TE Cade Otton Would Stay In Tampa Long-Term If Offered
Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton is set to play out the 2025 NFL season on a contract year. Tampa Bay’s top tight end for the past three years, Otton expressed hope for an extension in a recent media appearance (via FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz and Greg Auman), though he seemed to indicate that the feeling may not be mutual. 
As a rookie fourth-round pick out of Washington in 2022, Otton immediately surpassed long-time backup Cameron Brate for the top tight end honors in the wake of Rob Gronkowski‘s second retirement. With Gronk out of the offense, quarterback Tom Brady didn’t look often to his tight end group to move the ball, so it didn’t take much, but Otton’s 42 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns were all team highs at the position.
He and fellow rookie Ko Kieft — picked two rounds after Otton — were the only two returning tight ends in 2023. Kieft played much more of a blocking tight end role, earning more starts than Otton in 2022 but recording far fewer yards. Kieft was joined in that role by a sixth-round 2023 draftee, Payne Durham. With Kieft and Durham in blocking situations most of the time, Otton once again quietly led the group with 47 receptions, 455 yards, and four touchdowns.
For the third year in a row, the Buccaneers spent another Day 3 pick on a tight end in 2024, using a seventh-rounder to bring in Otton’s former Huskies teammate Devin Culp. Once again, Kieft, Durham, and Culp remained mostly nonfactors in the passing game, leaving Otton to post a career-best receiving line of 59-600-4, despite missing three games.
The reason Tampa Bay hasn’t come forward to discuss an extension yet may be the same reason they’ve been taken flyers on late-round tight ends each year. Sure, they’ve been appreciative of Otton’s contributions as the leading tight end, but every year there’s been an expectation that he might take off. Yet, despite the lack of a serious competitor, instead of taking leaps, Otton has merely continued taking steps forward. He’s improved each year but not to the level of a clearcut TE1.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that this is Otton’s last year in pewter and red (and, occasionally, Creamsicle). While he has his sights set on his future, Otton has 17 games ahead of him in which he can give Tampa Bay every reason why they should extend him as their tight end of the future. Otherwise, the Buccaneers may just go back to the draft for the position in 2026.
NFL Front Office Updates: Falcons, Broncos, Chargers
The Falcons announced a number of changes to their front office earlier this month. The team’s scouting department saw three promotions, made two new hires, and named a group of short-term workers.
For the promotions, BLESTO scout James McClintock was elevated to area scout and scouting assistants Cami Pasqualoni and Kevin Weisman moved up to new roles, as well. McClintock is in Year 4 with the team after starting as a scouting assistant and getting promoted to his most recent position after only a year. Pasqualoni, the daughter of former Lions defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni, and Weisman joined the team a year ago. Pasqualoni will now serve as personnel and coaching assistant, while Weisman will now hold the title of football administration and personnel assistant.
Taking McClintock’s role as BLESTO scout will be new hire Alex Brown. Brown was announced as a new area scout for the team back in July, but it appears he will swap that title with McClintock’s. The other new hire is Kevin Melore, who will fill one of the scouting assistant roles vacated by Pasqualoni and Weisman. Melore spent last year as a senior personnel assistant at the University of Texas.
Atlanta also announced three Bill Walsh Diversity Fellows. Former NFL safety Erik Harris — played for the Falcons for two years — filled the role in the offseason, Jarred Gray filled the role in training camp, and Jalen Harris served in the role for both the offseason and training camp. After their fellowships, Harris will return to his usual role as special teams coordinator at Gulf Breeze HS (FL), Gray will return to Austin as the Longhorns defensive analyst/senior personnel analyst, and Harris will go back to work as the player development coordinator/assistant wide receivers coach at Georgia.
The other two temporary workers were Shaunessy Fisk and Jordan Young, who served as scouting training camp assistants. Fisk is a recruiting and scouting graduate assistant at Boise State who worked a player personnel internship with the Seahawks last year. Young, a former undrafted outside linebacker for the Buccaneers out of Old Dominion, returned to his alma mater as a defensive quality control coach in 2024.
