Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Kansas City Chiefs
New York Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers
During Friday’s walk-through leading up to the Falcons’ Week 12 game, Billy Bowman Jr. suffered an Achilles injury. Doubts have since been expressed about the chances of a return late in the year, and that will indeed not take place. 
Bowman’s injury is an Achilles tear, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. That news comes as little surprise after head coach Raheem Morris noted the situation was “not good” in the wake of the fourth-round rookie going down. Bowman was moved to injured reserve on Saturday, and he will obviously not be activated before the end of the campaign.
Instead, Bowman’s attention will turn to surgery and the lengthy recovery process which will follow it. Being without him the rest of the way means Atlanta’s secondary will not have a key figure to close out the season. Bowman logged a defensive snap share of 80% while operating as the team’s top slot corner during his six games played (after being drafted as a safety). That made him one of four rookie playing a critical role on defense for the Falcons.
A hamstring injury cost Bowman time earlier in the season, but this ailment is of course a far more notable one. The Oklahoma product’s recovery timeline will be something to monitor through the offseason as he hopes to heal in time for the start of the 2026 campaign. Expectations will be high in Bowman’s case whenever he is fully recovered.
Atlanta ranks eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, and Bowman has played a key role in the team’s success on that front. The 22-year-old posted 26 tackles, one interception, two pass deflections, one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks during what has turned out to be a short-lived rookie season. A large workload should nevertheless await him next year.
The Falcons won on Sunday, moving them to 4-7 on the year. The playoffs are likely out of reach, and Atlanta’s offense faces questions with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on the mend from a partially torn ACL. It remains to be seen if Penix will be back to 100% in time for the start of the 2026 season, and the same is now true of Bowman as well.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s season ended last week when he suffered a partially torn left ACL in a loss to the Panthers. It’s possible the recovery process will take long enough to jeopardize Penix’s availability for the beginning of the 2026 campaign, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
Penix will undergo surgery “sooner than later,” head coach Raheem Morris said this week. Morris also expressed optimism that Penix will be ready for Week 1 next season, but he added “that’s a guestimation by me, not medical information.”
It’s doubtful that Penix will be a full participant in the Falcons’ offseason program, according to Kendall. That could decrease his chances of taking the field in the Falcons’ 2026 season opener, which would throw a wrench into Morris’ plans.
If Penix isn’t ready at the outset of next year, it’s unclear who will take the reins for the Falcons. Kirk Cousins will finish this season as the Falcons’ starter, but his time in Atlanta could end soon after that.
The Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $160MM contract with $90MM fully guaranteed a little over a month before drafting Penix eighth overall in 2024. The decision to splurge on the former Washington and Minnesota starter has blown up in Atlanta’s face. Cousins performed poorly enough last year that Morris demoted him in favor of Penix in Week 15. Penix kept the starting job until his injury, leaving Cousins as a ridiculously overpriced backup since last December.
Cousins still has two years remaining on his contract, but he’s due to count an untenable $57.5MM against the Falcons’ salary cap in both 2026 and ’27. An offseason release seems likely. Cutting Cousins would allow the Falcons to spread a much more manageable $35MM hit over the next two seasons, Kendall notes.
Moving on from Cousins with Penix recovering from surgery would put the Falcons in the market for QB insurance during the offseason. They’ll likely consider various free agent and trade options. The Falcons could also draft someone, but it would have to come after the first round. They’re not in position to use another Round 1 selection on a signal-caller until 2027, having traded their 2026 first-rounder to the Rams at last year’s draft. With the Falcons off to a 3-7 start, that pick could wind up in the top 10.
In a best-case scenario for the Falcons, a healthy Penix will establish himself as a franchise passer next season. However, it’s concerning that the 25-year-old carries a lengthy injury history, including two right ACL tears in college. He also hasn’t offered high-level production over his first 12 starts in the NFL. The Falcons have gone 4-8 with Penix at the controls. It’s too soon to write Penix off, but the Falcons will have to come up with an effective backup plan this offseason in the wake of his latest injury.
The 2024 offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.
In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 26 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. Teams will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.
All players designated for return on August 26 became eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Playoff teams will receive two additional injury activations once the postseason begins.
Here is how the 32 teams’ activation puzzles look for Week 13:
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Reverted to season-ending IR:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 2
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Activations remaining: 6
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Designated for return:
Activations remaining: 8
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 3
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Designated for return (Aug. 26):
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Reverted to season-ending IR
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 5
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 6
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 4
Designated for return:
Eligible for activation:
Activated:
Activations remaining: 7
The Falcons will be notably shorthanded on defense for the foreseeable future. Billy Bowman Jr.‘s Achilles injury will leave him sidelined over at least the next four games.
