NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/29/25
Here are today’s taxi squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from practice squad IR: WR Gabe Davis
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DE Jonathan Garvin, OL Royce Newman
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Sam Ehlinger
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Dante Barnett, CB Tyron Herring
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Dalton Keene
- Released: RB Jawhar Jordan
New England Patriots
- Signed: RB D’Ernest Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Evan Hull
- Released: DT Coziah Izzard
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL Jack Driscoll, WR John Rhys Plumlee
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: KR Velus Jones
- Released: RB Myles Gaskin
Washington Commanders
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
Saints To Start QB Tyler Shough Through Remainder Of Season
The Saints turned to Tyler Shough for the second half of their Week 8 game and it was clear in the wake of that move a permanent switch at quarterback could be in store. Head coach Kellen Moore confirmed it will be the second-round rookie atop the depth chart for New Orleans’ next game. 
Moore has stated in recent days he does not anticipate switching between Shough and Spencer Rattler on a week-to-week basis through the second half of the campaign. As such, it came as no surprise when he said today this QB change will apply for the remainder of the season (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The coming weeks will thus serve as an evaluation period for Shough.
The seven-year college QB has made two appearances off the bench so far in his rookie campaign, but Week 9 will mark the first point at which he handles first-team reps in preparation for a game. That setup will continue moving forward as Moore and the Saints contemplate their long-term options under center. New Orleans is on track for a high selection in the first round of the 2026 draft, something which will further fuel long-running speculation about a franchise passer being taken in April.
“All we’re trying to do is put ourselves in the best position to be successful on Sunday against L.A.,” Moore said (via Schefter’s colleague Katherine Terrell) when speaking about the decision to bench Rattler on a permanent basis. “I think the really important aspect is starters need to get every rep they can. You don’t get into this whole weekly competition area or any of that stuff.”
The Saints have games against the Rams and Panthers upcoming until their bye week. It will be interesting to see how Shough fares with a banged-up offensive line in front of him and a pass-catching group which may be thinned out by the trade deadline. Four of New Orleans’ six games following the bye will be on the road, so Shough’s audition period will feature a number of challenges.
Interestingly, Moore noted he did not give thought to making a quarterback change midway through a game prior to Week 8. Rattler flashed potential during periods of his time atop the depth chart, but attention will now turn to Shough’s performances in the same role.
J.J. McCarthy To Return In Week 9; Vikings Signing QB John Wolford
Carson Wentz played through a significant injury in his non-throwing shoulder during much of his time filling in for J.J. McCarthy. The veteran will undergo season-ending surgery to repair the damage, but Minnesota’s starter is now in position to return to action. 
McCarthy will spend the coming days preparing for Week 9 with the starters, head coach Kevin O’Connell said (via Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune). An ankle sprain has kept the 2024 first-rounder out of the lineup since he was injured in Week 2. McCarthy was on track to resume QB1 duties when healthy in any case, but especially with Wentz now sidelined his return will be welcomed by the team.
While recovering from meniscus surgery, McCarthy missed his entire rookie campaign. Expectations were nevertheless high for the former college national champion entering the season, one which largely did not go to plan prior to the injury. McCarthy’s ability to deliver consistent play under center presuming he can remain healthy the rest of the way will be critical for a Vikings team which finds itself last in the NFC North.
The 22-year-old was a full participant in today’s practice, a positive sign he will be able to play in Week 9 as hoped. Minnesota (3-4) ranks 18th in the NFL in scoring and the team’s defense has regressed compared to last season. A boost in terms of quarterback play would be critical to the Vikings’ playoff chances but McCarthy is far from a known commodity at this point in his career. Another inexperienced signal-caller (undrafted rookie Max Brosmer) will serve as the team’s backup the rest of the way.
As for the third-string role, a deal has been lined up in time for Week 9. John Wolford is being signed to the practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 30-year-old has made seven regular season appearances in the NFL, each of which came during a three-year span as a member of the Rams. Wolford and O’Connell overlapped with each other in Los Angeles, and a midseason reunion has now been worked out in Minnesota. This pact will provide the Vikings with a veteran presence on the depth chart in the event McCarthy or Brosmer miss time.
Patriots, Marcus Jones Agree To Extension
10:20pm: The deal’s base value checks in at $36MM over three years, Rapoport and Pelissero add. It could max out at $40.5MM, making Jones one of the three highest-paid slot cornerbacks in the NFL, per Field Yates of ESPN. Jones is now the Pats’ second-highest-paid corners — behind free agency addition Carlton Davis. While the deal’s structure is not yet known, this provides security for the corner/return man for the mid-2020s at the very least.