Here are a couple other front office updates from around the NFL:
- The Broncos also announced a few promotions in their front office, per Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. The headlining moves saw Kelly Kleine Van Calligan and Tony Lazzaro elevated into VP roles. Formerly the executive director of football operations/special advisor to the general manager, Van Calligan becomes the vice president of football operations in her 14th year in the NFL and her fifth with the Broncos. Gabriel notes that Van Calligan, who interviewed for the Raiders’ general manager job in 2024, now stands as the second-highest ranking woman in an NFL front office, behind only Browns assistant general manager and vice president of football operations Catherine Hickman. Lazzaro, entering his 25th year with the team, receives a title bump after leading Denver’s football information systems and football analytics departments since 2020. Denver also saw western national scout Sae Woon Jo promoted to national scout and football administration & strategy coordinator Rob Simpson promoted to football administration & strategy manager.
- Finally, Walder reports that the Chargers have hired Ben Wendel to their analytics staff. A finalist in this year’s Big Data Bowl, Wendel’s title is unknown at this moment.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/25
As teams begin to whittle their rosters down to the eventual 53 players, here are a few transactions aside from mass cuts:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Jalen Virgil
Denver Broncos
- Waived (with injury settlement): CB Gregory Junior
Detroit Lions
- Released (with injury settlement): OL Keaton Sutherland
Houston Texans
- Released (with injury settlement): TE Dalton Keene
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Xavier Johnson
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: CB Ryan Cooper Jr.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DE Jereme Robinson
- Placed on IR: WR Johnny Wilson (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: CB Tre Avery
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Jaden Smith
An important note for cuts moving forward: different from the usual 24-hour waiver period, any players waived between now and the roster cut deadline will remain on the waiver wire, available to be claimed, until Wednesday.
49ers To Acquire WR Skyy Moore From Chiefs
A busy day of breaking trades continues as Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reports that the Chiefs are sending Skyy Moore to the 49ers along with a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. San Francisco has been vocally searching for some help at wide receiver, and Kansas City had enough bodies in the room to move on from a once-promising second-round pick. 
The 49ers receiving corps looked good on paper throughout the offseason with assumptions of good luck with health and availability, but in the weeks leading up to the regular season, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are still absent from practices. Aiyuk is not set to return from a torn ACL and MCL until around Week 6 of the 2025 season, while Jennings is working his way back from a calf injury and seeking a new contract at the same time.
In addition, fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins may not be ready for a Week 1 debut due to a high ankle sprain, and last year’s fourth-rounder, Jacob Cowing, reportedly suffered a hamstring injury today, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, after just returning to practice last week. This means that second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall and veteran Demarcus Robinson are the only healthy receivers in the room’s top six names, and there may have been consolation in that fact, if not for the fact that Robinson will open the season on a three-game suspension.
While quarterback Brock Purdy enjoys the privilege of throwing to phenomenal pass-catchers at other positions like Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, and George Kittle, his actual receivers group had dwindled down to Pearsall, Russell Gage, Junior Bergen, Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Malik Turner, and Robbie Chosen — an odd mix of aging veterans and young inexperience. Enter Moore.
The former Western Michigan star came to Kansas City at an extremely exciting time for wide receivers. Behind the arm of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs had played in two Super Bowls in three years — winning one — and were looking for more. The team was also moving on from star wideout Tyreek Hill, and Moore was among a sea of strong options to serve as Mahomes new favorite target, including free agent additions JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson and earlier draft picks Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney.
Understandably, Moore failed to make much of an impression among that group throughout the regular season, catching only 22 passes for 250 yards and no touchdowns, but he did catch his only target in the Super Bowl with a four-yard touchdown that gave Kansas City a seven-point lead with just over nine minutes left in an eventual win. Year 2 showed more promise, with Smith-Schuster and Hardman departing, but a new second-round rookie, Rashee Rice, stole all the thunder available by becoming the room’s new top receiver. Though fewer wideouts were ahead of him in the pecking order, Moore still only accumulated 21 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown, missing the final three games of the regular season and the entire postseason that resulted in a second straight Super Bowl victory.
Last year, Moore saw three targets (zero catches) in the first six weeks of the season before being placed on injured reserve with a core muscle injury and missing the remainder of the season. Without Moore, Mahomes and company still can rely on Rice, Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown, Smith-Schuster, and others.
In San Francisco, Moore will get a new chance to make a name for himself. At this point, the 49ers can’t afford to be choosers, and Moore is the offer they got from a beggars’ market. Moore will have just under a week to show the team flashes of his breakout redshirt sophomore season with the Broncos and prove that he’s worth keeping on the 53-man roster in 2025.
