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Author: Ely Allen

Edge Rusher Za’Darius Smith Top Name On Market

By | at August 27, 2025 8:31 pm

Now that all 32 NFL teams have thinned out their active roster to 53 players, placed players on injured lists, and started to settle their practice squads, teams have a much better idea of the strengths and holes on their rosters. Teams who weren’t sure if they needed to (or could afford to) go after a veteran free agent can now address such decisions.

One such free agent who may be at the top of the list is pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Smith has multiple teams checking in on him to contend for his signature. A free agent since his release from the Lions in March, Smith has reportedly been training as he waits for the right situation to come along.

At 32 years old, Smith has remained a high-quality defender throughout his 10 years of play. Stuck behind Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, and Matt Judon throughout his time in Baltimore, Smith didn’t have a chance to breakout until the final year of his rookie deal, when he led the team with 8.5 sacks.

That performance helped him land a four-year, $66MM contract in Green Bay, where he racked up 26.0 sacks in his first two years as a Packer. A back injury in 2021 kept Smith out for almost the entire season as he appeared in only 18 snaps of the season opener and 19 snaps of a Divisional Round playoff exit that year. The Packers released him for cap reasons, and Smith quickly moved on with a three-year, $42MM deal with the Vikings.

A year after Smith put up a 10.0-sack performance in Minnesota, the Browns sent two fifth-round picks to the Vikings in exchange for Smith, a sixth-, and a seventh-round pick. He finished with 5.5 sacks in 2023 for Cleveland, and after a litany of injuries to the Lions defense led Detroit to send the Browns a fifth- and sixth-round pick in exchange for Smith and a seventh-rounder, Smith ended his 2024 campaign with nine sacks — five in Cleveland and four in Detroit.

Now looking to enter his 11th season of NFL play, Smith is a top target for teams needing to improve their pass rush. Many believe the Lions are a likely team to land Smith’s signature, considering last year’s injury troubles and Smith’s eagerness to return. Detroit has kept in contact with the veteran, but with star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson coming back from injury, they feel fairly good about their situation.

There’s still a chance that he lands back in Detroit, but as Fowler points out, several teams are likely to reach out. The three-time Pro Bowler seems to be enjoying the luxury of choice, at the moment, but once the right deal comes around, a top free agent option should find his way to a roster before the start of the year.

11 comments Detroit Lions

Free Agent S John Johnson Suspended

By | at August 27, 2025 7:34 pm

Rashee Rice isn’t the only one receiving suspension news today. Though he’s not currently signed to an NFL roster, former Rams safety John Johnson was levied a three-week suspension to start the 2025 NFL season, according to Tom Pelissero.

A former third-round pick out of Boston College, Johnson began his career with the Rams in 2017. Over the course of his rookie contract, Johnson started 48 of 54 game appearances, intercepting eight passes, including four as a full-time starter in his sophomore campaign. He earned a three-year, $33.75MM contract in Cleveland as a free agent but was released from the team after two years for cap reasons.

He landed back with the team that drafted him in 2023, coming off the bench for most of the year before starting the final seven games of the season. On a second one-year contract with Los Angeles last year, Johnson appeared in only two games before suffering a hairline fracture to his scapula and missing the remainder of the year.

The report from Pelissero is a succinct one and doesn’t give any context for the suspension. Considering the fact that he’s not currently on a team, there aren’t many sources who could know the reason for the punishment. Regardless, if Johnson lands with a team before the start of the season, he won’t be able to play for the first three contests to open the year.

0 comments Los Angeles Rams Transactions

Dolphins Bring Back Kendall Lamm; Austin Jackson Returns To Practice

By | at August 27, 2025 7:06 pm

The Dolphins will see a familiar face return to the roster as they are signing offensive lineman Kendall Lamm, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The move comes a day after Lamm was released by the Eagles in final roster cuts.

A 10-year veteran of the NFL, Lamm has paved his way to a lengthy career with a reputation as a reliable swing tackle. Though, the 33-year-old has started games in every season of his career, only once has he started double-digit games in a season. Lamm has spent his career coming in as an extra blocker and filling in on the line when there are injuries. He’s played in 119 games in his career, starting 44.

Following a year in which Lamm started seven games for Miami, the Eagles opted to bring Lamm to Philadelphia in an attempt to replace their departing swing tackle, Fred Johnson. All-in-all the team considered four other players alongside Lamm to replace Johnson. In the end, Philly sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to Jacksonville in exchange for Johnson, and Lamm got cut, as a result.

Like Johnson, though, Lamm returns to a familiar situation, but he may just be coming in as insurance. When healthy, the Dolphins will be starting Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson as the bookend tackles of the offensive line. Jackson, though, is coming of season-ending knee surgery from November.

