CardsWire’s Howard Balzer. The seven-year veteran can be elevated from the practice squad for three games and would have to be promoted to the 53-man roster to be active on game days after that.
Driskel has appeared in a total of 25 games in his career with a 58.6% completion rate and a 79.4 passer rating. He does not offer much under center, and the Cardinals will be hoping that Brissett can stay healthy to avoid either Driskel or Slovis taking the field.
Although the Browns moved Joe Flacco to the Bengals and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to the Bears, ridding their team of Joes did not constitute a fire sale. Cleveland kept its contract-year guards (Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller), defensive linemen Shelby Harris and Alex Wright and held onto David Njoku.
Cleveland has seen positive returns from third-round rookie tight end Harold Fannin, and pre-deadline rumors pointed to Njoku being available for the right offer. The contract-year tight end made it clear following the deadline he wants to stay in Cleveland. The nine-year Browns cog said (via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot) he wants an extension, with Cabot adding the Browns had no intention of trading him.
The Browns paid Njoku in 2022, authorizing a four-year extension worth $54.75MM after franchise-tagging the former first-round pick. Njoku has seen the Browns’ quarterback carousel affect him, but he has remained a useful player amid another Cleveland descent. Njoku has started seven games this season and exits the Browns’ bye at 27 catches, 260 yards and two touchdowns.
Fannin, who put together a monster senior season at Bowling Green, has outproduced Njoku thus far as a pass catcher. The MAC product has 38 receptions for 352 yards and two scores. Pro Football Focus views neither as a particularly effective run blocker, though the advanced metrics site ranks Njoku as one of the NFL’s worst run-blocking tight ends this season. Fannin is signed through 2027 and profiles as a potential long-term piece in Cleveland. Will the Browns attempt to ensure Njoku stays alongside the younger player?
Njoku, who amassed 628 receiving yards in 2022 and a career-high 882 in ’23, sits third in Browns history for receiving yards by a tight end (4,029). That total is less than 200 behind Milt Morin for second in franchise history — behind Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome. Passing Morin would also mean Njoku moves into the top 10 for receiving yardage at any position in Browns annals. Despite being a 2017 draftee, Njoku is only 29. He figures to generate considerable interest as a free agent.
Making it clear he wants to stay with the Browns is interesting given their post-Baker Mayfield quarterback direction. Dillon Gabriel has struggled early, and the team has not exactly shown signs Shedeur Sanders starts are in its plans. The Browns have an extra first-round pick in 2026 to potentially target a quarterback, but that position is uncertain for the time being. Njoku could target teams with more established passers, as Cleveland has not enjoyed any kind of QB1 longevity here since Mayfield — and he went through an up-and-down career in Ohio.
The Browns are still on the hook for Deshaun Watson money in Year 5 of that calamitous contract, one the team has restructured several times. Those restructures ballooned the overpriced QB’s 2026 cap figure to $80.72MM, which would smash an NFL record. The Browns, per OverTheCap, are projected to be more than $12MM over the 2026 salary ceiling. And that is without either of their starting guards under contract.
Barring an extension, Njoku will join a few veteran tight ends in free agency come March. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz and Tyler Higbee are unsigned. Njoku is younger than that lot. Among first-time UFAs at the position, Cade Otton, Chig Okonkwo and Isaiah Likely stand out. The Ravens will likely take one of their top two tight ends off the market, with Likely on their extension radar. The Browns have until the March legal tampering period to negotiate exclusively with Njoku, but it does not sound like he is a threat to leave Cleveland without giving the Browns a chance to match an open-market offer.
The NFL’s top cornerback contract was traded Tuesday, with the Colts taking on Sauce Gardner‘s deal after a blockbuster trade with the Jets. Months earlier, Gardner became the third cornerback this year to raise the cornerback contractual ceiling, securing a four-year, $130.1MM extension.
This has been a trend over the past 14 months. Patrick Surtain raised the bar initially, breaking the ice after a two-year period elapsed with no movement atop the CB market, and Jalen Ramsey came in with a new benchmark a day later in September 2024. The Chiefs have a player who will factor into this conversation, and after Gardner, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jaycee Horn secured market-topping terms this year, it will be expected Trent McDuffie will want the same.