NFL Minor Transactions: 8/20/25
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: C Dohnovan West
- Waived: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Zy Alexander, RB Elijah Young, G Rush Reimer
- Reverted to IR: CB Te’Cory Couch, WR Kaden Prather
- Waived (with injury designation): RB Jarveon Howard
- Waived: K Caden Davis
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Royce Freeman
- Placed on IR: RB Deion Hankins
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DT Michael Dwumfour
- Waived: LB JB Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LS Blake Ferguson
- Reverted to IR: WR Xavier Johnson
- Released: TE Tre’ McKitty
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Darius Lassiter
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Joshua Cephus
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: T John Leglue, OL Mike McAllister
- Reverted to IR: WR Mario Williams
Miami Dolphins
- Activated off active/PUP: TE Darren Waller
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Chance Campbell
- Waived: WR Giles Jackson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to IR: T Gareth Warren
- Waived (with injury settlement): LB Devin Harper
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: G Michael Dunn, WR Malik Knowles
- Waived (with injury designation): RB Corey Kiner
- Released: DE Demone Harris
Washington Commanders
- Released (with injury designation): G Julian Good-Jones
- Released (with injury settlement): CB Kevon Seymour
Waller will now be able to officially return to the field today as he attempts to shake off a year’s worth of retirement. Head coach Mike McDaniel expects him back at practice “very soon,” potentially even this week, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
The Bears have landed the services of the veteran Freeman as they deal with absences from D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Kyle Monangai, and Travis Homer. Hankins had gotten the starting nod in the team’s last preseason game for that same reason, and he’ll now hand off that role to Freeman.
Ferguson, the Dolphins’ former long snapper of the past five years, finally gets a job after his release from Miami. The Texans were really liking what they were seeing out of undrafted rookie Austin Brinkman, but a minor, short-team injury will keep him from the team’s final preseason game, requiring at least a short stay from Ferguson.
Chargers Bring Back WR Keenan Allen
After only a year away from Los Angeles, veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen has indeed returned to the Chargers. After much speculation in the past few days, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news of Allen’s new one-year, $8.52MM deal. 
After finishing his lone season in Chicago, in which he had a modest yet still impressive 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns, Allen expressed interest in playing in only one of two cities in 2025: Chicago or Los Angeles. In the weeks leading up to free agency, though, the Bears seemed all but willing to let Allen walk in free agency. The Chargers, on the other hand, expressed some openness to a reunion with their long-time leading receiver.
Los Angeles had already reunited with Allen’s long-time teammate Mike Williams in March, and the idea of getting the band back together after only a one-year hiatus was looking like a decent possibility. Unfortunately for that possibility, Williams opted to announce his retirement just two and half weeks ago, perhaps opening the door for another veteran leader to take his slot on the roster.
Four days ago, the 33-year-old pass catcher visited the team that drafted him in the third round all those years ago out of Cal, and a day after head coach Jim Harbaugh finally expressed some interest in bringing Allen back to the locker room, the deal gets done.
Allen joins a young group of receivers in Los Angeles for the 2025 season. The Chargers’ top talent at the position is a second-year Ladd McConkey, a third-year Quentin Johnston, a rookie second-round Tre Harris, and a third-year Derius Davis. The TCU alums, Johnston and Davis, are familiar to Allen from his last season with the team, but the SEC pair are new faces in Allen’s return to the room.
With McConkey expected to be a mainstay in the slot after a phenomenal rookie season (82 catches, 1,149 yards, seven touchdowns), Allen can’t easily slip into that inside role, despite the tendency for players of his age to transition from an outside role. Johnston and Harris have plenty of size to work on the outsides, while Davis works as the primary return man.
Roles seem to be pretty clearly defined, so Allen could end up as the first man off the bench at any position or he may still be able to work effectively as an outside starter over either Johnston or Harris. Whatever role he plays, he shouldn’t have to work hard to reestablish the existing chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert. We’ll see how he fits in with the new group in the weeks to come, but in the end his most valuable asset may be the leadership jersey No. 13 provides to the room in Year 13.
Offseason In Review: Tennessee Titans
The 2024 NFL season became one to forget for the Titans, who matched a franchise low with 14 losses. Despite fielding a defense that allowed the second-fewest yards in the NFL last year, the Titans permitted the third-most points to opposing offenses. The 460 points allowed was the second-most for the franchise in a single season in its 65-year history. On offense, each of the last three years saw the Titans finish a season no better than 26th in yards or points as Tennessee moved past the Ryan Tannehill era.
