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.
Dolphins Took Calls On Jaylen Waddle; Broncos Showed Interest
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle came up as a trade candidate in advance of Tuesday’s deadline. Ultimately, no deal came together for the 26-year-old, who will finish the season in Miami.
The Dolphins took calls on Waddle, but their asking price of a first-round pick and more was too high for other clubs, according to Connor Hughes of SNY.
With the Broncos in the market for a receiver, they were among a few teams to reach out to the Dolphins regarding Waddle’s availability, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. In the end, though, the AFC West leaders didn’t add Waddle or any other wideout on Tuesday. Head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos weren’t close to a trade, adding they’re content with their roster (via Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette).
Depending on how the rest of the campaign unfolds, it’s possible the Broncos (and other teams) will circle back to Waddle during the offseason. By then, the Dolphins will have a new general manager who could be amenable to moving Waddle. Even if the Dolphins promote interim GM Champ Kelly, who took over for the ousted Chris Grier last week, a deal may not be out of the question. Unlike Grier, Kelly was at least willing to listen to offers for Waddle.
If Waddle does stay with the Dolphins in 2026, which will be his sixth season, the former Alabama standout is likely to function as their No. 1 wideout again. Tyreek Hill was Miami’s leading receiver in each of the previous three years, but after suffering a season-ending knee injury in late September, he may have played his last game with the team. The Dolphins are expected to release Hill before the new league year begins in March.
Despite subpar quarterback play this season from Tua Tagovailoa, who may be playing for his job, Waddle is on pace for his fourth 1,000-yard showing. Nine games into 2025, Waddle has racked up 41 catches, 586 yards, and four touchdowns. With Waddle continuing to excel and under team control through 2028, Miami isn’t in any hurry to part with him.
Bills Eyeing Deebo Samuel, Von Miller?
Wide receiver and defensive line are among areas the Bills could address before the trade deadline. With 3 p.m. CT fast approaching, Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel and pass rusher Von Miller are names to watch for Buffalo, according to Tim Graham of The Athletic.
The Commanders were expected to remain NFC contenders this year after advancing to the conference title game last season. With an eye on bettering their chances in 2025, they swung an offseason deal with the 49ers for Samuel. Through his first eight games with the Commanders, Samuel leads the team in receptions (42) and yards (367, on just 8.7 per catch), and he has added four touchdowns.
Several months after trading for Samuel, the Commanders signed Miller to a one-year, $6.1MM contract over the summer. That came after the longtime Bronco spent three seasons as a member of the Bills, with whom he could reunite. Miller has only played 35% of defensive snaps for the Commanders, but the 36-year-old has collected four sacks in nine games.
Even though Samuel and Miller have been productive, the 3-6 Commanders may be ready to wave the white flag during an injury-plagued season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered what could be a season-ending elbow injury in a loss to the Seahawks in Week 9. With little room for error left and Daniels out for the foreseeable future, it could lead to exits for Samuel and/or Miller.
The Bills rank toward the bottom of the NFL in spending space, though they did create $1.75MM in breathing room when they restructured cornerback Taron Johnson‘s contract on Monday. That could help them fit either Samuel or Miller under the cap. Samuel, like Miller, is due to become a free agent after the season. The 29-year-old is earning a $1.57MM base salary with a $5.16MM cap hit.
If he ends up with the Bills, Samuel will immediately become the most established member of their receiving corps. Slot target Khalil Shakir has been effective again in 2025. However, second-year man Keon Coleman has underwhelmed, Josh Palmer has been out since mid-October with a knee/ankle injury, and no other Bills wideout has caught double-digit passes.
The Bills released Miller last March to open up cap space and then quickly replaced him with another decorated pass rusher in Joey Bosa. That decision has worked out well for the Bills, who are off to a 6-2 start and have received strong work from Bosa.
While Injuries have been a problem throughout Bosa’s career, he has stayed healthy this season. The rest of the Bills’ D-line hasn’t been as lucky, though. Starting tackle Ed Oliver suffered a torn biceps in Week 8 and won’t return until the postseason (if at all). End Michael Hoecht went down with a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 9.