[RELATED: Chiefs Made Offer For Jets RB Breece Hall]
That is expected to be the case, according to ESPN.com’s Nate Taylor, who offers that McDuffie is believed to be seeking an extension that will eclipse Gardner’s in value. Gardner tops the market in AAV ($30.25MM), though Stingley still leads the way in total guarantees ($89.1MM) and fully guaranteed money ($48.1MM) at the position.
Although the Chiefs were able to extend 2022 first-rounder George Karlaftis on a deal outside the top 10 among edge rushers, McDuffie is the more accomplished player from Kansas City’s 2022 class. Despite team interest in a 2025 payday, the sides could not agree on terms this summer. McDuffie, 25, also appears close to becoming the player that convinces the Chiefs to deviate from a long-held philosophy at corner.
Sean Smith did draw a notable contract from the Chiefs, signing a three-year, $16.5MM deal during Andy Reid‘s first offseason in Missouri (2013). Since that contract came off Kansas City’s payroll in 2016, the Chiefs have kept costs low at the position, creating an assembly line of sorts.
The team traded Marcus Peters in 2018, let Steven Nelson walk as a 2019 free agent and did the same with Kendall Fuller (a player initially acquired in the Alex Smith trade) in 2o20. Charvarius Ward left for San Francisco in 2022, and the Chiefs executed a tag-and-trade move to send out L’Jarius Sneed in 2024. The team did give Kristian Fulton a two-year, $20MM deal this offseason; that already brought a deviation. But the former Titans and Chargers cover man has been one of the more disappointing 2025 free agents, playing only 17 defensive snaps as a Chief.
It should be expected Fulton becomes a K.C. one-and-done, with the 2026 offseason being the clear window for a McDuffie extension. The 2022 first-rounder is tied to a $13.63MM fifth-year option in 2026. The team effectively benefits from a loophole in the CBA, with the option formula only recognizing first-ballot Pro Bowls for upward mobility within its four price tiers. McDuffie has been a second-team All-Pro twice, but the Pro Bowl has overlooked him. Thus, a lower-cost option price. However, it should be expected McDuffie will not play the ’26 season on the option.
Used regularly in the slot and on the perimeter, McDuffie has displayed versatility. He has been the Chiefs’ secondary anchor during their three straight Super Bowl years, joining Chris Jones and Nick Bolton as cornerstones on Steve Spagnuolo‘s defense. Pro Football focus ranks McDuffie fifth among corners this season after slotting him in the top five in 2023 and ’24.
Pure boundary CBs lead the market, but given McDuffie’s importance to the Chiefs, it will be expected he becomes the position’s third $30MM-per-year player — especially if the cap makes another leap along the lines of its 2024 and ’25 spikes. That will also be an interesting development for Surtain, who has already seen less accomplished corners move well past his $24MM AAV. The Broncos have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year signed through 2029, however, giving the team some leverage.
As far as McDuffie goes, he looks on track to becoming the corner that changes the Chiefs’ approach. Concessions will then need to be made elsewhere on the roster to accommodate a pricey payday at a position the Chiefs have largely diminished financially under Reid.
Twice this century, the Jets have made five first-round picks in a two-year span. Both instances brought degrees of success, with the first such two-fer -- 2000-01 -- setting the team up with a core responsible for producing playoff berths. The second instance (2021-22) supplied impact talent, but Tuesday's trades provide a significant amendment to that Joe Douglas-driven haul's legacy.
The Jets dealing Sauce Gardner -- the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 draft -- to the Colts leaves only Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson as players from the 2021-22 first-round contingent signed beyond this season. In sending Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys, the Jets set themselves up for a draft redux. They will exit this season with five picks between the 2026 and '27 first rounds.
While dealing away players like Gardner and Williams obviously injects risk into the equation for Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey, this regime smartly cashed out when above-market offers came in. This will make for some hard(er)-to-watch Jets football to close out this season, but already being 1-7, not much will be lost here. And a mission statement now exists for the Glenn-Mougey regime, which now holds significant cap space and a draft war chest as yet another Jets rebuild is on tap.
What happened when the Jets previously enjoyed this rare opportunity?