Last year also started a Brian Callahan HC stint; the debut proved inauspicious. Weeks after the season wrapped, the Titans quickly paired their first-time head coach with a new GM in Mike Borgonzi. The offseason strategy appeared to center around a bit of roster (and front office) purging with an emphasis on building up an improved offensive line and arsenal of weapons for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who the Titans hope will become a franchise quarterback for years to come.
Trades:
- Traded LB Kenneth Murray, No. 239 to Cowboys for No. 188
At one point a first-round prospect of a caliber to make the Chargers trade second- and third-round picks to move back into the Round 1 to draft him, Murray has since fallen from grace. As a rookie in Los Angeles, Murray led the team with 107 tackles, but in Year 2, an ankle injury derailed his progress.
Murray returned to the starting lineup in 2022, but a below-average performance pushed the Chargers to decline his fifth-year option. After a contract year in which he recorded 107 tackles, again, and three sacks, Murray signed a two-year, $15.5MM deal with Tennessee and led the Titans in tackles (95) last season, adding a career-high 3.5 sacks.
The thing with Murray is, despite his leading a couple of defenses in tackles and being a full-time starter for most of his career, the defenses he’s led have ranked in the bottom third of the league. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) is especially critical of the 26-year-old. As the Titans’ leading tackler in 2024, Murray graded out as the NFL’s 82nd-best linebacker out of 84 players graded at the position.
Part of the aforementioned purge, Tennessee packaged Murray with a seventh-round pick in exchange for the sixth-round pick it would use to draft Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, saving $4.91MM of cap space in the process. The move followed the Titans making 2023 leading tackler Azeez Al-Shaair a one-and-done.
Free agency additions:
- Dan Moore Jr., T: Four years, $82MM ($50MM guaranteed)
- Cody Barton, LB: Three years, $21MM ($9MM guaranteed)
- Kevin Zeitler, G: One year, $9MM ($8.75MM guaranteed)
- Dre’Mont Jones, OLB: One year, $8.5MM ($7.99MM guaranteed)
- Tyler Lockett, WR: One year, $4MM ($3.49MM guaranteed)
- Xavier Woods, S: Two years, $8MM ($3.49MM guaranteed)
- Johnny Hekker, P: One year, $1.42MM ($1.2MM guaranteed)
- Van Jefferson, WR: One year, $1.67MM ($1.17MM guaranteed)
- Brandon Allen, QB: One year, $1.42MM ($1MM guaranteed)
- Blake Hance, G: One year, $1.32MM ($525K guaranteed)
- Jihad Ward, OLB: One year, $1.41MM ($500K guaranteed)
- Joey Slye, K: One year, $1.3MM ($25K guaranteed)
- Tim Boyle, QB: One year, $1.26MM
- Sam Mustipher, OL: One year, $1.26MM
- Brenden Jaimes, C: One year, $1.17MM
- Amani Oruwariye, CB: One year, $1.17MM
- James Proche, WR: One year, $1.17MM
- Oli Udoh, T: One year, $1.17MM
- Carlos Watkins, DE: One year, $1.17MM
There was a clear and concerted effort in free agency to improve on the offensive line. The center spot will be covered in the next section, but tackle JC Latham and left guard Peter Skoronski — the two top-performing linemen on a bad O-line last year — are the two sure returning full-time starters in 2025. 
The Titans made Moore the third-highest-paid player on the team to shore up the left tackle spot after he started all four years of his rookie contract at the position in Pittsburgh. This allows Latham to return the right tackle spot, where he played both of his years as a starter at Alabama. With Latham returning to his natural position and working to improve his weight, the Titans are strengthening both tackle spots with one signing by bringing in Moore, who is now the NFL’s 10th-highest-paid LT.
Moore drew middling PFF reviews throughout his career, though he ranked 11th in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric last year, but he benefited as a young tackle option (26) and from both Ronnie Stanley and Alaric Jackson being taken off the market days before free agency. The Patriots pursued Moore as well, but the Titans — as they did with Calvin Ridley last year — eclipsed New England in a high-stakes FA battle. Moore will be asked to stop a revolving door, one that opened with Taylor Lewan‘s injury trouble, for Tennessee at LT.
