Dolphins DT Zach Sieler Drew Trade Interest
The out-of-contention Dolphins didn’t orchestrate a fire sale before Tuesday’s trade deadline, but they also didn’t sit on their hands. Interim general manager Champ Kelly pulled off one significant move in sending outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips to the Eagles for a third-round pick.
It was no surprise the Dolphins cut ties with Phillips, a pending free agent. On the other hand, considering Zach Sieler signed a three-year, $67.75MM extension with Miami in August, parting with the defensive tackle would have raised eyebrows. Teams inquired about Sieler’s availability ahead of the deadline, but the Dolphins “weren’t entertaining” offers that didn’t involve a high Day 2 draft pick, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Sieler began his NFL career as a Ravens seventh-round pick in 2018 (Ozzie Newsome‘s last selection as their GM), but he didn’t blossom until he the joined the Dolphins on waivers in December 2019. The former Ferris State Bulldog began breaking out in 2020, and he impressed enough during the ensuing couple of seasons that ex-Dolphins GM Chris Grier signed him to a three year, $38.65MM extension in August 2023. Sieler responded with back-to-back 10-sack seasons, leading Grier to authorize the D-lineman’s latest extension last summer.
Grier is now out of the picture in Miami, having lost his job on Halloween after the team’s abysmal showing over the first several weeks of the season. Sieler has surprisingly been among the Dolphins’ struggling players during a 2-7 start. The 30-year-old hasn’t recorded a sack in 2025, while his three QB hits place him well behind his typical pace (he combined for 41 from 2023-24). Pro Football Focus ranks Sieler’s performance 91st out of 122 qualifying linemen.
While Sieler will finish the season in Miami, he could be a name to watch during the offseason. Unless the Dolphins promote Kelly to a full-time post, they’ll likely hire someone from outside to lead their front office. Should teams that were interested in Sieler before the deadline circle back to him in 2026, they may have a better chance to acquire him if Miami has a new regime.
Rams’ Joshua Karty, Harrison Mevis Competing For Kicker Job
After a decorated run at Stanford, where he was a two-time All-American, kicker Joshua Karty joined the Rams as a sixth-round pick in 2024. Karty went on to enjoy a productive rookie season in Los Angeles, but the 23-year-old is now in the midst of a disappointing sophomore campaign. His job is in jeopardy as a result.
The Rams added Harrison Mevis, undrafted out of Missouri in 2024, to their practice squad on Wednesday. Head coach Sean McVay has since revealed that Mevis and Karty will compete for the position ahead of a crucial matchup with the NFC West rival 49ers on Sunday (via Adam Grosbard of the Los Angeles Daily News).
The Rams’ kicking woes helped lead to a 26-23 overtime loss to the 49ers in the teams’ first matchup in Week 5. Karty missed one of his two field-goal attempts in that game, and the 49ers blocked one of his three extra-point tries.
While the Rams have since won three in a row to climb to 6-2, Karty’s struggles have continued. He missed his lone field-goal attempt and one of five extra points in a 34-10 blowout over the Saints last Sunday.
The Rams’ kicking operation has accounted for eight misses or blocks, the most in the NFL. A blocked field goal against the Eagles cost the Rams a buzzer-beating road win in Week 3. Overall, Karty has converted just 10 of 15 field goals – his 66.7% success rate ranks last in the league – and 23 of 26 extra points.
The Rams coasted against the Saints, but McVay was frustrated with their kicking issues after the game, saying: “It’s going to cost us — it’s cost us already. It’s been a momentum killer. It does take the air out of our sails” (via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk).
Although McVay added that “this is not sustainable to continuously go where we want to go,” he went on to express confidence in Karty. Now, however, Karty will have to fend off Mevis to remain the Rams’ starter.
Mevis, a 5-foot-11, 243-pounder who’s also known as “Thiccer Kicker,” previously spent time with the Panthers and Jets. He doesn’t carry any regular-season experience in the NFL, however. Mevis impressed last year as a member of the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, cashing in on 21 of 23 field goals (including playoffs).