Bowman went down during a walk-through yesterday morning. It was already known the fourth-round rookie would miss Week 12, but head coach Raheem Morris‘ comments suggested a long-term absence would be in store. The Falcons placed Bowman on injured reserve today, a which move certainly points in that direction.
[RELATED: Falcons Activate LB Divine Deablo]
A hamstring injury led to earlier missed time in Bowman’s case but when on the field he has logged a defensive snap share of 80%. The Oklahoma product has joined fellow rookie Xavier Watts as a regular presence in the secondary and thus played a central role in the Falcons’ youth movement on defense. In six games, Bowman has recorded one interception, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble while serving as Atlanta’s top slot corner. His rookie campaign is in danger of being over, however, based on the severity of this latest ailment.
Joining Bowman on IR is Zach Harrison. The third-year defensive lineman is dealing with a knee injury and will be unavailable for an extended period as a result. Harrison missed only one game across his first two seasons with Atlanta, but a notable stretch on the sidelines will now be in store. The 24-year-old has become a starter in 2025 with the Falcons beginning the post-Grady Jarrett period along the defensive interior.
Harrison has taken advantage of the increased workload, posting 4.5 sacks and five tackles for loss in just seven games. The former third-rounder will look to continue that production if he manages to return for the end of the campaign, one which is again on course to see the Falcons outside the playoff picture. Harrison’s rookie contract runs through 2026.
Atlanta did not immediately make any corresponding moves to fill Bowman and Harrison’s spots on the active roster. The team did, however, add safety Jammie Robinson and receiver Dylan Drummond from the practice squad as gameday elevations. Those two are in line to play tomorrow against the Saints.
The Falcons worked out veteran wide receiver K.J. Osborn on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. No deal has come together, and it’s unclear if the Falcons are considering signing Osborn.
Now 28 years old, Osborn entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2020. After going without a reception in nine games as a rookie, Osborn emerged as a weapon in the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins-led aerial attack from 2021-23. Osborn averaged 53 catches, 615 catches, and five touchdowns per season during that three-year run. He missed just one game and amassed 30 starts along the way.
While Osborn was productive in Minnesota, his success hasn’t transferred elsewhere. He left the Vikings for the Patriots’ one-year, $4MM offer in free agency in March 2024. Osborn wasn’t a fit in New England, though, as he caught just seven passes for 57 yards in seven games with the team.
With his numbers down significantly, Osborn told the Patriots he wanted a trade before last year’s deadline in November. They didn’t find a taker, but the Patriots and Osborn agreed to a mutual parting of ways a month later.
The Commanders claimed Osborn after the Patriots waived him in December. He played only one game with Washington and didn’t catch a pass. Hoping 2024 was an aberration, the Commanders re-signed Osborn last March. They ended up releasing Osborn during final cuts on Aug. 26, and he hasn’t landed elsewhere since then.
Joining the struggling Falcons (3-7) would reunite Osborn with Cousins, who’s taking over as their No. 1 signal-caller for the rest of the season. The Falcons lost starter Michael Penix Jr. to a major knee injury last week. They’ll also go without their No. 1 receiver, Drake London, against the Saints in Week 12. A PCL sprain could shelve London for multiple games.
London’s injury is especially unfortunate for an Atlanta team that has gotten little production from the rest of its wideouts. Darnell Mooney is the team’s only other receiver with double-digit catches, having pulled in 16 in eight games. That explains why the Falcons are looking outside for help.
Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo will sit out Sunday’s matchup with the Lions because of a sprained MCL. It’ll be the fourth straight absence for Adebo, though the Giants haven’t placed him on IR. He was on track to play in the Giants’ loss to the Packers last week before suffering a setback in warmups, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. It’s unclear whether Adebo will be ready to return against the Patriots in Week 13. If not, he’ll have an extra week to recover with the Giants on a bye after that. Adebo missed 10 games with a broken leg in 2024, his final season with the Saints, but still scored a three-year, $54MM contract in free agency. In his first seven games with the Giants (all starts), Adebo has recorded 48 tackles and four passes defensed.
More injury updates from around the NFC…
The Falcons opened linebacker Divine Deablo‘s 21-day practice window on Monday, but he won’t need the full three weeks to return from IR. The team will activate Deablo on Wednesday, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Head coach Raheem Morris said he expects Deablo to play on Sunday against the Saints.
Deablo went down with a fractured left forearm in a loss to the 49ers in Week 7, the beginning of a ruinous skid for the Falcons. That was the first of five straight defeats for Atlanta, which has fallen to 3-7. It’s unlikely the team will rally into playoff contention, especially with starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. set to undergo season-ending ACL surgery.
The 2025 campaign has turned into a massive disappointment for the Falcons, who entered it hoping to push for an NFC South title. Deablo was an obvious bright spot before he suffered his injury, however.