Zeitler’s perennial status as one of the game’s top guards grows more and more impressive each year. Tennessee will be hoping that 35 years old is not the age that will finally bring a Zeitler decline, as he slots in opposite Skoronski. Zeitler made 16 starts with the Lions last season, running his career total to 197. Among guards, that is tied for eighth all time. With 10 starts in 2025, Zeitler can move to third on that list.
Although only a one-time Pro Bowler, Zeitler has proven ultra-dependable. He has played at least 15 games in a season every year since 2014. The former Bengals first-rounder graded as PFF’s No. 3 overall guard during his Lions one-off, helping to create another nice market in free agency. Zeitler will earn a raise from his Detroit salary ($6MM) via this deal.
Barton comes in as the plug to fill the hole left by the Murray trade. The second-leading tackler on a stifling 2024 Broncos defense, Barton’s three seasons as a starter have produced 363 tackles, five interceptions, and 12 passes defensed. In a base 3-4 defense that, more often than not, subs out the second inside linebacker with a defensive back, Barton figures to be the mainstay linebacker for Tennessee in 2025.
Barton will be looking to stick with the same team for the first time since his Seahawks rookie contract expired. Since that point, the ex-Bobby Wagner apprentice has made one-year stops in Washington and Denver. This is by far Barton’s best contract, and the $7MM-per-year deal provides some security — Tennessee’s recent penchant for ditching its highest-profile linebacker after one season aside — a 2026 roster spot will await.
Historically a strong performer in his eight years of play, Woods is coming off his worst season, per PFF. Despite leading a last-place Carolina defense in tackles (119), interceptions (three), and interception return yards (70) last year, Woods finished the season ranked 77th out of 98 players graded at the position. Both Woods and Amani Hooker have become safeties who roam in the box and slot, but Woods has more experience early in his career as a deep safety and should take that role in Tennessee.
To address a defense that finished 2024 tied with the third-fewest sacks in the NFL and lost its top pass rusher, the Titans brought in Jones and Lorenzo Carter. When Carter announced his intentions to retire two months after signing, the team pivoted to picking up another veteran OLB piece in Ward. The composite of the two doesn’t nearly make up for the loss of Harold Landry, so Tennessee will need to hope Arden Key and Jeffery Simmons continue to provide solid rush support while the new additions provide support.
The Titans searched young and old to fill out their receiving corps with capable weapons for their rookie passer. Three years removed from his prime, Lockett brings vast veteran experience in his first year out of Seattle since he was drafted. Jefferson showed flashes early in his career with the Rams as a potential WR2 but has stumbled at two stops since. The two will compete with a slew of rookies for targets behind Ridley and the tight ends.
The Seahawks cut Lockett as they overhauled their passing attack, trading D.K. Metcalf and Geno Smith. Lockett is the second-leading receiver in Seattle history, playing 10 years with the team. Four 1,000-yard seasons are on Lockett’s resume. He remained the Seahawks’ No. 2 weapon in 2023, but as Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke through last year, Lockett slid into the No. 3 role. Lockett, 33, still compiled 600 receiving yards — after an 894-yard 2023 ended his four-season 1,000-yard streak — and will step in months after the Titans traded DeAndre Hopkins. Lockett, who helped Russell Wilson develop into a star, said Ward’s presence drew him to Nashville.
Proche joins as a free agent receiver addition, as well, but his path to the roster is likely on specials teams. He’ll be competing with incumbent returners Julius Chestnut and Jha’Quan Jackson for the opportunity. Also, on special teams, the Titans will sport two new specialists at kicker and punter.
Jones landed in Nashville before Lockett; his Seattle tenure was certainly much shorter. Given the highest AAV ($17MM) of any free agent in Seahawks history, Jones ended up playing more as an edge rusher than expected. The ex-Broncos 3-4 defensive end gives the Titans options, having split time between the interior and edge in 2022 and ’23 before a near-full-time OLB role last season.
Jones posted between 5.5 and 6.5 sacks each year from 2020-22 in Denver, combining for 25 tackles for loss in that time. His production dipped two Seattle seasons (nine combined sacks, 12 TFLs). At 281 pounds, Jones gives the Titans an interesting option alongside Simmons or as a Key complementary piece on the edge.