While the Rams could have a new kicker this Sunday, a change at long snapper appears likely. Alex Ward has held the role since 2023, but McVay said he expects Jake McQuaide to take over in San Francisco. McQuaide is a 14-year veteran whose career began with the St. Louis Rams in 2011. He stuck with the organization through 2020 and made a pair of Pro Bowls during that span. After seeing action with four other teams since then, McQuaide reunited with the Rams on a practice squad deal on Tuesday.
Bills Showed Interest In Logan Wilson, CBs
With questions at wide receiver and at multiple levels of their defense, expectations were that the 6-2 Bills would make at least one move ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. A report shortly before the deadline linked Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel and pass rusher Von Miller (an ex-Bill) to Buffalo, but nothing materialized for general manager Brandon Beane.
When discussing his unproductive deadline on Wednesday, Beane told reporters (including Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle): “Believe me, I went home as mad as any other fan. I wanted to do things. I’m always wanting to do things to make this team better. It’s not a store where you can just go in and say, ‘Hey, I’ll pay $20 and take this player.’ It takes two to be able to do it. We’re competitive, we’re always trying, not just on the trade deadline. We’re always looking.”
Beane added that the Bills, who rank toward the bottom of the NFL in cap space, couldn’t “take a $15 million contract (in a trade) with where we’re at with the cap.” With a lack of spending room, Beane admitted he couldn’t go “fishing in the deep end of the pond, so to speak.”
Despite a suboptimal cap situation, Beane expressed interest in linebacker Logan Wilson and unnamed cornerbacks leading up to the deadline, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
A Wilson trade would have reunited him with Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a former Wyoming teammate, but the Bengals ended up trading him to the Cowboys for a 2026 seventh-round pick. Dallas, which had far more cap space than Buffalo entering the deadline, agreed to take on Wilson’s remaining salary of $2.68MM for this season. The Bills may not have been in position to do that.
With Wilson in Dallas, Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, Shaq Thompson, and Dorian Williams will remain Buffalo’s top linebacker options for the rest of the season. The team will also continue with the same group of corners after it didn’t bring in anyone new on deadline day.
Rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, who missed the Bills’ first six games with a knee injury, has provided a boost to Buffalo’s secondary since he debuted in Week 8. The 22-year-old speedster hauled in his first career interception in a win over the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs last Sunday. Hairston, who has shared playing time with Tre’Davious White, will continue to handle a key role opposite No. 1 cornerback Christian Benford. Nickel corner Taron Johnson, Cam Lewis, and Ja’Marcus Ingram comprise the rest of the Bills’ options on the active roster.
While Beane isn’t thrilled with the way the deadline played out for the Bills, most of the AFC’s other top contenders also had quiet days. The 7-2 Colts pulling in Gardner and the 5-3 Jaguars acquiring receiver Jakobi Meyers (a rumored Bills target) were the only needle-moving pickups in the conference on Tuesday. The 7-2 Patriots, who lead the Bills in the AFC East, didn’t make any additions. Neither did the Broncos, Chiefs, or Texans. The Chargers swung a deal for Trevor Penning to help a depleted offensive line, while the Steelers (safety Kyle Dugger) and Ravens (OLB Dre’Mont Jones) made their moves before deadline day.
Colts Pursued Saints CB Alontae Taylor
The Colts entered Tuesday determined to address an injury-riddled cornerback group before the trade deadline, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. General manager Chris Ballard succeeded in pulling off a pre-deadline stunner, acquiring star corner Sauce Gardner from the Jets for two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.
The Jets unexpectedly parted with Gardner just a handful of months after inking him to a four-year, $120.1MM extension in July. Had the Jets gone forward with Gardner as a member of their core, the Colts may have had a far less splashy contingency plan in Saints corner Alontae Taylor. The Colts had interest in Taylor, per Fowler, who’s of the belief the 26-year-old could have wound up in Indianapolis had it failed to reel in Gardner.
