HEADLINES

Month: August 2025

Panthers To Release DT Shy Tuttle

August 26th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Sam Robinson

Shy Tuttle found himself on Carolina’s roster bubble this month, moving there after a two-season run as a Panthers starter. But the team made significant investments at defensive tackle this offseason.

As a result, Tuttle is out. The Panthers are releasing the veteran D-lineman, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. With Carolina adding Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown in free agency, Tuttle will hit the market at an inopportune time.

The Panthers had aimed even higher at DT this offseason, making an aggressive pursuit of Milton Williams. While Carolina bowed out after New England swooped in with a monster offer, Wharton and Brown were each in PFR’s top 50 this year. The Panthers also have Derrick Brown returning after he missed almost all of the 2024 season.

Even with Carolina overhauling its DT corps from 2024, the team refrained from releasing Tuttle in the spring. But the Panthers did give the six-year veteran a pay cut. Tuttle had been on a three-year, $19.5MM deal — one agreed to in 2023, Ejiro Evero‘s first offseason as Panthers DC — but the 2025 reduction brought a one-year, $3MM arrangement ($450K guaranteed).

The Panthers have three void years on this contract, which will lead to a notable dead money charge. The Panthers will see $3.33MM in 2025 dead money, with another $3MM-plus being set to hit the books in 2026.

Tuttle, 29, has been a starter for the past four seasons. He worked alongside David Onyemata from 2021-22 with the Saints, who bid farewell to both DTs during the 2023 offseason. Tuttle cashed in via his Panthers agreement and started 32 games for the team over the past two seasons. He batted down eight passes in that span, giving him 19 for his career. Pro Football Focus, however, graded Tuttle 108th overall at the position — a bottom-15 mark among DT regulars — as the Panthers sunk to last place defensively.

Packers To Release WR Mecole Hardman

August 26th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Sam Robinson

Mecole Hardman will not begin the season on Green Bay’s roster. The veteran receiver/returner is being released, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

Even with Christian Watson set for the reserve/PUP list, Green Bay had assembled a deep group of wide receivers after using first- and third-round picks to address the position. This left Hardman in an uncertain spot, and the former Super Bowl hero will be jettisoned months after signing with the Packers.

Hardman has been unable to stick anywhere but Kansas City. The Jets cut bait on their free agency deal months after authorizing it, sending Hardman back to the Chiefs in a pick-swap deal. That set up Hardman to play a key role down the stretch with Kansas City, and he memorably snagged Patrick Mahomes‘ game-winning offering to secure the Chiefs a second straight Super Bowl title. But minimal free agency interest followed, leading Hardman to a one-year, $1.13MM Chiefs deal in 2024.

The Packers gave Hardman a one-year, $1.5MM deal that included $150K guaranteed. Green Bay will only be responsible for that $150K in dead money via this release. Hardman, 27, will head straight to free agency. It is possible Hardman could stay in Green Bay on a practice squad deal, but that remains to be seen. The Packers have a crowded depth chart at WR – to the point Bo Melton switched positions (to cornerback).

The team returns Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks. Rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams supplemented that duo in the draft, giving the Pack an array of options while Watson recovers from a Week 18 ACL tear. Watson is expected to be activated around midseason.

Hardman’s best path to a Packers role came in the return game, as the former second-round pick has an All-Pro honor (as a kick returner) on his resume. For the most part, however, Hardman’s return-game work has come on punts. He would remain an intriguing option in that capacity, at the very least, upon returning to free agency.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Commanders Shopping CB Noah Igbinoghene

August 26th, 2025 at 10:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Noah Igbinoghene was among the Cowboys to follow Dan Quinn to Washington, and the former first-round pick carved out a role for himself last season. But his place on the Commanders’ 2025 roster is not assured.

The Commanders are gauging teams’ interest in Igbinoghene as a trade asset, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. This comes after Igbinoghene’s most active (by far) NFL season. The ex-Dolphins first-rounder played 818 defensive snaps.

Part of a Cowboys CB swap (for Kelvin Joseph) in 2023, Igbinoghene caught on under Quinn and then-Dallas DBs coach Joe Whitt. The duo signed a few ex-Cowboys contributors to start their Washington tenures last year, and Igbinoghene was among them. The 2020 draftee then re-signed on a one-year, $1.5MM deal this offseason.