Slye brings a bigger, younger leg (two 60-plus-yard field goal makes in his career) to Nashville, though he sacrifices some accuracy in his big swings. Hekker brings a bit more efficient finesse to the punting game than the Titans had last year. One of the most decorated punters in NFL history, Hekker is a four-time first-team All-Pro. The former Rams option collected a Super Bowl ring in Los Angeles and spent the past three seasons in Carolina. At 35, Hekker should still have some time left to add to his sterling resume.
Lastly, the team signed Allen and Boyle to hopefully back up Ward. At first, the two were likely competing for a QB3 spot behind Ward and Will Levis, but a season-ending shoulder surgery for Levis cleared the way for both to compete for QB2. Last year’s group of Levis, Mason Rudolph, and Trevor Siemian (practice squad) featured better second and third options, but Tennessee is hoping Ward will be the biggest improvement to the room this year. If we’re seeing Allen or Boyle for any serious snaps in 2025, something has gone terribly wrong.
Re-signings:
- Sebastian Joseph-Day, DT: One year, $6.5MM ($4.98MM guaranteed)
- Morgan Cox, LS: One year, $1.42MM ($168K guaranteed)
- Corey Levin, C: One year, $1.26MM
- James Lynch, DT: One year, $1.17MM
- Darrell Baker Jr., CB: One year, $1.1MM
- Mike Brown, S: One year, $1.1MM
- Quandre Diggs, S. Signed 8/5
After Lloyd Cushenberry tore his Achilles tendon eight weeks into last season, Daniel Brunskill filled in for the remainder of the year. Cushenberry is working his way back — though he’s still on the active/PUP list at the moment. With Brunskill following ousted GM/ex-49ers exec Ran Carthon out of town, Levin returns alongside the free agent additions — Mustipher and Jaimes — to add depth at the position. Cushenberry should start, as long as he’s ready, and he’s making good progress, but should the team need a backup starting to open the season, it’ll be Levin’s longevity and experience in Tennessee versus Mustipher’s starting experience (40 starts in three years in Chicago). 
The Titans appreciated what Joseph-Day brought to a front three that most often was composed of he, Simmons, and T’Vondre Sweat. According to PFF, the three are the highest-ranked returning starters on Tennessee’s defense in 2025, so re-signing Joseph-Day helps the team secure their anchor unit up front, while re-signing Lynch adds some depth on the interior behind Sweat and Simmons.
Like Lynch, Baker and Brown return as key backups. Both defensive backs were forced into bigger roles last year with injuries to Diggs and L’Jarius Sneed, and both performed admirably in relief. Baker will likely slot into a CB3 role, if Sneed is back in the picture, and while Tennessee likely hopes it won’t have to turn to Brown as frequently in 2025, it knows it can.
One of only nine active players with 15 or more seasons of experience under his belt and sporting the sixth-most games played in the NFL of currently active players, Cox is back for another year as the Titans’ long snapper. Returning to his home state and the state of his alma mater in 2021 after 11 years in Baltimore, Cox enters his fifth year as a Titan at 39 years old.
Diggs checks in as a late-summer addition once again. After an early-August signing last year, the former Seahawks Pro Bowler is back. Diggs, 32, looks to be competing for a depth role behind Amani Hooker, Xavier Woods and third-round pick Kevin Winston Jr. Still, Diggs — back after a lengthy Lisfranc rehab — could provide a stopgap presence while Winston develops. He has made 120 career starts, and an eight-game sample in 2024 drew a No. 20 PFF placement (among safety regulars).
Notable losses:
- Chidobe Awuzie, CB (released)
- Jerome Baker, LB
- Tyler Boyd, WR
- Daniel Brunskill, C
- Nick Folk, K
- Jack Gibbens, LB (non-tendered as RFA)
- Luke Gifford, LB
- Harold Landry, OLB (released)
- Nicholas Petit-Frere, T (waived)
- Dillon Radunz, T
- Mason Rudolph, QB
- Ryan Stonehouse, P (nontendered as RFA)
- Nick Vannett, TE
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR
- Daryl Worley, S
On offense, the Titans were willing to bring back Rudolph, but ultimately, he returned to a Steelers team that drafted him. Pretty much every loss on that side of the ball was pretty thoroughly addressed through the draft or free agency.