The team has long maintained that Jackson would be good to go for the start of the season, but the sixth-year tackle didn’t return to practice until today, per C. Isaiah Smalls II of the Miami Herald. He had been expected to return much earlier than this, but Jackson experienced a setback in his recovery when got “stepped on.” According to Barry Jackson, also of the Herald, the 26-year-old told reporters that he will “no doubt” be ready for Week 1.

Jackson is clearly eager to return to the field, but the team might be a bit more cautious with his return. Either way, with Lamm back in the fold, the Dolphins will have a strong replacement option should Jackson not be able to play.

0 comments Miami Dolphins Transactions

Raiders Place QB Aidan O’Connell On IR

By | at August 27, 2025 6:27 pm

The Raiders have announced the placement of injured quarterback Aidan O’Connell on injured reserve today. The transaction comes a day after many thought it would.

Each NFL team is allotted two players that it can place on injured reserve before the roster cut deadline with a designation to return, allowing them to be activated to the 53-man roster four weeks after the start of the regular season. Any other players placed on IR before the deadline will remain on IR for the entire year.

When news came out two days before the deadline that O’Connell was expected to miss six to eight weeks with a fractured wrist, it was expected that he would be one of the two for Las Vegas. It came as a bit of a shock when the team only placed one player — safety Lonnie Johnson — on IR with a designation to return, keeping an injured O’Connell on the 53-man roster and giving the team one less spot with which they could have held on to a borderline player.

Instead, it appears they wanted to reserve a spot on the 53-man roster for a player outside the building. None of the players they waived appear to have been claimed elsewhere, so all are available if the team wanted to bring them back. The team chose, instead, to claim linebacker Brennan Jackson, who was waived yesterday by the Rams; the team also did an add-drop of two linemen. Still, the Raiders knew O’Connell was headed to IR, so when they claimed a new player, it was an easy transaction to bring them on and move O’Connell off.

2 comments Las Vegas Raiders Transactions

Texans Announce Final Roster Moves To Get To 53

By | at August 26, 2025 11:06 pm

The Texans cut some big names on their way down to an initial 53-man roster. Here’s a look at all the moves they made:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/NFI:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on commissioner exempt/reserve/PUP:

The Texans took some flyers on some discarded veterans this offseason and, ultimately, decided to throw a lot of them right back in the pond. We’ve already gone into detail on Brown, Maulet, and Niemann, but it’s a bit shocking to the trade return for John Metchie get released after a little over a week. Houston even attached a fifth-round pick to Metchie to make the deal happen and received Bryant and a sixth-rounder in exchange. Now, all they have from that deal is a sixth-round pick.

Mills, like Brown, saw his 2024 season ruined by injuries, something not uncommon in Mills’ career. The Texans took a good look at him this offseason, but even with Ward’s ongoing issues, Mills will not debut for his fourth NFL team. Meanwhile, Cephus and Arnette continue to struggle on their way back to playing in an NFL game, while on the injury front, Smith joins fellow tight end Brevin Jordan on season-ending injured reserve.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 identifies both the rookie tight end Lachey (seventh round) and the undrafted rookie linebacker Ossai as players that the team will make a priority to bring back on the practice squad.

0 comments Houston Texans Transactions

NFL Minor Transactions: 8/26/25

By | at August 26, 2025 10:36 pm

Amongst a busy day of roster moves, here are some minor transactions outside of final roster cuts:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Green Bay Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Arizona, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay all made decisions to pull players off the active/physically unable to perform list in order to avoid them missing the first four games of the season. They may not be quite ready to start in Week 1, but their teams at least have confidence that they won’t be out for a month.

Franklin wasn’t a free agent for long. The former Panthers safety just finished out camp in Denver and was told that he didn’t make the Broncos’ initial 53-man roster. Hours later, he apparently came to an agreement with Buffalo and will head there to start his 2025 campaign.

Orzech has been the Packers long snapper for the past two years after similarly short stints with the Rams and Jaguars. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Green Bay gave him his first long-term deal. The 30-year-old will be under a three-year, $4.8MM deal that will make him the third highest-paid long snapper in the league.

0 comments Arizona Cardinals Buffalo Bills Green Bay Packers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Transactions

Jaguars Work Roster Down To 53

By | at August 26, 2025 10:16 pm

Here are the transactions that set the initial 53-man roster for the Jaguars’ new rookie head coach/general manager duo in 2025:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on IR:

The placement of Ransaw on injured reserve is definitely a shock. The third-round rookie out of Tulane switched from cornerback to safety in Jacksonville and was in a crowded group of defenders vying for a roster spot. Even though Ransaw was working through a lower-body injury throughout training camp, he was still expected to make the 53-man roster. Instead, his rookie season is over before it got a chance to begin. His placement on IR also didn’t end up helping Thomas or Silmon-Craig, who were both in that group pushing for the active roster.