Washington used Igbinoghene as its primary slot corner last season, giving him 582 snaps inside. That nearly doubled his usage at any defensive position in a season, as the former No. 30 overall pick’s previous career-high snap count was 287 — as a rookie in 2020. The Dolphins did not see much from Igbinoghene — the third of their three 2020 first-round picks — before trading him straight up for Joseph. Even as the 5-foot-11 CB posted a career-best usage rate, Pro Football Focus viewed him as one of the NFL’s worst corners in 2024. The advanced metrics site ranked him 115th out of 116 qualified options at CB.

The Commanders made offseason changes at corner, signing Jonathan Jones and using a second-round pick on Trey Amos. The team has Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil coming back. Sainristil arrived in Washington as a slot option, while Jones made his name as a Patriots slot before finishing his New England run as more of a boundary player. While both Jones and Sainristil have NFL perimeter experience, each can man the slot as well. This would leave Igbinoghene set for a role reduction.

Texans To Release CB Arthur Maulet, LB Nick Niemann

August 26th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Adam La Rose

Arthur Maulet joined the Texans in search of at least a depth role in the team’s secondary, but that has not panned out. The veteran slot corner is among Houston’s roster cuts, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports.

Linebacker Nick Niemann is also being released, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. The special teams ace took a two-year Houston pact this spring which included $4MM in total guarantees. Part of that figure will be offset once a new team adds him, but the Texans will absorb a $3.25MM dead money charge in 2025 as a result of this move.

Maulet spent the 2023 and ’24 campaigns in Baltimore. When healthy, he enjoyed a strong run as the team’s top slot corner. Injuries limited the 32-year-old to just three games last season, however, something which hurt his market. Maulet signed roughly one month ago in a bid to carve out a defensive gig in Houston.

The Texans are set along the perimeter with Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, but the Maulet signing came about after Ronald Darby‘s retirement. That appeared to open the door to another veteran earning a spot, and Wilson notes Maulet fared well during training camp and the preseason. Barring a practice squad agreement being worked out in the next day or so, a fresh start will be needed in his case.

Niemann played out his rookie contract with the Chargers, totaling 64 games along the way. The 27-year-old only made three starts on defense, but he racked up nearly 1,300 snaps on special teams. That third phase track record should lead to interest from outside suitors as he reaches free agency late in the summer.

Patriots To Release S Marcus Epps

August 26th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Sam Robinson

The safety position in New England has brought some changes, to the point Kyle Dugger could be on the move barely a year after his big-ticket extension. Another veteran piece will not stick under a new coaching staff.

New England is releasing Marcus Epps, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Epps did not catch on during Mike Vrabel‘s first offseason in charge. The former Eagles and Raiders starter, who signed with the team this offseason, will head straight to free agency as a vested veteran. Epps requested the release, per the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.

The Pats gave Epps a one-year, $2.03MM deal; they will eat the $500K guarantee as dead money. Epps is coming off an injury-marred 2024, having suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 of last season. Epps did not require a stay on the Pats’ active/PUP list, however, and Pelissero adds the veteran wanted a fresh start. It should be expected he will land elsewhere soon, though the former Super Bowl LVII starter has lost momentum since signing a two-year, $12MM Raiders deal in 2023.

Dugger’s move to the trade block comes as the Patriots are prepared to use Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins as starters at safety. While it represents an about-face for the team on Dugger, Epps only spent a few months in Foxborough. The 29-year-old veteran will look to land with a fifth NFL team.

The Vikings chose Epps in the 2019 sixth round, but he did not finish that season in Minnesota. The Eagles developed Epps into a starting safety but disbanded their Super Bowl LVII tandem (Epps, C.J. Gardner-Johnson) in 2023, seeing Gardner-Johnson join the Lions days after Epps signed with the Raiders. Epps started 17 Las Vegas games in 2023 before going down three games into his follow-up season.

Saints To Waive QB Jake Haener

August 26th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints have still not named their starting quarterback, but they have elected to move on from their projected No. 3 option. Jake Haener is being waived, Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report.