The real losses came on defense. Tennessee was willing to eat some $12.51MM in dead money to avoid paying Awuzie’s salary next year. This brought a quick exit for the former Cowboys and Bengals starter, who fetched a surprising three-year, $36MM deal in free agency last year. Awuzie, however, joined Sneed in missing extensive time in 2024. Awuzie, 30, played in just eight Titans games last season. He landed in Baltimore on a low-cost deal.
After failing to find a trade partner for Landry, the team made the move to release him and freed up $10.95MM of cap space, despite eating $13.1MM in dead money. Landry landed on his feet, rejoining Mike Vrabel — on a three-year, $43.5MM deal ($26MM guaranteed at signing) contract — in New England.
Landry, 29, had been tied to a five-year, $87.5MM Titans contract. The team moved on despite two years remaining on that deal. Landry had rebounded after missing the 2022 season with an ACL tear. As the Titans struggled for years to identify a Landry OLB wingman, they could count on solid production from their top edge rusher. Post-surgery, Landry combined for 19.5 sacks and 36 QB hits over the past two seasons.
NFL, ESPN Agree To Two Expansive Non-Binding Agreements
Despite the day belonging to ESPN and its reporters, it was Mark Maske of The Washington Post who broke the news first. Per Maske, the NFL and Disney-owned ESPN have completed the long-rumored deal, giving ESPN NFL Network and certain other media assets (including RedZone and NFL Fantasy) in exchange for 10 percent equity stake in ESPN. The second non-binding agreement, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, sees the NFL license to ESPN certain NFL content and intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets. 
“Today’s announcement paves the way for the world’s leading sports media brand and America’s most popular sport to deliver an even more compelling experience for NFL fans, in a way that only ESPN and Disney can,” CEO of The Walt Disney Company Roger Iger said in a statement released by ESPN’s Lily Blum.
He continued, “Commissioner (Roger Goodell) and the NFL have built outstanding media assets, and these transactions will add to consumer choice, provide viewers with even greater convenience and quality, and expand the breadth and value proposition of Disney’s streaming ecosystem.”
Given ESPN’s streaming abilities — through multiple streaming apps such as ESPN Watch, ESPN+, Hulu, and Disney+ — the agreements should make available lots of content exclusive to the NFL and NFL Network available in multiple formats in addition to the usual cable and satellite options. The statement also cites an additional platform in what they’re calling “ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service.”
While YouTube TV still owns the rights to air NFL Sunday Ticket and ABC/ESPN/Disney/NFL Network, FOX, CBS/Paramount/Nickelodeon, NBC/Peacock, Amazon, and Netflix all have individual rights to air certain games, ESPN gets “broad rights to the RedZone brand and will distribute the NFL RedZone Channel to pay TV operators for continued inclusion into their sports packages.” Though ESPN gets broad rights to the brand and TV distribution rights, the NFL will continue to own, operate, and produce NFL RedZone and retain the rights to distribute it digitally. ESPN’s platforms will now license an additional three NFL games per season (all to air on NFL Network) and will adjust its overall NFL game schedule with four games shifting to NFL Network, as well.
The league will continue to own and operate its retained media businesses such as NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com, the NFL Podcast Network, the NFL FAST Channel, and the official sites for all 32 teams. The two parties’ fantasy applications, NFL Fantasy Football and ESPN Fantasy Football, will merge, “creating the official Fantasy season-long game of the NFL and one best-in-class digital experience,” whatever that means.
While much of the news is being presented by the parties involved as a shiny new present for NFL fans, there are some perceived negatives to the agreements. While Iger calls the transactions additions “to consumer choice,” in reality this is a step closer to a monopoly. At the moment, existing contracts keep the NFL readily available from several different streamers and television channels, but when those contracts expire, how willing will the NFL be to dole out games to networks other than the one it has a 10 percent stake in?
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio offered his usual candor in making another relevant point about ESPN’s reporting responsibilities. When issues such as the ownership collusion ruling we’ve seen this summer break on the NFL news circuit, how critical will ESPN be towards its minority owner?
Ultimately, the transactions are still subject to the parties’ negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals (including those of NFL team owners and federal regulators), and customary closing conditions. There’s still quite a ways to go, but today’s agreement gives a peek into what the NFL media future will look like. Per Maske, changes are not expected to take place in 2025, since “the regulatory approval process…is expected to take months to a year or more.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/25
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Justin Hollins
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Thomas Gordon
Cleveland Browns
- Waived (with injury designation): CB Anthony Kendall
- Waived (with injury settlement): WR Michael Woods
Dallas Cowboys
- Released (with injury settlement): WR Parris Campbell
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Lecitus Smith
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Sam Brown Jr.