11:27am: Marcus Jones will not reach free agency upon the upcoming conclusion of his rookie pact. The cornerback/punt returner has agreed to a Patriots extension. 
Jones has a three-year deal in place to remain in New England, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. Financial terms are not yet known. It is nevertheless safe to assume a raise is in store for Jones, who is now on the books through 2028. The team has now announced the news.
A third-round pick in 2022, Jones entered the league with experience on offense and defense in addition to his strong showings in the return game. He has not been a factor as a receiver with New England, but the 27-year-old has taken on a larger workload with each passing season as a corner. Jones has been on the field for three-quarters of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in 2025 as a standout slot contributor. That can be expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Jones notched double-digit pass deflections for the first time in 2024, and with nine so far this season he is comfortably on track to set a new career high in that regard. The Houston product has added a pair of interceptions and his first sack in 2025. In terms of coverage, Jones has surrendered a completion percentage of 61.1% and a passer rating of 81 so far; both of those marks are the best since his rookie season.
Special teams allowed for Jones to make an immediate impact in the NFL. He led the league in total and average punt return yards, earning first-team All-Pro acclaim along the way. This season, Jones already has one touchdown on 10 returns. He is once again topping the NFL with an average of 21.6 yards per runback. Especially if he can continue to serve as a standout figure in the third phase, this extension will be one the Patriots feel comfortable with.
The cornerback market as a whole has experienced surges in recent years, but the main beneficiaries of that trend has been perimeter cover men. Slot corners – a label which will no doubt remain accurate for the 5-8, 188-pound Jones throughout the remainder of his career – by contrast have not seen as much in the way of upward movement. Kyler Gordon moved the bar to $13.33MM in terms of average annual compensation for slot corners this offseason, so it will be interesting to see how Jones compares with this pact.
The Patriots already have one notable CB contract on the books in the form of free agent addition Carlton Davis. He is attached to an $18MM-per-year pact through 2027. Meanwhile, Christian Gonzalez will be eligible for an extension as soon as this coming offseason. The 2024 second-team All-Pro will be in line for a monster accord if he continues to perform as one of the top young corners in the league and a foundational member of New England’s defense. If/when Gonzalez has his second contract in hand, he will join other figures in the Patriots’ secondary attached to notable deals.
Dolphins Unlikely To Make Several Trades
Sunday’s win improved Miami’s 2025 record to 2-6. It would still come as no surprise if the team were to adopt a seller’s stance ahead of next week’s deadline. 
A number of Dolphins players have been floated as trade candidates recently. At least one move could of course be in store, especially in the case of a rental. A firesale should not be expected, however. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms the team has communicated to potential buyers there will not be a clearing out of the Dolphins’ roster over the coming days.
Edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb have been the most talked-about options in terms of targets on the trade front. Interest will no doubt continue to be shown on both fronts, with any trade being viewed as a rental in each case. It would come as no surprise if the Dolphins were to retain at least one member of that tandem, but even if both remain in place another EDGE deal could be in store.
Matt Judon has recently been mentioned as a trade target, and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Jackson) that remains the case. Signed not long before the start of the campaign, Judon has made seven appearances to date but he was also a healthy scratch prior to playing in Week 8. The four-time Pro Bowler has made just eight tackles in 2025 without recording a sack.
Judon’s snap share sits at 32% this season, which marks the lowest usage rate of his career. A change of scenery before the November 4 deadline would not be expected to result in a major uptick in workload for the 33-year-old, but he could still offer contending teams with valuable depth along the edge. Judon is a pending free agent, and taking on the remainder of his $1.5MM salary would not be a challenge in the event a trade were to be worked out.
Regardless of what happens on the Judon front, a relatively quiet approach to the deadline appears to be in store for the Dolphins. Questions about the franchise’s future on the sidelines and in the front office will linger if the team lands short of the postseason once more in 2025, but many of Miami’s key players appear to be on track to remain in place through the remainder of the campaign.
49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk Will Not Practice This Week; Ben Bartch’s Practice Window To Open
Injuries to key players remain an issue at many positions for the 49ers. Preparation for Week 9 will bring about a mixed bag of updates on that front. 
Brandon Aiyuk continues to rehab the ACL and MCL tears which ended his 2024 campaign. While progress is being made in his recovery, San Francisco’s top wideout will not take part in practice this week. That decision will further delay the point at which Aiyuk’s 21-day activation window will be opened.
“I think it’s week-to-week from here on out that he has got a chance,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Aiyuk (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Area). “It would’ve surprised me if it was this week, but that was just me saying that every week I think he’s getting closer to having a chance. Just not this week.”