Not part of the latter stages of the Saints’ quarterback battle, Haener will be cut with two years remaining on his rookie deal. The Saints drafted the Fresno State product in the 2023 fourth round. He is due a $1.03MM base salary in 2025.

Haener will be a candidate to pass through waivers to a practice squad. With New Orleans only having two QBs on its current roster (Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough), it would make sense a player the team developed for two years would be a candidate for that emergency QB3 role. But the Saints did change coaching staffs this offseason, potentially pointing Haener elsewhere. A practice squad arrangement could indeed be in store, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football notes.

The Saints gave Haener one start last season, doing so after initially turning to Rattler — a 2024 fifth-round pick — to fill in for an injured Derek Carr. Haener both relieved Rattler during Carr’s first bout of injury trouble and then received a Week 15 start amid Carr’s second 2024 hiatus. Interim HC Darren Rizzi benched Haener during that start, going back to Rattler for the rest of the season.

Completing 4 of 10 passes before being benched in December, Haener holds a 46.2% completion rate (compiled over 39 attempts last season). He is certainly a backup- or QB3-type arm at this point, seeing as the Saints’ ongoing QB battle moved on without him. Haener suffered an oblique strain during the team’s offseason program, hurting his chances of winning the 2025 job following Carr’s retirement. Kellen Moore will determine a starter soon, with the Saints being the last team with an unsettled QB situation.

Jets To Waive WR Malachi Corley

August 26th, 2025 at 9:37am CST by Adam La Rose

Malachi Corley‘s time with the Jets is coming to an end. The 2024 third-rounder is among New York’s roster cuts, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.

This will bring a quick end to Corley’s Big Apple tenure. The move also comes despite the Jets still carrying considerable questions at receiver beyond Garrett Wilson. But Corley was drafted by the Joe Douglas regime. The Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn power structure has seen enough, evidently.

The Jets drafted Corley 65th overall last year, having traded up (via the Panthers) for the shifty prospect. But Corley produced a three-catch, 16-yard rookie season. The Western Kentucky prospect did not impress during Aaron Rodgers‘ season as the team’s starter, and his most memorable Jets sequence came when he dropped the ball before the goal line to deny the Jets a touchdown on a reverse during a nationally televised game.

Corley, 23, has three years left on his rookie contract. A claiming team would have Corley on a $1MM 2025 base salary. Even with Corley faceplanting in New York, it would not surprise to see a claim due to his draft status barely a year ago. Although the Jets carry significant questions about their Wilson sidekick contingent, Corley entered training camp uncertain to make the roster.

Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson and Tyler Johnson are among the players presently rounding out the Jets’ receiving corps. This creates natural concerns about the passing game’s viability in Justin Fields‘ first season, especially considering the new quarterback’s issues as a passer to date. But the Jets will pass on a second Corley season anyway.

Texans To Release T Trent Brown

August 26th, 2025 at 9:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Amid a full-scale offensive line makeover, the Texans are set to move on from a player they took a flier on this offseason. They are releasing Trent Brown, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

The 10-year veteran spent the summer on Houston’s active/PUP list, having suffered a torn patellar tendon during what amounted to a brief cameo in Cincinnati. The Texans needed to either activate Brown or send him to the reserve/PUP list. Option C, however, will be used. This will be the first time a team has released Brown.

This release comes as Brown was moving toward a recovery from knee surgery, according to Wilson. But he will head back to free agency instead. The 380-plus-pound blocker having suffered a major knee injury during an age-31 season invited questions about his future, but a reunion with Nick Caserio — a Patriots exec when the team traded for Brown in 2018 — provided a lifeline. The Texans gave Brown a one-year, $2.35MM deal with $550K guaranteed. Houston will eat only the $550K in dead money. A return via the practice squad is likely in this case, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes.

Brown being nearly recovered is certainly notable, as it could lead to another chance given his history as a starter. Brown has made 96 starts, including three to open last season with the Bengals. Brown had spent the previous three years back in New England, after Las Vegas conducted an O-line makeover in 2021 that involved shedding a big-ticket Brown contract. Brown did not live up to the Raiders deal but became a regular again with the Patriots, starting at both LT and RT during his second stint.