Taylor drew interest from multiple clubs leading up to the deadline, but New Orleans didn’t find an offer to its liking. One team in the market for help at corner told Fowler the Saints wanted an early Day 3 pick for Taylor, a pending free agent.
A report last week indicated the Saints were seeking a Day 2 pick for Taylor. They may have dropped their price in hopes of finding a taker. Regardless, no one bit, leaving Taylor to finish 2025 with the Saints before a potential trip to the open market.
With Gardner now in the fold, the plan is for him and Charvarius Ward to eventually comprise the Colts’ long-term one-two punch at corner. Ward has been on IR with a concussion since Oct. 18, though, and will miss this Sunday’s game in Berlin against the Falcons.
Gardner is also dealing with a concussion, which kept him out of the Jets’ win over the Bengals in Week 8, but he’ll practice on Wednesday (via Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com). Head coach Shane Steichen said “the plan” is for Gardner to make his Colts debut this week if he clears concussion protocol. With the Jets on a bye last week, Gardner hasn’t suited up since Oct. 19.
CB Asante Samuel Jr. Cleared To Play, Lining Up Visits
Despite starting for the Chargers during the first four years of his career, free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has gone without a deal since last season ended. Injury concerns have played a major role in that. After playing just four games in 2024, Samuel underwent spinal fusion surgery last April. The 26-year-old was finally cleared for football activities earlier this week, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Now ready to resume his career, Samuel is drawing interest from teams and could serve as a second-half reinforcement for the club that signs him. He has already lined up visits with the Panthers, Packers, and Vikings, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz (Matt Schneidman of The Athletic first reported Green Bay’s interest).
Carolina is hosting Samuel on Wednesday, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer relays. The Panthers weren’t expected to contend for a playoff spot this year, but they’re in the mix at 5-4 after upsetting the Packers in Lambeau Field last week.
After Jaycee Horn, their No. 1 cornerback, Mike Jackson and slot corner Chau Smith-Wade have gotten most of the playing time at the position. With a middle-of-the-pack pass defense that ranks 15th in the NFL, the Panthers may regard Samuel as a worthwhile addition.
The Packers have allowed just 197 passing yards per game, good for ninth in the league, but their interest in Samuel comes as corner Nate Hobbs is dealing with a Grade 1 MCL sprain. Hobbs, who left the Packers’ loss to the Panthers with the injury, is expected to miss at least two games, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.
With Hobbs temporarily unavailable, the Packers are down to Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, and Kamal Hadden at corner. Melton, a converted receiver, and Hadden bring minimal defensive experience to the table. With that in mind, the Packers’ interest in Samuel makes sense.
The 4-4 Vikings, trying to catch the NFC North-leading Packers (5-2-1), rank one spot ahead of Green Bay against the pass. Minnesota has 2024 Pro Bowler Byron Murphy and offseason free agent signing Isaiah Rodgers on hand as starting corners. Murphy and Rodgers have each logged a defensive snap share upward of 91% this year, but depth concerns may lead to a Samuel signing. Jeff Okudah, the third overall pick of the Lions in 2020, has struggled when healthy and is now battling his second concussion of the season. Meanwhile, Fabian Moreau and Dwight McGlothern have combined for just 57 defensive snaps in 2025.
Considering Samuel is a former second-round pick who intercepted two passes in each of his first three seasons, even more suitors could emerge now that he’s healthy. With the trade deadline having passed, Samuel may be the best hope for a team to acquire an impact player over the final couple months of the season.
Cowboys Notes: Wilson, Overshown, Revel
After the Bengals reduced his playing time, linebacker Logan Wilson requested a trade out of Cincinnati in late October. The Bengals granted his wish a few hours before the deadline on Tuesday, sending him to the Cowboys for a 2026 seventh-round pick. The Bengals received other offers for Wilson, but they liked the Cowboys’ the best, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports.