Shanahan recently opened the door to Aiyuk suiting up for practice this week, but that will not take place. A return in November is instead still the goal in this case. Provided the 27-year-old can return to full strength relatively soon, his presence will be welcomed on a 49ers offense which has dealt with injuries under center and at the skill positions all season. Along the offensive line, meanwhile, a notable return is imminent.
The 49ers will designate left guard Ben Bartch for return this week, as noted by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows. Bartch has been on injured reserve since mid-September due to a high ankle sprain. Beginning tomorrow, though, his practice window will open. That will leave the 49ers with three weeks to activate Bartch.
The former fourth-rounder has started just four of his appearances with the 49ers, but that total will likely increase once Bartch is activated. He opened the season as San Francisco’s starter at the LG spot vacated by Aaron Banks‘ free agent departure. Provided that remains the case moving forward, Bartch will be counted on to provide stability along the interior of the offensive line. As a pending free agent, his play upon being activated will be key in determining not only the 49ers’ success up front but also his earning potential on the open market next spring.
The 49ers have used two of their eight IR activations for the season so far. Bringing Bartch back into the fold will lower that figure, with the same being true when fellow O-linemen Spencer Burford is activated (which should take place in the near future). Aiyuk resides on the reserve/PUP list, so his return will not count toward the IR activation count; when it will take place nevertheless remains something to monitor closely for the 49ers.
Rams Acquire Roger McCreary From Titans
Roger McCreary was known to be one of the Titans players on the trading block and he has now been dealt. The fourth-year cornerback is headed to the Rams. 
A trade has been agreed to between Tennessee and Los Angeles, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Conditional 2026 Day 3 picks are being swapped. The Titans will receive a fifth-rounder closer to the top of the round while the Rams are in line to collect the Titans’ sixth-round pick which ends up closest to the bottom of that round’s order. The swap is now official.
Tennessee traded away a fifth-round pick to the Rams last summer for linebacker Ernest Jones. As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network clarifies, that selection now belongs to the Titans once more. The team will also still have a pair of sixth-round picks once it is determined which of Tennessee’s three selections in that round head to Los Angeles.
The Titans have struggled early in the 2025 campaign to the point head coach Brian Callahan was fired less than halfway through his second season at the helm. A new front office setup led by football operations president Chad Brinker and first-year general manager Mike Borgonzi is in place, something which has led many to believe a number of players acquired by previous regimes could be traded away over the coming days. With only quarterback Cam Ward and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons seen as being truly untouchable, it will be interesting to see if further moves are made after this one.
McCreary has amassed 38 starts to date in his career, with his heaviest workloads coming at the beginning of his Titans tenure. The Auburn product logged every snap as a rookie and handled a 92% snap share the following season. Since then, however, his workload has declined. McCreary has made just three starts in 2025, finding himself on the field for 60% of the team’s snaps while operating in the slot. A change of scenery will now put him in the mix to carve out a role in Los Angeles’ secondary.
The Rams have rotated Cobie Durant, Darious Williams and Emmanuel Forbes on the perimeter this season. That has left Quentin Lake to handle slot duties. He and McCreary, 25, will now compete for the top spot on the depth chart in that regard. Both Lake and McCreary are attached to the final year of their rookie contracts and are thus pending free agents. Prior to today’s trade, Dianna Russini of The Athletic identified the Rams as a team in the market for an addition on this front.
For the Titans, meanwhile, this move thins out their cornerbacks room even further. L’Jarius Sneed is on injured reserve, so losing McCreary leaves Tennessee with Jalyn Armour-Davis, Darrell Baker, Marcus Harris and Samuel Womack atop the depth chart to close out the season. The team sits mid-pack in terms of pass defense, but that could emerge as an issue moving forward as Tennessee (1-7) finishes the campaign.
With a 5-2 record, the Rams find themselves in a logjam atop the NFC West. After reaching the divisional round of the playoffs last year, making another postseason run is an obvious goal this time around. Further trades could be coming for Los Angeles, but at a minimum today’s deal will give the team depth in the secondary.
Vikings QB Carson Wentz To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
Carson Wentz‘s debut campaign with the Vikings has come to an end. The shoulder injury Minnesota’s fill-in quarterback has been dealing with will lead to surgery. 
Wentz played through significant pain in his non-throwing shoulder including the team’s Thursday night loss to open Week 8. Testing on the injury has led to the decision to undergo surgery. Wentz will be out for the remainder of the season as a result, as first reported by Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
Providing details on the ailment, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero add Wentz suffered a dislocation during the Vikings’ London game (Week 5). That caused a torn labrum and a fractured socket, something Wentz played through for another two contests before ultimately being shut down for rest of the campaign.