Brown has been injury-prone throughout his career, and although the former 49ers seventh-round pick operated as the Pats’ full-time LT during their 2018 Super Bowl-winning season, he has played more than 11 games just once since. The Texans also added two more tackles — Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery — this offseason. Robinson has emerged as a trade candidate. With Brown out of the picture, Ersery is moving toward the starting LT job (opposite the versatile Tytus Howard) with 2024 second-rounder Blake Fisher then set to be a swing tackle.

Packers Expected To Release LB Isaiah Simmons

August 26th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers brought on Isaiah Simmons in free agency, but their flier on the former top-10 pick will not produce a roster spot. Simmons is expected to be released, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.

Simmons’ time with the Cardinals was marred by an inability to find success at a single position. The Clemson product saw time at safety and linebacker but did not meet expectations in either case. He was traded to the Giants in 2023 after three seasons in Arizona. Simmons did enough to earn a one-year pact with New York last offseason.

Logging a full 17 game slate once again in 2024, the 27-year-old played sparingly on defense while also chipping in on special teams. Simmons took another one-year pact in free agency this spring, joining the Packers after they enjoyed a strong first season under DC Jeff Hafley. That accord contained $168K in guarantees, so Green Bay will absorb that figure as a dead money charge. Meanwhile, this move will create $1.03MM in cap savings.

The Packers have Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie atop the linebacker depth chart. That trio will be leaned on heavily in 2025, but Simmons would have represented a backup option had he survived roster cuts. A practice squad agreement allowing him to remain in Green Bay could be in store; failing that, however, a new opportunity will need to be sought out.

Simmons could offer a special teams presence to interested suitors on the free agent market, and he will be free to sign at any time once his release is official. A role on defense should not be expected, though, and another short-term arrangement will no doubt be in store on his next team.

Texans Considering LT Cam Robinson Trade

August 26th, 2025 at 8:24am CST by Sam Robinson

Cam Robinson signed with the Texans during free agency in a move which appeared to set him up for left tackle duties in Houston. The veteran blindside blocker could soon be on the move, however.

The Texans have discussed trading away Robinson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The team’s new-look offensive line has been a key storyline through the summer, and second-round rookie Aireontae Ersery has enjoyed a strong camp. If Houston is comfortable with him starting at left tackle, Robinson could be deemed expendable.

Houston gave Robinson a one-year, $12MM deal in free agency. Despite checking in as one of this year’s top free agents, the eight-year left tackle starter (with Jacksonville and Minnesota), Robinson does not look to have beaten out Ersery — added a month after the veteran’s Texans commitment — for the LT job. Schefter points to Ersery being set to start in Week 1, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson also indicating that will be the case.

Wilson adds the Texans — who made a host of offseason moves along their O-line — are likely to roll out a starting quintet that includes Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram and Tytus Howard up front. That would mean the Texans will have one returning starter (Howard) from last season. Howard has bounced around Houston’s O-line during his career, but after being pegged as more likely to stay at guard, a shift back to RT looks likely.

After struggling to protect C.J. Stroud during a disjointed offensive season, the Texans’ O-line received a makeover. The team traded Laremy Tunsil and Kenyon Green, releasing Shaq Mason as well. Ingram came over in a trade after being benched in his Vikings contract year, while Andrews — a 2023 Patriots fourth-rounder — did not play a snap last season.

Robinson, 29, has drawn trade interest, according to Wilson. Nothing is imminent, however. He would be an expensive swing tackle if Houston were to pass on a trade, and it would represent the first time the former second-round pick would have entered an NFL season as a backup. The Texans, though, also have 2024 second-round pick Blake Fisher as a swing option. Trent Brown has already been released.

Robinson has made 101 career starts, earning two Jaguars franchise tags before being signed to a three-year, $52.75MM extension. The Jags traded that contract to the Vikings last year, going with Walker Little — who signed an extension late in Trent Baalke‘s GM tenure — at LT. Robinson finished last season as the Vikes’ Christian Darrisaw replacement. He could be on the move again today.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

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