With Oliver and Hoecht unavailable for the second half, it could point the Bills back to Miller. In returning to Buffalo, he’d join a group of outside pass rushers that currently includes Bosa, Greg Rousseau, and A.J. Epenesa.
Jets RB Breece Hall Wants Trade
After already swinging two jaw-dropping trades on Tuesday, the Jets are attempting to make yet another move leading up to the 3 p.m. CT deadline, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. The Jets previously said goodbye to two defensive cornerstones, cornerback Sauce Gardner and lineman Quinnen Williams, in blockbusters with the Colts and Cowboys.
With Gardner and Williams gone, running back Breece Hall wants a trade, per Schultz . Despite Hall’s wishes, expectations are that the Jets will retain him, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
While Hall is due to reach free agency in the offseason, making him a pure rental for an acquiring club, the Jets are requesting a third-round pick in return, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Although contenders like the Chiefs, Chargers, and Patriots have come up as speculative fits for the 24-year-old, no one has met the Jets’ asking price. However, there are offers on the table for Hall, Connor Hughes of SNY relays.
If a Hall trade doesn’t come together, it’s possible the Jets will make an attempt to re-sign the fourth-year man and former second-rounder between now and the offseason. Hall has won over rookie head coach Aaron Glenn, who said in mid-October there were no plans to trade him (there probably weren’t plans to trade Gardner or Williams then either). One of the few bright spots on a 1-7 team, Hall has rushed for 581 yards and two touchdowns on 5.0 YPC this season.
With the Jets seemingly unafraid to part with anyone, Hall will continue to be a name to watch going up to the deadline. The same goes for EDGE rusher Jermaine Johnson, who’s reportedly generating second-round offers.
Jalen Ramsey Sticking At Safety In Week 10
Jalen Ramsey has starred at cornerback since entering the NFL as the fifth overall pick of the Jaguars in 2016. Nine years later, a position change may be in store for the seven-time Pro Bowler.
After Ramsey lined up at free safety in a 27-20 win over the Colts last Sunday, he’ll work “exclusively” at the position as the Steelers prepare to face the Chargers on Sunday, according to head coach Mike Tomlin (via Brooke Pryor of ESPN). The Steelers have updated their depth chart, placing Ramsey as the starting free safety, Kyle Dugger as the No. 1 strong safety, and Brandin Echols as their top slot cornerback, per team correspondent Mark Kaboly.
When discussing Ramsey this week (via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Tomlin said that his ability to handle multiple positions “will provide opportunities for Brandin Echols to step up, which he did, and play more nickel. It will give guys like James Pierre more reps outside. We have more depth at corner than we do safety right now. We’re simply pivoting and doing what’s required to keep the train rolling.”
As Tomlin alluded to, the Steelers were severely shorthanded at safety against the Colts’ top-ranked offense, necessitating Ramsey’s switch from corner. DeShon Elliott, Jabrill Peppers, Chuck Clark, and Miles Killebrew were all out with injuries and/or illnesses. Meanwhile, Dugger played his first game as a Steeler after they acquired him from the Patriots last Tuesday. Ramsey (78) and Dugger (77) ended up among Pittsburgh’s leaders in defensive snaps during a six-turnover, five-sack performance.
Just months after trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami in a June blockbuster that delivered Ramsey (and Jonnu Smith) to Pittsburgh, the Steelers are now relying on Ramsey to help strengthen the position. As Pro Football Focus’ 32nd-ranked corner out of 107 qualifiers, Ramsey has been a bright spot on a struggling Steelers defense this year. While the team is 5-3 and atop the AFC North, its pass defense ranks last in the NFL.
Unless the Steelers move Ramsey back to corner, he’s in line to join Peppers, Clark, Dugger, and Juan Thornhill as their choices at safety for the rest of the season. Elliott and Killebrew (primarily a special teamer) are on IR with knee injuries and questionable to return in 2025. Ramsey said back in 2021 that he’d one day like to emulate Charles Woodson, a Hall of Famer who made a successful transition from corner to safety late in his career. Four years later, Ramsey may be getting his wish.