The Vikings have since moved Wentz to injured reserve. The 32-year-old was added late in the offseason as Minnesota’s depth chart under center was shaken up not long before the start of the campaign. Wentz would up taking on starting duties for a notable stretch after J.J. McCarthy went down with an ankle sprain. Minnesota went 2-3 in the games started by Wentz, who will now turn his attention to a lengthy rehab process.
McCarthy’s recovery has been closely monitored by the Vikings, but Week 9 is the target for him to return to action. Provided that takes place, the 2024 first-rounder will be able to remain atop the depth chart barring any further injuries. Minnesota will of course be in the market for a depth addition at the quarterback spot now, though, seeing as undrafted rookie Max Brosmer is the only other healthy signal-caller in the organization as things stand.
Wentz is four years removed from his last full campaign as a QB1 (when he served as Indianapolis’ starter in 2021). Since then, the former No. 2 pick has seen time with the Commanders, Rams, Chiefs and Vikings. Through much of that period, he has operated as a backup or dealt with injuries. Wentz inked a one-year deal to head to Minnesota, so he is a pending free agent.
This injury – and his performances when on the field – will hurt Wentz’s chances of landing a notable deal on the open market next spring. Nevertheless, he will represent one of the most experienced QB2 options available in the event he opts to continue his career when healthy.
Steelers DL Daniel Ekuale Suffers ACL Tear
The Steelers’ defense is a group which has received considerable criticism so far this season. The unit will be without a depth contributor moving forward. 
Daniel Ekuale went down during yesterday’s loss against the Packers. The veteran defensive lineman has since been diagnosed with a torn ACL, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. As a result, he will miss the remainder of the campaign.
Ekuale has bounced around the AFC over the course of his career. The former UDFA saw time with the Browns and Jaguars before a four-year run in New England. Ekuale’s Patriots tenure saw him log 16 starts, each of which came last season. In 2024, he comfortably set a new career high with 52 tackles while playing over 700 defensive snaps.
Prior to yesterday’s injury, Ekuale had only been on the field for 14% of the Steelers’ snaps. That marked a career low in terms of workload, but his absence will still deal a blow to a Pittsburgh defensive front over the remainder of the season. Ekuale, 31, signed a one-year deal in March to come to Pittsburgh. Needless to say, today’s injury news will greatly hinder his value on the open market next spring.
Pittsburgh moved Dean Lowry to injured reserve this summer, ending his 2025 campaign before it began. The team has Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton, along with rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black, remaining on the depth chart along the defensive line. That group will be counted on to continue operating as key figures on the defensive interior moving forward. Ekuale, meanwhile, will now turn his attention to a lengthy recovery process.
Bills DT Ed Oliver Suffers Biceps Tear
3:12pm: Head coach Sean McDermott announced this afternoon Oliver has indeed suffered a biceps tear. Surgery is upcoming as a result with an indefinite absence in store. A return in time for the playoffs could take place, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. For the time being, though, Buffalo’s defense will be without a major contributor.
10:19am: Ed Oliver exited Sunday’s game with a biceps injury. Buffalo’s top interior defender may now be in line to miss significant time. 
The Bills fear Oliver suffered a biceps tear, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. An MRI is pending, and the results will provide further clarity on the matter. For the time being, though, the threat of an indefinite absence looms in this case.
Being without Oliver for any extended period would deal a major blow to Buffalo’s defense. The interior of the D-line was shorthanded to begin the campaign with Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht serving six-game suspensions. Both veterans are now on the active roster, though, and they each made their season debut yesterday. Ogubnjobi and Hoecht could be in line for notable roles right away if Oliver is indeed sidelined. Jordan Phillips was elevated from the practice squad for Week 8, and he is a candidate to be signed to the active roster if needed.
Meanwhile, second-rounder T.J. Sanders is currently on injured reserve while recovering from knee surgery. Fellow rookie Deone Walker has been a mainstay up front while looking to fill in for Sanders, logging a 52% snap share on defense. That figure could increase further if Oliver winds up missing considerable time. In any case, Buffalo’s setup along the defensive interior will be something to monitor moving forward.
Oliver suffered an ankle injury during a standout Week 1 performance, although he managed to return in time for the Bills’ loss to the Falcons. A run of heavy usage was in store coming off the team’s bye, but the 27-year-old could now be forced to turn his attention to a lengthy recovery process. Needless to say, further updates on this situation will be worth watching for once the MRI is complete.
The Bills improved to 5-2 with a blowout win yesterday. The team’s defense ranks in the top 10 in points allowed per game but sits 31st against the run. Absences along the D-line have contributed to that poor showing, and the unit’s ability to improve will be greatly hindered if Oliver is forced to miss a notable stretch of the season.