Sixth-round pick McLeod also found his way to an injured list, but unlike Ransaw, McLeod will be able to return at some point into the season, after missing at least four games. He’s also dealing with a nondescript lower-body injury.

This cut day was a rough one for the 2024 NFL Draft class in Jacksonville. Cole, Foster, Jefferson, and Prince were all taken in last year’s class and have been waived before their sophomore campaigns. Muma and Lacy are other recent draft picks that new general manager James Gladstone didn’t keep around.

1 comment Jacksonville Jaguars Transactions

Dolphins Set 53-Man Roster, Begin Search For Kicker

By | at August 26, 2025 9:39 pm

The Dolphins got their roster down to 53 players this afternoon and, in the process, officially placed kicker Jason Sanders on IR. Here are the rest of the team’s moves:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Waived (with injury settlement):

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP:

In four seasons with the team, Eichenberg has started at every position on the offensive line. The Dolphins will miss his versatility while he’s out, but head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed recently that Eichenberg’s injury is not a season-ending one.

Sanders’ hip injury landed him on injured reserve, meaning Miami will be without him for at least the first month of the season. To deal with his absence, the Dolphins hosted four veteran kickers — Zane Gonzalez, Greg Joseph, Riley Patterson, and Eddy Pineiro — for tryouts today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Besides that, there weren’t many surprises in the cuts today. Tindall had been a core special teamer for each of his first three years in Miami but may have to find his way to the field through the practice squad. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Murphy had a really strong summer with the team and should be back on the practice squad, as long as he clears waivers.

0 comments Miami Dolphins Transactions

Cardinals Trim Roster To 53

By | at August 26, 2025 9:01 pm

The Cardinals announced the following roster moves to get down to their initial 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated to return):

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

First-round defensive tackle Nolen will miss at least the first four weeks of his rookie year. The Ole Miss product is dealing with a calf injury that forced him to miss most of training camp. Another d-lineman, Barrs will hit waivers but stands a good chance at landing on the practice squad if he clears.

The Cards made some surprise decisions in the running backs rooms, disposing of veterans like Carter and Dallas in favor of Zonovan Knight, who hasn’t appeared in a game since 2023. One of the veterans could end up back on the practice squad, as could wide receiver/special teamer Fehoko.

Russell suffered a concussion in training and will now miss the entire 2025 season on injured reserve. Jones and Conner, though, will be eligible to return after, at least, a four-week absence. The two linemen are dealing with knee injuries but may be able to bolster the line later in the year.

Brewer getting cut means the team does not have a long snapper on the roster. Likely, the team has a handshake deal with Brewer that will allow them to place some players on injured lists, opening a spot for him and others to return.
1 comment Arizona Cardinals Transactions

Titans RB Tyjae Spears Lands On IR As Team Gets To 53

By | at August 26, 2025 8:14 pm

Year 2 under Brian Callahan and Year 1 under Mike Borgonzi can now get underway as the Titans made the following transactions to get their initial roster down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

As expected, the team’s RB2 will open the year on injured reserve. Spears suffered a high ankle sprain two weeks ago, and the injury will now keep him from playing in the first four weeks of the season.

The absence hurts a run offense that would’ve featured Tony Pollard with a good dose of Spears, as well. Rookie quarterbacks often benefit from strong rushing attacks, so Pollard will have a bit more pressure on his shoulders to help the offense succeed. There was some thought that the team may hold on to an extra running back if Spears went on IR, but both Jefferson and Mims head to waivers with hopes of coming back to the practice squad.

With Siemian getting cut, Brandon Allen, once again, is the last man standing as the primary backup to Cam Ward. With only two passers making it on the active roster, Siemien stands a strong chance at landing on the p-squad, per beat writer Paul Kuharsky.

Siemien joins six other vested veterans in becoming free agents. Jaimes, Oruwariye, Proche, and Watkins all signed veteran minimum deals in an effort to make the team but will now head back to free agency. Proche, in particular, was a close cut to make the team. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Tennessee could try to bring him back on the practice squad, but he’s just as likely to get a contract offer to play elsewhere.

Lastly, Ward’s favorite target last year in Coral Gables, Restrepo, didn’t join him on the initial 53-man roster. Like those mentioned above, Restrepo is another candidate to be retained on the practice squad, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

2 comments Tennessee Titans Transactions
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