Four other franchises have made five first-round picks in a two-draft span since 2000. It is largely not a good list to be on, as it includes the Browns (2017-18), Raiders (2019-20) and Dolphins (2020-21). The Vikings made seven first-round selections from 2012-14, with three coming in 2013, and that septet helped form the core for three Mike Zimmer-coached playoff teams. The 2000 Jets, however, are the best example of turning this rare opportunity into success in the modern NFL.
Despite rumblings about a few of their players, the Giants had a quiet trade deadline.
Trading Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence never felt realistic. Teams seemed unlikely to pony up a first-round pick for edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has just 2.5 sacks this season. And the Giants could not find takers on offensive lineman Evan Neal or wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, two players on expiring deals they were open to moving.
Uncertainty around the team’s future also lent itself to standing pat on Tuesday, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The Giants’ current regime desperately needs to show proof-of-concept with their current vision for the walker. Jettisoning two of their top young defenders could make the team look bad enough down the stretch to threaten the jobs of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.
However, the Giants are still realistic about their current standing and need to add talent in the offseason. They were only interested in players under contract through at least 2026, as trading draft picks for rentals would not better the team’s future.
There’s a careful balance to be struck there. At 2-6, the Giants may be content with a losing season if it means a top draft pick. Given the scrutiny on Schoen and Daboll, they may not be intentionally tanking, but adding a rental could help them win an extra game or two without boosting their overall playoff chances. At that point, the extra victories may not be worth the resulting drop in the draft order.
In a way, though, the Giants’ quiet deadline suggests that Schoen and Daboll believe that they have one more year in charge, but their jobs are not secure beyond that. Investing heavily in this year would suggest that they are on the hot seat right now, while trading Lawrence or Thibodeaux for future picks would indicate that they are committed to a long-term rebuild with Dart under center.
Instead, it seems like New York will be approaching the 2026 offseason with the hope of improving their roster around Dart and contending for an NFC playoff spot to show they’re capable of even more.
Isiah Pacheco is out once again, forcing the Chiefs to lean on 30-year-old Kareem Hunt and seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith. Kansas City was linked to running back trades since August, even though the team believed Pacheco would deliver a strong contract year. Nothing materialized, but it was not for lack of trying.
The Chiefs are believed to have made an offer for the top running back available, with SNY’s Connor Hughes reporting the three-time reigning AFC champions sent a fourth-round proposal to the Jets for Breece Hall. The Jets held out for a third, according to Hughes and ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Only one running back (Tank Bigsby) ended up being traded in-season, and that deal occurred in mid-September.
After the Jets’ explosive deadline, Aaron Glenn said (via Hughes) Hall is “not a guy I want to get rid of.” This, of course, came after Hall made a last-ditch trade request following the Jets’ trades of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams. But the Jets will now move into position to potentially discuss a second contract for the former second-round pick. They will hold exclusive Hall negotiating rights until the March legal tampering period.
Glenn spoke against a Hall trade before the deadline, and previous reporting pegged the Jets as setting a Day 2 asking price for the contract-year back. The Chiefs backed down on offering what will likely be a late-Day 2 selection, given their success under Andy Reid, and will move forward with Hunt, Smith and eventually Pacheco.
Kansas City has been unable to find a dynamic back since Hunt’s first stint, one that brought an abrupt ending due to the running back being shown kicking a woman on the ground at a Cleveland hotel. That video led to the Chiefs waiving Hunt, and the Patrick Mahomes era has since included low-end investments at the position. While the Chiefs have seen some players make memorable contributions — from Pacheco to Damien Williams to pass-down specialist Jerick McKinnon — they have not had a player on Hall’s level since waiving the younger Hunt version seven years ago.
The team did make efforts here, missing on Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 2020 first round and then seeing a 2024 Josh Jacobs free agency push fall short. But the AFC power has understandably prioritized higher-value positions, letting the likes of Pacheco (a 2022 seventh-round pick) and low-end free agents (Williams, McKinnon, Hunt 2.0) handle ball-carrying duties.