A former Raider, the 27-year-old Deablo has started in each of his first six games as a Falcon and notched 24 tackles, four passes defensed, and 0.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus grades Deablo’s performance fourth among 81 qualifying linebackers. The Falcons couldn’t have asked for more when they signed Deablo to a two-year, $14MM contract last March.
Atlanta’s defense ranked second in the NFL in yards and eighth in scoring at the time of Deablo’s injury. The unit has fallen to 16th and 19th in those categories. Deablo’s absence obviously hasn’t been the sole reason for such a drastic decline, but it hasn’t helped. JD Bertrand and Ronnie Harrison have been defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich‘s main Deablo replacements over the past several weeks. Now that he’s returning, Deablo should slot back in alongside Kaden Elliss as the Falcons’ top two LBs.
The Falcons announced on Wednesday that second-year quarterback Michael Penix would undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee to address a partially-torn ACL.
Penix went down in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Panthers. He was replaced by Kirk Cousins and did not return. At first thought to be a re-aggravation of the bone bruise Penix suffered in October, further testing revealed that he also sustained a partial ACL tear and a knee sprain. With Atlanta all-but-eliminated from the playoffs, the team opted to shut their 26-year-old quarterback down in the hopes that he can return for the start of the 2026 season.
Cousins will move forward as the Falcons’ starter in yet another twist in the 37-year-old’s 14-year career. He arrived in Atlanta in March 2024 on a four-year, $160MM contract ($90MM fully guaranteed) and the intention to start for at least a few years. Instead, the Falcons drafted Penix in the first round of the 2024 draft and installed him as the starter for the last three games of his rookie season. It seemed like Cousins’ time in Atlanta was over, but his contract made it impossible for the Falcons to trade or release him. Instead, they held onto him as the most expensive and experienced backup in the league with the expectation of parting ways in 2026.
Penix’s injury therefore creates a huge opportunity for Cousins to rebuild his stock after a poor debut season in Atlanta. 2024 was his worst year as a starter, featuring a league- and career-high 16 interceptions and a career-low 88.6 passer rating. He now has a chance to audition for a starting job elsewhere next season. His lone start this year, a 34-10 loss to the Dolphins in Week 8, did not show much improvement. He completed just 21 of his 31 passing attempts for 173 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions, and a 81.8 passer rating. Taking over as the full-time starter could yield better results, though he will be without star wideout Drake London for at least one week.
Head coach Raheem Morris said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) that practice squad QB Easton Stick will be signed to the active roster to serve as Cousin’s backup. Stick’s spot was filled by former Buccaneer Kyle Trask, who will now be the Falcons’ third-string quarterback.
Morris did not outline a timetable for Penix’s return. He will need a full reconstruction, according NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, with an estimated recovery time of at least nine months. Depending on the exact date of his surgery, that would position Penix to return just before the start of the 2026 regular season. Morris said (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that the Falcons will have to reevaluate their approach to the quarterback position this offseason. Whether or not that includes retaining Cousins remains to be seen.
This is the third torn ACL and reconstructive surgery of Penix’s career. The first two came in 2018 and 2020 and impacted his right knee, while his current partial tear is in his left knee. He will be entering his third NFL season coming off a major injury with legitimate questions about his potential as a long-term starter in the NFL. In 14 appearances, Penix has recorded a 59.6% completion rate, 7.2 yards per attempt, and a 85.8 passer rating. The Falcons have a 4-8 record in his 12 starts and will almost assuredly miss the postseason this year.
Next year will be a major test for Penix’s ability to bounce-back and prove that he is Atlanta’s franchise quarterback. The Falcons have to make a decision on his fifth-year option (for the 2028 season) during the 2027 offseason and may also be evaluating Penix against any other quarterbacks they pick up during his absence.
Here are the latest practice squad moves around the NFL:
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
New England Patriots
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Reeves-Maybin, the current NFLPA president, spent most of his career with the Lions but was released this offseason. He worked out with the 49ers in October and now returns to the NFC North with the Bears.
Odum began his NFL career in Indianapolis and is now returning to the Colts after a three-year stint with the 49ers. He will likely provide depth on special teams when elevated from the practice squad.
Kpassagnon, meanwhile, will be looking for his third team this season. He signed in Chicago this offseason to reunite with Dennis Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator and Kpassagnon’s former coach in New Orleans. He played 89 snaps across five games in Chicago before he was released. He then signed with the Colts’ practice squad, but did not make any appearances in blue and white.
The Seahawks signed Jones to their practice squad, but he was released the following day in a health-related move, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, will get to play for one of his father’s former teams. Jerry Rice played for the Seahawks during his last season in 2004.