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Dalton Keene
- Waived (with injury designation): WR Jared Wayne
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Bryce Ganious, RB JaMycal Hasty
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): CB Tre Avery
- Placed on IR: CB Marcellas Dial, DT Jaquelin Roy
- Released: TE Tyler Davis
New Orleans Saints
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): TE Mason Pline
- Waived: TE Seth Green
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: CB Daryl Porter Jr.
- Waived: TE Kevin Foelsch
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
- Released (with failure to disclose physical condition designation): WR Andy Isabella
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Anthony Tyus
- Waived: RB Donovan Kaufman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from active/PUP list: G Sua Opeta
- Waived: P Jake Julien
Dial, the Patriots second-year cornerback and special teamer, will miss his second year in the NFL after suffering a torn ACL. In cheerier news, Opeta returns to a practice field for the first time in over a year. The former Eagles backup lineman was hoping to compete for a starting left guard spot last year before tearing his ACL in the first week of camp.
Campbell makes his way off the Cowboys roster after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Injuries continue to be an issue for the Ohio State alum, who has missed 51 of a possible 100 regular season games over his first six years in the league and is set to miss even more this year.
Broncos LB Drew Sanders To Miss Start Of Season
AUGUST 4: Sanders recently underwent surgery to address the injury, 9News’ Mike Klis reports. Payton specified the issue was actually a ligament in Sanders’ foot, rather than a tendon. That is a somewhat encouraging correction given the different recovery timeline which should be in store as a result. Nevertheless, Payton noted the healing process will be “north of four to six weeks,” so missed time in the fall remains the expectation in this case.
JULY 27: The Broncos were given a bit of a scare when third-year linebacker Drew Sanders was carted off the field at practice yesterday with an apparent lower body injury, per Luca Evans of The Denver Post. After Sanders missed most of his 2024 campaign with an April torn Achilles tendon, there was significant concern for another injury, though head coach Sean Payton relayed that the issue was not his Achilles this time, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. 
In an update today, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the results of an MRI determined that Sanders suffered an injury to a tendon in his foot “that will keep him out (for) an extended period of time.” An exact recovery timeline was not ready, as further testing is still required to determine if he’ll need surgery, but Sanders is not expected to return in time for the season opener, so he’ll be getting a late start to the season for the second year in a row.
A third-round pick in 2023, Sanders split his time as a rookie as both a reserve behind linebackers Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell in the box and a reserve behind Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, and Baron Browning on the edge, following an injury to Randy Gregory. With the loss of Jewell in free agency, Sanders was expected to step in next to Singleton, but his fateful torn Achilles changed the team’s plans.
When Singleton suffered a tear of his own (ACL) only three games into the season, the Broncos relied on Cody Barton and Justin Strnad, who admirably filled in the linebacking roles for a defense that finished the season third in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed. Barton priced himself out of Denver, earning a three-year, $21MM deal with the Titans, while Strnad was re-signed on a one-year, $2.7MM contract.
Already returning Sanders, who played in five contests off his return from the Achilles injury last year, the Broncos made an interesting move in signing former 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who played in two games last season coming back from an Achilles tear of his own. Greenlaw actually experienced a quadriceps injury in early offseason practices with his new team, but it was minor enough for Denver not to address the position through the draft or further free agency.
Singleton and Greenlaw have both overcome their injuries and have been participants in training camp so far. If the two can stay healthy, they should be leading the linebacking corps when the season opens. It’s unfortunate that Sanders suffered his setback, as he would’ve been in line as the first man off the bench for the position and an excellent option to fill in should either of his teammates experience setbacks of their own. Despite his snap shares on the edge as a rookie, Payton made it known back in February that Sanders would be focusing on his role as an inside linebacker moving forward.
With Sanders’ return date unknown, Strnad now takes on that responsibility behind Singleton and Greenlaw, once again prepared to step into a starting role, if necessary. Behind Strnad, though, a group of undrafted linebackers is composed of Levelle Bailey, who played five defensive snaps as a rookie last year, and rookies Karene Reid, JB Brown, and Johnny Walker Jr.