The Chiefs rank 12th in rushing, but Mahomes’ 285 yards has contributed heavily to that number. Pacheco is not on IR, being deemed week-to-week with an MCL sprain, so it is possible Kansas City will be at full strength coming out of its Week 10 bye. But the Chiefs’ Hall push shows a sense of urgency — but ultimately a price point — with regards to adding a back this season. This also would have been at least a regional homecoming for Hall, who went to high school in Wichita, Kansas.
A fourth-rounder would have been nothing to scoff at regarding a rental trade for the Jets. While Gang Green dealt Gardner and Williams, the team held onto players who drew more pre-deadline rumors — Jermaine Johnson, Quincy Williams, Allen Lazard. The Jets, however, now have more time to evaluate Hall in Tanner Engstrand‘s offense.
Hall, 24, is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season. A report indicated the Jets — who had not shown interest in an extension this year — have seen some in the facility show more interest in signing Hall to a second contract. While the RB market has seen a gradual depression, some high-value deals for stars notwithstanding, Hall’s age and his ACL tear having occurred back in 2022 should give him a reasonably strong market come March.
The Commanders are looking to add some safety depth. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the team worked out four safeties yesterday: Marcus Maye, K’Von Wallace, Daryl Worley, and Jaylen Mahoney.
Maye is the most accomplished of the bunch, as the former second-round pick has 92 games on his resume. The veteran got into 15 games in stints with the Dolphins and Chargers in 2024, and that campaign ended on injured reserve after Maye suffered an ankle injury in December. While the safety hasn’t recently come close to matching his Jets run, he still graded out as an above-average safety during his age-31 season.
Worley has gotten into even more games, as the journeyman has 99 appearances since his debut in 2016. While the West Virginia product was a starter earlier in his career with the Panthers and Raiders, he’s settled into more of a backup role in recent years, starting only 15 of his 42 appearances since the 2020 campaign. Wallace got a chance to start in 2023 when he was with the Cardinals and Titans, but he reverted back to his reeserve role with the Seahawks in 2024.
Mahoney is the only inexperienced option out of the foursome. The former Vanderbilt star joined the 49ers as a UDFA in 2024 and ended up getting into three games as a rookie. He stuck with San Francisco through the offseason and landed on their practice squad following the 2025 preseason. He was cut from the 49ers taxi squad last month.
Quan Martin exited Sunday night’s game with a hamstring issue, and Tyler Owens popped up on this week’s injury report with the same issue. While the Commanders should eventually get Will Harris back on the field, the team could be temporarily tapped at the position. Jeremy Reaves, Darnell Savage, and Percy Butler represent the team’s only healthy options at the position, with Robert McDaniel also around on the practice squad.
After trading two defensive leaders yesterday, the Jets continue to shake up their personnel on that side of the ball. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the team is benching linebacker Quincy Williams.
[RELATED: Jets Trade Quinnen Williams To Cowboys]
“My coaches told me I was underperforming, that I’ve been underperforming since training camp,” Williams told Cimini. While the former All-Pro admitted that he is “not thrilled” with the decision, he clarified that he’s “not mad” and hopes to win his job back.
The Jets added Williams off waivers ahead of the 2021 campaign, pairing him with his brother, Quinnen Williams. The acquisition had an immediate impact in New York, collecting 110 tackles during his first season with the Jets. That started a streak of four-straight 100-plus-tackle campaigns, including a 2023 season where he earned an All-Pro nod after finishing with a career-high 139 stops.
Williams’ production has been down in 2025. He missed four games with a shoulder injury, and he’s otherwise been limited to 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks in four starts. Pro Football Focus seems to back the coaching staff’s assessment, as the site currently ranks Williams 57th among 82 qualifying linebackers.
While Quincy watched as Quinnen was shipped off during yesterday’s trade deadline, the linebacker was almost included in the same deal. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Cowboys discussed a deal with the Jets that would have seen Dallas acquire both Williams brothers. That specific deal obviously didn’t come to fruition, and the Cowboys ended up pivoting to former Bengals defender Logan Wilson to fill the linebacker void.
The 29-year-old is set to hit free agency after this season, and it seems pretty clear that the current regime is souring on the former defensive star. Considering Williams’ demotion, it’s a bit surprising that the Jets didn’t jump at the opportunity to move off of the linebacker.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Washington Commanders