Considering the meager return the Bengals accepted for Wilson, it’s fair to say other teams weren’t beating down the door for the 29-year-old. The Colts, Bills, and 49ers were mentioned as speculative fits for Wilson a couple of weeks ago, though it’s unclear if any of those teams joined the Cowboys in making an offer.
A third-round pick from Wyoming in 2020, Wilson became a full-time starter in his second season. In the midst of a stretch in which he piled up 100-plus tackles four seasons in a row, Wilson signed a four-year, $37.25MM extension in August 2023.
The Cowboys didn’t request any adjustments to Wilson’s deal, which runs through 2027, and they were willing to take on his remaining $2.68MM base salary for this year. That may have helped tip the scales in their favor.
Wilson started in seven of eight appearances with the Bengals this year and totaled 40 tackles, but rookies Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight have taken over as their primary linebackers. The Bengals’ defense checks in at last in the NFL, while the Cowboys own the league’s second-worst unit.
The 3-5-1 Cowboys will hope the acquisitions of Wilson and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, picked up in a pre-deadline blockbuster with the Jets, help turn the tide. Dallas also has a couple of in-house reinforcements set to make their 2025 debuts. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday that the team plans to play linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Shavon Revel after it comes off its bye this week (via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).
Overshown, who missed his rookie year in 2023 with a torn ACL, returned last season to post 90 tackles, five sacks, four passes defensed, and an interception in 13 games. However, Overshown suffered yet another serious knee injury – a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL – in Week 14. Overshown opened the 2025 campaign on IR and returned to practice on Oct. 20. The Cowboys also designated Revel to return that day. The third-round rookie from East Carolina tore his ACL last year, forcing him to begin his NFL career on the non-football injury list.
Along with Overshown and Revel, the Cowboys hope to welcome back injured starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson in Week 11, according to Schottenheimer (via Tommy Yarrish of the team’s website). Hooker landed on IR with a toe injury after Week 4. Wilson, who leads the Cowboys with two interceptions, missed their previous two games with an elbow injury.
Colts Considered EDGE Rushers Before Sauce Gardner Trade
In acquiring cornerback Sauce Gardner from the Jets, the AFC South-leading Colts made the most stunning splash of deadline day on Tuesday. It was also the costliest move of the day, as Colts general manager Chris Ballard boldly surrendered two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to land the two-time first-team All-Pro.
At 7-2, Indianapolis is tied for the NFL’s best record, but the team went into the deadline with another obvious need at edge rusher. The Colts didn’t end up addressing that area, however, and Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star writes that a lack of available impact edge players made it easier for the team to put all of its chips in on Gardner.
The Colts reportedly had pre-deadline interest in the Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson, one of the game’s preeminent pass rushers, but he stayed put. The highest-upside rusher to move before the deadline was Jaelan Phillips, who went from the Dolphins to the Eagles for a third-round pick. While Phillips may have helped the Colts’ defense, he likely wouldn’t have transformed the unit the way Gardner could, Erickson observes.
Indianapolis, which ranks sixth in the league in sacks, will go forward with a pass rush led by rising second-year man Laiatu Latu, DeForest Buckner, and Kwity Paye. The hope is the addition of Gardner will take pressure off the entire defense, and the eventual return of another starting cornerback in Charvarius Ward should further help the Colts’ cause. If things go according to plan and those two limit space for receivers at the line of scrimmage, it should lead to fewer quick throws and more success for the Colts’ pass rushers.
Pro Football Focus ranked Ward as the league’s second-best corner before he went on IR with a concussion on Oct. 18. Players on IR are required to miss a minimum of four games. Ward has sat out three, meaning he won’t face the Falcons in Berlin this Sunday. With the Colts on a bye after that, Ward could return to team up with Gardner against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 12.
Frankie Luvu’s One-Game Suspension Dropped Upon Appeal
NOVEMBER 4: NFL senior vice president of football & international communications Michael Signora announced tonight that Luvu’s one-game suspension has been reduced to a $100K fine. Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks was appointed by the NFL and NFL Players Association to be the hearing officer for the appeal, and his decision means that Luvu will be available to play this weekend. The overturning of the punishment initially levied further shrouds the league’s interpretations of the controversial hip drop tackle penalty.
NOVEMBER 3: The NFL has suspended Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu one game without pay “for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks,” Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Luvu will appeal the suspension.
For now, Luvu is slated to sit out the Commanders’ game against the Lions in Week 10 as a result of multiple hip-drop tackles this season. The NFL already fined the 29-year-old earlier in 2025 for violations in Weeks 4 and 8. His latest came during the Commanders’ loss to the Seahawks on Sunday night. The league will dock Luvu his $508,333 game check if his appeal fails.
When NFL teams voted unanimously to outlaw hip-drop tackles in March 2024, the league stated: “A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle.”
After analyzing over 20,000 tackles, the league concluded that “this specific technique causes lower extremity injuries at a rate 20 times higher than other tackles, resulting in an unacceptable risk to player health and safety.” A season and half has gone by since then, but it’s believed that Luvu’s suspension is the first for hip-drop violations, Pelissero notes.
A former Jet and Panther, Luvu joined the Commanders on a three-year deal worth up to $36MM before the 2024 season. He started in all 17 of the team’s regular-season games last year and posted 99 tackles, a career-high eight sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. The 29-year-old has again played in all of the Commanders’ games this season, logging 50 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble along the way. Barring a successful appeal, though, his run of perfect attendance with Washington is over.
Latest On Giants’ Trade Deadline
The Giants had a quiet trade deadline, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. General manager Joe Schoen “feverishly worked the phones from all angles in recent weeks,” Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post writes. Schoen called about some “big players,” Jordan Raanan of ESPN adds, but wasn’t in position to surrender significant draft capital.
At 2-7 and all but eliminated from playoff contention, the Giants were only going to add if it meant acquiring a player (or players) under control beyond this season, per Dunleavy. Having lost No. 1 wide receiver Malik Nabers to a season-ending ACL tear in Week 4, the Giants were reportedly “big-game hunting” at the position in mid-October. However, that was before the Giants dropped three straight games and drifted out of the postseason race.
It’s unclear if the Giants were in on any receivers on Tuesday, but Jakobi Meyers and Rashid Shaheed were the only proven wideouts who ended up on the move. As pending free agents, neither player was a fit for the Giants. The Dolphins listened to offers for Jaylen Waddle, who’s under control through 2028, but nobody would meet their asking price of a first-round pick and more.
With the deadline having come and gone with no receiver addition, the Giants will head into the offseason with Nabers and Darius Slayton as their top options for 2026. Otherwise, New York doesn’t have any reliable wideouts under contract for next year.
As the Giants’ leading receiver this year, soon-to-be free agent Wan’Dale Robinson has formed a rapport with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Robinson would like to remain a Giant, but if the team doesn’t re-sign him, it could find a replacement via the draft, trade, or free agency. That’ll be up to the GM to decide, whether it’s Schoen or someone else.
Jets Acquire CB Ja’Sir Taylor From Chargers
The Jets pulled off the two biggest trades of deadline day in the NFL on Tuesday, sending cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys. They also made a small addition before the deadline, acquiring cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor from the Chargers for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2028. Both teams have announced the move.
Now 26 years old, Taylor joined the Chargers as a sixth-round pick from Wake Forest in 2022. Taylor has since appeared in 57 regular-season games, including all nine of the Bolts’ contests this year, and picked up 11 starts and an interception.
Before the trade, Taylor spent 2025 working almost exclusively on special teams. He amassed 175 snaps on the Chargers’ ST unit and just 16 on defense.
Taylor is now heading back to his native New Jersey to join a Jets team that lost its best corner on Tuesday. Gardner’s departure came less than a week after the Jets traded fellow CB Michael Carter II to the Eagles. With Gardner and Carter gone, Taylor may have a shot at playing time in what’s now a shorthanded New York secondary.